Treasury of Awe (Oatzar HaYeerah) — Volume I

All the blessings we recite before and after — in order to reveal faith in the present renewal and the future renewal of the world, as above — all of this is solely for the purpose of refining the koach ha-medameh [the faculty of imagination]. For through this one merits faith in the renewal of the world — since from the sin of the First Man and likewise through the sins of each individual, the medameh [imagination] was confused and confounded, which is the aspect of the grip of the defilement of the serpent [ zuhamat ha-nachash ]. And to refine the medameh it is impossible except through prophecy [ nevuah ] and the Ruach ha-Kodesh [the Holy Spirit]. For this reason all blessings and prayers etc. must be recited with a full mouth [ b'feh malei ] specifically — in order to refine the medameh through this. For holy speech is in the aspect of the spirit of Hashem [ Ruach Hashem ], the spirit of prophecy and Ruach ha-Kodesh — the aspect of: "The spirit of Hashem spoke through me" [ Ruach Hashem diber bi ] [Shmuel II 23:2]. And therefore through this the medameh is refined — through which comes the essential emunah [faith]. And the essential grip of the medameh is specifically in physical action — for there it has the power to confuse, and there the essential refinement is needed. Therefore over everything one eats and drinks one must also recite an after-blessing — for even after eating the physical substance of the food still remains in the body, and one must refine the inner vitality within it from the koach ha-medameh that clings to the physicality — in order to include it in the ultimate purpose, which is the aspect of the future renewal of the world. But over fragrance one needs only a first blessing — for then the fragrance is still garbed in a physical thing. But after receiving the enjoyment of the fragrance — then the fragrance one has received is no longer garbed in any physical thing, and is only the vitality of the soul — where the medameh has no dominion to confuse, G-d forbid. Therefore no after-blessing is required. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fragrance, Law 4, sections 13, 14, 15)

All blessings we recite over every thing are in the aspect of bringing from potential into actuality [ motzi mi-koach el ha-po'al ] — for before one blesses over a thing and thanks Hashem, blessed be He, for creating it, that thing has not yet reached its wholeness. For everything was created solely for His honor, blessed be He — so that they should bless and give thanks to Him, blessed be He, for every thing. It turns out that through the blessing, one draws the essential wholeness of the creation of that fruit etc. — as though it were now being created specifically through the blessing one recites over it, through which the wholeness of its holy vitality is drawn. It turns out that through the first blessing, one brings from potential into actuality and draws the wholeness of the vitality of that thing over which one blesses, as above. And afterward one must recite an after-blessing — for every thing that was created has an ultimate purpose [ tachlis ] for which it was created and came from potential to actuality. And the essential ultimate purpose is fulfilled when the person eats and benefits from it — through which the person has the strength to serve Hashem, blessed be He. Through this, each thing ascends to its root and ultimate purpose. And this is the matter of the after-blessing in which one blesses Hashem, blessed be He, for arranging for us this thing to give life to our soul — as they instituted: "for all that You have created to give life thereby etc." — and likewise in Birchas ha-Mazon . And this is the ultimate purpose of the food — for this is its purpose: to give life to the person, through which the person has the strength to serve Hashem, blessed be He. And the essential ultimate purpose of the service of Hashem is the holy Will [ ratzon d'kedushah ], as explained within. [See also the section on Ratzon [Will] in this volume, sections 12–13, for further elaboration of this principle.] It turns out that this is the ultimate purpose of the food: that it is included within the person and gave him life until he merited through this a strong Will toward Hashem, blessed be He — through which all of a person's service consists. For the essential is the Will — there is the root of the soul, which is the language of Will [ ratzon ]. Especially as explained elsewhere, that through holy eating one merits the hearas ha-ratzon [illumination of the Will] — it turns out that this is the ultimate purpose of the food. And for this one recites the after-blessing — to elevate the food to its root and bring it to its ultimate purpose, which is the aspect of holy Will [ ratzon d'kedushah ]. Therefore over fragrance no after-blessing is required — for all the holy Will and power is in the aspect of fragrance, like one who smells a scent, and from there is the root of all fragrances in the world. And immediately when a person benefits from it through the first blessing, it immediately ascends to its root and ultimate purpose — for good fragrance itself is in the aspect of holy Will and longing, which is the essential ultimate purpose as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fragrance, Law 5, sections 3, 4, 6)

One who merits to eat in holiness for the sake of Hashem's Name — so that he should have the strength to serve Hashem, blessed be He — thereby merits through his eating to subdue the natural fire [ eish ha-tiv'i ] within the human body. And through this the me'orei eish [the "fire-luminaries" — the burning forces of bodily desire and passion] are subdued — which are the aspect of the bodily desires drawn from the impure names [ shemos ha-tum'ah ], the external names [ shemos ha-chitzoniyim ]. And he gives life to the holy soul [ nefesh d'kedushah ] — whose entire vitality comes only from the Name of Hashem — for from there is the root of the soul, which is the aspect of the Name [ shem ], as it is written: "a living soul — that is His Name" [ nefesh chayah hu shemo ] [Zohar II:94b], as explained elsewhere. And all the desire and longing of the holy soul is only to be included in its root, which is the Name of Hashem — as it is written: "For Your Name and Your remembrance is the desire of the soul" [ l'shimcha u'l'zichrecha ta'avas nafesh ] [Yeshayahu 26:8]. And the Name of Hashem is in the aspect of me'orei or [luminaries of light] . And this is the aspect of: "Behold, my eyes were brightened because I tasted a little of this honey" [ hineh oru einai ki ta'amti me'at devash ha-zeh ] [Shmuel I 14:29] — which Yonasan said. For the eating of the Tzadik is in the aspect of subduing the me'orei eish and the strengthening of the me'orei or — which is the aspect of the Name of Hashem — since all his eating is solely for the sake of Hashem's Name. And this is the essential satiety of the holy soul as above — and this is the aspect of: "the Tzadik eats to the satisfaction of his soul" [Mishlei 13:25]. But the reverse — when one eats, G-d forbid, for the bodily desires that draw their sustenance from the aspect of me'orei eish — then through eating the me'orei eish strengthen further. And regarding such eating it is said: "and the belly of the wicked shall want" [Mishlei 13:25] — for one does not subdue and quiet the me'orei eish through one's eating. Therefore the more one eats, the more the desires and me'orei eish strengthen within him — and therefore one has no satiety ever. And then one's eating is in the aspect of: "in sorrow shall you eat of it" [Bereishis 3:17] — the opposite of the me'orei or , which is the aspect of the Name of Hashem from which all joy flows — the aspect of: "in Your Name they rejoice all day" [ b'shimcha yegilun kol ha-yom ] [Tehillim 89:17]. Therefore the essential holiness of eating is when one merits to rejoice in the Name of Hashem — as it is written: "Eat of the rich and fat foods [ mashmanimim — from shemen , oil/fat: the most nourishing and life-sustaining foods]…for the joy of Hashem is your strength" [Nechemyah 8:10]. For the essential holiness of eating is drawn from the Name of Hashem, from which flows all joy. And therefore on Shabbos and Yom Tov — when the essential magnification of the Name of Hashem occurs — it is then a great mitzvah to eat and drink and rejoice in the Name of Hashem. For then eating is in holiness in the aspect of the Name of Hashem from which all joy flows, as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Shabbos, Law 5, section 16)

The distinction between weekday eating and Shabbos eating is well known: during the week the liver is nourished first and afterward the brain — but from the eating of Shabbos the brain is nourished first, as explained elsewhere. However, Israel draws the holiness of Shabbos into the six weekdays — and therefore all of Israel's eating is holy. For Israel does not eat any food immediately — rather they must wait a great deal before eating. And through this they draw upon all their eating the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos — which is the aspect of the brain being nourished first. For an Israelite man must wait before eating: until he prays in the morning, washes his hands, and recites the blessing [ Birchas ha-Mazon ] — and those who are upright and G-d-fearing wait even longer, as they also study after prayer. And likewise for eating meat one must wait for slaughter, the removal of forbidden fats [ nikur ], salting, and rinsing. And likewise for bread one must first separate challah . It turns out that all of Israel's eating involves a great deal of waiting — and through this they draw upon their eating the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, and subdue the aspect of the liver, which is the aspect of Esav who snatches his food immediately — in the aspect of: "Pour into me now" [ hal'iteini na ] [Bereishis 25:30] — which was said of Esav. However, due to the pressures of this world and its desires, it is possible that even an Israelite man may forget, G-d forbid, at the time of eating or the like, the ultimate purpose. Therefore one must remember Shabbos at every moment — meaning, that in the midst of the pressures of this world, or when coming to eat, one should nullify oneself before Hashem, blessed be He, for some time. This is the aspect of Shabbos — and then one will merit that the brain is nourished first, namely that one directs all one's affairs solely toward the ultimate purpose. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Shabbos, Law 6, section 5)

Through the blessings one recites to Hashem, blessed be He, over every thing from which one derives benefit — through this one draws upon oneself the holiness of Shabbos, from which all blessings flow. For Shabbos is the source of blessing. And then one's eating and benefit is in the aspect of oneg Shabbos [Shabbos delight]. However, one who is irritable and short-tempered [ kapdan ] — this is drawn from the aspect of the angry liver [ kaved ko'es ], whose essential dominion comes through weekday eating when the liver is nourished first — therefore he must be especially careful to draw upon his eating the holiness of Shabbos, so that it shall be in the aspect of the brain being nourished first — the aspect of the nullification of anger. And this is the secret of why Shammai, who was short-tempered, ate every day of his life in honor of Shabbos — as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Shabbos, Law 6, section 6)

Body and soul are the aspect of the upper point and lower point of the letter Aleph [א] — and the vitality drawn through eating, which connects the body and soul, is the aspect of the Vov [ו] within the Aleph that connects the upper point of the Aleph with the lower point. [The letter Aleph is composed of two Yuds — one above and one below — connected by a diagonal Vov . The upper Yud is the soul; the lower Yud is the body; the Vov is the vital connection between them — which is eating.] Therefore all the mystical intentions [ kavanos ] of eating are in the aspect of this Aleph — for the Vov within the Aleph belongs both above and below. Therefore it is in the aspect of Yud-Vov above and Yud-Vov below — which is the secret of the thirty-two teeth [ lamed-beis shinaim ] — the thirty-two paths of wisdom [ lamed-beis nesivos chochmah ], as explained fully in the mystical intentions. And the essential vitality of eating flows to the heart [ leiv ] — where all the boiling of the blood resides. Therefore one must eat in the holiness of Israel, so that through this the vitality flows from the soul to the body in holiness — in a manner that gives life to the blood in the heart in holiness, and the Sitra Achra does not prevail, G-d forbid, whose grip is in the blood in the left chamber of the heart. And then when the blood in the heart is pure as is proper and receives only holy vitality through eating — then the aspect of Adam [the human being in his rectified state] is achieved — the aspect of Aleph-Dam [ Aleph + blood — for there is no Adam without an Aleph , as explained in the holy Zohar] — namely the rectification of the Aleph and the rectification of the blood mentioned above. And all sins flow from the blemish of the blood in the left chamber — and therefore the penitent [ ba'al teshuvah ] requires fasts, to subdue the aspect of the Sitra Achra whose grip is in the aforementioned blood that was blemished through improper eating. And this too is the aspect of the fast of Yom Kippur. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Shabbos, Law 7, section 51)

Through holy eating — through which the soul is connected to the body in holiness — a great yichud [unification] is thereby made in all the worlds. For the connection of body and soul is the aspect of the unification and connection of the totality of worlds in Hashem, blessed be He — as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated: "Just as the soul nourishes the body — so does the Holy One, blessed be He, nourish the entire world; just as the soul fills the body — so does the Holy One, blessed be He, fill the entire world etc." [Berachos 10a]. And this is the principle of all yichudim [mystical unifications] — when all the worlds are connected and unified in the root of their vitality, namely in Hashem, blessed be He, who gives life to them all. This is the aspect of the unification and inclusion of all the Utterances [ ma'amaros ] that are revealed, within the hidden Utterance [ ma'amar satum ] of Bereishis — which is the aspect of the primordial point of creation [ reshis nekudas ha-briah ]. And through this all the kelipos [husks] and Sitra Achra — whose sustenance comes from the aspect of separation, G-d forbid — are subdued. And therefore the essential rectification of eating is through emunah [faith] — the aspect of: "and tend faithfulness" [ u'reeh emunah ] [Tehillim 37:3], as explained elsewhere. For in truth it is impossible to understand through intellect and daas at all how all the worlds flow, are guided, and sustained through the most hidden of all hidden things [ stimah d'chol stimin ] — in Whom no thought can grasp at all — except through complete emunah . And through this Israel transcends all rationalism and all wisdoms, as explained elsewhere. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Techum Shabbos, Law 6, section 15)

Eating and sustenance are drawn from the aspect of the hidden Utterance [ ma'amar satum ] — and because of its concealment and hiddenness, from it descends the suckling of the Sitra Achra and the kelipos . Therefore every person must sanctify his eating greatly so that the Sitra Achra should not be able to suckle from him. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Techum Shabbos, Law 6, section 17)

The ten pulses [ asarah defikin ] in a person receive their power and vitality from eating. And since the essential vitality of the ten pulses is the aspect of the ten kinds of melody [ asarah minei neginah ] — which are the aspect of joy [ simchah ] — therefore the essential rectification of eating is that it should be in joy [ simchah ], as it is written: "Go, eat your bread in joy" [Koheles 9:7] — the opposite of "in sorrow shall you eat of it" [Bereishis 3:17] which was drawn from the blemish of eating from the Tree of Knowledge. And this is the aspect of the ten commandments that apply to bread [ eser mitzvos ha-nohagas ba-pas ] and the ten words of the blessing ha-Motzi [which contains exactly ten words in Hebrew] — all of this corresponds to the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, which are the aspect of joy — which is the essential rectification of eating as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Pesach, Law 2)

All things in the world are composed of the four elements: fire, wind [ ruach ], water, and earth [ afar ]. And the human being as well is composed of these four elements — and his vitality comes through food, which is likewise composed of four elements. For the essential ruach chayyim [spirit of life] is drawn to the person through his eating — as is plainly observed, since through this the human being's vitality is sustained. But in truth: "not by bread alone does man live — but by every utterance of the mouth of Hashem etc." [Devarim 8:3] — namely through the ruach chayyim that Hashem, blessed be He, drew into the food — through this the person lives. And the essential vitality comes from the Torah, from which the outflowings of the ruach chayyim proceed, as explained within. Therefore one must eat according to the Torah — in the aspect of: "and Your Torah is within my innards" [Tehillim 40:9] — for the food that is eaten has no power to give life to the person except through the Torah, from which the essential vitality comes — the aspect of: "by every utterance of the mouth of Hashem shall the person live" [Devarim 8:3]. And this is the aspect of the blessing one must recite over every thing one eats — for the blessing is in the aspect of the utterance of the mouth of Hashem [ motza pi Hashem ], the aspect of the holy ruach chayyim which is the ruach memalela [the speaking spirit — the divine breath of speech that animates all life] — through which comes the essential vitality. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Pesach, Law 3)