Translation:Kitzur Likutey Moharan

by Nachman of Breslov

Kitzur Likutei Moharan

1 - Ashrei Temimei Darekh - Happy are they whose Way is Simple

1. Learning the [hidden] Torah [of the True Tzaddik] is the way for all of our prayers and requests to be accepted, and for the Chen (grace, charm, favor, also a codeword for the Hidden Torah) and Chasivut (importance, substance) of Yisrael are elevated to the top in the eyes of both physical or spiritual entities.
2. Vigorous engagement in this Torah gives power to the Mulkhut d'Kedushah (forces of holiness) to dominate (over the forces of evil), and empowers the the Yetzer haTov (Good Inclination) the Yetzer haRa (evil inclination).
3. Engagement in this Torah brings you to understand the hints from all the things in the world and to connect through them to Hashem Yitbarakh. So that even somewhere so dark and gloomy where it seems impossible to follow Hashem Yirbarakh – there too the true Sekhel (intellect) will light your way to find H"Y even there, and even get close from there specifically, to H"Y.
4. "A man does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of insanity enters him." Therefore every person, the more his transgressions and errors that he has committed and blemished, the more he's truly insane. Therefore we find many kinds of insanity by most people. The remedy for this is Torah engagement. For the Torah is entirely the names of H"Y, by which we can subdue the Yetzer haRa and drive out the insanity and the spirit of instanity that has cleaved to a man by his sins.
5. By engaging in this Torah you are also saved from the evil schemes of the Yetzer haRa. Because usually it does not lead a man to sin outright; rather it disguises itself in mitzvoth etc. But by Torah engagement we can attain true Sekhel and be saved from all this.
6. The main reason why prayers are not received is because the words have no Chen. So every person needs to make effort that his words should truly be words of Chen. We can attain this be engagement in this Torah, and then his prayer will be received.
7. Ish ha-Yisraeli (a title for a spiritual warrior who goes from level to level) needs to always look at the Sekhel that is in each thing and tie himself to the Chokhmah (wisdom) and the Sekhel in each thing, in order that the Sekhel in every thing should illumine his way to draw close to H"Y by that thing, for the essence source of life that is in each thing is from none other than the Sekhel and the Chokhmah, as it also says (Eccl. 7:12) "The Chokhmah is what gives life" etc. So the Sekhel is a great light illuminating all the persons ways like the sun. So even when a man sometime arrives at a place of gloom and darkness, God forbid, nonetheless when he merits to look at the Sekhel and the life that is in each thing then the Sekhel lights his way and draws him to H"Y, which is the aspect of Yosef’s ability to hold fast during his trial by gazing at the Sekhel contained in each thing.
8. The only way to attain this light of the Sekhel is by the aspect of Malkhut (kingship). Meaning, to accept on oneself the Kingship of Heaven in truth and in complete faith and constricting his mind and expelling all his wisdom entirely as if he has no intellect himself at all, disdaining all the outside wisdoms and intellects, seeking out and hoping and yearning to only receive light and the life from the true Sekhel and Chokhmah that are in the category of the Upper Sekhel of holiness which is the main source of the holy vitality that is in each thing as mentioned above.
9. The essence of the struggle between the Yetzer haTov and the Yetzer haRa is only in this – that the Yetzer haTov incites the man to disdain all the Chokhmot and outside Sekhels and all the cravings that are really complete foolishness and spirit of insanity, and to tie himself only to the light of the holy Sekhel. But the Yetzer haRa incites the man to the opposite, in the category of (Prov. 18:2) , "a fool will not desire understanding," which is the aspect of Esau who disdained the birthright which is the aspect of the holy Chokhmah and the Sekhel. So everyone has to give power to the Yetzer haTov to gain power over the Yetzer haRa like our rabbis obm said (Berakhot 5), "A man should always stimulate the Yezter haTov over the Yetzer haRa," and this we attain by vigorous engagement in this Torah.
10. When we attain all the above then a great unification is made in all the worlds and the light of the moon becomes like the light of the sun and we attain Chen and this leads to all our prayers and all our requests being received.
11. The Yetzer haRa literally wants to drive a person insane, God forbid, for whoever commits a sin is insane. As our Rabbis obm said, "A person does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of insanity has got in him." But how does a person suddenly get insane, God forbid? So, it is the way of the Yetzer haRa to disguise itself at the outset in mitzvot, misleading the person as if inciting him to perform a mitzvah and then afterwards it misleads him and incites him even more, until he comes to total deliberate transgressions, God forbid. So this is really just like the insanity of an insane person who is confused and whose mind is so torn up that he considers a bad thing good etc. - but even so he still has some sparks of intellect and consciousness, such at that even according to this folly and lack of knowledge, he should still understand and know not to do such things - but they still do them until as a result they need twice the measure of healing for the insanity, namely to beat them in order to suppress the wickedness of their intentional misdoing, that it should in any case be inconvenient for then to be in their folly and they should nevertheless not do things that they within themselves understand are insanity and folly. And it is necessary to also place upon them holy names and amulets in order to drive out from them the evil spirit that confuses and tears up their mind God forbid so much that they reverse what is right, calling evil good etc. So likewise in the matter of healing a man from insanities of the Yetzer haRa he also needs these two aspects, namely suppress at the ouset his wickedness and intentional misdoing so that he should anyway not do what he in himself understands and knows is complete evil and transgression, God forbid; and also drive out from him the evil spirit the spirit of insanity that disguises itself in mitzvot and misleads him as if it inciting him to do a mitzvah as mentioned. And all this we can attain in entirely only by engaging in the Torah, which is composed of these two techniques.
12. The essence of connecting to this holy Sekhel is by Temimut (simplicity, wholeness, completeness, innocence), which is the aspect of "And Yaakob - the Ish Tam," for Yaakob attainted this light of the Sekhel in entirety.

3 - Aqruqta

תורה ג - אקרוקתא.

1. Holy music restores and elevates the holy Malkhut (forces of good) and allows you to attain high position. Conversely the Chazanim (cantors) and musicians of the Sitra Achra blemish the holy Malkhut and prolong the Exile. They cause people to falter and get trapped like birds in a trap. So you need to be extremely careful to not hear music of the Sitra Achra being played, the playing of which is not for the sake of Heaven at all, just for money, honor and display, because this music causes severe damage to the service of the Blessed Creator. Conversely, hearing the playing of a kosher and proper musician promotes the service of the Blessed Creator.

אות א: עַל יְדֵי נְגִינָה דִּקְדֻשָּׁה מְקִימִין וּמַעֲלִין הַמַּלְכוּת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה וְזוֹכִין לְהִתְנַשְׂאוּת. וְכֵן לְהֵפֶךְ הַחַזָּנִים וְהַמְנַגְּנִים דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא פּוֹגְמִין מַלְכוּת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה וּמַאֲרִיכִין אֶת הַגָּלוּת. וְעַל יָדָם נִכְשָׁלִים וְנוֹקְשִׁים בְּנֵי אָדָם כְּצִפֳּרִים הָאֲחוּזוֹת בַּפָּח. עַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ לִזָּהֵר מְאד שֶׁלּא לִשְׁמעַ נְגִינָה מִמְּנַגֵּן דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא שֶׁאֵין כַּוָּנָתוֹ בְּנִגּוּנוֹ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם כְּלָל רַק בִּשְׁבִיל מָמוֹן וְכָבוֹד וְהִתְפָּאֲרוּת כִּי שְׁמִיעַת קוֹל נְגִינָה שֶׁלּוֹ מַזִּיק לַעֲבוֹדַת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְכֵן לְהֵפֶךְ שְׁמִיעַת קוֹל נְגִינָה מִמְּנַגֵּן כָּשֵׁר וְהָגוּן טוֹב לַעֲבוֹדַת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ.

2. The remedy that allows the music of Sitra Achra to not harm you, is by learning Gemara at night.

אות ב: הַתִּקּוּן שֶׁלּא יַזִּיק לוֹ קוֹל נְגִינָה דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא הוּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁיִּלְמוֹד גְּמָרָא בַּלַּיְלָה.

3.

אות ג: עַל יְדֵי נְגִינָה דִּקְדֻשָּׁה יְכוֹלִין לִזְכּוֹת לִבְחִינַת נְבוּאָה, כִּי עִקַּר הַדְּבֵקוּת לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ הוּא עַל יְדֵי נְגִינָה. וְכַאֲשֶׁר יִתְבָּאֵר עוֹד לְקַמָּן.

אות ד: עַל יְדֵי לִמּוּד גְּמָרָא בַּלַּיְלָה חוּט שֶׁל חֶסֶד נִמְשָׁךְ עָלָיו וְנִצּוֹל מִמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת שֶׁלּא לִשְׁמָהּ. וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה מְתַקֵּן קוֹל הַנְּגִינָה שֶׁלּא יַזִּיק לוֹ שְׁמִיעַת קוֹל נְגִינָה דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא שֶׁמַּזֶּקֶת הַרְבֵּה מְאד לַעֲבוֹדַת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְזוֹכֶה לְהָקִים הַנְּגִינָה דִקְדֻשָּׁה שֶׁיּוּכַל לְדַבֵּק אֶת עַצְמוֹ לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עַל יְדֵי זְמִירוֹת וְנִגּוּנִים. וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה מְקִימִין וּמַעֲלִין מַלְכוּת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה וְזוֹכִין לְהִתְנַשְׂאוּת וְיוּכַל לִמְשׁל בְּכָל מַה שֶּׁיִּרְצֶה. גַּם יְכוֹלִין לִזְכּוֹת לִבְחִינַת נְבוּאָה.

אות ה: כְּשֶׁמְּתַקֵּן הַקּוֹל נְגִינָה וְזוֹכֶה לִבְחִינַת מַלְכוּת וּמֶמְשָׁלָה. וַאֲזַי יוּכַל לִמְשׁל בְּכָל מַה שֶּׁיִּרְצֶה. וְיוּכַל לְהָמִית לָזֶה וּלְהַחֲיוֹת לָזֶה. אֲבָל צָרִיךְ לִזָּהֵר לָדוּן אֶת כָּל אָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת שֶׁלּא יַחֲרִיב אֶת הָעוֹלָם. כִּי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא וְרוֹצֶה בְּקִיּוּם הָעוֹלָם.

אות ו: כְּשֶׁאָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ קוֹל נִגּוּן שֶׁל שִׂמְחָה וּמְקַשֵּׁר עַצְמוֹ עַל יְדֵי זֶה לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּלֵב נִשְׁבָּר, עַל יְדֵי זֶה יֵשׁ לְקוֹל הַנִּגּוּן עֲלִיָּה אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַמְנַגֵּן הוּא אָדָם שֶׁאֵינוֹ הָגוּן וְנִתְרוֹמֵם עַל יְדֵי זֶה הַמַּלְכוּת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה. וְלִזְכּוֹת לָזֶה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת הַתִּקּוּן הוּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁלּוֹמְדִין בַּלַּיְלָה תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה שֶׁהוּא גְּמָרָא.

#12 Tehillah L'Dawid

... 12.8. Know, that this lamdan/big learned Rabbi who speaks bad against the Tzaddik — this is quite a purposeful occurence from the Blessed Lord. That Hakadosh Baruch Hu drops the Big Tzaddik into the mouth of this lamdan so that through this the Tzaddik will take out the Shechinah/Divine Presence i.e. the Torah SheB’Al Peh/Orah Torah from the exile in the mouth of the lamdan. Because the best great Tzaddikim know which halakhot/laws and ways of conduct became by him [the lamdan] evil tzerufim/permutations that he speaks against the Tzadikim. And they lift these tzerufim and make from these utterances halakhot, and accomplish thereby great and wonderful yichudim/unifications, see there (LM 12).

12.9. By being happy during afflictions, and doing so in love (Shabbat 88), receiving the disgrace of the haters in love, through this one raises the Shechinah/Divine Presence to the aspect of chibuq/embrace.

12.10 The straight lamdan, by learning the Torah of the Tanna -- through this he brings back the soul of the Tanna into his body.

#35 Fortunate are the people who know the teru`ah/shofar-blowing/friendship. Zarqa

1. Know, that teshuvah/return/repentance is returning a thing to the place that it was taken from, like zarqa [the cantillation mark](Tikunei Hazohar #21 [p.]43), i.e. to bring back and return the thing to its root. And the root of all things is chokhmah/wisdom, as is written: "You made all of them in chochmah" (Ps. 104:24). Therefore everyone must guard his chokhmah and sekhel/intellect from outside intellects, which are called by the name Bat Par`oh/Daughter of Pharaoh. "Bat" alludes to a wisdom that is not a wisdom, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Menachot 110). And Pharaoh is a term for bitul/nullification, as is written: "tafri`u/let the people loose" (Ex. 5:4), and Onkelos translates: t'vatlun/annul. I.e. nullified wisdoms, which are the other wisdoms. For the main wisdom, to acquire wholeness, is only wisdom of Godliness. And the other wisdoms are only null wisdoms and are not wisdoms at all.

2. Therefore every man must very much guard his intellect and thought, that he should not put into his thought any outside through or outside wisdom or foreign thought, and all the more so, bad thoughts. Because all the blemishes and all the sins and all the transgressions, God spare us, they only come via blemish of thought, as mentioned, when one is not cautious to guard it properly, that it should not go out from the bound of holiness. And when one guards well his thought, which is the wisdom in the brain, this is his main repair and repentance for the transgressions, that he should be strong to drive out all the outside thoughts from his mind and intellect. Because the intellect is the soul, and when he sanctifies his intellect i.e. his soul, via this he raises and returns everything to his intellect, and this is the root of teshuvah/return/repentance.

3. And each member of Israel has a piece of Godliness from above, which is the aspect of wisdom, and this is why we are called reishit/first, as is written: "Holy is Israel to Hashem, the first" etc. (Jer. 2:3). But at the time of birth the intellect is constricted for each and everybody. And when we begin to use it, in contemplation in the service of Hashem Yitbarach, then his intellect get progressively larger, as is written: "And Shlomo's wisdom became great" (I Kings 5:10). But when a man puts into his holy intellect outisde thoughts, which are the outside wisdoms, then the holiness of his intellect is reduced according to the space that the outside intellect takes. And all the bad and ugly character traits and cravings get collected onto and connected onto the outside wisdom.

4. Therefore the main thing is to guard one's thought and brain from outside thoughts and wisdoms, upon which [sit] the whole construction of the yetzer hara/evil inclination, the Merciful One save us, which is aspect of the Primordial Serpent, which karukh achar/chasing after the holiness. And this is why it is called "krakh gadol/the big village," for he is always chasing after the big people of the generation, more than after other people, as our Sages of blessed memory said, on the verse, "for he [the evil will] has done great things" [Joel 2](Sukkah 52a). Because since talmidei chakhamim/Torah sages and the learned people have a greater da`at, therefore it chases after them to make them sin, the Merciful one spare us. And the main thing is to guard oneself very much from bad thoughts, as mentioned.

5. And when a man guards himself from outside intellects, this is not the only thing, for he must renew his intellect at all times, and by this he will renew his neshamah/spirit. Because the intellect is the spirit, as is written: "The spirit of Shaddai/the Almighty gives understanding" (Job 32:8), and as our Sages of blessed memory said (Berakhot 10), that the spirit feeds and enlivens the body, and it iself is the intellect, as is written, "The wisdom enlivens" (Eccl. 7:12).

6. Renewal of the intellect, i.e. renewal of one’s soul is via sleep, as brought in the holy Zohar (part 1, 19 and part 2, 213) on the verse “they are new every morning (Lam. 3)” —the spirit is renewed etc. each and every day etc. Because when the brains get tired out then via sleep they are renewed, like we see tangibly. And at the time of sleep the brains i.e. the spirit comes into faith, in the aspect of “they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness,” as mentioned, and thereby one’s faith is increased. And this is what we are saying in the daily blessing: “…who gives strength to the weary,” because before, we were tired and now we are strengthened.

7. And there are several types of sleep. There is physical sleep, which is beneficial for the brains, and there is also an aspect of learning that is also aspect of sleep, relative to the devekut/cleaving to the Blessed Creator, namely, learning p'shatei oraita/simple meaning of Torah (holy Zohar, part 3, 344), as our Sages of blessed memory said, “He has set me in dark places,” — this refers to study of Talmud Bavli (Sanhedrin 24), in the aspect of sleep, as mentioned. But a man who is always cleaving [to Godliness] in the service of the Creator, and whose brains get tired due to the greatness of the cleaving — such a person should learn p'shatei oraita.

8. And via faith the brains i.e. the soul receive from ohr hapanim/the light of the face, as is written "In the light of the face of the king there is life" (Prov. 16). And there are several aspects in ohr hapanim, because there is [a way of] receiving the intellect from the ohr hapanim of the Torah, for there are seventy faces to the Torah. And there is [a way of] receiving from the light of the face of Tzadikim when the Tzadik is masbir/expressing/showing his face to him -- then he receives a new intellect and new soul from the light of his holy face. Because the root of the intellect is the ohr hapanim, as is written: "The wisdom of a man lights up his face" (Eccl. 8).

9. And there is also sleep which is the aspect of masa umatan b'eumunah/doing trade in faith. And when one is busy with trade in faith then the brains i.e. one's soul come into the faith and are renewed there and are strengthened from their exhaustion, and he draws down new intellect from the ohr hapanim. And the root of the thing is faith, that one must guard the faith very much. And then when his brains are exhausted, he renews them into the faith via some aspect of sleep, whether by simple physical sleep, when the brains renewed, as we see tangibly, but the main thing is faith, that before sleep one must tie himself to the faith, which this is the aspect of kriat shem`a on the bed that we read before sleep. And we need to read in with intention in order to tie one's soul and enter it into the faith at the time of sleep. And then his soul is renewed there, in the aspect of "They are new in the mornings -- great is Your faithfulness," as mentioned, and he should merit via sleep to receive a new intellect and new soul from the ohr hapanim. And likewise whoever has some aspect of cleaving [to the Divine] and his brain is tired thereby, then he needs to delve in p'shatei oraita, and then he needs to also enter into the faith. I.e. since his brain begins to be confused and he cannot cling more to the Blessed Lord in the aspect of knowledge and brains. Then he must lift away his knowledge and brains completely and tie himself to the faith in simplicity and delve in p'shatei oraita in simplicity and in complete faith. Because in truth even when the brains endure in cleaving or in some level which is also the root of sustaining the knowledge and the brains -- it is via faith, for one cannot rely on the intellect alone (as mentioned, in Ch. 24). But when the knowledge is lifted away one must enter into the faith only, via some aspect of sleep, as mentioned. And likewise sometimes trade is aspect of sleep, to renew his brain as mentioned, and there also the root is faith. And when one delves in trade in faith then his soul and intellect come into the faith and are renewed there as mentioned.

10. And it is impossible to be occupied with trade in faith unless one is knowledgable in monetary laws, so that he should not stumble in them, because all the monetary laws apply to trade. Hence when one is doing business he is involved in monetary laws.

11. When one is involved in trade in faith, one must guard the faith very much, so that the outside forces should not overcome him and he blemish his faith. Therefore one must be strong and delve in trade in such faith like Rav Safra, to fulfill, "w'dover emet bilvavo/and speaks truth in his heart" (Ps. 24). And thereby he can draw the chashmal/fiery radiance/eletrum (gematria = malbush/clothing) i.e. clothing from the world of binah/understanding, for binah is the heart, and is called: "em l'binah tira/Call understanding 'mother'" (Prov. 2:3). And then the mother shades her children, i.e. the heart makes chashmal i.e. malbush around the faith, so that the outside forces should not feed from them. And thereby he guards his brain and soul and fiath, and then he can renew his soul and intellect inside the faith that is in trade, as mentioned.

12. And when a man is involved in trade in faith, this is aspect of offering the korban tamid/perpetual offering, and haqtarat qetoret/offering up the incense. Because his brains i.e. his chokhmah binah and da`at then connect to the faith, p’shatei oraita which are aspect of yetzirah/formation. And then the faith get strong, to raise up all the holy sparks that are in the qlipot, in the secret of the eleven spices of the qetoret. And thereby all the qlipot and the idolaters and the lands that surround the faith, which is called “Yerushalayim qriah ne`emanah/Jerusalem the failful community” (Isa. 1:21), in the aspect of cutting off the descendants of Amaleq, which is one of the three mitzvoth that Israel were commanded when we entered the Land (Sanhedrin 20) via raising the holy sparks from them. And thereby, when this one falls the other goes up, which is the mitzvah to set up a king, which is aspect of faith, aspect of kingdom. And thereby we merit to do the mitzvah of building the Holy Temple and Jerusalem i.e. the faith, as mentioned, and then his brain is renewed and elevated in the aspect of building the Holy Temple like our Sages of blessed memory said, “Whoever has de`ah/consciousness, it is as if the Holy Temple was built in his says” (Berakhot 33). In the aspect of ohr hapanim, which is aspect of renewal of the brains and the soul (and see [Likutei Moharan] 280).

13. The chashmal mentioned above is aspect of tefilin retzu`ot/straps, which are meqifei malkhut/surrounders of kingship, i.e. faith, and “retzu`ah” is gematria ש"ע (370) (with the kollel). Hinting that via this chasmal which is aspect of “speaking truth in his hearts,” the faith is guarded. And the soul i.e. the brains that are in it and receiving from the light of the face which are the ש"ע (370) lights of the Upper Face which are drawn from rectification and truth. Because via the retzuo`ot of tefilin [we] guard the faith, as mentioned.

14. And even soneone who is not a [Torah] learner and does not himself receive new brains via trade in faith, since he does not delve in Torah, which is the root of the brain and the intellect -- despite this he too receives a great remedy via doing trade in faith. For thereby he benefits someone else who is from his root, for the brains of the other are renewed in his trade that is in faith. And he will have new brains for learning and for clinging to the Blessed Lord.

15. And this is the aspect of the shofar-blowing on Rosh Hashanah. Because Rosh Hashanah is aspect of sleep, as is known, aspect of the trade in faith mentioned. And the blasts are awakening from sleep, which is renewal of the brains, i.e. the intellect and the soul of everybody from the ohr hapanim. And this is why the face of the shofar-blower turns red, because lights from the Upper Face are awakened. And thereby each man attains, according to his aspect, to drawn down a new intellect and new soul from the ohr hapanim.

Kitzur Likutei Moharan Tinyana (II)

#23

When someone is happy, then the melancholy and afflictions are lifted aside. But a higher level than this is to be bold to pursue specifically the melancholy, and reverse it to joy. Like one who goes into a celebration -— then due to the greatness of the celebration and joy he reverses all his worries and sadness and melancholy to happiness. And an understanding mind can easily find in each pain and affliction and worry some expanse through which he can turn all the melancholy to happiness -— and this is the root of perfecting happiness!

#61

The root of time is because of katnut hadaat/diminished knowledge. And the more the intellect grows, the more time is diminished. Like in a dream, when the intellect then is lifted away, and only the power of imagination remains, then in a quarter hour one can spend a whole seventy years. As it appears in a dream, that many many times pass and go by in a very small time, and afterwards when he awakes from sleep and the intellect returns to him, then he sees with the intellect that all the time and years that passed in the dream were only a very little time. But the seventy actual years, they are seventy years according to one's intellect. And so likewise in an intellect that is higher above from his intellect,that too which is considered by him seventy actual years are likewise a quarter hour of less; it is just that we do not understand this, like in a dream if someone came to him then and told him that these years are only a quarter hour, he would not believe him. And likewise there is an intellect that is so high, that all the time in its entirety is completely annulled. And therefore Mashiach, who passed through whatever he passed through from the day of the creation of the world and endured what he endured, after all this, in the end the Blessed Lord will say to him "Ani hayom yelidetikha/I today begot you." And all this will be because of the extraordinarily astounding level of the intellect of Mashiach, which will be very great. Therefore all the time from the creation of the world will be by him nothing and actual zero, and it will be actually as if he were born today.

#66

1. The Tzaddik is required to do teshuvah/return/repentance on behalf of all Israel. Because all the punishments that the Lord, Blessed-be-He, punishes a man, are as if they afflict the Lord, Blessed-be-He, for “In all their affliction He was afflicted.” [Isa. 63:9] Likewise they afflict the Tzaddik too. Because all the four yesodot/elements/foundations that a man was created from are drawn from the basic element, which is the concept of the Tzaddik, as in “but the Tzaddik is the foundation-element of the world” [Prov. 10:25]. Therefore “גַּם עֲנוֹשׁ לַצַּדִּיק לֹא-טוֹב/To punish also the Tzaddik is not good,” [Prov. 17:26] for when He punishes someone it afflicts the Tzaddik himself. Therefore the closer people are to the Tzaddik, the easier their teshuvah is. Because the Tzaddik does teshuvah for them.

2. All the traits come from the four elements. Therefore when a man sees the Tzaddik, who is the aspect of the basic element from which all the four elements are drawn, it is fitting for him to look and feel via this how he is holding with all the traits that come from the four elements that are drawn from the Tzaddik, who is the aspect of the basic element. And it is fitting for him to return in complete teshuvah on them.

3. Why is the day after Yom Kipur called “Shem Hashem [The Name of God]”? Because all the punishments for sins affect the name of the Blessed One. And after Yom Hakipurim, when the Lord, Blessed-be-He forgives Israel their faults, via this they are automatically saved from all the punishments and from all the harsh decrees. And this is the main way His name is magnified. Therefore they call the day after Yom Hakipurim “Shem Hashem,” for through the erasing and forgiveness done on Yom Hakippurim the name of the Lord is magnified.

#67

[Why does the Torah begin “Bereishit” and end “in the sight of all Israel.”?] 1. The true Tzaddik is the glory and the beauty and the charm of the whole entire world, and he is the master of the house of the whole entire world. And he is the aspect of the master of the house of the Holy Temple. For he lights up the Holy Temple and the whole entire world. For he is the light and the glory and the beauty and the charm of the whole world. And when this Tzaddik is publicized and his name is magnified in the world, through this the name of the Lord, blessed-be-He, is magnified. And the more his name is magnified and glorified, the more the name of the Lord, blessed-be-He, is magnified and glorified. And whoever is included in the name of truth, which is the glory and the charm and the truth of the whole world, as mentioned, i.e. whoever draws close to him and is included in his name — through this his eyes are opened and he begins to look at himself, at all the traits, how he is holding with them, and to return in teshuvah on all the bad traits that he blemished, and merits to look at the greatness of the blessed Creator and to look into repair of the world, and merits that holy and pure brains are drawn onto him from this holy name of the true Tzaddik.

2. And on the other hand, Heaven forbid, when the name of the true Tzaddik is hidden and goes away from the world, and big phony rabbis (mefursamei shel sheker) are magnified, who do not have the name of the Lord in them at all -- through this, as it were, the name of Hashem is reduced and hidden. And then enchanters and sorcerers are magnified, and there come upon the world things that cannot be helped except by names of impurity, Heaven forbid. And through this fires come to the world, Heaven spare us. And the light of the eyes mentioned above goes away. And this is the aspect of the burning of the Holy Temple, which was also due to removal of the light luminaries (meorei or), which allowed fire luminaries (meorei esh — see LM 67) to overcome. So when the true Tzaddik goes away from the world it is like the burning of the Holy Temple, and then the children of Israel are considered as if they are rolling around outside, Heaven forbid. [This is the explanation of Bereshit – which is a permutation of Rosh Bayit — head of the house — like Yosef Hatzaddik, as it is written, “Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; it was he who sold grain” etc. For by sustaining the Temple and the houses and generations of Israel, through this the name of the Tzaddik is magnified, who is the head of house, and through this the eyes of Israel are opened, and this is the explanation of “Bereishit…in the sight of all Israel”]

3. At these times, when the exile has already been so long, and Hashem, Blessed-be-He, looks out at all times to return to us and come back and rebuild our Holy Temple, it is fitting for us to not hold up, Heaven forbid, the building of the Holy Temple; we should only make effort for its building. Therefore we very, very much need to rise for Tikkun Chatzot every night, and very much mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple. For perhaps in an earlier incarnation he was the one who caused the Holy Temple to be destroyed; but even if not, perhaps now he is holding back construction of the Holy Temple by his sins, and is considered also as if he caused its destruction. And on this he should cry and mourn very much every night at midnight, and through this it will be considered as if he made effort for the Holy Temple’s reconstruction, and through this he should merit to draw close to the truth, i.e. draw close to true Tzaddikim who are God-fearing and kosher, who are the main glory and charm and beauty, the truth of the world*, and through this his eyes will be opened and he will look at himself in all the traits and return in teshuvah on all the bad traits, and merit to know and recognize the great name of the Blessed One.

4. By rising at midnight and mourning the destruction of the Holy Temple, one is saved from fires.