שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים

Through strengthening oneself in joy on the three festivals — Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos — one merits the light of the countenance [אוֹר הַפָּנִים]: that is, great and true knowledge through which the holy intellect is enlivened. And through this intellect one merits the attainment of divinity [הַשָּׂגַת אֱלֹקוּת] — that is, one merits complete and genuine faith and proper fear of G-d, which are called "attainments of divinity." For through complete faith and fear one comes to know Hashem, may He be blessed, and His particular Providence as they should be. Thus is it explained in Likutay Halachos.

The primary joy is from the commandments. That is: the joy that a person rejoices in the wisdom, might, and wealth of this world is a false joy — for all the wealth of this world ends and is nullified on the day of his death. And likewise nothing remains to him from the wisdom and might he possessed in the days of his life. But the joy that one merited to rejoice in fulfilling the commandments and in fear of G-d — this remains with the person forever and ever. As stated in tractate Avos : "Nothing accompanies a person after death — not silver and not gold, etc. — only repentance and good deeds alone." Therefore the primary joy that is proper and worthwhile for a person to rejoice in is only in spiritual wealth — that is, fear of G-d and fulfillment of the commandments. And the primary joy is in the heart — the person must genuinely feel in his heart the importance and preciousness of fear of G-d and fulfillment of the commandments. And no greater and more sublime wealth than this exists — for these are a true good for a person in this world and in the World to Come. And if a person would contemplate the greatness of the Creator, may He be blessed, he would feel how much he must rejoice in every commandment — that he is fulfilling the will of Hashem, the One, the Primordial, the Eternal, may His Name be blessed forever — Who is the King and Ruler of all the worlds. Therefore one must rejoice greatly in every commandment — but certainly it must be fulfilled for the sake of Heaven. And the primary joy of all the commandments performed throughout the year is gathered and assembled at the three festivals: Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos. That is: on these festival days the person merits to feel the holiness and joy of the commandments he fulfilled throughout the year. And this is the reason for the festival joy — because on the festival days the holiness and joy of all the good points of all the commandments performed throughout the year are awakened and assembled. That is: even when one does not perform the commandment with perfect completeness, nonetheless there is a good point in the commandment, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN in the Torah "Azamra le'Elokai be'odi" ["I will sing to my G-d while I yet exist"]. Therefore one must prevail and rejoice with the little good found in every commandment. And especially on the festival days one must certainly greatly strengthen oneself in joy, as the verse states : "And you shall rejoice in your festival." And the festival days are also especially suited for joy — for then the joy of all the commandments is awakened and assembled, as described above. And one must remember that no joy greater than that of fulfilling the Torah's commandments and fear of G-d exists, as described in this section.

A segulah [effective remedy] for being saved from arrogance [גַּדְלוּת] is to receive the festival days with honor and joy — with eating, drinking, and honorable garments — according to one's means. That is: through receiving the festival with honor and holiness as explained in the Shulchan Aruch — refraining from all labor, and conducting oneself with food, drink, and honorable clothing in abundance, to the extent that one's hand reaches. But one must not seek ways to obtain money through prohibition, G-d forbid, in order to multiply the pleasure of the festival — thinking it is a commandment — for all who multiply festival expenditures from funds obtained in a forbidden manner are transgressing and are not fulfilling any commandment at all. But if one multiplies festival meals from proper funds, and likewise honorable clothing properly obtained, and one's intention is genuinely for the honor of the festival and not out of lust or pride — then certainly this is a segulah for saving from arrogance. And one must also always be careful — and especially on the days of Shabbas and festival — from mockery and frivolity, as explained in the Shulchan Aruch in the laws of the festival — for all of this is the honor of the festival and is very effective for saving from pride and arrogance, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN Part I, §135 and in Likutay Halachos.

When one receives the festival as it should be, as described in §3 — this is in the aspect of receiving the face of one's Rebbe on the festival [קַבָּלַת פְּנֵי רַבּוֹ בָּרֶגֶל] — even if he is many parsaos [travel-distances] away from his Rebbe. That is: through receiving the festival in complete perfection as it should be, one receives holiness and true knowledge as if one receives it through receiving the face of the true Rebbe. For within the holiness of the festival there is the same illumination found in the holy face of the true Rebbe. Therefore when one receives the festival as it should be — with holiness, kashrus, and genuine joy — this is like beholding the true Rebbe if one cannot actually come to him. And likewise through being genuinely bound to the true Tzadik one can feel the holiness of the festival. And through this one elevates the holy kingdom [מַלְכוּת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה] from the klipos — that is: the holy faith called "kingdom" is purified from blemishes, doubts, and confusions. And the kingdom of wickedness falls and is nullified from the person — that is, heresies and false beliefs — which are called the kingdom of wickedness — are nullified from him.

On the festival one must repent from within joy [מִתּוֹךְ שִׂמְחָה]. That is: even though one must receive the festival days with great joy — nonetheless one must be aroused through it to fear of G-d and repentance, but only from within joy and without sadness. And the reason for repentance on the festival days: because during the festival the world is judged regarding several matters, as explained in the words of the Sages . And one must be very careful from sadness. And even though sadness is very much forbidden throughout all the days of the year — on the days of the festival it is an even greater prohibition. Rather one must fulfill : "Serve Hashem with fear, and rejoice with trembling." That is: the service and joy on the festival must be in fear and repentance. And through this the holy kingdom is elevated from the klipos — the holy faith called "kingdom" is purified from blemishes, doubts, and confusions — as described in §4. And through receiving the festival with joy, repentance, and fear — as described in this section — one hastens the complete redemption speedily in our days, Amen.

One who is walking on the road and stumbles and falls, and people laugh at him and he is humiliated — must know that he came to this stumbling because he blemished the joy of the festival — that is, he did not receive the festival with joy and kashrus as it should be.

Through receiving the festival days with proper honor — with eating, drinking, and honorable garments — according to one's means, from proper funds and for the sake of Heaven — through this one merits to know Hashem, may He be blessed. And one must also be very careful during the festival days about the purity and holiness of thought — to guard the mind from evil reflections and evil thoughts. And even though one must always guard the mind from evil reflections — during the festival days one must guard it even more. And especially one must strengthen oneself in festival joy — and through this one merits to introduce true knowledge into the heart. That is: one merits to strengthen oneself so greatly in true knowledge that one subdues the evil lusts from the heart — and through this one receives the festival with kashrus and joy. And one merits to rectify the three lusts and evil traits: the lust for money, the lust for sexual immorality, and the lust for eating. For in each festival of the three festivals one evil trait is rectified: In the festival of Pesach — the lust for money is rectified. In the festival of Shavuos — the lust for sexual immorality is rectified. And in the festival of Sukkos — the lust for eating comes to its rectification. Therefore one must be careful to receive the festival with kashrus and joy as it should be — in order to merit knowledge. And through the knowledge the three aforementioned traits come to their rectification, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN Part II, in the Torah "Tiku memshalah" — that through the knowledge of the festival days the three evil traits mentioned come to their rectification. And all of Jewishness depends upon the rectification of those lusts. For through their rectification one merits the influence of prophecy and complete prayer, and merits healing and the flowering of Mashiach — that is, the light of knowledge that Mashiach will introduce into the world. And one merits the rectification of all character traits — until one can rule over the angels [מַלְאָכִים] with an enduring dominion — that is, one can rule over the evil inclination and all the lusts and evil traits, meaning to conquer them and subdue them, and no obstacle or confusion can push them away and throw them from the truth. And for this service — to rule over the inclination and the lusts, to conquer them and subdue them — every person from Israel was created. And this is the primary purpose and end: that from all the toils, labors, and sufferings that pass over every person from Israel, nothing profits him except what he strove to rule over his inclination and conquer his lusts — and not to distance himself from truth through any confusion or obstacle. And the person who merits to rule over his inclination and lusts is more important and greater than the angels. And thus is it all explained in Likutay Halachos.

During the festival days a voice proclaims and announces that everything that occurs in the world in general, and with every person in particular, is all by His will and His particular Providence, may He be blessed — without any natural compulsion whatsoever. For at every festival and appointed time Hashem, may He be blessed, performed for us signs and wonders, miracles and marvels — against the course of nature. At Pesach, Hashem took us out of Egypt with signs and wonders in a supernatural manner — for from Egypt no slave could escape, yet Hashem, by His will and His Providence, brought out thousands upon thousands in broad daylight, and all the Egyptians saw this and could not restrain them. And certainly this is a change of nature. At Shavuos, Hashem gave us the Torah with awesome wonders, with no recourse to the way of nature. And at Sukkos, Hashem surrounded us with clouds — so that no enemy or harmful force could touch Israel — against the course of nature, but only through His power and His particular Providence. And all of this Hashem did in order that we know and believe that everything that occurs in the world and with every person in particular is all by His will, may He be blessed, and His particular Providence — without any compulsion of nature. And during the festival days a voice of holiness cries out to announce and remind that these matters not be forgotten. But one must listen very carefully to this voice — with the ears and the heart — for the voices of heretics and scoffers exist who deny, G-d forbid, Providence, and through their heresy they wish to demonstrate that everything is founded upon the course of nature, G-d forbid. And because of this the voice of holiness that cries out and arouses regarding Providence is not heard — as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN Part II, §4. But through genuine closeness to the true Tzadik one strengthens oneself in simple faith and hears this voice — the voice of the festival — and believes that everything is accomplished by His particular Providence, may He be blessed, and not by the course of nature. And through this one merits festival joy. And even on the weekdays one merits joy — for all manner of sadness and worries found in the person are only because he does not believe in particular Providence, since he thinks everything occurs by the course of nature, G-d forbid. And when he cannot achieve salvation through natural means — whether in health, whether in Parnasah — he sinks into sadness and worries. But when one believes that everything is by particular Providence — he is not sad and does not worry about the sufferings that pass over him, G-d forbid, but always strengthens himself in joy — because he believes that Hashem, may He be blessed, will remove the sufferings from him through His particular Providence. Even though according to nature he does not know how — he believes and feels that His Providence, may He be blessed, is stronger than the course of nature and can nullify nature entirely. And because of his faith in particular Providence he hopes that Hashem, may He be blessed, will yet save him with kindness and goodness. And especially during the festival days, when he merits to hear the aforementioned voice of holiness that announces His particular Providence — he certainly merits great joy. And since through the commandment of charity as it should be one merits to hear the voice of calling of the festival and to believe that everything occurs by His Providence, may He be blessed, and not by the course of nature — therefore one must multiply in charity before the festival, in order to merit complete festival joy.