אות - פט

Know that every person before sleep sees all the souls of the deceased who are his relatives or those who are from his root — just as before death one sees the aforementioned souls, as is known (191). So too before sleep, which is one-sixtieth of death (Berachos 57b), one sees them as well. Only because the seeing is in an extremely fleeting passage — for before actual death there are also distinctions: a great person and an upright man sees the aforementioned souls before his death with complete seeing; but ordinary people, even before their death, do not see those souls except in a fleeting passage — like a flash and sparkle that passes before the eyes. And before sleep which is only one-sixtieth of death — then the aforementioned seeing of the aforementioned souls is only one-sixtieth of the aforementioned sparkle. And therefore the aforementioned seeing is not felt in the sense of sight at all, and no person knows of this — because it is a very slight sparkle, one-sixtieth of the aforementioned sparkle. But in truth everyone sees them before sleep, as mentioned above.

191. RAK: Zohar, Bereishis, 218b.

A segulah for diligence (192) — that one should merit to be diligent in one's study — is to be careful not to speak against any person of Israel. Just as when the bride is beautiful the love is complete; but when the bride has some deficiency and blemish, then certainly the love is not complete. So too the Torah is called a bride, as it is written (Devarim 33:4): "The Torah that Moshe commanded us is an inheritance" — and our Sages o.b.m. expounded (Berachos 57a; Pesachim 49b): "Do not read 'inheritance' [morashah] but 'betrothed' [meurashah]." And every individual of Israel has a letter in the Torah — for the six hundred thousand letters of the Torah correspond to the six hundred thousand souls of Israel (193). And when there is a deficiency in one of Israel, it is found that there is a deficiency in the Torah — there where the root of those souls of Israel is as mentioned. And therefore certainly it is impossible to love the Torah completely. But when one is careful not to speak against any Jew and not to find any deficiency in any Israelite — it is found that the Torah has no deficiency or blemish, and then one will certainly love the Torah greatly. And then one will merit diligence in the study of Torah from the greatness of the love as mentioned above.

And this is: "The Torah of Hashem is perfect" (Psalms 19:8) — when the Torah of Hashem is perfect without any deficiency or blemish — that is, when one is careful not to speak against and not to find any deficiency in any Israelite who is a letter from the Torah — it is found that then the Torah of Hashem is perfect without any deficiency or blemish. Then it is "soul-restoring" — for then precisely one merits the love of the Torah and feels the sweetness and taste of the Torah that restores the soul, since it has no deficiency as mentioned. And then one merits diligence as mentioned above.

192. RAK: This discourse was given in response to a question that Rabbainu was asked about the matter of diligence in study. It was said on the eve of Rosh HaShanah 5571, a short time before Rabbainu's passing. (Chayai Moharan, Discourses Connected to the Teachings, 34).

193. RAK: Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 74a. See Likutay Moharan 2, 14, 273.

When a soul comes into the world, then the action of that soul begins to be elevated. For example, if it is the soul of a sage then wisdom begins to rise and ascend higher and higher from the day of his birth until the day of his passing. And similarly if it is a soul of kingship then the strategies of war and the affairs of the kingdom are elevated. And according to the nature of the wisdom — whatever type of wisdom it is — that wisdom is elevated at the time that soul comes into the world. And similarly according to the nature of the kingship — whether it is a wicked kingship or a good kingship. The rule is: the action of that soul begins to be elevated from the day that soul arrives in the world. And there are in a person's lifetime days of ascent and days of standing and days of descent — for example if his lifetime is seventy or eighty years, then a third of his days are days of ascent, a third days of standing, and a third days of descent. That is: a third of his days he rises higher and higher with all his powers, a third of his days he stands, and afterward a third are days of descent. And days of standing is when he is in fullness — then all his powers are in their completeness and fullness. And this is the aspect of the full moon [niggud halvana]. For the moon at the time of the new moon is small, and afterward it rises and grows until it faces the sun (194). And then it is the aspect of standing. And afterward it descends and diminishes. And the property of the moon is moisture, and therefore the sea from the time of the new moon begins to rise and heighten itself higher and higher, and afterward at the end of the month falls and descends and diminishes.

And know that words spoken before many people — the more numerous the people are, the more the words are sweetened. And this is the aspect of "as people say" (195) — they are words of the nations, and when they came among Israel and were spoken among them — through this they were sweetened and from them came sublime matters. And this is the aspect of sea water that is salty and impossible to drink — but when it goes through mountains of sand, through this it is sweetened, for sand sweetens water and then it is fit to drink. (And he did not explain this further.)

194. RAK: See Tosfos Yom Tov on Rosh HaShanah 2:8.

195. RAK: Berachos 2b, 5b, 48b, 62b. Shabbas 54b, 62b. And in many other places.