מעקה ושמירת הנפש ד

And it is impossible to explain in writing the tremendous greatness of the ratzon and the longings of k'dushah, according to what we understood from the words of our holy Rabbainu z"l, according to what we merited to hear from his holy mouth itself. For in writing it is impossible to explain even a fraction, even a part of a thousandth. And he already revealed many, many lofty Toros on this that have already been printed. But even more than this we understood from his holy mouth and from his holy movements and his wondrous allusions at the time he spoke about this many, many times.

And every person, according to what he is, must accustom himself very much in this — to yearn and to long always for Hashem Yisbarach with a strong and powerful ratzon. And this matter certainly every person can fulfill, even the most lowly of the lowly. And it is impossible to spoil or undermine this eitzah in any manner whatsoever, for one who wishes to fulfill it. For granted, all the things and all the eitzos that exist in the world — the ba'al davar [adversary] can overpower to prevent the person from doing them. But ratzon alone — this is impossible to undermine in any manner whatsoever. For however it may be, nevertheless: I want to return to Hashem Yisbarach with a strong ratzon! For who is so foolish and senseless that he would not want the true and eternal good? It is only that it is difficult for him to overcome what he needs to overcome. But at the very least, the ratzon of every member of Yisroel who believes in Hashem Yisbarach is certainly very, very strong to return to Him Yisbarach.

Only because they do not know the greatness of the ratzon — that the ratzon itself is very good — therefore, when they see that many times they desired with a strong ratzon for Hashem Yisbarach and nevertheless still did not merit avodas Hashem Yisbarach, and also they blemished somewhat more — therefore they despair of themselves and they forget to yearn further, until the ratzon becomes hidden from them. And in truth, this blemish is worse than all of them. For however it may be, at the very least let him not weaken the ratzon, and not abandon and not forsake the ratzon. On the contrary, let him accustom himself to yearn and to long each time more and more, with a ratzon that is stronger and stronger for Hashem Yisbarach. And this ratzon itself is very good, and one can merit through this complete t'shuvah in truth, and to ascend to all the levels of k'dushah, as above.

Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat. Based on Likutay Moharan II:4. Translated from the Hebrew. Continued from Part 1.

And this is what is written: "Hishbati eschem b'nos Y'rushalayim bitz'vaos o b'aylos hasadeh, mah ta'iru umah t'or'ru es ha'ahavah ad shetechpatz" ["I adjure you, O daughters of Y'rushalayim, by the gazelles or the hinds of the field: do not arouse and do not stir up the love until it desires"] (Shir HaShirim 2:7). Meaning, K'nesses Yisroel says to the nations and the Sitra Achara — who are called tz'vaos and aylos hasadeh, who are the aspect of predatory wild beasts that maul and tear, who are the aspect of the chachmay hateva [naturalist philosophers], who are the blemish of the ratzon, as is explained in the aforementioned Torah — for from them is the main ko'ach of the yaitzer hara, which is called "ail acher" [a foreign god] — k'firos, as is known.

And the holy people of Yisroel say to them that nothing that they do and strive to accomplish will help them to corrupt, chas v'shalom, the love that is between Yisroel and their Father in Heaven — through the seductions and enticements by which they seduce and entice each and every person with whatever they entice him with, to distance him from Hashem Yisbarach, chas v'shalom. All this will not help them. For even though they have already tripped us many, many times, nevertheless we still desire and yearn for Hashem Yisbarach with a very, very great desire and ratzon and yearning.

And this is: "Mah ta'iru umah t'or'ru es ha'ahavah ad shetechpatz." For it will not avail you, what you are engaged in doing — hatred and corruption, chas v'shalom — as Rashi explains there. For nothing will avail at all, since it is impossible ever to nullify the ratzon of k'dushah. For certainly every single member of Yisroel, as he is, still desires and yearns to return to Hashem Yisbarach. And since they still have ratzon and longings for Him Yisbarach, certainly they will never be able to distance Yisroel from Hashem Yisbarach. For in the end, they will all ultimately return to Him, since the ratzon to return to Him Yisbarach is always strong, as above.

For the ratzon is drawn from the aspect of Ra'ava d'Ra'avin, which is the aspect of Atika Kadisha [the Holy Ancient One], where no blemish reaches at all, as is known. Where it is stated: "Im chatasa mah tif'al bo" ["If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?"] (Iyov 35:6) — as is known. And therefore, against the ratzon no blemish or sin can cause corruption at all. For the ratzon overpowers everything, for there no blemish reaches at all — and understand this. For the aspect of the ratzon, which is drawn from the aspect of Ra'ava d'Ra'avin — this is the aspect of the Or HaAin Sof [the Infinite Light]. And therefore the aspect of the ratzon is impossible to corrupt in any manner whatsoever. For the light of the ratzon is the aspect of the Or Ain Sof, which is never interrupted, for it has no end and no limit. For after all the corruptions, chas v'shalom, in the end we yearn for Him Yisbarach with a strong ratzon. For the light of the ratzon is the aspect of the Or Ain Sof that has no end, as above.

And this is the tremendous greatness of the levels of the k'dushah of Shabbos Kodesh, which surpasses everything. For Shabbos is entirely ratzon, as we say: "V'Shabbas kodsh'cha b'ahavah uv'ratzon hinchaltanu" ["And Your holy Shabbos with love and with ratzon You bequeathed to us"]. For on Shabbos the Ra'ava d'Ra'avin shines — the ratzon shebar'tzonos. And therefore on Shabbos all the thirty-nine m'lachos [categories of creative labor] are nullified, as is explained well in the aforementioned Torah.

And therefore, through the keeping of Shabbos Kodesh, all one's sins are forgiven, as Chazal said (Shabbos 119b). For through the ratzon all the sins are transformed into merits. For the main element of t'shuvah is the aspect of the ratzon of k'dushah, as above. For the main element of t'shuvah is the charatah [remorse] — that one regrets very much having done that deed. And the main element of the charatah is the ratzon, that one now has a ratzon of k'dushah — that one regrets very much what one did. Meaning, that one would have been very pleased if one had not done this. It emerges that the main element of the charatah is the ratzon of k'dushah — meaning that now one does not want the transgression at all; rather, one's ratzon is: "If only I had not committed the transgression." And through this charatah, which is nothing but the ratzon of k'dushah, through this one is forgiven.

And therefore on Shabbos, when one merits the ratzon of k'dushah, through this one merits t'shuvah, which is the aspect of Shabbos, as Rabbainu z"l wrote elsewhere — the aspect of "v'shavta ad Hashem Elokecha" ["and you shall return to Hashem your G-d"] (D'varim 30:2). For the main t'shuvah is the aspect of the ratzon of k'dushah that intensifies even more after the sin, if one merits to be aroused to t'shuvah. And through this the descent is transformed into an ascent, and the sins are transformed into merits. For through the sins, upon which one afterward merited to do t'shuvah, through this one merits a stronger ratzon, as above.

And this is what Chazal said (Shabbos 118b): "Whoever delights in the Shabbos is given an inheritance without boundaries." For the k'dushah of oneg Shabbos, which is the aspect of the ratzon, the aspect of Ra'ava d'Ra'avin — this is the aspect of an inheritance without boundaries, where no constraint has dominion or reaches at all. The "constraint" refers to the Sitra Achara and dinim, which are called the "m'tzarim" [boundaries/constraints] of k'dushah. For in the aspect of the ratzon of k'dushah, no Sitra Achara or k'lipos can reach at all, as above. For the ratzon of k'dushah of Yisroel can never be nullified. For sometimes, chas v'shalom, they can overpower to nullify Yisroel from some mitzvah, or to cause them to stumble, chas v'shalom, in some failing through their overpowering, chas v'shalom. But the ratzon they can never nullify. For nevertheless, we desire with a strong ratzon to return to Hashem Yisbarach. And this is the aspect of: "Mah ta'iru umah t'or'ru es ha'ahavah ad shetechpatz," as above. And therefore the k'dushah of Shabbos — which is the aspect of the ratzon of k'dushah — is called an inheritance without boundaries. For against the ratzon of k'dushah there is no constraint of the Sitra Achara or k'lipos that can corrupt it, chas v'shalom — the aspect of: "Mah ta'iru...ad shetechpatz," etc., as above.

And behold, the general principle is that the main purpose of the person in this world is the ratzon of k'dushah for Hashem Yisbarach, as above. And the main beginning of avodas Hashem, and the end and the purpose — everything is the aspect of the ratzon. For the main thing is the ratzon, as above. For the neshamah is the aspect of ratzon, for the totality of nefesh, ruach, and neshamah is called "nefesh," and nefesh is an expression of ratzon, as it is written: "Im yesh es nafsh'chem" ["If it is your will"] (B'raishis 23:8). For the root of the neshamah is from the aspect of the supernal Ratzon, and its main purpose is that it should return to the place from which it was hewn — that it should merit to be included in the ratzon shebar'tzonos, in the aspect of the neshamah of Mosheh Rabbainu, as above.

But because the neshamah is enclothed in the physical body in the world of Asiyah, which is very distant and materialized, therefore it is in danger and in a test. For, chas v'shalom, it can forget the ratzon of k'dushah through the greatness of its distance and through the fallen r'tzonos that are enclothed in the desires of this world, etc. Therefore Hashem Yisbarach had compassion upon us and gave us His Torah and His holy mitzvos, which are called "taryag itin d'Oraisa" [613 counsels of the Torah], as it is stated in the holy Zohar. Through the performance of these holy mitzvos we merit to sanctify our bodies and this entire world of Asiyah. For every single mitzvah is drawn from His ratzon, Yisbarach — for His ratzon was that we should perform this mitzvah in this particular manner; for example, tzitzis of wool and linen on the corner of the garment specifically, and similarly with the other mitzvos, as Rabbainu z"l wrote elsewhere (Siman 33, 34).

And through our performing this mitzvah with our physical body, with physical things of this world specifically, through this we sanctify a part of our body. And likewise a part of this world that corresponds to this mitzvah. And through this we merit, according to the aspect of the mitzvah, to remind ourselves in this world and in this body to yearn for Hashem Yisbarach with a strong ratzon. And then Asiyah [action/the physical world] is included in the Ratzon. And this is the main purpose — the aspect of "sof ma'aseh b'machshavah t'chilah" ["the end of action was first in thought"]. For this is the main delight and pleasure of Him Yisbarach — when we merit through the performance of His mitzvos to include the ultimate purpose of Asiyah in the supernal Ratzon. And this one merits through the holy mitzvos, which are supernal r'tzonos that we fulfill through physical things specifically, of this world, and with the physical body. For the main completeness of the ratzon is when the ratzon rises from this physical world that is the most distant — for this ratzon is stronger and shines more because of the greatness of the distance, as above.

And this is the aspect of tz'dakah, which is equivalent to the entire Torah. For the main illumination of the ratzon is through tz'dakah, as is explained in the aforementioned teaching — see there what is explained there: that through tz'dakah one elevates and rectifies the blemish of the fallen days of the elders that are not as they should be, from which, chas v'shalom, the "forehead of the serpent" draws nourishment. And it [the forehead of the serpent] opposes the aspect of the "forehead of the Ratzon," which is the aspect of the ratzon shebar'tzonos. And through tz'dakah one nullifies the nourishment of the forehead of the serpent, and then the forehead of the Ratzon is strengthened and revealed — the aspect of the ratzon shebar'tzonos. And through this the voice of the calling of Yom Tov is heard — which calls and reveals the ratzon, in the aspect of "mikra kodesh" [a holy convocation]. And through the revelation of the ratzon one merits yirah [awe]. And through the yirah, chesed [kindness] flows — for through the yirah an engraving and a vessel is made to receive the flow of chesed.

And then, when the chesed flows, one does not need to do any labor or business for the sake of parnasah. For it is fulfilled: "V'amdu zarim v'ra'u tzonachem, uv'nai naichar ikaraichem v'chormachem, v'atem kohanai Hashem tikarai'u" ["And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and vine-dressers, and you shall be called the priests of Hashem"] (Y'shayahu 61:5-6). "Kohanai Hashem" specifically — the aspect of chesed. For the world is sustained through His chesed, and all the thirty-nine m'lachos are nullified — which are all the businesses and the dealings and the labors that one does. For even though the thirty-nine m'lachos are also the aspect of the service of the Creator — since the thirty-nine m'lachos are derived from the Mishkan, and all the businesses and the dealings and the labors that one does, which are all included in the thirty-nine m'lachos, are all in the aspect of the work of the Mishkan when one merits to do them in k'dushah; and "the pattern of the Mishkan is like the pattern of the work of B'raishis [Creation]," etc. — nevertheless, if His chesed were flowing, we would not need to do any business at all, etc.

And the main flow of the chesed is through the ratzon that is revealed through the tz'dakah, as above. For the main element of tz'dakah is in the aspect of "v'es ha'orvim tzivisi l'chalkeleika" ["And the ravens I have commanded to sustain you"] (M'lachim I 17:4). Meaning, that one should transform the cruelty into compassion. For one who gives tz'dakah by his nature, because he is a compassionate person — it is not so significant. Rather, the main thing is to break the cruel heart into compassion — like the raven, which is cruel by its nature and was transformed into compassion to sustain Eliyahu. Similarly, each person must transform the cruelty that he has in his nature into compassion, and distribute tz'dakah beyond his nature. And through this is the main revelation of the ratzon. For "from within it and from itself, let the axe come against it." For through transforming the anger and the cruelty that is in his nature into compassion and into giving tz'dakah, through this the anger is nullified — which is the opposite of the ratzon — and the ratzon is revealed, etc. And through this all the businesses and the servitude and all the thirty-nine m'lachos are nullified, for it is fulfilled: "V'amdu zarim," etc., as above — see all this there well.

And behold, according to the above, the matter is well explained. For the main ratzon is when one merits a true ratzon in this world of Asiyah — for which the neshamah descended specifically to this world. And then, when one merits ratzon in this very distant world — through which the ratzon is stronger and shines more, as above — then Asiyah is included in the Ratzon. And Asiyah, which is the aspect of anger and din, is transformed into the Ratzon. And this is the main completeness of the ratzon: to transform anger into ratzon — which is the aforementioned aspect: to transform Asiyah into Ratzon.

For Asiyah — meaning all the mundane activities and all the businesses, which are the aspect of the thirty-nine m'lachos — is literally the opposite of the ratzon. For the ratzon is the aspect of bitul [nullification], the aspect of Shabbos. And all the activities are literally the opposite of it. For the Asiyah is the aspect of anger and din, for the main hold of all the dinim is in Asiyah, as is known. For all the activities, which are the aspect of the thirty-nine m'lachos, are drawn from the sin of Adam HaRishon, through which he was cursed: "B'itzavon tochalenah" ["In sorrow shall you eat of it"] (B'raishis 3:17); "B'zai'as apecha tochal lechem" ["By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread"] (B'raishis 3:19). Through which one is compelled to toil in these thirty-nine m'lachos. And one must toil greatly to do the thirty-nine m'lachos in great k'dushah, in order to clarify them from the contamination of the serpent — which is the thirty-nine curses that were cursed then in the sin of Adam HaRishon, which are the aspect of thirty-nine lashes. All of which is the aspect of anger and din.

And the main drawing of k'dushah upon the entire world of Asiyah and upon all the thirty-nine m'lachos is through the ratzon, as above. For through the ratzon — through yearning for Hashem Yisbarach in this world of Asiyah with a very strong and powerful ratzon for many days and many years — through this one merits to transform Asiyah into Ratzon, until one can merit to nullify from Yisroel all the thirty-nine m'lachos and all the businesses. And everything is through the ratzon, as above in the aforementioned Torah.

And therefore the main revelation of the ratzon is through the tz'dakah, which transforms anger into ratzon, as above. And through this one merits to draw the illumination of the Ratzon into this world of Asiyah — to nullify and to transform the world of Asiyah into Ratzon, so that all the thirty-nine m'lachos and all the businesses will be nullified from Yisroel. And they will merit only to yearn and to pine and to long for Hashem Yisbarach with a very strong and powerful ratzon, all their days, forever.

Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat. Based on Likutay Moharan II:4. Translated from the Hebrew. Continued from Part 2.

For through the tz'dakah that one gives to a poor person — and the poor person is in the aspect of Asiyah, for there is the main hold of poverty, as is known that the aspect of Asiyah is called "poor," for the main poverty is drawn from the aspect of "b'itzavon tochalenah" ["in sorrow shall you eat of it"], which is the aspect of Asiyah, the aspect of the thirty-nine m'lachos, as above. And therefore, for the most part, the poor person is in anger and in rage always, for he is in the aspect of Asiyah, from where is the main hold of din and rage.

And this generous person who transforms his cruelty and volunteers to give tz'dakah — this is the aspect of ratzon, which is the aspect of a "generous spirit," a "free-will offering of the heart," that he is agreeable with ratzon and with his good free-will of his heart to give tz'dakah. And therefore, through the tz'dakah — which is the aspect of a generous spirit, the aspect of ratzon — that he bestows upon the poor person, who is the aspect of Asiyah, the aspect of rage: through this he draws the illumination of the Ratzon into the aspect of Asiyah, and through this he transforms Asiyah and rage into Ratzon.

And also with the physical senses one can see this. For initially the poor person was in pain and in rage because of the greatness of his poverty and his hardship, and he was complaining, chas v'shalom, against Hashem Yisbarach. And through having given him his full need, through this his spirit is calmed and he is agreeable and appeased, and the rage that had seized him at first is nullified, and the aspect of the illumination of the Ratzon is drawn upon him.

And this is the main mitzvah of tz'dakah: to nullify the rage, to transform the rage into ratzon. As we find in several places, that the main admonition regarding tz'dakah is to nullify the complaint of the poor person, as is brought in the holy Zohar regarding that poor person who was complaining, etc. — that there was, chas v'shalom, a great din through this, Rachmana litzlan. And as it is written: "V'hayah ki yitz'ak ailai" ["And it shall be, when he cries out to Me"], etc. (Sh'mos 22:26).

It emerges that through the tz'dakah that one gives to a poor person, through this one transforms the aspect of rage, the aspect of Asiyah, into Ratzon. And this is the main reason for the person's descent to this world, and this is the main generality of all the mitzvos of the Torah, as above. And therefore the mitzvah of tz'dakah is equivalent to the entire Torah, and wherever "mitzvah" is mentioned unspecified it refers to the mitzvah of tz'dakah, as is brought. For the main generality of the performance of all the mitzvos in this world of action specifically is to transform Asiyah into Ratzon, and this is accomplished through tz'dakah most of all, as above.

And this is what the Torah warned: "V'lo yaira l'vavcha b'sit'cha lo, ki biglal hadavar hazeh y'varechcha Hashem Elokecha b'chol ma'asecha uv'chol mishlach yadecha" ["Let your heart not be grieved when you give to him, for because of this thing Hashem your G-d will bless you in all your deeds and in all the work of your hands"] (D'varim 15:10). For the main element of tz'dakah is the good ratzon — to transform the rage and the cruelty into ratzon, as above. And therefore one must give tz'dakah with a good ratzon, without any ill-will of the heart, in order to nullify the rage and to draw the ratzon — and this is the main element of tz'dakah. Through which one merits to nullify all the thirty-nine m'lachos of the mundane, in which the contamination of the serpent has a hold — the aspect of the thirty-nine curses.

And this is: "Ki biglal hadavar hazeh y'varechcha Hashem" — "y'varechcha Hashem" specifically — the opposite of the curses of the sin of Adam HaRishon, which is "b'itzavon tochalenah," the aspect of the thirty-nine m'lachos. For through tz'dakah with a good ratzon, one merits to draw the illumination of the Ratzon upon the world of Asiyah, and Asiyah is included in the Ratzon. And through this, all the activities and all the thirty-nine m'lachos are nullified, for the world is sustained through His chesed alone, which is the aspect of blessing and chesed, as above. "Ki biglal hadavar hazeh y'varechcha Hashem Elokecha b'chol ma'asecha uv'chol mishlach yadecha" — for blessing and chesed are drawn upon all the activities through the illumination of the Ratzon, until one merits to nullify all the activities entirely, for Asiyah is included in the Ratzon, as above. And all of this is through the tz'dakah that transforms rage, the aspect of Asiyah, into Ratzon, as above. And this is "y'varechcha Hashem" — with money, etc. For through the ratzon one merits the aspect of "v'amdu zarim v'ra'u tzonachem," etc., "v'atem kohanai Hashem tikarai'u," as above.

And this is the aspect of a guarantor. For the guarantor who enters between the borrower and the lender and assures the lender that the borrower will repay him — this is the aforementioned aspect: that he obligates himself to return the thing to its root from which it was taken, to elevate Asiyah to Ratzon. For the borrower is in the aspect of Asiyah and servitude, the aspect of "eved loveh l'ish malveh" ["a borrower is a servant to the lender"] (Mishlai 22:7). For the main element of all the loans and the debts — which are the aspect of poverty and hardship — everything is drawn from the aspect of "b'itzavon tochalenah," etc., which is the aspect of the thirty-nine m'lachos, because of which there is all the deficiency of parnasah [livelihood], because of which one is compelled to engage in all the businesses. And whoever is seized more by the contamination of the serpent falls into more worries and servitude and businesses, until they fall into debts and loans, which are literally servitude — the intensity of Asiyah, the aspect of "eved loveh l'ish malveh," as above.