סימן ל"א-אית לן בירא

Siman Thirty-Three — Mi Ha'ish Hachafetz Chayyimסימן לג — מי האיש החפץ חיים There — L

There — Letters Gimmel, Daled, Hay — "'the performers of His word — to hear the voice of His word' — meaning: the word — namely the letters of the Torah — receive great light from above." In my humble opinion: this means — according to what is elaborated below in Letters Daled and Hay — that in all the attributes His love dwells within them. And there is yet another love above this — which is the aspect of the love within Da'as [ahavah shebaDa'as]. Now: within the attributes — which are the aspect of yamim [days] — there is corresponding to them the aspect of the days of evil — which are the evil attributes. This being the aspect of day and night — light and darkness — that exist in every day. But Da'as is above the attributes — and there the evil has no foothold at all. The aspect of: "they shall not harm nor destroy — for the earth shall be full of Da'as" . For there: "even darkness does not darken before You" . For it is the aspect of: "one day — which is neither day nor night" — as is elaborated below in the discourse. But as long as the good days are clothed within the days of evil — then it is impossible for them to receive light from above — meaning: from the aspect of the light of the love within Da'as — so that the days of evil should not receive through this more than their sustenance. But when one clarifies and extracts the letters of the Torah which were clothed within the days of evil — and elevates them from there — then great light is drawn upon them from above. Meaning: they can then receive some illumination and flash from the light of the love within Da'as. And this is the aspect of: "they merit to hear voices from above." etter 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. There — Letters Gimmel and Daled — see Zohar Bereishis, p.

There — Letter Vov — "and this is what the Sages said: 'the lips of the Kohen shall guard Da'as'" — this means: for one who merits to subdue one's evil inclination — and to entirely nullify one's days of evil — then one's good days alone — meaning: the love one has with Hashem in time and within the attributes — this is the aspect of the love within Da'as — according to one's level. And also: through this one's good days receive from the light of the love within Da'as as above. And through receiving from him the illumination of the love within Da'as — through this automatically one's evil attributes will be nullified and fall — and the good days clothed within them will ascend — and they too will receive a flash from the light of this love — which is the aspect of the love within Da'as according to one's level. This being the aspect of: "the lips of the Kohen shall guard Da'as" — meaning: what he is able to bring from potential to actuality and bring to the aspect of speech — this is according to one's level — the aspect of Da'as which is above time and the attributes. And also: since he subdued his evil inclination — and through this one's good days receive from the light of the love within Da'as — where: "even darkness does not darken before You" as above — and therefore everywhere he looks — the evil falls from there. And through this he knows the Torah even from material matters. Such a Rabbi — "Torah shall they certainly seek from his mouth." 34: "stars and constellations exist through the covenant — and they hang there to illuminate." And so on — see there.

There — Letter Zayin — "for every person of Israel knows that there is G-d in general." Meaning as above — for Da'as is above the attributes — and therefore the evil has no such hold there. And therefore one knows that there is G-d. And also one knows that "the whole earth is full of His glory" — meaning: that even within the days of evil themselves — there too is His Divinity — and the letters of the Torah which are the aspect of the good days. But the wicked are under the authority of their heart — meaning: the days of evil — the evil attributes within the heart — strengthen so much — that the heart cannot receive the light of this Da'as properly — and does not feel it as one should. Therefore: when one binds one's heart to one's Da'as — and subdues one's heart to this Da'as that one knows — and one's heart is under one's authority — then the attributes within one's heart receive the aspect of the light of the love within Da'as. And one sees and attains the hidden light according to one's level. And see wondrous things according to this discourse in the Laws of Sukkah, Halacha 3; Laws of Purim, Halacha 4; and Laws of Loans [Hil'chos Halva'ah], Halacha 5. 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." 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: [Bereishis Rabbah, ch.

Siman Thirty-Four — V'Atem Tih'yu Li Mamleches Kohanimסימן לד — ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים Section 1 — Letter א — [on Letters Gimmel, Daled, Hay of the discourse]

And see in Likutay Halachos, Laws of Teachers and Torah Study [Hilchos Melamdim v'Talmud Torah], Halacha 4 — where the explanation of this matter of binding to the point that belongs to one's heart at that moment — specifically — is greatly expanded. And he elaborated there somewhat in wondrous words — and in a somewhat different manner than the above. 10] "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" [Psalms 136] — 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. 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" [Jeremiah 33].

There — Letter Hay — "and mela'fum — and so on — this is the aspect of a point with a vav — the aspect of wisdom and understanding." See Sha'ar HaHakdamos, Olam HaNikudim, Discourse 5. And the Torah is called Da'as as the Sages said.

There — Letter Zayin — at its end: "and this is what the Sages said: 'the Holy One wished to bring forth the Priesthood from Shem.'" This means: for through this Sages' teaching — we learn that the Priesthood was given to Avraham — who is the aspect of love. And therefore when the Priesthood was given to Pinchas — it is said there: "behold I give him My covenant of peace" — for there the light of holy love dwells — as is elaborated in the discourse. And likewise it is explicitly elaborated in this discourse in a handwritten text from the circle of Companions. 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 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.

Once they spoke with Rabbainu about the discourse V'Atem Tih'yu Li Mamleches Kohanim above — which speaks there of the point which is the aspect of the Tzaddik — and Rabbainu then said: "from this Torah one can see all the Tzaddikim of the generation — the nature and the level and the greatness of each and every one." [This is copied from Chayyay Moharan.] Section 3 — Letter ג — [on Letter Zayin of the discourse]

And through this one can explain what the Targum rendered: "and they were crying" — "they were crying and reciting the Shema." For since Israel saw then that the illumination of the universal point was, as it were, hidden — therefore they cried. [And see Likutay Tinyana, Siman 67 — and you will understand more deeply.] But even so — they then strengthened themselves to hold at any rate onto the faith of Israel — which they received from Yaakov our patriarch — who is the universal point of all Israel in the plain sense — for all of them came from him. Therefore they then cried out: "Hear O Israel [our father] — Hashem our G-d — Hashem is One." [And this is why Shema is juxtaposed to V'Ahavta — for in the holy point dwells the light of holy love.] And through this — the light of Pinchas's point was stirred — and he took a spear in his hand — and this spear is the 248 words of the recitation of Shema — as above. And see in Siman 36 — what Rabbainu revealed there on the wonderful secret of this Targum rendition. 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 — 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" [Genesis 12]. 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.

Siman Thirty-Six — B'Karov Alai M're'imסימן לו — בקרוב עלי מרעים And this is the aspect of: "walk before Me" [Genesis 17] — which was said to Avraham at the time he was commanded regarding the mitzvah of circumcision.

There — at the end of Letter Daled — "and this is what they did only in order to be saved from the arousal of the woman of harlotry [isha zonah] — which is the kelipah that precedes the fruit — and to come to the revelation of the Torah." In my humble opinion it seems that Rabbainu alluded to us the secret of why Balak and Bil'am then attacked Israel so greatly — and in particular why the daughters of Moav attacked them — this was the aspect of the kelipah that precedes the fruit. And as is elaborated in Letters Alef and Beis — that before one comes to the revelation of Torah and service — one must first be refined through the revelation of one's desires and attributes — and in their totality it is the desire for licentiousness. And then one must cry out the holy voices — and so on. Therefore here — when they came to the plains of Moav — where they needed to come to the revelation of the Torah — this being the aspect of the entire book of Devarim [Deuteronomy] which was said in the plains of Moav — therefore the attack of all of this then was in order to break through it the kelipah that precedes the fruit — and to come to the revelation of the Torah as above. 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" [Genesis 18]. And the Sages expounded: [Bava Metzi'a 86b] "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" [Deuteronomy 4]. 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]" [Isaiah 18] — 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. In my humble opinion: this means — because His governance is clothed in the aspect of Metatron — this being the aspect of: "your king is a youth [na'ar]". And this is the aspect of the lower covenant [bris tata'ah] — the aspect of: "for My Name is within him — his name is like his Master's Name" [Exodus 23; Sanhedrin 38]. And nonetheless it is only the aspect of the image of the sun. [And see the discourse Ani Hashem Hu Sh'mi, Siman 11.] And it is known that he is called ba'al kanafayim [master of wings]. And therefore from there flows and descends what becomes clothed — the light of His Providence — in the way of nature — in the governance of the constellations. This being the aspect of tzaltzal kanafayim as above. And it is known that Metatron's dominion is on weekdays. [And see the above Siman 11.] And on Shabbas — the light of Hashem's Providence itself is revealed, as it were.

There — Letter Hay — "and when one comes to the revelation of Torah — from this revelation new souls are made." This means: as is elaborated there above — that the root of all the souls of Israel are rooted in the ayin [eye/source] of the face of the Torah. Therefore when a new revelation comes in the Torah — from this new spirits and souls are made. As is explicitly elaborated afterwards at the end of the discourse. And this is the aspect of: "and the sun of righteousness will shine for you who fear My Name" [Malachi 3]. And the Sages expounded: [Ta'anis 8b] "the sun on Shabbas." For Shabbas is from the aspect of the future governance — when in the future the Holy One will take the sun out of its sheath — the aspect of: "and the sun of righteousness will shine for you." Then will be fulfilled: "and healing is in its wings" — meaning: your Guide will be concealed no more — and your eyes shall see your Guide. For then the light of the face of Hashem will be revealed — and the shadow will be nullified — the aspect of: "their shadow has departed from them" [Numbers 14]. Therefore through the full protection of the covenant — which is the aspect of the upper covenant [bris ila'ah] — the aspect of the light of the sun itself — the aspect of "in the heat of the day" of Avraham — through this all the stars and constellations and all the nations under them labor for the livelihood of Israel — in the aspect of: "they are our bread — their shadow has departed from them." And then eating is in the aspect of the showbread — for the light of the face of Hashem shines in it. And therefore the showbread is called: "bread warm on the day it was taken". And according to the plain meaning: for there was in it a miraculous act — that on the day of its taking it was warm as though baked just now. And this is above the governance of nature — which itself is the aspect of "in the heat of the day" of Avraham — that the Holy One took the sun out of its sheath — meaning: the light of His Providence was revealed above the way of nature — the aspect of: the sun shining without garment or sheath. And this is the aspect of: "sit at My right hand — until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" [Psalms 110] — the level of Avraham — the aspect of kindness which is the right. "Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" — for they labor for your livelihood. For through this kindness — which is the aspect of holy love and yearning — good vowel-points are made for the letters — and the letters are combined to perform good deeds. And then automatically all the stars and constellations are subdued under him — for all of them are governed only through the letters of the Torah — and the letters are governed through the vowel-points — and the vowel-points are made through his good yearnings — which are the aspect of Avraham — the aspect of kindness — the aspect of the right as above. And all this is merited through the protection of the covenant. Section 3 — Letter ג — [on Letter Hay of the discourse] And therefore Hashem said to Avraham at the time of the commandment of circumcision: "walk before Me" — meaning: that his walking [raglin] should through this be in the aspect of the face [panim] — for even in his livelihood — which is the aspect of walking — the light of Hashem's face will shine. "And be wholehearted [tamim]" — the aspect of: "be wholehearted with Hashem your G-d" — that you shall not need to inquire after stars and constellations — for you will be above them. For the essential existence and perfection of the stars and constellations depends on the maintenance of faith — which depends on the protection of the covenant — the aspect of: "if not for My covenant day and night — I would not have set the laws of heaven and earth" [Jeremiah 33] — as elaborated in the discourse above in Letter Gimmel. There: "and they shall not appear before Hashem empty-handed at the festivals — for then the face of Hashem is revealed — the aspect of panim." In my humble opinion: this means — for they are called regalim [festivals] from the language of raglin [walking/legs]. And the light of Hashem's face is revealed in them — for they are days on which miracles were done for Israel — above the way of nature. This being the aspect of the revelation of the face of Hashem as above. It follows that through this the aspect of "walk before Me" is drawn — meaning: the light of the face of Hashem shines in the aspect of raglin. And then every person of Israel is obligated to ascend and appear before the face of Hashem. And it is then said: "and they shall not appear before Me empty-handed" [Deuteronomy 16] — for through this all their livelihood and bread is elevated and rectified — in the aspect of the showbread. Section 4 — Letter ד — [on Letter Zayin of the discourse — at its end] And in my humble opinion this alludes to what the Sages said: [Chaggigah 26b] "they would show the festival pilgrims the showbread — which was warm on the day of its taking — and say to them: 'see how beloved you are before the Omnipresent'" — as above — for through this it was revealed that Hashem shines upon them the light of His Providence and the light of the face of Hashem above the way of nature. And also in my humble opinion this alludes also to the matter of charity — for the essential importance of charity is faith — as is elaborated in the discourse in Letter Alef — meaning: when one gives charity through believing in His Providence — that all livelihood flows only from Him — for He is the One who gives one the power to make wealth — through this all one's livelihood is rectified — until it is in the aspect of the showbread — the aspect of "walk before Me" above. And this is the aspect of: "the sun of righteousness" specifically — for through charity one also draws the aspect of the revelation of the light of the sun above. There: "when Shabbas departed — vay — a soul was lost." Meaning: for Shabbas is the aspect of the covenant — and the aspect of faith. And through this kindness is revealed — and love and yearning — the aspect of vay [woe] — a soul was lost. And through this very act the additional soul [nefesh yeteirah] comes into being. There: "an evil thought — the Holy One does not join it to deed" [Kiddushin 40]. See Yerushalmi Pe'ah, ch. 1 — where the Sages said: "in what does this apply? Regarding Israel." Meaning as above — for Israel are believers and circumcised — and through this they merit holy love and yearning. And when an evil thought comes to them — it is only from the aspect of: "there is a vanity which is done upon the earth — that there are righteous ones to whom happens what is fitting for the deeds of the wicked" [Ecclesiastes 8]. And therefore it is not joined to deed — for the thought is not truly theirs. But for the nations — it is the reverse — for they are far from faith and covenant. There: "prayer is called regel [foot/leg]." This means: regarding the above — "until I make your enemies a footstool for your legs" above — meaning: that they be subdued under the prayer which is the aspect of regel. For this is why the order of prayer was arranged — namely: to bring out the yearnings through speech and mouth — through which the soul is completed and comes from potential to actuality. And through this the letters are combined to perform good deeds as above. And through this all the stars and constellations and the nations under them are subdued under this person — and labor for him — as above — regarding the showbread. See Zohar Terumah, p. 155: "and therefore it is called the showbread [lechem hapanim] — for the sustenance and provision of the world comes from those supernal faces — the showbread — the food of those faces — warm when it drew near and warm when it was removed — as has been established — as it is written: 'bread warm on the day it was taken'" [I Samuel 21]. There: "therefore he must be a Torah scholar and a chassid." See Zohar Pinchas, p. 213: "and this Tzaddik is called a chassid" — and see there in the Mikdash Melech — that this is because chesed is revealed in the mouth of Ima [supernal mother]. "Through melody." And so on. "And the sign: 'bakchatef yis'u' [on the shoulder they shall carry]." And so on. The author says: one can explain through this — in a witty allusion — the Sages' teaching in Sukkah, p. 35: "why was David punished in the matter of Uzah?" And so on — as elaborated in the discourse. Section 1 — Letter א — [on end of Letter Daled of the discourse] There — at the end of Letter Daled — "and this is what they did only in order to be saved from the arousal of the woman of harlotry [isha zonah] — which is the kelipah that precedes the fruit — and to come to the revelation of the Torah." In my humble opinion it seems that Rabbainu alluded to us the secret of why Balak and Bil'am then attacked Israel so greatly — and in particular why the daughters of Moav attacked them — this was the aspect of the kelipah that precedes the fruit. And as is elaborated in Letters Alef and Beis — that before one comes to the revelation of Torah and service — one must first be refined through the revelation of one's desires and attributes — and in their totality it is the desire for licentiousness. And then one must cry out the holy voices — and so on. Therefore here — when they came to the plains of Moav — where they needed to come to the revelation of the Torah — this being the aspect of the entire book of Devarim [Deuteronomy] which was said in the plains of Moav — therefore the attack of all of this then was in order to break through it the kelipah that precedes the fruit — and to come to the revelation of the Torah as above.