Likutay Moharan, Torah 21

Likutay Moharan, Torah 21 [In the words of our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing] Chapter Four of the Book of Concealment: Atika (Ancient One), Hidden and Concealed, and so forth.

When you kindle the lamps (Numbers 8:2), and so forth.

Rashi explains that the flame [shalheves] should rise on its own.

Because the main sense of hearing is because the letters of speech are engraved in the air, and the airs strike one against the other, until it comes to the ear of the hearer. And therefore: when the air is calm and pure and clear — then when one who is able to speak speaks, the speech is heard from afar — as one sees with the senses. But when there is a windstorm — then it is impossible for his fellow to hear — because the wind confuses and separates the portions of the airs and scatters them — until it is impossible for his fellow to hear even the voice, all the more the speech itself.

And through tzedakah — one takes souls, because one takes friends and lovers to himself — as Munbaz said : "My fathers stored wealth, and I stored souls." It is found: that all that one gives tzedakah to more people — through this he acquires more friends to himself. And through this — the love that one acquires through the tzedakah — through this the air is purified.

And all that one gives tzedakah to more people and acquires love with more people — through this the air of calm and purity is increased more — because love is attachment of spirit in spirit: that is, the spirit of the lover in the spirit of the beloved — that this is the aspect of the calm air, that their spirits are calm one with the other, because there is no evil spirit — which is hatred — that separates between them. Because hatred is the aspect of evil spirit — as it is written : "And Hashem placed an evil spirit between Avimelech and the men of Shechem." And Rashi explains: hatred — it is found that hatred is the aspect of the evil spirit, confusion of the air, through which one cannot hear the speech.

And to its opposite: love and friendship is the aspect of the calm and pure air — through which the speech is heard from afar. And this is made through tzedakah — the aspect of "wealth adds many friends" — that through tzedakah one takes friends and lovers to himself — that through this is made the aspect of the calm and pure air as above.

And all that one increases to give tzedakah to more people — the aspect of the calm and pure air is increased more. Because when one gives tzedakah to one man — it is found that he acquires one lover, and then his spirit is attached to his spirit, and a small area of calm and pure air is made. And when one gives tzedakah to two people — a larger area of calm and pure air is made. And so — all that one increases to give to more people and acquires more friends and lovers — in the aspect of "wealth adds many friends" — the area of calm and pure air is enlarged and increased more and more.

And therefore: the main thing is to give tzedakah to true tzadikim and to proper poor people who are included from several souls of Israel — because through this he enlarges very much the area of the calm and pure air as above. Because through the tzedakah that he gives to them alone, he acquires many very many friends — because they are included from many souls — and through this the aspect of the calm and pure air is increased more as above.

And the aforementioned sukkah, that is, the aforementioned ruach hakodesh, the aforementioned shefa Eloki, is the aspect of makifin (surrounding lights), for this saichel is exceedingly great, to the point that the moach cannot bear it. And it does not enter the moach but surrounds the head, as we see many deep wisdoms that the human moach cannot comprehend fully, such as many perplexities in which we are confounded, like knowledge [yideyah] and free will [bechirah], which the human moach cannot comprehend. And this saichel is the aspect of makifin, which does not enter the inner moach but surrounds it from the outside. And the inner saichel receives its vitality from this makif. And know that this is the essence [ikar] of the power of free will [bechirah]: As long as the saichel is not so great as to comprehend knowledge [yideyah] (that Hashem knows everything that was and will be) and (even still there is) free will [bechirah], then the power of bechirah remains in place, for one has the power to choose life or its opposite.

But when this makif enters within, and then the human saichel is expanded, and knowledge [yediah] and free will [bechirah] are revealed to the human, then bechirah is nullified. For then, through the expansion of the saichel, one transcends the human realm and ascends to the realm of an angel, and then bechirah is nullified. And this is the essence [ikar] of the power of bechirah: that one does not know the saichel of knowledge [yideyah] and free will [bechirah]. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachos 17a): That in the future [l’asid], the tzadikim (righteous) will sit with their crowns on their heads. It was necessary to say “on their heads,” for in the future [l’asid], bechirah will be nullified. And this is “the tzadikim sit,” for sitting indicates the absence of bechirah, as in, “He who sits in the heavens” (Psalms 2:4), which indicates the absence of change. For movement indicates change from one will to another will, and sitting indicates the absence of change, that is, the nullification of bechirah. And their crowns, that is, the makifin, as in, “Saul and his men were encircling David” (1 Samuel 23:26). “On their heads” and not “upon their heads” means that the makifin will enter within the mochin (minds), and then all the wisdoms that one could not comprehend will enter within the mochin, and one will know and attain them. And then one will transcend the human realm and ascend to the realm of an angel, and bechirah will be nullified.

5. And this is the aspect of kiddushin (betrothal), the aspect of chuppah (wedding canopy), for the aforementioned shefa Eloki is the aspect of holiness [kodesh], the aspect of chuppah, the makifin. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Bava Basra 75a): Every tzadik is burned [nikveh] by the chuppah of his fellow, for the makif of one is greater than the makif of another, and the saichel that is a makif for one is internal [penimi] for another. And this is the aspect of the seven days of feasting that follow the chuppah, which are the aspect of the aforementioned seven lamps [nayros], through which the makif enters within. And this is the aspect of the seven days of mourning, Heaven forfend, that one mourns over him because his soul has departed, so that his soul may ascend to the aforementioned light [ohr] of the pnay through these seven days.

And this is the reason for the spitting [rak] of chalitzah (levirate release), as it is stated, “And she shall spit in his face” (Deuteronomy 25:9), specifically “in his face [befanaiv].” For he goes without seed and leaves no blessing [bracha] after him to draw the saichel of the pnay into the world through their good deeds. And his brother does not want to establish his brother’s name, the deceased, and does not want to perform yibum (levirate marriage) for her.

For this reason, “she shall spit in his face,” for he does not want to draw the soul of the deceased into the world to rectify the light [ohr] of the pnay. And through this spitting [rak], sometimes the face [pnay] of the deceased is seen, specifically the face [pnay] of the deceased. And through this spitting [rak], he is shamed. And the essence of shame [bushah] is in the face [pnay].

And this is because he did not want to establish the name of his deceased brother. And this is the aspect of, “And her father spat in her face, shall she not be shamed for seven days?” (Numbers 12:14). Specifically seven days [shivas yamim], which is the aspect of the aforementioned seven clouds, through which the pnay of the menorah shines, and he did not want to establish the name of his deceased brother. Therefore, “she shall spit in his face,” which is the shame [boshes] of the face [pnay]. And Miriam, who blemished the honor of Moses, who is the aspect of shefa Eloki, in the aspect of, “For the skin of his face shone” (Exodus 34:30), and she blemished the aspect of the seven lamps [nayros]. For he was humble, lowly, and patient, and his anger did not burn over his disgrace, and this is the aspect of the nose [chotem] in its perfection.

And it is written of him, “Mouth to mouth I speak with him” (Numbers 12:8), which is the aspect of the mouth [peh].

And it is written of him, “And he beholds the form of Hashem” (ibid.), which is the aspect of the eyes [aynayim]. And it is written of him, “In all My house he is faithful” (ibid.), which is the aspect of the ears [udnin], in the aspect of, “A faithful spirit conceals a matter” (Proverbs 11:13) [see Zohar, Idra Rabba 128a]. For this reason, she became leprous, and a leper is the closure of the supernal light [nehura ila’ah] [see Zohar, Tazria 49a], which is the aforementioned light [ohr] of the pnay. And it is written of her, “She shall be shut outside the camp for seven days” (Numbers 12:14). And this is what Aaron requested, “Please, let her not be like a dead person, who, when he comes out of his mother’s womb, half his flesh is consumed” (Numbers 12:12). For through the closure of the supernal light, she is in the aspect of a dead person, for a leper is considered like a dead person [see Nedarim 64b].

“Who comes out of his mother’s womb” is the aspect of yibum, for through yibum, his wife becomes his mother [אִתְּתֵהּ אִמֵּהּ], and “half his flesh is consumed” means that he has no mate, for the husband and wife are two halves of one body, and now that his wife is his mother, it follows that half his flesh is consumed, and he has no mate.

[Explanation: For one who dies without children, then his wife must undergo yibum, and through yibum, the deceased is reincarnated in the child born from his wife who is married to his brother, as explained in the Zohar (Mishpatim 110a): “His wife is his mother [אִתְּתֵהּ אִמֵּהּ].” This is a great pain and punishment for the deceased, that his wife becomes his mother, for now he must be born from his wife, and his wife becomes his mother. And because of this, the child of the yevamah (levirate widow) born from yibum cannot find his mate except through great mercy, as it is stated (Zohar, Lech Lecha 92a), regarding him it is said, “Lest another precede him with mercy,” see there.] For this child of the yevamah, who is truly her husband, and his wife has become his mother, has no mate since his mate has become his mother. And this is what our Rabbi, of blessed memory, explained regarding Aaron’s request for Miriam, who blemished the saichel of the pnay, which is the blemish of one who dies without children, as above, that she not be punished, Heaven forfend, with the punishment of yibum. And this is, “Please, let her not be like a dead person, who comes out of his mother’s womb,” that she not be like one who dies without children, who must come out again in reincarnation from his mother’s womb, that is, his wife becomes his mother, because of which “half his flesh is consumed,” that is, half his body is consumed, meaning he has no mate, as above, for she is half his flesh, half his body, as above.

Therefore every single person, according to his aspect, has an internal [penimi] and a makif. For we are called a nation of segula (-treasured, special) (Deuteronomy 7:6), like a segula used for healing, even though nature does not require that it be for healing, nevertheless, this thing is propitious for healing. And this is above nature, which the human saichel does not comprehend. Similarly, we were taken by Hashem, blessed be He, as His nation of segula, even though the human saichel does not comprehend all this, how He took a nation from among nations, as at the time of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, when the attribute of justice protested: “These are idol-worshippers, and so forth” [see Genesis Rabbah 57, Exodus Rabbah 21].

Nevertheless, the Holy One, blessed be He, took us as a holy nation.

It follows that this matter is like a segula, which is above nature, above human saichel. And this is the aspect of makifin, as above. And one who merits these makifin to generate them and to bring them within, as above, it follows that he merits to understand the segula with certainty. It is fitting to reveal the segula to the nation of segula. Therefore every single person, according to his aspect, has an internal [penimi (inner)] and a surrounding [makif (surrounding light)], and every single person, according to his aspect, whatever Hashem has granted him to bring/insert the surrounding [makif] inside, and to understand and to innovate some matter, morality/uprightness obligates that he reveal and bring/insert this understanding of the treasure [segula] that was with him as a treasure [segula] to reveal to the nation of treasure [am segula] and to give from his goodness to others. “Comfort, comfort My people” (Isaiah 40:1), and so forth. All the troubles, afflictions, and exile [galus] are only according to the measure of the lack of daas (knowledge). And when daas is perfected, then all deficiencies are perfected, in the aspect of, “If you have acquired knowledge, what do you lack?” (Nedarim 41a). And it is written, “Therefore My people are exiled for lack of knowledge” (Isaiah 5:13) [see Sanhedrin 92a]. And the main eternal life [chayim netzachim] will be in the future because of the daas, that daas will increase, and everyone will know Hashem. And through daas, they will be included in His unity, and then they will live eternal life [chayim netzachim] like Him. For through knowledge, they are included in Him, as the sage said: “If I knew Him, I would be Him.” And the main daas will be in the future, as it is written, “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Hashem” (Isaiah 11:9). And because of daas, no good will be lacking, and it will all be good, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Pesachim 50a): (“On that day, Hashem will be One and His Name One.”) Is He not One even now?, and they answered: (But now we bless over evil, “Blessed is the True Judge,” and over good, “The Good and the Benefactor.” But) in the future, all will be “The Good and the Benefactor,” (for in the future, when daas is revealed, they will know that there is no evil in the world at all, only all is good and all is One). And even the nations [עַכּוּ"ם] will know with the superior/extra daas, but not like us. And they will know that the greatness they had and the lowliness we had during the time of exile [galus], all that greatness was ours, even though now it is impossible to comprehend all this, for one cannot deny the senses. Nevertheless, daas will increase, and everyone will understand that their greatness was our greatness, and for them was the lowliness. And seemingly, this is a great knowledge; nevertheless, this knowledge will be for us a matter of jest and laughter according to the measure of our knowledge. And this is, “Then our mouth will be filled with laughter and our tongue, etc., then they will say among the nations, ‘Hashem has done greatly with these, Hashem has done greatly with us’” (Psalms 126:2). That they will know and say that the greatness He did with us, that is, with the nations [עַכּוּ"ם], “Hashem has done greatly with these,” the greatness was for Israel. Nevertheless, “then our mouth will be filled with laughter,” that is, we will laugh and mock their knowledge and attainment, for our attainment will be infinite and boundless. And the knowledge [yediah] has for it a makif (surrounding/encompassing entity) and a makif to a makif, as explained above regarding the verse “When you kindle the lamps”. And this is, “Comfort, comfort,” (Nachamoo nachamoo) that is, a makif, and a makif to a makif. For yedeyah is the main comfort [nechamah] for all troubles. And how is it possible to come to the yedeyos (knowledges): “Your G-d will say (yoamar” ameera bichashay (the language of yoamar-He will say, "ameera", is the aspect of speaking in secret) [see Zohar, Vayayra 25a, Idra Rabba 132a], the aspect of oil [shemen], the aspect of the seven lamps [nayros]. Elokim (G-d) is for raising a voice, the aspect of, “Elokim (G-d), do not be silent” (Psalms 83:2), the aspect of the cry [tza’akas] of the woman giving birth [yoledes], as above. [From sign 20 until here, in the words of our Rabbi, of blessed memory.] [Explanation: For it is explained above that through the tzeakah one merits to generate the mochin from their concealment [ta’alumasan]. And through sanctifying the seven lamps [nayros], one merits to bring the makifin within [penim]. For two things are needed for the attainment of holy daas: First, one must generate the mochin, for sometimes the mochin and the shefa Eloki are in concealment [he’elem], and so forth, as above. And for this, one needs tzeakah to generate them. And afterward, when the mochin are born, there are still internal [penimi] and makif within them. And for this, one must sanctify the seven lamps [nayros] to bring the makifin and the shefa Eloki within and to make the makif internal [penimi]. See there well and understand. And this is what explains the verse “Comfort, comfort,” that is, to merit the attainment of the makifin, which is the attainment of daas, which is the essence of comfort, as above. This is merited through the two aforementioned aspects, which are tzeakah, through which one generates the makifin, and the sanctity of the seven lamps [nayros], through which one brings the makifin within, as above. And this is: “Your G-d will say” is the aspect of speaking in secret, which is the aspect of oil [shemen], which is in secret, as it is written in the Zohar (Shmini 39a): Wine is for raising a voice, and oil is in secret. And oil [shemen] is the aspect of the seven lamps [nayros], which were of oil [shemen]. “Your G-d” is the aspect of: G-d for raising a voice, the aspect of the aforementioned tzeakah. Through these two aspects, one merits the attainment of the makifin, which is the attainment of holy daas, which is the essence of comfort, the aspect of “Comfort, comfort,” that is, a makif and a makif to a makif, as above]. All the aforementioned matter, explained briefly on the verse “Comfort, comfort” in his holy words, I heard from his holy mouth himself with a slightly more detailed explanation, and I recorded it for myself as I heard it; therefore, I did not refrain from transcribing it. And he began to speak about the matter of life and death, saying: Between life [chayim] and death [misah], there is no difference except for the measure of one cubit, for now a person dwells here, and afterward he dwells there [and he gestured with his hand toward the cemetary (bais almin]. And afterward, he began to say all this matter: Eternal life [chayim netzachim], and so forth, as follows. That is, one who merits true daas, as above, to know Him, blessed be He, there is no difference for him at all between life [chayim] and death [misah], for he is attached and included in Him, blessed be He, in his life [chayav] and in his death [b’moso]. Only now in his life [b’chayav], his dwelling is here, and afterward, his dwelling is there, as above. And then I heard from his holy mouth all this matter. And this is it: Eternal life [chayim netzachim] is only for Hashem, blessed be He, for He lives forever. And one who is included in His root, that is, in Him, blessed be He, also lives forever. For since he is included in the One and is one with Hashem, blessed be He, he lives eternal life [chayim netzachim] like Hashem, blessed be He. And similarly, there is no perfection except for Hashem, blessed be He, and outside of Him, all are deficient. And one who is included in Him has perfection. And the main generality, to be included in the One, is through daas (realization of knowledg) of Him, blessed be He, as the sage said: “If I knew Him, I would be Him.” For the essence of a person is the saichel. And therefore, where the saichel thinks, there is the entire person. And when one knows and attains knowledge [yedeya] of Hashem, blessed be He, he is truly there. And the more one knows, the more one is included in the root, that is, in Him, blessed be He. And all the deficiencies that a person has, whether livelihood, children, or physical health, and all other deficiencies, all are due to the lack of daas. And even though there are those who are completely lacking in daas and yet have all good, in truth, all that they have is nothing. And conversely, one who is perfect in daas but has a deficiency, in truth, the deficiency is nothing, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Nedarim 41a): “If you have acquired daas, what do you lack? And if you lack daas, what have you acquired?” For the main deficiency and perfection depends on daas. And similarly, anger and cruelty are due to the lack of daas, as it is written, “Anger rests in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9). And therefore, a sick person is angry because then he is under judgments, for judgments (dinim) rest upon him, and judgments are mochin of smallness. And therefore, he is in anger. And in the future, daas will be revealed, and everyone will know Hashem, as it is written, “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Hashem” (Isaiah 11:9). And therefore, anger will be nullified, as it is written, “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard with the kid, etc., and the cow and the bear, etc., they will not harm nor destroy, etc., for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Hashem” (ibid.). For now, it is impossible for them to dwell together, a wolf with a lamb, etc., because of the attribute of anger. But in the future, they will be able to dwell together because anger will be nullified through the daas that will be revealed then. And behold, in the future, everyone will know Hashem, even the nations [עַכּוּ"ם], as above, “And the earth will be full of knowledge.” But the daas that they will have then, it is possible for us to know and speak of. But the daas that we will have then, it is impossible now even to speak of, for now this daas is in the aspect of makifin, as above. For all the perfection and goodness that the nations have now, in truth, it is nothing, as above: “If you lack daas etc. (what have you acquired?)” And on the contrary, all their greatness and goodness is for our benefit. And in the future, when the earth will be filled with daas, and even all the nations will know Hashem, then they will understand that all the greatness and goodness they had in this world was for our benefit and our greatness. And this is, “Then they will say in the nations, ‘Hashem has done greatly with these, Hashem has done greatly with us’” (Psalms 126:2). That is, all the greatness that Hashem did with us in this world [that is, with the nations], “Hashem has done greatly with these,” for it was all their greatness [that is, of Israel], for it was for their benefit and their greatness. And this they will understand through the daas and attainment that they will have then. But for us, this daas will be a simple matter and laughter, for our daas will be greatly expanded then. And this is, “Then our mouth will be filled with laughter and our tongue, etc., then they will say among the nations, ‘Hashem has done greatly’”. For this daas and attainment that they will have then to say “Hashem has done greatly,” etc., as above, will be for us laughter and a simple matter, for our daas will be greatly expanded. And therefore, in the future, they will live eternal life [chayim netzachim], for then daas will be revealed, and they will be included in the One. And therefore, our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Pesachim 50a), “On that day, Hashem will be One and His Name One,” and is He not One even now? But now we bless over evil, “Blessed is the True Judge,” and over good, “The Good and the Benefactor.” But in the future, we will bless over everything, “The Good and the Benefactor,” for in the future, when daas is revealed, they will know that there is no evil in the world at all, only all is good and all is One. And also the exile is only due to the lack of daas, as it is written, “Therefore My people are exiled for lack of knowledge” (Isaiah 5:13). And therefore, the redemption from Egypt was through Moses, who was the aspect of daas. And this is what is written, “And you shall know that I am Hashem who brings you out from under the burdens of Egypt” (Exodus 6:7). For the main redemption is through daas. And know that even in the future, when the earth will be filled with daas, and the saichel of the makif will become an internal [penimi] saichel, even then there will be other makifin. For certainly, they will not know the essence of Hashem, blessed be He, but each one will attain according to his level and according to his service and effort that he toiled and labored in this world for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He. And even though all will be refined, even the nations, nevertheless, there will be a great difference between them and us. For what will be for them then a great attainment and knowledge [yediah] will be for us laughter and a simple matter, and it will not be considered in our eyes as an attainment at all. And as explained above: “Then our mouth will be filled with laughter and our tongue, etc., then they will say among the nations, ‘Hashem has done greatly’”. For what will be for them an attainment to understand and know the greatness of Israel, and that all their goodness and greatness in this world was all for Israel, and in truth, it is a great attainment, for now in this world it is not understood. Nevertheless, for us, it will not be considered an attainment at all, only laughter and a simple matter, for our attainment and daas will be greatly expanded then. And also among Israel themselves, there will certainly be a great difference between each tzadik and tzadik, all the more so between a tzadik and a wicked person. For what will be a makif for one will be internal [penimi] for another, as above: “Every tzadik is burned by the chuppah of his fellow,” as above, see there. And as is brought the explanation of the verse, “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). For in the shared saichel, all will be equal, for all will know Hashem, even the nations. But in the depth of chochmah, each one will be according to his level, like the waters that cover the sea, that above, the waters are equal in every place, but in depth, they are greatly distinguished. For in one place, the waters are shallow and close to the earth, and in another place, they are deeper and deeper, and in another place, they are deep to the abyss. So it will be with the attainment of Hashem, blessed be He, in the future. And this is, “Every tzadik by the chuppah (canopy) of his fellow,” as above. For when one reaches an attainment that he did not know before, and it is for him a new matter, then he is inflamed and burned by the light of that attainment, which is wondrous for him. But one who has already passed through that attainment and now attains matters more awesome and greater than it, he has no fervor from that attainment. And this is, “Every tzadik is burned [nikveh] and inflamed by the chuppah of his fellow,” from the attainment that for his fellow is a simple matter, which does not burn or warm him at all, until he needs to cover and envelop himself, for that attainment does not warm or burn him at all. And the second tzadik, who is lower than him, is burned and inflamed by it. [And the matter is explained further based on what is explained above, that through the movement of the saichel, and so forth, which is the aspect of shefa Eloki, that is, the attainment of the makifin, the attainment of holy daas, through this, heat [chom] is born in the heart, and so forth.] It follows that the essence of the warmth [chamimus] and fervor [hisla’havus] of holiness is through the attainment of the makifin, the attainment of daas, as above. And through this, the matter is well explained: “Every tzadik is burned, etc., by the chuppah,” etc. That is, for this tzadik, it will be considered a great attainment, such that he will be burned by it, for the attainment of daas generates heat, as above. And therefore, he will be burned by it. But for the tzadik higher than him, it is not considered an attainment at all, and he is not burned or warmed at all by that attainment, but he needs to envelop and cover himself with another, higher attainment to warm himself. It comes out, that what is explained above regarding the statement, “Every tzadik is burned by the chuppah of his fellow,” which means that he will be burned by the makif of his fellow, for the makif of one is greater than the makif of another, and the saichel that is a makif for one is internal [penimi] for another, and so forth. For the chuppah is the aspect of surrounding lights [makifin], as above. All this is one matter with what we wrote here, for the chuppah, which is the makif, is the aspect of covering and enveloping, which truly warms a person. For the essence of warmth [chamimus] and fervor [hisla’havus] is from the aspect of the attainment of the makifin, as above. And understand this well). And it can be that there will be several tzadikim, when they come to the World to Come, the attainments that the great tzadik attained in this world will be for them awesome matters, and they will be burned by them. And for the great tzadik, they were attainments of this world. And similarly, for the nations [עַכּוּ"ם], it will be for them a great attainment when they come to the simple Judaism of an Israelite that he has in this world. That is, they will know from the service of Israel and from the sanctity of their commandments [mitzvot] that they performed in this world, it will be for them an attainment that they will know and feel some sanctity, like a simple upright person who feels in this world in simple service without any attainment. And when the nations come to this, it will be for them a great attainment. But we, the holy nation, there is no measure to our attainment, all the more so to the attainment of the tzadik. And the perfection of daas is when it is made from makifin into internal [penimiyim], and then one is saved from all troubles. For example, when one lies in wait to ambush and kill his fellow, then he must change his garments so that he will not be recognized, as it is written, “He changes his face and You send him away” (Job 14:20). For by changing the face [pnay] through different garments, one is saved from him. And similarly, in the essence of a person, that is, in the saichel, there are aspects of garments, that is, the saichel of the makif. And one must make the makif internal [penimi] and make for it other makifin, that is, the aspect of other garments. And through this, one is saved from all ambushers and adversaries. For garment in numerical value [gimatria] is חַשְׁמַ"ל [chashmal] (a fiery protective entity, in modern Hebrew it is electricity), and from the chashmal, all destroyers flee. And this is, “Strength and splendor are her clothing, and she laughs at the last day” (Proverbs 31:25). Through the garment, which is the aspect of the chashmal, which is a strong and splendid garment, through this, “she laughs at the last day,” for she is not afraid of it at all, as above. And the main time for this is the month of Elul. And this is “her clothing and she laughs at the last day (Livoosha Vatischak Li'yoam Acharoan לבושה ותשחק ליום אחרון),” the initial letters of which are אֱלוּל [Elul]. And this is the aspect of the seven days of mourning, Heaven forfend etc., so that his soul may ascend to the aforementioned light of the countenance [ohr hapanim], and so forth, see above. And therefore, the mourner, Heaven forfend, is obligated in tearing [kri’ah], for tearing - קְרַ"ע [kra] has the numerical value [gimatria] of 370 lights [nehorin] of the light of the countenance [ohr hapanim, which is the numerical value [gimatria] of twice “E-l” in its full spelling (Alef Lammed), for “E-l” is the light of the countenance [ohr hapanim. They asked: For there are makifin by the saichel, that is, that do not enter the internal [penimi] human intelligence saichel. And there are makifin for the Torah that surround the Torah and do not enter into the Torah. And among the makifin, there are those that are makifin and stand before the eyes, only that they are makifin and do not enter the saichel. And there are those that are in concealment [he’elem], that have not yet come even to makifin, and this is the aspect of ibbur. And what is to be done so that the makifin of the Torah enter into the Torah within, and the makifin of the saichel enter into the internal [penimi] saichel? That is, that first the makifin of the Torah come and are revealed from the concealment [he’elem] to makifin, and afterward the makifin of the Torah enter within. And similarly, the makifin of the saichel, that which cannot be attained due to human deficiency, will be made from the makif internal [penimi], that is, that it comes from the concealment [he’elem] to makifin, and the makifin will be made internal [penimi]. [This question they asked in the place where they asked, and he, of blessed memory, gave an answer for this. So I heard from his holy mouth explicitly. And afterward, we merited to hear all the aforementioned Torah. And now it is explained for the one who examines the answer to the aforementioned question and difficulty, for the essence of the question is how to generate the mochin from their concealment [ta’alumos], and afterward, when they are generated, how one merits to bring the makifin within. And it is already explained well in what one merits this, that is: Through tzeakah in Torah and prayer, one merits to generate the mochin from their concealment [ta’alumos]. And through the sanctity of the seven lamps [nayros], that is, to sanctify one’s eyes so as not to look at what is forbidden to look at, and so forth, and similarly to sanctify one’s mouth, nose, and ears, as above, through this, one merits to bring the surrounding lights [makifin] within [penimi (internal)]. And the explanation of the matter and its proofs, and where these awesome secrets are hinted at, and so forth, all is explained above well; fortunate is he who sets his heart to study them in truth, to learn and to teach, to observe and to perform, and to fulfill.