המתקת דין

At the time when suffering is sent upon a person, it is sworn not to commence (lit. go or embark) except on a specific day, and not to desist (lit. leave) except on a specific day and a specific hour, and through a specific medication. However, repentance, prayer and charity annul the oath.

Being disheartened (lit. weakness of the mind), that is to say, depression, draws bad fortune, and when one's fortune is bad, the attribute of harsh judgment dominates.

The scriptural verses about the Choshen (breast plate worn by the high priest) is a tikun (rectification or remedy) for Dinim. When a person has pain, he should give charity. For the charity is like he's paying for the judgment, and through this the Dinim ( defined at the beginning of this entry) are lightened (lit. sweetened). Because someone who takes payment to judge, his rulings are void.

What is the extent of suffering?! Anyone who has gone forty days without suffering, he has received his world, and disasters are prepared for him.

One who chastises his fellow for the sake of Heaven, a thread of kindness is extended upon him.

Three things call attention to one's sins: A leaning wall, prayer with concentration (with anticipation and examination to see its fulfillment), and one who brings prosecution on his friend.

Four things tear up the (bad) edict on a man: Charity, crying out, changing one's name, and changing one's deeds. Through fasting in years of famine, one is saved from a grotesque death.

Crying out helps an individual specifically before the edict. When some decree is decreed on a person, it is decreed on him specifically for a certain place. Through this he can save [himself] with a change of place.

A (Heavenly) decree that is accompanied by an oath, even for a group, cannot be torn. One who has pain in his eyes or stomach pains, it is certain that Dinim (see title of this entry) rest upon him.

One should make his suffering known to the public, and the public will ask ( in prayer) for mercy on his behalf.

When there is some Din (judgement or contention) on the Jewish People, G-d forbid, the Holy One Blessed He notifies the tzadikim, so that they should pray for Israel, and whomever does not pray for them, the Holy One Blessed He is angry with them.

When a man sees that Dinim are weighing on him, he should talk about his enemies and justify them.

Through the appointing of kosher judges, hardships are annulled. One who made a vow and did not fulfill his vow, the Holy One Blessed He brings suffering upon him. When he is silent (in response), it is considered as if he has fulfilled his vow.

One who accepts suffering with love, it is considered as if he offered a sacrifice. When a man is walking and falls, it is a sign that he was met out from Above for a failure (he had coming to him. See also below #52.).

Through immersing in a Mikveh, suffering is annulled and salvation comes.

When some harsh decree is passed on a man, before people know about it, it is easily overturned.

One who falls from his faith, should know that he is being judged from Above. One who has Dinim upon him should look frequently (lit. every time) upon the heavens.

One who shows the good path to evildoers, the Holy One Blessed He justifies him in judgment.

Through Truth, the Holy One Blessed He does with him kindness that is not dressed in Din (judgement). That which the Holy One Blessed He hides His Countenance from you, it is because of the blasphemy that is within you.

Through trust (in G-d), the judgment is sweetened and kindness is drawn forth. Someone who does not have faith, it is certain that the Holy One Blessed He has removed His kindness from him.

Through faith, you can direct the blessed G-d to do your will. When harsh decrees prevail, and kindness is rare (lit. precious) and not found, know that crying is helpful for this. (I heard from his holy mouth, at the time when I transcribed this before him, that a hint for this is in the verse: "How precious is Your kindness, G-d (Tehillim 36:8)" – Explaining as follows, when kindness is rare (precious), and unavailable, that is dinim prevail G-d forbid, then the action to be taken for this: (the continuation of the verse) "And people in the shadow of Your wings take refuge." The initials (of the last three words) spell out "crying", because crying helps for this, as previously stated).

Through charity, one transforms judgment and Din to the attribute of kindness. Through giving charity to an upright man, you will merit to draw kindness also to your friends.

Through cognizance, kindness is drawn forth. Someone who does not accept rebuke, suffering comes upon him.

To sweeten Dinim, recite Tehillim (Psalms), Chapter 39. [Lamnatzayach Al Yidusun (starting words)].

Someone who strengthens himself before prayer and prepares himself thoroughly (lit. greatly), even if afterwards he does not pray appropriately, through this suffering separates from him.

To sweeten Dinim, say (learn) Mishnayot of Zeraim. Someone who attaches himself at night to the quality of faith, the Din (judgement) upon him is sweetened.

Sometimes the Holy One Blessed He expends all the suffering on the father, so that his son will have peace. When you stay awake the whole night, by this you are saved from Dinim.

Through (making) a vow, the fury of the blessed G-d is forestalled. Through troubles that come upon a man, he can grasp and understand his sins.

To sweeten Dinim, say Tehillim (Psalms) Chapter 77. Also the money that is given to the Tzaddik, the giving itself sweetens the Din(judgement).

Through arrogance, kindness departs rising above (to the heaven). Due to depression, thoughts are aligned in Heaven for his detriment.

Through saying Tikkun Chatzot (Midnight Rectification – special regiment of prayers said at midnight), the judgment is sweetened. Through learning the Torah, accusers will retreat.

Through that which one comes to the Tzaddik, the coming in its own right can sweeten the Dinim. When one who goes and falls occasionally, he had been decreed to die, and now it is annulled through the falling (See also above #21).

For the evil decrees that the nations decree on Israel, they should say Tehillim (Psalms) Chapter 62.

Through staying in a Mikveh under the water, until one can no longer hold his breath, the Din is sweetened. Sometimes wine arouses Din(judgement).

One who gives his bread to someone lacking cognizance, suffering comes upon him. A judgment that was forestalled overnight, the judgment is annulled.

Someone without cognizance eventually is exiled. One who reads a scriptural verse in its time, brings good to the world.

One who learns Torah for the sake of Heaven, sets peace in the Upper Tribunal and in the Lower Tribunal. There are times and places destined for good, and the opposite is also true.

Sometimes a decree is forestalled by the Leader of the Generation, and sometimes by the people of the generation.

Through one's enemies, one can know the decree of Above.

When a man tells his suffering to a friend, the listener must act wisely at the time of hearing, so that the same suffering will not come upon him. As long as you can be saved through money, do not use prayers.

One who studies Torah in the night, the Holy One Blessed He draws upon him a thread of kindness in the day. When there is a disagreement Above on some matter, they rely (lit. support themselves) on the (opinion of the) Tzaddik in this world.

One must give money for a Pidyon (lit. redemption. Money is given to a tzaddik who redeems the contributor from any judgments). Someone who does not pray (lit. ask) for mercy for his generation, through this he is punished.

In the moment when a person is being judged above, they judge his name. Sometimes the messengers switch it with another name, and through this the decree of death or hardship comes on someone else. Someone who has a sick person or pain in his house should go to a Torah sage, that he should pray (lit. ask) for mercy on his behalf, or that he (the Torah sage) should bless him.

When it is heard that someone is making accusations on the Jewish people, those who hear should speak aloud of the merits of Israel (show a meritorious interpretation of the actions that brought on the accusation), and it is necessary to strive to find merit.

When the Holy One Blessed He sees that people are zealous for His honor, through this He retracts His anger. Not everyone is fitting to make a Pidyon (redemption, see above 66).

Charity sweetens harsh judgment.

The primary Pidyon (redemption, see above 66) or prayer is only in the day. After a decree has been passed, one needs to enclothe the prayer within stories (t.n. explained in Likutay Moharan, Torah 5).

One who wants to sweeten Dinim should not drink any wine the whole day. Fasting and sackcloth are conducive to annull an edict.

With humility, one can find favor with the Holy One Blessed He. Through submission (-before G-d), a decree is annulled.

When there is a Din(judgement), pray with fervor. The Tractate Ohalot (Tents - dealing with the parameters of impurity) is conducive to annulling decrees.

Building a stone house entails danger of death. Sweetening the Dinim is through casting lots, as with (the goat sent) to Azazel (on Yom Kippur). (The explanation of this matter I heard from his (Rabbi Nachman) holy mouth, at the time when I wrote this before him: That one should take two coins, and cast upon them lots -- one lot “to G-d”, and one lot “to Azazel”. The coin that on it came up the lot "to G-d" should be given to charity, and the second one that on it came up “to Azazel” should be thrown away (destroyed), and through this the judgment is sweetened.)

When a new king arises among the nations or a new minister, then the Din(judgement) is aroused.

The (immersing in a) Mikveh sweetens harsh judgment. Through being stiff-necked against repentance, one brings on himself a great breakdown which has no healing.

Through the opening of a Torah scroll, judgment is sweetened, and it is settled in its place. It is not good for two people with the same name to dwell in the same home (lit. in one home).

Through silence, the judgment is sweetened. Through depression, one arouses harsh judgment.

One who works to sweeten judgments, through this it will be easy for him to sanctify G-d's name, without prevention. Also, his eyes will not become dim. To sweeten the judgment, say the Torah portion concerning the eleven goatskin curtains (that served as roof for the Tabernacles - Shemot 26:7-14, 36:14-19), and the Ketoress (incense, Shemot 30:34-38), the eleven blessings that Moshe gave to the tribes (Devarim 33:6-25), and the Chariot of Yehezkel (Yehezkel 1). Through suffering, crowns are made.

And the portion about vows (Bamidbar 30) and Mishnayot of the Tractate of Shavuot. One who accepts suffering in order to lessen the suffering of the Jewish people, through this he will merit Divine Inspiration.

Through the Song of Songs, decrees are annulled. The portions on the festivals written in the (Torah) portion of Pinchas are conducive (segulah) through reading them to annul Dinim, and they are conducive to triumph under the gentile legislation.

One who is able to engage in Torah, and does not, suffering comes upon him. Through charity, one sweetens the judgments of the Time to Come, that is, of the Day of Judgment in the Time to Come.

One who raises a dog arouses Din(judgement). One who knows, when he sees a Din (judgement) on Israel, to flip the Din onto another nation, in the aspect of "and I will put a man in your place"(Isaiah 43:4), through this all the creations return their power and become included in him – in this man, in order to renew their power. Also through this the gate of various parables is opened in the world.

Those benefactors of kindness, who do kindness and sometimes cause - through the kindness they do – something bad, and they pretend they do not see the bad which resulted from their kindness. This is the aspect of the warning given to the Cohanim (priests), who are the aspect of kindness, not to take large steps (end of the portion of Yisro, Shemos). Through this, they cause the Judgment Above to be without deliberation. Also the opposite: When they take particular care in their kindness, that evil should not result from it, through this the Judgment Above is with deliberation.

Sometimes, the Holy One Blessed be He pushes a wicked person down into some hardship, in order that he go to the Tzaddik and ask that he (the Tzadik) pray on his behalf. One who rebels (lit. kicks) against suffering is as if he says to G-d, "Leave me!"

When a man learns until he is exhausted, through this he sweetens judgments and arouses mercy. Also through this, he arouses mercy for (lit. by) his father in the grave.

Appeasement of the Measure (attribute) of Judgment is not (can not be accomplished) with empty hands.

Sometimes when the Tzaddik of the Generation with his anger that he is angry at you, he sweetens judgments. One who was bitten by a dog, it is certain that G-d's mercy has been withdrawn from him. Also, it is certain that he has transgressed with (eating) forbidden foods. Sometimes a man is hidden from the Measure (attribute) of Judgment, with this that the Tzaddik exalts and glorifies himself over the man and casts him down.