Translation:Likutei Halakhot/Orach Chayim/Ninth of Av and Fasting

Hilkhoth Tish`a Be'Av WeTa`anith/The Practices of 9 Av and Fasting (Days)

[has 5 halakhot]

Halakha 4

23

Because in truth regarding the sweetening of judgements explained there, that everything needs to be repaired by the Sekhel haKollel ha`Elyon/General Upper Intellect, there are many aspects in this. The rule is that the judgements feed off of the intellect, so that is where to sweeten and nullify them, for everything bemach'shabah itvariru/ was created in [God's] "thought" [Z. Pikudei 254b]. In accord with the judgement, one needs to draw the intellect and sweeten it. And the essence of the intellect's ability to repair it is by this intellect receiving from the General Upper Intellect as mentioned. And whoever is unable to go up to the General Intellect's place, the stricture can get stronger when he gets involved in sweetening it. For when this intellect doesn't have the power to sweeten it then the strictures nurse, God forbid, exceedingly from this intellect that he wanted to arouse and educe for the sweetening. And then the strictures can God forbid become exceedingly strong by now being able to nurse more from this intellect. And therefore one needs to be a valiant man, to be strong to go up to the Upper Intellect, which is the General Intellect, where the strictures have no power to nurse from there. And thereby he sweetens the judgements. But sometimes it happens that the strictures wax exceptionally strong, so much that they too have the power to go up to a high Intellect that is the aspect of the General Intellect, and nurse from there as well, God forbid. And then it is a severe time of affliction, God forbid, and then we need an utterly great and awesome Tzaddik who can go up to a higher Intellect to draw down a sweetening from there. For there is Sekhel/Intellect and Chokhmah/Wisdom each one higher than the next, and [again] higher than the next. For even the General Upper Intellect is the aspect of a particular Intellect in compare to the Intellect that is yet higher and higher. And this is the aspect of whole Purim miracle. For Haman-Amalek, let their name be obliterated, nurses from the grip of the strictures and has the potential to go up and overcome even against the Upper Intellect, in the aspect of (Num. 24:20) "Reishit Goyim Amalek/ Amalek is the Head of the Nations," as he goes up to the Rosh/Head, for he is of `Esav's seed who is called Rishon/First, as written (Gen. 25:25), "Wayatza harishon admoni/And the first one emerged ruddy," that the power of his ruddiness which is the aspect of dross of the judgements (sigei ha-dinim סִיגֵי הַדִּינִים), nurse from the aspect of Rosh/Rishon. Accordingly (Esther 3:7) "hippil pur hu hagoral/he cast the Pur, that is, the lot", because he wanted to cause blemish in the Holy of Holies, which is the Upper Intellect, where none may enter except via the Holy Temple's goral/lot casting, where [Aharon] cast lots on the two goats [Lev. 16:8], for the holy lottery is the aspect of repair of one's counsel/psyche (tikkun ha`etzah). For sometimes the sins overpower so much that he cannot give `etzah/counsel to his soul whatsoever, because his `etzah/advice/counsel is very chalukah/divided. And like [David] cried out (Ps. 13:3), "`Ad-anah ashit etzoth lenafshi/ How far must I [go to] get counsel for my psyche?" But this selfsame very thing is the essential counsel, to cry out to Hashem Yithbarakh, "How far must I [go to] get counsel for my psyche?!" etc. To throw his load on Hashem Yithbarakh, and rely on Him, Yithbarakh, alone. And this is very aspect of the goral/casting, that he throws his counsel on Hashem Yithbarakh, whatever may be his lot from Hashem Yithbarakh, in the aspect of (Ps. 16:5) "atah tomYkh goralY/You are [my mental] support and my lot." And as written (Prov. 16:33) "Becheik YUtal eth-Hagoral/[My entire] lot is carried on [YoUr] bosom."

And this is precisely the aspect of the goral/casting of Yom haKippurim, since out of the abundance of transgressions of all Yisrael during the whole year, that we need to confess them upon the se`ir le`azazel/goat to Azazel. On account of this it is hard to clarify what is the truth, which [goat] is to Hashem and which to `Azazel — except by means of the casting. So by this specifically the true counsel becomes clear. And by this specifically the Kohen haGadol enters the innermost chamber, to the aspect of Holy of Holies, to the Even Shethiyah/Foundation Stone, to the Stone tablets located there. And then he is unified with the Torah in the uppermost sanctity. And thereby he drew sweetening to all the judgements in the world, which is the aspect of forgiving all the transgressions, which is how all the judgements get their strength. And Haman, may his name be obliterated, "Hippil pur hu hagoral/dropped the Pur which is the lottery (Ester 3:7), and wanted to cause blemish in all this. For he thought he has power to conquer even versus the Upper Intellect which is the aspect of Holy of Holies, on account of seeing the Sitra Achra had already overcome and destroyed the Holy Temple, even the room of the Holy of Holies. But actually that was a very perilous time, because he almost had potential to nurse even from there. That's why he came up with the counsel to hang Mordechai on "`etz gavoah chamishim ammah/high tree, fifty Amma" (Ester 5:14), specifically. Because he wanted to defeat even the Fiftieth Gate specifically, which is the SEK/GUI (and as explained a little of this above). But (Prov. 92:7) "Ish-ba`ar lo-yeda/A brutish man does not know" how great is the power of Mordechai who is the aspect of the True Tzaddik in each era, who merited that by his calling out and his repentance, and by the calls and supplications he put into Yisrael, until he attained a yet higher and higher sekhel/mentality, the aspect of (Ex. 30:23), "Besamim rosh, MoR-Deror/premium spices, pure myhrr," which is where MoRDeKhai had his grip as mentioned [v. Chullin 139b מר דרור ומתרגמינן מירא דכיא, Mor-Deror in Aramaic is Mira Dakhya], which are the aspect of the anointing oil, wherewith the Holy of Holies itself was anointed etc. as mentioned. For "Leit machshavah tefisa kelal/Mind cannot at all grasp" [Patach Eliyahu] how far the True Tzaddik rises, to an Intellect High, Upper and Hidden utterly [Sekhel Gavoah we`Elyon weNe`elam me'od], where He sweetens all worldly judgements, unto the thing being reversed, and they hanged Haman on the fifty-ammah-high gallows specifically, for that is precisely from where He cast him down. For this is the essence of the aspect of sweetening and nullifying judgements at their root, that they raised Haman and the S"A up to the Upper Intellect, which is the aspect of the Fiftieth Gate. And there they extracted from him the root of his grip in holiness, until they detached him and cut off his life at its root, and then immediately he fell a falling from which there is no getting back up, for all his entire vitality is when he nurses from the holiness, but when he raised him up there and extracted his vitality from him, then he automatically fell to the bottommost netherworld, "Wachamath haMelekh shakhakhah/And the King's anger subsided" (Esther 7:10) For all the worldly judgements were sweetened and Mordekhai the Tzaddik got all his grandeur and power as mentioned. "Wattasem Ester eth-Morekhai `al-beith haman/ And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman" (ibid. 8:2). For all the sparks of goodness that were in his grandeur and riches, from which he grew strong in his evil and wanted to drag them to the S"A and wanted to defeat Yisrael, Mordekhai got everything in great sanctity, and Haman etc. who are the "dross of the judgments," the ultimate impurity, they hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordekhai, and they had a fall with no possible recovery, So let all Your enemies be obliterated, Hashem!