מישרא דסכינא במאי קטלי לה

“With a karna chamra (donkey’s horn).”

“Does a donkey have a horn ?”

“Is there a garden of knives?”

They brought two bay’ay (eggs) and said to him, “Which is from the white pair and which is from the black pair?” He brought two cheeses and said to them, “Which is from the white aiz (goat) and which is from the black aiz (goat)?” (Bekhorot 8b).

English is not yet aligned for this local Hebrew addendum.

“Meishra D’sakina (a garden of knives), how does one harve st it?…”

Perceptions of Godliness can only be grasped through many contractions: from the First Cause to the caused, from the upper intellect to the lower intellect. We see this empirically, that it is impossible to grasp the greater insight without it being enclothed in the lower insight.

This is like the teacher who, when he wants to elucidate a profound insight to the student, must enclothe it in a lower, lesser insight so that the student will be able to understand it. That is, he begins by supplying him with introductions and lesser insights which first take him round about [the material], so that through this he can give him to understand the intended subject—itself a lofty and great insight.

2. Each person must seek out a suitable teacher such as this, one who can elucidate and give him to understand such a great and lofty insight, namely, perceptions of Godliness. For this is something which requires a very, very great rabbi; one who can explain a great insight as this through <a lesser and lower insight>, as mentioned, so that people lacking [in spiritual perception] can understand it.

In addition, the more one is lacking [in spiritual perception] and the further one is from the Holy One, the greater the rabbi one needs. Thus, we find that when the Jewish people were on a very low level, when they were trapped in the Forty-Nine Gates of Impurity in Egypt, they required a great master, a great and awesome teacher—namely Moshe Rabbeinu .

For the more lacking and removed one is, the more one needs a great teacher. He has to be an educator of such quality that he is able <to imbue, elucidate and> enclothe an insight as lofty as this—i.e., a perception of the Holy One—to one as lacking and distant as he. For the sicker the patient, the greater <and more expert> the doctor he requires.

Therefore, a person should not say: “It is enough for me to be a follower of a distinguished, God-fearing individual, even if he is not so outstanding. Would that I first be like him.” Do not say this. On the contrary, to the degree that a person knows inside himself the extent of his unworthiness and his remoteness from the Holy One—commensurate with what each and every person knows in his soul, as well as his great distance which he himself recognizes—he has to seek a very, very great healer for his soul, indeed, the greatest one. That is, he has to persistently and constantly request that he be found worthy of drawing closer to the very, very great master. For the more one is lacking [in spiritual perception], the greater the teacher he needs, as above.

3. Now, this is the concept of hair: the light of the mentalities emerge in the hairs. Likewise, the upper intellect, which is perceptions of Godliness, is enclothed in the lower intellect. This corresponds to “hair in a circle,” an aspect of encircling—namely, the introductions which go round about until they get to the point, as explained.

Yet the main thing is the point. As we find in the words of the Sages: They surrounded him with halakhot, until they arrived at the “daughter’s rival” (Yevamot 16a). Thus, all the halakhot which they had previously discussed were not the main intention, they were just circlings and introductions in order to arrive at the “daughter’s rival,” which was the intended.

And this is the concept of “black hair,” corresponding to (Song of Songs 1:5), “I am black but comely.” This is because blackness focuses the power of sight and contracts it so that one can see well. Likewise, the lower intellect is an aspect of blackness. It contracts within itself the comeliness and beauty of the upper intellect.

Moreover, these SAaRot (hairs) correspond to “the ShA’uRa (measures) of the letters of the Torah.” The mitzvot express the wisdom of the Holy One, <and all> the commandments have different measures and specifications. For example: Why is the prescription of a particular mitzvah as it is? Because that is what the wisdom of the Holy One required. The same is true of the prescription of a different mitzvah; it is in accordance with the wisdom of the Holy One.

Now, each and every mitzvah has letters, words and themes which are the measures and specifications in which the wisdom of the Holy One is contracted. This corresponds to the upper intellect being enclothed in the lower intellect, through which we merit perceptions of Godliness, as above.

This is the meaning of: Avraham had a bat (daughter), and Bakol was her name (Bava Batra 16b). “Bat” alludes to the bat ayin (pupil of the eye), the black of the eye. This corresponds to the blackness, mentioned above, which contracts, defines and includes within it all the large things that stand opposite it.

Take for example a large mountain. When it stands opposite the pupil, the black of the eye, the entire mountain is confined within the pupil that sees it. This is because the blackness in the eye contracts all large things, and they are included and seen in it. Through this, one is able to see and grasp that which is being looked at.

In a similar fashion, the lower intellect contracts and confines the great, upper intellect and it becomes included within it. Through this, one is able to see, understand and grasp the upper, great intellect, as explained.

And this is the meaning of: “God appeared before him b’laBaT (in a flame of) fire” (Exodus 3:2). The Holy One wanted to enclothe perceptions of Godliness for him, and He enclothed it for him in the aspect of the BaT ayin (pupil), as explained.

This corresponds to: A daughter [born] first is a good sign for sons (Bava Batra 141a). “A bat first” is the lower intellect, which is a first and an introduction to the upper intellect.

And this is the meaning of “a good sign for sons.” “Sons” corresponds to the upper intellect, as in the teaching of our Sages <on the verse> (Isaiah 43:6), “Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth.” “Bring My sons” alludes to the exiles of Babylon, whose minds were composed, like sons; “My daughters” alludes to the exiles in the other lands, whose minds are unsettled, like daughters (Menachot 110a). Thus, “sons” is the aspect of a composed mind, corresponding to the upper and great intellect which is grasped through introductions, corresponding to the lower intellect.

This is: “A bat first”—the lower intellect; “is a good sign for sons”—through it one grasps the upper intellect, the sons. And, “a good sign” alludes to the fact that in [the lower intellect] there are signs and specifications of the upper intellect. This is as in, “the measure of the letters of the Torah,” the aspect of “I am black but comely,” as explained.

4. Now, the only way to achieve this lower intellect is by “despising monetary gain.” One has to utterly loathe money. This is because “black hair,” which is the lower intellect, is from the facet of Malkhut (Kingship), and “despising monetary gain” is also from the facet of Malkhut. For the lower intellect is an aspect of Malkhut, corresponding to the lower wisdom in each and every world that guides that world. This intellect of guidance and Malkhut is synonymous with lower wisdom and intellect, as opposed to the intellect of perceptions of God.

Therefore, in the days of Shmuel, when the generation’s leaders succumbed to greed—as in (1 Samuel 8:3), “They strayed after monetary gain”—they immediately blemished MaLKhut of Holiness. As it is written (ibid.:7), “It is Me they have rejected from reigning over them,” and they asked for a MeLeKh (king) like all the nations.

“But in the days of Shlomo, when silver was not valued <at all>“ (cf. 1 Kings 10:21), Malkhut of Holiness was perfect and established. As it is written (1 Chronicles 29:23), “Shlomo sat on the throne of God”—he ruled over the upper ones and lower ones (Megillah 11b). Because of this, Shlomo merited the lower intellect mentioned above, as in (1 Kings 5:11), “He was wiser than all men,” and (ibid.:10), “Shlomo’s wisdom surpassed that of all the people of the east.” For this intellect is an aspect of Malkhut.

However, because of a love for money, one succumbs to the black of the Other Side—the aspects of “Saturn, a black vessel,” melancholy, as in (Genesis 3:17), “with great sorrow you will eat.” One falls into <the circles> and encirclements of the Other Side, as in (Psalms 12:9), “The wicked go round about.” He desires and longs for money, as in (Numbers 11:8), “The people ShaTu (strolled about) and gathered it”—with ShTuta (foolishness) (Zohar II, 62b), the very opposite of wisdom.

5. One who possesses this wisdom must see to draw life-force into it; giving vitality to this lower wisdom, each person commensurate with the lower wisdom that he possesses <and> in accordance with the lower wisdom that is in each world.

And the main life-force comes from the Light of the Face, as in (Proverbs 16:15), “In the light of the Living King’s countenance.” One therefore has to elevate Malkhut, lower wisdom, to the Light of the Face, which radiates on the Three Festivals.

This is because the essence of the Light of the Face is joy, as is written (Proverbs 15:13), “A joyous heart makes a good countenance”; and the essence of joy is from the mitzvot, as in (Psalms 19:9), “The instructions of God are upright, they make the heart rejoice.” And the main joy is in the heart, as is written (ibid. 4:8), “You placed joy in my heart,” with the heart of the entire year being the Three Festivals. This is as in (Leviticus 23:4), “Eileh Moadei YHVH —These are the festivals of God.” The first letters spell EMY (my mother), which is “EM to binah (understanding)” (Proverbs 2:3). And understanding <is the> heart (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction).

Now, the joy of all the mitzvot which we fulfill throughout the year gathers in the heart, the Three Festivals. This is why they are days of joy, as in (Deuteronomy 16:14), “you will rejoice on your festivals.” Then the face radiates because of the joy, as in, “A joyous heart makes a good countenance.” Because of this, we were commanded (ibid. 16:16), “Three times each year, all your males shall thus appear before the countenance of God your Lord”—in order to receive <from the Light> of the Face.

This is the meaning of: A man is obligated to receive the countenance of his master on the festival (Sukkah 27b). <That is,> in order to receive <from the Light> of the Face, to give vitality to the aspect of Malkhut. { “Righteousness will go to His face and set his p’amav (st eps) on the way” (Psalms 85:14). }

And this is the meaning of: “Righteousness will go to His face.” “Righteousness” <is the> Malkhut of Holiness when it is led to the Light of the Face. This primarily happens in the aspect of “set his P’AMav on the way”—i.e., three P’AMim (times) each year through which one receives from the Light of the Face, as explained.

And this is, “The upright will dwell in Your face” (Psalms 140:14). “Upright” alludes to “The instructions of God are upright, they make the heart rejoice.” They compose, cause to radiate and organize the Light of the Face, as above.

6. And there are times when the aspect of Malkhut of Holiness, lower wisdom, falls into the exile of the Four Malkhuts, God forbid. For Malkhut is synonymous with the [letter] dalet —“d’let (because it hasn’t) anything of its own,” other than the offshoots of the upper intellect which disseminate to there. It, too, is comprised of four worlds, for in every world there is the aspect of Malkhut, lower wisdom—the aspect of wisdom which guides that world, as above.

All the wisdoms of the nations are below the lower wisdom and their wisdom draws from there. But when, God forbid, they draw more than they should, they gain power <over Malkhut>. This creates the rule of the Four Malkhuts, the four exiles.

And who can bear the great outcry when the aspect of Malkhut, lower wisdom, falls into their midst, God forbid. This corresponds to (Ecclesia st es 9:17), “the screams of one who rules among fools,” that is, the screams when the kingdom—the aspect of Malkhut, lower wisdom—falls among fools. For fools want to become wise. They want to draw into their wisdom, which is in fact foolishness, the aspect of true wisdom, i.e., lower wisdom.

There is also another, greater outcry than this. The Holy One, as it were, Himself roars, as in (Jeremiah 25:30), “He will roar mightily over His habitation”—over His habitation (Zohar III, 74b). This refers to Malkhut, which falls into the exile of the Four Malkhuts.

And we have to see to sever and free the aspect of Malkhut from among the four exiles, and raise it up from there. Its elevation is mainly achieved through the aspect of chesed (lovingkindness), as in (Isaiah 16:5), “The throne is established with lovingkindness,” and (Hoshea 10:12), “Cut [the harvest] with lovingkindness.” Through lovingkindness we cut and sever the dalet, Malkhut, and free it from them to raise it up to the Light of the Face.

Thus, Avraham was a man of chesed. He always sought to do lovingkindness in order to elevate <the aspect of the dalet,> Malkhut, <from among them>. This is why Avraham ran after the Four Kings in order to subdue them. For they are the aspect of the Four Malkhuts, <the four exiles>. For Avraham despised money. He rejected the money of Sodom, as in (Genesis 14:23), “Neither a thread nor a shoestrap…. You will not be able to say, ‘I made Avraham rich.’”

<As our Sages said:> Avraham instituted Shacharyt (the Morning Prayer) (Berakhot 26b). This is the above mentioned aspect of shacharut (blackness), the lower intellect. As explained, this corresponds to lower wisdom, blackness, which one merits to rectify through “despising monetary gain.”

Thus, from Avraham descended Yitzchak and Yishmael, Yaakov and Esav. They are the aspect of “The Torah speaks of four sons: one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who does not know how to ask,” and [they] parallel the Four Malkhuts of Holiness, as is known.

Yitzchak is the wise son, for the name “Yitzchak” derives from the tzchok (joviality) and joy, and “A wise son makes his father rejoice” (Proverbs 10:1). Esav is the wicked son. Yaakov is the simple son, as is written (Genesis 25:27), “Yaakov was a simple man.” Yishmael is the son who does not know how to ask, for, as our Sages said: Yishmael repented (Bava Batra 16b). And the essence of repentance is the aspect of not knowing to ask—i.e., to repent and ask the Holy One for forgiveness regarding the unknown [sins]. This is the essence of repentance, as in (Psalms 69:5), “That which I did not steal, I must then return.”

This is the concept of “Avraham instituted ShaChaRYT”: it is an acrostic for Chakham (wise), Rasha (wicked), Tam (simple), and She’eino Yode’a < lishol> (does not know to ask). These [four] correspond to the Four Malkhuts, as explained.

And this is (1 Samuel 15:33), “Shmuel hacked Agag into pieces.” Agag embodied the Four Malkhuts of the Other Side, as is written (Numbers 24:20), “First among nations is Amalek.” This is also how Rashi explains “hacked into pieces”: he quartered him. In other words, he cut and separated the dalet —the aspect of Malkhut of Holiness, which hasn’t anything of its own—from Agag, the embodiment of the Four Malkhuts, <four exiles>, and elevated Malkhut of Holiness on the Three Festivals. Thus, “ShaSePh (he hacked into pieces)” stands for Shavuot, Sukkot, Pesach, for the primary life-force of Malkhut is from the Light of the Face of the Three Festivals, as explained.

This corresponds to (2 Samuel 11:1), “It came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out.” “The return of the year” alludes to the Three Festivals which are days of judgment, days of returning to God; as in the teaching of our Sages: On Pesach the grain harvest is judged, on Shavuot… (Rosh HaShanah 16a). Then is “the time when kings go out”— Malkhut of Holiness is taken out from the exile of the Four Malkhuts and raised to the Light of the Face which shines on the Three Festivals.

There is therefore the aspect of “four” on each Festival. On Pesach there are the four cups of wine. On Shavuot there is the order of the Mishnah, which each one learned four times, as our Sages taught: What was the order of the Mishnah?… (Eruvin 54b). On Sukkot there are the four species. All of these parallel the above mentioned aspect of the dalet, Malkhut, that has to be elevated to the Light of the Face through the joys of the mitzvot accumulated in the Festivals, <which are the heart of the year,> as above.

7. Now, the main revelation of the lovingkindness, by means of which the dalet is cut and separated from the four exiles, is through rebuke. As a result of the one who gives rebuke opening his mouth, wisdom is revealed. And through this wisdom, lovingkindness is revealed. This is because the primary revelation of lovingkindness is through wisdom, for “El is the light of wisdom,” as is written (Proverbs 31:26), “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the Torah of lovingkindness is on her tongue.” { “Let the tzaddik st rike me with lovingkindness and let him rebuke me, like choice oil… that my prayers be in their evil” (Psalms 141:5). }

And this is the meaning of: “Let the tzaddik strike me with lovingkindness and let him rebuke me, <like choice oil>.” That is, through rebuke lovingkindness is revealed. And we have to accept their rebuke, even if their rebuke occasionally involves humiliation. Even if they demean us we have to accept their rebuke in order to receive through it the lovingkindness.

For though they occasionally rebuke by means of humiliation, one has to judge them favorably, because one is not held responsible for words spoken while in pain (Bava Batra 16b). The reason is that they suffer greatly because of us. For even that which we consider good, in terms of the tzaddikim is bad. This is like what our Sages said: All the good of the wicked is bad for the tzaddikim (Yevamot 103a). That is, certainly our exploits and idle words they consider as bad. But even our good things, like prayer, which with respect to our abilities is only good, is bad relative to the tzaddikim. This is as in, “that my prayers be in their evil.” For our prayers disturb them.

The reason for this is that all the confusions of the mind and all the disturbances and all the foolishness which we at times experience, are all drawn into our prayers. For all the disturbances, etc., and all the thoughts which a person occasionally thinks, all come to mind precisely at the time of prayer. Precisely then, when he gets up to pray, he hears them all; as in (Psalms 106:2), “Who can express the mighty acts of God? Who can make heard all His tehillah (praise)?” “His TeHiLLaH” is linguistically similar to (Job 4:18) “His angels He charges with TaHaLLaH (folly)”—i.e., confusion and disturbance. They make themselves heard precisely then when one gets up to pray and to “express the mighty acts of God.”

This happens in two manners. One possibility is that they come to be rectified. Because they have seen that the person is praying with proper concentration, they therefore come to be rectified, as this is the time when such correction is possible. For they have in them holy sparks that are in need of rectification. Another possibility is that the person is not fit to pray, and they come to disturb him from his praying.

No matter what the reason, it is precisely then, at the time of prayer, that all a person’s confusions and all his disturbances come and make themselves heard to him. This is why the disturbances and confusions are called tehillah, because they come precisely at the time of prayer and praise, as explained.

And all these prayers, with all the confusions, come to the tzaddikim. This is because the tzaddikim are an aspect of the Mashiach, to whom all the prayers come to be elevated, as in (Isaiah 48:9), “For My praise, eChToM (I will restrain My anger) for you.” All the praises come to the aspect of the Mashiach who corresponds to the ChoTeM (nose), as in, “The breath of our nostrils, the m’shiach (anointed) of God” (Lamentations 4:20).

For the Mashiach will judge through the sense of smell (Sanhedrin 93b). This is as in (Isaiah 11:3), “He shall breathe of the fear of God”—namely prayers, as in (Proverbs 31:30), “the fear of God, that is to be praised.” In the prayers which he receives from them, he will smell and sense each and every individual as he is. For, as explained, all a person’s confusions are within his prayers.

Thus it is that the tzaddikim suffer because of our prayers, which disturb them. As a result, we have to accept their rebuke—even if they humiliate us.

8. It would, nevertheless, seem impossible for him to rebuke each and every individual. Is it not that all the prayers come together to him—those of the worthy and those of the ones who are unworthy? How can he know whether the prayer comes from this or that person, so that he might rebuke him?

However, he knows this—whether his prayer was proper or not—by means of the boldness and the Torah of each person. For there are two types of boldness. There is a holy boldness, without which it is impossible to receive the Torah. As our Sages said: The bashful person does not learn (Avot 2:5). They also taught: Why was the Torah given to Israel? because they are bold (Beitza 25b). And: Be bold as a leopard (Avot 5:20). And this is the reason the Torah is called “bold,” as is written (Psalms 29:11), “God give boldness to His people.” For it is impossible to approach the Torah without holy boldness.

Contrasting this, there is the reverse, the brazenness of the Other Side. From there comes other Torah, their Torah. For they are the aspect of idolatry, because, [as our Sages taught:] Whoever is brazen-faced, it is certain that the feet of his ancestors did not stand at Mount Sinai (Nedarim 20a).

And he has Torah [teachings] from the Other Side, which are called idolatry. This is the reverse of our holy Torah, which is an aspect of “P’SoL (carve out) for yourself” (Exodus 34:1) ; for it is called P ’SoLet (chaff) by virtue of what will happen in the future. As our Sages teach: The light which is substantial in this world shall be insignificant and slight in the World to Come (Pesachim 50a). In this it resembles chaff, which is insignificant and slight and floats to the top.

But his Torah is <absolute> P’SoLet, even in this world. Because of this, they are called PSiLim (idolatry), as it is written (Exodus 20:4), “Do not make for yourselves a PeSeL (an idol).” Thus, anyone who has their boldness, [i.e., brazenness] from the Other Side, receives their Torah, the aspect of idolatry.

Now, by virtue of the boldness that the tzaddik sees in each and every individual as he is—whether he has holy boldness or the reverse—he [the tzaddik] knows if his prayer was a proper prayer or the reverse. This is because the prayer, too, results from boldness. For it is impossible to get up to pray before the Holy One except by means of boldness—each individual commensurate with his heart’s estimation of the Holy One’s greatness. As is written (Proverbs 31:23), “Her master is known at the Sh’ARim (gates)”—each individual commensurate with his heart’s ShAeR (estimation) (Zohar I, 103b).

Yet, how is it possible for a person—each commensurate with the level at which he estimates the Holy One’s greatness in his heart—to get up and pray before Him? Especially prayer, which is a wonder—i.e., a rearrangement of the [celestial] order. The order dictates that things go a certain way, and each star and constellation is set in its individual watch and order, precisely as the Holy One arranged that they be fixed and ordered. Yet, he comes with his prayer and wants to rearrange the order, <change nature> and work wonders.

Therefore, at the time of prayer one must remove the embarrassment <and empower holy boldness>, as is written (Psalms 22:5, 6), “In You our fathers trusted… they trusted and were not embarrassed.” Because of the embarrassment that one feels before God, it is impossible to pray—unless it is with <holy> boldness, as explained.

This is the meaning of: “You are the Almighty who works wonders. You let Your OZ (strength) be known among the nations” (Psalms 77:15). The Holy One works wonders through the prayers of Israel, which are the result of AZut (boldness), as above. Through this, <the Holy One> makes known to the nations the holy boldness of Israel. When the nations see the wonders that are worked in the world because of Israel’s prayers, they know how great Israel’s holy boldness is; that they have such boldness that they can pray and work wonders.

Thus, the tzaddik, because he sees the boldness and Torah of each and every person, knows which prayer disturbs him [and] from whom it comes. As a result, he knows how to rebuke him.

9. This is the explanation [of what the Wise Men of Athens asked]:

Meishra d’sakina (a garden of knives) — This alludes to lower wisdom/ Malkhut. [For meishra d’SaKiNa] is study, as in (Numbers 22:30), “ha’haSKeiN hiSKaNti,” which connotes study {as Onkelos translates it: have I repeatedly learned}. This corresponds to “a vengeful sword” (Leviticus 26:25), which is the aspect of Malkhut .

Meishra — Rashi translates this as ARuGa (a patch). This corresponds to “the screams of one who rules…,” as is written, “As a gazelle taARoG (cries longingly)” (Psalms 42:2).

how does one harve st it — Rashi explains: With what does one cut it? That is, with what do we cut and free Malkhut in order to save it from screaming? This corresponds to “he quartered him,” explained above. [Rabbi Yehoshua] answered them:

With a karna chamra (donkey’s horn) — In other words, with rebuke, by means of which lovingkindness is revealed. With this we cut and sever the dalet, as in, “Cut the harvest with lovingkindness.”

Karna (a horn) corresponds to the voice which rebukes. It is an aspect of the shofar-horn, as in (Isaiah 58:1), “Raise your voice like a shofar and tell My people of their transgression”—namely, rebuke.

Chamra corresponds to (Genesis 49:14), “Yissachar is a strong-boned chamor (donkey).” This is as in (1 Chronicles 12:33), “Of the descendants of Yissachar, men who had understanding of the times.” Through rebuke, it [the dalet] is elevated to the Festivals which are an aspect of “understanding of the times,” as above.

They brought two BAy’ay (eggs) — This connotes entreaties and BAuta (supplications), aspects of prayer.

they said to him, Which is from the white one and which is from the black one — In other words: You say that with rebuke we elevate Malkhut, yet how is it possible to give rebuke? All the prayers come together, so how can one know [whom] to rebuke based on the prayer? One does not know which is the prayer of the worthy and which is the reverse. Thus: Which is from the white one and which is from the black one? Which prayer is from the worthy person and which is from the opposite.

He brought two cheeses — This is as in (Job 10:10), “like cheese taKPYaini (will you curdle me)?” This alludes to the two types of Torah mentioned above. They are KaPhuY (frothy) and slight, corresponding to p’solet, as in, “p’sol for yourself,” and “Do not make for yourselves a pesel .”

and said to them, Which is from the white AiZ (goat) and which is from the black AiZ — This refers to the two types of AZut, the holy boldness and the brazenness of the Other Side, from which come the two types of Torah. And, as explained, commensurate with the boldness it is possible to know the prayers and thereby rebuke them. Through this we cut and free the aspect of Malkhut. We rescue it from “the screams of one who rules” and elevate it to the Light of the Face which shines on the Festivals, <the heart of the entire year, as in, “A joyous heart makes a good countenance”>.

{Rebbe Nachman began this lesson quoting the verse (Genesis 41:1), “And it was at the end of [two full years],” but subsequently did not explain it based on the concepts taught here. He later said that had he wanted to finish the explanation of the verse, it would have been necessary to deliver another lesson like this one in order to do so.}

10. From a person’s voice it is possible to know the aspect of Malkhut which he has. For in each and every person there is the aspect of Malkhut, and it can be detected in his voice. No two voices are alike, as each person’s voice is different from his friend’s. It is therefore possible to recognize a person by his voice, as we see. A person’s level and his voice correspond, and from his voice it is possible to know his aspect of Malkhut.

For there is “the voice of the victory shout,” and “the voice of the shout of defeat” (Exodus 32:18), in accordance with the aspect of Malkhut of each person. Thus, at the time Shaul persecuted David because he saw that he would rule, the verse records that Shaul and David were together and Shaul said to David (1 Samuel 24:16), “Is that your voice, my son David?” Shaul understood from the voice that it had the strength of kingship. So he asked David, “Is that your voice, my son David?”

Shaul wondered about David’s voice, because he understood that it was the voice of a real king. Therefore Shaul wanted to lift up his voice, to raise his voice above David’s voice, but he could not. This is the meaning of (ibid.), “Shaul lifted up his voice and he cried.” That is, he wanted to lift up and raise his voice, as explained, but the sound [that emerged] was a sob. This is the meaning of “he cried,” his voice sobbed, a hushed sound of crying. Thus, Shaul then said to David (ibid.:20), “I know that you will certainly rule”—he knew this through the voice, as explained. how does one harve st it - a patch of knives. With what does one clip and prune it?