And it was at the end of two years of days

54 - And it was at the end of two years of days And it was at the end of two years of days, and Pharaoh is dreaming, and behold, he is standing by the river. And behold, from the river are coming up seven cows, etc.

[Genesis 41] My G-d, You have grown greatly, splendor and majesty You have donned; wrapping light as a garment, stretching heavens as a curtain. [Psalms 104]

1. Because one must guard greatly the zicharon [memory], that it not fall to forgetfulness, aspect of death of the heart. And the main zicharon is to remember always the olam haba [world to come], that it not be in his mind, G-d forbid, that there is only one world. And by attaching his thought to the olam haba, by this is made the unification My G-d the aforementioned. [Because My G-d is aspect of the full name, which is aspect of the olam haba, as brought, and so explained in Zohar (Mishpatim 98a) on this verse My G-d, this is the beginning of faith, the ascent of thought to the olam haba]

And this aspect, to remember always the olam haba, that is to attach his thought to the olam haba, this is in general and in particular. In general, so it is proper to be the custom of those who fear Hashem, immediately in the morning upon waking, before he begins any thing, he should remember immediately the olam haba. And after that, he should do this in particular. For all this world is the clothing of the lower levels of holiness, that is dimension (b’china) of the feet of holiness, aspect of “and the earth is the footstool of My feet” [Isaiah 66]. Even though the upper levels of holiness also have revelation in this world, the revelation is not clothed in the essence of this world, but an illumination that illuminates in dimension (b’china) of feet. But dimension of feet, they are revealed in essence in this world. And every day there is in it thought, speech, and action. And the Holy One, blessed be He, contracts His divinity from infinite to no end (m’ayn sof ad ayn tachlis) [from infinite divine essence to a finite point], until the nekudas hamerkaz [central point] of the physical world that stands on it.

And He prepares (for him) for every person; thought, speech, and action, according to the day, the person, and the place. And He clothes (for him) in this thought, speech, and action that He prepares (for him) hints in order to bring him close to His service. Therefore, one must deepen (l’haamik) his thought in this and enlarge (l’hagdil) his understanding and understand what are the hints in particular that are clothed in this thought, speech, and action of this day that Hashem, blessed be He, prepared (for him), whether work or business (masa u-matan [bearing and giving, root: n-s-a, n-t-n]), and all that Hashem, blessed be He, prepares (for him) every day.

He must deepen (l’haamik) and enlarge (l’hagdil) his thought in this in order to understand the hints of Hashem, blessed be He.

But the enlargements of the intellect in this must be in measure, that he not go out from the boundary of holiness, only according to his human intellect, so he enlarges (l’hagdil) the thought in this. And so not to look in this above his level, for “in that which is hidden from you, do not seek” [Chagigah 13a]. And this is You have grown מְאֹד [very, strength], splendor and majesty You have donned, that is, when he wants to take a thing from this world, which is aspect of “splendor and majesty You have donned,” which are dimension (b’china) of feet clothed in this world, it should be in aspect of You have grown מְאֹד, that is, the enlargement of the intellect should be in measure and contraction. And this is מְאֹד [very, strength], which is the left side (sitra d’smala) from which the contraction [as written in Zohar (Mishpatim 98a), מְאֹד, this is the left side]. [For the feet are aspect of netzach [eternity] and hod [splendor], which are aspect of splendor and majesty, as written in Zohar (Mishpatim 98a), “splendor and majesty You have donned,” these are the two willow branches, etc., see there, that they are aspect of netzach and hod, aspect of feet, as known.] Even one who knows and understands in this, that is, who merits to understand the hints that Hashem, blessed be He, hints to him in every thing, and if so, he would want to occupy only with this, that is, to occupy only with affairs of this world since he understands the hints that Hashem, blessed be He, hints in them. But in truth, it is not so, for a person must have contentment (histapkus) to be content from this world only with what he needs necessarily from this world. And this is because of two reasons: First, because this holiness clothed in affairs of this world is dimension (b’china) of feet, “iniquity surrounds my heels” [Psalms 49], that the klipot [husks] surround it always and want to suck from them, therefore it is a dangerous place, therefore he must be content only with necessity. And further, because there is service higher than this, which is holiness higher than it, and he must serve Hashem, blessed be He, with those services and holinesses higher than this. [That is, even the tzadik [righteous person] and wise one who has great intellect until he can understand the hints that Hashem, blessed be He, hints to him in every thing every day, even in weekday affairs, and by this he can serve Hashem, blessed be He, with all things in the world, even in weekday affairs. And if so, he would want, G-d forbid, to occupy only with this, that is, with weekday affairs, since he knows the hints that are in them and can approach the service of Hashem, blessed be He, through them. But in truth, it is not so, for it is forbidden to increase in affairs of this world, even for one who knows and understands the aforementioned hints, because of the two reasons aforementioned: First, because this service in affairs of this world is a very dangerous place, etc., as above. And second, because there is holiness and service higher than this, that is, the holiness of Torah and mitzvot, and therefore even one who knows the aforementioned hints must have contentment (histapkus), to be content from this world with necessity only, as above.] And the contentment (histapkus) is aspect of wrapping light as a garment, that is, aspect of full light. For the wicked who do not have contentment (histapkus), aspect of “and the belly of the wicked lacks” [Proverbs 13], with them light is lacking, aspect of “the curse of Hashem in the house of the wicked” [ibid 3]. But with the tzadikim [righteous ones] who have contentment (histapkus), aspect of “the tzadik eats to the satisfaction of his soul” [ibid 13], with them it is full light, “and G-d saw the light that it is good” [Genesis 1], there is no good but tzadik, as said, “say of the tzadik that it is good” [Isaiah 3] [Yoma 38b]. And even from this contentment (histapkus) itself, he must separate from it to charity, stretching heavens as a curtain [see Tikkun 51], for the ark of the covenant, which is aspect of the poor, is under the curtain, and the curtain influences the ark of the covenant, and this is aspect of charity. [Explanation: for by charity, that the giver influences to the receiver, by this is made the unification of tzadik and Knesset Yisrael [Assembly of Israel, the collective soul of Israel, mystically representing the Shechinah], aspect of tzadik influences to Knesset Yisrael, which is aspect of influence of the curtain to the ark of the covenant, aspect of “stretching heavens as a curtain,” as above.]

3. And the masses of people, who do not have this intellect to deepen (l’haamik) in all this, to understand the hints as above, it is made for them all this automatically by sleep, and tzitzit, and tefillin, and Torah, and prayer, and business (masa u-matan [bearing and giving, root: n-s-a, n-t-n]). For sleep is aspect of attaching thought to the olam haba in general, as above, aspect of My G-d aforementioned. For at the time of sleep, the soul ascends to the olam haba [see Zohar Lech Lecha 83a]. And tzitzit and tefillin are aspect of “You have grown greatly”. [For tefillin are aspect of intellect (mochin), as known, that is, aspect of enlargement of the intellect to understand all the hints that Hashem, blessed be He, hints to him every day, as above.] And tzitzit is aspect of the contraction aforementioned, which is aspect of greatly, as written in Zohar [Shelach 175a], that it is aspect of contraction. And therefore, tzitzit before tefillin, aspect of “his left under my head,” and after that, “and his right embraces me” [Song of Songs 2] [see Midrash Rabbah Song of Songs]. [For left is aspect of judgment (din), aspect of contraction, which is aspect of tzitzit, as above, and right is aspect of intellect (mochin), aspect of tefillin, as above.] And Torah is aspect of the contentment (histapkus) aforementioned, for the Torah is aspect of the tree of life, food for all in it [see Zohar Bereishit 26a], that is, there is for each one enough sustenance from it, found that it is aspect of contentment (histapkus). And also in the study of Torah itself, there is aspect of contentment (histapkus), as our rabbis of blessed memory said [Avot chapter 2], “it is not upon you the work to finish.” And therefore, study of the Torah is aspect of the contentment (histapkus) aforementioned. And even the masses who cannot study, they fulfill occupation with Torah with what they read, reading of Shema, as our rabbis of blessed memory said [Menachot 99b]. And prayer is aspect of “splendor and majesty” aforementioned [as our sages of blessed memory said, Shabbat 10a], that is, aspect of “the earth is the footstool of My feet” aforementioned, that is, dimension (b’china) of feet of holiness clothed in this world, as above. And business (masa u-matan [bearing and giving, root: n-s-a, n-t-n]) is aspect of “stretching heavens as a curtain” aforementioned, that is, aspect of unification of tzadik and Knesset Yisrael aforementioned. For tzadik and Knesset Yisrael are aspect of masa u-matan. The tzadik is called masa [bearer, root: n-s-a], for he bears the world, “as the nurse bears the suckling” [Numbers 11:12], and he bears all the blessings, as it is written: “and blessings to the head of the tzadik” [Proverbs 10:6], as it is written: “he shall receive blessing from Hashem” [Psalms 24:5]. And he bears the seminal drop of all the souls, in the aspect of “bearer of the seed drawing” [Psalms 126:6]. He then influences [this to] Knesset Yisrael [Assembly of Israel, the collective soul of Israel, mystically representing the Shechinah], and she gives [it] to the entire world. On account of this, Knesset Yisrael is called matan [giving, root: n-t-n], based on the verse: “And she gives prey to her household and a statute to her maidens” [Proverbs 31:15]. The unification of the tzadik and Knesset Yisrael is achieved through business dealings (masa u-matan [bearing and giving, root: n-s-a, n-t-n]). For every thing in the world has in it holy sparks that fell at the time of breaking, and breaking is aspect of letters that broke and fell to every thing of this world. And every thing has its hour [see Avot chapter 4], and it must come at that hour to this person who is from one root with those sparks that are in this thing. And when this thing reaches this person, and he receives vitality from this thing, that is, from the broken letters that are there, by this the broken letters are included in this person in his vitality and made from them complete stature, and spreads in the vitality of all the body. And by this, the letters are completed and have completeness. And he must delay the thing with this person to use it until the letters and sparks belonging to his root are cut off. And after that, it goes out from his domain to another person, that the time has come that there be ascent to the remaining letters that are from one root with the other person, and therefore it goes out to his domain. And sometimes the thing returns and comes to that person that it was his initially, because since he did not have then these parts of nefesh ruach neshama [soul, spirit, higher soul], he could not then complete these letters until now that these parts of nefesh ruach neshama reached him, that through them he can complete these remaining letters. And meanwhile, it was forced to delay with another. And when he completes these letters, there is added to him illumination in his nefesh ruach neshama because of illuminations of these letters that reached him and were completed with him. And by this illumination, it illuminates in the root of his nefesh ruach neshama, which is in tzadik and Knesset Yisrael, that are roots of all souls, as above. And by this sparkling, tzadik and Knesset Yisrael are unified, called masa u-matan [bearing and giving, root: n-s-a, n-t-n], as above. And on account of this, it is called purchase and sale, and all things and all study are masa u-matan, for by them tzadik and Knesset Yisrael are unified, called masa u-matan, as above.

And in order to guard the zicharon [memory] aforementioned, one must guard himself that he not fall to aspect of evil eye, aspect of death of the heart. For the main zicharon is tied to/dependent on the eye, aspect of “and for a memory between your eyes” [Exodus 13]. For forgetfulness comes by evil eye, by death of the heart, aspect of “I am forgotten as a dead man from the heart” [Psalms 31]. For evil eye and death of the heart are one aspect, for the vision of the eye (shuriana d’ayna) is tied to/dependent on the heart [as our rabbis of blessed memory said, Avodah Zarah 28b, the spiritual connection between sight and heart], “and his heart died within him” [1 Samuel 25]. And death of the heart is aspect of broken tablets, “write them on the tablet of your heart” [Proverbs 3]. And forgetfulness is by broken tablets, as the statement of our sages of blessed memory [Eruvin 54a], “if the first tablets were not broken, there would be no forgetfulness in the world.” Found that the main forgetfulness is by evil eye, which is aspect of death of the heart, which is aspect of broken tablets, from there main forgetfulness, as above. And Avshalom, who had an evil eye in his father’s kingdom, by this is said in him death of the heart, as said, “and he took three spears and thrust them into the heart of Avshalom” [2 Samuel 18] [see Sotah 11a], for he damaged the zicharon by evil eye, as above. And David the king, peace upon him, fled then from his kingdom from Avshalom, and Shimi ben Gera cursed him and said, “perhaps Hashem will see in my eye” [ibid 16], “in my eye” specifically, for one who sees that he falls to evil eye, if he does not feel in himself that he can stand in this to be saved from it, he must flee from it. But one who can fix, then he must fix.

And he must see the essence of the aspect of the evil eye in order to know the root that he must fix by it.

For there are several aspects of evil eye. And when he falls to evil eye of haughtiness, that his eye is narrow in the haughtiness of his friend, he must subdue in the root of the haughtiness, that is, in the root of kingship, which is aspect of mashiach [messiah], and he is the root of kingship, aspect of “and give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his mashiach” [1 Samuel 2]. And he is aspect of good eye, aspect of “beautiful eyes and good appearance” [ibid 16], said on David, who is mashiach [language of Gemara Nidah 24b], taught: Abba Shaul says, “I was a burier of dead, once a cave opened under me, and I stood in the eye socket of a dead man until my nose. When I returned behind me, they said it was the eye of Avshalom.” And this that Abba Shaul said, “I was a burier of dead,” for Abba Shaul strove to fix always the evil eye, called death, as above. “Once a cave opened under me,” that is, aspect of attachment (devekus), aspect of “as a cave of a man and his concubine” [1 Kings 7], “under me,” that is, aspect of truth, “truth from the earth will sprout” [Psalms 85], for “good eye, he will bless” [Proverbs 22], and blessings are aspect of truth, as written, “who blesses himself in the earth will bless himself by the G-d of truth” [Isaiah 65]. And this that Abba Shaul said, that by his truth, an attachment (devekus) was opened to him, “and I stood in the eye socket of a dead man until my nose,” that is, because of the attachment (devekus), I placed myself in danger to enter in the eye socket of a dead man, that is, in evil eye, until I was forced to use the aspect of mashiach in order to subdue the evil eye, and this “until my nose,” which is aspect of “the breath of our nostrils, the mashiach of Hashem” [Lamentations 4]. And “when I returned to my back,” they said to me, “the eye of Avshalom it was,” that is, that Avshalom fell to aspect of this evil eye. And this is “when I returned to my back,” that is, after the fixing, that I returned the aspect of mashiach to his place, to aspect of back, for there is the root of the king mashiach [messiah], aspect of “king bound in the רַהֲטִים (rahatim)” [Song of Songs 7:6] [the simple meaning in the verse is “curls of hair,” but it is the same word as troughs and waterways, with a connotation of rahat [running, root: r-h-t], and this is what is being built upon], in the pathways (riheetay) of the intellect [Tikkun 6 21a], “bound,” that is, aspect of the knot of tefillin, which is aspect of back, as the statement of our sages of blessed memory [Berachot 7a], “and you shall see My back,” this is the knot of tefillin. “And the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life,” said on David [see Zohar Lech Lecha 89b], for tefillin are aspect of life, as the statement of our sages of blessed memory [Menachot 44a], “all who lay tefillin merit life,” as said, “Hashem upon them, they shall live.” And therefore, they did not say to him that it was the eye of Avshalom until he returned to his back, for if he knew beforehand, perhaps he would not endanger himself so much to enter such evil eye, for it is great danger.

5. And one must guard the eye from the power of imagination (medameh), and even one who is good eye must guard from this, as we see, for even one who has good vision can err by seeing from afar, and it seems to him the opposite from the truth. And the power of imagination (medameh) comes by evil tongue (lashon hara), for the power of imagination is the power of beastliness, for also an animal has this power of imagination (medameh). And the one who brings out report (motzi dibah) falls to beastliness, and therefore the power of imagination (medameh) overpowers him, which is power of beastliness [Proverbs 10:18]. And when knowledge (daas) is removed from him, he falls from love of Hashem, blessed be He, and falls to love of beastliness, “for you have rejected knowledge (daas), and I reject you from being priest to Me” [Hosea 4], “Abraham, My lover” [Isaiah 41], “you are priest” [Psalms 110], aspect of “and the priest shall grasp” [Leviticus 5] [see Introduction to Tikunim, Tikkun 19, Tikun 70]. And then the power of imagination (medameh) overpowers him, which is power of beastliness, “my people are like without knowledge (daas)” [Hosea 4], “are like” (nidmu), that is, power of imagination (medameh, root: d-m-h).

And this power of imagination (medameh) seeks always a vessel to dwell there, and therefore it returns always to dwell on the mouth of one who repeats laws (shoneh halachos). And therefore, if they innovate a thing in Torah, it is an agreeable and fitting innovation, in Yiddish, glaych [smooth and fitting properly], for it comes from the power of imagination (medameh, root: d-m-h), which imagines thing to thing, but the evil in it is more than the good. And these innovations damage livelihood, for by innovations of Torah are created heavens and earth, as written, “and to say to Zion, you are My people”, read not My people but with Me, “what I did, heavens and earth, with My words,” etc.

[Zohar Introduction 5a].

And by this come all influences and blessings to the world, as written, “Hashem will open for you His good treasury, the heavens,” etc. [Deuteronomy 28]. But when the innovations are by the power of imagination (medameh), then are created firmaments of vanity [Zohar there], and by them comes famine to the world.

And even though there is in them also good, that they are words of Torah, which are aspect of satiation, but because the evil is more than the good, therefore the evil overpowers, and the good is nullified, aspect of “and it was not known that they came into her midst” [Genesis 41], that overpowers, G-d forbid, aspect of seven years of famine on aspect of seven years of satiation, which is aspect of overpowering of evil on good, “and it was not known,” etc., as above. And what the power of imagination (medameh) returns to dwell on the mouth of one who repeats laws (shoneh halachos) is because it was created on the eve of Shabbat between the suns, and sanctified on it the day, and was not created for it a body, as written in Zohar [Bereishit 47b, 48a, and parashat Terumah 155a], on the verse “which G-d created to do” [Genesis 2], explained there that the klipot [husks], which are aspect of the power of imagination (medameh), were created on the eve of Shabbat between the suns, and meanwhile sanctified on it the day, and remained spirit without body, etc., see there. And therefore, this power of imagination (medameh), which is aspect of klipot, which is spirit without body, seeks for itself a body to dwell in and goes to the repeaters of laws (shoneh halachos), for they create all with the words of their Torah, therefore it goes and dwells with them so that there be created for it a body to clothe in by them.

And this is written [there in the parasha aforementioned], “and on the repetition of the dream,” that is, what the dream, which is aspect of the power of imagination (medameh), his striving to dwell on the repeater of laws (shoneh halachos), “for the thing is ready from G-d, and G-d hastens to do it.” This is aspect of “which G-d created to do” aforementioned, that was ready all eve of Shabbat between the suns, and sanctified the day, and G-d hastened to do it without body. And because of this, it returns always to dwell on the repeater of laws (shoneh halachos), as above. And this is, “Pharaoh’s dream is one” [there], that is, the dream of Pharaoh, which is aspect of the power of imagination (medameh), idle power, as written, “you disturb the people” [Exodus 5], it comes from one, that is, from love [for one is aspect of love, as explained in Torah 4, section 4 (likely Likutay Moharan 4:4, source unclear)], that is, from fallen love, as above, aspect of “my people are like without knowledge (daas), for you have rejected knowledge (daas)”, etc., as above. Found by removal of knowledge (daas), which comes by evil tongue (lashon hara), which is aspect of “one who brings out report (motzi dibah) is a fool” [Proverbs 10:18], that is, that knowledge (daas) is removed from him, by this he falls from love of Hashem, blessed be He, to loves of beastliness, and then the power of imagination (medameh, root: d-m-h) overpowers him, which is power of beastliness. And by the power of imagination (medameh), the zicharon [memory] is damaged, and he falls to forgetfulness. And now come and see how good and how pleasant now the connection of all this verse, “my people are like,” etc., aforementioned.

“My people are like without knowledge (daas),” that by damage of knowledge (daas), the power of imagination (medameh, root: d-m-h) overpowers, as above. “For you have rejected knowledge (daas), and I reject you from being priest to Me,” for by damage of knowledge (daas), he falls from loves of holiness, which are aspect of priest, as above.

And then overpowers him the power of imagination (medameh), aspect of “my people are like,” etc., as above. And this is that ends there with this verse, “and you forget the Torah of your G-d, surely forget,” for by damage of knowledge (daas), by this overpowers the power of imagination (medameh), by this the zicharon is damaged and comes to forgetfulness, as above. “I also forget your sons,” for by that he damages the zicharon and falls to forgetfulness, by this he has no male son, as brought above regarding Avshalom, that he did not merit a male son because of this, that he damaged the zicharon, as above.

And this is “I also forget your sons,” as above.

And therefore, Pharaoh decreed on the males specifically, for Pharaoh is aspect of the power of imagination (medameh), which is idle power, as above, which overpowers the zicharon, which is aspect of male son, as above.

For the power of imagination (medameh), when it overpowers, G-d forbid, it damages and nullifies, G-d forbid, the zicharon, as above.

And this is, “and Pharaoh commanded, etc., all the son born to the river you shall cast him,” “to the river” specifically, for the river of Egypt, this is Pishon [as brought in Rashi, parashat Bereishit, Zohar Bereishit 26b, and Tikkun 55], that there dwells the power of imagination (medameh), as above, that is, he wanted to damage the zicharon, which is aspect of male son, by the power of imagination (medameh) that dwells on the mouth of the repeater of laws (shoneh halachos), as above.