LikutayMoharanVolume1:Torah48
“ForthatyouactedtreacherouslyagainstMeinthewatersofstrifeatKadeshinthewildernessofZin”(Deuteronomy32:51)
[Inthelanguageofourmaster,RabbiNachmanofBreslov,ofblessedmemory]
1.TheFormationandProtectionoftheSukkah
Tzairay [Tzairay - a Hebrew vowel, two horizontal dots under a letter making the sound "ai," its name; צֵירֵי] is the aspect of “And He formed” [Va-yeetzehr] (Genesis 2:7), a formation for good, a formation for evil, a formation for reward, a formation for punishment (Zohar Beraishis 27a and Ra’aya Mehemna Behar 111a). And in Berakhot 61a, this is the aspect of din [din - judgment, divine justice] and mercy. This is the aspect of binah [binah - understanding, the sefirah of divine intellect], for there the fetus is formed, as it is written: “If [אִם, im - if, or aim - mother] to understanding [binah] you call” (Proverbs 2:3) [The Hebrew im can be read as aim (mother), linking to binah as the maternal sefirah nurturing spiritual forms]. And there are two aspects: chesed [chesed - kindness, divine benevolence] and din (judgment), for from there (binah) judgments are aroused (Zohar Vayikra 10a). And it is the aspect of sukkah, as it is written: “You have screened me in my mother’s belly” (Psalms 139:13).
Anditistheaspectofthekoach[koach-power,spiritualstrengthorenergy]oftefillah[tefillah-prayer,spiritualservice],thatis,whattheypraywithpower,asitiswritten:“Allmybonesshallsay”(Psalms35:10).Anditistheaspectofsukkah,asitiswritten:“WithsinewsandbonesYouhavescreenedme(tisoachichainee-samerootassukkah)”(Job10:11).Forthepowerthatapersoninsertsintotheletters—thesearethetwenty-eightlettersoftheworkofGenesis,withwhichtheworldwascreated(Avot,chapter5)—theyreceivepowerfromthesetwenty-eightletters.Andthespeechesthatapersonspeakswithkoach(power),theyarethemselvesthespeechesoftheHolyOne,blessedbeHe,asitiswritten:“AndIplaceMywordsinyourmouth”(Isaiah51:16),fortheyarethemselvesthewordofHashem.Andtheyare“ThepowerofHisworks”(Psalms111:6)[asmentionedabove].
Andtheutteranceswithwhichtheworldwascreated,theyaretheaspectofchesed(kindness),asitiswritten:“ForIsaid,aworldofkindnessshallbebuilt”(Psalms89:3).Andchesed(kindness)istheaspectofsukkah,theaspectofchibbuk[chibbuk-embrace,divinecloseness].Andthisis:“AndIplaceMywordsinyourmouth,”then“AndintheshadowofMyhandIhavecoveredyou”(Isaiah51:16),whichistheaspectofsukkah,whichistheaspectoftheshadowofahand,thechibbuk(embrace)oftherighthand(ZoharPinchas214b)[asmentionedabove].
But the speeches that are not holy speeches then cause the Sukkas Notzrim [likely referring to the sukkah of guards, SukkasShoamrim, per Sukkah 8b, or possibly gentiles, per Jeremiah 4:16; the root implies constriction or distress, as per Rashi on Isaiah 24:20] to be aroused, the sukkah of the nations, as it is written: “Whose mouth speaks vanity and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood” (Psalms 144:8), which is the chibbuk (embrace) of the sitra achara [sitraachara - other side, evil forces]. And this is the interpretation of: “You shall hide them in a sukkah from the strife of tongues” (Psalms 31:21). For when the tongues of the nations prevail, Heaven forbid, then the Shekhinah [Shekhinah - Divine Presence, G-d’s immanent aspect] is in riv [riv - strife, conflict; root: ר-י-ב] with the Holy One, blessed be He (Tikkun 21, folio 44b). “Hear, O mountains, the strife” (Micah 6:2)—that it is riv (strife) for Her sons in galuta [galuta - exile, dispersion], for in the Eretz Yisrael [EretzYisrael - Land of Israel] it is rabbi [rabbi - master, authority; root: ר-ב-י] (there, folio 45b), as the letters of riv [רִי''ב] are reversed and become rabbi [רַבִּי''] [as mentioned above].
AndthemainessenceoftheEretzYisrael(LandofIsrael)isthroughthekoach(power)ofHisworks,asitiswritten:“ThepowerofHisworksHehasdeclaredtoHispeople,togivethemtheinheritanceofnations”(Psalms111:6).Butwhenthiskoach(power),whichistheaspectofsukkah,isdamaged,thenthenationsoftheworldprevail,therighthandoffalsehoodprevails,andfromrabbi(master),riv(strife)ismade.Thenitisriv(strife)forHersonswhowereexiledfromthetableoftheirfatherandlefttheirland[asmentionedabove].
Andforthisreason,sukkah,thatis,tefillah(prayer)withkoach(power),isasegulah[segulah-propitiousquality,spiritualremedy]forsons.Andforthisreason,immediatelyafterSukkot[Sukkot-FestivalofBooths]isSheminiAtzeret[SheminiAtzeret-EighthDayofAssembly],whenthenukva[nukva-female,Malkhut,divinesovereignty]detainsandcollectsthedropsothatitdoesnotdrop(asexplainedinPriEtzChayim,attheend,intheintentionsofSheminiAtzeret).Andthisistheaspectof:“Youhavescreenedmeinmymother’sbelly”(Psalms139:13),whichistheaspectofsukkah;theretheaspectofibbur[ibbur-pregnancy,spiritualformation]ismade.Andforthisreason:“AndHannahprayeduponHashem”(1Samuel1:10)(ZoharAcharei79b,andseeZoharToldot137aandPeiOhelHaChaimthere),whichistheaspectofsukkah[asmentionedabove].
Also,theEretzYisrael(LandofIsrael)isasegulah(propitiousquality)forsons,asourSages,ofblessedmemory,said(RoshHashanah16b):“Goforthfromyourland”(Genesis12:1)—andthereyoushallmeritsons.Andthisisbecauseof:“Therewardofthefruitofthewomb”(Psalms127:3),therewardofsukkah,theaspectof:“Youhavescreenedmeinmymother’sbelly”(Psalms139:13).ForthemainessenceoftheEretzYisrael(LandofIsrael)isthroughthekoach(power)ofHisworks,asitiswritten:“ThepowerofHisworksHehasdeclaredtoHispeople,togivethemtheinheritance”(Psalms111:6).Andthiskoach(power),itistheaspectofsukkah,“Allmybonesshallsay”(Psalms35:10)—theaspectof:“WithsinewsandbonesYouhavescreenedme”(Job10:11)—theaspectof:“AndIplaceMywordsinyourmouthandintheshadowofMyhandIhavecoveredyou”(Isaiah51:16)[asmentionedabove].
Andthisistheaspectof:“Hehastoldyou,Oman,whatisgood,andwhatHashemrequiresofyou:buttodojustice”(Micah6:8).Thisisdin(judgment)(asourSages,ofblessedmemory,expoundedinMakkot24a),theaspectof:“Hislefthandundermyhead”(SongofSongs2:6).“Andlovingkindness”—thisistheaspectofinnerchasadim[chasadim-kindnesses,divineactsofbenevolence].“Andtowalkhumbly”—thisistheaspectofthemakkifim[makkifim-encompassinglights,transcendentdivineenergies],theaspectofsukkah.Forthewallsofthesukkaharetwoaccordingtotheirlaw,whichareNetzach[Netzach-Eternity,thesefirahofvictory]andHod[Hod-Splendor,thesefirahofhumility],andathird,evenahandbreadth,whichistheaspectofYesod[Yesod-Foundation,thesefirahofconnection](Sukkah6b).Andthisistheaspectof:“Andtowalkhumbly.”“Andhumbly”—thisistheaspectofYesod(Foundation),revealingahandbreadthandcoveringahandbreadth(Nedarim20b).And“towalk”—thisistheaspectofNetzach(Eternity)andHod(Splendor).“WithHashemyourG-d”—thisistheaspectoftheEretzYisrael(LandofIsrael),foranyonewhodwellsintheEretzYisrael(LandofIsrael)islikeonewhohasaG-d(Ketubot110b),fortheEretzYisrael(LandofIsrael)ismadefromthekoach(power)ofHisworks[asmentionedabove].
And in the future, when the nations of the world will be tested by the commandment of sukkah (see Avodah Zarah 3a), then it will be fulfilled: “For then I will turn to all the peoples a pure language” [שָׂפָה, safah - language, acronym: שׂSakhar פPri הHabaten - reward of the fruit of the womb, Psalms 127:3] (Zephaniah 3:9). Safah (language) is the aspect of sukkah [as mentioned above]. Also then, the riv (strife) of tongues will be reversed, and there will not be the aspect of riv (strife) [as mentioned above]. And there will be “One language to serve Him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9). “The language of truth shall be established forever” [שְׂפַת אֱמֶת, sfasemess - language of truth] (Proverbs 12:19)—meaning, even the nations will return to serve Him with one accord [as mentioned above].
Andthisis:“Ifyoudowell,youwillbeliftedup”[אִםתֵּיטִיבשְׂאֵת,acronym:שׂSfatאEmessתTeekoan-languageoftruthshallbeestablished](Genesis4:7).“Attheentrancesincrouches”[לַפֶּתַחחַטָּאתרוֹבֵץ,acronym:רחל-Rachel,inreverse,symbolizingtheShekhinah](Genesis4:7),referringtothereversaloffaces,whichistheaspectofriv(strife),whichisriv(strife)ingaluta(exile),wherethenationsoftheworldprevail,theriv(strife)oftongues,“Whosemouthspeaksvanity”(Psalms144:8)[asmentionedabove].
And this is the interpretation of (the main verse of this teaching) “inthewatersofstrife” —this is the aspect of the waters of chasadim (kindnesses), the aspect of sukkah, which saves from the riv (strife) of tongues, as it is written: “You shall hide them in a sukkah from the strife of tongues” (Psalms 31:21) [as mentioned above]. "Kadesh" [Kadesh - the city in the desert of Tzin, Kadesh means holy], its Aramaic translation is Rekem, meaning to embroider or to draw, referring to the aspect of Tzairay (birth pangs), from which the formation of the fetus comes [as mentioned above]. "Tzin" [Tzin - wilderness of Zin, from root צ-י-ן, hardness or change] means the iron mountains (Sukkah 32a), and it is the meaning of temurah [temurah - change, substitution] and chilluf [chilluf - exchange, spiritual deviation]. The explanation is that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them to speak to the rock, so that Israel would learn a fortiori regarding sakhar [sakhar - reward] and onesh [onesh - punishment], as Rashi explains. But they damaged the speech, and caused, Heaven forbid, the strengthening of the riv (strife) of tongues, and caused the strengthening of the right hand of falsehood, as it is written: “Whose mouth speaks vanity” (Psalms 144:8). And this is the interpretation of Tzin (Tzin), meaning temurah (change/counterpart/swap), a change of holiness, a change of Tzairay (birth pangs), a change of the sukkah of holiness, it became a sukkah of impurity [sukkahbiklippah - sukkah of spiritual corruption], Heaven forbid. For “From afar you will see it, but you shall not come there” (Deuteronomy 32:52), for the Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) is from the koach (power) of His works [as mentioned above].