מעשה ג-מחגר

It is explained and clear to all that the words of this story soar and rise and are exceedingly deep, and there is none who can interpret them. Yet nonetheless it is understood and explained that it speaks of the secret of the world of Tikkun [rectification, the world-order as repaired and restored], and of the exaltation of the horn of holiness and the nullification of all the Klippos [husks/shells — the forces of impurity and evil]. Now the sage who commanded his sons and family to water the trees — it is self-understood that his intention was to water the holy trees, which allude to what they allude, as is explained extensively in the holy Zohar and the Tikkunim. As in the declaration of Eliyahu: "He is the irrigation of the Tree…as water irrigates the tree…You are the Cause of all causes, who irrigates the Tree" [Tikkunay Zohar, Introduction]. And as understood in this very story regarding the sun speaking with the moon about the holy tree that needed to be watered. And at the end of the story it is explained extensively about the holy tree — that had it been watered, all the Klippos would have been nullified.

But the entire narrative of the story, and the particulars of its details and their interconnection, are awesome and wondrous exceedingly. And how it begins to tell of the son who wished to engage in business, and of the robbers who fell upon them, and how he was compelled to eat herbs, and so forth — all of this appears at first glance like a simple story. And immediately from there it enters into the matter of the herb that pleased him, and he uprooted it with its root, and beneath the root was a domit [a magical flat stone, four-sided] — and the domit was square, each side of which possessed a special segulah (-propitious quality). On one side was written that whoever grasps that side will be carried to the place where day and night gather together, and so forth. And it tells how this son came there and heard the wondrous and awesome story between the sun and the moon. And how he looked at the domit on another side and saw written that whoever grasps that side will be carried to the path that branches into many roads, and the dust of that road is a remedy for [lame] feet — and he grasped that side and was carried there, and placed his feet on that path, and was healed immediately. All of this is awesome and wondrous. (And who knows the awesome and wondrous segulos of the other two sides of the domit, about which our Rebbe, of blessed memory, revealed to us not even a single allusion?) It then tells of how the son took dust from all the roads and made bundles for himself, and how he managed this wisely. And in this matter the text incidentally alludes to highly important matters — that even one who is a Tzadik must be extremely careful of foolishness and madness, since great failings can result, as explained there. And it also tells of how the chief robber among them repented and returned his chest with the money, and also gave him all the treasures of stolen goods — and that they condemned him to be hanged, for it is understood that this too is connected… …to the secret of the world of Tikkun, and to how all stolen goods will be returned to holiness, in the secret of "He swallowed wealth and will vomit it up" [Job 20:15]. And even so, this story too appears as a simple tale insofar as it could literally be so. And immediately afterward it tells of how the son resolved to go to the place of the Two Thousand Mountains, and incorporated into that several wondrous and awesome stories — and among them there are also some matters that appear on the surface to be literal, until he completed the account of how the tree was watered, and not a trace of them remained, and they became as though they had never been. All of these matters are exceedingly awesome and wondrous. And so too the allusions that are alluded to afterward — that the secret of this story is hinted at in Tehillim [Psalms], chapter 1 — are awesome and wondrous in the extreme.

The understanding one gleans from a distance suggests that the principal irrigation of the holy trees in this matter is through the holy Torah. And this was the content of the discourse between day and night, sun and moon — what the sun was pleading before the moon regarding the holy tree which was exceedingly efficacious and needed to be watered. And if this tree is the same tree discussed later on — that had it been watered in fullness, not a trace of them would remain — then it follows that the moon's complaint, which concerned the demons sucking from her feet, was also about this very matter. And in truth, had this tree been watered, not a trace of them would remain, and thereby a remedy would also come to the moon for her suffering. (See the book Zimras HaAretz on this story.) And this can be hinted at in Psalm 1: "Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked" — for all the wicked counsels and evil ways all derive from them, as brought there. Also at the end of the story, regarding those who seduced the elder's grandson — who was a wondrous Tzadik — to use the book that the elder had commanded not to use, and this grandson thought his own heart was advising him to do so — if they sought to cause a holy and sacred Tzadik such as this to stumble through their evil counsel, how much more so do they cause the multitude of the world to stumble thereby. And all the failings mentioned there — whether the robber's advice that seduced many people to become robbers, or the king who made his subjects into apikorsim [heretics, those who deny the foundations of faith] — this is the aspect of "The way of sinners", as mentioned there: for apostasy and heresy is the root and the sum total of all sins, as is known. And this is the aspect of "He did not stand in the way of sinners" — like this sage elder who gathered all the people of his family and left with them from that place. And "In the seat of scorners he did not sit" — for although they settled near the Two Thousand Mountains where the primary seat of scorners is situated, as explained there, he was nonetheless very far from them, having made a circle into which the scorners could not approach. All the failings of the wicked and sinners flow only from these scorners. And all their sustenance depends only on the tree not being watered in fullness — which is why they stand by it day and night, digging and not letting water reach the tree. And therefore the holy Tzadik who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, and so forth, is their very opposite — and he is occupied day and night with Torah, through which the principal irrigation of the holy tree occurs, as above. And this is: "But his desire is in the Torah of Hashem, and in His Torah he meditates day and night" — precisely, as above, the very opposite of their standing day and night, digging and preventing water from reaching the tree. One may also say that this alludes to the fact that the conversations that took place between day and night, sun and moon, were entirely about the study of the Torah of this [same] Tzadik — for through the study of his Torah the holy tree is watered, and the scorners perish and vanish and are as nothing, and everything is rectified: the sun's complaint and the moon's complaint alike — who are day and night. Therefore the reward of this Tzadik is: "He shall be like a tree planted by streams of water" — the aspect of the tree above, as explained there. A person should guard himself from mockery and scorn (leitzanus), for the place of the Chitzonim — the Klippos — is called moshav leitzim [the seat of scorners], for they engage in mockery perpetually. (§84) The true Tzadik, even though he has the power to use holy Names and adjurations and the like, nonetheless should not use any of these at all — he should have pure and simple faith in the Holy One, Blessed is He, and G-d will help him.

And sometimes it may seem to the Tzadik that he is compelled to use such powers and that it is a great mitzvah to do so — nonetheless he must be very careful in this matter, for although it may seem to him that his heart is advising him, perhaps it is only from those who are tempting him.