Based on LM I:36
Torah as Sam Chaim: Birchos HaTorah
The general principle: every Jew must be tested and refined through the exile of the seventy nations — that is, through their desires — before he can have a revelation in Torah. The essential desire is the desire of adultery, which is the ra hakolail [the all-inclusive evil] encompassing all seventy nations. One must first be tested and refined through this desire, and when one merits standing firm in the test and shattering this desire, one merits the revelation of Torah. Then new neshamos [souls] are drawn forth, and each person receives the Torah according to his vessel, according to the comprehension of his mind — which corresponds to his merit in sh'miras habris [guarding the Covenant — personal holiness]. For from the Mouth of the Most High nothing emerges except simple, undifferentiated light — only each person shapes the light according to his level. This is the aspect of (Yoma 72b): "V'samtem — zachah, na'aseh lo sam chaim; lo zachah..." — "If he merited, it becomes an elixir of life; if not..." — (it becomes the reverse). This is also the aspect of (Bamidbar 23): "Hinay varaich lakachti, u'varaich v'lo ashivenah" — "Behold, I have received blessing, and He blessed — I cannot reverse it." (See there well. This teaching is also brought in another volume in Hilchos Pesach.)
This is the aspect of Birchas HaTorah [the blessings over the Torah] — that one must bless every day over the Torah in order to merit drawing the light of Torah in the aspect of berachah [blessing], in the aspect of "if he merited, it becomes an elixir of life." For the Torah contains two powers — "if he merited, an elixir of life; if not..." — and therefore one must specifically bless over the Torah, to draw its light — which is simple, undifferentiated light — and shape it in the aspect of berachah, the aspect of "merited — elixir of life."
This is what we bless: "Asher bachar banu mikol ha'amim v'nasan lanu es Toraso" — "Who chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah." We mention in this berachah that He chose us from all the nations — that He selected us from them, extracting us from their character traits and evil desires. Specifically through this — "He chose us from all the nations" — for "Your people Yisrael are all tzaddikim" and all are included among those who guard the Bris, as brought elsewhere (LM I:23). Through this we are chosen from all the nations — from the seventy nations and their evil desires, especially from the all-encompassing desire that includes all seventy nations. And specifically through this — "v'nasan lanu es Toraso" — "He gave us His Torah" — for the essential reception of Torah is specifically through this: through being chosen from all the nations — meaning through the kedushah of the Bris, subduing and shattering the all-encompassing desire. Through this specifically one can receive the Torah in the aspect of berachah, the aspect of sam chaim [elixir of life].
This is the aspect of "Ha'arev na Hashem Elokainu es divrai Sorascha b'finu" — "Please, Hashem our God, make the words of Your Torah sweet in our mouths" — for we request that the Torah be sweet and pleasant in our mouths, meaning that we merit receiving the Torah in the aspect of a full light, in the aspect of berachah, the aspect of sam chaim — which is the aspect of mayim m'sukin [sweet waters], the aspect of sh'miras habris. For the reverse, chas v'shalom — "if he did not merit..." — it is the aspect of mayim m'rorin [bitter waters], in the aspect of (Shemos 15): "They could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter."
Therefore every day, before beginning to learn and read the Torah, we must specifically recite Birchas HaTorah — to merit drawing the light of Torah in the aspect of berachah, the aspect of sam chaim, the aspect of sweet waters, the aspect of "Ha'arev na." Therefore the custom is to say immediately after Birchas HaTorah the passage of Bircas Kohanim — for Bircas Kohanim is the aspect of the Kohanim shaping the light that is kamitz v'sasim [contracted and sealed], in the aspect of (Vayikra 5): "V'kamatz haKohain" — "The Kohain shall close his fist" — they shape it into berachah through their blessing, for the Kohanim are in the aspect of sh'miras habris, as explained in Hilchos Pesach. Therefore Bircas Kohanim is juxtaposed to Birchas HaTorah — for the essence of Birchas HaTorah is to shape the light into berachah, which is the aspect of Bircas Kohanim.
This is why our Sages were extremely stringent (Nedarim, Ch. 1) regarding Birchas HaTorah, as they expounded on the verse (Yirmiyahu 9): "Al mah avdah ha'aretz" — "Why was the Land lost?" — this question was posed to the Sages and the Prophets and none could explain it, until HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself explained: "Al ozvam es Torasi... v'lo halchu bah" — "Because they abandoned My Torah... and did not walk in it." Rav said: "They did not bless over the Torah first." This is the essential blemish — that they did not bless over the Torah first, for one must first bless in order to draw the light from the Beginning of Thought, which is kamitz v'sasim, in the aspect of berachah. Because they blemished this and did not draw the light in the aspect of berachah — the Land was lost. For Eretz Yisrael is the aspect of Malchus diKdushah [Kingship of holiness], standing upon twelve oxen corresponding to the twelve tribes, as explained in the teaching.
Eretz Yisrael was divided into twelve portions for the twelve tribes — the aspect of sh'miras habris, as explained there. Because they did not bless over the Torah first and did not draw the light in the aspect of berachah — which is the blemish of the Bris — the Land was lost. For the essential drawing of light in the aspect of berachah is through tikkun habris, and through blemishing this, the Land was lost — whose essential existence depends on sh'miras habris, as it says (Tehillim 37): "Tzaddikim yirshu aretz" — "The righteous shall inherit the land" — and "tzaddik" is one who guards the Bris. They specifically inherit the holy Eretz Yisrael, divided for the twelve tribes.
Therefore one must bless over the Torah every day — for every day we receive the Torah anew, as it says (Devarim 6): "Asher Anochi m'tzav'cha hayom" — "Which I command you today" — "every day they should be in your eyes as new" (Sifri). Therefore one must bless first, to draw the Torah's light in the aspect of berachah. The essential time for Birchas HaTorah is after sleep at night, as brought in the Shulchan Aruch — for the all-encompassing desire of adultery is the aspect of sleep, the aspect of the darkness of night, as it says (Tehillim 17): "Bachanta libi, pakadta lailah" — "You have tested my heart, You have visited at night." Its essential root is from sleep and deep slumber, in the aspect of (Beraishis 2): "Vayapail Hashem Elokim tardaimah al ha'adam vayishan, vayikach achas mitzal'osav" — "Hashem God cast a deep sleep upon the man, and he slept, and He took one of his ribs." For sleep is when the light of the eyes is sealed — as we bless: "HaMapil chevlai shainah al ainai" — "Who casts the bonds of sleep upon my eyes" — and from there the all-encompassing desire takes hold, the blemish of the eyes.
Therefore after sleep at night, one must receive the Torah anew every day — drawing the Torah's light in the aspect of berachah, subduing the all-encompassing desire of the seventy nations. For we mention "Asher bachar banu mikol ha'amim" — drawing upon ourselves the kedushah of Yisrael who are chosen from all the nations, who are holy and pure and sanctify themselves from this desire — and specifically through this: "V'nasan lanu es Toraso."
This is the aspect of the receiving of the Torah at Shavu'os: through sanctifying oneself beforehand, separating from this desire — as it says (Shemos 19): "Heyu n'chonim lishloshes yamim" — "Be prepared for three days" — and specifically through this one merits receiving the Torah at Shavu'os, through Moshe Rabbainu who was holy and completely separated. Every Jew merits receiving the Torah through Moshe Rabbainu — through all of them sanctifying themselves from this desire during the three days — and then they all receive the light in the aspect of berachah.
This is the aspect of (Shemos 20): "Dabayr atah imanu v'nishmah, v'al y'dabayr imanu Elokim pen namus" — "Speak with us and we will hear, but let God not speak with us lest we die." Yisrael wished to hear specifically from Moshe rather than from Hashem Himself. For when hearing from Hashem Himself, the light emerging from the Mouth of the Most High is utterly simple, in the ultimate simplicity — the aspect of kamitz v'sasim. Then one would need to be exceedingly holy and pure to shape the light into berachah. Yisrael worried they did not yet have that power. But when it comes through Moshe, who was holy and greatly separated — he certainly draws the light from the Mouth of the Most High in the aspect of berachah. Since the light is already somewhat shaped through descending from Hashem's mouth to Moshe's mouth — they are more easily able to receive it as berachah, even without extremely lofty kedushah. Even when hearing from the true tzaddik, one still cannot receive his words as berachah (as sam chaim) except through sh'miras habris — for even the tzaddik's words, relative to the masses, are in the aspect of simple light. Nevertheless, it is much easier to receive the light in the aspect of berachah with some measure of kedushah, since it has already been shaped somewhat through the tzaddik's holy mouth.
Therefore one must travel to the true tzaddik and hear from his mouth specifically — for then one can receive the light in the aspect of berachah since it has already been shaped somewhat in the tzaddik's mouth. This is the aspect of (Avos Ch. 1): "Aseh l'cha Rav v'histalek min hasafek" — "Make for yourself a Rav [master/teacher] and remove yourself from doubt" — for as long as the supernal light has not been shaped, it is in the aspect of safek [doubt] — one cannot grasp it at all. Through the true Rav, the light is shaped in the aspect of berachah. And this is: "V'al tarbeh l'asayr omados" — "Do not increase tithes by estimation" — for the tithe to the Levi is the aspect of shaping the light into berachah (as brought in Hilchos Pesach): terumah [the priestly portion] has no fixed measure and is given to the Kohain — the aspect of the supernal light that is kamitz v'sasim, therefore having no measure, for there is not yet any shaping. The tithe to the Levi is the aspect of tzairai [a Hebrew vowel — "two dots," representing delineation/formation], therefore having a fixed measure, for there the light is shaped. One must give the tithe by exact measurement, not by estimation — to shape the light into berachah through measurement, which is the aspect of shaping.
The essential aspect of Shavu'os is through the above — through leaving the exile of Mitzrayim [Egypt], which is the "nakedness of the earth," the all-encompassing desire. Through sanctifying oneself during the forty-nine days of the Sefirah [the Counting of the Omer], one becomes included in the forty-nine letters in the names of the tribes — the aspect of kedushas habris. This is the aspect of staying awake on the night of Shavu'os — to shatter and subdue the aspect of the seventy nations who take hold through sleep upon the eyes. Then one merits receiving the Torah, which is the aspect of "seventy faces of the Torah." This is the aspect of eating dairy foods on Shavu'os — in the aspect of "blood transforms and becomes milk" — the aspect of kedushas habris. This is (Shir HaShirim 5): "Ainav k'yonim al afikay mayim, rochatzos bechalav" — "His eyes are like doves by brooks of water, bathing in milk" — his eyes like doves = the aspect of seventy faces of the Torah; upon brooks of water = the waters of Torah; bathing in milk = the aspect of blood transforming to milk, kedushas habris. And this is: "yosheves al milai's" — "set upon fullness" — the aspect of full light, receiving the Torah in the aspect of full light, the aspect of berachah. And this is: "Lechayav ka'arugas habosem" — "His cheeks are like a bed of spices" — and Rashi explains: "faces that illuminate the halachah" — the aspect of anpin n'hirin [bright/illuminated faces], the aspect of seventy faces of the Torah, which one merits through kedushas habris.
[Appended note:]
This is "v'lo halchu bah" — "and they did not walk in it" — and our Sages expounded that this means they did not bless over the Torah first, did not draw the light in the aspect of berachah, sam chaim — which is the aspect of halichah [walking/going forward], for when one merits receiving the Torah's light in the aspect of berachah, sam chaim, this is the aspect of walking — going through the Torah in the ways of Hashem — "Tzaddikim yailchu vam" — "The righteous shall walk in them" — yailchu specifically, which is the aspect of sam chaim.
[The remaining halachos on Birchas HaTorah are each included within the halachos of Bircas HaShachar.]
— — —
Based on LM II:4
Tzedakah, Ratzon, and the Structure of Tefillah
§1
Through tzedakah one merits that one need not engage in any business or labor. For even though all commercial dealings and business transactions are the aspect of is'arusah dil'satah [arousal from below] — derived from the thirty-nine categories of labor of the Mishkan [Tabernacle], which correspond to the work of Creation — nevertheless, if His kindness were flowing freely, we would not need any business at all. The world would be sustained through His Chesed, and even the necessary tasks would be performed by others, in the aspect of (Yeshayahu 61): "V'amdu zarim v'ra'u tzon'chem, u'vnai naichar ikaraichem v'chormaichem, v'Atem Kohanai Hashem tikra'u" — "Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks, sons of foreigners your farmers and vintners — and you shall be called priests of Hashem" — the aspect of Chesed, which is the aspect of Kohain.
To receive the Chesed one needs a vessel and channel — therefore one needs yir'ah [awe/fear of God], the side of Levi, which is the vessel to receive the flow of Chesed. Yir'ah is accomplished through Ratzon [Divine Will] — through revealing that everything is governed by His will alone, with no compulsion of nature whatsoever. This is revealed through the Shalosh Regalim [three pilgrimage festivals], which are the aspect of Mikra Kodesh [holy convocations] — for the kedushah of Yom Tov calls forth and reveals the Ratzon: everything is only through His will, for on each Yom Tov Hashem performed awesome signs revealing the Ratzon. But there is the roar of the wild beasts — the wise men of nature — who seek to overpower the calling voice of Yom Tov that reveals the Ratzon. Their subjugation is through the Chacham [Sage] of kedushah who knows how to bind all the retzonos to the root of the Ratzon — the metzach haRatzon [Forehead of the Will], the Ra'ava d'Ra'avin [Will of all Wills]. But there is the metzach hanachash [Forehead of the Serpent] — root of the wisdom of nature — nourished from the incomplete elders of the generation who do not add kedushah and da'as [holy awareness] each day. Through tzedakah, the fallen days are elevated, the metzach hanachash is subdued, and the metzach haRatzon prevails and is revealed. Through this the calling voice of Yom Tov is heard, revealing the Ratzon; through this yir'ah is created; through yir'ah the Chesed flows — and then one needs no business at all, for "V'amdu zarim" is fulfilled.
§2
This is the aspect of tefillah, which is the revelation of the Ratzon — for tefillah reveals the Ratzon and subdues and nullifies the wisdom of nature. Nature dictates one way, but tefillah changes nature — as Rabbainu z"l explained many times. Therefore there are three tefillos daily, corresponding to the three Avos [Patriarchs], which are the aspect of the Shalosh Regalim — for the three tefillos are the aspect of the three Regalim that reveal the Ratzon.
This is the aspect of the order of the morning tefillah: first we recite the Korbanos [passages about the sacrificial offerings], to rectify and refine the world of Asiyah [Action]. This is the aspect of the labor of Creation, the labor of the Mishkan — from which all labors, all activities, all business transactions derive, all included in the thirty-nine categories, the aspect of Asiyah. In the aspect of (Tehillim 90): "U'ma'aseh yadainu kon'nah alainu" — "Establish the work of our hands upon us" — with which Moshe blessed them at the completion of the Mishkan: "May it be Your will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands." The Korbanos were offered in the Mishkan — through them the world of Asiyah is refined.
§3
Afterward we say Pesukay d'Zimrah [Verses of Praise], which are the aspect of yir'ah, the side of Levi — for all songs and melodies are from the side of Levi. We elevate all the worlds through the order of tefillah from below to Above — therefore we elevate all the activities and business through the Korbanos to the aspect of yir'ah, from which the vitality flows to them through the Chesed that descends through yir'ah, sustaining all the world. Yir'ah is made through the Ratzon — therefore after Pesukay d'Zimrah (yir'ah, the side of Levi), we say the blessings of Kri'as Shma, which are the aspect of the revelation of the Ratzon. For in Kri'as Shma we testify to His unity — that He alone, uniquely, is in His world, and He alone governs the world by His will alone.
§4
This is the aspect of Kaddish that is recited between each world — the aspect of the pillar between one world and the next, through which one ascends from world to world, as explained in the Kavanos [the Kabbalistic intentions of the Arizal]. For the stature of the Kaddish is exceedingly lofty — as our Sages said, and as written in the Zohar HaKadosh: it "masbar kol shalsh'la'in d'farzla" — "shatters all chains of iron." For the Kaddish is the aspect of the revelation of the Ratzon, in the aspect of: "B'alma di v'ra chirusay, v'yamlich malchusay" — "In the world He created according to His will, and may He reign His kingship." Through the Kaddish one ascends and binds the Ratzon to the root of the Ratzon — the Ra'ava d'Ra'avin — in the aspect of what we say in Kaddish: "Yisbaraich v'yishtabach... l'ayla min kol birchasa v'shirasa tushb'chasa... da'amiran b'alma" — "Blessed and praised... above all the blessings and songs and praises spoken in the world."
For all the songs and praises we say are the aspect of the revelation of the Ratzon — acknowledging and praising Hashem who created everything by His will. In Kaddish we say "l'ayla min kol" — above all of these — the aspect beyond the revelation of the Ratzon in this world, meaning the Ratzon within the Ratzon, the Ra'ava d'Ra'avin, where all retzonos are bound to the root of the Ratzon. In Kaddish one ascends and binds to this root. Therefore Kaddish is higher than all the kedushos [expressions of holiness], which are the aspect of the revelation of the Ratzon — for Kaddish is the aspect of the root of the Ratzon.
Therefore Kaddish was composed in lashon Targum [the Aramaic language]. For the Targum language is the source from which the wise men of nature essentially draw nourishment — for the Targum is the aspect of the Aitz HaDa'as Tov v'Ra [the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil], as Rabbainu z"l said. This is the aspect of nature, where good and evil are mixed — there the essential b'chirah resides. When one believes that nature itself operates by His will alone — this is the good within nature, and nature becomes included within Providence and Ratzon. Conversely, when the wise men of nature prevail, chas v'shalom, separating nature from Providence — this is the evil within nature. So nature is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the aspect of lashon Targum.
Therefore the Kaddish — the essential revelation of the Ratzon through ascending and binding to the root of the Ratzon — was composed in lashon Targum. For this is the ultimate perfection of the revelation of the Ratzon: when one transforms the wisdom of nature into Ratzon — as Rabbainu z"l said: "minay u'vai, abba laizil bay narga" — "from it and within it, let the axe come from it." The Targum is the aspect of nature, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — the essential nourishment of the wise men of nature comes from there — and the Kaddish transforms it to Ratzon. This is the aspect of (Devarim 26): "Arami ovaid avi, vayaired Mitzraymah" — "An Aramean destroyed my father, and he went down to Mitzrayim" — for Lavan HaArami is the aspect of the metzach hanachash, the root of the wisdom of nature, who prevails even against the root of the Ratzon, the metzach haRatzon. Therefore he is called Lavan [lit. "white"] — a term of whiteness — for the metzach [forehead] is white/bright...
§5
...and through binding and connecting the Ratzon to the root of the Ratzon — the metzach hanachash is subdued, and the metzach haRatzon prevails. And this is accomplished through the Kaddish, which is said in lashon Targum — conquering and transforming the very domain from which the wisdom of nature draws. For when one says "Y'hai sh'may rabba m'varach l'alam u'l'almay almaya" — "May His great Name be blessed forever and ever" — one elevates and binds the Ratzon of this world to the eternal Ratzon Above. Through this the wisdom of nature is nullified and the Ratzon prevails.
Therefore Kaddish is recited between each section of the tefillah — between Korbanos and Pesukay d'Zimrah, between Pesukay d'Zimrah and the blessings of Kri'as Shma — for the Kaddish is the pillar through which one ascends from world to world, always binding to the root of the Ratzon. Each Kaddish elevates the rectification of the preceding section to a higher level.
§6
This is why Kaddish has such immense power to benefit the souls of the departed — as is well-known from many teachings. For the essential blemish of the nefesh [soul] after departing this world is from the hold of the Sitra Achra [the Other Side] through the chains of judgment — the aspect of the "iron chains" that the Kaddish shatters. All these dinim and chains derive from the metzach hanachash and the wisdom of nature — the aspect of the Targum, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Through reciting the Kaddish — which transforms the Targum to Ratzon, shattering the iron chains — the souls are elevated from their judgment.
Therefore a son recites Kaddish for his father — for the son is the essential continuation of the father, and through his binding to the Ratzon and revealing the Ratzon through the Kaddish, he draws this rectification to his father's soul. The son embodies the ongoing legacy of the father's holiness, and his Kaddish is the channel through which the father's soul is elevated ever higher.
§7
This is also the aspect of Kaddish d'Rabbanan [the Rabbinical Kaddish said after Torah study] — said specifically after learning Torah, after words of Aggadah and halachah. For Torah study is itself a great revelation of the Ratzon — and the Kaddish that follows binds this revelation to the root of the Ratzon. This is why the Kaddish d'Rabbanan mentions "al Yisrael v'al Rabbanan v'al talmidayhon" — "upon Yisrael and upon the Sages and upon their students" — for the true Chachamim and their students are the channel of the Torah Sheb'al Peh [Oral Torah], through whom the Ratzon is revealed in the world. They are the aspect of the metzach haRatzon that subdues the metzach hanachash.
§8
Therefore the response to Kaddish — "Y'hai sh'may rabba m'varach" — is so exalted. As our Sages said (Shabbos 119b): "Whoever answers 'Y'hai sh'may rabba' with all his might — his decree of seventy years is torn up." The seventy years correspond to the seventy nations whose desires one must be refined through, as above — and through the Kaddish response with all one's might, all seventy levels of impurity are sweetened and the soul is liberated from all evil decrees.
"B'chol kocho" — "with all his might" — means with complete concentration of the Ratzon, binding his entire will to the root of the Ratzon. This is the essential power of the Kaddish response: gathering all the scattered retzonos and binding them to the one Ratzon.
§9
This is also why Kaddish requires a minyan [quorum of ten] — for the Kaddish is the aspect of the root of the Ratzon, which encompasses all the worlds. To access this level, one needs the ten levels corresponding to the ten Sefiros [Divine emanations] — from Malchus [Kingship, the lowest level] to Keser [Crown, the highest]. Therefore every davar shebikdushah [matter of holiness requiring communal prayer] requires ten, and the Kaddish in particular — since it ascends to the highest root — requires the full assembly of ten to embody all the worlds it traverses.
§10
This is the aspect of the "Chatzi Kaddish" [the Half Kaddish] and the "Kaddish Shalaym" [the Full Kaddish]. The Chatzi Kaddish is said between the sections of tefillah as a pillar of ascent — elevating from one world to the next. The Kaddish Shalaym is said at the conclusion — when the full ascent has been completed and one is ready to bring the entire rectification to its culmination. The Kaddish Shalaym includes "Tiskabail tz'los'hon u'va'us'hon" — "May their prayers and supplications be accepted" — for at the culmination, all the tefillos that have been elevated through the various stages are now bound together and presented before the root of the Ratzon, where they are fully accepted.
§11
Therefore Kaddish is also recited after the reading of the Torah and after a burial — and in all circumstances where the revelation of the Ratzon needs to be strengthened and the iron chains of judgment need to be shattered. The Kaddish Yasom [the Mourner's Kaddish] recited by the bereaved is an expression of this same power — specifically in the depths of grief and loss, when the concealment is greatest, one stands and declares: "Yisgadal v'yiskadash Sh'may rabba, b'alma di v'ra chirusay" — "May His great Name be magnified and sanctified, in the world He created by His will." Through this the departed soul is elevated, and the Ratzon is revealed even within the deepest darkness. All this is the essential rectification brought through the power of tzedakah — which is the root of the entire teaching — transforming the fallen days, subduing the metzach hanachash, and revealing the metzach haRatzon through which everything is rectified.