סימן ל-מישרא דסכינא

There: "and therefore Avraham was a man of kindness — in order to elevate the aspect of Malchus from them." This means: for it is already elaborated above in Letter Gimmel that Avraham merited this aspect — the aspect of: "and Hashem blessed Avraham with all [bakol] — he had a daughter — and her name was bakol" — and so on. And therefore he pursued the four kings in order to subdue them and to rescue from them Lot — from whom Mashiach would come — who is the essential perfection of the holy Malchus. This discourse was said on Shabbas Chanukah [5]567 at the third meal.

There: "for they are in the aspect of: one wise, one wicked" — and so on. See in the kavvanot — it is elaborated that the Wise Son [chacham] is placed adjacent to the Wicked Son [rasha] — this being the aspect of the proximity of the light of Atzilus to Asiyah. For since Asiyah is very low — and has within it the majority of kelippos — therefore it needs to be illuminated from the light of Atzilus — and the light of Yetzirah is not sufficient for it. See Mishnas Chassidim. And this is support for Rabbainu's words at the beginning of this discourse — Letter Beis — that the smaller one is — the more one must seek out a very great Rabbi. And then he began the Torah on the verse [Genesis 41] "and it came to pass at the end [Vay'hi Miketz]" — and he did not complete the revelation of the explanation of the verse — how this Torah is related to the above verse. And at the end of Shabbas — after Havdalah — he spoke with us and said: that if he wished to complete the Torah on the above verse — he would need to say another Torah of the same caliber as he said.

There: "and the essential repentance — to do repentance and seek atonement from Hashem for what is unknown." For through blemishes, G-d forbid, one damages the aspect of Malchus — meaning: one causes, G-d forbid, the removal of the light of Da'as and the supernal wisdom — the aspect of the branches of the supernal intellect — and they do not shine fully within the aspect of Malchus. Therefore one must do repentance and seek atonement for what is unknown — for one may have sinned, G-d forbid, without knowing it at all — because the light of Da'as was removed from shining fully within the aspect of Malchus — the aspect of the lower wisdom — which is the aspect of the totality of the Torah's commandments as above. There: "for Avraham instituted the morning prayer [Shacharit]." And likewise the simple meaning alludes to this — for prayer is also the aspect of Malchus — as is known. [And see below in Siman 49, Lashamesh Sham, and in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 84.] And Avraham is the first who established the order of prayer — the aspect of: "Avraham instituted Shacharit."

There: "Shacharit is an acrostic [notrikon]" — for he rectified the aspect of the lower wisdom — which is the aspect of the totality of all four holy kingdoms. And therefore all of them are alluded in this word — for it encompasses all of them. And correspondingly there is the aspect of the kelipah of Amalek — which encompasses all four kingdoms of the Sitra Achra. Therefore Shmuel cut him into four pieces — to teach that through this subjugation of his — he thereby subjugated all four kingdoms of the Sitra Achra — and cut and separated from them the aspect of the four of holiness — and elevated it to the light of the face which shines at the three festivals. [All of this is copied from Chayyay Moharan — and see there further.] There — in the above discourse — Letter Daled — "but through the desire for money he falls into the oichma [darkness] of the Sitra Achra — the aspect of: 'in sadness you shall eat it.'" This means: that sadness and worry over livelihood and the desire for money overwhelm him to such a point that his appearance darkens [and in Yiddish [lashon Ashkenaz]: er vert farshvartzt — from the turmoil and worry of livelihood]. And this is the opposite of the aspect of the lower intellect [sekhel tata'on] above — which is the aspect of the black hair [sha'ara uchema] — which one merits through hating gain [soneh betza]. And likewise the above-mentioned lower intellect is the aspect of the circular hair [sha'ara b'igula]. And through the desire for money he falls into the circles and turnings of the Sitra Achra — meaning: he constantly circles around after acquiring money. And all his circles and turnings — whether when he goes round and about sometimes from place to place — all of it is for the acquiring of money and livelihood. This being the aspect of: "and the people roamed about [shatu]" [Numbers 11]. And all of this is in foolishness [shetus] — the opposite of wisdom — which comes from the aspect of hating gain as above.

Section 12 — Letter יב — [on Letter Zayin of the discourse] There: "Yishmael is the aspect of the son who does not know how to ask." See in the kavvanot — it is elaborated that he corresponds to the aspect of Malchus. [And see the Siddur Kol Ya'akov.] This being the aspect of: Yishmael did repentance — which is the aspect of the rectification of Malchus — as is elaborated below in this Letter.

Section 13 — Letter יג — [on Letter Khes of the discourse] There — Letter Vov — "the cry of a ruler among the fools" — meaning: those who wish to draw and extend into their wisdoms — which are truly foolishness — the aspect of the true wisdom — the aspect of the lower wisdom [chuchmah tata'ah] above. Even though these matters stand at the very heights of the world — nonetheless one can draw them somewhat closer to the intellect: for it is possible that it means: according to what is elaborated above — that the lower wisdom [chuchmah tata'ah] is the aspect of the measure of the letters of the Torah — the aspect of the totality of the commandments of the Torah — in which His wisdom is clothed. This being the aspect of the clothing of the supernal intellect in the lower intellect — for the measures of each commandment are because thus did His wisdom oblige and so on — as above in Letter Gimmel. And when the external wisdoms — which are the wisdoms of the nations — strengthen, G-d forbid — they wish to draw also the above-mentioned lower wisdom into their wisdom — meaning: they wish to also explain the reasons for the commandments of the holy Torah according to their erroneous wisdom — which is truly foolishness. And through this they cause, G-d forbid, that the branches of the supernal intellect — of the obligation of His wisdom — do not shine within the lower wisdom — which is the aspect of the totality of the Torah's commandments — in perfection. For they wish to conceal and hide all of this — by wishing to explain also the reasons for the Torah's commandments according to the human intellect of the external wisdoms. And the totality of the four kingdoms of the Sitra Achra is the kelipah of Amalek — as is elaborated below. And see in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 19 — and you will find some support for our words there. And this is the aspect of: "he roars and roars over His dwelling" [Jeremiah 25] — as is elaborated in this discourse.

Section 14 — Letter יד — [on Letter Khes continued] And according to the plain meaning one can say: since this son corresponds to Yetzirah — which is the aspect of good and evil — therefore he does not know at all how to ask — whether like the Wise Son who is entirely good — or likewise like the Simple Son — or like the Wicked Son, G-d forbid, who is entirely evil. Therefore he is silent and does not ask at all. And therefore the answer of the Wicked Son is alluded in him: "it is because of this that Hashem did for me" — for through this the evil aspect within this son is also nullified and subdued — and he remains entirely good. And this itself is the aspect of Yishmael's repentance. And this is what the Sages also expounded on the verse "and Hashem blessed Avraham with all" — that Yishmael did repentance in his days — and that Esav did not go out to evil ways in his days. And likewise they expounded: "he had a daughter" — which alludes to the aspect of the rectification of Malchus as above. And through this very act — the evil was nullified from Yishmael — who corresponds to the aspect of Malchus as above — and he did repentance in his days. And likewise the evil of Esav did not emerge into action in his days either — because of the above.

There — "and the horn of the bitter one [karna mara]" — and one can explain: this is what they asked — "and who has a horn for a donkey?" — meaning: who will wish to receive such rebuke that comes in a voice and in the form of degradation — in the aspect of: "lift your voice like a shofar" ? And to this he answered them: "and who could bear the loosening of the knife?" — meaning: who could endure the voice of the cry of the holy Malchus when it falls among them as above? This being the aspect of what is written above in Letter Zayin — that one must receive their rebuke even when it comes in the form of degradation — in order to receive through this the kindness — through which the rectification of Malchus comes — and she is rescued from her cry. For the reason their rebuke comes in the form of degradation — one must judge them favorably — for they suffer greatly from the confusions of our prayers. And perhaps this is also alluded to in the matter of "and who could bear the loosening of the knife?" — for it has already been elaborated that the fall of Malchus into exile is itself also the aspect of the confusions of prayer. And therefore he answered them that one should not be aggrieved by the degradation — for who could endure the voice of the cry of Malchus crying over her exile — which is the aspect of the extraneous thoughts in prayer. And the prayer — when it comes to the Tzaddik — cries before him with a great complaint about the extraneous thoughts that confuse it. And all this is also alluded to in the verse brought above in Letter Khes: "let the Tzaddik strike me with kindness and rebuke me" — meaning: I am willing to accept upon myself the blows and degradations of the Tzaddik's rebuke — through which kindness is revealed — through which Malchus is rectified. And this is the aspect of: "let not the oil of my head refuse it" — see Rashi there. For: "and my prayer is against their deeds of wickedness" — Rashi explains: against the deeds of those who do wickedness — meaning: even at the time of prayer the extraneous thoughts of the doers of wickedness come — which are the Malchus of the Sitra Achra and confuse. And therefore when the prayer afterwards comes to the Tzaddik — he has great suffering from this. Therefore one must receive his rebuke and judge him favorably as above. And this is why immediately adjacent to this question was brought: "bring him two eggs" — meaning: how can he discern whose prayer it is? And he answered them as elaborated in the discourse. There: "and therefore Avraham was a man of kindness — in order to elevate the aspect of Malchus from them." This means: for it is already elaborated above in Letter Gimmel that Avraham merited this aspect — the aspect of: "and Hashem blessed Avraham with all [bakol] — he had a daughter — and her name was bakol" [Genesis 24] — and so on. And therefore he pursued the four kings in order to subdue them and to rescue from them Lot — from whom Mashiach would come — who is the essential perfection of the holy Malchus.

Siman Thirty-One — Ais Lan Biraסימן לא — אית לן בירא There: "for Avraham instituted the morning prayer [Shacharit]." And likewise the simple meaning alludes to this — for prayer is also the aspect of Malchus — as is known.

There — Letter Vov — on the matter of the combining of letters in 231 gates: see Sefer Yetzirah, Chapter 2, Mishnah 3–4, and its commentary there; and in Pardes Rimonim, Sha'ar HaTzerruf; and in Vayakhel Moshe, Chapter 9; and in Sha'ar Gan Eden, Sha'ar Orach Tzaddikim, Opening 5, Path 6. And because of the length of the matters — I shortened and did not copy them. [And see below in Siman 49, Lashamesh Sham, and in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 84.] And Avraham is the first who established the order of prayer — the aspect of: "Avraham instituted Shacharit." There: "for they are in the aspect of: one wise, one wicked" — and so on. See in the kavvanot — it is elaborated that the Wise Son [chacham] is placed adjacent to the Wicked Son [rasha] — this being the aspect of the proximity of the light of Atzilus to Asiyah.

There — Letters Gimmel and Daled — see Zohar Bereishis, p. 34: "stars and constellations exist through the covenant — and they hang there to illuminate." And so on — see there. And see there on p. 56: "heaven and earth exist only through the covenant." And see there on p. 66b — on the matter of: "the covenant — which is the place where faith depends." And see Zohar Shemos, p. 92: "Shabbas — the secret of the holy covenant." And see Zohar Chadash, portion Ki Sisa: "remember the Shabbas day — in the secret of the covenant." For since Asiyah is very low — and has within it the majority of kelippos — therefore it needs to be illuminated from the light of Atzilus — and the light of Yetzirah is not sufficient for it.

There — Letter Alef — "charity is the aspect of the celestial spheres." This means: just as all the abundance in the world flows through the stars and constellations — as the Sages said: "there is not a single blade of grass below that does not have a star and constellation above" — and they receive from that which is above them — until all of them receive only from the kindness of Hashem — in the aspect of: "Who feeds the whole world in His goodness — in grace, kindness, and mercy" — and as it is written: "He gives bread to all flesh — for His kindness is forever" — likewise: people below must also conduct themselves in the trait of kindness and mercy — and give charity. And through this they draw the flow of the light of kindness from above to the stars and constellations. This being the aspect of what is written afterwards: "for charity governs all the celestial spheres" — as above. See Mishnas Chassidim. And this is support for Rabbainu's words at the beginning of this discourse — Letter Beis — that the smaller one is — the more one must seek out a very great Rabbi. There: "Yishmael is the aspect of the son who does not know how to ask." See in the kavvanot — it is elaborated that he corresponds to the aspect of Malchus. [And see the Siddur Kol Ya'akov.] This being the aspect of: Yishmael did repentance — which is the aspect of the rectification of Malchus — as is elaborated below in this Letter.

There — Letter Beis — "to show that there is no perfection for Da'as — which is the Torah — and no perfection for the spheres — except through faith." This means: for the essential movement of the spheres is through the Torah — as it is written: "if not for My covenant day and night — I would not have set the laws of heaven and earth" . And the Torah is called Da'as as the Sages said. And likewise charity — which is mercy — the essential thing is through Da'as — as is elaborated in Letter Alef. And therefore the Torah is also called charity as the Sages said. And their essential perfection is through faith as above. There — Letter Khes — "it is understood and elaborated that the essential rebuke of the Tzaddik is for each person according to the aspect of their prayer." The matter is: for the essential rebuke is about the blemishing of the aspect of Malchus — the aspect of the lower wisdom — and giving strength to the Malchus of the Sitra Achra to draw from it, G-d forbid, as above. And this itself is the aspect of the empowerment of the confusions [bilbulim] at the time of prayer — for prayer is the aspect of Malchus as above. And the confusions and extraneous thoughts [machshavos zaros] are the aspect of external wisdoms — the aspect of the Malchus of the Sitra Achra. And therefore they are all stirred then — either to receive rectification — meaning: to extract from them the holy sparks which are from the aspect of the holy Malchus — or they come to confuse him from his prayer. And since prayer is the aspect of Malchus — the aspect of: "a woman who fears Hashem — she shall be praised" — therefore they come to the Tzaddik — who is the aspect of Mashiach — the root of Malchus. And he senses and feels the prayers of each person according to the worth of their level and degree — each one as they are.

There — Letter Vov — "and when kindness is revealed — he makes souls [nefashos] — meaning: he makes vowel-points [nekudos] for the letters of the Torah." This means: as is elaborated below — for the letters of the Torah are active [po'alim] — for they are the vitality of everything — for they govern the world. But the letters themselves are like a golem [goylem] — and have no movement or vitality except through the vowel-points [nekudos] — which are made through the yearnings [kisufin] — which are the aspect of the love of kindness. It follows that through the aspect of the covenant — through which kindness is revealed — through which vowel-points are made for the letters of the Torah — through which all the governance of the world flows — good deeds are done in the world. There: "and the essential repentance — to do repentance and seek atonement from Hashem for what is unknown." For through blemishes, G-d forbid, one damages the aspect of Malchus — meaning: one causes, G-d forbid, the removal of the light of Da'as and the supernal wisdom — the aspect of the branches of the supernal intellect — and they do not shine fully within the aspect of Malchus.

There — Letter Tes — "and one who is at the level of Avraham — meaning: the aspect of the ba'al nefesh [master of the soul]." This means as above: that through the aspect of Avraham — which is the aspect of faith and the protection of the covenant — through this he makes offspring [toldin] — the aspect of: "and the souls which they made in Charan" . And afterwards it elaborates that he makes vowel-points — which are the aspect of souls [nefashos] — for the letters of the Torah. And so on. It follows that he is the aspect of the ba'al nefesh. And then certainly all his meals and repasts are in the aspect of the showbread [lechem hapanim] — for the light of the Providence of Hashem — which is the aspect of the light of the face — shines in his livelihood. And this is the aspect of: "walk before Me" — which was said to Avraham at the time he was commanded regarding the mitzvah of circumcision. For the covenant is the aspect of the sun — as is known — and as is brought in Zohar Shemos, p. 13b. And therefore it is said regarding Avraham: "in the heat of the day" . And the Sages expounded: "the Holy One took the sun out of its sheath." And this was also after he was circumcised. For now the image of the sun is deep within the shadow [mar'eh hachammah amukah min hatzal] — meaning: the light of Hashem's Providence is hidden and concealed within the way of nature — in the governance of the constellations and the nations who are under the stars and constellations — as it is written: "which Hashem your G-d has apportioned to all the nations" . Their success grows great — and they have livelihood in abundance. And Israel is despised and lowly — and is sustained from the residue — and their livelihood comes with great exertion. And all this is the aspect of: the image of the sun is deep within the shadow — for the shadow of the governance of nature and the constellations conceals the light of Hashem's Providence. Even though in truth even nature itself is conducted through His Providence — nonetheless it is in the aspect of a shadow. And therefore the nations are called a shadow — as it is written: "the shadow of wings [tzaltzal kanafayim]" — for they conceal the light of the sun — which is the light of Hashem's Providence. And this is only because the light of the sun does not shine in its fullness — and it is only: the image of the sun — image specifically. There — Letter Khes — "You made Your strength known among the peoples" — for through holy impudence [azus d'kedushah] one adds, as it were, strength on high. And through this Hashem bestows upon us holy impudence — the aspect of: "give strength to G-d" — "He gives strength and might to the people." See Siman 147. And this is the explanation of : "why was the Torah given to Israel? Because they are impudent." And through this: "Hashem gives strength to His people" . And therefore the holy impudence of Israel is called "Your strength" — as above. Therefore one must do repentance and seek atonement for what is unknown — for one may have sinned, G-d forbid, without knowing it at all — because the light of Da'as was removed from shining fully within the aspect of Malchus — the aspect of the lower wisdom — which is the aspect of the totality of the Torah's commandments as above. And according to the plain meaning one can say: since this son corresponds to Yetzirah — which is the aspect of good and evil — therefore he does not know at all how to ask — whether like the Wise Son who is entirely good — or likewise like the Simple Son — or like the Wicked Son, G-d forbid, who is entirely evil. Therefore he is silent and does not ask at all. And therefore the answer of the Wicked Son is alluded in him: "it is because of this that Hashem did for me" — for through this the evil aspect within this son is also nullified and subdued — and he remains entirely good. And this itself is the aspect of Yishmael's repentance. And this is what the Sages also expounded on the verse "and Hashem blessed Avraham with all" — that Yishmael did repentance in his days — and that Esav did not go out to evil ways in his days. And likewise they expounded: "he had a daughter" — which alludes to the aspect of the rectification of Malchus as above. And through this very act — the evil was nullified from Yishmael — who corresponds to the aspect of Malchus as above — and he did repentance in his days. And likewise the evil of Esav did not emerge into action in his days either — because of the above. There: "Shacharit is an acrostic [notrikon]" — for he rectified the aspect of the lower wisdom — which is the aspect of the totality of all four holy kingdoms. And therefore all of them are alluded in this word — for it encompasses all of them. And correspondingly there is the aspect of the kelipah of Amalek — which encompasses all four kingdoms of the Sitra Achra. Therefore Shmuel cut him into four pieces — to teach that through this subjugation of his — he thereby subjugated all four kingdoms of the Sitra Achra — and cut and separated from them the aspect of the four of holiness — and elevated it to the light of the face which shines at the three festivals. Section 1 — Letter א — [on Letter Vov of the discourse] There: "for the repentance of the year — this is the aspect of the three festivals — which are days of judgment and days of repentance — and then is the time of the going out of the kings — to elevate it to the light of the face — through the joy of the commandments that gather into the festivals." This means: for it has already been elaborated above that Malchus — the aspect of the lower wisdom — is the aspect of the measures of the totality of the Torah's commandments. And through the joy of the commandments of the entire year that gather into the heart of the year — which is the aspect of the three festivals — through this Malchus ascends to the light of the face that shines then — as is elaborated in Letter Hay. Section 2 — Letter ב — [on Letters Gimmel and Daled of the discourse] But since through the blemishes of Israel — they give strength to the Malchus of the Sitra Achra to draw from it, G-d forbid — and through this they themselves weigh down upon it — so that it cannot ascend to the light of the face. For blemishes, G-d forbid, are the complete opposite of the aspect of the joy of the commandments. But since the three festivals are days of judgment and days of repentance — for in holiness: joy must also be included from the aspect of fear — as the Sages said [Brachos 30b]: "where there is joy — there shall be trembling" — in particular according to the above — for joy is the aspect of the light of the face — and fear is the aspect of the awe of Malchus — which receives vitality from the light of the face. This being the aspect of why the three festivals — which are days of joy — are also days of judgment and fear — and they are days of repentance. And through the repentance Malchus goes forth from the exile of the four kingdoms — the aspect of: [Yoma 86] "great is repentance — for it brings close the redemption." For through repentance the above-mentioned blemishes are rectified — and then Malchus ascends from among them and receives vitality from the light of the face shining at the three festivals as above. And see Siman 135 — where some of these above matters are elaborated. There — Letter Zayin — "all the good of the wicked is evil for the Tzaddikim." Through this Rabbainu in this very discourse fulfilled the aspect of rebuke that comes in the form of degradation. There — Letter Khes — "it is understood and elaborated that the essential rebuke of the Tzaddik is for each person according to the aspect of their prayer." The matter is: for the essential rebuke is about the blemishing of the aspect of Malchus — the aspect of the lower wisdom — and giving strength to the Malchus of the Sitra Achra to draw from it, G-d forbid, as above. And this itself is the aspect of the empowerment of the confusions [bilbulim] at the time of prayer — for prayer is the aspect of Malchus as above. And the confusions and extraneous thoughts [machshavos zaros] are the aspect of external wisdoms — the aspect of the Malchus of the Sitra Achra. And therefore they are all stirred then — either to receive rectification — meaning: to extract from them the holy sparks which are from the aspect of the holy Malchus — or they come to confuse him from his prayer. Section 4 — Letter ד — [on Letter Beis of the discourse] And since prayer is the aspect of Malchus — the aspect of: "a woman who fears Hashem — she shall be praised" [Proverbs 31] — therefore they come to the Tzaddik — who is the aspect of Mashiach — the root of Malchus. And he senses and feels the prayers of each person according to the worth of their level and degree — each one as they are. There — Letter Khes — "You made Your strength known among the peoples" [Psalms 77] — for through holy impudence [azus d'kedushah] one adds, as it were, strength on high. And through this Hashem bestows upon us holy impudence — the aspect of: "give strength to G-d" [Psalms 68] — "He gives strength and might to the people." See Siman 147. And this is the explanation of [Beitzzah 25]: "why was the Torah given to Israel? Because they are impudent." And through this: "Hashem gives strength to His people" [Psalms 29]. And therefore the holy impudence of Israel is called "Your strength" — as above. There — "and the horn of the bitter one [karna mara]" — and one can explain: this is what they asked — "and who has a horn for a donkey?" — meaning: who will wish to receive such rebuke that comes in a voice and in the form of degradation — in the a spect of: "lift your voice like a shofar" [Isaiah 58]? And to this he answered them: "and who could bear the loosening of the knife?" — meaning: who could endure the voice of the cry of the holy Malchus when it falls among them as above? This being the aspect of what is written above in Letter Zayin — that one must receive their rebuke even when it comes in the form of degradation — in order to receive through this the kindness — through which the rectification of Malchus comes — and she is rescued from her cry. For the reason their rebuke comes in the form of degradation — one must judge them favorably — for they suffer greatly from the confusions of our prayers. Section 6 — Letter ו — [on Letter Tes of the discourse] And perhaps this is also alluded to in the matter of "and who could bear the loosening of the knife?" — for it has already been elaborated that the fall of Malchus into exile is itself also the aspect of the confusions of prayer. And therefore he answered them that one should not be aggrieved by the degradation — for who could endure the voice of the cry of Malchus crying over her exile — which is the aspect of the extraneous thoughts in prayer. And the prayer — when it comes to the Tzaddik — cries before him with a great complaint about the extraneous thoughts that confuse it. And all this is also alluded to in the verse brought above in Letter Khes: "let the Tzaddik strike me with kindness and rebuke me" [Psalms 141] — meaning: I am willing to accept upon myself the blows and degradations of the Tzaddik's rebuke — through which kindness is revealed — through which Malchus is rectified. And this is the aspect of: "let not the oil of my head refuse it" [Psalms 141] — see Rashi there. For: "and my prayer is against their deeds of wickedness" — Rashi explains: against the deeds of those who do wickedness — meaning: even at the time of prayer the extraneous thoughts of the doers of wickedness come — which are the Malchus of the Sitra Achra and confuse. And therefore when the prayer afterwards comes to the Tzaddik — he has great suffering from this. Therefore one must receive his rebuke and judge him favorably as above. And this is why immediately adjacent to this question was brought: "bring him two eggs" — meaning: how can he discern whose prayer it is? And he answered them as elaborated in the discourse.