# Torah 20 - Nine Rectifications

> מקור: https://rabenu.app/books/kitvey-en/20/torah-20/

a) All the Torah commentators receive (inspiration) from the holy soul whose every word is like 'coals of fire', as it says, "Such are my words, like fire" (Yeremiah,27). This soul is afflicted with suffering – "Eat bread with salt, drink water in measure, like the way of Torah." (Perkei Avot,Ch.6).When this soul falls from the level of "words of fire", its words become cold and then it passes away. As a result, the Torah clarifications drawn from this soul also pass away and the commentators cannot ascertain any clarification of the Torah and this leads to controversy against the tzaddikim. This is the main reason for controversy, when the world lacks a clarification which is an answer to questions and arguments.

b) Someone who wants to draw down clarifications of the Torah, first of all has to draw upon himself enthused words like charcoals of fire. The power of speech is drawn from the Sublime Heart, the Rock of my Heart (Psalms,73). He has to pour out conversations and prayers before the Holy One until through his prayer, G-d's mercy upon him is aroused and the Sublime Heart is opened. For the main essence of mercy is in the heart from where enthused words are bestowed. Through this, the power of speech attracts Torah clarifications also from there. Therefore each Torah

 commentator first of all has to pray to the Holy One in order to arouse this Sublime Heart, to bestow upon him enthused words, like coals of fire. Afterwards he can start to clarify the Torah.

c) When the true tzaddik lectures in public, before his Torah clarification, he connects himself to their souls and pours out prayer before G-d. Then his prayer is considered to be that of the public and is therefore certainly accepted, as it says, "G-d is mighty and despises not the many" (Job,36,5). By prayer additional holiness is added to the World Above and the Sublime Heart is aroused. This leads to his acquiring Torah explanations which he then gives over to the public. It means that each person present during his lecture has a part in the Torah which he reveals to them.

However many more people are present there, the prayer of the Torah scholar (tzaddik), who connects himself to them, stems from many more souls. Then it adds much more holiness Above and arouses the Sublime Heart to a greater degree; in turn, this leads to a greater revelation of the Torah, everything according to the more numerous the people are. And this is the difference between learning from a book and learning directly from the Torah scholar, for in the latter case the learner certainly connects his soul to that of the tzaddik at the time he prays and therefore has a part in the tzaddik's Torah clarification. So also, all those people who are present during the Torah discourse have the evil within them subdued by the good of the tzaddik. According to the degree of their submission (to the tzaddik), so the enemies and husks around the Sublime Heart are also subdued. By this, the tzaddik removes them from under the control of the Side of Evil and returns them to the realm of holiness.

d) When he prays before the Torah lecture he has to pray with supplications and plead from the Holy One, asking for an undeserved gift; he shouldn't ask for it in his own merit (as if he deserves it). Even though the staff of his strength (the special merit of his service of G-d) has been aroused, it is not worth using it to take pride in it, Heaven forbid; he should use his power only to subdue the evil in the crowd, for there are good and bad people in the public and he has to subdue the evil in the bad ones among them. Rather he should stand before G-d like a pauper and recite supplications without resting upon any self-merit.

e) Because of this, a person should not insist on anything, but rather ask with supplications (out of humility); if the Holy One gives, good, but if not, one shouldn't insist that the Holy One do specifically what you want.

f) In the merit of the Torah that they draw down, they merit to the Land of Israel. So also, those who are with the tzaddik when he draws down Torah innovations and teaches in public, have a portion in his Torah. Through this he can also merit to come to the Land of Israel, as it says, "He will give them the lands of the nations…"(Psalms,105).

g) The Land of Israel is one of the three things that one acquires through suffering (B'rachot,5); it is impossible to come to the Land of Israel other than by suffering. The main suffering is in the form of obstacles from the evil; ones who speak badly of the Land. By drawing down Torah innovations, as explained, a person merits to subdue all the obstacles and suffering; to the degree that the Torah he draws down is perfect, so the rectification is greater. Similarly, he merits to subdue the obstacles, the sinners, and thus reach the Land of Israel.

h) Whoever really wants to be a Jewish person, that's to say, to go from one level to another, higher one, it is impossible other than by the holiness of the Land of Israel, for all the spiritual ascents that a person has to ascend to holiness are only through the Land of Israel.

i) In order to go to the Land of Israel, first one has to subdue the evil ones who speak evil about the Land. One has to punish them with sword and arrow. The power to do this one has to acquire from Edom who is appointed to administer all punishments and the sword, as it says, "You will live off your sword" (Gen.23). By the letters of the Torah that are innovated, spiritual forces are created who are the real angels who receive their strength from Edom. And these powers are according to the Torah innovation and its radiance, which increase according to the holiness added Above.

The number of angels created depends on the quality of the Torah innovated. The opposite is also true. When the holiness is very little, the angels created are also lacking in strength so they haven't the power to receive strength from Edom; they only have strength to subdue the evil ones and cause them fear in their hearts.

j) Sometimes even to subdue them they haven't the strength; all they can do is to arouse the strength of other nations against them, like now, in exile, when we haven't the power to punish the evil doers by ourselves. Occasionally the Holy One creates obstacles, suffering and controversy from evil ones against kosher Jews, people of truth, and the latter haven't the strength to stand up against them other than by using the laws of the nations. Also, according to the Torah, this is necessary. Then it is a great mitzva to make every effort, with all your energy and money, to cause their downfall by going according to their courts of justice, in order that holy judgement will rise out of the husks of the Other Side and the forces of justice will then be strengthened, as it says, "And justice goes out perverted" (Habbakuk,1,4), that's to say it will go out of its crookedness and be straightened.

k) Occasionally even this strength is lacking and we can only silence the evil- doers, who speak out against the Land, so that they won't speak evilly before us and in the presence of the public. Even this power is missing sometimes when the quality of holiness is very minute.

l) Because of the blemishing of the brit, the sword comes, as it says, "… a revenging sword, revenging the brit" (Levit.26).

m) Shouting out loud is a rectification of the brit and one merits to a revelation of Knowledge, for previously, when the brit was blemished, so was the Knowledge.

n) This is why we recite the Haggadah of Pesach out loud. The Redemption from Egypt was by the voice, as it says, "He heard our voices" (Numbers,20). That is why it is called Haggadah (literally meaning 'to speak out'), to teach that this is the rectification of the brit, as is written, "He declared to you His covenant" (Deut.4,13). And the main mitzva of Pesach night is in drinking wine, to teach that this is the rectification of knowledge, as the Gemorra says, "Wine …makes wise" (Sanhedrin,70) for the exile of Egypt was because of the blemish of the brit, as brought down in holy books, and this is the blemish of knowledge. The wine of the four cups of Pesach night is also a rectification of knowledge, which is the rectification of the brit.

o) The Holy One is exacting in justice with the tzadddikim, like a thread of hair (Yevamot,151). When you blemish, even to a hair's breadth, there is no strength in their hands to draw down Torah, as explained previously.

p) When one comes to the level of the Land of Israel one is called a strong hero; before reaching this level it says, "Don't let him boast when he disarms himself" (Kings,1,20,11) but afterwards, when one is victorious, one is called 'a man of war'. (Therefore, even nowadays the main victory in war is by coming to the Holy Land, in the simple meaning, just like Jews travel there now, to houses and dwellings that exist there. One has to be willing to come to the Land of Israel even in difficulties, even by foot, as it says about Avraham, "Go…to the Land" (Gen.12,1) meaning literally 'walk', you should be ready to walk there on foot.)