Running Commentary on Torah 2 — Emor el HaKohanim

Beginner: The Rebbe opens with **"Speak to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon, and say to them: None shall defile himself for a dead person among his people"** (Vayikra 21:1). This will be the pasuk the whole Torah circles back to — but notice how surprising: a verse about priests and ritual impurity becomes (as we'll see) a teaching about prayer, the sword of Mashiach, Yosef, guarding the bris, tzedakah, and bringing prayer to the tzaddik. Every specific word in the pasuk becomes a doorway. Intermediate: Rebbe opens with **"Speak to the Kohanim, sons of Aharon, and say to them: None shall defile himself for a dead person among his people"** (Vayikra 21:1). The whole Torah will circle back to this pasuk — but notice how surprising: a verse about priests and ritual impurity becomes (as we'll see) a teaching about prayer, the sword of Mashiach, Yosef, guarding the bris, tzedakah, and bringing prayer to the tzaddik. Every specific word becomes a doorway.

Beginner: **"It is stated in the Sifra d'Tzni'uta"** — the Rebbe cites the "Book of the Concealed" (Idra Zuta, Idra Rabba), the deepest layer of the Zohar, on Idra Rabba 141a and similar references. **"From the nostril of the nose"** — החוטם (chotem), nose, is where breath enters and leaves. **"Is drawn the spirit of life to the Messiah"** — Mashiach himself receives his ruach chaim from the nose. The Rebbe is establishing: Mashiach's source of life is the nose, i.e., breath, i.e., what we'll unpack as prayer. Intermediate: **"It is stated in the Sifra d'Tzni'uta"** — the Rebbe cites the "Book of the Concealed" (Idra Zuta, Idra Rabba), deepest Zohar layer. **"From the nostril of the nose"** — חוטם (chotem), where breath enters and leaves. **"Is drawn the spirit of life to the Messiah"** — Mashiach himself receives his ruach chaim from the nose. The Rebbe establishes: Mashiach's life-source is the nose = breath = (we'll see) prayer.

Beginner: **"For the primary weapon [כלי-זין] of the Messiah is prayer"** — the Rebbe makes the startling claim that Mashiach's sword is literally tefillah. Not a physical weapon; prayer itself. **"Which is the aspect of the nose"** — prayer = nose = breath. They're the same thing at different levels. **"As it is written: 'וּתְהִלָּתִי אֶחֱטָם לָךְ' (Yeshayahu 48:9)"** — the Rebbe cites the verse because the word אֶחֱטָם literally contains חוטם (nose). The verse says "My praise I will restrain for you" — but "restrain" (אחטם) is from the same root as "nose." This is the Rebbe's proof-text connecting prayer-praise to the nose. **"From there is his primary vitality"** — from that nose-breath-prayer comes Mashiach's life-force. **"And all his battles that he will wage, and all the conquests he will achieve, all are from there"** — every victory Mashiach wins will come through prayer, not military force. **"'וַהֲרִיחוֹ בְּיִרְאַת ה'' (Yeshayahu 11:3)"** — "he shall smell (derive scent) from fear of Hashem." Continuing the nose-theme: Mashiach's sense of smell IS his yirah. Intermediate: **"For the primary weapon [כלי-זין] of the Messiah is prayer"** — startling claim: Mashiach's sword is literally tefillah. Not physical; prayer itself. **"Which is the aspect of the nose"** — prayer = nose = breath. Same thing at different levels. **"'וּתְהִלָּתִי אֶחֱטָם לָךְ' (Yeshayahu 48:9)"** — cited because the word אֶחֱטָם contains חוטם (nose). Verse: "My praise I will restrain for you" — but "restrain" is from "nose" root. Rebbe's proof-text connecting prayer-praise to nose. **"From there is his primary vitality"** — from that nose-breath-prayer comes Mashiach's life-force. **"All his battles and conquests, all are from there"** — every Mashiach victory through prayer, not military force. **"'וַהֲרִיחוֹ בְּיִרְאַת ה'' (Yeshayahu 11:3)"** — "he shall smell from fear of Hashem." Continuing nose-theme: Mashiach's sense of smell IS his yirah.

Beginner: Continuing: **"This is the aspect of the nose, the primary weapon, as it is written: 'בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּי' (Bereishis 48:22)"** — Yaakov tells Yosef he took a portion "with my sword and with my bow." What sword? What bow? **"Rashi explains: prayer and request"** — Rashi (and Targum Onkelos) gloss חרב and קשת as תפילה and בקשה. So Yaakov's "sword and bow" = tefillah and bakashah. This is huge: the Torah itself, via Rashi, already identifies prayer as weapon. **"And as it is written: 'כִּי לֹא בְקַשְׁתִּי אֶבְטָח... בֵּאלֹקִים הִלַּלְנוּ' (Tehillim 44:7-9)"** — "I don't trust in my bow... in Hashem we have praised" — Dovid declares he doesn't trust the military bow; the real trust is in praise (tehillah). **"In the aspect of 'My praise I will restrain' [וּתְהִלָּתִי אֶחֱטָם]"** — back to the Yeshayahu 48:9 verse. Dovid's "praise" = that same chotem-related tehillah. Intermediate: Continuing: **"This is the aspect of the nose, the primary weapon, as it is written: 'בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּי' (Bereishis 48:22)"** — Yaakov tells Yosef he took a portion "with my sword and bow." What sword? **"Rashi explains: prayer and request"** — Rashi (and Onkelos) gloss חרב and קשת as תפילה and בקשה. Yaakov's "sword and bow" = tefillah and bakashah. Torah itself, via Rashi, identifies prayer as weapon. **"'כִּי לֹא בְקַשְׁתִּי אֶבְטָח... בֵּאלֹקִים הִלַּלְנוּ' (Tehillim 44:7-9)"** — "I don't trust in my bow... in Hashem we have praised" — David doesn't trust military bow; real trust in praise (tehillah). **"In the aspect of 'My praise I will restrain'"** — back to Yeshayahu 48:9. David's "praise" = that same chotem-related tehillah.

Beginner: **"This weapon must be received through the aspect of Yosef"** — not anyone can wield the prayer-sword. You need Yosef's trait: guarding the bris. **"Meaning guarding the covenant"** — shemiras ha-bris = sexual purity, as Yosef proved with Potiphar's wife. **"'Gird your sword upon your thigh' (Tehillim 45:4)"** — the verse pairs sword with thigh. Thigh, in Kabbalah, = the area of the bris. So "gird your sword on your thigh" = you get the prayer-sword by keeping your bris guarded. Shabbos 63a unpacks this Psalm verse. **"'From the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne' (Tehillim 132:11)"** — this is the aspect of Mashiach, the aspect of prayer. **"'If your children keep My covenant' (Tehillim 132:12)"** — the next verse. Mashiach comes through those who guard the covenant. **"This is through the aspect of Yosef"** — Yosef personifies this guarding. **"Yosef, who guarded the covenant, took the birthright [בכורה], which is the aspect of the service of prayer, the aspect of a double portion [פי שניים] — praise and request"** — in Tanach, the bechor gets a double portion. Yosef got the bechorah (Divrei HaYamim I 5:2). The Rebbe reads "double portion" (פי שניים) literally as "two mouths" — praise and request, the two parts of prayer (Berachos 31a). **"'A double-edged sword [חֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת] in their hand' (Tehillim 149:6)"** — literally "a sword of two mouths." Prayer has two edges: the praise-edge and the request-edge. Intermediate: **"This weapon must be received through the aspect of Yosef"** — not anyone can wield the prayer-sword. Need Yosef's trait: guarding bris. **"Meaning guarding the covenant"** — shemiras habris = sexual purity. **"'Gird your sword upon your thigh' (Tehillim 45:4)"** — verse pairs sword with thigh. Thigh in Kabbalah = bris area. So "gird sword on thigh" = get the prayer-sword by keeping bris guarded. Shabbos 63a unpacks this. **"'From the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne' (Tehillim 132:11)"** — Mashiach, prayer. **"'If your children keep My covenant' (Tehillim 132:12)"** — next verse. Mashiach comes through covenant-keepers. **"This is through the aspect of Yosef"** — Yosef personifies this. **"Yosef, who guarded the covenant, took the bechorah, aspect of the service of prayer, aspect of a double portion — praise and request"** — bechor gets double portion. Yosef got the bechorah (Divrei HaYamim I 5:2). Rebbe reads "double portion" (פי שניים) literally as "two mouths" — praise and request (Berachos 31a). **"'A double-edged sword [חֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת] in their hand' (Tehillim 149:6)"** — literally "sword of two mouths." Prayer: praise-edge and request-edge.

Beginner: **"This means aiming the weapon exactly to the required place, neither veering to the right nor to the left, but to the center"** — now the Rebbe focuses on targeting. Prayer isn't just a sword you have; it has to be aimed. **"'יְכַלְכֵּל דְּבָרָיו בְּמִשְׁפָּט' (Tehillim 112:5)"** — "he directs his affairs with judgment." Mishpat (judgment) is precision. **"Therefore Yosef received the birthright specifically from Yaakov, as it is written: 'וַאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ' (Bereishis 48:22)"** — Yaakov's words: "and I have given you." **"And I — specifically I — which is the aspect of judgment"** — the Rebbe reads the emphatic "I" (אני) as the "I" of din (judgment). Yaakov gave Yosef the bechorah from the place of mishpat/din. **"'כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא' (Tehillim 81:5)"** — the verse is about Rosh Hashanah, "for it is a statute for Israel." Chok = ruling = judgment. **"'שֵׁם בִּיהוֹסֵף שָׂמוֹ' (Tehillim 81:6)"** — "He set a statute in Yehosef" — the name Yosef has a ה added in this pasuk (יהוסף), a Divine Name aspect. Meaning: Yosef gets din built into him. **"Judgment for the G-d of Yaakov"** — the last words of that verse. Yaakov the ish-tam has din worked into him. And Yosef inherits it. Intermediate: **"This means aiming the weapon exactly to the required place, neither right nor left, but center"** — now targeting. Prayer isn't just a sword; it must be aimed. **"'יְכַלְכֵּל דְּבָרָיו בְּמִשְׁפָּט' (Tehillim 112:5)"** — "he directs his affairs with judgment." Mishpat = precision. **"Therefore Yosef received the bechorah specifically from Yaakov, as it is written: 'וַאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ' (Gen 48:22)"** — Yaakov: "and I have given you." **"And I — specifically I — is the aspect of judgment"** — Rebbe reads the emphatic אני as din's "I." Yaakov gave Yosef the bechorah from mishpat/din. **"'כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא' (Tehillim 81:5)"** — Rosh Hashanah verse, "for it is a statute for Israel." Chok = din. **"'שֵׂם בִּיהוֹסֵף שָׂמוֹ' (Tehillim 81:6)"** — Yosef with added ה (יהוסף), divine-name aspect. Yosef has din built in. **"Judgment for the G-d of Yaakov"** — verse's close. Yaakov has din worked into him. Yosef inherits it.

Beginner: **Section Three.** The Rebbe now zooms in on the physical locus of Yosef's power: the *bris* (covenant of sexual purity). The lights of *din* (divine judgment) that Yosef absorbed and internalized do not float free — they are contained within and channeled through the *bris* itself. The *bris* is the vessel, the seat, the container for the 39 sacred lights. This is why guarding sexual purity is not merely a moral directive but a *spiritual-structural* one: without a sealed vessel, the lights of judgment leak away and cannot be aimed as a weapon of prayer. Intermediate: **ג.** Lights of *din* absorbed by Yosef reside within the *bris* as their vessel; the 39 lights require the *bris* as container.

Beginner: **"'With man' [עם האיש]"** — a phrase embedded in the sequence. **"These lights are contained within the bris"** — the lights of din that Yosef has absorbed live specifically in the bris, the foundational vessel. **"For 'as a man [goes] his strength'"** — the Rebbe is riffing on the idiom "כגבר בגבורתו" (as a man in his might). A man's strength IS the bris. **"The bris is the seat of the man's power"** — literally. **"The vessel of these 39 lights"** — a Kabbalistic count (39 = mem-tet, tal/dew in gematria, or a sum of specific divine light emanations). The bris is the container for them. Intermediate: **"'With man' [עם האיש]"** — phrase embedded in the sequence. **"These lights are contained within the bris"** — the din-lights Yosef absorbed live specifically in the bris. **"For 'as a man [goes] his strength'"** — Rebbe riffs on "כגבר בגבורתו." Man's strength IS the bris. **"The bris is the seat of the man's power"** — literally. **"The vessel of these 39 lights"** — Kabbalistic count (39 = mem-tet, tal in gematria). Bris is the container.

Beginner: **"This means that Yosef must receive this sword through the aspect of judgment"** — reiterating: Yosef gets the sword, but mediated through din. **"To direct his affairs with judgment"** — back to Tehillim 112:5 from seg 6. **"'תֵּן מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לַמֶּלֶךְ' (Tehillim 72:1)"** — "Give Your judgments to the king." The king (melech = Mashiach/Yosef/Malchus) needs Hashem's mishpatim. Why? Because without that specific gift of din, the king can't aim the sword precisely. Intermediate: **"This means Yosef must receive this sword through the aspect of judgment"** — reiterating: Yosef gets the sword, mediated through din. **"To direct his affairs with judgment"** — back to Tehillim 112:5 from seg 6. **"'תֵּן מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לַמֶּלֶךְ' (Tehillim 72:1)"** — "Give Your judgments to the king." King (= Mashiach/Yosef/Malchus) needs Hashem's mishpatim. Why? Without din's gift, the king can't aim precisely.

Beginner: **Section Four.** Having established that Yosef-energy requires *mishpat* (precise judgment) to aim the prayer-sword, the Rebbe now asks the obvious question: *how does one actually acquire this quality of divine judgment?* The surprising answer is through *tzedakah* — charity, giving, generosity. This seems paradoxical: *din* (judgment/strictness) is acquired through its apparent opposite, open-handed giving. The Rebbe proves it from two verses that explicitly link the two: Devarim 33:21 and Tehillim 99:4. Intermediate: **ד.** How to merit *mishpat*? Through *tzedakah* — Dev 33:21 "צִדְקַת ה' עָשָׂה וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו"; Teh 99:4 "מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בְּיַעֲקֹב".

Beginner: **ד. "And how does one merit the aspect of judgment? Through charity [צְדָקָה]"** — a surprising answer. Din is achieved not through strictness but through its opposite: giving. **"For through charity, one grasps the attribute of judgment"** — the Rebbe explicitly states this paradox. **"As it is written: 'צִדְקַת ה' עָשָׂה וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו' (Devarim 33:21)"** — "the *tzedakah* of Hashem He performed, *and His judgments*." Tzedakah and mishpat are paired in a single pasuk — one action, two names. **"And as it is written: 'מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בְּיַעֲקֹב' (Tehillim 99:4)"** — "judgment and charity in Yaakov." Yaakov (= the mishpat-pillar, as established seg 9) carries both together. **"For charity is through judgment, as it is written (Tehillim 75:8): 'אֱלֹקִים שֹׁפֵט, זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים'"** — "G-d is a judge — He lowers this one and raises that one." When you give tzedakah, you perform a miniature version of divine judgment: **"when he gives charity, it is in the aspect of 'this one He lowers' (he diminishes his own money) and 'this one He raises' (he enriches the poor)"** — you are *simultaneously* lowering yourself and raising another, which is precisely what G-d does as Judge. So tzedakah is *not a soft substitute* for judgment; it is **judgment in miniature**, and this is how you acquire the attribute. **"Therefore one must set aside charity before prayer"** — **Bava Basra 10a** (and **Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 92:10**), which codify: give tzedakah *before* davening. **"In order to direct his words with judgment"** — without tzedakah-mishpat first, your tefillah has no aim. **"That he should strike a hair-width and not miss"** — the image is from **Shoftim 20:16** about the sharpshooters of Binyamin ("קֹלֵעַ בָּאֶבֶן אֶל הַשַּׂעֲרָה וְלֹא יַחֲטִא"). Post-tzedakah tefillah is sharpshooter-precise. **"And this is what our Sages, may their memory be a blessing, said (Bava Basra 123a): 'Why did Yaakov give the birthright to Yosef? Because Yosef supported him. A mashal: to a master-of-the-house who raised an orphan in his home...'"** — the gemara asks why Yaakov transferred the bechorah specifically to Yosef. The answer: because Yosef *kilkel* (provided-for/supported) Yaakov — like a *baal habayis* who raised an orphan in his own home and the orphan eventually supported him in return. The bechorah-transfer is the *compensation* for Yosef's tzedakah-supporting of Yaakov. **"As it is written (Bereishis 47:12): 'וַיְכַלְכֵּל יוֹסֵף אֶת אָבִיו וְאֶת אֶחָיו... לֶחֶם לְפִי הַטָּף'"** — "Yosef sustained his father and brothers... bread *lefi ha'taf* (according to the mouth of the little ones)." **"Like (Yechezkel 21:2): 'הַטֵּף אֶל דָּרוֹם' — a language of speech"** — the Rebbe reads *ha'taf* through Yechezkel 21:2 where *hateif el darom* means "speak toward the south" (hateif = drip/speak, a known navi-idiom). **"So 'lefi ha'taf' [means] that his prayer became fluent in his mouth through the charity"** — Rabbeinu re-reads Bereishis 47:12's *lefi ha'taf* as *lefi ha'dibur* — "according-to-his-speech." Meaning: because Yosef *gave tzedakah* (kilkul = supported with bread), his own *tefillah-speech* became fluent and sharpshooter-precise. **"And through the charity he performed, Yaakov — who is the aspect of judgment — gave him the birthright, which is the aspect of prayer, as it is written (Bereishis 48:22): 'וַאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם' — 'I' specifically, which is the aspect of judgment"** — closing the circle. The word *'ani'* (I) in Yaakov's speech to Yosef *'va'ani nasati lecha'* is dayka — Yaakov speaking *as* the mishpat-pillar. Because Yosef did tzedakah (→ mishpat-eligibility), Yaakov (mishpat-personified) transferred to him the bechorah (tefillah-sword). Intermediate: **ד. "How does one merit mishpat? Through tzedakah"**. • **Devarim 33:21**: "צִדְקַת ה' עָשָׂה וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו" — tzedakah+mishpat paired. • **Teh 99:4**: "מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בְּיַעֲקֹב" — Yaakov carries both. • **Teh 75:8**: "זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים" — giving = miniature divine judgment (lower self + raise poor). • **BB 10a + OC 92:10**: tzedakah before tefillah → directs words with mishpat → sharpshooter precision (**Shoftim 20:16** קולע בשערה ולא יחטא). • **BB 123a**: Yaakov gave bechorah to Yosef because Yosef *kilkel oso* (supported him); mashal of baal-habayis raising yasom. • **Ber 47:12** "וַיְכַלְכֵּל יוֹסֵף... לְפִי הַטָּף" — Rabbeinu re-reads *hataf* via **Yechezkel 21:2** "הַטֵּף אֶל דָּרוֹם" = l'shon dibur. So *lefi ha'taf* = *lefi ha'dibur* — Yosef's tefillah-speech became fluent through his tzedakah. • **Ber 48:22** "וַאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם" — 'אני' dayka = mishpat-pillar (tie-back seg 9). Tzedakah → mishpat-access → Yaakov(mishpat) gives Yosef(tefillah-bechorah).

Beginner: **ה. "The main source of foreign thoughts [מחשבות זרות] is through the corruption of judgment [קלקול המשפט]"** — the Rebbe opens the fifth ois. The *reason* your mind wanders in prayer is a din-corruption inside you. Fix the din, fix the concentration. **"For mishpat is the aspect of eyes [עיניים]"** — a structural identification. Judgment happens through discernment, and discernment happens through the eyes. **"As it is written: 'And they came to עֵין מִשְׁפָּט' (Bereishis 14:7)"** — the Torah's geography literally names a place "Spring of Judgment" — from עַיִן (eye) + מִשְׁפָּט. Eye and judgment are one in the Torah's own language. **"This is the aspect of 'עֵין יַעֲקֹב' (Devarim 33:28)"** — "the eye of Yaakov." Yaakov = mishpat (established in seg 9, "מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב"). So "the eye of Yaakov" = the eye of judgment. **"And through corruption of judgment comes corruption of the eyes"** — when you violate mishpat, the eyes — your discernment — are damaged. **"As it is written: 'כִּי הַשֹּׁחַד יְעַוֵּר עֵינֵי חֲכָמִים' (Devarim 16:19)"** — "for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise." The verse names the mechanism. A bribe is the classic corruption of mishpat — and it blinds the eyes, specifically. Your machshavos zaros in prayer are that same blinding, on a personal scale. **"This is the aspect of the foreign thoughts in prayer — they are clouds covering the eyes [עֲנָנִין דִּמְכַסְיָן עַל עַיְנִין]"** — the Rebbe's Zoharic image. Your foreign thoughts are literal *clouds* — a floating obscuration that sits between you and your own clarity. **"As it is written: 'סַכֹּתָה בֶעָנָן לָךְ' (Eichah 3:44)"** — "You have wrapped Yourself in a cloud." The navi laments that tefillah cannot pass through — the cloud of *our own* machshavos zaros blocks it. **See Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 21 (daf 50)**, where this image is unfolded: clouds = kilkul ha'mishpat = kilkul einayim. **"In the future, when the aspect of mishpat is rectified — 'צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה' (Yeshayah 1:27)"** — "Zion will be redeemed through mishpat." The geula itself is a tikkun-ha'mishpat event. **"Then the clouds that cover the eyes will be removed"** — tikkun mishpat → removal of the clouds → direct seeing. **"As it is written: 'כִּי עַיִן בְּעַיִן יִרְאוּ בְּשׁוּב ה' צִיּוֹן' (Yeshayah 52:8)"** — "for they shall see eye-to-eye, when Hashem returns to Zion." Direct, clear, unobstructed seeing = the signature of geula. **"And therefore Yosef is called 'בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן' (Bereishis 49:22)"** — closing the loop back to Yosef. "A fruitful son at the spring/eye." Yosef's bechorah-weapon-tefillah-mishpat all rest on עַיִן — the clear eye, the rectified judgment. This is why specifically *Yosef* is the bearer of the sword, and why guarding the bris (which is the tikkun of kilkul-mishpat at the root) produces clear eyes in prayer. Intermediate: **ה. Ikkar machshavos zaros = al yedei kilkul ha'mishpat**. Ki mishpat = bechinas einayim: "va'yavo'u el **ein mishpat**" (Ber 14:7); "**ein Yaakov**" (Dev 33:28). Al yedei kilkul mishpat → kilkul einayim: **"ki ha'shochad ye'aver einei chachamim"** (Dev 16:19). Zeh bechinas **machshavos zaros ba'tefillah** — she'hem **ananin d'makseyn al einin**: "**sakosa be'anan lach**" (Eichah 3:44; ayen Tikkunim Tikkun 21 daf 50). Le'asid, she'yisakken bechinas mishpat — **"Tzion b'mishpat tipadeh"** (Yesh 1:27) — az yis'abru ha'ananin d'makseyn al eina: **"ki ayin b'ayin yir'u b'shuv Hashem Tzion"** (Yesh 52:8). U'bishvil zeh nikra Yosef **"ben poras alei ayin"** (Ber 49:22) — Yosef = shomer ha'bris = tikkun ha'mishpat = einayim bruros ba'tefillah.

Beginner: **"And: 'הַטֵּף אֶל דָּרוֹם' (Yechezkel 21:2)"** — "incline [speak] toward the south." The Rebbe reads הַטֵּף as connected to tefillah (to speak/drip). **"According to the children [עַל בָּנָיו]"** — reading a phrase creatively to mean "his prayer was fluent in his mouth through charity" — tzedakah enables fluent prayer. **"Through the charity he performed, Yaakov, who is the aspect of judgment, gave him the birthright"** — loop closed: Yosef's tzedakah earned him the bechorah from Yaakov-din. **"'And I have given you' — specifically I — the aspect of judgment"** — reiterating seg 6. **"The primary source of foreign thoughts [מחשבות זרות] is through the corruption of judgment"** — this is critical practical teaching. When you can't concentrate in prayer, it's a din-corruption issue. **"For judgment is the aspect of the eyes"** — the eyes perform discernment = judgment. **"'עֵין מִשְׁפָּט' (Bereishis 14:7)"** — literally "the Spring of Judgment" — the Torah's geographic name uses "eye" (עין) and "judgment" together. **"'עֵין יַעֲקֹב' (Devarim 33:28)"** — "the eye of Yaakov." Yaakov's eye = Yaakov's din. **"Through the corruption of judgment, the eyes are corrupted, as it is written: 'כִּי הַשֹּׁחַד יְעַוֵּר עֵינֵי חֲכָמִים' (Devarim 16:19)"** — bribery blinds the eyes of the wise. Bribery = corruption of justice = corruption of eyes = eventual corruption of prayer. **"Foreign thoughts are clouds covering the eyes"** — practical image. Every foreign thought in prayer = a small judgment-corruption you're carrying. Intermediate: **"And: 'הַטֵּף אֶל דָּרוֹם' (Yechezkel 21:2)"** — "incline [speak] toward the south." Rebbe reads הַטֵּף as connected to tefillah. **"According to the children [עַל בָּנָיו]"** — creative reading: "prayer was fluent in his mouth through charity" — tzedakah enables fluent prayer. **"Through his tzedakah, Yaakov — aspect of judgment — gave him the bechorah"** — loop closed: Yosef's tzedakah earned the bechorah from Yaakov-din. **"'And I have given you' — specifically I — aspect of judgment"** — reiterating seg 6. **"The primary source of foreign thoughts is through the corruption of judgment"** — critical practical teaching. When you can't concentrate in prayer = din-corruption. **"Judgment is the aspect of the eyes"** — eyes discern = judgment. **"'עֵין מִשְׁפָּט' (Gen 14:7)"** — literally "Spring of Judgment" — "eye" and "judgment" together in Torah geography. **"'עֵין יַעֲקֹב' (Devarim 33:28)"** — "eye of Yaakov" = Yaakov's din. **"Through din-corruption, eyes are corrupted: 'כִּי הַשֹּׁחַד יְעַוֵּר עֵינֵי חֲכָמִים' (Devarim 16:19)"** — bribery blinds wise-eyes. Bribery = justice-corruption = eye-corruption = eventual prayer-corruption. **"Foreign thoughts are clouds covering the eyes"** — every foreign thought in prayer = a small judgment-corruption you carry.

Beginner: **"Therefore, one must bring and connect all prayers to the righteous of the generation"** — practical conclusion. Your own prayers, even good ones, are incomplete. You must route them through the tzaddik of the generation. **"'וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶל מֹשֶׁה' (Shemos 39:33)"** — "and they brought the Tabernacle to Moshe." Klal Yisrael built it, but had to bring it to Moshe. **"He knows how to elevate each gem in its setting and make it a complete stature [שיעור קומה]"** — Moshe knew how to assemble the Tabernacle. The tzaddik knows how to assemble fragmented prayers into a whole. **"'וַיָּקֶם מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן' (Shemos 40:18)"** — "and Moshe erected the Tabernacle." Only Moshe could. **"All the Torah that a person studies to observe and perform, its letters are sparks of souls [נִיצוֹצֵי נְשָׁמוֹת]"** — major teaching: every Torah letter you learn contains a soul-spark. **"These are clothed within the prayer and are renewed there in the aspect of impregnation [עיבור]"** — your prayer becomes the womb where Torah-souls gestate and are renewed. This is how every mitzvah ripples out into spiritual reality. **"As explained in the teachings on gilgulim"** — the Arizal's writings on reincarnation. **"All souls enter the Malchus [= Shechinah] in the aspect of impregnation and are renewed there"** — standard Kabbalistic teaching. **"'הַשָּׁמַיִם מְסַפְּרִים כְּבוֹד אֵל' (Tehillim 19:2)"** — the heavens declare G-d's glory. The Rebbe: heavens = Torah (fire and water). Declaring = entering prayer. G-d's glory = Shechinah. So: Torah (as souls) enters prayer (Shechinah's chamber) and declares itself. Intermediate: **"Therefore, one must bring and connect all prayers to the righteous of the generation"** — practical conclusion. Your own prayers, even good ones, are incomplete. Route them through the tzaddik. **"'וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶל מֹשֶׁה' (Shemos 39:33)"** — Klal Yisrael built it, but had to bring it to Moshe. **"He knows how to elevate each gem in its setting and make it a complete stature [שיעור קומה]"** — Moshe knew how to assemble. Tzaddik knows how to assemble fragmented prayers into a whole. **"'וַיָּקֶם מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן' (Shemos 40:18)"** — only Moshe could. **"All the Torah that a person studies, its letters are sparks of souls [נִיצוֹצֵי נְשָׁמוֹת]"** — major teaching: every Torah letter contains a soul-spark. **"These are clothed within prayer and renewed there in impregnation [עיבור]"** — your prayer becomes the womb where Torah-souls gestate. Every mitzvah ripples into spiritual reality. **"As explained in the gilgulim teachings"** — Arizal. **"All souls enter Malchus [Shechinah] in impregnation and are renewed there"** — standard Kabbalah. **"'הַשָּׁמַיִם מְסַפְּרִים כְּבוֹד אֵל' (Tehillim 19:2)"** — Heavens = Torah (fire/water). Declaring = entering prayer. Kavod El = Shechinah. Torah (as souls) enters prayer (Shechinah's chamber) and declares itself.

Beginner: **"The souls clothed in the prayer, brought to the righteous of the generation, are in the aspect of: 'בְּתוּלוֹת אַחֲרֶיהָ רֵעוֹתֶיהָ, מוּבָאוֹת לָךְ' (Tehillim 45:15)"** — the verse depicts a royal bride being escorted to the king. "Maidens follow her, her companions are brought to you." The Rebbe reads: the souls (maidens/companions) are brought to the tzaddik-king with your prayers. **"Rabbah bar Bar Chana said: Once we were traveling on a ship and saw a fish with sand gathered on its back, and reeds grew upon it. We thought it was dry land, so we went up, baked, and cooked upon it. When its back grew hot, it turned over, and had the ship not been nearby, we would have drowned (Bava Basra 73a)"** — the Rebbe cites this Talmudic tall-tale. Sailors mistook a giant fish for an island, set up camp, the fish got hot, flipped, they almost drowned. The Rebbe will now spiritualize every detail. **"We saw this fish [for in our exile, so to speak, the Holy One is in hiding of the face — hester panim]"** — the fish is Mashiach/Moshe in exile. **"'הִסְתַּרְתָּ פָנֶיךָ' (Tehillim 30:8)"** — "You hid Your face" = hester panim = rachamim withdrawn. **"He turned His back — the aspect of judgment"** — His "back" showing = din visible. **"All our prayers and requests [in exile seem rejected]"** — sentence continues into segment 16. Intermediate: **"The souls clothed in the prayer, brought to the tzaddikim of the generation, are in the aspect of: 'בְּתוּלוֹת אַחֲרֶיהָ רֵעוֹתֶיהָ, מוּבָאוֹת לָךְ' (Tehillim 45:15)"** — depicts a royal bride escorted to the king. "Maidens follow her, her companions brought to you." Rebbe: souls (maidens) are brought to tzaddik-king with your prayers. **"Rabbah bar Bar Chana said: Once we traveled on a ship and saw a fish with sand on its back and reeds growing on it. We thought it dry land, went up, baked and cooked. When its back grew hot, it turned over; had the ship not been nearby, we'd have drowned (Bava Basra 73a)"** — Rebbe cites this Talmudic tall-tale. Sailors mistook a giant fish for an island, set up camp, fish got hot, flipped, almost drowned. Rebbe now spiritualizes every detail. **"We saw this fish [for in our exile, Hashem is in hester panim]"** — fish is Mashiach/Moshe in exile. **"'הִסְתַּרְתָּ פָנֶיךָ' (Tehillim 30:8)"** — "You hid Your face" = hester panim = rachamim withdrawn. **"He turned His back — aspect of judgment"** — back showing = din visible. **"All our prayers and requests [in exile seem rejected]"** — continues to seg 16.

Beginner: **"But in truth, the righteous in every generation elevate them and establish them"** — the hidden reality: the tzaddik is picking up every prayer and placing it. **"'And Moshe erected the Tabernacle'"** — back to seg 14's verse. The tzaddik erects the Mishkan of prayer. **"They elevate each gem in its setting"** — each individual prayer gets placed in its right slot. **"To its place, building the stature of the Shechinah gradually until its full stature is completed"** — the Shechinah is being built prayer by prayer. **"Then the Messiah, this Moshe, will come, complete it, and erect it in perfection"** — when the Shechinah-building is complete, Mashiach-Moshe arrives. He's not the cause; he's the completion of what the tzaddikim-with-the-prayers have already been doing. **"This is the meaning: We saw this fish, which is the aspect of the righteous of the generation, called a fish (תלמוד, עיין שם)"** — the Rebbe identifies the fish from Bava Basra 73a with the tzaddik. **"The aspect of Moshe-Messiah. Sand gathered on its back refers to the prayers we pray for this, that, so to speak, He turned His back"** — sand on the fish's back = prayers we've said in exile (when it looks like His back is turned). **"Gathered on it means: 'And they brought the Tabernacle to Moshe'"** — wordplay: the sand "gathered" is the same as the people "bringing" their work to Moshe. **"For one must bring and connect the prayer to the tzaddik of the generation"** — conclusion for this segment. Intermediate: **"But in truth, the tzaddikim of every generation elevate them and establish them"** — hidden reality: tzaddik picks up every prayer and places it. **"'And Moshe erected the Tabernacle'"** — back to seg 14's verse. Tzaddik erects the prayer-Mishkan. **"They elevate each gem in its setting"** — each prayer placed in its slot. **"Building the stature of Shechinah gradually until completed"** — Shechinah being built prayer by prayer. **"Then Mashiach, this Moshe, will come, complete it, and erect it in perfection"** — when complete, Mashiach-Moshe arrives. Not the cause; the completion. **"This is: We saw this fish, aspect of tzaddikim of generation, called a fish"** — identifies Bava Basra's fish with tzaddik. **"Aspect of Moshe-Messiah. Sand gathered on its back = prayers we pray when seemingly He turned His back"** — sand on fish = exile prayers. **"Gathered on it means: 'And they brought the Tabernacle to Moshe'"** — wordplay: the sand "gathered" = people "bringing" work to Moshe. **"One must bring and connect prayer to the tzaddik of the generation"** — segment conclusion.

Beginner: **"Reeds grew upon it refers to the souls that come with the prayer"** — the reeds on the fish's back = Torah-souls (from seg 14) arriving with the prayer. **"In the aspect of maidens follow her, her companions"** — back to Tehillim 45:15, linking reeds to the wedding imagery. **"For the souls are called grasses [עֲשָׂבִים]"** — Rebbe identifies this via Yechezkel. **"'כְּצֶמַח הַשָּׂדֶה' (Yechezkel 16:7)"** — "I made you numerous like the growth of the field" — Israel is called field-grass. Grass = souls. **"We thought it was dry land means the prayers seem to bear no fruit"** — the sailor's mistake maps to our exile-experience: prayers feel fruitless. **"But in truth it is not so; rather, we went up, baked, and cooked means all the prayers ascend and rise"** — the climbing up, the baking, the cooking — it's all already working. They ARE rising. **"The more one increases in prayer, the more the Shechinah is built, preparing herself for union [זיווג]"** — direct statement: more prayer = more Shechinah-assembly. **"This is baking and cooking, for baking and cooking are preparations for eating, the aspect of union"** — food preparation is a sexual metaphor in the Zohar. **"'Except the bread that he eats' (Bereishis 39:6)"** — verse about Yosef and Potiphar's wife where "bread" is Chazal-understood as euphemism for "his wife." The Rebbe uses this to connect bread-eating to marital union. Intermediate: **"Reeds grew upon it = souls that come with the prayer"** — reeds on fish's back = Torah-souls (from seg 14) arriving with prayer. **"In the aspect of 'maidens follow her, her companions'"** — back to Tehillim 45:15, linking reeds to wedding imagery. **"For souls are called grasses [עֲשָׂבִים]"** — via Yechezkel. **"'כְּצֶמַח הַשָּׂדֶה' (Yechezkel 16:7)"** — Israel called field-grass. Grass = souls. **"We thought it was dry land = prayers seem fruitless"** — sailors' mistake maps to exile-experience. **"But in truth not so; rather, 'we went up, baked, and cooked' = all the prayers ascend and rise"** — the climbing/baking/cooking — all already working. **"More prayer = more Shechinah built, preparing for union [זיווג]"** — direct statement. **"This is baking and cooking, preparations for eating = aspect of union"** — food-prep as sexual metaphor in Zohar. **"'Except the bread he eats' (Gen 39:6)"** — Chazal read this as euphemism for Potiphar's wife. Rebbe connects bread-eating to marital union.

Beginner: **"And this is what Rabbah bar Bar Chana said: חֲזִינַן לְהַאי כּוּרָא וכו' (we saw this fish)"** — the Rebbe now unpacks the Gemara story sailor-tale (Bava Basra 73b) detail by detail as a diagram of galus, tefillah, Shechinah, and geulah. **"For in our exile, so to speak, the Holy One is in hester panim (hiding of the face)"** — the exile-ground. Hashem has turned His face from us. **"As it is written: 'הִסְתַּרְתָּ פָנֶיךָ' (Tehillim 30:8) — which is the aspect of rachamim"** — the Face (panim) = rachamim. When He hides it, rachamim is hidden. **"And 'turning the back' [פָּנָה עֹרֶף] — which is the aspect of din"** — what we see instead of His face is His "back" = din showing. **"And all our prayers and requests are over this — that He has turned His back to us — that He should return His face"** — every tefillah in galus is essentially one request under many guises: turn Your face back. **"As it is written: 'פְּנֵה אֵלַי' (Tehillim 86:16)"** — "Turn to me." That's the core of all our tefillah. **"And: 'יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו' (Bamidbar 6:25)"** — Birkas Kohanim itself is this petition. **"And when we see the length of the exile, and every day we cry to Him and are not saved"** — the honest reality that produces crisis. **"There are among us, children of Israel, who err, G-d forbid, in their hearts, that all the tefillos are in vain"** — the Rebbe names the specific spiritual crisis. Some Jews, seeing no answer, conclude their prayers are futile. **"But in truth, all the tefillos — the tzaddikim of every generation elevate them and establish them"** — reversal: unanswered does NOT mean unheard. The tzaddikim of each generation are *collecting* every tefillah and *raising* it. **"As it is written: 'וַיָּקֶם מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן' (Shemos 40:18)"** — Moshe raised up the Mishkan. **"They elevate each limb [שַׁיְפָא] to its place, and build the stature of the Shechinah little by little"** — the Shechinah has a "body" (shiur koma), and each tefillah is a limb being added. **"Until the measure of her stature is completed, then Mashiach, who is Moshe, will come and complete her and establish her in perfection"** — the geula arrives precisely when the Shechinah's koma is completed by the accumulated tefillos. **"And this is the meaning of: חֲזִינַן לְהַאי כּוּרָא — 'we saw this fish'"** — now the allegorical decoding begins. **"This is the aspect of the tzaddik of the generation, who is called דָּג (fish)"** — see **Me'orei Or** s.v. *dag*; **Zohar Vayikra 42a and 278b**. The tzaddik = fish. The Gemara's kura = tzaddik ha'dor. **"This is the aspect of Moshe-Mashiach"** — tzaddik ha'dor IS the seed/spark of Moshiach for that generation. **"'דְּיָתְבָא לֵיהּ חַלְתָּא אַגַּבֵּיהּ' (that sand was piled on its back)"** — means **"the tefillos we pray over this — that, so to speak, He turned His back to us."** The "back of the fish" = the oref (turned-back) aspect of Hashem, and the sand = the mass of our tefillos sitting there, waiting. **"'יָתְבָא לֵיהּ' — 'it sits upon him'"** — reading the verb: the tefillos *sit upon* the tzaddik. **"This is: 'וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶל מֹשֶׁה' (Shemos 39:33)"** — precisely what Klal Yisrael did with the raw Mishkan: they brought it to Moshe. **"For one must bring and connect the tefillah to the tzaddik of the generation"** — this is the practical mitzvah of the whole ois. **"'וְקַדְחֵי עֲלַהּ אַגְמָא' (reeds grew upon it)"** — **"this is the souls that come with the tefillah"** — every tefillah carries souls. **"In the aspect of: 'בְּתוּלוֹת אַחֲרֶיהָ רֵעוֹתֶיהָ' (Tehillim 45:15)"** — the maidens/companions = the souls escorting the tefillah. **"For the souls are called *esavim* (grasses), as it is written: 'רְבָבָה כְּצֶמַח הַשָּׂדֶה נְתַתִּיךְ' (Yechezkel 16:7)"** — "Myriad like the plants of the field I have made you." Klal Yisrael = growing plants = souls = reeds on the fish's back. So the sailors' "reeds" are the neshamos. **"'וּסְבַרִינַן יַבַּשְׁתָּא הוּא' (and we thought it was dry land)"** — **"meaning: that the tefillos do not bear fruit"** — the sailors' mistaken impression that it's just *land* = our mistaken impression that our prayers are dead ground, going nowhere. **"But in truth it is not so"** — reality is the opposite. **"Rather: סַלְקִינַן וְאַפִינַן וּבַשְׁלִינַן (we ascended and baked and cooked upon it)"** — **"meaning: all the tefillos ascend"** — סַלְקִינַן = the prayers rise. **"And the more one increases in tefillah, the more the Shechinah is built"** — quantitative: every additional tefillah adds stature. **"And prepares herself for the zivug (union)"** — the goal of the building: the Shechinah prepares for zivug with Kudsha Brich Hu. **"And this is 'אַפִינַן וּבַשְׁלִינַן' — baking and cooking"** — **"for baking and cooking are preparations for eating, the aspect of zivug"** — culinary image for intimacy-preparation. **"As it is written: 'כִּי אִם הַלֶּחֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא אוֹכֵל' (Bereishis 39:6)"** — the verse about Potifar's "bread" being euphemism for his wife — proving lechem = zivug-metaphor. **"When the full stature of the Shechinah is completed, through many prayers, His mercies [רַחֲמָיו] will be aroused, and the attribute of judgment will turn to the attribute of mercy"** — the final turn. Completed koma → rachamim flow → din flips to rachamim. **"This is: 'כַּד חַם' (when its back grew hot) — meaning when His mercies are aroused"** — heat = arousal. The fish getting hot = rachamim awakening. **"'גַּבֵּיהּ אִתְהַפֵּיךְ' (it turned over) — meaning the attribute of judgment turns to the attribute of mercy"** — the flip of the fish = the flip of din to rachamim. **"'וְאִי לָא הֲוָה מִקָּרְבָא סְפִינְתָּא' (had the ship not been near)"** — **"this is the aspect of: 'לְמַעֲנִי לְמַעֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה' (Yeshayah 48:11) — for My own sake, for My own sake, I will act"** — Hashem's own sake, not our merit, is what redeems. **"As stated in the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 27): 'מִי הִקְדִּימַנִי וַאֲשַׁלֵּם' — who has preceded Me that I should repay him? Who made a mezuzah for Me before I gave him a house?"** — the rhetorical demolition of merit-claims. Every mitzvah-possibility is already His gift first. **"Thus, all our good deeds and prayers are from Him, and it is not fitting to expect reward for anything"** — the deep humility-teaching. **"And even though it appears that through our prayers and Torah the geulah will come — nevertheless, we still need His chesed, that in His chesed He will redeem us"** — the crucial qualification. Yes, our tefillos do the building (the fish flips), BUT the chesed of the proximate ship (Hashem's initiative) is what actually saves. **"And this is 'אִי לָא מִקָּרְבָא סְפִינְתָּא' — this is the aspect of chesed"** — the ship = chesed. **"As our Sages said (Kiddushin 82a): 'הַסַּפָּנִין רֻבָּן חֲסִידִים' — most sailors are pious [chasidim]"** — Chazal's own linkage of sefinah to chesed/chasidim. **"Were it not for His chesed, we would drown, G-d forbid, in the exile"** — the unvarnished final line. The whole mechanism of tefillos building the Shechinah is real — and yet without His chesed-ship alongside us, galus would swallow us. The geula is a collaboration: our tefillos make it possible and His chesed makes it actual. Intermediate: **V'zeh she'amar Rabbah bar bar Chana: chazinan l'hai kura vechulei** — ki **b'galuseinu, kivyachol, HKB"H b'hester panim** ("histarta panecha" Teh 30:8 = rachamim) **u'**panah oref** (= din). V'chol tefilloseinu u'vakashoseinu al zeh — she'panah oref elenu — she'yachazir es panav ("pneh elai" Teh 86:16; "ya'er Hashem panav" Bam 6:25). U'chshe'anu ro'im orech ha'galus v'kol yom tzo'akim v'einam nosh'a'im — **yesh me'itanu toim, ch"v, b'libam, she'kol ha'tefillos l'rik**. Aval **b'emes kol ha'tefillos — ha'tzaddikim she'b'chol dor v'dor ma'alim osam u'mekim osam** ("va'yakem Moshe es ha'mishkan" Shem 40:18), u'ma'alin kol shaifa u'shaifa l'duchtei, u'vonin komasah shel ha'Shechinah me'at me'at, ad she'yishtalem shiur komasah, az yavo Moshiach (da Moshe) v'yashlim osah. **Peirush: chazinan l'hai kura = tzaddik ha'dor**, ha'nikra **dag** (ayen Me'orei Or erech "dag"; Zohar Vayikra 42a, 278b) — bechinas Moshe-Mashiach. **D'yasba lei chalta a'gabei** = ha'tefillos she'anu mis'pal'lim al ze she'kivyachol panah oref; **yasba lei** = "va'yavi'u es ha'mishkan el Moshe" (Shem 39:33) — tzarich l'havi u'lekasher ha'tefillah la'tzaddik she'ba'dor. **V'kadchei alah agma** = ha'neshamos ha'ba'im im ha'tefillah, bechinas "**b'sulos achareha re'oseha**" (Teh 45:15) — ki ha'neshamos nikra'in **asavim** ("revavah k'tzemach ha'sadeh nesatich" Yechez 16:7). **U'sevarinan yabashta hu** = she'ha'tefillos einam osin peiros — **aval b'emes eino kein**, ela **salkinan v'afinan u'vashlinan** = kol ha'tefillos salkinan v'olin, v'kol ma she'marbin b'tefillah nivneh ha'Shechinah b'yoser u'mechinah es atzmah la'zivug (afiyah u'vishul = hachanah la'achilah = bechinas zivug, "ki im ha'lechem asher hu ochel" Ber 39:6). **Kad cham** = ka'asher yichmeru rachamav; **gabei it'hapech** = yis'hapech midas ha'din l'midas ha'rachamim. **V'ee la'hava mikarva sefinta** = "l'ma'ani l'ma'ani e'eseh" (Yesh 48:11; Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 27 — "mi hikdimani va'ashalem lo — mi asah li mezuzah kodem she'nasati lo bayis"). Nimtza, kol ma'aseinu u'tefilloseinu — ha'kol me'ito. **U'le'ma'aseh — af she'nir'eh she'al yedei tefillaseinu yih'yeh ha'geulah — tzrichim l'chasdo**: **"ha'sappanin rubam chasidim"** (Kidd 82a) — sefinah = chesed. Eelulei chasdo, tav'inan, ch"v, ba'galus.

Beginner: **"And this is the explanation [of the opening pasuk]: *אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים* — the aspect of prayer"** — the Rebbe now returns, in one final movement, to the opening pasuk of the parashah (Vayikra 21:1) and decodes every word into the teaching just built. **"As it is written (Devarim 26:17): 'אֶת ה' הֶאֱמַרְתָּ הַיּוֹם'"** — "You have caused Hashem to be proclaimed today." The verb is Hiphil from אמר — *you cause speech*. The opening word *'emor'* (say) is therefore *tefillah*-speech, the speech that *activates* Hashem. **"*Kohanim* — they are the aspect of Torah, the aspect of neshamos as mentioned above"** — Kohanim = Torah = souls (built in the earlier section: prayer must be clothed in Torah, which is souls). **"As it is written (Malachi 2:7): 'כִּי שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ דַעַת וְתוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ'"** — "for the lips of the Kohen shall guard knowledge, and Torah they shall seek from his mouth." The Kohen's mouth *is* the Torah-source. **"*Aharon* — the aspect of mishpat, as it is written (Shemos 28:30): 'וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת מִשְׁפַּט בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל'"** — "and Aharon shall bear the judgment of B'nei Yisrael" (on the Choshen with the Urim v'Tumim). Aharon = mishpat-pillar. **"*[Missing in the printed text, and should be:]* For one needs the aspect of mishpat as mentioned above, *'וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם'* — *'v'amarta' dayka* (I found in a manuscript copied from Rabbeinu's own handwriting)"** — the editor notes a *chaser* (lacuna) and restores from a MS copy: the *doubled* speech-verb *v'amarta aleihem* (after the opening *emor*) is *dayka* — pointedly double. **"For one must bring all prayers to the aspect of Moshe-Mashiach, *[missing and should be:]* and he will erect the Mishkan [as it is written 'And they brought the Mishkan to Moshe, and Moshe erected' it], the Mishkan (from the MS)"** — the second amarta is the bringing-of-prayer-to-the-tzaddik-dor; the tzaddik-dor = Moshe-Mashiach, who alone can *erect* the Mishkan-of-tefillah. (Shemos 39:33: v'yavi'u es ha'Mishkan el Moshe; Shemos 40:18: va'yakem Moshe es ha'Mishkan.) **"And this is what Rashi explained: 'l'hazhir ha'gedolim al ha'ketanim'"** — Rashi on *emor... v'amarta* gives the classical reading: "to admonish the adults concerning the minors." The Rebbe reads this as a *sod*: **"meaning the tzaddik of the generation, who is the aspect of Moshe — the *ma'or ha'gadol* [great luminary] — shall admonish and illuminate the prayer, which is the aspect of the *ma'or ha'katan* [lesser luminary]"** (see **Zohar Pekudei 238**). The tzaddik-dor is the *gadol*; your tefillah is the *katan*; the *gadol* illuminates the *katan* — prayer must be brought to the tzaddik so its light becomes receivable. **"*וּלְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו* — meaning through guarding the bris as mentioned above"** — "and for a soul he shall not defile himself among his people" = shemiras ha'bris. The pasuk speaks of Kohen-defilement-via-corpse; the Rebbe reads it kabbalistically as defilement-via-bris-violation. **"As brought in the Zohar (see Zohar Vayikra 15; Zohar Pekudei 263-264; Toras Kohanim chapter 9)"** — a cluster of Zoharic and Sifra sources. **"'עִקְרָא דְּיִצְרָא בִישָׁא — עַל עֵירָן וְהִיא עִקְרָא דִּמְסַאֲבוּתָא'"** — "the root of the evil inclination is upon *eiran* [= the place of bris-corruption] and this is the root of impurity." Bris-violation is the *ikar* of tumah; guarding bris is the *ikar* of taharah. **"And when he guards the bris, he merits the aspect of tefillah as mentioned above, and merits the aspect of 'תְּהִלָּתִי אֶחֱטָם לָךְ' (Yeshayah 48:9)"** — shemiras habris → prayer-fluency → the *tehillah-achtam* = the nose-prayer-praise of Mashiach (the opening of the whole Torah, ois א). Full circle. **"For the essence of smell [*ri'ach*] depends on purity"** — the nose-chotem-tefillah only functions when the person is tahor. **"As our Sages said (Sotah 48a): 'משבטלה הטהרה בטלה הריח'"** — "from the time purity ceased, the scent ceased." A loss of taharah is a loss of the very sense of smell that is the Mashiach's weapon. **"As explained by the gemara's story (Sotah 49a) — that [a chacham] said: 'I smell the scent of the little shopkeeper' [referring to a child]. The chacham said to him: 'My son, there is [a measure of] taharah in you'"** — Sotah 49a tells of a chacham who smelled a *little child*'s scent and declared the child had taharah-in-him. The chacham's very ability to perceive the scent *proved* his own tahara-sense was still operative — the same *chotem-ri'ach-tefillah* faculty the whole Torah has been building. The opening pasuk's every word now sits as a compressed map of the Torah: *emor=tefillah-speech; kohanim=Torah-neshamos; Aharon=mishpat; v'amarta=bringing-to-Moshe-Mashiach-tzaddik-dor; u'l'nefesh lo yitama=shemiras habris=tahara=tehillah-achtam=the nose of Mashiach.* Intermediate: **"The explanation of the opening pasuk (Vayikra 21:1)"** — Rebbe decodes every word. • *אֱמֹר* = tefillah-speech (**Devarim 26:17** "אֶת ה' הֶאֱמַרְתָּ"). • *כֹּהֲנִים* = Torah = neshamos (**Malachi 2:7** שפתי כהן ישמרו דעת). • *אַהֲרֹן* = mishpat (**Shemos 28:30** ונשא אהרן את משפט). • [MS-restored lacuna] *וְאָמַרְתָּ* dayka = bringing all tefillos to Moshe-Mashiach (tzaddik-dor) who *erects the Mishkan* (Shem 39:33 / 40:18). • **Rashi** "l'hazhir gedolim al ha'ketanim" = tzaddik-dor (ma'or ha'gadol / Moshe) illuminates the tefillah (ma'or ha'katan) — **Zohar Pekudei 238**. • *וּלְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא* = shemiras habris (**Zohar Vayikra 15; Zohar Pekudei 263-264; Toras Kohanim ch. 9**): "ikra d'yitzra bisha — al eiran v'hi ikra d'mesa'avusa". • Shemiras habris → tefillah → "תהלתי אחטם" (Yesh 48:9) → chotem-ri'ach-Mashiach. • Ri'ach depends on taharah: **Sotah 48a** "משבטלה הטהרה בטלה הריח"; **Sotah 49a** chacham smells *reicha d'chanunisa* → "טהרה יש בך".