T44 (Tinyana) PNC - Emunah Depends on the Mouth — Reject Chakirah, Serve in Temimus

Beginner: Emunah depends on the mouth: 'I will make Your faithfulness known with my mouth' (Psalms 89:2). Speaking words of faith is itself faith and brings one to deeper faith. So one must guard against repeating words of heresy — even mockingly, in another's name — because the very utterance damages emunah and is also forbidden as mocking the Creator. Books of philosophical investigation, even those by great Jews, must be avoided: our faith from our holy ancestors is sufficient. The greatest service is to be tam ve-yashar, simple and upright, with no clever wisdoms at all. Even the 'cleverness' people apply within avodas Hashem itself — over-meticulous self-examination of whether each mitzvah was performed perfectly — is mostly delusion. Flesh-and-blood cannot fulfill its duty perfectly; the Holy One does not come with complaints; the Torah was not given to ministering angels. The over-stringent live in melancholy and have no chiyus from any mitzvah; 'and you shall live by them' — not die by them. Intermediate: **Emunah teluyah be-pe** — "אוֹדִיעַ אֱמוּנָתְךָ בְּפִי" (תה' פט:ב). Speaking emunah be-pe **is itself emunah** and brings one to emunah. Therefore one must zaher me'od from divrei kefirah ve-epikorsus, even when not from one's own lev — even quoting epikorsim mockingly — for these dibburim mazikim le-emunah, ve-gam asur gamur (no leitzanus regarding Hashem yisborach). **רחק לגמרי** from sifrei chakirah u-philosophia, va-afilu mi-sifrei chakirah of gedolim me-acheinu Bnei Yisrael — gam meihem yes le-rachek — ki dayyeinu be-emunaseinu she-kibalnu mi-avoseinu ha-kedoshim. **Klal gadol**: להיות תם וישר — la-avod oso yisborach be-temimus, beli shum chochmos ve-chakiros klal klal lo. Gam mi-chochmos she-be-avodas Hashem atzmah tzarich le-rachek me'od — for the chochmos of olam-ha-zeh applied by mas-chilim are dimyonos u-shtutim u-bilbulim gedolim, mapilin et ha-adam mei-avodas Hashem (over-checking 'tzeisi yedei chovasi'). Basar va-dam ee-efshar she-yetzei yedei chovaso bi-shleimus, **"אין הקב"ה בא בטרוניא"** (ע"ז ג.), **"ולא ניתנה תורה למלאכי השרת"** (קידושין נד.). Al ha-medakdekim be-chumros yeseros: **"וחי בהם"** (ויקרא יח:ה) — **ולא שימות בהם** (יומא פה:); ein lahem shum chiyus, ve-tamid be-marah-shechorah — ve-hu atzmo eino machmir shum chumra klal.

Beginner: Even one who genuinely knows true wisdoms must, after all his learning, throw all the wisdoms aside and serve Hashem with complete simplicity. This is the greatest wisdom of all: to not be wise at all. There truly is no wise person before Him; 'no wisdom and no understanding stand before Hashem' (Proverbs 21:30; Sanhedrin 106; Zohar Tetzaveh 281). The essence: rachmana liba ba'ei — the Merciful One desires the heart. Intermediate: Even after all the chochmos — afilu mi she-yodea chochmos be-emes — tzarich le-hashlich kol ha-chochmos ve-laavod et Hashem be-temimus, bi-fshitus gamur, beli shum chochmos. **Zohi ha-chochmah ha-gedolah she-be-chol ha-chochmos: לבלי להיות חכם כלל.** Ki be-emes ein chacham ba-olam klal: **"אֵין חָכְמָה וְאֵין תְּבוּנָה לְנֶגֶד ה'"** (משלי כא:ל; סנהדרין קו.; זוה"ק תצוה רפא:). Ve-ha-ikar ki **"רחמנא ליבא בעי"** (זוה"ק שם).