Treasury of Awe (Oatzar HaYeerah) — Volume I

The essential vitality drawn to a person through eating is daas and wisdom — which is the essence of vitality, as it is written: "Wisdom gives life etc." [Koheles 7:12]. Therefore food at its root — and especially bread, which is the essential sustenance of the human being — is very lofty at its root, for rooted within it is a force and vitality that is the aspect of chochmah [wisdom] — to give life to the person and to bind his soul to his body. However, since the sin of the First Man [Adam], the mochin [higher mental faculties] and the daas became thoroughly mixed with much waste [ psolet ]. Because of this, one must labor greatly to clarify each and every halachic ruling from the difficulties [ kushiyos ] and waste that surround it — and especially in spiritual learnings concerning the apprehension of His divinity, blessed be He, where one must be especially careful to clarify the mochin and daas from the chaff and waste that seek to attach themselves to it, and to break and resolve all the difficulties and to understand the halacha and the apprehension in its purity. But the essential sustaining and perfection of daas is holy emunah [faith] — through which one merits the hearas ha-ratzon [illumination of the Will], which is above all aspects of mochin and daas , where the Sitra Achra and the waste have no grip whatsoever. For in truth, even the great sage and Tzadik himself — who is in the aspect of Moshe — must also constrict his mind and daas out of awe, so as not to enter into questions and answers that are in the realm of "that which is beyond you" [ ba-mufla mimcha ] [Mishnah Chagigah 2:1]. This is the aspect of what is said of Moshe: "And Moshe hid his face, for he was afraid to look etc." [Shemos 3:6]. All the more so when the wise man illuminates daas to his disciples and clarifies and resolves for them many difficulties in the service of G-d — but the minds of the disciples are still running and soaring greatly and they wish to understand more and more — the wise man must then make a fence [ seyag ] around his words, in the aspect of: "A fence for wisdom is silence" [Avos 3:17], and hint to them: thus far you may come — and it is forbidden to investigate further! For they must fear Hashem and feel ashamed before Him to probe deeper, as this is in the realm of "that which is beyond him" according to their level. And specifically through silence and the aforementioned hints, the hearas ha-ratzon is drawn upon them. And from all of this derives the fact that in a person's physical eating too, chaff and straw [ mots v'teven ] cling to it — and especially to the bread — and many labors are required before it is refined. The essential spiritual refinement is accomplished through the ten commandments that apply to bread [ eser mitzvos ha-nohagas ba-pas ] [the ten mitzvos relevant to bread: separating challah, tithing grain, gleanings for the poor, etc.] . Through all of this, the waste is refined — which is the difficulties and husks [ kelipos ] that seek to confuse the holy emunah , through which comes the essential rectification of eating and the sustaining and perfection of daas , and the merit to attain the hearas ha-ratzon as above. The ultimate perfection of the bread, after all the refinements, is at the hour when it is baked in fire — for fire is the aspect of yirah [awe/fear], through which one merits the aspect of silence mentioned above: not to enter further into questions and resolutions that are "beyond him" , but to rely upon our holy emunah . Therefore at the ultimate perfection of the bread — at the moment when it is closest to giving pleasure to the person, which is at the moment of betziah [the breaking] — for before the breaking it is impossible to eat it whole, and the breaking is the aspect of the shattering and resolution of all difficulties — therefore one must break specifically from the place where the fire dominated it most intensely first [ techilah ] — which is the bottom crust, the first surface touched by the fire — for this is the aspect of yirah : that yirah must come first , before everything else. Through this one constricts the daas and relies upon emunah — which is the essential ultimate resolution and shattering of all difficulties. This is the aspect of why the blessing must conclude together with the breaking [ betziah ] — namely, that the breaking, which is the culmination of all the refinements and resolutions, should be only in the aspect of the blessing: the simple holy emunah with which we believe that Hashem, blessed be He, created the bread — and therefore we bless Him for it — and not to enter into any further questions and investigations whatsoever. Through this the vitality of the person — which is wisdom and daas — is drawn in wholeness through the eating, until one merits thereby the hearas ha-ratzon as above. And since the essential silence and hearas ha-ratzon mentioned above are drawn through yirah [awe] — therefore one must be precise to bless over the whole [loaf], for it is most important, and this alludes to yirah , which is the essential importance. And through it comes the ultimate wholeness — the aspect of "for those who fear Him there is no lack" [Tehillim 34:10] — as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated: "In the place where awe is found, wholeness is found" [Aramaic: b'asra d'yirah ishtekhach sheleimusa ]. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, sections 12, 13, 14)

Even the simple person who has not yet merited that his eating should be in the aspect of the food of a human being [ ma'achal adam ] in its fullness — even he, if he is a person of valor [ ish chayil ] and is not lazy (what they call a "shlemazlnik" [a good-for-nothing sluggard] ) — can strengthen himself at the time of eating to draw upon himself the supernal hearas ha-ratzon , etc. For every person can merit this through the power of the Tzadik — for specifically at the time of his eating, a great yirah [awe] should be drawn upon him (which comes to the person then of itself, as explained elsewhere), until he merits the supernal hearas ha-ratzon specifically at the time of eating. And each time, in proportion to how much he draws upon himself the illumination of yirah and ratzon [Will] as above — so too his eating is refined from animal food [ ma'achal behemah ] toward human food [ ma'achal adam ], until he merits ma'achal adam in its fullness. For the Will [ ratzon ] is the aspect of Yovel [the Jubilee] — as explained within — which is the aspect of freedom [ cherus ], for the Will is always free. And it is the aspect of Yovel , the Fiftieth Gate, where every person goes forth to freedom — meaning, even in the depths of his bitter exile, having strayed very deeply into animality and a spirit of foolishness, even there he can draw upon himself the hearas ha-ratzon which at its root flows from the world of freedom, from the aspect of Yovel as above. For regardless of where he is, he can still say: "I want — with a strong desire — for Hashem, blessed be He; and I believe in the words of the true Tzadikim who revealed and made known to us that Hashem is still with me and beside me and close to me always, for the whole earth is full of His glory." And through this they draw upon themselves each time the illumination of daas and ratzon — even in the aspect of animal food — until one merits thereby the aspect of human food. And this is the aspect of the rectification of the sin of the First Man, who blemished through his eating, and it was said to him: "And you shall eat the grass of the field" [Bereishis 3:18] — the aspect of animal food. And through this he was shaken [ nizda'zea ] etc. (meaning, awe fell upon him) — and through this very fact that awe fell upon him and he was shaken that he had fallen to the aspect of animal food, and he yearned with all his strength with a strong Will to merit human food — through this he merited that Hashem, blessed be He, said to him afterward: "By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread" [Bereishis 3:19] — which is human food. And so it is for every person even now. And this is hinted in the matter of the Omer of barley on Pesach and the Two Loaves on Shavuos. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, sections 34, 35)

Through eating, the damim [blood] are vivified so that they can give life to the person. But the essential thing is to eat in holiness according to the Torah — the aspect of "and Your Torah is within my innards" [Tehillim 40:9] — namely, that through the food one should vivify the blood in which the soul [ nefesh ] is garbed, until the soul becomes bound to the body in the aspect of the totality of worlds mentioned above in section 21. Then one merits complete yirah [awe] — which is the aspect of holy gevuros [powers], the aspect of blood — and through this one comes to the supernal hearas ha-ratzon , which is the aspect of the warmth [ chamimus ] of the holy blood: to burn and blaze for Hashem, blessed be He, with the flames of love [ shalhavim d'rechimusa ]. And this is the aspect of the blood being absorbed into the holy limbs [ eivarin d'kedushah ]. For when one does not eat in holiness and is in the aspect of "the belly of the wicked shall want" [Mishlei 13:25] — then the blood that receives vitality from the food is not clear, and he has turbid blood [ achirus ha-damim ]. Then the blood is not properly bound and absorbed within the limbs to give the person life — rather it surges and presses upon the limbs. And from this comes all manner of confusion of daas and the spirit of foolishness. Therefore the essential rectification is when one draws close to the true Tzadik — the aspect of Moshe in whom daas shines — until he too merits to draw upon himself the hearas ha-ratzon at the time of eating. Through this comes the essential satiety, which is the vitality of the blood. Then the blood is absorbed into the limbs, and through this he annuls the evil desires that come from the boiling of the blood — and he converts the boiling of the blood toward holiness, accustoming himself to draw his desire always toward Hashem, blessed be He. For when one [holy desire] rises, the other [unholy one] falls — for it is impossible for two thoughts to coexist simultaneously. Then he burns for Hashem, blessed be He, with a supernal Will at all times ever more intensely, until he expresses his desires with his mouth in prayers, songs, and praises — the aspect of: "My heart grew hot within me etc., I spoke with my tongue" [Tehillim 39:4]. And this is the secret of the absorption of blood into the limbs as described in the kavanah [mystical intention] of the Sefirah [Counting of the Omer]. For in the days of Pesach, Sefirah, and Shavuos we are engaged with this — to rectify Israel's eating so that it should be in the aspect of the hearas ha-ratzon , through the daas that Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, revealed to us in those very days. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, section 45; and see Pesach etc., sections 16, 18)

All the flavors [ te'amim ] in all foods are drawn from daas — which is itself the aspect of ta'am [taste/reason], as it is written: "Good taste and daas — teach me" [Tehillim 119:66]. [Note the wordplay: ta'am means both "taste" and "reason/discernment" — the flavors of food and the depths of understanding share the same root.] And each food, according to its portion of daas that it receives — so too it has a pleasant and sweet flavor. For the essential pleasantness and sweetness is only in the aspect of true wisdom and daas , for the sweetness of intellect and daas surpasses everything. And in bread specifically, one does not perceive as pronounced a pleasant and sweet flavor as is sometimes found in other foods — for in bread is garbed the essential perfection of daas : the inner dimension of the daas of the true wise man, which cannot be fully explained, for "a fence for wisdom is silence." Rather he hints this daas to his disciples through hints, which are the aspect of the hands within the Yam ha-Chochmah [Sea of Wisdom]. From there the hearas ha-ratzon is drawn at the time of eating — from which comes the essential satiety — the aspect of: "and He satisfies every living being with Will" [Tehillim 145:16] as above. Therefore, even though all foods give the person life because they receive from daas and wisdom — which is the essence of vitality — nevertheless the essential satiety and vitality of the person comes through bread. For garbed within it is the vitality of the aspect of hints, which are the essential perfection of daas as above. Therefore all flavors in the world are hidden within bread, and since in the hints the daas is not so revealed — because they are in a hint and in concealment — therefore in bread the pleasantness and sweetness is not so openly perceived. But since the hints are the essential perfection of daas , and from there the hearas ha-ratzon is drawn — which is the essential satiety — therefore all other foods are secondary [ tafeil ] to bread and are exempted from blessing by bread's blessing when they come within the course of the meal. For it is the essential satiety as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, section 54)

In that we bless over bread " ha-Motzi lechem min ha-aretz " — "Who brings forth bread from the earth" — through this we draw the daas that the Tzadik illuminates to those of the lower realms: to know that "the whole earth is full of His glory" — that the essential revelation of His divinity is specifically in this earth below. For Hashem, blessed be He, desires above all — as it were — to leave and abandon all the upper worlds and to cause His Shechinah to dwell among those below, in the aspect of: "and You desire praise from those made of clods of earth etc." And this is the aspect of " ha-Motzi lechem " — that garbed within it is so elevated a vitality [which is the aspect of the hints of the wise man's daas , which is the most elevated of all] — "from the earth" — from this very physical earth. For the whole earth is full of His glory — "the whole earth" , specifically. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, section 54)

As already explained, eating is the aspect of the connection and totality [ kelaliut ] and inclusion [ hikkalilut ] of the upper and lower worlds — which are the aspects of body and soul. Therefore one must bring salt to the table, for this connection and totality is the aspect of salt [ melach ], as is known — the aspect of "an everlasting covenant of salt" [ bris melach olam ] [Bamidbar 18:19] — the aspect of the Tzadik, through whom the essential connection is made: the aspect of "for all that is in heaven and in earth" [Divrei HaYamim I 29:11]. "For all" [ ki chol ] — this is the Tzadik, as is known. Therefore all foods that give life to the person — connecting the soul with the body, which is the aspect of the totality of worlds as above — the entire variation in the perception of their flavors is only according to the proportion of salt mixed into their composition, as is known to those who study nature [ tiv'iyim ]. For the essential vitality that binds the soul to the body — which is the aspect of the totality of worlds — is through the holiness of the bris [covenant] of the Tzadik, which is the aspect of "bris melach." Therefore the letters of lechem [bread — לחם] and melach [salt — מלח] are equal in value [both = 78] — for they are one and the same aspect. For within bread all the world's flavors are hidden, and likewise all the flavors in all foods come only through the portions of salt within them as above. Therefore our Rabbis of blessed memory said: "Bread with salt you shall eat" [Avos 6:4]. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, sections 61, 62)

As explained above, the essential rectification of eating is to merit through it the hearas ha-ratzon that will shine in the future — the aspect of: "In due time it shall be said to Yaakov and to Israel: what has G-d wrought!" [ ka'eis ye'amer l'Yaakov etc. ] [Bamidbar 23:23] — which is the aspect of: "You give them their food in its time" [Tehillim 145:15]. Therefore the Torah commanded to recite Birchas ha-Mazon [Grace after Meals] after eating — in order to draw upon us the hearas ha-ratzon through the holy speech of Birchas ha-Mazon . For all the blessings and thanksgivings to His great Name are the aspect of hearas ha-ratzon . And this is the aspect of the kos [cup] of Birchas ha-Mazon — for "song is recited only over wine" — for wine, when drunk in holiness, brings a wondrous dveykus [cleaving to G-d] and hearas ha-ratzon . And since the hearas ha-ratzon is drawn from the learning of the totality of son and disciple, therefore three blessings were instituted: the first blessing corresponds to the aspect of the learning of the son — the aspect of "What did you perceive?" — the apprehension of the higher realms [ darei ma'alah ]; the second blessing corresponds to the illumination of the lower realms [ darei matah ] — the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory" ; and the third blessing corresponds to the aspect of the totality of all worlds. For the two aforementioned levels of learning must be united together — and through this specifically the hearas ha-ratzon is drawn. However, after the destruction of the Temple — when people could have said, G-d forbid, that all hope is lost and it is no longer possible to draw the hearas ha-ratzon , especially before the slain of Beitar were granted burial as explained within — afterward, when they were granted burial and it was seen that Hashem, blessed be He, had not withdrawn His lovingkindness from us, the Sages then instituted the blessing of ha-Tov v'ha-Meitiv [ "Who is good and does good" ]. This is the aspect of the complete drawing of the hearas ha-ratzon — which is the aspect of the World to Come, when everything will be blessed with "Who is good and does good" — for the essential true and eternal good is the hearas ha-ratzon . And specifically now, after the destruction, one must strengthen and fortify oneself ever more greatly with a strong holy Will toward Hashem, blessed be He, and His holy Torah — and to wait and yearn for the salvation of Hashem with strong Will and great longing. And this intensification of Will stands in place of the offerings that were brought in the Temple — and through this we will merit the abundant good that is stored away for the World to Come, whose essence is the hearas ha-ratzon as above. Therefore this blessing was instituted in Birchas ha-Mazon — for at the time of eating one must draw the hearas ha-ratzon as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, sections 70, 71, 72)

The three aspects mentioned above — namely: the illumination of the higher realms [ darei ma'alah ], the illumination of the lower realms [ darei matah ], and their totality together — these are the aspect of the three Kedushos [sanctifications], through which specifically it becomes fully revealed and shines that Hashem Tzevakos m'lo chol ha-aretz k'vodo — "Hashem of Hosts — the whole earth is full of His glory" [Yeshayahu 6:3]. And when there are three from Israel who are engaged in Torah, or who sat to eat at one table and will bless [ Birchas ha-Mazon ] afterward — then the aspect of the illumination of the three Kedushos above is drawn. For the greatest among them is the aspect of the higher realms [ darei ma'alah ], the smallest is the aspect of the lower realms [ darei matah ], and the middle one is the aspect of their totality — for he receives from the greatest [since his apprehension is not so far removed from the greatest's apprehension] and illuminates to the smallest. It turns out that the aspect of the connection and totality of worlds is then drawn — through which the hearas ha-ratzon shines more intensely. Therefore one must recite zimmun [the communal invitation to bless] — for the blessing of zimmun is the aspect of the hearas ha-ratzon in greater measure, as they prepare and invite themselves to bless Hashem. Therefore the custom in our regions is to say first: "Rabosai mir vellen bentshin" [Yiddish: "Gentlemen, let us recite Grace after Meals"] — which further articulates and expresses the aspect of the Will they have to bless. And when there are ten, the Will shines in still greater revelation — and then they invoke [ zimmun ] with the [Divine] Name [ ba-Shem ]. See within. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, sections 75, 76, 77)

As already explained, all the flavors of foods and their power to give life to the person and to bind his soul to his body — which is the aspect of the totality of worlds — comes through daas as above. And there are many distinctions in the matter of daas and wisdom. For there are chochmot chitzoniyos [external/secular wisdoms] which are of no use toward the ultimate purpose whatsoever — on the contrary etc. And from them derive the flavors of fruits and foods that are very harmful to the person: such as foods and drinks that are a deadly poison [ sam ha-maves ], or other harmful foods. But even among holy learnings there are several distinctions — for there is one whose learning is with such arrogance and such a damaged and corrupted mind, and who is so far from true Tzadikim — indeed, who disputes them — to the point that his Torah learning becomes for him a deadly poison, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated [see Yoma 72b]. And most often from such learnings one falls to studying chochmot chitzoniyos [external wisdoms], which are literally a deadly poison. But even those who engage in the wisdom of Torah and in pilpul [dialectical reasoning] for the sake of Heaven — even so, this is not the essential ultimate purpose. For the essential learning is to arrive at the halachic conclusion [ l'asokei shema'ta aliba d'hilchesa ], and the essential ultimate purpose in its fullness is the learning that leads to action and upright character traits and to being saved through it from sins. For "not study is the essential thing but action" [Avos 1:17]. Therefore the essential thing is the holy learning that instills the fulfillment of Torah in Israel — which is the aspect of the holy learning that the true Tzadik engages in to illuminate daas within Israel. And what he cannot explain explicitly, he hints through various hints to sustain each and every one of Israel according to his level. And this is the essential sustaining of the holy gathering [ kibbutz ha-kadosh ] of Israel — which is only through the holy hints that the holy Tzadikim hint to each one, that he should not abandon his place and should not separate from the holy gathering, G-d forbid, through any rejection or incitement in the world — rather he should strengthen his hand in Hashem, blessed be He, and hold himself with all his power within the collective of Israel. Through this he will never falter. And the greater the holy gathering, the more the worlds are included — and correspondingly the hearas ha-ratzon shines more and more. And from there — from the aspect of the aforementioned learning of the essential fulfillment of Torah — from there is drawn the power of bread, within which the essential daas and the hints are garbed. Therefore all flavors in the world are hidden within it, and through it comes the essential vitality and satiety as above. Therefore Birchas ha-Mazon [which is the aspect of the hearas ha-ratzon that is drawn and shines more greatly when there is some gathering of Israel — at minimum three, and all the more so ten or more] applies only to bread — for within it is the power to give life to the person and to sustain him all the days of his life. Therefore the essential establishing of a meal [ kevi'us seudah ] is upon it — for a meal is only called a meal on account of the bread, for within it the essential daas is garbed, which sustains the establishment and the holy gathering. But fruits and other foods — one does not recite zimmun over them, for there is no establishment for fruits — for even though they are pleasant and sweet and have the power to give the person life, it is only temporarily to revive his spirit. For they are drawn from the aspect of learnings of Torah which are indeed holy and do give the world life — but only temporarily to revive. For the essential eternal sustaining of the world is only through the learning that instills the fulfillment of Torah in Israel. Therefore all other foods are secondary to bread and usually come to accompany [ lappet ] the bread — for specifically together with the bread they have the power to join with it, to satisfy and give life to the person, as is plainly observed. And so too all the aforementioned learnings, which are only in the aspect of eating fruits and delicacies [ megadim ] and have no establishment of their own — but when they join with the essential learning which is the aspect of bread, the aspect of "Come, eat of my bread" [Mishlei 9:5] — they certainly also add flavor and sweeten the taste of the bread all the more, and satisfy and give life to the person with greater elevation. And understand well to compare the parable to its lesson — for in truth it is all one, as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, sections 88, 90, 91)

A person must minimize the desires of nature and eat only to sustain his body. There were already several great Tzadikim who merited to completely break the desire for eating — to the point that they derived not even a hair's breadth of pleasure from their eating — and merited the aspect of "the Tzadik eats to the satisfaction of his soul" [Mishlei 13:25], the aspect of "and He shall satisfy your soul in drought" [Yeshayahu 58:11]. Therefore they genuinely merited to live a good life through eating bread and water. But even other upright people who wish to walk in their footsteps on the path of Torah — they must at least accustom themselves to reduce their eating of fruits and delicacies. And the essential food should be bread with salt — which is the way of Torah, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have said [Avos 6:4]. For in truth, within bread and salt all the flavors of all foods in the world are hidden, as explained above. Therefore one can genuinely accustom oneself to sense in bread the taste of all foods contained within it. And every person can accustom himself to live on bread and water — until he senses in it all the flavors. As is understood from the story of the Chacham and the Tam [the Wise Man and the Simple Man, in Rebbe Nachman's stories]. And this is understood in the holy Zohar as well — that a person's satiety depends on his Will, as it is written: "and the Will of satiety rests upon him etc." And so too regarding the flavors of foods — it depends on his Will: if he wishes to be content with bread, he will be able to sense in it all the flavors he desires. For even when Israel ate the man [manna] — about which our Rabbis of blessed memory have explicitly stated that it contained all flavors — nonetheless even then they had freedom of choice in their Will regarding this. For there were many among them who did not wish to sense in it all the flavors and insisted on seeing all the foods physically laid out before them to eat — and were not willing to eat the man with a good Will and to sense all the flavors in it. And since they did not wish to sense, they certainly did not sense — and therefore they despised it and complained about it and sinned greatly through this. And similarly now: one who wishes to accept upon himself the yoke of Torah genuinely and to walk in the way of Torah — then even our plain bread is for him in the aspect of lechem min ha-shamayim [bread from Heaven], the aspect of man , and he will be able to sense in it all the flavors. And this is the aspect of: "The Torah was given only to the eaters of the manna" [Mechilta]. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, section 93)

Oil [ shemen ] and honey [ devash ] are the aspect of the totality of flavors among fruits and kinds of foods — for oil encompasses all kinds of richness [ shammanut ], and honey encompasses all kinds of sweetness. Therefore regarding the man — in which all flavors were present, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated — it is explicitly described: "like the taste of the richness of oil" [ k'ta'am leshad ha-shamen ] [Bamidbar 11:8] and "like a wafer in honey" [ k'tzapichis bid'vash ] [Shemos 16:31]. Therefore when the Torah praised Eretz Yisrael , it praised it with the five species of grain — which are the bread within which all flavors are included — and afterwards it is written again: "a land of olive oil and honey" [ eretz zeit shemen u'devash ] [Devarim 8:8] — for in particular detail these are the root of all kinds of flavor. And since all the flavors of foods derive from daas and the hints — which are the aspect of the learning of the totality of worlds, through which one merits the hearas ha-ratzon — and the essential drawing of all these rectifications is in Eretz Yisrael — therefore Eretz Yisrael was praised with these, and therefore the fruits of Eretz Yisrael take precedence in blessing [ kodemin livrachah ]. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, section 38)

The first blessing of every birchas ha-nehenin [blessing of enjoyment] is to reveal that the whole earth is full of His glory and that He oversees at every moment and creates all things — bread and fruits and all foods. And afterward one eats the food — and then awe [ yirah ] comes upon the person. Through this one merits the hearas ha-ratzon as above. And for this purpose all the brochos acharonos [after-blessings] were instituted — in order to draw upon oneself yirah and hearas ha-ratzon . And yirah is the aspect of fragrance [ rei'ach ] — the aspect of: "and he shall breathe in [ v'haricho ] the fear of Hashem" [Yeshayahu 11:3 — describing the Messianic king whose very breath and spirit is steeped in the fear of G-d]. And so too the Will [ ratzon ] is the aspect of fragrance — for one longs with Will and wondrous longing for Hashem, blessed be He, to the point that one does not know at all what one wants: this is the aspect of fragrance, the aspect of "like one who smells a scent" [ k'man d'arach rei'cha ] — which is the essential vitality of the soul, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated. The aspect of the fragrance of Gan Eden — which is the essential reward of the Tzadikim — the aspect of the teleisar nahare afarsemona dachya [the thirteen rivers of pure balsam oil in the World to Come, as described in Talmud Bavli, Tractate Ta'anis 25a] . And this is itself the aspect of: "How great is Your goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You" [Tehillim 31:20] — specifically for those who fear: for through yirah , which is the aspect of fragrance, one merits the holy hearas ha-ratzon — which is also the aspect of the ultimate perfection of the good fragrance. It turns out that the essential after-blessing — which is for the purpose of drawing yirah and ratzon — is the aspect of drawing the good fragrance. And therefore over fragrance itself, one does not require an after-blessing. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Netilas Yadayim for a Meal, Law 6, section 105)