סימן ט-תהומות יכסיומו

Section 1 — Letter א — [on Letter Daled of the discourse] Letter Daled of the discourse, before the discourse of Rabbah bar bar Chanah — in the language of the companions' manuscript [lashon hachaverim kesav yad] written here: "But it is impossible to pray except through Torah study — for an ignoramus cannot be pious — and it is written: 'One who turns his ear from hearing Torah — even his prayer is an abomination'" [Proverbs 28]. And through this is explained what is written afterwards in the discourse of Rabbah bar bar Chanah: "He said to us: eight aspects" — these are the aspects of Torah study — "Serpents and he gave them to them — serpents [tananin] being the language of learning [tinyan]" — as above — for Torah study too is needed for the rectification of prayer, as above. See Likutay Halachos, Laws of Judges [Diyyanim], Halacha 3, Section 9.

Section 2 — Letter ב — [on Letter Hay of the discourse] There — Letter Hay — "And rain comes from the depths — and tehom [deep/abyss] is from the language of miracle [nes]…" — For the essential rain falls in the Land of Israel, and so on. And the one corresponding to the other — Egypt is the counterpart to the Land of Israel, the counterpart to miracles. [See Midrash Rabbah, Bereishis, ch. 4 — regarding rain being a matter of miraculous deeds.]

And through this you will understand a wondrous matter: why it is natural to the land of Egypt that rain does not fall there regularly as in other lands — as Rashi explains in the portion of Maikaytz. And this is what is written in the portion Eikev: "For the land… is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you would sow your seed and water it with your foot… but the land to which you are crossing to possess… drinks water from the rain of the heavens" . And this too is the aspect of what the Sages said: "Song is recited only upon a miracle that occurred in the Land of Israel" — for the essential place of miracles is the Land of Israel. And through this you will understand a wondrous matter: why it is natural to the land of Egypt that rain does not fall there regularly as in other lands — as Rashi explains in the portion of Maikaytz. And this is what is written in the portion Eikev: "For the land… is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you would sow your seed and water it with your foot… but the land to which you are crossing to possess… drinks water from the rain of the heavens" [Deuteronomy 11]. And this too is the aspect of what the Sages said: "Song is recited only upon a miracle that occurred in the Land of Israel" — for the essential place of miracles is the Land of Israel.

The matter of "make a window [tzohar] for the ark" — explained in the above discourse in Letter Gimel — is also explained below in Siman 112 with a broader elaboration. Now this matter was said to Noach at the time he was commanded to build an ark to enter it because of the flood. And the waters of the flood — these are the alien thoughts [machshavos zaros] that come to confuse one's prayer, as is explained below in Siman 44. Now just as the Sages said : had they repented, the waters would have descended as blessed rains — and since they did not repent, the flood waters came upon the earth — so too with alien thoughts: they come in two aspects. For there are holy sparks within them that require rectification — and when a person merits to pray properly, those sparks are rectified. And the rectification of prayer is the aspect of rain and blessed waters, as is explained in the above discourse. But when one does not merit this, they confuse him and flood his brain and mind like the waters of the flood — about which it is said: "and they covered all the high mountains". The matter of "make a window [tzohar] for the ark" — explained in the above discourse in Letter Gimel — is also explained below in Siman 112 with a broader elaboration. Now this matter was said to Noach at the time he was commanded to build an ark to enter it because of the flood. And the waters of the flood — these are the alien thoughts [machshavos zaros] that come to confuse one's prayer, as is explained below in Siman 44. Now just as the Sages said [Bereishis Rabbah 31:12]: had they repented, the waters would have descended as blessed rains — and since they did not repent, the flood waters came upon the earth — so too with alien thoughts: they come in two aspects. For there are holy sparks within them that require rectification — and when a person merits to pray properly, those sparks are rectified. And the rectification of prayer is the aspect of rain and blessed waters, as is explained in the above discourse. But when one does not merit this, they confuse him and flood his brain and mind like the waters of the flood — about which it is said: "and they covered all the high mountains".

Now in this discourse it is explained that prayer is the aspect of miracles, the aspect of faith, the aspect of rain, the aspect of the Land of Israel — and when one damages this, one falls into exile. And through this is understood what is written in the portion V'Hayah Im Shamo'a: "Take heed lest your heart be seduced…" — meaning: when one damages faith, G-d forbid, which is the aspect of the damage of idolatry [as is explained below in Siman 108 and in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 1] — through this: "He will restrain the heavens and there will be no rain, and the earth will not give its produce" — for the essential growth of vegetation and the earth's produce comes through prayer, which is the aspect of faith, as is explained in Letter Beis of the above discourse. "And you will perish swiftly from the good land." Then, when the floodwaters surge powerfully, the essential remedy to be saved from them is to enter the ark [tevah] — meaning: to draw all one's thoughts and all one's concerns and all one's powers into the word [tevah] of prayer, as is explained in the name of the early authorities on the verse: "Come, you and all your household, into the ark [tevah]" [Genesis 7]. And the essential thing is to say the word with truth — for through this, truth illuminates for one how to emerge from the darkness and the circlings that confuse and prevent one from prayer — this being the aspect of "make a window [tzohar] for the ark", as above. And see regarding this matter in Likutay Halachos, Laws of Chanukah, Halacha 6, and in other places in his writings. Now in this discourse it is explained that prayer is the aspect of miracles, the aspect of faith, the aspect of rain, the aspect of the Land of Israel — and when one damages this, one falls into exile. And through this is understood what is written in the portion V'Hayah Im Shamo'a: "Take heed lest your heart be seduced…" — meaning: when one damages faith, G-d forbid, which is the aspect of the damage of idolatry [as is explained below in Siman 108 and in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 1] — through this: "He will restrain the heavens and there will be no rain, and the earth will not give its produce" — for the essential growth of vegetation and the earth's produce comes through prayer, which is the aspect of faith, as is explained in Letter Beis of the above discourse. "And you will perish swiftly from the good land." And through this you will understand the teaching of the Sages in Eichah Rabbasi on the verse "For these things I weep": "One does not fast for two afflictions at once — as it is written: "And we fasted and besought our G-d for this" [Ezra 8]… Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said: for the withholding of rains and exile one does fast for them simultaneously" — as above, for both are from the same source, as above. See Matnos Kehunah there, who cites a different version in the name of the Yerushalmi. And see Ta'anis 8b: "The day of rains is as great as the day of the ingathering of the exiles" — this too is explained according to the above. Now these three discourses — the discourse of Mishpatim [Siman 7], the discourse of Ra'isi Menoras Zahav [Siman 8], and the discourse of Tehomot [Siman 9] — were all said in the winter of [5]563. The discourse of Ra'isi Menoras Zahav was said on Shabbas Chanukah of that year, and there it speaks of the downfall of the wicked — the aspect of "bringing down the wicked to the earth." Then after Chanukah there was indeed a downfall of a certain well-known wicked person who had caused great suffering to some of our people — and after Rabbainu said the above Torah, that wicked person suffered a great downfall. Also: after saying the above Torah, Rabbainu danced a great deal — for in that year he danced many times, as is elaborated below and elsewhere. And the discourse of Tehomot was said on Shabbas Shirah [the Shabbas of Song] of [5]563. And in that same winter — before the time mentioned above — the discourse of Tzohar Ta'aseh LaTevah [Siman 112] was said [which was afterwards also incorporated into the discourse of Tehomot]. And at the time when this discourse of Tzohar Ta'aseh LaTevah was brought before him in writing and he looked at it and examined it, he afterwards answered and said: "And from my students — more than from all of them" [Psalms 119:99] — for through this he understood the interpretation of a vision he had seen at that time, in which the holy Baal Shem Tov was with him and told him: "When one damages the Land of Israel, one falls into exile — and the sign of this is: 'From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel.'" And afterwards when we received from him the discourse of Tehomot — in which the matter of tzohar is also brought — and at the end of Tehomot the verse "From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel" is cited — also in that winter the discourse of Mishpatim was said, passage by passage. And see further in the book Chayyay Moharan for more elaboration. Now these three discourses — the discourse of Mishpatim [Siman 7], the discourse of Ra'isi Menoras Zahav [Siman 8], and the discourse of Tehomot [Siman 9] — were all said in the winter of [5]563. The discourse of Ra'isi Menoras Zahav was said on Shabbas Chanukah of that year, and there it speaks of the downfall of the wicked — the aspect of "bringing down the wicked to the earth." Then after Chanukah there was indeed a downfall of a certain well-known wicked person who had caused great suffering to some of our people — and after Rabbainu said the above Torah, that wicked person suffered a great downfall. Also: after saying the above Torah, Rabbainu danced a great deal — for in that year he danced many times, as is elaborated below and elsewhere.