Likutay Moharan, Torah 31

Likutay Moharan, Torah 31 [In the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory] They said to him, “We have a בֵּירָא [bayra – well] in the wilderness [דַּבְרָא – dabra]. Bring it into the city [מָתָא – masa].” He brought פָּארֵי [parai – bran], threw it to them, and said to them, “Plait for me ropes [חַבְלֵי – chavlai] of bran, and I will bring it in.” They said to him, “And is there anyone who plaits ropes from bran?” He said to them, “And is there anyone who brings a well from the wilderness to the city?” [Rashi: פָּארֵי – parai is bran.

Make for me a rope from bran.

And if you do not fulfill my request, I too will not fulfill your request.] Tzedakah [charity, righteousness] is an aspect of the galgalim [wheels, celestial spheres], as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “For because of this thing [בִּגְלַל – biglal] the L-rd your G-d will bless you” [Deuteronomy 15:10].

גַּלְגַּל [galgal] is that which revolves in the world (-the rich become poor and the poor become rich) [Shabbos 151b]. And because of this, it [tzedakah] contains six blessings and eleven blessings, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “One who gives a penny (prootah) to a poor person is blessed with six blessings, and one who appeases him with words is blessed with eleven blessings” [Bava Basra 9b], corresponding to the seven planetary stars and the twelve constellations. For tzedakah directs all the galgalim of the heavens, in the aspect of: “The way of the eagle [נֶשֶׁר – nesher] in the heavens” [Proverbs 30:19]. נֶשֶׁר [nesher – eagle] is rachamim [compassion], which is tzedakah [Zohar, Yitro 80b; Bava Basra 10a; Zohar, Naso 148b]. And this is what Shmuel said: “The paths [שְׁבִילִין – shvilin] of the heavens are as clear to me as the paths of Neharday’a” [Berachot 58b], meaning the paths of the light of knowledge [nehorai day’ah], in the aspect of tzedakah, rachamim. And the primary [ikar] compassion is through da’as [knowledge] [see below, Torah 56, 105, 119]. And regarding what is lacking from the blessings—since there should be seven blessings and twelve blessings, yet according to the Gemara, for the one who gives and the one who appeases, there are only seventeen blessings—know that the primary perfection of the galgalim, the perfection of tzedakah, is only through Shabbos. As it is stated: “The sun on Shabbos is tzedakah for the poor” [Ta’anis 8b].

This means that tzedakah does not have the perfection of light except through Shabbos. Through Shabbos, it shines like the sun, in the aspect of: “A sun of tzedakah” [Malachi 3:20].

And this is why the Tanna juxtaposes [מַסְמִיךְ – masmich] in the Mishnah: “The carryings out of Shabbos are two, which are four”, and juxtaposes to it: “The poor person extended [פָּשַׁט – pashat] his hand” [Shabbos 2a]. For the primary radiance of the light of tzedakah and its perfection is only on Shabbos, because the primary importance of tzedakah is emunah [faith], in the aspect of: “And he believed in Hashem” [Genesis 15:6]. And Shabbos is emunah, for one believes in the renewal of the world and His unity. And emunah is the source of blessings, in the aspect of: “A man of faith [אֱמוּנוֹת – emunot] has many blessings” [Proverbs 28:20], and in the aspect of: “And G-d blessed the seventh day” [Genesis 2:3]. And there is no perfection to the blessings until they are received from the source of blessings. For this reason, it is written of them six blessings and eleven [to indicate their lack of perfection]. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: David came and established them on eleven, Isaiah came and established them on six, Habakkuk came and established them on emunah [Makkos 24a], to teach that there is no perfection to da’as [knowledge], which is the Torah, and no perfection to the galgalim, except through emunah. Also, what we find regarding the galgalim, that their primary movement is from west to east, yet the daily galgal forces them from east to west—this matter we find regarding tzedakah. East [מִזְרָח – mizrach] is the aspect of the one who gives tzedakah, in the aspect of: “From the east [מִּזְרָח – mizrach] I will bring your seed” [Isaiah 43:5], in the aspect of: “Sow for yourselves for tzedakah” [Hosea 10:12]. And west [מַעֲרָב – ma’arav] is the one who gathers the tzedakah, that is, the poor person, in the aspect of: “And from the west [מִמַּעֲרָב – mima’arav] I will gather you”. And this is: “More than the householder does for the poor, the poor does for the householder” [Midrash Ruth, Parasha 4]. For the primary movement from west to east means the primary action is what the poor does for the householder. And know that there is no existence of emunah except through the aspect of bris [sexual purity], in the aspect of: “And My bris is faithful to him” [Psalms 89:29]. And this is why it is said that the bris is on Shabbos, as it is written: “An eternal bris between Me and the children of Israel” [Exodus 31:16], and: “If not for My bris day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth” [Jeremiah 33:25]. For the “laws of heaven and earth” are the galgalim, which depend on the bris. And know that the afflictions a person experiences on the roads are due to the galgalim of the heavens.

For there is nothing below that does not have a star above. There are stars that cause certain types of grasses to grow in the places where they shine, and there are those that require there be a path for people in the places where they shine, and there are those that require there be a wilderness, and there are those that require there be a settlement in the places where they shine. And according to the radiance of the stars on a place, so the place is conducted. And this is the aspect of: “The ways of Zion mourn because none come to the appointed time [מוֹעֵד – mo’ed]” [Lamentations 1:4].

Mo’ed is the aspect of the galgalim of the heavens, through which time is reckoned. And this is: “The way of the wicked is like darkness” [Proverbs 4:19], for the stars and constellations do not shine for them, and through this they stumble. And everything depends on the bris, in the aspect of: “If not for My bris…”. And this is why all roads are presumed to be dangerous [Yerushalmi Berachot 4:4; Midrash Rabbah, Ecclesiastes], in the aspect of: “Have I endangered myself?” [Numbers 22:30; see Sanhedrin 105b] [where it refers to an act of licentiousness]. This means that the road depends on the guarding of the bris. And for this reason, a man is obligated to visit his wife before going on a journey [Yevamot 62b], so that he will not be in the aspect of: “For all flesh has corrupted its way” [Genesis 6:12]. This means that through guarding the bris, he will not have affliction on the road. And there are two aspects of bris: the aspect of Abraham and the aspect of Eliezer. Abraham is the higher bris, which is the firmament that separates between the upper waters and the lower waters, and it is the aspect of a free man, in the aspect of: “Fortunate is the land whose king is a free man” [Ecclesiastes 10:17]. And he produces offspring, in the aspect of: “And the souls they made in Haran” [Genesis 12:5]. For freedom depends on the bris, in the aspect of: “By the blood of your bris, I have sent forth your prisoners from the pit” [Zechariah 9:11].

And Eliezer is the lower bris, in the aspect of: “For My name is within him” [Exodus 23:21], his name is like his master’s [Sanhedrin 38b, cited in Rashi]. This is Chanoch, Metat [angel], in the aspect of: “And he armed his trained men [חֲנִיכָיו – chanichav]” [Genesis 14:14; see Nedarim 32a], in the aspect of: “Train [חֲנוֹךְ – chanoch] a youth” [Proverbs 22:6; Zohar, Genesis 37b; Ecclesiastes], in the aspect of: “Woe to you, land, whose king is a youth [נַעַר – na’ar]”. And he is under the higher bris, in the aspect of: “Place, please, your hand under my thigh” [Genesis 24:2]. And he is the firmament that separates between the pure waters and the impure waters, between prohibition and permission, between kosher and unfit, between impure and pure [see Tikunim 30]. And this is the aspect of: “Train a youth according to his way”. “According to his way” precisely, that is, the Oral Torah. And the higher bris is the guarding of the holy bris, and the lower bris is the guarding of prohibition and permission, and so forth. And a person needs to have these two aspects of bris, meaning that he must be a tzadik [righteous one] and a scholar. For an unlearned person cannot be pious [Avot 2:5]. A tzadik is called so through guarding the holy bris [Zohar, Noah 59b], and a scholar through prohibition and permission. And this is: “If the rabbi is like an angel of the Lord of Hosts…” [Mo’ed Katan 17a].

He must be a tzadik and a scholar. An angel is the aspect of a scholar, the aspect of Metat, as above. Hosts [צְבָאוֹת – tzeva’os] is the letter [אוֹת – oas] in His army, the aspect of a tzadik, the letter of the bris [see Ra’aya Mehemna, Pinchas 236].

And wherever a tzadik is mentioned, the lower bris is included in it, for the lower is included in the higher, in the aspect of: “Your hand under my thigh”. And one who is in the aspect of bris, then chesed [loving-kindness] is revealed in the mouth of the אַמָּה [amah – male organ] [Idra, Naso 142b], in the aspect of: “Forever I will keep My chesed for him, and My bris is faithful to him” [Psalms 89:29]. And for this reason, the attribute of chesed was given to Abraham, for he was the head of the believers and the head of those circumcised. And when chesed is revealed, that is, love and longing, in the aspect of: “For I am sick with love” [Song of Songs 2:5], then he makes souls, in the aspect of: “And the souls they made” [Genesis 12:5].

This means that he makes nekudos [vowel points] for the letters of the Torah. For letters without nekudos are like a body without a soul, having no movement or action. And the coupling of the letters in 231 gates to perform any action has no power except through the nekudos. And the nekudos are the love and longing, in the aspect of: “Nekudos of silver” [Song of Songs 1:11]. And the longing [כִּסּוּפִין – kisufin] is the soul, in the aspect of: “My soul longed [נִכְסְפָה – nichsefa] and even fainted” [Psalms 84:3] [root: כסף – k-s-f]. And according to the kisufin, so are the nekudos. If one longs for evil, he makes evil nekudos, and then the letters combine and couple to perform evil actions. And if he longs to return in repentance [תְּשׁוּבָה – teshuvah], good nekudos are made, that is, good souls, and the letters move and couple to perform good actions. And this is: “Circles of gold we will make for you” [Song of Songs 1:11], as it is stated in the Zohar: “The arousal of coupling comes from the side of the north, ‘From the north gold comes’” [Job 37:22; Zohar, Vayeshev 186b]. And this is: “Circles of gold we will make for you”, meaning the arousal of couplings and the combination of the letters of the Torah to perform any action is only through the nekudos of silver. They have no movement except through the nekudos, which are made through the kisufin. And this is: “If the rabbi is like an angel of the L-rd of Hosts…”. Then certainly chesed and love are revealed, and longing is revealed, which are the nekudos. Then: “Torah they will seek from his mouth”. Then the letters of the Torah themselves seek from him that he speak them, so that they may have nekudos and souls. And know that it is not enough for a person to have longing in the heart alone, for a person must express his kisufin with his lips. And for this reason, the order of prayers was established.

For through longing in the heart, a soul and nekudos are made in potential [בְּכֹחַ – b’koach]. And when he expresses his longing with his mouth, then the soul is made actual [בְּפֹעַל – b’fo’al]. For the primary source of the soul is from his mouth, in the aspect of: “My soul went out when he spoke” [Song of Songs 5:6]. And for this reason: “Torah they will seek from his mouth”, “from his mouth” precisely. And also, the translation of: “And the man became a living soul” [Genesis 2:7] is: “A speaking spirit [רוּחַ מְמַלְּלָא – ruach memalela]”.

For the primary soul comes from speech. And this is: “There is a vanity [הֶבֶל – hevel] that is done upon the earth…” [Ecclesiastes 8:14]. This is the aspect of the transmigration of souls [גִּלְגּוּלֵי נְפָשׁוֹת – gilgulai nefashos]. When a person longs for something and expresses his longing afterward through the hevel of his mouth, as above, then the soul is made. And this soul, that is, the ruach memalela [speaking spirit], goes through the air and reaches another person and arouses that person to longing. And according to the longing, according to the soul, according to the ruach memalela, so is the person aroused. If the longing comes from a tzadik to a wicked person, then the wicked person is aroused with thoughts of repentance [teshuvah], in the aspect of: “There are wicked who receive as the deeds of the righteous”. And if the opposite, then the opposite.

And all is done through the hevel of his mouth, which is the soul. For it is known to all that the primary speech is that the organs of speech strike the air, and this air strikes the adjacent air, and the adjacent to the adjacent, until it reaches his fellow, and his fellow hears the letters. And when he receives his speech, he receives his soul and is aroused to that thing. And one who is in the level of Abraham, that is, the aspect of a master of a soul [בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ – ba’al nefesh], then certainly all his eating and meals are in the aspect of the Bread of the Presence [לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים – lechem hapanim], in the aspect of: “Walk before Me” [Genesis 17:1]. “Walk [הִתְהַלֵּךְ – hishalech]” is the aspect of legs [רַגְלִים – raglayim], the aspect of his livelihood [פַּרְנָסָה – parnasa], in the aspect of: “And the wealth that is under their feet” [Deuteronomy 11:6; Sanhedrin 110a: Our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: This is a person’s wealth that establishes him on his feet]. “Walk before Me” [hishalech lifanaue], that from them is made the aspect of face [פָּנִים – panim]. And this is the aspect of: “Warm bread on the day it is taken” [1 Samuel 21:7], that is, the lechem hapanim, which is warm bread, the level of Abraham, which is the aspect of: “As the heat of the day [כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם – kichoam ha’yoam]” [Genesis 18:1]. And then all the nations and all the stars and constellations that are beneath them all toil for this man, in the aspect of: “Sit at My right hand”, the aspect of Abraham, “until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” [Psalms 110:1]. They toil for your livelihood [parnasa], in the aspect of: “They are our bread, their shadow [צִלָּם – tzeelam] has departed from them” [Numbers 14:9]. For the appearance of the sun [חַמָּה – chama] is deeper than the shadow [tzel] [Bava Basra 84a]. The sun [chama] is the aspect of “as the heat of the day [kichoam ha’yoam]”, the aspect of “warm bread [לֶחֶם חַם – lechem cham]”. But when their shadow departs, then the appearance of the sun, the level of Abraham, is elevated and revealed, and they are humbled beneath him, in the aspect of: “Until I make your enemies a footstool…”. And this is: “Walk before Me and be perfect”, in the aspect of: “You shall be perfect with the L-rd your G-d” [Deuteronomy 18:13], so that you will not need to seek after stars and constellations [Pesachim 113b], for you will be above them. And this is: “And you shall not appear before the face of the L-rd empty” [Deuteronomy 16:16] on the festivals [רְגָלִים – regalim], when the face of [p’nay] Hashem is revealed, in the aspect of panim. And through each person bringing a burnt offering of appearance from his labor, which he toils all year, through this all his bread and livelihood [parnasa] is rectified and elevated, in the aspect of lechem hapanim. And this is what the Holy One, blessed be He, answered Moses: “My face [פָּנַי – panaye] will go, and I will give you rest” [Exodus 33:14]. For Moses sought atonement, and He answered him: “My face will go,” that they will rectify the aspect of legs [raglayim] in the aspect of face [panim], then they will be atoned for. For a table is like an altar that atones [Chagigah 27a]. It begins with “altar” and concludes: “This is the table that is before the L-rd”, “before” precisely, that it should be precisely in the aspect of panim, and then it atones. And in the future, it will be fulfilled: “No longer will your Teacher be hidden [יִכָּנֵף – yikanef], and your eyes will see your Teacher” [Isaiah 30:20]. For then the aspect of panim will be revealed, because now the face of [p’nay] Hashem is hidden in the way of nature, in the conduct of the constellations, in the aspect of: “And I will hide My face [פָּנַי – panaye] from them, and they will be consumed” [Deuteronomy 31:17]. And now the appearance of the sun [chama] is deeper than their shadow [tzilam]. And this is the aspect of: “Woe, land of the whirring of wings [צִלְצַל כְּנָפַיִם – tziltzal knafayim]” [Isaiah 18:1], for the wings and the hiding are that His conduct is hidden [muchsaf] in them. And this is the shadow [tzel] that hides the light of the sun [chama]. And this is only because the light of the sun does not shine in perfection. And this is only the appearance [מַרְאֵה – mar’eh] of the sun, mar’eh precisely. But in the future, when it will be fulfilled: “And a sun [שֶׁמֶשׁ – shemesh] will rise for you”, when the sun in its strength will be revealed, in the aspect of the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will take the sun out of its sheath [Nedarim 8b; Avodah Zarah 3b], then it will be fulfilled: “And healing in its wings [בִּכְנָפֶיהָ – bichnafeha]” [Malachi 3:20], meaning “No longer will your Teacher be hidden [yikanef]”, as above.

And this is what the elders of Athens asked: “We have a bayra in the dabra, bring it to the masa.” This is the aspect of grain and sustenance [בַּר וּמָזוֹן – bar u’mazon], which is outside and behind holiness, in the aspect of: “And I will hide My face [panai] from them…”. Bring it to the masa, to the face [panim], that it should be in the aspect of lechem hapanim, as above. He brought paray and threw it to them and said to them, “Plait for me ropes [chavlay] of paray.” This is Shabbos, emunah, as per Rashi’s explanation: “You have declared [הֶאֱמַרְתָּ – he’emarta] the L-rd, and the L-rd has declared [he’emircha] you” [Deuteronomy 26:17], in the language of glory [פְּאֵרִי – pe’eri] and praise [root: פאר – p-a-r], that we glorify the Holy One, blessed be He, and we believe in Him, saying: “The L-rd is One.” And he threw it to them, this is the aspect of bris, the aspect of Shaddai [Almighty], as above [see Torah 11:3]. And chavlay [ropes] is the aspect of love of chesed, which is revealed in the mouth of the amah, as above, as it is written: “With ropes [בְּחַבְלֵי – b’chavlay] of man I drew them, with cords of love [אַהֲבָה – ahavah]” [Hosea 11:4]. This means that through Shabbos and bris, love [ahavah] is revealed, as above, and through love [ahavah] one comes to the aspect of lechem hapanim, as above. [Until here are the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory] This Torah was said regarding the verse: “And G-d turned [וַיַּסֵּב – va'yasav]”. Turning [hasivah] is nothing but a meal [סְעֻדָּה – se’udah], as it is stated in the Midrash [Exodus Rabbah, Parasha 20]. This is the aspect of livelihood [parnasa], the aspect of grain and sustenance [bar u’mazon], which is the aspect of bayra, as explained above. And the completion of the explanation of the verse according to this Torah, we did not merit to receive.

(The matter of the greatness of holy longing [kisufin dikdusha] and so forth, mentioned above within this Torah. I heard from his holy mouth initially with more explanation [with several additional insights not mentioned here, and similarly regarding the matter of emunah and the other aspects mentioned here, I also heard from his holy mouth initially, section by section in a slightly different style, therefore I will transcribe them here). The coupling and combination of the letters is through the nekudos, for the nekudos are the vitality and movement of the letters. And without the nekudos, the letters are like raw material [גֹּלֶם – golem] and have no movement. Therefore, the nekudos are the aspect of the soul [נֶפֶשׁ – nefesh]. For just as the soul is the vitality of a person, and all movement that a person moves is through the soul, and without the soul, he is like raw material [golem], so too the nekudos are the vitality and soul of the letters.

And without the nekudos, they are like raw material [golem] and have no movement or vitality. Only through the nekudos do they move. And through the nekudos, the letters couple and combine. And the main formation of the soul [nefesh] is through the longing and kisufin of a Jew after Hashem, blessed be He, each according to his level, that he longs and yearns and pines to reach a level higher than his own. Through these kisufin, a soul [nefesh] is made, as it is written: “My soul longed [nichsefa] and even fainted” [Psalms 84:3]. This means that from my longing [nichsefa] and pining after Hashem, blessed be He, from this itself my soul [nafshi] is made. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “And it rested [וַיִּנָּפַשׁ – vayinafash]” [Baitzah 16a]. As soon as it is Shabbos, “Woe [וַי – vai], the soul is lost [אָבְדָה נֶפֶשׁ – avdah nefesh]”. This means that at the beginning of Shabbos, when one must receive an additional soul [נֶפֶשׁ יְתֵרָה – nefesh yesaira], we recall the loss of the soul during the weekdays and say: “Va’yinafash, woe, the soul is lost,” and we begin to pine after it. And through this itself, that we pine after the soul, from this itself the additional soul [nefesh yesaira] is formed. And this is the aspect of: “Nekudos of silver”. This means that through the kisufin, the nekudos, which are the aspect of the soul [nefesh], are made.

This means that through what he longs and yearns for a thing, whether for good or, G-d forbid, for evil, according to the kisufin, nekudos are made, and the letters within the thing he longs for are formed. For every thing has letters, but the letters themselves are like raw material [golem] and have no form without nekudos. And according to the kisufin and longing of the person, so the letters are formed through the nekudos, which are the aspect of the soul [nefesh], received through the kisufin. This means that if he longs for a good thing, a holy soul is made from the kisufin, and nekudos are made, in the aspect of “nekudos of silver.” And then the letters that were raw material [golem] are formed and become a vessel to receive good. And similarly, the opposite, G-d forbid, if he longs for evil, G-d forbid, souls are made from the kisufin that are the aspect of nekudos, and the letters are formed and become a vessel to receive evil, G-d forbid. For: “From the mouth of the Most High do not come evil and good” [Lamentations 3:38]. Rather, each one, according to what he forms and makes a vessel to receive good or evil, G-d forbid, through his kisufin and longing, through this the soul [nefesh] is made, in the aspect of nekudos. And through the nekudos, the letters move and are formed for good or the opposite, G-d forbid. But in order for the soul [nefesh] to go from potential [bikoach] to actual [b’fo’al], he must speak with his mouth the kisufin and longing that he longs for, as it is written: “My soul went out when he spoke”. For through speech, the soul goes out from potential to actual. For through longing, the soul is formed in potential, and through the speech that he speaks with his mouth, the longing is completed, and the soul goes out from potential to actual. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Mo'ed Katan 17): “If the rabbi is like an angel of the L-rd of Hosts, Torah they will seek from his mouth”. For the letters of the Torah are active, for they are the vitality of every thing, as it is written: “And in His goodness, He renews every day, continually, the work of creation”. And there is no goodness but Torah [Berachos 5a]. For they direct the entire world. But the letters themselves are like raw material [golem] and have no movement or vitality or form. Therefore, the Torah has two powers: If he merits, it becomes for him an elixir of life [Yoma 72b; see Ta’anit 7a], and so forth. For each one, according to what he longs for, so he forms and interprets the letters of the Torah. For the Torah includes the grasp of good and evil: “And the righteous will walk in them, and transgressors will stumble in them” [Hosea 14:10]. This means that each one, according to his kisufin, from which souls [nefashos] are made, through this he makes nekudos for the letters of the Torah, and the letters are formed and interpreted for good or the opposite, G-d forbid. And according to how they are formed, so they act in the world. Therefore, the letters of the Torah seek to be formed from the mouth of a tzadik who speaks the holy kisufin, through which the letters receive nekudos and are formed for good. And this is: “If the rabbi is like an angel of the L-rd of Hosts…”. For the rabbi must also have the two powers of the Torah, an elixir of life and an elixir [of death], such that it is possible for one who draws near to him to receive according to his will: “The righteous will walk, and transgressors will stumble”. If he longs for the service of Hashem, blessed be He, he can receive from the rabbi a straight path to serve the L-rd. And if not, and there is filth in his heart, he can also find in the rabbi something that will cut down the plantings and deny everything, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of: “Four who entered the orchard [פַּרְדֵּס – pardes]” [Chagigah 14b]. Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and exited in peace. Ben Azzai gazed and was harmed. Ben Zoma gazed and died. Acher cut down the plantings. And these four aspects are the aspects of tzadik and wicked, servant of G-d and non-servant, mentioned in the verse: “And you will return and see between the tzadik…” [Malachi 3:18]. And these four aspects are found in all people who wish to enter the service of the L-rd and draw near to the tzadik and the rabbi of the generation. For there is one who enters and draws near to the tzadik and receives from him a straight path for the service of the L-rd according to his level and worth, and he is the aspect of tzadik, the aspect of Rabbi Akiva, who entered in peace and exited in peace. And there is one who is in the aspect of “he gazed and died,” “he gazed and was harmed,” meaning that his heart was greatly inflamed by the great light and fervor that the tzadik shone upon him, beyond his level, and through this he could die. And this is the aspect of “he gazed and died,” the aspect of a servant of G-d. And there is one who goes out of his mind because he ascends beyond his level, and he is the aspect of “he gazed and was harmed,” the aspect of a non-servant. But in any case, even “he gazed and died” and “he gazed and was harmed,” both are in the aspect of tzadik, and about them it is also said: “The righteous will walk in them”. Only they did not enter and exit in peace like Rabbi Akiva. And there is one who draws near to the tzadik and cuts down the plantings and denies everything, G-d forbid, and he is called a wicked person, and this is the aspect of Acher. And this is certainly because there was filth in his heart, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said about Acher [Chagigah 15a]. And therefore, it is inevitable that he will find in the tzadik what is his, that he will find something that will cut down the plantings through him. And about this it is said: “And transgressors will stumble in them”. For the rabbi must inevitably have these two powers, as above. And this is the aspect of: “An angel of the L-rd of Hosts”.

As our Sages, of blessed memory, said about Acher: “What did he see? He saw Metat sitting…” and Rabbi Akiva expounded: “The L-rd of Hosts is His name, the letter [oas] is in His army” [Chagigah 15a; see Tosafos and Zohar, Tikkunim in various places]. Therefore, the rabbi must have these two aspects, the aspect of an angel, that is, Metat, and the aspect of the L-rd of Hosts. And this is: “If he is like an angel of the L-rd of Hosts…”. And then it is possible for one who enters and draws near to him to cut down the plantings, through the aspect of an angel, like Acher who cut down the plantings because he saw Metat, the angel, sitting, and through this he erred and said that he is an authority in himself, G-d forbid, as above. Or to enter and exit in peace through the aspect of the L-rd of Hosts, like Rabbi Akiva. For every tzadik must be a scholar in Torah and pious in good deeds. For if he is not a scholar, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “An unlearned person is not pious”. And a scholar alone is certainly nothing, for it is possible to be a scholar and a complete wicked person, and if he does not merit, it becomes for him an elixir of death. Therefore, he must be a scholar and pious [see Zohar, Pinchas 213a]. And these two aspects are the aspects of: “An angel of the L-rd of Hosts”. For what he is a scholar in Torah, he is the aspect of an angel, that is, Metat, as it is written in the Tikunim: “And G-d said, ‘Let there be a firmament, and let it separate between water and water’” [Tikunim 30, 72b]. This is Metat, which is the aspect of the Mishnah that separates and distinguishes between pure waters and impure waters, between impure and pure, forbidden and permitted, and so forth. And he must resemble his Creator, to be pious in good deeds, and this is the aspect of the L-rd of Hosts. But one who errs and thinks, G-d forbid, that the aspect of a scholar alone is the primary thing, he is the aspect of Acher who cut down the plantings, because he thought that the angel Metat in himself is an authority, G-d forbid. But in truth, Metat in himself, without the Holy One, blessed be He, is nothing and has no authority. So too, the Torah without good deeds is nothing; on the contrary, if he does not merit, and so forth. And because of these two aspects that the tzadik must have, a scholar and pious, which are the aspect of an angel of the Lord of Hosts, through this there are found in the tzadik the two powers of the Torah, an elixir of life and an elixir of death. And it is possible for one who draws near to him to find in him something that will cut down the plantings or to enter and exit in peace. And this is: “If the rabbi is like an angel of the L-rd of Hosts…”. That is, he is a scholar in Torah and serves the L-rd, and through this he forms the letters of the Torah for good. Then: “Torah they will seek from his mouth”. For the letters of the Torah seek to receive nekudos and to be formed from his mouth, that is, through his mouth speaking the holy kisufin and longing, through which the souls [nefashos] are completed and go out and become nekudos for the letters, and they are formed and become a vessel to receive good. For through the nekudos, the letters couple and combine, as above. And this is what is written: “Circles of gold we will make for you with nekudos of silver”. For gold [זָהָב – zahav] is the aspect of coupling, as it is written: “From the north gold comes” [Zohar, Vayeshev 186b]. And this is: “Circles of gold we will make for you”.

For the letters of the Torah couple and combine through the nekudos of silver. For their coupling and combination is through the nekudos that are made from the kisufin and longing, through which the souls [nefashos] are formed, which are the aspect of nekudos. For through the kisufin, coupling is made. For through what he longs for the thing, a soul [nefesh] is made. And through what he longs for the thing, the thing returns and longs for him, and from this a soul [nefesh] is also formed. And the souls couple, and afterward they come to the aspect of conception and birth. And this is the matter of the verse in the holy Zohar: “The desire of the female makes a female soul, and the desire of the male makes a male soul” [Zohar, Lech Lecha 85b]. For what he longs for is the aspect of the desire of the female, and it makes a female soul. And what the thing returns and longs for him is the aspect of the desire of the male, and it makes a male soul. And afterward, they come to the aspect of conception and birth, as it is written in the Zohar there. And this is the aspect of the transmigration of souls [gilgulay nefashos]. For the speech, from which the souls [nefashos] go out, is made through the cutting of the letters in the air. For the articulators strike one another and cut the letters in the air, and the airs strike one another until they reach the ear of the hearer. And through the cutting of the letters in the air, the speech is made, from which the souls [nefashos] go out. For the air is the vitality of every thing, and without air, it is impossible to live, and it is the aspect of the soul [nefesh].

And the souls go out and transmigrate. And the general principle is that the kisufin and longing for something in holiness are very precious. For through them, a soul [nefesh] is formed, and it is completed through speech, as above. And it goes out and transmigrates, and sometimes it transmigrates and comes, the holy soul [nefesh kedusha], into the wicked person, and thoughts of repentance [teshuvah] fall to him, and it can bring him to good. And similarly, the opposite, many evils are caused by kisufin for something evil, G-d forbid. For the soul [nefesh] that is formed through evil kisufin transmigrates sometimes into the tzadik and can cause him to sin, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of: “There is a vanity [hevel] that is done upon the earth…”. Hevel is the aspect of the hevel of the mouth, from which the souls [nefashos] go out. And through this: “There are righteous who receive as the deeds of the wicked”, through a soul [nefesh] from evil kisufin transmigrating into them. And there are wicked who receive as the deeds of the righteous, through a soul [nefesh] from good kisufin transmigrating into them. And sometimes the tzadik rectifies the evil soul that transmigrates into him, and similarly, the wicked person corrupts the holy soul that transmigrates into him. But initially, when the soul [nefesh] arrives, about this the verse says: “There are righteous who receive…”. For certainly, thoughts of transgression fall to him when an evil soul from evil kisufin reaches him. But afterward, it is possible that it will cause him to sin, or it is possible that he will rectify the soul. And similarly, there are wicked who receive, and so forth, that certainly thoughts of repentance [teshuvah] fall to him when a holy soul from holy kisufin reaches him. But afterward, it is possible that he will corrupt the holy soul or that it will bring him to good. And this is the secret of falling on the face [נְפִילַת אַפַּיִם – nefilas apayim], whose intention is to elevate the soul [nefesh], in the aspect of elevating the feminine waters [מַיִּין נוּקְבִּין – mayin nukvin] and to make a unification [יִחוּד – yichud]. For through the kisufin and longing, which is the aspect of elevating the feminine waters, as is known, from this itself a soul [nefesh] is made and elevated, and a unification [yichud] and coupling is made, as above. Through the kisufin, souls [nefashos] are made, which are the aspect of nekudos, and the souls couple, and so forth. And this is the aspect of the coupling and combination of the nekudos, which are the aspect of the couplings of the souls. And through the nekudos, the letters couple and combine. This is the aspect of the couplings of the bodies. And this is what is written: “He did not look upon iniquity [אָוֶן – avven] in Jacob” [Numbers 23:21]. In the way that our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: An evil thought, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not combine it with an action [Kiddushin 40a; see Yerushalmi Payah 1:1]. And this is: “He did not look upon iniquity [avven]”, the acronym of which is וַי אָבְדָה נֶפֶשׁ [vaye avdah nefesh – woe, the soul is lost] [Baitzah 16a], which is the aspect of longing and kisufin, as above. This means that longing and evil kisufin, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not combine. And this: “He did not look upon iniquity in Jacob”. And this is what is written: “The will of His fearers He will do, and their cry He will hear and save them” [Psalms 145:19]. This means that two aspects are needed: will and speech, as above. For the will, which is the kisufin, acts to make the nefesh in potential, and through speech, the nefesh goes out from potential to actual. And then his request is done through forming the letters for good, and so forth, as above.

And this is: “The will of His fearers He will do”, for through the will, which is the kisufin, the nefesh is made in potential, and then his request and will is done in potential, in the aspect of: “The will of His fearers He will do”. And afterward, “and their cry”, which they speak with their mouth the longing and the will and their kisufin, through this, “He will hear and save them”. For through speech, the nefesh is completed and goes out from potential to actual. And then the letters are formed and become a vessel to receive good, and his request is filled in actual, as above. For according to the nefesh that he makes in potential or in actual, so nekudos are made for the letters, and so the letters are formed, and so they act and do his request and will, as above. (Related to above): What is written there that a scholar alone is certainly nothing, and so forth. And one who errs and thinks, G-d forbid, that a scholar alone is the primary, he is the aspect of Acher who cut down the plantings.

For it is possible to be a scholar and a complete wicked person, and so forth, as explained above. And similarly, even the tzadik sometimes when he falls from his level, as it is known that it is impossible to stand continually in permanence on one level, then at the time when he falls from his level, if he wants to hold himself in the level of scholar that remains to him, it is not good. Rather, he must hold himself in the fear of heaven that he still has from the impression that remains to him. See in the Tikunim, [69, 102b]: He said to him: “For on the day you eat of it” is written. He said to him: On that day he gazed and died. Rabbi Shimon said: For this reason it is written: There is a vanity that is done upon the earth that there are righteous, and so forth, see there and understand. The perfection of all things is emunah, and without emunah all things are lacking, as they said [Bava Basra 9a]: Regarding tzedakah, one who gives a penny (prootah) to a poor person is blessed with six, and one who appeases with eleven. And between giving tzedakah and appeasing the poor as above, lacks one, for it should be seven and twelve corresponding to the seven planetary stars, and corresponding to twelve constellations. For tzedakah is the aspect of galgalim, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said [Shabbos 151b]. “For because of this thing He will bless you” galgal is that which returns in the world. And as the galgal has two movements, one natural movement from west to east, and one forced movement from east to west, what the daily galgal returns and rolls from east to west and forces with it all the galgalim, so regarding tzedakah our Sages, of blessed memory, said. More than what the householder does for the poor, the poor does for the householder, which is the aspect of two movements from west to east and from east to west, that is, from the poor to the householder and from the householder to the poor [as explained above in his words, of blessed memory]. For all the abundance and blessings come through the galgalim, for through them the Holy One, blessed be He, directs the world, as is known. Therefore, it was fitting that the blessings said regarding tzedakah be seven and twelve corresponding to the galgalim. But in this our Sages, of blessed memory, indicated to us that tzedakah is lacking and has no perfection, and still lacks one, both in the giver and in the appeaser, meaning that emunah is lacking, without which tzedakah is still lacking. And through emunah it is completed and shines the aspect of tzedakah. And this is what is written: “And he believed in the L-rd, and He reckoned it to him as tzedakah” that through emunah tzedakah is reckoned, for without emunah it is lacking. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said, the sun on Shabbos is tzedakah for the poor. For Shabbos is the aspect of emunah, for Shabbos testifies to His unity and to the renewal of the world, as brought in the books. And through emunah, which is the aspect of Shabbos, tzedakah shines. And this: “Sun on Shabbos tzedakah”, sun in the language of light, meaning that on Shabbos, which is the aspect of emunah, tzedakah shines, as above. And similarly the Torah, also is lacking without emunah. Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said [Makkos 24a] David came and established them on eleven, Isaiah came and established them on six. It turns out that it also lacks one from the exact count, just as they said regarding tzedakah six and eleven. For the Torah is lacking without emunah. And this is what they said: Until Habakkuk came and established them on one, and a tzadik lives by his emunah. For through emunah the Torah is completed. And this is the intention of the Tanna who began in the Mishnah the carryings out of Shabbos are two which are four, how so the poor person, and so forth, the poor person extended his hand inside. That at the beginning of Shabbos he began immediately with the mitzvah of tzedakah to hint that on Shabbos tzedakah is completed and shines, as above, sun on Shabbos tzedakah for the poor. For through Shabbos, which is the aspect of emunah, tzedakah is completed and shines. And through them the blessings that were lacking are filled, for emunah is the source of blessings, as it is written: “A man of emunos has many blessings”. And similarly Shabbos is said to be the “source of blessing” [in the song “Lecha Dodi”]. And this is what is written: “Tzedek before Him will walk” and so forth [Psalms 85:14]. For there are wide roads that are the path trodden by many, and similarly there are paths. And this road and path is drawn to here, and this to here. And for every road and path there is corresponding in the galgalim a road and path. And similarly between road to road, grass grows here, so there is also opposite every grass and grass a star that is opposite it, that the grass grows from its power, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said [Beraishis Rabbah, Parasha 10]. There is no grass and grass that has no star, and so forth. And sometimes when a person has a delay and affliction on the road, it is because opposite that place there is a delay in the star that does not shine in perfection. Therefore, the remedy for this is to give tzedakah before going on the road, as it is written: “Tzedek before Him will walk, and He will place it on the way” and so forth. For through tzedakah the star will shine, for through tzedakah the galgalim shine, as above. Therefore, through the tzedakah that he gives, he will cancel his delay that he has on the road, which is drawn from the delay that is in the galgalim and the stars, as above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said [Horayos 10a]. There is one star that misleads the ships, meaning when the ship reaches under that star, then the ship wanders on the road because that star does not shine in perfection. Shemesh (sun) is the aspect of bris [see Zohar, Exodus 3b, Pinchas 417b]. And through a blemish in the bris, we do not have the light of the shemesh except the appearance of chama. And idolaters are called shadow [tzel], as it is written: “Woe, land of the whirring of wings, and they cover the light of the shemesh”. And this is the aspect of tziltzal knafayim, from the language “and no longer will your Teacher be hidden [yikanef]”. And this is the aspect of the appearance of chama is deeper than the tzel. For even though Israel is primary over all, the idolaters cover over them as if the whole world is theirs, and they cover the world in the way of nature. For in truth, the Holy One, blessed be He, directs the world, and they cover the conduct of Hashem, blessed be He, as if it is conducted, G-d forbid, through the stars and constellations in themselves.

But in the future to come, He will remove them, and then it will be fulfilled: “Their shadow has departed”. And then the light of the shemesh will be revealed, in the aspect of: “And a shemesh will rise for you who fear My name”. This means that the light of the shemesh will be revealed. And this is: “And healing in its wings”. This is the aspect of: “And no longer will your Teacher be hidden [yikanef]”. And then it will be fulfilled: “Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”. This means that they will be below, not like they were before, the appearance of chama deeper.

In Abraham it is said as the heat of the day, which is the aspect of shemesh through circumcision, and the bris was revealed. Prayer is called the aspect of foot [see below Torah 55 and above Torah 9]. All this matter we heard initially without explanation and connection, and the words are already explained well in the Torah “We have a bayra” as above. (The passages of) Gavra Di-ozif (The man who lent), and raicha-ya disvira (the broken mill), we did not merit to hear Torahs about them. But from the generality of his words I heard, that his will was to reveal Torahs on all the statements said there, and also he revealed his opinion, that his will was to reveal a Torah also on the entire story said there regarding the elders of Athens at the beginning and at the end, how Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya conducted with them, how he came to them, and so forth, and how he conducted with them afterward. And he spoke with me a little from the matter of this story said there in the Gemara regarding this. And I understood that he has Torah insights on all this. But due to our many sins, the sun came at noon, and we did not merit to hear except what is printed, praise to the living G-d.