26

a) The tzaddik 'kills' himself and sacrifices himself while praying, and similarly whoever sacrifices himself while praying should know that where extraneous thoughts enter, they have to be elevated, as is known. In that place (in prayer) he has to sacrifice his soul especially for, by this, he raises the holy sparks (that fell into those thoughts).

26.

Master of the Universe, in Your bountiful

mercy, merit me to really come closer to You and to serve You constantly with happiness and gladness. Save me from drinking too much wine or other alcoholic drinks. Let me never drink beyond the proper measure and thus prevent myself from every becoming drunk. You revealed to us the immense evil of drunkenness which causes a person to lose both This World and the World to Come, Heaven forbid. By becoming drunk a person forgets all the warnings of Moshe which we clothed in all the limbs of every Jew. They remind and warn us in every limb to keep and perform the mitzvoth which apply to each limb in particular.

In Your immense compassion guard me from ever becoming drunk, even on Shabbat or Festivals or other holy times. You want us to gladden our souls sometimes by drinking a small amount of wine but help me to always measure how much to drink for that which is really necessary. By this measured drinking, may I expand and increase the loving-kindness in which our minds are clothed. As a result, enable me to really cleave to You. Therefore, merit me, all our community and all Jews, each according to his aspect, to know how to measure the right quantity of drink. As a result. Protect me and distance me always from becoming drunk. And even when You want us to gladden our souls with a little wine, merit me to only drink the amount which is really necessary. Just enable me to increase the loving-kindness but never to come to anger, harsh decrees or severity, Heaven forbid. On the contrary, merit me to increase my joy and cleave to You with great joy, as You desire. Open our mouths in songs and praises of Your Great Name. Help me to be as You desire in all my movements, in eating, drinking and other things. Let me do everything in the best way, as You really desire at that particular time, so I never swerve from Your desire to right or left, from now on and forever.

Amen. Sela.

27.

Someone who is a patron or leader and he leads honourably and honestly and he looks and observes how to spread the nettle of taxes and municipal rates upon each one of the public appropriately and honestly, to demand more from one person and alleviate the demand from another, as is fitting, by this he nullifies the four bad attributes; that's to say, idol worship, illicit sexual relations, the spilling of blood and slander.