Running Commentary on Torah 7 — VeEleh HaMishpatim

Beginner: Torah 7 opens with the standard marker — **"Lashon Rabbenu, zichrono livrachah"** — signaling that what follows is recorded directly in Rabbeinu's own words. This is the opening Torah built around a pasuk from the **parashah of Mishpatim** — and Rabbeinu will read every word of that verse as code for the entire structure of **emunah → tefillah → nisim → redemption**. Intermediate: Standard opening marker: **"Lashon Rabbenu, zichrono livrachah"** — Rabbeinu's own words. A Torah built around a single pasuk from Mishpatim; every word will be mapped to **emunah → tefillah → nisim → geulah**.

Beginner: The pasuk: **"V'eleh ha'mishpatim asher tasim lifneihem"** — 'And these are the judgments that you shall place before them' (Shemos 21:1). Every phrase will be decoded: **"V'eleh"** with its opening vav — which Chazal teach *adds* onto what precedes it; **"ha'mishpatim"** — judgments of truth; **"asher tasim lifneihem"** — arranging them before Israel "like a set table." Intermediate: Base pasuk: **"V'eleh ha'mishpatim asher tasim lifneihem"** (Shem 21:1). Every phrase will be decoded: **"V'eleh"** (with connecting vav) — *adds* on what came before; **"ha'mishpatim"** — judgments of truth; **"asher tasim lifneihem"** — arranged k'shulchan aruch.

Beginner: Two Chazal-quotations bracket the whole Torah. **"Chazal said: **'hishvu ishah l'ish'** — 'they equated woman to man' (Kiddushin 35a, Bava Kamma 15a)."** And **"it is stated in the Mekhilta: 'Perhaps the students will learn and not understand — the verse teaches: **asher tasim lifneihem** — arrange them before them **like a set table (shulchan aruch)**.'"** These are not two unrelated citations. The Rebbe will show that *hishvu ishah l'ish* = the coupling of emes and emunah, and *shulchan aruch* = the manifest revelation of redemption. Intermediate: Two Chazal frames: **(1) "hishvu ishah l'ish"** (Kid 35a, BK 15a); **(2) Mekhilta: "asher tasim lifneihem — erkam lifneihem k'shulchan aruch."** Rebbe will show: *hishvu ishah l'ish* = coupling of emes and emunah; *shulchan aruch* = manifest redemption.

Beginner: **"Know, that the essence of the exile is only because of **lack of emunah** — as it is written: **'Tavoi, tashuri me'rosh Amanah'** — 'come, gaze from the top of Amanah' (Shir HaShirim 4:8)"** (see Tanchuma Beshalach 10 reading Amanah = emunah). **"And emunah is the aspect of **tefillah** — as it is written: **'va'yehi yadav emunah'** (Shemos 17:12), and Targum renders it: **'perisen bitzlo'** — 'spread in prayer.'"** Then the Rebbe's signature move: **"This is the aspect of **nisim l'ma'alah min ha'teva** (miracles above nature) — because tefillah is above nature: **nature obligates** [one outcome], and tefillah **changes** nature — and this is the matter of a miracle. For this one needs emunah — that he believe that there is a **mechadesh** (Renewer), and in His hand to renew matters according to His will."** And: **"The essence of emunah — the aspect of tefillah, the aspect of nisim — is only in **Eretz Yisrael**, as it is written: **'shchon eretz u'r'eih emunah'** (Tehillim 37:3); and **'there is the essence of the ascent of tefillos' — as it is written: 'וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמַיִם' (Bereishis 28:17)."** Now the historical mechanism: **"And for this reason, when Avraham was pagam [slightly blemished] in **'ba'mah eida'** (Bereishis 15:8) — 'how shall I know?' — and by this he was pagam in the inheritance of the Land, which is the aspect of emunah, the aspect of tefillah — there was **galus Mitzrayim**."** A stunning read: the *one moment* Avraham asked for proof rather than trusting the nes outright, the entire Egyptian exile was triggered. **"And it was specifically **Yaakov and his sons** who went down to Mitzrayim — for they are the aspect of the **twelve nuschaos ha'tefillah** (the twelve liturgical versions of prayer), and He brought them down into galus."** Yaakov's twelve sons = twelve tefillah-gates — and when tefillah is compromised, the tefillah-bearers themselves must be exiled. **"And Mitzrayim is the **inverse of nisim** — as it is written (Shemos 14:27): 'וּמִצְרַיִם נָסִים לִקְרָאתוֹ' — 'and Mitzrayim flees before it' (reading *nasim* = fleeing from nes); for there is no place of nisim there, and no place of tefillah there — as it is written (Shemos 9:29): 'וְהָיָה כְּצֵאתִי אֶת הָעִיר אֶפְרֹשׂ אֶת כַּפַּי' — 'when I leave the city I will spread my palms' (Moshe couldn't even pray inside Egypt)."** And: **"All the [subsequent] galuyos are called by the name **Mitzrayim** (Bereishis Rabbah 16) — on the basis that they are **metzarim** (constrictors) to Israel."** Every galus inherits the Egypt-essence. **"And when one is pagam in emunah, in tefillah, in Eretz Yisrael — he descends into galus."** The redemption-side: **"And this is what Chazal said (Sanhedrin 97a): 'Mashiach ben David does not come until the **perutah is depleted from the pocket**' — meaning, until the **apikorsim who have no emunah in nisim and cover all the nisim in the way of nature** are exhausted."** The Rebbe turns the Gemara's financial image into a spiritual one: the *prutah* is the concealment-coin. **"For the essence of nisim is in Eretz Yisrael — because (Ta'anis 10a) **'Eretz Yisrael shosah techilah'** (drinks first) — and her drinking is from the **tehomos** (depths) — from the language: 'וַתֵּהֹם כָּל הָעִיר' (Rus 1:19) — 'and the whole city was in uproar' — i.e., the world is **astonished** over nisim."** *Tehom* = both 'depth' and 'astonishment' — Eretz Yisrael drinks from the depth-wells where awe is produced. **"And this is: 'תְּהוֹם אֶל תְּהוֹם קוֹרֵא' (Tehillim 42:8) — 'deep calls to deep.' For there are **nisin ila'in** (upper miracles) = **tehoma ila'ah**; and there are **nisim tata'in** (lower miracles) = **tehoma tata'ah**."** The two tehomos of the verse = two grades of nes. **"And a **malach** that is composed of all the nisim, from both tehomos — **damya l'igla** ('resembling a calf,' Ta'anis 25b) — which is the aspect of **igulim** (circles), the aspect of emunah — as it is written: 'וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ' (Tehillim 89:9) — 'Your emunah surrounds You.'"** The calf-form encodes *circles* — and emunah is what encircles. **"And **preita sif'uta** — 'a prutah from his lips' — is the aspect of **tefillah** — as it is written: 'אֲדֹנָי שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח' (Tehillim 51:17) — 'Hashem, open my lips' — and this is the totality of the nisim."** **"And this is the meaning: **'until the prutah is depleted from the pocket'** — for there are bnei adam who **conceal** the totality of nisim (which are contained in the malach of *preita sif'uta*) — concealing them by the way of nature. And when this is depleted and emunah increases in the world — then Mashiach will come; for the essence of the redemption depends on this, as it is written: 'תָּבוֹאִי, תָּשׁוּרִי מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה.'"** Intermediate: א. Ikkar ha'galus bi'shvil chisron emunah ("tavoi tashuri me'rosh Amanah" Sh"Sh 4:8; Tanchuma Beshalach 10). Emunah=tefillah ("va'yehi yadav emunah" Shem 17:12, tirgum: "perisen bitzlo") = bechinas **nisim le'ma'alah min ha'teva** — teva mechayev, tefillah meshaneh ha'teva, v'zeh davar nes, tzarich emunah she'yesh mechadesh u'veyado l'chadesh k'ratzono. Ikkar ha'emunah/tefillah/nisim rak b'Eretz Yisrael ("shchon eretz u'r'eih emunah" Teh 37:3), v'sham ikkar aliyas ha'tefillos ("v'zeh sha'ar ha'shamayim" Ber 28:17). U'v'shvil zeh k'she'pagam Avraham b'"ba'mah eida" (Ber 15:8), pagam b'yerushas ha'aretz=emunah=tefillah — hayah galus Mitzrayim. U'davka **Yaakov u'vanav** yardu Mitzrayim, ki hem bechinas **12 nuschaos ha'tefillah**, v'horidam ba'galus. U'Mitzrayim = **hipuch ha'nisim** ("u'Mitzrayim nasim likraso" Shem 14:27) — ein sham makom nisim, ein sham makom tefillah ("v'hayah k'tzeisi es ha'ir efros es kapai" Shem 9:29). V'kol ha'galuyos mechunim b'shem Mitzrayim (Be"R 16), she'hem **metzarim** l'Yisrael. U'k'she'pogmin b'emunah/tefillah/Eretz Yisrael — yored la'galus. V'zeh she'amru Chaza"l (Sanh 97a): "**Ein Mashiach ben David ba ad she'tichleh prutah min ha'kis**" — she'yichlu ha'apikorsim she'ein lahem emunah b'nisim, u'mechasin kol ha'nisim b'derech ha'teva. Ki ikkar ha'nisim b'Eretz Yisrael ("Eretz Yisrael shosah techilah" Ta'an 10a), u'shsiyasah me'ha'tehomos (leshon "va'tehom kol ha'ir" Rus 1:19 — tehiyah al nes). V'zeh "**tehom el tehom korei**" (Teh 42:8) — **nisin ila'in**=tehoma ila'ah; **nisim tata'in**=tehoma tata'ah. U'malach she'kalul mi'kol ha'nisim mi'shnei ha'tehomos **damya l'igla** (Ta'an 25b) = **igulim** = emunah ("v'emunascha svivosecha" Teh 89:9). U'**preita sif'uta** (prutah mi'sfasav) = tefillah ("Adonai sfasai tiftach" Teh 51:17) = kelalus ha'nisim. V'zeh peirush "ad she'tichleh prutah min ha'kis" — yesh bnei adam ha'**mechasin** kelalus ha'nisim ha'kelulim b'malach d'preita sif'uta, mechasin b'derech ha'teva. U'k'she'tichleh zos v'sisrabeh emunah ba'olam, az yavo Mashiach, ki ikkar ha'ge'ulah taluy b'zeh ("tavoi tashuri me'rosh Amanah").

Beginner: **"But it is impossible to come to emunah except by way of **emes**"** — as brought in the Zohar (Balak 198b) on **"v'hayah tzedek ezor masnav v'emunah"** (Yeshayahu 11:5) — **"tzedek hu emunah"**. **"And they said there: **'emunah iskari'as kad ischabar bah emes'** — 'it is called emunah when emes is joined to it.'"** The Rebbe sharpens the sequence: it is not enough to *believe*; what is called *emunah* is only the *coupling of truth with belief*. If there is no emes in the emunah, the name 'emunah' does not apply. Intermediate: **Can't come to emunah except through emes.** Zohar Balak 198b on **"v'hayah tzedek ezor masnav v'emunah"** (Yesh 11:5) — tzedek = emunah. Key teaching: **"emunah iskari'as kad ischabar bah emes"** — it is called emunah only when emes is joined to it.

Beginner: **ג. "And it is impossible to arrive at *emes* except through *hiskarvus l'tzaddikim* (drawing close to the tzaddikim) and walking in the way of their counsel"** — the *only* path to emes is via attachment to a tzaddik. **"For through receiving their *eitzah* (counsel) from them, *emes* is *engraved* within him"** — eitzah is the *instrument of engraving*. **"As it is written (Tehillim 51:8): 'הֵן אֱמֶת חָפַצְתָּ' — when You desire truth; 'בַּטֻּחוֹת וּבְסָתֻם חָכְמָה תוֹדִיעֵנִי' — 'in the innards (*tuchos*, i.e., kidneys) and in the hidden You will make me know wisdom.'"** Rabbeinu is already planting the *kidneys* reading (batuchos=kidneys) that will resolve below. **"For the *eitzos* that one receives from them is the aspect of *nisu'in v'zivug* (marriage and coupling)"** — advice is a form of *intercourse*. **"And when one receives eitzos from *resha'im*, it is the aspect of *nisu'in* in the *kelipah*"** — bad advice = *marriage to the kelipos*. **"'הַנָּחָשׁ הִשִּׁיאַנִי' (Bereshis 3:13) — *lashon nisu'in*"** — Chavah's answer to Hashem *"the serpent hishi'ani"* uses the verb *sha-yud-alef* which shares its root with *nasu'i/nisu'in* (marriage). **"The eitzos of the nachash that she received is the aspect of *nisu'in*, and through the nisu'in he cast *zuhama* into her"** — the nachash's advice-marriage *impregnated* her with *zuhama* (defiling slime). **"And at *ma'amad Har Sinai*, *paska zuhamasan*"** (Shabbos 146a: "at Sinai their zuhama ceased" — see Rashi there), **"for there they received *taryag (613) atin d'kedushah*"** (Zohar Yisro 82b) — the *613 holy counsels* = the 613 mitzvos. **"And it was for them *nisu'in* in holiness"** — Kabbalas ha'Torah = a holy marriage that *undid* the serpent's toxic marriage. **"And why is *eitzah* called the aspect of *nisu'in*? Because (Berachos 61a): 'הַכְּלָיוֹת יוֹעֲצוֹת' — *the kidneys advise*"** — Chazal identify the anatomical source of counsel as the *kidneys*. **"And the kidneys are *klei ha'holadah*, *klei ha'zera* (vessels of reproduction, vessels of seed)"** — in ancient anatomy the kidneys sit beside the seed-organs and are viewed as part of the reproductive complex. **"It emerges that when one receives advice from a person, *it is as if he is receiving seed from him* — and everything is *according to the person*: if a rasha or a tzaddik"** — the *seed* of counsel transmits the *essence* of the counselor. **"For this reason, Torah *'meitashet koach'* (Sanhedrin 26b) and is called *'tushiyah'* — for they are *taryag atin* — as it is written (Mishlei 8:14): 'לִי עֵצָה וְתוּשִׁיָּה'"** — Torah *exhausts* you the way *zivug* exhausts — because Torah = 613 eitzos = 613 acts of *zivug*. Torah is called *tushiyah* precisely because it *meshiv* (weakens) the same way coupling does. **"And eitzos are in place of *nisu'in* — the aspect of *zivug ha'metish koach*. And the eitzah of the tzaddik — *kullo zera emes* (all of it, seed of truth)."** **"And this is the *peirush* (Yirmiyahu 2:21): 'וְאָנֹכִי נְטַעְתִּיךְ שׂוֹרֵק'"** — "and I planted you a *sorek*" (choice vine). **"Aspect of *ge'ulah*, as it is written (Zecharyah 10:8): 'אֶשְׁרְקָה לָהֶם וַאֲקַבְּצֵם'"** — "I will *whistle* to them (*eshrekah*, same root as *sorek*) and gather them in" — the geulah-whistle. **"And through what? Through *'kullo zera emes'*"** — the continuation of Yirmiyahu's very pasuk: *v'anochi netaticha sorek kullo zera emes*. **"Through the *eitzos of the tzaddikim* you will come to *emes*"** — the *sorek* of planting-geulah is itself the *zera emes* of the tzaddik's counsel. **"And through this it is called *emunah* — *kad is'chabar bah emes* (when *emes* joins with it)"** — *emunah* (faith) alone is incomplete; *emes-in-emunah* = full emunah-emes fusion. **"And through this the *ge'ulah* will come, as above — for he is receiving the *tipei ha'sechel* (drops of intellect) of the tzaddik through the eitzah he receives from him."** The eitzah literally transfers *drops-of-mind* from the tzaddik's brain into the receiver's brain — the mental analogue of *zera*. **"And this is: 'Hein emes chafatzta — *batuchos*'"** — *tuchos* = kidneys = holadah-vessels = locus of eitzos. **"'chochmah todi'eini' — that I should merit to receive *tipei ha'mo'ach, tipei ha'sechel*, through the eitzah I receive from them — and then I will merit *emes*, for the *tipei ha'sechel* are called *kullo zera emes*."** The pasuk's *batuchos chochmah todi'eini* decodes as: *through kidney-seed [eitzah-nisu'in] You reveal to me wisdom [tipei sechel of the tzaddik] = emes.* Intermediate: **ג. Emes only via hiskarvus-l'tzaddikim; eitzah=nisu'in=zera-sechel**. • **Teh 51:8** "הן אמת חפצת בטחות ובסתם חכמה תודיעני" — tuchos=klayos. • Eitzah=nisu'in/zivug. Bad-eitzah=nisu'in-b'kelipah: **Ber 3:13** "הנחש השיאני" (lashon nisu'in) → nachash cast zuhama. • **Shabbos 146a**: paska zuhamasan b'Sinai → received **taryag atin d'kedushah** (**Zohar Yisro 82b**) = nisu'in-b'kedushah. • Why eitzah=nisu'in: **Berachos 61a** "הכליות יועצות"; klayos=klei-holadah=klei-zera → eitzah=transfer of zera. • Torah=metashet-koach (**Sanh 26b**)=tushiyah (**Mishlei 8:14** "לי עצה ותושיה") — 613 atin=613 zivugim. • Eitzas ha'tzaddik=**kullo zera emes**. • **Yirmiyahu 2:21** "ואנכי נטעתיך שורק...כלו זרע אמת"=geulah (**Zech 10:8** "אשרקה להם ואקבצם" — sorek/eshrekah pun). • Emunah=kad is'chabar bah emes. • Eitzah=tipei-sechel transfer: "batuchos [klayos] chochmah todi'eini"=tipei mo'ach from tzaddik=emes.

Beginner: **ד. "And know — that through the mitzvah of *tzitzis* a person is saved from the *eitzas ha'nachash* (counsel of the serpent), from *nisu'in* of the wicked, from the aspect of *ni'uf*"** — tzitzis is *specifically* the guard against the nachash-eitzah of the previous ois. **"For *tzitzis* is a guard against *ni'uf*"** (adultery/sexual sin). **"As brought in the *Tikkunim* (Tikkun 18): 'וַיִּקַּח שֵׁם וָיֶפֶת אֶת הַשִּׂמְלָה וַיָּשִׂימוּ עַל שְׁכֶם שְׁנֵיהֶם' (Bereshis 9:23) — this is the aspect of *tzitzis*"** — Shem and Yefes's act of *carrying a garment on both shoulders* and *walking backwards to cover Noach's nakedness* is, kabbalistically, the *archetype of tzitzis*: a *simlah* carried on *both shoulders* to *cover erva*. **"'וְעֶרְוַת אֲבִיהֶם לֹא רָאוּ' — because *tzitzis covers upon the ervah*."** Tzitzis structurally covers the four corners — the four-cornered garment enveloping the nakedness. **"But *Cham* — who is the *yetzer ha'ra* that *warms the body* of a person in sin — is *arur*, as it is written (Bereshis 9:25): 'אָרוּר כְּנָעַן', as it is written (Bereshis 3:14): 'אָרוּר אַתָּה מִכָּל הַבְּהֵמָה'"** — Rabbeinu links *Cham* (heat) → *yetzer ha'ra* (the *mechamem* = heat-producer of the body) → *arur* (cursed). The *curse of Cham* = the *curse of the nachash*: both are the heat-of-sin. **"And the *simlah* — namely tzitzis — is a guard from the *eitzas ha'nachash*, from the *zuhamas ha'nachash*"** — the *simlah/tzitzis* covers the *erva* = blocks the *zuhama* from penetrating. **"And this is the aspect of (Bereshis 49:22): 'בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן' — on account of *tzitzis*"** — Yosef is called *ben poras alei ayin* ("son-of-fruitfulness over the eye"). **"*Lashon* (Shir ha'Shirim 2:9): 'מֵצִיץ מִן הַחֲרַכִּים'"** — "peeking through the lattices." The word *tzitzis* shares the root *tzitz/meitzitz* (to peek/sprout). **"Through this he merited *ben poras* — for he was *guarded from nisu'in of the nachash*, from *zivug of the sitra achra*, and merited *zivuga d'kedushah*"** — Yosef's *shemiras einayim* at the moment of Eishes Potiphar (via the *image of Yaakov's face* = a tzitzis-like meitzitz-peek of holiness) kept him from the nachash-marriage and earned him the holy zivug. **"And this is *'poras'* — *lashon zivug, lashon 'pru u'revu'* (Bereshis 1:28)"** — *poras* itself is a fertility-word. **"And the *ikkar* of *ni'uf* depends on the *eyes*, as Chazal said (Sotah 9b): 'שִׁמְשׁוֹן הָלַךְ אַחַר עֵינָיו'"** — Shimshon, the baal-ta'avah paradigm, *went after his eyes*. **"As it is written (Bamidbar 15:39): 'וְלֹא תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם'"** — the *third parshah* of Kri'as Shema — which is *parshas tzitzis*! The same parshah that commands tzitzis *simultaneously* forbids *eye-straying* — because tzitzis = eye-guard. **"And the *shemiras tzitzis* — which is the aspect of *einayim* — is a *shemirah* from *eitzas ha'nachash*, and one can receive the *eitzos from a tzaddik* — who is *kullo zera emes*."** Closing circle to the previous ois: only *tzitzis-shemiras-einayim* qualifies someone to *receive* the tzaddik's eitzah-seed-of-emes without getting the nachash's eitzah-seed-of-zuhama. Intermediate: **ד. Tzitzis = guard from eitzas ha'nachash = guard from ni'uf (since ikkar ni'uf = einayim)**. • **Tikkun 18**: **Ber 9:23** "ויקח שם ויפת את השמלה...על שכם שניהם...וערות אביהם לא ראו"=tzitzis covers ervah. • Cham=yetzer ha'ra=mechamem ha'guf=arur (**Ber 9:25** "ארור כנען"=**Ber 3:14** "ארור אתה מכל הבהמה"=nachash). • Simlah/tzitzis=guard from zuhamas ha'nachash. • **Ber 49:22** "בן פרת עלי עין"=tzitzis (**Shir 2:9** "מציץ מן החרכים"); Yosef zachah via shemiras einayim → zivuga d'kedushah (poras=zivug="pru u'revu" **Ber 1:28**). • Ikkar ni'uf=einayim (**Sotah 9b** "שמשון הלך אחר עיניו"; **Bam 15:39** "ולא תתורו...ואחרי עיניכם"=parshas tzitzis). • Tzitzis=shemiras einayim=shemirah me'eitzas ha'nachash → yachol l'kabel eitzas ha'tzaddik=kullo zera emes.

Beginner: Now the fifth Rabba bar bar Chana ma'amar (following T3, T4, T5, T6). **"Amar Rabba bar bar Chana: said to me a certain Arab: 'Come, I will show you **tura d'Sinai** (Mount Sinai).' I went and I saw that **scorpions encircled it** and they were standing **like white donkeys**. And I heard a **bas kol** that says: **'Woe is Me that I swore! Now that I have sworn, who will release Me?'"** (Bava Basra 74a). Each detail — the Arab guide, the mountain, the encircling scorpions, the white donkeys, the bas kol's oath, the one who might release it — will be mapped to the exact structure the Rebbe has just built: eitzos of the nachash vs eitzos of the tzaddik, tzitzis of white (lavan) vs tzitzis of techeles, galus vs geulah. Intermediate: Fifth Rabba bar bar Chana ma'amar: **"An Arab: come, I'll show you Tura d'Sinai. Went and saw scorpions encircling it, standing like white donkeys. Heard a bas kol: 'Woe is Me I swore! Who will release Me?'"** (Bava Basra 74a). Every detail will map to: eitzos-nachash vs eitzos-tzaddik, tzitzis lavan vs techeles, galus vs geulah.

Beginner: **Rashbam: **"'She'nishbati'** — from the exile, as it is written in numerous verses in the prophets"** — i.e., the oath is the oath of exile, which Hashem regrets and seeks someone to release. Intermediate: **Rashbam**: *she'nishbati* = the oath of exile (cf. prophets); Hashem regrets and seeks a mafir.

Beginner: The Rebbe decodes. **"'Ta v'achavei lach tura d'Sinai'** — which is the aspect of **eitzos**, because there they received the **613 atin (counsels)."** **"'Chazai de'hadran lei akravin'** — meaning there is **eitzos nachash, eitzos of the wicked** — because of which one cannot receive the eitzos of tzaddikim, which is **zera emes** (seed of truth)."** **"'V'kaimin ki chamarei chivri'** — this is the aspect of **tzitzis**, which is the guard against the serpent's advice, against ni'uf — as Chazal said (Menachos 43b): 'Which penalty is greater, that of **lavan** or of **techeles**?' And they gave a parable to a man commanded to bring a seal of **gold** (= techeles) or a seal of **clay** (= lavan). And this: **'chamarei'** = **chomer** (clay), **lashon tit**; **'chivri'** = **lavan** — because today this is the essence of tzitzis (the white, since we no longer have techeles)."** **"And I heard a bas kol saying 'oy li she'nishbati'"** — Hashem's regret over the exile, which was caused by the neglect of tzitzis (the **chamarei chivri** that should have surrounded the scorpions of the nachash's eitzah and did not). Intermediate: **Peirush**: **ta'chvei lach tura d'Sinai** = **eitzos** (613 atin). **Hadran lei akravin** = **eitzos nachash/reshaim** — blocking zera emes from tzaddikim. **Chamarei chivri** = **tzitzis** — the white (*chivra* = lavan, *chamarei* = chomer/clay) — cf. Menachos 43b parable of the gold-seal (techeles) vs clay-seal (lavan); today *lavan* is the essence. **Bas kol "oy li she'nishbati"** = Hashem regretting the galus caused by neglect of the white tzitzis.

Beginner: Now the Rebbe returns to the opening pasuk. **"'V'eleh' — every place where **'v'eleh'** is said, [the vav] **adds on** [what preceded] — this is the aspect of **Yosef**, aspect of **shmiras habris**, aspect of **tzitzis**."** **"'Ha'mishpatim' — this is the aspect of **'kulo zera emes'** — as it is written: **'mishpetei Hashem emes'** (Tehillim 19:10) — that he merits to **eitzos tzaddikim**, to the aspect of emes."** **"'Asher tasim lifneihem' — this is the aspect of **'kad ischabar bah emes'** — the coupling that makes emunah. And this is the aspect of **'hishvu ishah l'ish'** — because **ish v'ishah** are the aspect of the **coupling of emes and emunah** — and on this depends the redemption."** **"And this: 'perhaps the students will learn and not understand — talmud lomar: **erkam lifneihem k'shulchan aruch** — this is the aspect of the redemption, for in the future all the chochmos will be revealed **k'shulchan aruch** — as it is written (Yeshayahu 11:9): **'ki male'ah ha'aretz de'ah es Hashem.'"** Every word of **v'eleh ha'mishpatim asher tasim lifneihem** has been landed. Intermediate: **Peirush pasuk**: **"V'eleh"** (vav that *adds*) = **Yosef = shmiras habris = tzitzis**. **"Ha'mishpatim"** = **kulo zera emes** ("mishpetei Hashem emes," Teh 19:10) = eitzos tzaddikim. **"Asher tasim lifneihem"** = **kad ischabar bah emes** = **"hishvu ishah l'ish"** (coupling of emes+emunah); on this depends geulah. Mekhilta's **shulchan aruch** = geulah ("ki male'ah ha'aretz de'ah," Yesh 11:9).

Beginner: **(Hashmatos [supplementary pieces] belonging to this Torah.)** **"Tefillah is the aspect of **emunah**, and it is the aspect of **nisim** — because a nes is above nature, and for this one needs emunah, as above — see there."** Therefore: **"tefillah is a **segulah l'zikaron** (a remedy for memory) — because tefillah is the aspect of emunah, as above. And **forgetfulness** is the matter that something was before us and we forget and it passes from us."** And parenthetically: **"(This [forgetfulness] is the way of conduct according to **ma'arechet ha'mazalos** (the system of the constellations), which proceeds in order day after day — and it is the opposite of emunah. Whereas if one believes that there is a **mechadesh**, renewing everything in His will every day continuously, and He gives life to all and sustains all continuously, and He is above time — there is no forgetfulness here, and examine this carefully.)"** **"Now you will see wonders in the words of our Sages (Shabbos 104a): '**Mem and Samech** that were in the Tablets were **standing by miracle**.' For **MaS (מס)** is the aspect of **forgetfulness** — and on this Chazal said (Chagigah 9b): 'One who reviews his perek 100 times is not comparable to one who reviews 101 times' — because **mas (מס) = 100 in gematria**, and up to 100 the **sar ha'shichechah** (minister of forgetfulness) rules. And this is what Chazal sweetened: **mem and samech** — i.e., **mas**, which is the aspect of forgetfulness — were **standing by nes**, because **nes is the opposite of forgetfulness**, for nisim are the aspect of tefillah, the aspect of emunah — which is the opposite of shichechah, as above."** *Mem+Samech carved into Lucite tablets wouldn't stand on their own — but they stood by miracle precisely because nes-energy neutralizes the mas-of-forgetfulness.* **"And know: tzitzis is a **shmirah l'ni'uf** (a guard against sexual sin); and '**על שכם שניהם**' ('upon both their shoulders,' Bereishis 9:23) is the aspect of **tzitzis**."** The Rebbe reads *sh'chem* (shoulder) = *Shechem* (the place) = *tzitzis* (worn on the shoulder). **"And this is (Bereishis 37:13): 'הֲלוֹא אַחֶיךָ רֹעִים בִּשְׁכֶם' — 'are not your brothers shepherding in Shechem?' — i.e., the aspect of **tzitzis**, which is *shmiras ha'bris*, the aspect of **Yosef**. Therefore Yaakov said to Yosef: 'your brothers are in Shechem' — which is your aspect (Yosef = shmiras ha'bris); 'לְכָה וְאֶשְׁלָחֲךָ אֲלֵיהֶם' — come, I will send you to them."** **"And this is the meaning of: 'וְאָנֹכִי נְטַעְתִּיךְ שׂרֵק כֻּלֹּה זֶרַע אֱמֶת' (Yirmiyahu 2:21) — 'I planted you a pure vine, all of it true seed.' For [Israel / the talmid] receives the **tipah of the seichel** of the tzaddik through the **eitzah** (counsel) he receives from him."** The Rebbe's doctrine: counsel is *actual intellectual-seminal transmission* from tzaddik to chassid. **"And this **sorek** is the aspect of the **sorek-nikkud** (the three dots of the *shuruk* vowel), which is **three drops** — as written in the Zohar (and Tikkunim, Tikkun 56) — and they are **three mochin** (three brains). For it is all one matter: the drop comes from the brain and reaches the kidneys — the organs of procreation that **cook the seed** — similarly, the seichel is also born in the brain and reaches down to the **kidneys-that-counsel** (keyliyos yo'atzos)."** **"And the three mochin are the aspect of (Yeshayahu 6:10): 'הַשְׁמֵן לֵב... וּבְאָזְנָיו יִשְׁמָע, וְעֵינָיו... פֶּן יִרְאֶה בְעֵינָיו וּבְאָזְנָיו יִשְׁמָע וּלְבָבוֹ יָבִין וָשָׁב' — 'make fat the heart... lest he see with his eyes, hear with his ears, and his heart understand and return.'"** Three mochin = eyes + ears + heart. **"That is: [normally] he does not want to cleave to tzaddikim, lest he see etc. — but when he cleaves to tzaddikim and receives eitzah from them, then he becomes the aspect of **keyliyos yo'atzos** — the organs of procreation that receive the brain-tipah that divides into three drops, three mochin, as above; and then 'he will see with his eyes, hear with his ears, his heart will understand' — these are the three mochin — 'v'shav v'rafa lo' — and he will return and be healed."** **"And this is: 'וְאָנֹכִי נְטַעְתִּיךְ שׂרֵק כֻּלֹּה זֶרַע אֱמֶת' — understand."** The sorek of three drops IS the three-fold intellectual-inseminated return through cleaving to the tzaddik. **"And this is the meaning [of the teaching at the head of the piece]: 'Rabbah bar bar Chana said...' This is also hinted at in the opening of his words: **'Amar li ha'hu tay'a'** — 'a certain merchant said to me' — and Rashbam explained (Bava Basra 24a and elsewhere): **'Anywhere [Talmud says *tay'a*] it means a **Yishma'el merchant**.'** For **Yishma'el** is the aspect of **tefillah** — as it is written (Bereishis 16:11): 'כִּי שָׁמַע ה' אֶל עָנְיֵךְ' — 'for Hashem heard your affliction' — and Targum: **'ari kabeil Hashem yas tzeloseich'** — 'Hashem accepted your prayer' — and this is the aspect of emunah, as above. And 'socher' (merchant) is from the language of **'sachor sachor'** (round and round) — i.e., the aspect of **makkifim** (encompassing lights), the aspect of emunah, as above: 'וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ' (Tehillim 89:9) — 'Your emunah surrounds You.'"** Every word of the Aggadic opening encodes tefillah-emunah-makkif — the very theme of the whole Torah. Intermediate: (Hashmatos). Tefillah=emunah=nisim (ki nes le'ma'alah min ha'teva, tzarich emunah). Al ken tefillah **segulah l'zikaron** (tefillah=emunah). V'**shichechah** = inyan she'hayah lefaneinu davar u'nishkach v'avar me'itanu — zeh derech ha'hanhagah al pi **ma'arechet ha'mazalos** (seder yom achar yom) = hipuch ha'emunah. Ma she'ein kein im ma'amin she'yesh mechadesh ha'kol b'ratzono b'chol yom, v'hu mechayeh u'meikim ha'kol tamid, v'hu le'ma'alah min ha'zman — ein kan shichechah. Nifla'os b'divrei Chaza"l (Shab 104a): "**mem v'samech she'ba'luchos b'nes hayu omdin**." Ki **mas (מס)=100** b'gematria = bechinas shichechah (Chag 9b: "ein domeh ha'shoneh pirko 100 pe'amim l'101" — ki ad 100 sholet sar ha'shichechah). Mem v'samech=mas=shichechah, b'nes hayu omdin — ki nes hipuch ha'shichechah (nisim=tefillah=emunah=hipuch ha'shichechah). Tzitzis shmirah l'ni'uf, v'"**al shechem shneihem**" (Ber 9:23) = bechinas tzitzis. V'zeh "halo achicha ro'im b'Shechem" (Ber 37:13) = bechinas tzitzis = shmiras ha'bris = Yosef. Al ken amar Yaakov l'Yosef: "achicha ro'im b'Shechem" — bechinah shelcha — "lechah v'eshlachacha aleihem." V'zeh "**v'anochi netaticha sorek kuloh zera emes**" (Yir 2:21) — ki mekabel tipei ha'seichel shel ha'tzaddik al yedei eitzah she'mekabel mimeno. V'**sorek**=bechinas ha'nkudah sorek=**tlas tipin**=**tlas mochin** (Zohar v'Tikkunim 56). Inyan echad: ha'tipah ba'ah mi'mo'ach u'magia la'keliyos (klei ha'haldadah, mevashlin ha'zera); kach ha'seichel nolad ba'mo'ach u'magia ad ha'keliyos ha'yo'atzos. Tlas mochin=bechinas (Yesh 6:10): "ha'shmen lev... u'v'oznav yishma v'einav... pen yireh... u'levavo yavin va'shav." K'she'medabek atzmo la'tzaddikim u'mekabel mehem eitzah, na'aseh bechinas **keliyos yo'atzos** she'hem klei ha'haldadah she'mekablin ha'tipah she'mischaleket l'tlas tipin=tlas mochin; v'az yireh v'einav v'yishma u'levavo yavin=shlosha mochin="v'shav v'rafa lo." U'peirush: "amar Rabba bar bar Chana..." b'pesach devarav: **"amar li ha'hu tay'a,"** u'peresh Rashbam: b'chol makom socher **Yishma'el**. Ki Yishma'el=**tefillah** ("ki shama Hashem el onyech" Ber 16:11, Targum: ari kabeil Hashem yas tzeloseich) = emunah. V'"socher" = mi'leshon **sachor sachor** (bechinas makifim) = emunah ("v'emunascha svivosecha" Teh 89:9).

Beginner: **"And this is: **'u'farasta knafecha al amasecha'** — 'spread your wing over your handmaid' (Rus 3:9) — because **tzitzis d'kedushah**, which are the **knafei mitzvah** (wings of mitzvah), is shmiras habris, and the aspect of **zivug d'kedushah**."** And: **"This is what Chaggai ha'navi asked: **'hein yisa ish besar kodesh b'knaf bigdo v'naga b'knafo el ha'lechem' (Chaggai 2:12) — 'if a man carries holy meat in the corner of his garment and touches with his corner the bread' — because **pegam habris leads to **he'eder ha'lechem** (lack of bread) — as it is written: **'b'ad ishah zonah ad kikar lechem'** (Mishlei 6:26). U'haven."** And: **"'Va'teishev b'eisan kashto... misham ro'eh even Yisrael'** (Bereshis 49:24) — **avos u'vanim** — aspect of tefillah, Yaakov and his sons."** Intermediate: **Shmiras habris mapping**: **"u'farasta knafecha al amasecha"** (Rus 3:9) — tzitzis d'kedushah = knafei mitzvah = shmiras habris = zivug d'kedushah. **Chaggai 2:12**: garment-corner touching bread — **pegam habris → he'eder lechem** ("b'ad ishah zonah ad kikar lechem," Mishlei 6:26). **"Va'teishev b'eisan kashto... ro'eh even Yisrael"** (Ber 49:24) = avos u'vanim = tefillah (Yaakov and sons).

Beginner: **"A segulah for a sick person — to gaze at the tzitzis."** The Rebbe gives the sod: **"And the sod is in the pasuk: **'Hineh bincha Yosef ba eilecha'** (Bereshis 48:2) — for all these words hint to tzitzis — i.e., the count of the **chutin** (strings), **chuliyos** (windings), and **kesharim** (knots)."** He points to the Peri Etz Chaim (Sha'ar HaTzitzis, perek 4, hagah): **"the 39 **krichos** (windings) are **156**, which is the gematria of **Yosef (יוסף)**; the **60 gudlin** (thumb-widths) in all four corners with the tzitzis = gematria of **Hineh (הנה)** and of **Binecha (בנך)**; and the **32 **chutin** that are twisted are **64** = gematria of **Ba Eilecha (בא אליך)**."** **"And this is: 'Hineh bincha Yosef ba eilecha' — the aspect of tzitzis, as above; by this **'vayischazek Yisrael'** — 'and Israel strengthened himself'"** (Bereshis 48:2). A sick Jew, gazing at his tzitzis, is literally reassembling the gematrias of the verse of Yaakov's recovery. Intermediate: **Segulah for sickness: gaze at tzitzis.** Sod: **"Hineh bincha Yosef ba eilecha"** (Ber 48:2). Per Peri Etz Chaim (Sha'ar Tzitzis 4): **39 krichos = 156 = Yosef; 60 gudlin in 4 corners + tzitzis = Hineh/Binecha; 32 chutin shzurin = 64 = Ba Eilecha.** "Hineh bincha Yosef ba eilecha" = tzitzis → **"vayischazek Yisrael"**. A sick Jew gazing at his tzitzis literally reassembles Yaakov's verse of recovery.