אות - קמא

Related to what Rabbainu o.b.m. said on the verse (Psalms 89:2): "I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth" — that the essence of faith depends on the mouth of the person etc. — in Likutay Tinyana section 44:

Behold, I found this from the handwritten manuscript of the companions with a bit more explanation, and this is its language: When doubts about faith in the Creator blessed be His Name fall upon a person — he should say with a full mouth: "I believe with complete faith that He is One, First and Last." For it is known that the Evil Inclination is drawn from fallen Gevuros [divine strengths], and there are Gevuros of holiness through which the Gevuros of the kelipah are sweetened. And speech is in the aspect of Gevuros of holiness, as it is written (Psalms 145:11): "And they speak of Your power [gevurasecha]." It is found that when one says "I believe" as mentioned, it is Gevuros of holiness, and through this one sweetens the doubts which are in the aspect of Gevuros of the kelipah. And this is what the Gemara said (Berachos 5a): "A person should always arouse the Good Inclination against the Evil Inclination" — meaning through Gevuros of holiness one sweetens the Gevuros of the kelipah. And this is what the Gemara said (283): one who does not want to be irritable should speak gently — thus gentle speech is not so much rage. And silence silences rage. But speech with a full mouth is in the aspect of rage which is the aspect of Gevuros as mentioned.

(From the handwritten manuscript of the companions — and it is related to section 263 in Part One.)

283. RAK: Taanis 4a. Ein Yosef there.

For there are two types of animal eating. Meaning: there is a person who eats with great desire like an animal, but the food is human food. And there is a person who eats like a human but the food is not human food — meaning the sparks were not sufficiently clarified to be fitting for a human, rather it is animal food. And one who eats from either of these two foods comes to the illness of fever. And this is what is written (Psalms 66:12): "You have caused men to ride over our heads" — meaning when we are on a low level, that a great person rides over us, that we eat from either of the two foods mentioned, then "we came through fire and through water" — meaning hot and cold, namely fever. And even the doctors say the same — that fever comes from excess eating. And this is in the physical dimension. And in the spiritual dimension it is also so — for when a person is in the aspect of daas [knowledge] he has holy love and fear. And when he falls, Heaven forbid, from the aspect of daas he falls into fallen love and fear. And when a person eats one of the two foods mentioned he falls from the aspect of daas — for (Koheles 3:19): "And the advantage of man over beast is nothing" — meaning the aspect of daas, in the aspect of (Job 28:12): "And wisdom — from where is it found." It is found that when he eats such foods he is in the aspect of animal, and falls from the aspect of daas, and falls into fallen love and fear. And this is: "You have caused men to ride over our heads" — as mentioned, then "we came through fire and through water" — namely into fallen love and fear.

When he came from Lemberg and still had his illness — the cough, tuberculosis — prevailing upon him. And then he was traveling nearly every day to take walks near the city for healing and other awesome intentions he had in this (284). And we heard from his holy mouth then on the way of the walk several Torahs and several wonderful and awesome discourses and stories. Also the discourse beginning: "Know that when one prays in the field" — said on the verse (Bereishis 24:63): "And Yitzchak went out to speak in the field" etc. (in Likutay Tinyana section 11) — was also said then at the time when we traveled with him to walk. And we stood in one field and descended from the wagon, and he was still sitting on the wagon and we stood around him. In the meantime the time of Mincha arrived and we wanted to pray there. Then he said the aforementioned Torah. And the matter there — that when one prays in the field then all the grasses etc. enter into the prayer etc. — see there. And he said afterward that just as we are standing around him, he sees all the grasses — how every blade of grass presses itself toward each and every one of those standing there in order to rise and enter within his prayer as is explained in the aforementioned Torah (285).

Also the Torah of "Where is the place of His glory" on the verse "And where is the lamb for the burnt offering" (Bereishis 22:7) in section 12. And the Torah on the statement: "What is the reason the camel has a short tail and the ox has a long tail" (Shabbas 77b) — beginning: "These who boast in greatness" in section 15. And the Torah beginning: "They asked — why is it that when one seeks livelihood" etc. in section 16 — all this we heard on the way, during the walk. And more other Torahs. And all the discourses mentioned and what was said "in a cheerful mood" (there) and all that we heard then on the way — all of it is connected and hinted in the teachings of our Sages o.b.m., in the wondrous aggadah that Rabbi Yehudah asked Rabbi Zeira when he was in a cheerful mood: "Forty-nine chickens raised one eye" etc. And there is hinted all of this (286).

284. RAK: Rabbainu returned from Lemberg on Sunday the 8th of Tammuz 5568. These Torahs were said in Av and Elul of that year.

285. RAK: In Yemei Moharnat 25, section 29 in the vocalized edition, and in Chayai Moharan, Discourses Connected to the Teachings, 51, the matter of how this discourse was revealed is explained at length.

286. RAK: These questions are brought in the Gemara tractate Shabbas 77b, and there: "if he had asked him about all that happens in the universe, he would have been able to tell him."

When he spoke with me and revealed to me the way to make prayers from the Torahs as printed (in Likutay Tinyana section 25), he told me it is good to write out for oneself the prayers. And then I saw and understood from his holy movements that it is a very wonderful and awesome matter to make prayers from the Torahs. And as he said — that great delights are made from this above etc. Also once he was speaking with one person and was yearning greatly that prayers be made from the Torahs. And he said: I desire very much that prayers be made from the Torahs — but I do not know to whom to entrust this. And once he showed me in a book that was with him — that had been recently composed, called "Yad HaKetanah" (287) — and at the end it explains several matters in the language of prayer, speaking to Hashem Yisburach and beginning every matter with "My G-d" etc. And he called me and commanded me to look into it, and hinted to me then as if speaking. See that this author discusses several matters of his discourses in the language of prayer to Hashem Yisburach. And he hinted to me that his longing is very great to do so from his holy Torahs — to make from all the Torahs prayers. For such was his way to hint at lofty matters through small things, because it was hard for him to explain his intent explicitly from the greatness of the accusations and obstacles, and also for several other reasons. Therefore he hinted in wonderful ways so that a person himself would understand his intent on his own if he wishes. And there are wonderful matters in his conduct with me in several matters — and it is impossible to explain them.

He also said: when prayers are made from the Torahs, great delights are made from this above that have never risen before Him blessed He such great delights from the days of the world — as is printed already in the introduction to the prayers (288). And more than this, he strengthened us in this through the holy discourse he spoke with me after the saying of the Torah "Bereishis l'einei kol Yisrael" [Bereishis, before the eyes of all Israel] (Likutay Moharan Tinyana 67) as is explained below.

287. RAK: Composed by Rabbi Beer ben Yaakov of Sianvuh. Printed in Lemberg in the year 5560. Chapter 5 in it is called "Shir Emunah" and in it the principles of faith are explained in the manner of prayer.

288. RAK: The book Likutay Tefilos [Collected Prayers] composed by Moharnat in light of this Torah. It is organized according to the order of the Torahs in Likutay Moharan.

Related to the Torah whose first letters spell the word "Kasha" [difficulty] — "Sh'ma Hashem koli ekra" [Hear O Lord my voice, I call] (Psalms 27:7) (in Likutay Tinyana section 46) — before the word "and in any case Hashem Yisburach hears his voice, which is his salvation" — it seems to me something is missing there. And the essential matter is that the crying out in one's heart itself is in the aspect of faith. For even though great heresies and difficulties come upon him — even so, since he cries out in any case within his heart, certainly there is still within him a spark and point of holy faith. For if, Heaven forbid, there were no longer any point of faith within him at all, he would not cry out at all. It is found that the very crying out itself is an aspect of faith — understand this. And also through the crying out one can merit to faith, meaning: the crying out itself is an aspect of faith as mentioned, only the faith is in a state of very great smallness. And through the crying out itself one can merit to faith — meaning to elevate and magnify the faith until the difficulties depart from him. And even if one does not yet merit this — even so, the crying out itself is very good as mentioned above.

I heard from one of our followers who said that before Rabbainu o.b.m. told the story of the king who had a son who was entirely made of precious stones — which is printed (in Sipurei Ma'asiyos, Story 5) (289) — he said before telling it: I know a story in which the entire Name of forty-two letters is contained (290). And afterward he told that story. And even so, we do not know if that is the story of the Name of forty-two (291). And I myself also heard from his holy mouth, several years ago, that he said: the Baal Shem Tov o.b.m. knew a story that contained the Name of forty-two, and he spoke with me then about the Name of forty-two. And he asked me to find an interpretation in the vernacular for two letters "vav" and "tzaddik" that are found in that Name and I could not find them. And from what was understood, he already knew the secret of the entire aforementioned Name — only these two letters "vav" and "tzaddik" mentioned he was not yet able to incorporate into the matter in which he wished to clothe that Name.

289. RAK: A book containing the principal stories that Rabbainu told. First printed in 5685.