a) Dances as a mitzvah are, for example, when you drink wine on Shabbat or on a Festival, or at a holy wedding or at any mitzvah meal. This is when you drink moderately, for the sake of Heaven, to merit to take joy in G-d Who chose us from all the nations. Then you are aroused to joy by this such that the happiness spreads into your feet and you come to dance from joy. Through this, you drive out the forces of impurity that take hold in the legs and this sweetens and nullifies all the harsh judgements; then one merits to receive all the blessings. This spiritual enthusiasm to dance is an aspect of a "fire offering of pleasing odour to the Lord". But, someone who dances with the enthusiasm of the evil urge, this is called "a strange fire" (Lev.10:11) and the wine he drinks is the wine of drunkenness through which the forces of evil take hold, Heaven forbid.
b) This means that holy dances sweeten the harsh judgements like giving a redemption that a tzaddik performs by putting his hands on the money called 'pillars' or 'legs', alluding to strict justice for 'heel' (172) has the numerical value of twice Elohim(86x2). He draws into his legs the source of harsh judgements, from Binah, to sweeten them through with the 42-Letter Name in Binah. Forty two alludes to three 'hands' (Hand is numerically 14)- ' the great hand', 'the strong hand' and 'the high hand' that he draws there. The forty- two letter Name has seven names of six letters each. Have in mind to draw these six (vav, in Hebrew means 'six' and also 'hook') hooks to the pillars. This is what it says, "the hooks of the pillars and their joints shall be of silver." (Ex.27:10). By the joints being connected to the hooks of the pillars, one creates silver which alludes to loving-kindness which sweetens the harsh judgements. For this reason it is good to habitually give a redemption to a tzaddik so that they will sweeten and nullify the harsh judgements from upon him. That's to say, even when you don't have any problems, nevertheless it is good to frequently give a redemption in order to sweeten the harsh decrees so that he won't come to have any suffering, G-d preserve us.
c) Filling the throats of Torah scholars with wine also has the effect of sweetening the harsh judgements like a redemption.That is what it means that Torah scholars increase peace in the world (B'rachot, 64). Through them we draw the 42 Letter Name which allude to the 370 Lights together with 8 white lights which altogether add up to the numerical value of 'b-shalom', (b,2;sha,300;l,30;o,6;m,40) 'in peace'; this is an aspect of Binah. (See Etz Chaim,Ch.13-14). Torah scholars are called Netzach and Hod, Legs, for they are the pillars of the world since they give advice to people, as it says "People derive benefit from his advice and wisdom" (Perkei Avot,6). ( Advice, 'aitzot', has the numerical value of 560- ai,70;tz,90;ot,400, which is the same as 'talmid chacham'-Torah scholar-552, with its eight letters). This is what it says, "May He grant you your heart's desire" (Psalms, 20:5). When is this, when "all your counsel is fulfilled" by filling the throats of Torah scholars with wine which alludes to Binah, the wine of joy, a heart which understands; it is considered like wine offerings (Yoma,71).
(Prayer 41)
May it be Your will, O Lord, our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that You have mercy upon me an let me merit to always be happy, that I always b e made happy by the happiness of performing a commandment. I will always rejoice and be happy in You and in Your salvation, for all the acts of loving-kindness You have done for us, that You chose from among all the nations and raised us above all the tongues and sanctified us in Your commandments and our King, You have brought us near to Your service. Your great and holy Name You called upon us.
In Your mercy, may I merit to always remember the great favour and loving-kindness and to be happy in this at all times, every day and every hour, especially on Shabbat and on Festivals. The multiplicity of acts of loving-kindness and favour which You do for at all times are immeasurable and beyond value. How great is Your goodness which You performed for me. “How can I repay the Lord for all His benefits towards me?” If all the seas were ink, all the lakes quills, all men scribes and all tongues offering praise, they would not manage to clarify or tell one in thousands or tens of thousands of favours and acts of loving-kindness and saving and the very great awesojme acts of salvation, the many wonderful miracles and phenomenally incredible wonders that You, Lord of Hosts, performed charitably for us and that You saved our souls from all the hardships and troubles. “Many, Lord my G-d, are the wonderful works You have done and Your thoughts which are towards us. None can compare to You; if I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbered.” Therefore, I am certainly obligated all the time to remember Your continual favours and acts of loving-kindness which constantly happen to me all the time as anew and to always be happy in Your salvation.
I plead with You, merciful Father, help me and let me merit to always be happy. May I always awaken myself to be in great happiness especially every Shabbat and on Festivals. Let me merit to enthuse my heart very much by holy happiness with great enthusiasm and spiritual inspiration, with great longing, desire and wishing for Your Name and to serve You truly with great belief, holiness and purity. Let the enthusiasm of the heart be drawn into my legs, until I merit to raise my legs with great happiness. May I merit to dance with great holiness and happiness, especially on Shabbat and Festivals, days on which You performed miracles for Israel.
Save me always from drunkenness; protect and save me, in Your mercy, so that the wine I drink causes no drunkenness or enthusiasm of the heart and dancing which stem fro the Other Side, Heave forbid. May I have no flame of the desire for any craving whatsoever. Let me merit to the wine “which gladdens G-d and people”. Whenever there is an obligation to drink wine or alcohol of some kind, as on Shabbat with really great holiness until I merit to dances of holiness and by these dances, with an enthused heart of holiness from the wine which gladdens, may I merit, in Your mercy, to sweeten them and remove all the harsh judgments from upon us and from all Your Nation, the House of Israel, from now on and forever.
Draw down peace into the world and nullify all kinds of controversy from the world. Merit me to regularly give money to true tzaddikim of the generation as a redemption (pidyon). Then arouse Your compassion upon us from the source of the ‘holy hands’ in Binah – they are the great hand, the strong hand and the raised hand. Through Your mercy, arouse the power of Your 42 – letter Name alluded to in the prayer ‘Ana B’Koach’. As a result, sweeten all theharsh decrees in their source from upon us and from all Jewish people from now on, at all times. Please send a complete cure to all those of Your People who are sick (especially so-and-so).
Merit me to lift my hands and legs for G-d on High, Master of heaven and earth. Let me do this with perfect truth and faith, great, holy enthusiasm in the heart and tremendous joy as You desire. Draw sublime protection upon me which stems from the supernal Chashmal. Please purify me and my clothing, materially and spiritually.
May, I fill the throats of true Torah scholars with the wine of joy so that they achieve great happiness. Bestow upon me a plentiful income, then I can give lots of money to genuine tzaddikim as a pidyon for myself and my family, until all the harsh decrees become sweetened at their source. Let peace spread throughout the world and fulfill the verse “The Lord will give strength to this nation; the Lord will bless His People with peace.
42. HE SAW THEIR AFFLICTION
a) Through song, the harsh judgements are sweetened for the voice of song has three components – fire ( heat) water and air which correspond to the three colours of the rainbow. They are the three Patriarchs,the three bright colours which clothe the Shechinah which is reflected in the rainbow.(see Zohar,3,215 and Chagiga,16). When the rainbow is clothed in bright clothing this is the fulfillment of the verse "I will look upon it to remember the everlasting covenant." (Gen.9:16). Then the king's wrath was pacified." (Esther,7:10).
One who sings the letters of prayer, which is the Shechinah, as it says," L-rd, open my lips" (Psalms, 51:17) so his speech is called L-rd and called a rainbow (keshet) from the word request (b'kashti) ,as Rashi explains on the verse (Gen.48:2): " with my sword and my bow" (b'kashti). Through the voice of song in prayer, when it is very clear and pure, one clothes the Shechinah,the letters, in bright clothing, then the Holy One sees it and "the king's wrath is pacified." This is what Rashi says on the verse "When He heard their song" (Psalms,106)' in the merit of the Forefathers'. ..then " He relents in His great mercy" (Psalms, 106:49) and the harsh judgements are sweetened.
b) Also by belief in the Torah Sages, when one believes that all their words and deeds are not simple, but rather, contain deep secrets, one clothes the rainbow, as above, and the harsh judgements are sweetened. The tzaddik is an aspect of a rainbow, like Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai said to Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi who in his days a rainbow was seen (K'tuvot,77 and in the above mentioned Zohar). He radiates light to the Shechinah in all his deeds, removing its grim clothing to adorn it with clothes of bright colours, secrets of the Torah, for the light of the Torah is called a secret. Through this "I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant." This removes from it the anger of its words," the king's wrath is pacified"" and the harsh judgments are sweetened.
c) Also by preparing beautiful clothing for the tzaddik, one brings about the above rectifications.
d) In addition, by blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashana the harsh judgements are sweetened, for the notes we blow – teKiah, SHevarim, Tekiah- which are called 'kesh"t, allude to the Patriarchs. They are the three Names of the unification in Shma, the L-rd, our G-d, the L-rd.
(Prayer 42)
Hear, G-d, my song; hearken to my prayer. Help one, Lord my G-d, to pray with great concentration and happiness. Merit me and help me to arrange my prayers before You with real emotion in my heart, with a voice of joy and song. Let me sing out the words of my prayers so that it will sound beautiful. May it be very pure and refined with great clarity until I clothe the Shechinah with a radiant covering. By this arouse all Hear, G-d, my song; hearken to my prayer. Help one, Lord my G-d, to pray with great concentration and happiness. Merit me and help me to arrange my prayers before You with real emotion in my heart, with a voice of joy and song. Let me sing out the words of my prayers so that it will sound beautiful. May it be very pure and refined with great clarity until I clothe the Shechinah with a radiant covering. By this arouse all Your compassion over the Jewish People. Behold our troubles, distress and weakness in body, soul and money. Remove Your anger from us.
Remember the convenant with our Fathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov; in their merit, have mercy on us. Hear our prayers and listen to our cries. See our songs before You, fulfill the verse: “But He saw their distress when He heard their song (Psalms 106,44). Sweeten and nullify from upon us a blessing of plenty, of life and peace.
So also, in Your great compassion, bestow upon us Your holy belief. Merit us to believe in tazddikim with the utmost perfection. Help me to believe that all the words and deeds the true tzaddikim are not simple at all, rather they contain secrets. By this may I remove the coverings of darkness from the Shechinah and clothe her with radiant coverings which are the secrets of the Torah. As a result, sweeten and nullify all the harsh decrees from upon us and all the Jewish People.
Merit us to hear the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah from a respectable and
G-d fearing shofar blower. May the sound of the tekiah, shevarim and teruah raise before You until it arouses the merit of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov. Behold their merit.By this, quieten Your anger until it is alleviated and nullified from upon us. Return to us and shine Your countenance upon us. Our Father our King, help us to achieve all that we have asked for from You.
Let me skip and jump over all the vanities of This World, with all its physical cravings very speedily and easily. May I then really attach myself to You very strongly so that I will serve You constantly, by day and night. Do this for Your Name’s sake, for the sake of Your loving-kindness, for our needs are very numerous.
43. KEEP AWAY FROM THE WORDS OF A WICKED PERSON
a) Know that the words of a wicked person who is knowledgeable, generate the craving for sex in the person who listens. One has to be very careful not to hear his words, for they are poisonous words of immorality; he lets out from his mouth vapours filled with the poison of craving for sex; the person who hears his words, breathes in and takes into his body these vapours. Therefore, Bilam who was the Da'at of the husks, parallel to the holy Da'at of holiness, as our Sages taught 'In the nations of the world there arose one like Moshe and this was Bilaam' (Zohar, 21B) who generated poisonous vapours of sex in Midian, as it says (Numbers, 31:16): "These caused the Children of Israel, through the words of Bilam…" In other words, they sinned specifically through the words of Bilam, for his words revealed his Da'at. When they returned from the war with Midian, it says that "they brought a sacrifice to G-d, to atone on our souls before G-d." About this, the Sages taught, ' this atoned for our sin, but not for our bad thoughts' (Shabbat,64).
(Prayer 43)
Lord, our G-d and G-d of our Fathers, help and protect us from becoming attached to the wicked. Guard me so that I will never hear the words of wicked people who have knowledge. Their words are poisonous vapors of sexual craving which induce such desires in the listener. Please, G-d, have mercy on me; distance me from hearing such words. You know that I am only flesh and blood; it is impossible for me to protect myself from them. Therefore I caste all my burden upon You. In, Your bountiful, mercy, protect me. Keep me distant from the wicked. Let m not talk with them at all and never listen to them. Even if I must talk to them, with Your great strength, guard me. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings in such a way that I am saved from the poison of their words. Don’t let their poison enter me. May the evil of their words not harm me.
Sanctify me with Your sublime holiness, Merit me to really guard the brit. Have mercy on us and be with us at all times. Help us and save us. Subdue, break, uproot and nullify the husk of the evil Bilam from the world for he is the essence of the blemish of illicit sexual desire. Draw upon us and all the Jewish People the holiness of Moshe and all the true tzaddikim who really guarded the brit. Save us from any kind of blemish to the brit, from all sorts of evil thoughts, confusions and mixed up understanding. Rather, merit us to the holiness of the brit and to the really utmost perfection of holy understanding.
Merit us to really attach ourselves to true tzaddikim, to the holy Torah and to the Holy One. Let this attachment be really strong and firm, with simple perfect faith, for now and forever and ever. Sanctify and purify us from all forms of impurity and filth, especially from the blemish to our understanding.
We have no-one to rely upon other than our Father in Heaven. Fulfill in me the verse “I will throw over you, pure waters and you will be purified from all your impurities. May the words of my mouth and the contemplations of my heart find favour before You, G-d my Rock and Redeemer.
44. CLAPPING HANDS IN PRAYER
a) The reason that we clap hands during prayer is because there are 28 joints in the hands which correspond to the 28 letters in the first verse of the Torah about Creation. Everything was created through them and they are called "The power of His hands to declare to His nation, to give them the inheritance of the nations." (Psalms,111:6). When we clap our hands we arouse these 28 letters and, by this, we get strength in our hands to purify the air of the lands of the nations and to drive out the impure air. Their lands then return under the control of the Holy One and He has the power in His hands to give them to whoever He wants. Then the air where a Jew prays is purified and the place draws pure air like that of the Land of Israel. It means that, by this, the prayer is in the air of the Land of Israel.
b) Therefore a Jew has to fix a regular place to stand when praying, for even if he stands and prays in a place where a tzaddik prayed, even so, he isn't used to this air so it is very difficult to pray there. Even more so is this true if he hasn't a fixed place or sinners prayed there in that place.
c) This is what it means, "the daily prayers were established as against the Tamid"- the daily burnt offering (B'rachot,26). In other words one has to see to it that one prays in the air of the Land of Israel, meaning to rectify the extraneous thoughts in prayer. That is "prayers are…against". Their rectification is by the aspect of the Land of Israel about which it says, "The eyes of the Lord your G-d are in it always"(Deut.11:13). 'Always', in Hebrew, is 'tamid', alluding to the tamid sacrifice.
d) This is what it means, "In the hands of the prophets I have imagined" (Hoshea, 12:11). By clapping hands, the words that are spoken are in the Holy Land. "Prophets" alludes to the power of speech (as Rashi explains,Ex.7; see Orech Chaim,Ch.102,para.3 and the Taz). This also leads to the nullification of killing and destruction from the world,(See Torah 46) an aspect of, "I gave peace in the Land… and the sword will not pass through your land" (Lev.26:6). By clapping the hands in prayer, the air becomes that of the Land of Israel and the person is dwelling in the air of the Land of Israel where he has a G-d; thus, thoughts of idol worship and atheism are nullified. They are "against" faith, which is prayer, as it says, "His hands were faith"; the Targum Unkulus translates this as "his hands were spread in prayer". The rectification of these bad thoughts is through the 'tamid', by the Land of Israel and by clapping hands, as explained above.
e) Another explanation is that the 'tamid' refers to the male lamb sacrifice (kevess). This is an aspect of what it says, "Lambs shall provide your clothing" (Proverbs, 27:26). About this the Sages taught that it refers to the sheep (or what is hidden) of the Compassionate One (Chagiga,13). That's to say, through prayer, secrets of the Torah are revealed.
f) A further explanation is "prayer…against" refers to extraneous thoughts which are "against" and called a 'flood' for they flood the mind with confusions during prayer. Their rectification is by giving charity to the Land of Israel for then he is included in the air of the Land of Israel about which the Sages taught that the Flood didn't cover the Land of Israel (Zevachim,113). That is "prayers were established as against the tamid", that's to say, their rectification is by the Land of Israel. In addition, the mind of the person praying is purified, for "the air of Israel instills wisdom" (Baba Batra,158). This is "I will look upon it" (Gen.9:16) meaning the Land of Israel. By this, the covenant of the world is aroused and rectified. This alludes to the Eighteen Blessings of Prayer, an aspect of Tzaddik, Life (in Hebrew, 'chai', numerically 18) of the World.
(Prayer 44)
O Lord, our G-d, the G-d of our Fathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov in Your bountiful compassion, please help us at all times to pray before You with all our heart and soul, with tremendous concentration, real holiness, purity and perfect faith. Let us pray with fear and love, with pure and refined thoughts. Save us form all kinds of extraneous thoughts.
May we sanctify the place where we stand to pray so that it will have the holiness of the land of Israel. Arouse my heart when I pray so that I merit to pray with great and awesome inspiration, until I am aroused to clap my hands while praying. Merit me to raise my hands to G-d and clap my hands with great enthusiasm during my prayers, with joy and wonderful inspiration, forth sake of Your Name alone.
By clapping one hand on the other, may I arouse the power of the hands of the Holy One. They are the twenty-eight joints of the Supernal Hands alluded to in the twenty-eight letters in the first verse of Bereishit. Through this may we purify the air of the place where we pray so it will be an aspect of the air, the Land of Israel which makes wise. That is the holy air of the Land of Israel to the place where we pray. Everything is Yours. You created the world as You desired. Out of Your good will You gave strength to the Jewish People to, conquer the Land of Israel from the seven nations and to cleanse it from the impure air of the nations. So, merit us, in any place where we pray, to purify the air by clapping our hands. By this let us purify our prayers, refining them from all kinds of extraneous or atheistic thoughts.
Save us from all this and merit us to give charity for the Land of Israel. Let us support respectable poor people who live in Israel until we ourselves merge into the air of the Land of Israel. As a result, may we drive out all our extraneous and confusing thoughts which prevent us from serving You, truthfully, for they come to us during the time of prayer. We have no strength to bare this. Help us to have pure and clean prayers so that they rise up to Your Throne of Glory. Then merit us to sublime Torah perceptions, to understand its secrets. As our prayers rise throughout all the worlds, take great delight from them. Please do not conceal Your Countenance from us. Never close Your ears to our cries and prayers; never desert us G-d, come to my help and save me.
45. CLAPPING HANDS IN PRAYER
a)//By clapping hands in prayer one arouses the wings (lobes) of the lungs where the power of speech stems from. When one claps the five fingers of the hand against the other hand, this creates fifty gates of Binah, an aspect of the Jubilee (the fiftieth year), for five times five (fingers) is twenty five, times two (two hands) is fifty. This is also why the Torah refers to the Leaving of Egypt fifty times; through the power of the Jubilee (the fiftieth year), we left Egypt. There the power of speech was in exile, but, by the redemption ('ha'geula'- numerically fifty) from exile, the holy mouth and power of speech were created, like it says, "Who has made man's mouth?" (Ex.4:11). Then the mouth receives words from the lobes of the lungs.
(Prayer 45)
G-d, our G-d, G-d of our Fathers, merit us to clap our hands while praying and by this may we arouse the holy wings which are the fluttering lobes of the lung. Then we will be able to speak out holy words of prayer and requests. By striking the five fingers of the right hand against the five fingers of the left hand may we arouse the supernal lights to strike each other until they are united. Then, let the fifty gateways of Binah become activated, for they are the Great Jubilee. Through this, bring us the Redemption which is perfect both materially and physically. Merit us to extract the holy power of speech from the exile such that we can prepare and rectify our mouth.s in holiness. As a result, let us receive holy words and pray before You at all times with a mouth full of holy, pure words. May our words then find favour before Your Throne of Glory. Please fulfill all our wishes for the good.
46. MY SOUL IS CONTINUALLY IN MY HAND
a)//Clapping hands in prayer is like a union, putting the bed in the direction of north to south (B'rachot,5) which are an aspect of the two hands. (See Torah 9 that through proper prayer one merits to one's marriage partner and to a livelihood.)
b) This also causes a sweetening of the harsh judgements, for the right hand is 'the great hand' and the left hand is 'the strong hand' and when both hands clap they join together and that is the 'high hand', altogether three hands, three times YHVH, for the expanded form of the Name contains ten letters, with the four letters, that is fourteen, which corresponds to the fourteen joints in the fingers of one hand. By the three hands, which are three times YHVH, we sweeten the three times Elohim which represent the harsh judgements, for they stem from the words that leave the throat; throat, in Hebrew 'garon' (g,3;r,200;o,6;n,50) has the numerical value (259)of three times Elohim (86x3, with the word itself is 259).
c) By clapping hands one is also saved from forgetfulness and one merits to a good memory. This is because one sweetens the harsh judgements, Elohim, in the hands when clapping one hand on the other. This is an aspect of what it says, "My soul is continually in my hand" (Psalms, 119:109). The soul is an aspect of prayer and speech, like it says, "My soul went out when he spoke" (Song of Songs, 5:6). Through this, "And Your Torah I didn't forget". The initial letters of this verse have the numerical value of 336, which is three times YHVH (26) and three times Elohim (86). This represents sweetening the harsh judgements which are the state of contracted consciousness from which forgetfulness stems. Then one comes to expanded consciousness which is memory and speech, a revelation of the mind. Therefore, at the time of prayer one can know if one now has expanded consciousness or not.
c) This also leads to the nullifying of controversy, for all arguments stem from the aspect of Korach, from the aspect of darkness, an aspect of the left side. Aharon (who pursued peace) represents light and the right side. By clapping hands the two are joined and united. That is what it says, "Clap your hands all you peoples" (Psalms, 47:2). This verse alludes to the unity of peoples, as Rashi explains there.
(Prayer 46)
By the clapping of our hands while praying enable us to sweeten all the world’s harsh decrees. Let us arouse the three holy Supernal hands until we nullify all the judgements that stem from the three Elohim in the throat. Merit us to draw down three times the Name YHVH to sweeten those judgments from now on. Help us to push off our ‘small brains’ of limited consciousness. As a result, take away any forgetfulness we may have had; grant us holy brains of expanded consciousness which will provide us with holy memory. Then we will be able to remember all the Torah we studied. Let me never forget anything that I have learnt.
Merit us to nullify all kinds of controversy from the world such that the left becomes merged in the right and great peace is drawn into the world. Have mercy on us and merit us to pray with great concentration and enthusiasm with all our hearts and souls. Help us to pray with tremendous fear of G-d and self-sacrifice, with very great joy. Let our thoughts be pure and proper without any extraneous intentions or confusion. So, please in Your bountiful compassion, merit us always to holy thoughts, especially when praying. Enable me to pray with great enthusiasm in the heart until I arouse and elevate my hands to G-d and clap with great holiness whilst praying. Strengthen us and speed our redemption until we speedily reach the Land of Israel. Bring Moshiach and redeem us permanently; speedily in our lifetime. Amen.
47. YOU SHALL EAT IN PLENTY AND BE SATISFIED
a) Someone who has sunk into the craving for food, know that he is far from truth; know also that harsh judgements dwell upon him. This is also a sign of poverty. He will also come to be disgraced and shamed, as it says, "When one who is despised is exalted among people" (Psalms, 12:9). About this the Sages said, "someone who is in need of people's gifts, his face changes colour" (B'rachot,6) to several colours.
b) Someone who breaks the craving to eat, the Holy One performs miracles through him.
c) The Radiance of the Countenance is a rectification and Truth (the seventh rectification of the 13 attributes of mercy). This is an aspect of Ya'acov, as it says, "Give truth to Ya'acov" (Michah, 7: 20). It also alludes to tefillin which are called 'pe'er', splendour, like it says, "Put on your turban (pe'er)" (Ezekiel, 24:17). For Ya'acov is the attribute of Tiferet (Pe'er,Splendour) which includes all the colours and is an aspect of Truth and Life. The essence of wealth and all the good bounty stems from Truth, like it says, "Truth stands" (Shabbat, 104) – "the world at their feet, this is money upon which it stands" (Pesachim, 119). But when a person blemishes the tefillin, Heaven forbid, he comes to poverty and contempt; his life is in the balance, Heaven save us (B'rachot, 24). So also, when he blemishes Truth, he comes, Heaven forbid, to poverty and receives insults. On the other hand, whoever cleaves to the attribute of Truth, his income is plentiful.
d) Therefore, anyone who is sunk in the craving to eat, is far from Truth for this is an aspect of 'a hiding of the Face', like it says, "I will hide My Face from them and they shall be eaten" (Deut.31:17). However, if Jews are careful not to eat a lot, just enough to satisfy their souls, then they merit to the aspect of "G-d shines His Countenance", that the Holy One shows them His Face(B'rachot,20). Then they receive sustenance from the attribute of Truth. The opposite is also true, even if a tzaddik who has left physical cravings behind him, falls from his level and falls into the craving to eat, this is a sign that he spoke some kind of lie and, because of that, there is severe judgement hovering over him; it is also a sign of poverty.
e) Behold, all the world is nourished from the bounty of the Land of Israel (Zohar,Vol.2,pg.156B) as is known. Israel itself receives its bounty from Truth, which is the attribute of Ya'acov. This is an aspect of heaven, formed of fire and water, which reflects the generality of all colours, an aspect of tefillin, called life (Menachot,44). Therefore, the Land of Israel is called the Land of the Living. This is why it says that "the eyes of the Lord, your G-d are always in it" (Deut.11:12) for "He that tells lies shall not remain in My sight" (Psalms,101:7); the Land of Israel is the attribute of Truth, therefore G-d's eyes are always in it. Its praise is that "not because of poverty you will eat bread in it" (Deut.8:9) but, rather, because of having broken the craving to eat. Since Israel represents Truth, and one is free of the craving for food, one chooses to only eat bread.
f) Consequently, on any potential trouble so that it should not come, we declare a fast for the trouble, Heaven forbid, is an aspect of the hiding of G-d's Face, a reflection of harsh judgements. So, we establish a fast in order to break the craving to eat; this leads to a revelation of His Face which means a sweetening and nullification of the severe decrees. Thus, all the troubles are cancelled.
g)When we eat from the bounty of Truth which comes through the Land of Israel, and afterwards we speak out the praises of the Holy One, in the strength of this, we become like 'partners with the Holy One in the creation of new heavens', an aspect of the face of Ya'acov; 'and a new earth', represents the Land of Israel, as it says, "And say to Zion, you are My nation" – don't read it "My nation" ("imi") but rather 'with Me' ("imi"), in partnership (Zohar,Vol.1,5). It turns out that we change the functioning of the Celestial Wheels and the Constellations in the heavens by our holy and truthful words said in Torah and prayer. This is what it says, "You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied" (Yoel, 2:6), meaning that you eat only in order to satisfy the soul and by this "you praise the Name of G-d"; then you will be partners with the Holy One in the creation of heavens and earth; that is "Who has dealt wondrously with you" (ibid), meaning you will be able to do wonders. "You will not be ashamed" (ibid), because you are an aspect of Truth, the generality of all holy colours and you don't need to be ashamed of (your face) changing colours as a result of fallen attributes, of needing the charity of people when a person's face changes colour from shame. Therefore, "My people shall never be ashamed" (ibid).
(Prayer 47)
Our Father and King, Mighty One, Creator, Redeemer, Maker; Holy One, the Holy One of Jacob; our Shepherd, the Shepherd of Israel – help us and save us by Your great mercy and loving-kindness, so that we merit to nullify and break completely the craving for food. May we be content with a little to eat, with that which is vital alone. Let us eat with great limitation and precision and be satisfied from it. Remove, drive out and negate the hunger from within us such that we nourish ourselves and satisfy our souls by eating only a little…….. Let the little that I eat be with really great holiness and purity, for Your Name’s sake alone, without any bodily desire at all. As a result of my eating with great holiness, let me merit to always give thanks and praise to Your great, holy Name. Let me always speak words of truth, glorifying my Maker and the name of His glorious Kingdom such that I merit by this to be included among the true tzaddikim and wonder-workers who create new heavens and earth by their true words and perform great wonders in Heaven and upon Earth.
In Your bountiful mercy, help me and grant me the merit to be included within Jacob’s attribute of truth. Let me always speak truthfully and let no untrue word ever leave my mouth, whether accidentally or on purpose, whether by force of circumstance of by desire. Protect me and save me so that I never stumble by saying
something untrue , even by mistake. Let me merit to distance myself totally and utterly from any untruth, as is written: “Keep distant from any false matter.”
In Your plentiful compassion, help me to be a truthful person in all matters. Let me behave in a truthful way and speak truthfully from my heart. May I never diverge or turn away, to the right or to the left, from the center of the point of truth. You, who are full of compassion, and gracious to the poor, performing acts of great loving-kindness and much goodness, grant me an undeserved gift, a present out of loving-kindness – the attribute of truth. Fulfill the verse which says: “You will grant truth to Jacob and loving-kindness to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers since olden days.” By this, grant me the merit to pray in the Land of Israel, the Land of Life. Let us draw upon ourselves and upon all of Israel, the bounty and blessing from there; a good bounty, blessing, compassion, life and peace, good income and everything good.
Please, have mercy upon me and save me. Merit me to achieve all that I have asked from You – may I break the craving for food completely and then acquire the attribute of truth. Let me come to the Land of Israel peacefully. Save me from poverty and from a sense of locking things. Draw upon me, my family and all the Jewish People blessings, a good income from now on and always. May they take pleasure from us in all the worlds above. Do not hide Your Countenance from us rather, have compassion on Your Nation. Sweeten all the harsh decrees and nullify them from upon us. Save us from all troubles. Shine Your Countenance upon us. Amen. Amen.
48. BECAUSE YOU TRANSGRESSED AGAINST ME
a) The Hebrew vowel Tzere alludes to what is written, "G-d formed (yitzer) Man" (Gen.2:7) for this relates to Binah where a foetus is formed, as it says, "If ('im'- alluding also to 'imma', mother) call to Binah" (Proverbs, 2:3). This is an aspect of a Succah, as is written, "You have formed me (tesuccaini) in my mother's womb" (Psalms, 139:13). This is similar to when we pray with all our strength, when we put all our strength into the letters of prayer, like it says, "All my bones shall say" (Psalms, 35:10). This is an aspect of the succah, as it says, "With bones and sinews You formed me (tesuccaini)" (Job, 10:11). These words are an aspect of the twenty eight letters of the Act of Creation, with which the world was created. The Ten Sayings through which the world was created receive their strength from these twenty eight letters. And these words of prayer that we recite with all our strength, they are themselves the words of the Holy One, an aspect of "I will place my words in your mouth" (Isaiah,51). The Ten Sayings are an aspect of loving- kindness, like it says, "For I said: The world is built on loving-kindness" (Psalms, 89:3) which is an aspect of succah which is an aspect of the embrace of the right hand, as is written, "and with the shade of my hand I covered you", by " I will place my words in your mouth", as mentioned.
b) However, the words that are not holy cause the arousal of a succah of idolatry, as it says, "Whose mouth speaks lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood" (Psalms,144,11). This is the embrace of the Other Side. Then the right hand of falsehood becomes stronger and the exile among the nations deepens; we become distant from the holiness of the Land of Israel. As a result, truth becomes hidden together with the true Rebbe. Arguments and controversy become dominant and then the Shechinah quarrels with the Holy One (see Tikkunei Zohar, 21:,44) about her children who are in exile, who have been driven away from the table of their Father and have left their homeland.
c) Therefore, the succah has a special power to enable people to have children, meaning also praying with all one's strength and the Land of Israel: all three have this special power to enable one to have children. All of them are one aspect and are interdependent. We merit to come to Israel through praying with strength and through the mitzva of succah, for the main essence of the Land of Israel is through the power of His deeds etc. which is an aspect of prayer with strength.
d) Similarly, all three save us from arguments and controversy, an aspect of "conceal them in a succah from quarrelsome tongues" (Psalms, 31:21) so that the tongues of the idolaters won't become overpowering but rather, the verse will be fulfilled that says, "Then I will turn all peoples to a pure tongue" etc. (Zephania, 3:9). There will be one tongue to serve Him with one accord. Then the falsehood will be discarded and the truth will become dominant and become revealed in the world; then everyone will merit to know of the true Rebbe of the generation. He will be revealed and become famous. By this, everyone will return to G-d, even the nations of the world, to serve Him with one accord. May it be speedily in our days, Amen.
(Prayer 48)
In Your great mercy and bountiful loving-kindness, may I merit to fulfill properly the commandment of sitting in a succah, in all its details, exactitudes, intentions and 613 commandments that are dependent on it. May I perform it in happiness, good-heartedness and perfect devotion, as is fitting. Let us merit, that by the commandment of sittingin a succah there be drawn upon us all the Seven Clouds of Glory that enveloped the Children of Israel in the Desert. Spread the shelter (succah) of Your peace. Grant us merit to ascertain a special state of enlightenment, to ascertain a special state of enlightenment, to ascertain Ruach Hakodesh – the spirit of Diving Inspiration – by performing the commandment of sitting in a succah properly, with holiness,, purity and happiness. By this, protect us and save us from every enemy, ambusher and all sorts of foes that we have physically and spiritually, who hate us. Remove Satan from before us and behind us and let us take shelter in the shade of Your protection.
Master of the World, let us merit to sit in the succah of the Leviathan, to also be in the community of tzaddikim of whom the Sages of blessed memory said, “In the future, the Holy One will make a Chuppah for tzaddikim in the Garden of Eden and every single tzaddik will be burnt by the canopy of his fellow.” Let us merit to receive the true radiance and sparkling of holiness from the lights of these holy canopies in This World as well……
Help us and save us in Your bountiful mercy and immense loving-kindness, so that we merit to always pray before You sincerely with all our strength, as it says, “All my bones will say, Lord, who is like You?” May we merit to put into the words of prayer all the strength we have in our bones, sinews and flesh and all other powers of body and soul. In Your mercy let me speak our every word of holy prayer with really pray with strength and devotion, for You, G-d, are truth and Your word is true and You exist forever. You desire the truth. You know how far away I am from even one word of prayer. Not only can’t I pray with real strength and devotion as is fitting, because of my many iniquities, but I am totally distant from prayer ……. I have blemished my speech very much. I have not guarded the openings of my mouth. I have spoken many bad things during my life up until today, such that it is beyond estimation or number. I have spoken useless things, lashon hara, gossip, frivolous things, lies obscenities and all sorts of other bad things. Even the things I say to do with the holy matters are all very, very blemished such that, if I think about it, I have never spoken even one word without some blemish. Because of this the “strife of tongues” has become very strong such that many rise against us, very many indeed….. Send Your hand from above; rid me and deliver me out of the great waters, from the hand of the heathens whose mouths speak vanity and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” Oh, woe is my soul for I caused all this by my many iniquities. I have lengthened the exile and blemished the fallen Succah of David. Not only have I not tried to raise the Succah of David,but my many iniquities. I have lengthened the exile and blemished the fallen Succah of David. Not only have I not tried to raise the Succah of David, but, by my many iniquities I have continued to pull it down further. I have made stronger the succah of the gentiles and the languages of the heathens, until by my many iniquities, the Divine Presence and the community of Israel are in a great exile. They have been exiled from the table of their Father and driven out of their land.
Help me to sanctify myself in all kinds of holiness especially in speech and marital relations. May I never ever say an untruth or any thing inappropriate. Rather, merit me to guard my tongue so that I can pray before You with all my strength and really great concentration. Let me merge in You when praying to a degree that all the words of my prayers become the words of G-d. As a result, let my prayers arouse the twenty-eight letters of the creation (in the first verse of Bereishit) with which the world was created. By this, bestow upon us Your great loving-kindness.
Spread over us the Succah of peace and caress us wtih Your right hand. Merit us to take shelter in Your holy shadow. Protect us and save us from all our enemies and persecutors, materially and spiritually. Hide us in the shadows of Your wings. Help us, in Your great love for us, to perform the mitzvah of sitting in a Succah, at proper time in all its details and proper intentions with all the 613 mitzvot that we are dependent on it. Let us do this with a good heart and great happiness. As a result, uproot, nullify and subdue the succot of the nations whose mouths speak lies. Remove falsehood from the world while strengthening the truth. Pause the Succah of David which has fallen.
In Your bountiful mercy, let us merit to children, living and enduring to serve and fear You and uphold Your Torah (when you want to pray for someone who is suffering the anguish of raising children. Heaven forbid, mention him/her here and say in particular…..son/daughter of…..etc.). Have great pity and compassion upon us and bestow good and long lives to our sons and daughters and all our descendants (especially to the boy, son of….etc. and the girl…..daughter of …etc.). Have mercy upon them and upon us in the merit of their fathers and give them good and long lives. Lengthen their days and years. I pleaded with You, please take pity and awaken Your compassion upon them and say to their troubles, ‘Enough!’ “O Lord, do good to those who are good and to those who are upright in their hearts.” “Peace be within their walls, tranquility within their palaces,” without breach, defection, or an outcry in their streets, for generations and generations of their generations forever. “Though their beginning was small, their end will be very great,” as when the heavens and earth are new, so may their seed and names endure. Save them and all the children of Your Nation, the House of Israel, from the evil eye, from mishap, from all sorts of affliction and illness and send them from Heaven, a complete cure to all their 248 limbs and 362 sinews, so that they merit to endure and live with health and so that they “spend all their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures.” From them, may we merit to bring forth many generations. Have mercy upon them and upon us for Your Name’s sake; raise them to Torah, marriage and good deeds for many years. “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fertile and fresh.”
Compassionate One, our needs are very great but we lack the ability to express them in detail You know all our needs. Please have mercy on me so that I can really return to You with all my heart fulfilling You with all the days of my life. Reveal the truth in the world until all the peoples of the world return to You, to serve You with real fear and love. Fulfill the verse very speedily which says: “Then I will turn upon the nations a pure language, so they will all proclaim the Name of G-d, to worship Him with one accord.” (Zephania 3,9).
49. HE SET UP A TENT … FOR THE SUN
a) Every single Jew is a holy portion from Above and the main revelation of godliness is in the heart. This godliness in the heart of a Jew is an aspect of the Ein Sof (The Infinite One), for the light of its flame reaches to the Ein Sof. That's to say, there is no end and no limit to his yearning. Since the enthusiasm of the heart of a Jew is so great, it should be impossible for him to do anything or to reveal any good attribute in the service of G-d. The infinite burning enthusiasm in the heart would preclude any limited action. This is a reflection of the beginning of the Creation of the World when there was no place to create because there was only the Light of the Infinite One, may He be blessed. But the Holy One wanted to reveal His Kingship and this we can grasp only by perceiving His Attributes which are the worlds that He created. Through them we are able to ascertain His Godliness and to know that there is a Master, Ruler and Leader to the world. Therefore, He constricted His Infinite Light to the sides (so to speak) until a vacant space remained in which He created the worlds. Consequently, in a similar way, each Jew must constrict and limit the light of the flame of his heart, which would otherwise reach infinity, so that he can serve the Holy One within the proper bounds. The Holy One wants us to serve Him with good attributes, for, by this, we reveal His Kingship.
b) When a person limits this enthusiasm in the heart so that it won't burn too much, then a vacant place is left in the heart, as it says, "My heart is hollow within me" (Psalms, 109:22), then, within the heart, his good attributes become revealed. This is the secret of the Creation of the Worlds which was within the Vacant Space, as mentioned previously. The Creation was primarily through Wisdom, as it says, "You made them all in Wisdom" (Psalms, 104:24). Similarly, the main way to serve G-d is by achieving good attributes and performing good deeds and this one can attain only by guarding the wisdom in the heart; that's to say, one has to guard the thoughts of one's heart where the good and evil urges function, like the verse says, "The thoughts of his heart…" (Gen.6:5). Therefore, the heart is the 'tzayar' (shaper) of the attributes; the wisdom in the heart is like the "strength of my heart" (Psalms, 73:26). This is also what it says, "And (G-d) vayitzer – formed." (Gen.2:7). 'Vayitzer' is written with two letters 'yud' which allude to the two urges (yetzarim) for good and for evil. Good thoughts are the good inclination whereas bad thoughts are the evil inclination. So, a person builds or destroys himself depending on how he guards the thoughts of his heart (See Torah 35).
c) When you are careful to avoid bad thoughts and think only good thoughts in your heart about how to serve G-d, then your heart becomes an aspect of "the strength of my heart" and "my heart is hollow within me". This leads to performing good deeds and having good attributes which become apparent within the hollow of the heart. This reveals that you have taken upon yourself completely the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.
d) When the heart becomes hollow (vacant) then it is open to acquire holy wisdom. By this, a person rectifies the Creation which exists only though wisdom.
This reflects the good thoughts. On the other hand, by thinking bad thoughts, Heaven forbid, which are the foolishness of the heart, "the foreskin of your heart", which Unkulus translates as "the foolishness of your hearts" (Deut. 10:16), this stupefies the heart. In turn, this stupefies the Vacant Space of the Creation which exists through Wisdom; it spoils the Creation and is considered as if you had destroyed the world. However, on the contrary, when one thinks good thoughts, this rectifies the world; by purifying the heart and driving out any bad thoughts, thinking only good thoughts, one merits to be able to renew the Act of Creation and perform miracles in the world. This is a reflection of what it says, "Someone who wants to pour libation wine on the altar should fill the throats of Torah scholars with wine" (Yoma,71A) for their throats are like the pits under the altar that were hollow and descended all the way down to the depths (Succah,49A). This parallels "my heart is hollow within me" for the 'depths' alludes to the heart and the wind pipe, as brought in the Zohar. The 'depths' ('tehom') also alludes to miracles, for everyone expresses wonder ( t'mahim) as it says, (Ruth,1:19) "All the town were amazed" ("tehum"). Therefore, the tzaddik, whose heart is open with wisdom, like it says, "My heart is hollow within me" and "the strength of my heart", he can renew the Act of Creation and perform miracles, as is written, "in His goodness He renews every day the Act of Creation" (morning prayers). "in His goodness" refers to the tzaddik who is called "good", like it says, "Say of the tzaddik that he is good" (Isaiah,3:10). The Sages said, "engravings, the handiwork of a craftsman" (Succah, ibid) – this alludes to the hollow pits. This is the craftsmanship of the Holy One, an aspect of the Creation of the world, which is an aspect of the heart of the tzaddik, as explained above.
( See Torah 41, the mitzvah of pouring libation wine reflects the nullifying of harsh judgements; that's to say, the miraculous changing and nullification of Nature ('hateva') which has the numerical value of Elohim (G-d's Name of strict judgement). Through the wine, the vacant space of the heart is opened, as it says, "my heart is hollow". This is an aspect of what it says (Yoma, 15) ' Wine and fragrances made me wise'. )
e) This is what is written, "serve Him with all your hearts" (Deut.11:13). 'What is called service in the heart, this is prayer' (Ta'anit, 2). For the essence of prayer
depends on the heart, meaning that you put all your heart into it and connect your thoughts very well to the words of prayer so that your heart won't be far
from the words; rather, let your heart listen carefully to what you say. Through this, G-d's Kingship will be revealed and exalted and, as a result, the Kingdom of Evil will fall. Then, a great vitality, plenty and wealth – endless blessings – will be drawn to the People of Israel. As a result there will be a Unification, Above and Below, and we will merit to a revelation of the Hidden Torah of the Ancient One. For prayer is an aspect of the Kingdom of David, as it says, "I am prayer" (Psalms,109:4). Prayer in the heart is a revelation G-d's Kingship within the vacant space in the heart.
f) This (Kingship/ prayer) is the aspect of 'heh' (the last letter of G-d's Name YHVH ). When a person stupefies his heart with foolishness, and "there is no poverty other than from knowledge" (Nedarim, 41) he then falls into 'dalut', meaning the state of poverty; the aspect of the letter 'dalet'. But when he sanctifies his thoughts, there being no sanctity fewer than ten (Zohar,2,129), this is the aspect of the letter 'yud' (numerically ten) that he draws into the letter 'dalet' so that it becomes 'heh'. This reflects what it says "she" (an allusion to the letter 'heh') "is the olah" – burnt offering ( Levit. 6:2) and it is the aspect of "who is this that ascends (olah)" (Song of Songs,8:5) – who ascends together with this; who raises the upper house (Binah) with the lower house (Malkhut), through raising the power of prayer, which represents Kingship, an aspect of Jerusalem, the lower house. The Holy One will enter Jerusalem above by our building Jerusalem below, which is prayer (Ta'anit, 5). Both of them, the union above and the union below, are an aspect of Aviv (spring) called Nissan, when the Tabernacle was completed and when the future Temple will be initiated (see Ezekiel, 45:18). Aviv corresponds to the two houses, as above, for it is spelt 'aleph' (Binah) with 'bet' (beit means house) and 'yud' (alluding to wisdom) with 'bet'.
g) This union will awaken the song of the Future, as it says, "The song will be for you as on the night that the festival is sanctified" (Isaiah, 30:29) – (for prayer is
an aspect of faith, as it says, (Psalms,106:12) "they believed in his words and sang his praises." ) They will sing on the night of Pesach a simple, two-fold, three-fold and four-fold song. They are the Ten Types of Song (in Psalms) which are an aspect of 'heh' which is 'dalet' with 'yud'. This will come about by the revelation of His Kingship like a 'shir' (song), an aspect of "'sarah' (she ruled) over the entire world" (B'rachot,13). This reflects the Kingdom of David who is "the sweet singer of Israel" (Samuel,2,23:1). This is an aspect of the succah of David which has to be raised (Amos, 9:11). Succah alludes to 'sarah' who was anointed with the spirit of holiness (Megillah,14). Sarah is Malkhut(Kingship) and prayer which will be elevated and established from its lowliness and constriction, like "the small light" (Gen.1:16), the falling of his counsel (Sanhedrin,22) to the level of greatness, " the two great lights" (Gen.1:16). Then one will merit to full counsel and to complete repentance.
h) This is an aspect of teshuva (the letters teshuv- heh), literally, return the 'heh', meaning that one has to make the 'dalet' into a 'heh'. The essence of teshuva
depends on the heart, as it says, "with his heart, he will understand and repent" (Isaiah,6:10) , that's to say with the thoughts of the heart one has to overcome and escape from bad thoughts; one has to think good thoughts all the time. Take to heart very well what your ultimate purpose is and what your end will be. Think about ideas and strategies how to merit to return to the Holy One; by this you will merit to repentance. Then you will manage to ascertain the Torah of the Hidden Ancient of Days, the hidden inner meanings of the Torah which are the main delight of the World to Come, the delight of Shabbat. And Shabbat is also the aspect of repentance, as it says, "Then Shabvta – you will return- to G-d, your L-rd." (Deut.30:2). It says in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 21 and 41) 'And it is called Kabbalah when it is between the two arms of the king.' The two arms are the months of Nissan and Tishrei which are days of repentance, for in Nissan we will be redeemed (Rosh Hashana,11A) as redemption occurs only through repentance, as it says, "A redeemer will come to Zion and to those who repent" (Isaiah,59:20). In other words, the main knowledge of the secrets of the Torah, which are the wisdom of the Kabbalah, will be known in the future through our repentance.
i) This is also the aspect of tzitzit and its sky-blue thread called t'khelet (the main element of the mitzvah of tzitzit is the t'khelet (as mentioned in Sutah, 17;
Chullin, 89 where Rashi explains they merited to a blue thread which is the tzitzit and see Lekutei Halachot, Tzitzit, 5, par.3) "which consumes and utterly destroys" (Zohar, 1,51). The t'khelet reveals the Kingdom of Holiness and this subdues and nullifies the Kingdom of the Other Side, of Evil. Israel, who cleave to the Kingdom of Holiness, receive their vitality from there, for the main essence of vitality is from there, as alluded to in the saying "David, King of Israel is alive and endures" (Rosh Hashana,25A). This is because the t'khelet is an aspect of "the soul of David longed – 'tekhal' (Samuel,2,13:39). This alludes to 'khalah', meaning to put an end, as it says "I will make an end-khalah-of all the nations" (Jer.30:11), devouring everything etc. Melody also comes from the t'khelet like it says, "From the corner of the earth we heard song" (Isaiah,24:16). Specifically from the corner, for it is like the t'khelet (about which it is written, "on the corner, attach a thread of t'khelet" (Deut.11)). This is an aspect of the letter 'heh' which is written with a 'dalet' and 'yud'. 'Dalet' (whose numerical value is four) alludes to the four corners of a garment which require tzitzit, whereas the 'yud' (numerically, ten) alludes to the Ten Types of Song, an aspect of "the song". The main strength of a bride-khalah- who is an aspect of 't'khelet', she receives from "the Supernal Mother (Binah) who lends her garments to her daughter" (Zohar,1,2A). For Binah is the source of all harsh judgements, so, through her, they are also sweetened. This process turns the 'dalet' into a 'heh' which then channels bounty, great wealth and endless blessings to Israel. By performing the mitzvah of tzitizit with care, we merit to all this.
j) This is the meaning of the verse "He set up a tent in their midst for the sun" (Psalms, 19:5). The tzaddik is called 'sun' as is written, "The sun shines" (Eccl.1:5).
"Shining" alludes to his holy perceptions which he achieves only through the People of Israel, as the Sages teach that we learn from Moshe when G-d tells him, "Go down, for your people have become corrupt" (Ex.32:7). G-d says, "I gave you greatness only for the People of Israel" (B'rachot,32A). This is the meaning of "a tent in their midst", for the tent -'ohel' – alludes to shining, as it says, "when He shone –'b'hilo'- his light" (Job, 29:2). "In the midst of Israel" means that when the
Jewish People, Heaven forbid, delve into secular wisdoms of the other nations, the tzaddik falls from his level of perception for it becomes shrouded and covered. However, when the Jewish People leave these non-Jewish wisdoms, the tzaddik then emerges from the chuppah and covering which he had until now; this is like "a groom emerging from his chuppah" (bridal canopy).
k) The custom of a bride to send a tallit to the groom (before the chuppah) has a strong reason, as explained in Kabbalistic books. So also the custom of
shouting 'Shabbat' and words of mirth (called 'elah', alluding to "she is the olah"). It all belongs to wedding customs, according to the secret truths of the Torah.
(See elsewhere for an explanation of the wondrous customs that we perform at a wedding; covering the bride's face, throwing confetti/ wheat over the groom; the groom's speech being interrupted; giving presents for his talk; the merry-makers making summersaults etc. Everything is from G-d. This is not the place to explain.)
l) One has to be "like a warrior eager to run the course" (Psalms,19:5), for even when one merits to repent and to rectify what one spoilt, nevertheless one still
has to make up the service of G-d that one could have done during the time that one was far from G-d and under His reprimand. Therefore, one has to run
fast and be very speedy in the service of G-d in order to make up for any service which is lacking which could have been performed in that period that one spoilt.
(Prayer 49)
Rock of my heart and my holiness; Rock of all the worlds and Creator of all things: Master of all created things and Lord of all souls, who knows hidden things, You know my heart, You know the immensity of the burning holiness of the light of Your Divinity which abounds in my heart. We are a part of the Divine from Above and Divine Presence of Your Divinity is within our hearts. Therefore, let my heart take pity upon me and let it sound like a harp. “My soul longs for, even faints for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh cry out for the living G-d.” The burning coals of my heart burn and yearn for You. Many waters cannot extinguish this love, nor rivers flood it, for the light of my heart is connected to and enjoined to Your great Infinite Light. Therefore the light of the flames of my heart is also infinite, for there is not end, no measure to my yearning for You, My longing, craving and desire for You is strong and bold, beyond limit or reckoning.
The truth is that according to the immense light of the flames of the heart, which is infinite, it should be impossible to worship You at all, for the light of the holiness of my heart burns and enflames towards You with a powerful desire and a strong will to cleave to You and to always be included in You, forever. However, You revealed to us by Your holy Sages that this is not what You desire; this was not Your holy intention in creating us, for You know that we are flesh and blood and we cannot always be attached to You. You desire our worship and our good deeds, therefore You decreed that we should not destroy ourselves by going beyond the limits in order to rise u to You, that we should not have a burning desire for You that oversteps the limit. You decreed that we should restrict the light for fervour in our hearts; we should make a vacant space in our hearts, as it says: “My heart is made vacant within me,” so that, by this, we merit to attract into our hearts all the good, holy attributes and to really draw upon ourselves the yoke of Your worship. Let us walk in paths of goodness, cleave to Your holy attributes and serve You in the right measure and appropriate level. By this, let us merit to accept upon ourselves the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven and to reveal Your Kingdom to all peoples of the world, for this was Your intention in creating Man, that he reveal Your Kingdom in the World.
Therefore, O Lord, my G-d and the G-d of my fathers, G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac and G-d of Jacob, G-d of all the true tzaddikim, G-d of the first and last generations of Sages, G-d of all Israel, have mercy and loving-kindness upon me, on someone so blemished and confused as myself. Teach me and guide me in Your truth and instruct me so that I merit to a true understanding of how to behave in this matter, in what path and in what way I can restrict the light to a suitable measure and level, as is really Your good desire. You know that I need to always yearn for You, to really long for You, to run toward You…….. You need to arouse Your true mercy upon me (mercy) which is hidden with You; You need to carry me on the wings of eagles, to bring me to You, to bring me closer to You, very quickly and soon…. However, despite this need, I have to limit the light of the fervour of my heart, as is revealed before You, my Father in Heaven. It is obvious and known before You how many blemishes I caused because of my over-enthusiasm. Therefore, I have become You, my Father, my Lord, my Lord, Redeemer of Israel and Rock of my heart.
Here I throw myself before You. I give over to You alone, my body, soul, my spirit and higher soul. I give over my heart to You alone. Show me and teach me how to behave with regard to the craving and fervour for You and how to restrict the fervour, in such a way that I merit to return in really perfect repentance, to progress in Your holy paths and to cleave to Your good attributes. Let me always accept upon myself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, with perfect love and desire with dread and fear, with holiness, and great purity, so that I can really serve You in utter truth, in the proper measure and at the proper level, as is really Your good desire.
May I merit to sanctify myself very much in the two holy months that are the beginnings of the year – Nissan and Tishrei – for they are days of repentance. May I merit every year to return in complete repentance and to sanctify myself in those months with extra holiness and great happiness. Let me always draw upon myself great holiness and complete repentance from these two months so that it lasts the whole year. Let me merit to arouse and reveal the ten kinds of song and speedily to arrange before You, every day, many songs and praises with a voice of joy. And, may I joyfully sing praises to Your great and holy Name, by song, praise and melody; with songs of praise, sung powerfully and joyfully, with all the ten kinds of holy song until we now sing the song that will be sung in the Future…… Let me merit to know and perceive secrets of the holy Kabbala such that I merit to ascertain and know the most hidden and sublime Torah of the Ancient of Days which will be revealed in the Future.
Merit me to perform the mitzvah of tzitzit perfectly in all its details and stringencies, with all the 613 mitzvot that are dependent on it, with a good heart and great happiness. May it find favour before You to help us perform the mitzvah of wearing the blue thread in the tzitzit. Have mercy on us and build Your city again speedily during our lifetime. Bring wearing the blue thread in the tzitzit, uproot and break to pieces the kingdom of Evil from the world.
Let us and all Jews always cleave to You and thereby take upon ourselves with love the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven. Then draw upon us the bounty of living a good we unite them above and below so that the four letters of Your holy Name become united.
Grant us the joy of a mitzvah by helping us really gladden the hearts of kosher brides and bridegrooms. Let us sing and dance gladly before them with wonderful holy joy and great purity. Through this, enable us to unite the Supernal Bride and Groom. May we unite them above and below so that the four letters of Your holy Name become united.
Merit us to come close to true tzaddikim. Help me and all other Jews to escape the mundane wisdoms of the nations. Protect my mind from tending towards these natural wisdoms. Rather let my thoughts always cleave to You and to Your holy Torah, forever. As a result, may the light of true tzaddikim increase and rise such that they will continually achieve sublime new Torah perceptions. Then, in Your bountiful loving-kindness, give us the opportunity to receive and enjoy their great and holy light.
Grant us the holiness of Shabbat and may we feel tremendous joy throughout Shabbat stemming from real fear and love of G-d, faith, holiness and great purity. And in the strength of Shabbat and its holiness let us break and nullify from within us the craving for money so that we have no desire for money at all. Father merit us just to long for the ultimate purpose of life.
Compassionate One, have mercy on us and fulfill all our wishes from now on and enable us to drive our, destroy and nullify all bad thoughts from our hearts. Draw upon us holy, pure, thoughts so that we can start from now on to serve You truly as is Your desire. By this, merit us to quickly reach complete perfection. Return us to You, G-d, and we will return. Renew our days as of old. May the words of my mouth and the musings of my heart find favour before You, my Rock and Redeemer.
Amen.
50. RESCUE MY SOUL FROM THE SWORD
a) Anyone who blemishes the covenant ( by illicit sexual cravings) cannot pray in the aspect of "all my bones will proclaim" (Psalms,35:10), meaning that he cannot
taste the sweetness of the words of prayer, for this aspect is called "all of my bones proclaim". Only by rectifying any blemish to the brit can a person taste this sweetness in prayer.
b) Someone who blemishes the brit is in the aspect of defiled waters, impure seed. Then he is unable to pray as "all my bones proclaim". As a result a dog descends to devour his sacrifice, meaning his prayer, which is an aspect of Marah, a sword, an aspect of Hell. However, when he rectifies the brit, his prayer becomes sweet waters, pure waters, holy seed and, thus, his words are sweet and good. When they leave his mouth and are heard by his ears, the sweetness of his words enters his bones and then his prayer becomes an aspect of "all my bones proclaim". Then a lion descends to devour his sacrifice (his prayer).
c) Each person, according to how much he rectifies his brit, and according to his attachment to true tzaddikim who guard the brit, so too, to a similar degree, he can taste the sweetness of the words of prayer.
d) Whoever blemishes his brit has to guard himself from dogs and the sword.
e) Know also that the arrogant people of the generation, it is they who are the dogs; they stand up and oppose the prayers of a Jew who has not yet rectified his brit completely.
f) From this you will obviously understand how great the iniquity is of those who obstruct the prayers of Jews and want to confuse his prayers, for they are really called dogs, as it says, "the dogs are brazen" (Isaiah, 56:11). And even though this Jew who prays hasn't yet merited to rectify his brit and because of this the opposition comes upon him, like "a dog descends" etc., even so, these obstructers are not absolved from their punishment because of this. They uproot their souls from holiness and bring it upon themselves to actually be called dogs since they disturb a Jew's prayers even though the person hasn't rectified his brit completely. Certainly he has to make an effort to pray with all his strength, even though he is like he is, and he can't feel the sweetness of the words of prayer. Nevertheless, the very fact that he makes an effort to pray is itself very precious (as explained elsewhere). But the dissenters are real dogs and their iniquity is greater than can be borne.
g) A tzaddik's eating is very precious for he eats only to satisfy his holy soul. For this reason he shouldn't fast. On the other hand, someone who needs to fast should certainly do so; for him it is a mitzvah.
h) The illness of bones breaking, Heaven save us, is caused by the craving for sex.
(Prayer 50)
In Your great love, save me from the bitterness of the Angel of Death which has two sharp sides. Save me from the cruel angels of destruction which are called dogs. They devour the soul of a person who blemishes the brit, Heaven forbid, and lead him to hell while barking, ‘give, give!’ Save me from the bitter waters from the impure waters. Please have mercy. Help me and save me from now on not to blemish the brit whether by sight, hearing or other senses. Let me not follow my heart or eyes, whether accidentally or on purpose, whether by force of circumstance or by choice. Father, grant me the strength to break my evil urge and conquer my physical cravings. Bestow upon me good desire. May my heart be under my control.
I am like a beggar at the door, I plead for my soul until You have mercy on me and bring me back in really perfect repentance. Whatever You do to me, do it with Your bountiful compassion in such a way that You save me from now on from all kinds of blemish to the brit. Drive out and distance from me the spirit of folly and madness; nullify them completely from now on and forever. Please pardon and forgive me for my blemish of the brit I have committed since my youth until today. You are full of grace and forgive abundantly. Gather together all our dispersed souls from the four corners of the world. Merit me from now on to sanctify myself with really great holiness and purity. Let me never again do that which is evil in Your eyes, rather grant me the ability to always add holiness upon holiness day by day.
So also may it find favour before You, G-d, my G-d and G-d of our fathers, that You always help me to pray before You with immense concentration, with all my heart and soul, with the utmost truth. May I concentrate on the intention of each word of my prayers such that no word leaves my lips without the proper intention. Let me hear very clearly each word of my prayers and supplications in all sorts of songs and praises which I merit to arrange before You each day until I feel the sweetness and pleasantness of the holy words of prayer. Grant me the feeling of the sweetness of each word of prayer in my bones. Fulfill in me the verse “All my bones shall say, G-d who is like You who saves the poor from the stronger and the poor and destitute from he who robs him”. Out of love, raise my prayer before Your Throne of Glory. Send down a lion from the Holy Chariot on high, to be nourished by my prayer whilst raising it before Your Throne of Glory. In Your mercy, save my prayers from the brazen ‘dogs’ so they cannot tear up my prayers, Heaven forbid.
In the power and merit of the true tzaddikim, who engaged in prayers all their lives, merit us to sanctify and purify ourselves with great holiness for the power of the holiness of the tzaddikim can protect us. We can then pray with great concentration, with self-sacrifice and tremendous happiness. Fulfill all our wishes, for the sake of Your great and holy Name. We are called in Your Name for Your Name is part of our name.
May all my eating be with great holiness and purity without any physical craving from the body. Rather let me satisfy my soul with the little I eat in great holiness. Consider me to be like the tzaddikim who eat to satisfy their souls. Master of the Universe, I have raised my hands to You in prayer, asking for an undeserved gift from You. I have shouted out from the depths. Hear my prayer. Please don’t ignore my cries. Send me help from on high. Extract me from all kinds of filth and impurity. Sanctify me in all kinds of holiness. Merit me to repent in all kinds of ways. Grant me a good life, long life, eternal life. Speedily bring me to the Holy Land. Rectify me in any aspect that I need. Don’t discard me in my old age; don’t desert me when my strength runs out. Don’t discard me from before You and don’t take Your holy spirit away from me.
Amen. Amen.
51. RABBI AKIVA SAID
a) Lying damages the eyes, both physically and spiritually.
b) When a person lies this causes a strengthening of the impurities in the blood which leads to melancholy and tears; this, in turn, spoils the eyes. It is impossible to lie until ones blood has become unclean. Truth, on the other hand, cannot be spoken before one has purified ones blood.
c) Lying is evil and reflects impurity. As a result, a person removes the Divine Providence from upon himself. However, by telling the truth, a person draws
a complete Divine Providence upon himself.
d) Truth is one, whereas falsehood is many. It is impossible to speak the truth about something other than by oneness, meaning the way it is; for example, silver is silver alone and gold is gold alone etc. Falsehood, however, means multiplicity, for one can say lies without end such as silver is copper, or tin or lead and so on, and endless other names. Therefore, eventually the truth will certainly be revealed and all its opposition will be nullified, for the latter stems from the endless number of lies. In oneness there
is no controversy. The truth is oneness and will certainly remain in existence forever for it reflects the Unity of G-d. All forms of falsehood, which is opposition, will be eliminated. Truth will stand for ever, for "the Truth of G-d exists for ever."
e) When you want to be included in oneness, such that after Creation becomes encompassed within the aspect of 'before the Creation' and everything is one, that everything is goodness and holiness like it was prior to Creation, then guard yourself from lying; speak only truth and really be a person of truth. By this, you will be encompassed in the Oneness, for Truth is one.
(Prayer 51)
G-d You are the G-d of truth. In Your bountiful compassion, save me from falsehood at all times. Protect me so that no word of falsehood ever leaves my mouth, whether by accident or intentionally, by force or circumstance or by desire. Guard me so that I never stumble into saying something false, even by mistake. Grant me truth. Raise me from impurity to purity, from the profane to the holy. Through Your sublime holiness sanctify me with truth. Bestow on me an undeserved gift of truth and love. Return me to You in perfect repentance. From now on, let me go from evil to good, from impurity to purity, from falsehood to truth. Merit me to the absolute truth.
Draw Your Divine Providence upon us. Look down on us with Your graceful eye until we become truly absorbed with You. Let after the creation become united with before creation through Your Divine Providence. Then, everything will be completely one, totally good and holy, entirely true.
Save me from all sorts of opposition and let there not be found within me any element of resistance to anything holy or to any righteous person. Rather enable me to unite with all that is holy and good. By this, may I feel true love and unity with all pious people and true tzaddikim so that I become included in them and united with You my G-d and G-d of of our Fathers. Then merit me to cleave to You with truth and to become included in Your Oneness from now on and forever and ever.
Please, Lord, protect me from any blemish to the power of sight. Always sanctify my eyes. Let me never again look at anything that spoils the eyes. Father, let me just use my eyes to study Your Torah and look at Your true tzaddikim until my eyes become really holy and pure. Help me to rectify all the blemishes to my eyes and may I never lose the light of my eyes even in old age. This will enable me to drive sleep from my eyes and study Torah day and night without any harm coming to my eyes. May my eyes shine like the sun and moon.
Unique One, draw me really close to You. Drive out and nullify falsehood, evil and impurity from the world. Fulfill in us the verse which says “Then I will sprinkle pure water upon you, that you may become cleansed: I will cleanse you from all your impurity and from all your idols.”
Amen. Amen.
52. HE WHO AWAKES IN THE NIGHT
a) Each person has to see to it that he becomes encompassed in his source. To achieve this, one has to nullify oneself. It is impossible to come to self-nullification other than by secluded private prayers and meditation in a secluded place. By these prayers between oneself and one's Maker one can nullify everything and cleave to the Holy One, thus becoming encompassed in one's Source.
b) The main time for these meditative, private prayers is at night (after midnight) when everyone is sleeping. Furthermore they should be in a place outside the
city or town, a secluded place that is not frequented by people even during the day. By this he can empty his heart and mind of all worldly affairs and nullify everything until he eventually nullifies himself completely. That's to say, first he should pray a great deal until he cancels one bad attribute and then another until he negates himself completely, such that no impression of pride or materiality remains. In his own eyes he should consider himself to be absolutely nothing.
He has to work at this until he merits to real self-nullification, then, by this, all the world will be encompassed together with him in his Source. In other words, everything, together with him, becomes included in the Unity of the Holy One.
(Prayer 52)
“With my soul I have desired You in the night; with my spirit within me I will seek You early.” I have remembered Your Name, O Lord, in the night and have kept Your Torah law.” By night, on my bed I sought Him who my soul loves; I sought him but I did not find him.” “I remember my song in the night: I commune with my own heart and my spirit has diligently searched.” Master of the World, Master of all the World, Lord of all, One and Unique, who was, is and will be. You created Your world with Your good will for the sake of Your holy Nation, Israel. For them Your created all the worlds in order to draw the souls of Israel into the world so that they would really do Your will and rule over the world, and so that by their good deeds, they would be able to rise and thus raise all the worlds from the very midst
of the World of Asiyah (Making) to the beginning of the World of Atzilut (Nearness) – to raise and lift them up to their sublime root, so that all the worlds be included in Your Simple Oneness, may it be blessed and extolled forever, for all eternities. For You are He who was before You created the world and You are He who is after You created the world.
O Lord, our G-d and G-d of our fathers, may it therefore be Your will that You have mercy upon me and come to my aid. Let me merit to always meditate a great deal until, by the meditation, I can nullify myself completely such that all my being be nullified entirely and I become really included in Your Oneness. Grant me merit, in Your bountiful mercy and arrange for me a special place and special time for meditating. May I choose for myself the best place and the best time for meditation.
The best place is a lonely pathway and the best time is at night when people are sleeping. May I merit every single night to meditate in a special place, to go on a lonely pathway where people do not even go during the daytime. There may I meditate at night and speak freely before You about everything that is in my heart. May I merit to clarify and explain myself before You wholeheartedly and explicitly such that my heart really be aroused towards You with great longing, with great, immense crying, with bitter weeping; crying over my sins and confessing my many iniquities and willful transgressions, while really regretting them wholeheartedly. Let me make a wholehearted, sincere and firm resolution not to return again to foolishness. May there be no deceit in my spirit at all. If I have committed evil may I not add to it. Let me merit to arouse Your bountiful mercy upon me so that You graciously grant me an undeserved gift and from now on always come to my aid. In Your compassion, guard me and save me from sins, iniquities and willful transgressions and from all evil desires. In Your bountiful mercy, great mercy, immense mercy, save me and guard me at all times, especially from the blemishing of the brit – which is the entire Torah – such that I merit by meditation at night to nullify myself completely, to nullify every single bad attribute and every single evil desire until I become completely clean of all these desires and bad attributes. May I merit to really and truly nullify all sorts of pride and haughtiness until I achieve the ultimate nullification, as I Your good desire, such that I be really included in Your single Oneness, and let the existence of ‘after the Creation’ be unified with and included in ‘before the Creation’. In other words, let that which has potential existence unite with that which has actual existence.
May we be always be really attached, united and included in You. Let us not separate from You, even for the slightest moment. Reveal Your Single Oneness in the world; let every created thing know that You are its Creator; let every formed thing know that You are its Maker. Let everything that has breath say, ‘Lord, G-d of Israel, is King and his Kingdom is over everything’. Help me! Help me! Please, please grant me the ability to meditate a lot and talk a lot with my Creator at night on a lonely pathway, until I really merit to the ultimate nullification, until I really become included in You, together with all the worlds. May we all return to You sincerely and wholeheartedly. By day we will not rest and by night we will not be quiet, until we merit to find You at all times.
May we merit to fulfill sincerely and perfectly the commandment “in Him shall You cleave” as is Your good desire. Take pity and pardon us; take pity and have mercy upon us; take pity and grant us all that we have asked for before You. Let us merit to nullify ourselves sincerely until we all become included in You, O Lord, our G-dand G-d of our fathers; for this alone You created all the worlds, as You revealed to us by Your true tzaddikim…..May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart by pleasing before Your Countenance, O G-d, my Rock and my Redeemer.
53. 'HEH' THE KNOWLEDGE
a) Through actively trying to bring people closer to the Holy One and to the true tzaddikim, one can merit to have children.
b) A person has to attempt to achieve perfection of Knowledge, meaning he has to acquire holy knowledge, as much as is possible for a human being to know and perceive until it is impossible to know more. This is impossible to attain other than by involving himself with people, to bring them closer to the service of G-d. This brings his knowledge to completion and through this he will merit to have children. He can even grant barren women the merit to actually have children.
c) This is the reason why tzaddikim work so hard and pursue people to bring them close to the service of G-d; it is not to increase their own honour, Heaven forbid, but, rather, in order to perfect their own Knowledge.
(Prayer 53)
In Your bountiful mercy and immense loving-kindness, let us merit to raise many worthy students and may we radiate into them true, holy knowledge, to guide them on the straight pat (the path upon which our fathers have always gone) and let us inform them the way they should go (in life) and what they should do, according to what we received from our holy sages, may their memory be blessed. May I shine into them true and just advice, in order to awaken them and raise them from their sleep and introduce into them knowledge and fear of Heaven, in such a way that they merit to truly return to You in repentance, with all their hearts, all their souls and all their money. “I will teach transgressors Your ways and sinners shall return to You”. Save me and guard me, in Your bountiful mercy, so that with regard to bringing people closer to You, no ulterior motive or extraneous thought entire mind, Heaven forbid, such as the desire to increase my own honor, Heaven forbid. Rather may all my intent be really for Your honor, in order to fulfill Your Will. Give strength to those who are tired, such as myself, to suffer and accept willingly (with love) all the bother and effort that is needed in order to bring people closer to serving You. May I merit to chase after those distant from You with all my strength and bring them closer to serving You, and let all my intent be really only for Your Name’s sake in order to perfect my mind to the ultimate degree. By this, enable us to give birth to children, living and enduring in holiness and purity, for Your Name’s sake and for the sake of Your service. Multiply our seed as the sand of the sea and as the great many stars of the sky.
Have mercy upon us and give us strength so that we merit to remember sympathetically in our prayers those who are sterile. In Your great compassion, teach us how to pray for those who are barren, to remember them for the good with regard to salvation and mercy. Listen to our prayers and harken to our cries, so that all those who are sterile be remembered for the good very soon indeed. May they give birth , in Your mercy, to live, to strong children; multiply Your nation, “the sons of Israel like the sand of the sea which cannot be measured or numbered.” Just as Your compassion was great upon our first Patriarch, Abraham and his wife, the Matriarch Sarah, who You remembered for the good and visited them in their old age and gave them Isaac and promised them to multiply his seed as the stars of the sky, so also have compassion on all the barren women among Your nation, the House of Israel, whose eyes are turned only towards You, and grant them seed which will endure, to serve You and fear You.
Remember them for good and in Your mercy, fulfill their wishes. Fulfill their requests and listen to their prayers; may they conceive very, very soon and merit to give birth to strong babies in whom their fathers and mothers can be happy. May they merit to raise them to Torah, marriage and good deeds for many, good years.
Master of the World, take pity and have compassion upon us; be tempted, pleased and appeased by our prayers. Listen to the voice of our entreaties. In Your bountiful mercy, perfect our minds so that we merit to know You in This World also, in a completely perfect way, to publicise Your greatness and might to all the people of the world. Let us inform the coming generations of all the works of the great, awesome Lord which we heard from our fathers and holy sages. “Generation after generation praises Your works and proclaims Your Almighty acts.”…. the father to the children shall make known Your truth.” May we merit to really fulfill the verse which says, “Teach your sons and your sons’s sons” that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is G-d and there is none else.”
54. IT WAS AFTER TWO YEARS
a) A person has to guard his memory very well so as not to fall into forgetfulness. That's to say, one has to constantly recall the World to Come. (Obviously those things that cause forgetfulness generally apply here, all the more so that which the Sages said require the hands to be washed to prevent a person from going out of his mind, meaning that it becomes impossible for him to understand and expand his mind in a measure that it would not go out of the boundaries of holiness). A G-d fearing Jew should habitually remind himself of the World to Come immediately upon rising in the morning, when he opens his eyes, before doing anything else. This is in general. Afterwards he should do this in particular, meaning that he should expand his understanding of every thought, word and action. He should carefully look at and contemplate all the causes and things that the Holy One arranges for him and brings upon him each day, for each and every day is different in thought, word and deed. One has to know that the Holy One endlessly constricts His G-dliness from Infinity until the central point of the physical world where man stands. G-d arranges for each individual person, thoughts, words and deeds, according to the particular day, place and person and enclothes within them hints in order to bring him closer to serving Him. Therefore, one has to look at all this and expand one's understanding and intellect such that one recognizes and comprehends the hints that the Holy One sends in order to come closer to Him each time, wherever one is. For in all matters, work and business affairs, the Holy One arranges every day detailed hints. Consequently, a person has to expand his understanding and look carefully at all this, to understand G-d's hints.
b) However, one has to be careful to limit one's mind so as not to deepen one's thoughts in this too much. This is in order not to go beyond the limit of holiness. In other words, a person mustn't let his mind drift into philosophical queries and other confusions, but rather, he must limit his mind's expansion in accordance with the level of his human intellect. So also, he mustn't look into this beyond his spiritual level. ('For example, when something bad is heard or seen, for simple people this is a hint that they have blemished in this matter. For those at a higher level, it may imply that they have blemished in a related issue. Those on a very high spiritual level should take this as a hint that they must sweeten the harsh judgements from which this bad thing stemmed. And so on…each person receives hints according to his standing, his particular aspect (task) and spiritual level.' B'ibey HaNachal.)
c) Someone who knows and understands the hints from all things, even from mundane things, nevertheless, he mustn't occupy himself only with worldly matters, rather, he too has to have the characteristic of contentment, contenting himself only with those things that are absolutely necessary. Those who lack this quality of being content with little, and deliberately accustom their household to luxuries, as is the custom nowadays, among many people, because of our sins; about them it says, "The curse of G-d is on the house of the wicked" (Proverbs, 13:33) for they are always lacking a lot, as it says, (ibid) "the belly of the wicked always lacks". The tzaddikim, however, who possess this contentment with whatever G-d grants them, as the verse says, "A tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul" (ibid), for them the light is full and by them all the good bounty is bestowed to the world.
d) Also from this contentment itself one has to set aside some charity. By this, one creates a unification between the tzaddik and the Community of Israel, as explained.
e) For the common people who do not have the intellect to understand these hints, all this takes place automatically through sleep, tzitzit, tefillin and learning Torah (or reciting Shma for an unlearned person), prayer and doing business. Sleep is an aspect of attaching one's thoughts to the World to Come for, when asleep, the soul ascends (to the World Above). Tefillin alludes to the expansion of the intellect, to understand the hints. Tzitzit represent constriction, for by the mitzvah of tzitzit, we draw upon ourselves this rectification of not letting the mind go beyond its limit when it is involved in expanding itself to understand the hints. Therefore, tzitzit we wear before tefillin for, firstly, we have to rectify the mind so that it doesn't go beyond its limit. Afterwards we can expand the mind to understand the hints from the Holy One; this is the aspect of the tefillin. Torah represents the quality of contentment, for Torah is the Tree of Life, containing sustenance for everyone. Learning Torah itself also requires the quality of contentment for sometimes a person gets confused by wanting to learn too much; he sees there is a lot to learn and wants to learn everything on one leg (immediately). That is why he becomes confused and, occasionally, this leads him to stop learning completely. Consequently, also in the Torah a person needs this contentment. (Editor's note: From this a person can understand how much so this applies to physical needs. Because if with spiritual acquisitions he needs contentment, how much more so with worldly needs. The Sages give an example of this regarding blessings over the Torah-B'rachot,35- and this is included in what the Sages say in Perkei Avot,1: "And Make a fence around the Torah") So the Sages said, "It is not incumbent upon you to finish all the work" (Perkei Avot,2:6). Prayer is an aspect of the legs of holiness, clothed in this world, as explained.
f) Doing business is an aspect of the Unification of the tzaddik and the Community of Israel who, together, are called 'business' ('give and take'). This unification is created by conducting business with faith (and honesty), for in all business affairs merchandise and items pass from one person to another, all according to the holy sparks within these objects. Sometimes an object has to leave the possession of one person and enter the ownership of another only then to return to the former; it is all according to the holy sparks in that object and according to the portion of nefesh, ruach and neshamah that each person has at a given time. For this reason one must never try to force things before their time in any matter, especially in selling or buying at a certain time that one wants, for each object has its own time, in accordance with the clarification of holy sparks within it and in accordance with the parts of the nefesh, ruach and neshamah in the purchaser (which cause him to be attracted to that object which has sparks connected to his soul).
By business transactions with honesty and faith, he raises and rectifies those holy sparks while completing and giving radiance to his nefesh, ruach and neshamah. Then the tzaddik is united with the Community of Israel (which is the Unification of the Holy One and the Shechinah) and they are called 'giving and taking'.
g) In order to guard the memory one has to protect oneself so as not to fall into having an evil eye which parallels the death of the heart. This, in turn, causes forgetfulness; the memory is blemished and the heart dies within him such that he can't remember his ultimate, eternal purpose. One has to remember this every day and attach one's mind to the World to Come. However, because of the evil eye, he doesn’t notice this.
h) There are several aspects to the evil eye. A person can look evilly at the success of his fellow and this can have several aspects to it. So you have to guard yourself very much so as not to look with negativity at all at someone else. So also, you have to pray a lot to the Holy One to be saved from the evil eye of others. Someone who doesn't feel that he can stand up against the evil eye and subdue it needs to flee from it. On the other hand, someone who can rectify it should do so. (Editor's note: In the way that Ya'acov did to subdue the evil eye of Esau with words. He told him that it is not fitting to hate him because of the blessings and so on; and he sent Esau a present in order to satisfy his evil eye.)
i) Similarly, a person needs to guard his eye from the power of imagination. Even a person who has a good eye has to guard himself against this. Like we see, even someone who has good vision can make a mistake when he sees something from a distance; what he appears to see is the opposite of the truth etc. So it is with the mind's eye in several aspects. For example, occasionally it seems that his fellow tends not to tell the truth (as the Sages said about Korach: "He was wise so what make him act so foolishly, his eye caused him to err." Similarly with the mistakes of N'vat and many other great people.), or is acting against him unfairly etc. and because of this he holds something against him in his heart. This can arouse controversy. Then it seems to him that when he argues back it is with good cause (for the sake of Heaven). But the truth is, it all stems from a mistake from the power of imagination, that he imagines and makes up lies about his fellow. So also, there are several aspects to the mind's eye straying from the truth through mistakes from the power of imagination. Imagination can even mislead even a person with a good eye. Therefore, one has to guard oneself with special care from the mistake of the power of imagination.
j) To this one merits by being very careful not to speak or listen to slander, for slander intensifies the imagination and blemishes the memory which is dependent on the rectification of the eyes. The power of imagination is on the animal level because animals as well have the power of imagination. Furthermore, when a person's knowledge leaves him, he falls from the love of G-d to the love of animality, that's to say, to all of the physical cravings that stem from the power of imagination which overcomes him by way of slander.
k) As a result of the evil eye and slander, a person doesn't merit to leave after him a male son to inherit him.
l) The power of the imagination attempts purposely to reside in the mouth of those who study Jewish law, as explained. If they innovate a good Torah insight it is by likening one word or idea to another (by using the power of imagination). However, these innovations make earning a living more difficult, for just as all bounty and blessings come to the world through true Torah innovations, as the Rebbe explains, so too when these innovations come from the power of imagination, this leads to famine in the world, Heaven forbid.
m) The power of imagination overcomes a person when he is sad, for it is a spirit of gloom, a spirit of evil, and, by this, forgetfulness envelops him. Therefore, one has to be happy and this is the main way to subdue the imagination and to remember the World to Come.
n) Listening to music from someone holy playing an instrument for the sake of Heaven has a special power to bring a person to joy and to subdue his imagination, thus meriting him to remember the World to Come. He can also acquire The spirit of prophecy and a divine spirit; then he can pour out his heart in prayers like water in the presence of G-d. Therefore, a person has to always be happy.
o) When a person prays privately at night (after midnight) which is its main time, and rises at midnight, he merits to all of the above. He can then think all the time about his ultimate purpose and his final end in the World to Come. Eventually he can return in perfect repentance and merit to look carefully at all the things that G-d arranges for him and thus understand that all events contain hints meant to bring him closer to G-d. This is the main essence of true calmness of mind. The essence of a person's existence in this world all the days of his life, and whatever happens to him every day, everything is for this purpose alone.
p) By performing the mitzvah of lighting Channukah candles one draws upon oneself holy knowledge, which is an aspect of holy oil, which is an aspect of memory, meaning to recall the World to Come, generally and specifically.
q) Whoever has a good eye merits to truth and through this is enabled to really cleave to the Holy One.
(Prayer 54)
Our Father in Heaven, in Your compassion, fulfill our wishes. Save us from the power of illusion, from ‘death of the heart’ (a lack of sensitivity), from forgetfulness and the evil eye in all its aspects. May we merit to a holy power of memory so that we always attach our minds to the World to Come, both generally and specifically, every single day, in every single place we may be. Let us not lose our world, Heaven forbid, for no reason. Let us remember our Creator while we are still young. Let us merit to remember all the words of the Torah; let us not forget anything from what we have learnt, nor anything we saw or heard from Your true sages. May we always remember the World to Come until we merit to truly return in repentance to You, to be always as You desire.
In Your great mercy, let me merit to holy happiness so that I will always be happy. Give me strength in my hands so as to collect and separate the good spirit from the spirit of dejection, the evil spirit, the spirit of sadness. Grant me merit to have the ten types of holy song, until I merit to purify and separate the power of illusion and merit to subdue and nullify the evil within illusion and to separate and raise the good in it to the realm of holiness. May I merit to subdue, break, drive out and remove from myself the evil spirit, the spirit of folly, of sadness and depression. Let me merit very speedily to a good spirit of holiness. “For You are my G-d; Your spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” “Create in me a pure heart, G-d and renew a right spirit within me. Don’t cast me away from Your Presence and don’t take away Your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with Your generous spirit.” G-d, G-d of the Spirits, Ruler in the Heavens and Below, grant me a good spirit. ‘Lord, G-d of the spirits of all flesh’, bestow upon me a good spirit, a spirit of holiness, “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, “ a spirit of holiness and purity, a spirit of holiness and joy.
Be gracious to me; redeem and let me merit very speedily so that I will be worthy to really purify and sanctify myself and so that I merit to break the power of illusion, to remove and drive it out from myself. Grant me strength, counsel and might to break and cancel from myself all the illusory desires and animal cravings.
Let me merit to always be happy; let us rejoice and be happy in Your salvation. I will sing many songs all my life about the House of the Lord. May I really merit to raise my voice, sing and play music to Your Name and Your serviced, as is Your good desire. May I always merit to awaken and reveal all the ten types of tune. Give me merit to hear music, song and a voice stemming from happiness of a commandment, coming from a good, pious musician who knows how to play on the harp and other musical instruments, tunes of holiness drawn from the harp of David. Let him have a beautiful voice and know how to play well in such a way that, by his playing an instrument, the good spirit- the spirit of prophesy, the spirit of divine inspiration, the spirit of happiness and joy – be separated from the spirit of sadness – the spirit of depression and the spirit of evil – until we merit to a really good spirit and to always be happy.
May we merit to repent completely with a truly broken heart which stems from happiness and tunes of holiness until I merit to “pour out my heart like water before the face of the Lord” in my entreaties and requests. May I merit to explain all that I have to say before You, with all my heart and soul, with great crying stemming from happiness.
Master of the World, let us merit to perform the commandment of lighting the Chanukah light perfectly, at the proper time and may it be considered before You as if we had fulfilled this commandment in all its details and exactitudes, as if we had in mind all the holy intentions included in the commandment of lighting the Chanukah light. Let us merit, by this, to draw upon ourselves the radiance of the sanctity of the holy brains from their holly, sublime source, in the aspect of “drawing much holy oil to light a candle”; such that we merit by this to expand our perception and understanding and to deepen our thoughts, to understand all the holy allusions that You indicate to us in every thought, work and deed that You arrange for us at all times, according to the person, the place and the time. In all of them You suggest to us by holy allusions how to come closer to Your service and specifically, how to attach our thoughts to the World to Come, until by this we merit to raise and establish the aspect of the ‘legs of holiness’ that are clothed in this world in all the things in the world.
Say to my soul, remember that there is a World to Come. There is no permanence to This World. This World passes in the blink of an eyelid, like dust in the wind, like a dream that flies away. The only permanent life that a person has is in the World to Come. So, have compassion on me and guard my memory very well so that I will remember for certain every day, the World to Come.
Help me to attach my thoughts only to the World to Come, generally and specifically. Every day as soon as I open my eyes, let me remember immediately the world to Come, the world of permanence, for all eternity. This world is nothing only vanities
His only purpose is to enable us to pursue and gain the World to Come. Then let me remember this in detail by coming to understand all the signs that You send me in every place and at all times, to bring me close to You. In Your great loving-kindness, You constrict Your godliness from the world of Atzilut, the upper point of creation, to the central point of this physical world of Asiah, in order to send me signs and indications how to come close to Your service.
Master of the Universe, G-d, my G-d, You know how limited my mind is and how little I understand of all this, therefore I pray to You that I will have to rectify through mundane affairs or mitzvoth, will come about automatically. Help me to draw upon myself great holiness before I sleep. By this merit me to sleep with great holiness and purity. Then, while asleep, let my soul rise up and cleave to the World to Come.
Merit me to perform the mitzvot of wearing tzitzit and tefillin while reciting Shema and praying with the utmost perfection, with all my heart, in joy and purity. Help me to study Torah ever day in great holiness and joy. After this, let me carry out my business affairs with perfect faith such that I clarify and rectify the holy sparks that exist in all things that I buy or sell. By this, let me rectify my nefesh, ruach and neshama and bring them to completion. Grant me the ability to cause a unification of the Holy One and the Shechinah through the business that I conduct with true faith. As a result of this bestow upon me a holy memory, so I attach my mind to the World to Come.
May it find favor before You, G-d, our G-d and G-d of our Fathers, that You guide us in Your Divine Providence. Behold us with Your merciful eye. Guard us from the evil eye so that it will have no control over any person in the world. Rather, let us always look favorably at other people. Merit us, in Your bountiful mercy, to always cleave to Your holy attributes so that we will always have a good eye. Protect us from any other person’s evil eye in such a way that we will suffer no harm, materially or spiritually.
Save me and protect me from the evil eye for it leads to forgetfulness which is a result of the death of the heart, the ‘breaking’ of the heart. Help me never to forget the eternal world even when I am in this world, before it is too late. May the merit and strength of the true tzaddikim guard us against the evil eye for their lives they fought, subdued, broke and nullified all the evil eye at its source. Draw upon us the light of Meshiach speedily in our lifetime and save us from all our troubles.
Please G-d, our G-d, G-d of our Fathers, save me from speaking evil about any Jew in the world. Protect me so that I will not damage my mind. Grant me holy, spiritual, love instead of fallen worldly love. Give me the strength to break the power of imagination which is the power of animalism. Then enable me break all my animal cravings. Let me never be misled into mistakes by the power of imagination.
In Your great mercy, let me merit to holy happiness so that I will always be happy. Give me strength in my hands so as to collect and separate the good spirit from the spirit of dejection, the evil spirit, the spirit of sadness. Grant me merit to have ten types of holy song, until I merit to purify and separate the power of illusion and merit to subdue and nullify the evil within illusion and to separate and raise the good in it to the realm of holiness. May I merit to subdue, break, drive out and remove from myself the evil spirit, the spirit of folly, of sadness and depression. Let me merit very speedily to a good spirit of holiness. “For You are my G-d; Your spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” “Create in me a pure heart, G-d and renew a right spirit within me. Don’t cast me away from Your Presence and don’t take away Your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with Your generous spirit.” G-d, G-d of the Spirits, Ruler in the Heavens and Below, grant me a good spirit. ‘Lord, G-d of the spirits of all flesh’, bestow upon me a good spirit, a sprit of holiness, “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord,” a spirit of holiness and purity, a spirit of holiness and joy.
Be gracious to me; redeem and let me merit very speedily so that I will be worthy to really purify and sanctify myself and so that I merit to break the power of illusion, to remove and drive it out from myself. Grant me strength, counsel and might to break and counsel and might to break and cancel from myself all the illusory desires and animal cravings.
Let me merit to always be happy; let us rejoice and be happy in Your salvation. I will sing many songs all my life about the House of the Lord. May I really merit to raise my voice, sing and play music to Your Name and Your service, as is Your good desire. May I always merit to awaken and reveal all the ten types of tune. Give me merit to hear music, song and a voice stemming from the happiness of a commandment, coming from a good, pious musician who knows how to play on the harp and other musical instruments, tunes of holiness drawn from the harp of David. Let him have a beautiful voice and know how to play well in such a way that, by his playing an instrument, the good spirit – the spirit of prophesy, the spirit of divine inspiration, the spirit of happiness and joy – be separated from the spirit of sadness – the spirit of depression and the spirit of evil – until we merit to a really good spirit and to always be happy.
May we merit to repent completely with a truly broken heart which stems from happiness and tunes of holiness until I merit to “pour out my heart like water before the face of the Lord” in my entreaties and requests. May I merit to explain all that I have to say before You, will all my heart and soul, with great crying stemming from happiness.
Master of the World, let us merit to perform the commandment of lighting the Chanukah light perfectly, at the proper time and may it be considered before You as if we had fulfilled this commandment in all its details and exactitudes, as if we had in mind all the holy intentions included in the commandment of lighting the Chanukah light. Let us merit, by this to draw upon ourselves the radiance of the sanctity of the holy brains from their holy, sublime source, in the aspect of “drawing much holy oil to light a candle”; such that we merit by this to expand our perception and understanding and to deepen our thoughts, to understand the holy allusions that You indicate to us in every thought, word and deed that You arrange for us at all times, according to the person, the place and the time. In all of them You suggest to us by the holy allusions how to come closer to Your service and specifically, how to attach our thoughts to the World to Come, until by this, we merit to raise and establish the aspect of the legs of holiness’ that are clothed in this world in all the things in the world.
Return us to You, G-d and we will return. Renew our days as formerly. May the words of my mouth and the musings of my heart find favor before You, G-d, my rock and Redeemer.
55. ABBA SHAUL SAYS
a) To see the downfall of the wicked is impossible other than through the aspect of the Land of Israel, as it says, "Sit at my right hand while I make your enemies your footstool" (Psalms, 110:1). The Land of Israel is called "right hand", as the Sages said. (See Rashi, Parshat V'Yishlach on the verse "And his father called him Binyamin"
b) Even nowadays in exile when the Land of Israel is under the control of the Other Side such that its holiness cannot be revealed, nevertheless, it is possible to reveal and draw this holiness by the sparkling of the merit of the Patriarchs, as it is written, "I will remember My covenant with Ya'acov…and I will remember the Land" (Levit.26:42). By this radiance of the merit of the Patriarchs, the holiness of the Land of Israel is revealed and, by this, we can merit to see the downfall of the wicked. Not only is a person saved from the wicked, he also sees in the wicked person what he wanted to see in him.
c) For the wicked draw the evil eye upon their enemies, as the Sages said, (B'rachot,7B) "Not only this, but he sees in his enemies, like it says, 'Your judgements are far removed from him' (Psalms,10:5)." By finding merit in the wicked person, he is saved from the evil eye of that wicked person. The fact that the wicked are exonerated in judgement, as it says there "Your judgements are far removed" and G-d's judgement is withdrawn from them, this is all for the benefit of the tzaddik. The Holy One also finds merit in the wicked person in order to save the tzaddik from from the evil eye. The Holy One holds onto the attribute of Judgement and when He removes it from ruling over the wicked person, by this, G-d's hand becomes revealed and this creates a shadow in which the tzaddik is hidden, as the verse says, "I have sheltered you with the shade of My Hand" (Isiaiah,51:16). Then the eyes of the wicked in this bitter exile are dimmed a lot, like a filmy mirror, and through the shadow, the light of their eyes is dimmed so that their poison (in the eyes) cannot cause harm (to those whom they see). However, the light of the eyes of the tzaddikim, which is weak nowadays, as is written, "Who is blind like the perfect one?" (Isaiah,42:19), by means of the shade becomes stronger, just like those with weak vision who cannot see well in bright light and need shade in order to see. By the shade, the light of the eyes of the tzaddik is strengthened and he can see long distances; he can see and understand the righteousness of the Holy One even when He exonerates the wicked in judgement; this is the justness of G-d, like it says, "I will not let a wicked person escape judgement" (Exodus,23:7).
d) By seeing the justness of G-d, his faith is strengthened and any crookedness which was formerly in his heart becomes straightened such that he is able to pray, for the essence of prayer is through faith, that one believes that G-d's control is over everything, even to change the laws of nature; furthermore "G-d never fails to pay the reward that is due to any of His creatures" (Psalms,118). He can then strengthen himself and pray for his needs. This is an aspect of the red heifer, for the heifer/ cow represents prayer, as it says, "our lips (prayers) will replace the cows" (Hoshea,14:3). This alludes to "the red cow without blemish…upon which no yoke has been placed" (Numbers, 19:2). All this is an aspect of seeing and understanding the justness of G-d which weakens the power of harsh judgement and removes it from the wicked person for the benefit of the tzaddik for, by this, his faith is strengthened and he can pray, as explained.
e) This is an aspect of dust and ashes, mentioned in relation to the red heifer, for prayer needs the aspects of dust and ashes. At the time of prayer a person has to subdue the evil, both specifically and generally, to the power of good, like it says, "You will crush the wicked for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet " (Malachi,3:21). The evil in particular alludes to the physical body and its coarse materiality which should be nullified when praying, like the pious men of long ago who used to prepare themselves for prayer by divesting themselves of all corporeality. The evil in general refers to the prayers of the Jewish sinners who pray with him. He has to nullify their evil and turn it into a basis for holiness. This is the aspect of ashes in prayer.
Dust in prayer means attaching yourself to the souls, spirits and neshamot of those who dwell in the dust, arousing them through your prayers, as it
says, "Awake and sing out, you who dwell in the dust" (Isaiah,26:19). This is in general. In particular it means also arousing the parts of one's own soul, spirit and neshamah which have already been reincarnated and rectified. This is called prayer in public ('tzibur') for the letters 'tzibur' are the initial letters of tzaddikim, benonim (intermediate) and r'shaim (the wicked). The intermediate refers to the person praying; tzaddikim are an aspect of dust and the wicked are an aspect of ashes, as explained previously.
f) Each person has to rectify in his prayer three things; firstly, the one praying has to have his prayers rectify and elevate all those who have fallen into false beliefs, raising them to true faith, which is prayer, and thus establishing in their hearts complete faith. Secondly, he has to concentrate very well in his prayer so that by the intentions of his heart in prayer he can rectify the hearts of those whose intellect outweighs their deeds and who haven't the strength in their hearts to contain their intellect such that it leads them so sin even more. These are the philosophers who lack a pure heart and therefore cannot receive a really holy intellect, as is fitting. The main way of strengthening the heart is by good deeds but when their intellect is greater than their deeds, then their hearts become weak and are lacking. This is especially true of those who are adulterous and engage themselves in learning philosophy, for this causes them great damage; because of their sexual immorality their hearts are blemished, as it says, "The adulterous sinner lacks a heart" (Proverbs, 6:32). Their heart is unable to contain their intellect and to distance them from sins and they cannot cleave to G-d which is the true intellect. (This does more damage to them and to the rest of the world than snakes and scorpions and all sorts of other destructive forces in the world for, by their philosophizing, they vilify and blaspheme against G-d and against the holy Torah, especially the Sages of the Gemmora as well as the tzaddikim of later generations, as is well known. May the Merciful One protect the remnants of the People of Israel from them and their followers. One just has to nullify one's intellect to the men of truth who follow the path of truth as they received from our Sages, may their memory be blessed.)
g) A person must also turn all the humiliations he suffers into glory, as it says, "In His chamber, all declare 'glory'" (Psalms, 29:9). When a person stands in the chamber of the king and nullifies himself completely, he sees only the King. Then it is surely obvious that if he hears any humiliation or insult, he will interpret this as coming to glorify the King; for how can someone come into the midst of the chamber of the King and insult the King! He wouldn't think these vilifications are intended against him, for who is he, for hasn't all his material being been nullified such that only the King Himself is present. These words are certainly meant to express the glory of the King. Then he reflects on these words in order to interpret and combine them, turning them into glorification of the King. The metaphor is clear, for when a person prays he is standing in the chamber of the King. All this a person has to rectify in his prayer. These three things, mentioned previously, correspond to the three things connected to the red heifer, namely, cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool, as explained.
h) By proper prayer the light of the merit of the Patriarchs shines and by this we draw upon ourselves the holiness of the Land of Israel even during the present exile. This enables us to see the downfall of the wicked. Not only is a person saved from their evil eye, but he sees in them what they wanted to see happen to him. All this is activated by finding merit in the wicked; then we can pray. This also merits the tzaddikim, who do good, to the Countenance of G-d. Previously, before the destruction of the wicked, this Countenance of G-d was hidden in order to destroy the evil doers, but now G-d's Countenance becomes revealed to those who do good.
i) Not every person can rectify these things in his prayer and thus subdue the wicked, only the very great tzaddikim, who are an aspect of Moshe. Even he has to strengthen himself a great deal to stand up against the major evil doers and to nullify and destroy them.
j) The mitzva of challah (putting aside a tithe from the dough) is an aspect of the inheritance of the Land of Israel, as explained, for this mitzvah has us merit to draw upon us the light of the merit of the Patriarchs which allows us to reveal the holiness of the Land of Israel even nowadays.
k) In general, tall people are foolish, whereas short people are intelligent. This is understandable. (See the Rebbe's explanation in detail)
(Prayer 55)
Lord of Israel “I will lift my eyes unto the hills, from where will my hope come. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Master of the World, G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, G-d of Jacob, for the sake of the merit of our fathers, let me merit to comer very, very quickly to the Land of Israel. Help us, deliver us and grant us that the holiness of the Land of Israel be revealed now also in this bitter exile ….Even so, in the merit of our Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, reveal its immense holiness at this time also. By this let us merit to subdue our enemies … and remember the convenant of our Patriarchs for our sake.
Therefore, help me and teach me the right path in such a way that I will be rescued from the evil prison in the eyes of my enemies. Let me cleave to Your holy attributes and judge all the enemies on the side of merit at all times. Then, spread out Your great, holy hand to cover and shelter us from the prison of their evil eyes so that they will have no power in their eyes to harm us at all.
Save us, in Your bountiful mercy, so that we merit in our prayers to attach ourselves, both specifically and generally, to the souls, spirits and higher souls of those who dwell in the dust. May we merit to arouse and awaken them in our prayers so that they all pray together with us. May we attach our words of prayer to those in general who dwell in the dust and to specific tzaddikim. Let us merit to arouse and awaken in our prayers all the parts of our soul, spirit and higher soul that have already been reincarnated and rectified. May we also arouse and awaken all the holy souls, spirits and higher souls of all the tzaddikim in the earth, who are holy dwellers in the dust. Let us awaken them all so that they pray with us and in their merit, hearken to our prayers at all times and listen to our voices and take heed of our cries. Have mercy upon us for their sake, not for our sake, as it is written: “To the holy ones that are in the earth and to the glorious in whom is all my delight.”
So, have mercy upon us and come to our assistance. In Your immense loving-kindness and great power and by the strength and the merit of the true tzaddikim, let us merit to rectify in our prayers all the three evil voices of the wicked: first, the voice of foolishness and the stupidity of those who fall into false beliefs; secondly, the voice of blasphemy and the insults of the philosophers and ‘apirkosim’ (those who deny the existence of G-d); thirdly, the voice of contempt of those who insult and disgrace the people who really fear G.d. By our prayers, may we merit to subdue, break and nullify all sorts of false, foolish and vain beliefs and all superstitions. May we break and nullify them all by our prayers and may we raise to a true and holy faith all those who have fallen to false beliefs.
And, by the way of our prayers, let them fix in their hearts perfect faith. May we merit to put all our hearts into our prayers and to pray before Your with incredibly great devotion, with a sincere intent of heart, until we merit by this sincerity to rectify the heart of the theorists and philosophers so that their hears can contain their minds, so that their minds should not lead them astray to sin. May we turn their hearts to the truth so that they all return to Your holy pure and simple faith.
Grant us merit and help us to eliminate all the insults and disgrace that we have from our enemies and those who hate us, materially and spiritually. By our prayers, may we turn all the insults into honour. During prayer may we nullify ourselves completely and utterly so that we can enter and stand in the hallway of the King. May we nullify our being completely so that we then see nothing other than the Blessed Kind; by this, let us merit to a holy intelligence, to turn all the insults into honour. May we consider carefully all the words of the insulters and abusers so that we can refine them and explain them in such a way that words of honour for the Holy One come out of them. May we pray with great perfection to the ultimate degree, such that we achieve by our prayers all the rectifications that were performed by the red heifer which Moses, our teacher, burnt in the wilderness and such that You remember the covenant with our fathers.
Please help us to really repent completely and very speedily until we become included in the tzaddikim who always do good. Let the countenance of G-d be revealed to us, so to speak, through the holiness of the Land of Israel.
Save and guard us, together with our offspring, so that no evil eye can overcome us from any source. Rather, merit us to always praise and give thanks to You. I will thank You G-d, our G-d, for every single breath. All my limbs will praise You. Let all souls praise G-d.
Halleluyah!
56. ON THE DAY OF FIRST FRUITS
a) Every individual Jew has an aspect of kingship and rulership, according to his aspect. One person rules over his household while another rules to a greater extent; and there is one who rules over the entire world. This aspect of kingship exists in each person, openly or in a revealed manner. So each person has to be very careful not to use this kingship and rulership for his own needs and enjoyment, but rather, only for the service of G-d, that's to say, to caution and reproach all those who are under his control in order to return them to G-d. If he rules only in his house, he has to warn and reprimand them with regard to serving G-d; and if he has more extensive control, he has the duty to caution and reprimand more and more people, according to the power of his rulership that he has.
b) Each person, according to his rulership over others, is punished for their sins when he isn't careful to reprimand and caution them properly; his days
are shortened, Heaven forbid. About him it says, 'Woe to authority which buries its possessor' (Pesachim,87). However, when he warns and reproaches them in the service of G-d, he draws upon himself vitality and longevity.
c) However, it is impossible to reprimand and warn them properly other than by learning Torah. By this, one can reprimand any
Person, even those very far away, even if one doesn't know what reprimand they need, for, through learning the Torah, we merit that even those far away from us will hear the voice of Torah which announces and cries out at all times – "Until when will the foolish love foolishness" (Proverbs,1:22). As a result of this they will repent and return to G-d.
d) Also by engaging in the learning of Torah we merit to longevity, for, by learning Torah we call, so to speak, to the Source of Life, may He be blessed and draw vitality and longevity from Him. Therefore, we must learn Torah out loud, specifically. Speaking out the words of Torah, for, by this, we merit to call to G-d and attract longevity and vitality from Him.
e) There are two kinds of concealment, for there is concealment and there is concealment within concealment. When the Holy One is hidden within one concealment it is also hard to find Him, but it is possible to struggle and carve a path until one finds Him; this is because at least one knows that the Holy One is concealed. However, when the Holy One is concealed within a concealment, meaning that the concealment itself is hidden from a person, then he doesn't know at all that the Holy One is concealed from him and then it is impossible to find Him since the person doesn't know anything about G-d. Know, someone who repeatedly sins, Heaven forbid, falls into one concealment and then, even though it is hard to escape and return to G-d, who is concealed from him after his sins have become like something permitted, even so, he, at least, knows about the concealment and recognizes that the sin has become for him like something permissible. Therefore he can instill this knowledge in his heart that he has fallen into concealment such that G-d and the Torah have become hidden from him and he relates to a sin as being permissible. By this, he can search for G-d and carve a way out. However, if he continues to perform more sins, Heaven forbid, then he will fall into a concealment within concealment until the Holy One and the Torah become so hidden from him that he doesn't know anything about the prohibition. He then doesn't realize that the sin has become permitted in his eyes. All the evil things are like a perfectly straight path, as if there is no prohibition at all. Even so, there is no despair in the world at all, despite having fallen into this double concealment, for there also the life force from G-d exists, clothed within the surface reality. Without this life force, nothing could exist. Even within the power of the husks and sins, within the double concealment, life force comes from the Holy One. When someone merits to Knowledge, all the concealments are nullified and he merits to hear the great voice of the Torah which declares and admonishes constantly, "How long will you fools go on loving foolishness." Then he will merit to return to G-d. To gain this Knowledge is by engaging in learning Torah, for, by this, we can also arouse him from within this double concealment and make him aware of the presence of G-d, teaching him that he also has hope, until he finally returns to the truth and comes close to the Holy One. Through the power of the true tzaddikim we can come close to G-d at all times, whatever the situation, wherever we are. Even if has done what he has and has fallen to where he has fallen, Heaven forbid, G-d's life force is certainly enclothed there as well, for He gives life to all things. Thus, a person can return to G-d from any place and merit to hear the voice of the Torah, as mentioned above. For the reason we don't hear the mighty voice of the Torah is because of the many concealments created by our many sins; then G-d becomes concealed from us doubly as a result of our iniquities, in an aspect of "On that day I will doubly conceal my Face…" (Deut.31:18). However, by learning Torah we can uncover the concealments such that cause even those who are very far away from holiness to hear the Torah admonishing, until, eventually everyone will return to G-d.
f) There are some people who have become distant from the Holy One, as if they had fallen away and jumped away from the Place of the World(G-d). Others have been close to G-d for a while but have already forgotten about this. Still others continue to remember the Holy One even now, but they have lost their heroism and they haven't the strength to overcome their evil urge; however, by learning Torah, everyone will return to G-d.
g) In very lowly and distant places from G-d, there, specifically is enclothed a very sublime life force, the hidden Torah. Therefore, anyone who falls very far has to know that even where he is, and especially from there, he can come very close to G-d, for there is a very sublime Torah hidden in that place. So, when one merits to return to G-d, this sublime, hidden Torah will become revealed.
h) Through the craving for money, the Kingdom of Evil grows stronger, Heaven forbid. This Kingdom of Evil constantly pursues the Kingdom of Holiness whose life force is from Knowledge (Da'at), which is the Torah. The Kingdom of Evil is the opposite of this, for it always craves to collect money and to devour holy sparks which are concealed within the money and which, in their source, are Supernal Colours. So, each person, according to the degree that he breaks the craving for money, draws himself closer to the Torah and to holy Knowledge; he also extracts the holy sparks from the realm of the Kingdom of Evil. All this is through the power of the true tzaddikim who really engage in learning Torah. They have the strength to subdue the Kingdom of Evil and to extract the holy sparks and all the money from there, making Torah insights from them. Therefore, one must strengthen oneself very much in order to break the craving for money.
i) According to the craving for money a person has, so his Knowledge, life force and longevity become lessened. The result is that he doesn't hear the voice of the Torah admonishing him and constantly calling to return to G-d. Because of this he is forced to struggle to make a living and acquires his income with much effort and difficulty. However, when he is strong and increases his Knowledge, thinking only of Torah and breaking the craving for money, then his income will come easily. He will merit to hear the clues and proclamations of the Torah, which are the good thoughts aroused in a person's heart at all times to return to G-d, until he merits to really come close to G-d.
j) The spirit of depression comes from struggling and chasing after money; this is the venom of the Serpent. This causes all one's limbs to be heavy and the pulse becomes weakened. However much his pulse is weakened, his limbs become heavier and then his pulse becomes weaker still, and so on, back and forth, until his soul departs, all as a result of the bother of craving for money, for this is the main reason for worries and depression.
k) By holy sighing, when one sighs out of longing to return to G-d, the pulse is cured and life force returns. Thus one is saved from the spirit of depression, which is caused by the effort and bother of making a living, and merits to Knowledge and to receive words from Heaven.
l) The ease of making a living is in direct relation to the increasing level of Knowledge of a person. However much he lacks Knowledge, so he will have to make a greater effort to make a living.
m) According to the growth of a person's Knowledge, so peace multiplies, for controversy, anger and cruelty stem from the lack of Knowledge. Therefore, however much one increases one's Knowledge, anger will be nullified and mercy, loving-kindness and peace will grow. So when one learns Torah, one attracts Knowledge and cancels anger, drawing to oneself also mercy, peace and healing.
n) Immersing in the mikve redeems from all troubles, purifies from all forms of impurity and from sins, for the mikve draws Knowledge and very sublime loving-kindness. Then one merits to earn a living easily, to healing, life force and longevity. This arouses people to serve G-d. Controversy and anger are nullified and one merits to peace, mercy and expanded Knowledge.
o) Immersing in the mikve on Shavuot is a very sublime loving-kindness and a great compassion; it is wonderful Knowledge, for Shavuot is a very fine and supernal Intellect which represents very immense loving-kindness and compassion, for compassion is dependent on Knowledge. Happy is he who merits to receive the holiness of Shavuot, in particular the mikve of Shavuot, which is the Fiftieth Gate (of Understanding) from which holiness and purity are drawn down upon the People of Israel.
p) Peace depends on Knowledge, whereas controversy is the opposite of Knowledge. However, there is controversy which exists for the sake of Heaven which is really very great Understanding, a greater Knowledge than peace, for really this controversy is great love and peace. In Egypt, when Knowledge was in exile, there was certainly no controversy fro the sake of Heaven, for this depends on Knowledge. But afterwards, when they were redeemed from Egypt by Moshe, who personifies Da'at (Knowledge), then they merited to the Knowledge of controversy for the sake of Heaven which is really the ultimate form of peace.
(Prayer 56)
Master of the Universe, King of all Worlds, who rules over everything., The hidden
G-d, Compassionate One. You alone know the immense power of the concealment of godliness which has become dominant in these days before the coming of Meshiach. You have hidden Your countenance from us. You have hidden Yourself from us very much by one concealment within another, so much so that we do not even realize that You are hidden. We don not recognize You at all. Sins, in our eyes appear to proper behaviour.
Now, our Father in Heaven, what can we do and what can we rectify? This is especially true of me for I am impoverished. I ask that You help me to reveal the immense concealment within concealment. You have hidden Yourself a great deal from me to such a degree that I have forgotten my goodness and holiness. My Father in Heaven – have compassion on me. See my weakness in the face of my enemies and raise me from the gates of death. Master of the Universe, Master, I have no mouth with which to speak and no forehead to raise my head. I have no word in my language. G-d, You know everything. help me to reveal the immense concealment within concealment. You have hidden Yourself a great deal from me to such a degree that I have forgotten my goodness and holiness. My Father in Heaven – have compassion on me. See my weakness in the face of my enemies and raise me from the gates of death. Master of the Universe, Master, I have no mouth with which to speak and no forehead to raise my head. I have no word in my language. G-d, You know everything. You had Your countenance and I was confused. Please don’t hide Your face from Your servant for I am in great distress. Answer me speedily. I call out to You and plead with You. Help me. I know no way how I can reveal this immense concealment within concealment which includes thousands and tens of thousands of concealments. I know no way to escape from them and how to save my soul from the trap.
In Your bountiful mercy You thought from afar to better our final end. You promised that by learning the holy Torah we will merit to find You at all times, even in these, the End of Days, in the midst of one concealment within another, as is written: “I will surely hide my face on that day…….. this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed.” Therefore I have come before You, Lord, my G-d and G-d of my fathers, You who are full of compassion, full of pardon, who is good and does good for all, who has mercy on all creatures., for Your mercy is upon all Your works. In Your bountiful mercy, let me merit to engage in Your holy Torah for its own sake, day and night, with great holiness and purity, in such a way that I merit by learning Torah to reveal the concealment which is in the concealment to always find Your Divinity, at all times and in every place. Let absolutely nothing have the strength to conceal You Divinity, Providence and Majesty from me. Help me and save me so that I can engage in the holy Torah and speak out the words of the Torah perfectly. Give us strength to call You, the Life of lives, by the holy Torah, which is Your Name. By this, grant us merit to receive and draw upon ourselves from You a good long life, for You are the Life of lives. You give life to all the worlds, from beginning to end, through the holy Torah, which is Your Name.
The Torah is our life and the length of our days. Make us worthy to receive this life gradually and in the right quantity by the holy measures and vessels made by the chapters, verses, weekly portions, words, intonations, vowel points, ornamental crowns on the letters and the letters of the holy Torah. By them, let us merit to good, long lives, mercy, peace and holy perception.
Master of the World, who is close to all who call Him truthfully, let us merit to call You truthfully, in such a way that You answer us very soon. We will call You and You will answer us; we will pray to You and You will grant our request. Grant us perception, understanding and wisdom from You and let us be worthy, by engaging in holy Torah, to draw from You a good life, lengthy days and years. Let it be in such a way that we merit to know that You are always present, at all times, in every person and every place, even in the very midst of one concealment within another, there also You are present. For You Yourself are hidden within all the concealments in the world, even the concealment within a concealment, even in the thousands of thousands and tens of thousands of tens of thousands of concealments without end. There also You are present, for there is no place voice of Your presence!. You give life to all. Without You there is no life-force at all to anything in the world. Even all the husks and impurities in the world, all the (evils of the) Other Side and all the concealments in the world which hide Your Divinity, none of them have any life-force or strength other than what they receive from You Yourself, may You be blessed for Eternity. You rule everything and Your Kingdom reigns over all. Apart from You nothing has strength. No concealment in the world can conceal or hide You, may You be blessed.
In Your bountiful, allow us the merit to know all this with perfect perception, with truth and faith, until, by this I reveal the concealment which is within the concealment and turn it into knowledge, such that holy Torah be made out of all the concealments. May the holy Torah that is hidden there in the midst of a concealment within concealment be revealed. Grant us the merit to have revealed the secrets of the Torah, to understand and ascertain the secrets of the Torah such that we merit to hear roars and calls in a very, very great and tremendous voice! “She cries in the chief place of concourse…… How long, you foolish ones, will you love foolishness?” Because of our many iniquities we do not hear this voice of proclamation. Therefore, have mercy upon us, for Your Name’s sake. Let us merit to engage wholeheartedly in the holy Torah with great holiness until we merit to hear the great voice of proclamation of the holy Torah, the voice of the words of “the living G-d and everlasting King,” “a great voice that goes on continually….”. The Torah itself reproaches us in a revealed way from a concealed love, as is written: “She opened her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of loving-kindness.” May we merit by this to return to You sincerely, very quickly and soon.
Bring us close to Your service and return us in complete repentance before You. Help us and save us and let us merit to reveal and raise combinations of letters of the holy Torah from amidst the concealments and turn them into the realm of holiness, to return them to their original dwelling place and combine them into words of holiness, until, by them, new, truly wonderful and awesome interpretations of the Torah be revealed.
Reveal to us the secrets of the Torah, the wonders and hidden things in Your holy Torah which You stored away and hid for those who fear You. Grant us the merit to know and distinguish between that which is forbidden and that which is permitted, between the holy and the secular, between the impure and the pure, between the kosher and non-kosher. Help us to cut ourselves off completely from evil and anything forbidden and may we really attach ourselves to the realm of holiness with perfect faith. Let us turn aside from evil and always do that which is good in Your eyes, as is truly Your good desire. Let us merit to perfect, holy knowledge until we clothe ourselves and others in perfect, sincere repentance before You. By our engaging in the holy Torah, let us arouse others to perfect repentance, even those who are very far away from us. May we bring them out of darkness to light, from the secular to the holy.
In Your bountiful mercy, save us from the craving for money. Help us to break the desire for wealth and its power. Let me never covet money nor crave to collect it, for it is not ours. Father may we put all our desire into studying Torah so that we acquire holy wisdom and understanding while cleaving to Your holy mitzvoth. During our lifetime, let us rectify everything that we blemished because of the craving for money. Merit us to elevate all the holy sparks which the husks swallowed as a result of our sins. Then the husks will spit out all they have swallowed until all the holy sparks and all their life-force are returned to their holy sublime source. Help us to reveal all the supernal colors within the silver, gold and copper, with holiness and great purity, until they shine, as You desire.
Bestow upon us the attribute of compassion so that we will really have compassion on the needy and give them a lot of charity. Then,You will have mercy on us from Heaven. Draw down a good income, blessing, compassion, life, peace and holy understanding. Cancel all controversy from the world. Spread compassion and peace throughout the world so that there will be a great peace between Jews and between all the Peoples of the world.
Help us and save us that we merit to purify and sanctify ourselves at all times by immersion in the mikve. Let us draw upon ourselves great purity and holiness by immersing in the mikve, so that we purify ourselves from all impurities, from all the sins, iniquities and wilfull transgressions that we have perpetrated and committed before You every since our youth until today. Draw upon us great holiness by the holy mikve. By this, grant us great perception and bountiful mercy.
Help us and give us strength by immersing in the mikve to sweeten all the harsh judgments in the world from upon us, from our offspring and from all Your Nation, the House of Israel. May we nullify all the troubles and all the evil decrees by this. Always save us by our immersing in the very holy and awesome mikve. Fulfill in us the verse which says:”O the Hope (mikve) of Israel (Lord,) Saviour in the time of trouble”. Let us merit to draw upon ourselves the holiness of the mikve of the holy Festival of Shavuot, the time of the giving of our Torah, when Israel came close to You and merited to receive the holy Torah by immersing in the mikve.
May we all merit on the Festival of Shavuot to immerse ourselves in the sublime mikve, the mikve of the Fiftieth Gate of Holiness which is very great mercy, sublime loving-kindness and very great understanding. Help us so that we merit to draw upon ourselves the holiness of the mikve throughout the year. Grant us merit to purify and sanctify ourselves at all times to leave very quickly the Fifty Gates of Impurity and to enter into the Fifty Gates of Holiness.
Fulfill in us very quickly the verse which says: “Then I will throw pure water upon you and you will be pure from all your impurities and from all your idols I will cleanse you.”
57. THEY ASKED REBBI YOSI SON OF KISMA
a) The rule and the main thing is that a person has faith in Torah scholars and is careful to honour them and hold them in awe. And even if it seems to him that they are acting against the Torah, Heaven forbid, a person has to believe that they are certainly doing what is right in accordance with the Torah, for the Torah was given over to the Sages to explain as they see fit. So a person has to put aside his intellect and knowledge and just depend on the Sages.
b) All cures are dependent on the Torah, as it says, "a healing for all his flesh" (Proverbs,4,22). The Torah was given over to the Sages and we are commanded to listen to them and not to stray from what they say, whether to the right or the left. Anyone who ridicules them and doesn't believe in their words, because it seems to him that this is not according to the Torah, as a result is inflicted with an illness that has no cure and dies from it, like the Sages said, "Maybe a snake of the sage has bitten him for which there is no cure" (Shabbat, 110B).
c) When we fall from faith in the Sages, the rectification for this is by a vow - one should make a vow and carry it out immediately. By this you will return to faith in the Sages and merit to a complete cure. Then the light of the Patriarchs shines in you and you merit to the delight of Shabbat which is an aspect of eating in holiness. Through this, one merits to nullify anger and to subdue one's enemies, causing them to fall. As a result, the Gateway of the Other Side (the Forces of Evil) will fall; the Meshiach will come and build the Gateways of Holiness.
d) By anger, the great accuser, Esau/Edom, is aroused and from this sublime accuser, accusers in the world below are activated. They oppress a person who gets angry and take control over him for, by his anger, a person's wisdom departs from him and the image of G–d is removed from upon his face; his face then falls, like it says, "Why are you angry? Why is your face fallen?" (Gen.4: 6). He ceases to have the face of a human being. (See Jerushalmi, Niddah, brought down in the Pri M'gadim, Yoreh Deah, Ch.13, par.18: "He's totally a human yet his face is like an animal. He stands and reads in the Torah . They tell him; come and be slaughtered etc.) Then he goes from the level of being a human to that of an animal. Consequently, his enemies take control over him and his adversaries oppress him, for in their eyes he seems to be an animal and therefore they have no fear of him.
e) The rectification of anger is to fast, for, by fasting a person subdues the anger and this is the main virtue of a fast. Therefore, on a fast day, the Evil One entices a person more than usual and arranges for him to get angry and thus spoil the fast, Heaven forbid. One has to guard against this, to guard oneself very carefully against the fire of anger on a fast day, for the main thing of a fast is to subdue one's anger. By the fast a person rectifies his face and restores to himself his wisdom which is the image of G-d that shines in his face; then all will fear him and his enemies will fall in front of him.
f) Someone who merits to the delight of Shabbat, in other words, to eating in holiness, doesn't need to fast for he accomplishes through his eating that which is achieved by fasting (to subdue one's enemies). This is the merit of enjoying Shabbat.
g) Eating on Shabbat is very precious and holy for it becomes holiness and complete godliness without any impure elements of waste at all. The Other Side has no part whatsoever in Shabbat eating, for Shabbat eating is entirely holy. By Shabbat eating, anger is nullified and all powers of wrath and all adversaries flee from her (Shabbat) and vanish; then everything is love and peace.
h) To nullify or subdue one's enemies it is enough only to fast, or eat on Shabbat, but to achieve real peace one has to also give a lot of charity, especially on a fast day, as the Sages said, "The reward for fasting is charity" (B'rachot,6b). One also has to give charity to poor people for Shabbat or to invite them to eat at your table on Shabbat, then you will merit to bountiful peace, peace that has a mouth. For sometimes there is peace but without a mouth, that's to say, there is peace between people but they can't speak to each other, like it says, "They couldn't speak peacefully to him" (Gen.37:4). However, by Shabbat eating with charity one merits to a vocalized peace, meaning that the peace is perfect and people speak to each other, in the aspect of "For the sake of my kin and my companions, I will now speak peace" (Psalms,122:8), for the mouth is perfected through the great light (that shines) at the time of eating on Shabbat.
In Your bountiful mercy You chose us from all the Nations and raised us above all the languages; You sanctified us in Your commandments our King, and You brought us closer to your service. O Lord our G-d, You gave us Your holy Torah, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. You commanded us to have faith in Your tzaddikim and true Torah scholars such that we should come close to them and cleave to them in order to fulfill anything they say, as it says, “Do not swerve from that which they tell you, neither to the right or the left.”
Therefore, may if be Your will G-d our G-d and G-d of our Fathers, that You fix You holy belief in our hearts and in the hearts of all Your People, the House of Israel. Merit us really and truly to the utmost complete faith in the Sages. May we come close to them and ……. the dust of their feet, drinking their words thirstily.
By flawed belief in the Sages, which I have had from my youth until today, by slighting their honour, I have generally blemished Your holy Torah which was entirely given over into thehands of the true Sages to expound as they please. By this, I blemished the holy angels who were created through the Word of the Lord by the letters of the Holy Torah. I transgressedthe prohibition of ‘do not turn “ (to the right or theleft of what the wishe men of your generation instruct youto do)”. I removed the power of my hands from the holy angels, the right and left hand, through which the angels receive abundanc from above and bestow abundance to all the grasses and all things in the world. By the flaw in our belief in wise men, the hands of angels have been removed until they have no power to receive or bestow. Because of this it is impossible to receive a cure. We have caused affliction, Heaven forbid, which is not written in the Torah, an affliction without a cure!
I plead with You Lord, in Your great loving-kindness, pardon, forgive and grant atonement for me and for all Your Nation, Israel, with respect to all these blemishes that we have caused to belief in holy wise men, for You know the secrets ofour hearts. It is not in rebellion or treachery that we blemished this belief, but rather from the fouling of our wisdom and belief, but rather fromt eh fouling of our wisdom and minuteness ofour knowledge. I plead with You, Lord, give us merit from now on in Your mercy to rectify all this in such a way that we merit from now on to total, true belief in wise men as You desire.
For You know, Lord our G-d, the greatness of our weakness at this time. We have no supprt except to depend on the truly wise and righteous Sages. Therefore, let us merit to believe in all the wise and righteous men who are truly worthy and not to say anything against their honour, Heaven forbid. Let us not degrade any Jew in the world. Spare us! Favour us! Please pardon us! Hold our tongues from evil and our lips from deceit. Help us and save us so that we merit to raise the fallen belief and merit to completely and truly rectify belief in the sages. By this, give power again to the hands of the holly angels to receive and then bestow to all the grasses and all the things in the world. Send speedily a complete cure to all our afflictions of the body and soul. Heal us and we will e healed. Save us and we will be saved, for You are our song of praise.
By the holiness of Shabbat may the healing of the soul and the healing of the body be drawn to us and to all Israel. Cure us of all our pains and of all our illnesses and bring a successful and complete cure to all our afflictions (in particular to the sick person so and so……son/daughter of…….) G-d, please, please cure us, for You know the pains of our body and soul. Cure us, Lord, and we will be cured. Save us and we will be saved, for You are our song of praise. Draw upon us, through the holiness of Shabbat, the radiance of the highest form of repentance. May we merit very speedily to truly return in complete repentance before You. Give us merit to repent with love for You, as is Your good desire.
O G-d, G-d and G-d of my Fathers, please save me and merit me to the real perfect delight on Shabbat. Merit me to receive every Shabbat with great holiness and great joy and happiness, delighting in the holy Shabbat with all kinds of pleasure such as eating plenty of delicious foods at Shabbat meals. Let me not worry at all about the costs of Shabbat and Festivals. Just merit me very soon to eat with holiness, delighting in Shabbat. By this, may we merit in Your mercy, to subdue, break and nullify all our enemies.
My Father, merciful Father, have compassion upon me for You are good and do good to all. Help me and save me sot that I merit very soon to break and nullify the attribute of anger from myself. Save me from anger, from cruely and from strictness. Let me never be angry or irritated by anything or strict with anybody in the world
In Your bountiful compassion, merit me to give lots of charity, giving generously to desrvering poor people. By this may peace spread throughout the world until we achieve really perfect peace. Grant us a peace which is expressed in our speech so that there will be peace between one person and another and they will speak together with love and peace, words of truth and righteousness, thereby arousing each other to the service and fear of G-d. Please redeem us speedily and bring us Meshiach. May G-d, bless His nation with peace.
58. THREE CAME FROM ONE
a) The true tzaddik, who has the perfection of Knowledge, is an aspect of Moshe and is comprised of the three Patriarchs. He attracts three forms of bounty – food, drink and clothing, which correspond to the aspect of manna, a water-well and holy clouds (which miraculously appeared for the People of Israel in the Wilderness). The tzaddik always fights the war of G-d, for he fights against the husk of Haman/ Amalek which causes Jews to blemish the brit. The tzaddik subdues this husk and all those who oppress and pursue the weakest Jewish souls; the tzaddik strengthens these Jews and teaches them how to enter the service of G-d; he leads them to the aspect of rectifying the brit. By this he merits to a double bounty, like the two loaves of Shabbat and like the Mishneh Torah (The Book of Deuteronomy, in which Torah laws are repeated a second time); he merits to new Torah innovations on Shabbat – from one comes two. He also merits to a cure of the soul and the body. Through this, the world is aroused to repentance with love (of G-d). Then all the kosher Jews of the generation are cured of their suffering which they experienced previously. They become honoured in the eyes of the public. Each one, according to his spiritual level, receives beauty and splendour and grows in stature in the eyes of the public. And according to the esteem and honour he has relative to his spiritual level, so he can receive the power of renewal in Torah, which is the hidden Torah which the tzaddik bestows on Shabbat.
b) The main way to maintain Knowledge (through which the three forms of bounty are drawn, as mentioned previously) is by three aspects. First, one has to teach one's wisdom to others, and to bring them under the wings of the Shechinah. Second, one's fear of sin must precede one's wisdom. Thirdly, one must be careful how one makes known one's wisdom so it won't be belittled, but rather, "the words of the wise man's mouth are gracious" (Ecclesiastes,10:12). Then he will merit, through Knowledge, to all the above-mentioned things.
c) The fact that the wise man bestows a double portion of bread, that's to say, Mishneh Torah, and everything else previously mentioned, is through Shabbat, because the tzaddik is an aspect of 'Shabbat the entire week', for Shabbat bestows bounty to all levels and sends its radiance, thus curing the soul and the body.
d) By subduing the husk of Amalek, which is the blemish of the brit, one merits to rectify the brit and to receive Shabbat. Then Shabbat bestows bounty to all the other worlds and, by the radiance of Shabbat, the world is aroused to repentance from love and all the above.
When the people of the generation don't guard their mouths, then they can't receive the aspect of Shabbat, as above, for Shabbat depends on guarding the mouth in the aspect of "nor speaking of vain matters" (Isaiah,58:13) which is said about Shabbat. Then this radiance of repentance becomes spoiled so when greatness and honour comes to the kosher people of the generation, they stumble into pride which is an aspect of the exile of the Shechinah. Therefore, the kosher people need to contemplate a lot about the majesty and greatness which come to them, so that they won't stumble in pride and self-importance, Heaven forbid.