Translation:Likutei Moharan/19

by Nachman of Breslov

“Tefillah L’Chabakkuk (A prayer by Habakkuk) the prophet for having erred. [O God, I heard your utterance, I feared; O God, revive Your acts in the midst of years….]”

The first chapter of the Sifra De’Tzniuta states (Zohar II, 176b): “As long as there was no scale, there was no providence face to face.”

[Travel to the Tzaddik]

Everyone wonders: Why is it necessary to travel to the tzaddik to hear <ethical teachings> directly from him, when it is possible to study the ethical teachings from books? But, the truth is that there is a great advantage [to visiting the tzaddik]. For there is a big difference between someone who hears directly from the true tzaddik himself and someone who hears from someone else who repeats it in his name, and certainly when he hears from someone who heard from someone else. Each time it descends from level to level, [becoming increasingly] distant from the tzaddik. So, too, between someone who hears it directly from the tzaddik and someone who studies from a book there is an even greater difference.

[Pure Countenance]

Now, the tzaddik has a pure countenance.> Everyone can see his own face in the face of <the tzaddik>, as [he could] in a mirror. As a result, even without rebuke and without reproof, his friend will feel remorse for his deeds just by having looked into <the tzaddik’s> face. This is because by looking into his face, a person will see himself as if in a mirror and, [realizing] how he is immersed in darkness, <will feel remorse>.

[Holy Tongue]

<How does the tzaddik achieve this countenance? It comes from the Holy Tongue.> For the value of the Holy Tongue is very great; with it the world was created. As our Sages say (Bereishit Rabbah 18:4): “‘This one shall be called IShah (woman) because from ISh (man) was she taken’ (Genesis 2:23) — lashon nophel al lashon (a play on words). From here we see that the world was created with the Holy Tongue.”

This [verse] is a reference to ChaVaH, corresponding to (Psalms 19:3), “Night yeChaVeH (declares) to night”—namely, the concept of speaking with the Holy Tongue, with which the world was created. And this is what is implied in, “L’zot (this one) shall be called woman”—namely, speech—as in (Genesis 49:28), “V’zot (this is) what [their father] spoke to them.”

And by virtue of LaShoN hakodesh (the Tongue of Holiness), “He exalted us above all the L’ShoNot (nations)” (Festival Liturgy). All the nations’ tongues are vanquished by the Holy Tongue. That is, the evil with which the nation’s tongue is allied is nullified and vanquished through the Holy Tongue. It [the evil] therefore has no power over the Jewish people. This is the concept of LaShoN nophel al LaShoN (lit., tongue falls upon tongue).

The comprehensive evil in which all the evils of the seventy tongues are encompassed <is the> burning inferno of the lust for sex in which all the seventy tongues are immersed and absorbed. <This lust> is vanquished and nullified and has no power due to the Holy Tongue. This corresponds to the “conflagration of seventy stars” mentioned in the holy Zohar (II, 203a), namely the comprehensive evil, which is the burning inferno of the lust for sex in which all the seventy nations are absorbed.

And this is the concept of ChaShMaL: Chayot aiSh me ’MaLelot (fire-speaking creatures) (Chagigah 13b). Chayot aish corresponds to Chavah/ ishah, namely, the Holy Tongue, as explained. Through them the fire of the “conflagration of the seventy stars” mitMaLel (is extinguished) and crushed. This is synonymous with the MaL of chashMaL which is <numerically equivalent to seventy>, the “conflagration of the seventy stars” which becomes extinguished and is eliminated by the Holy Tongue. And for this reason it is called the Holy Tongue, for “anywhere you find protective measures against illicit sexual behavior, you find holiness” (Vayikra Rabbah 24:6).

And this is what Rashi explains (Genesis 2:24): “‘man shall therefore leave his father and mother, and be united with his wife’—from here we learn that sexual promiscuity was forbidden to them. They were informed of this through ruach hakodesh (Holy Spirit).” The Holy Spirit is synonymous with the Holy Tongue, as in (Psalms 33:6), “[By the word of God the heavens were made,] and by the ruach (spirit) of His mouth their entire host.” By means of the Holy Tongue, the lust for sex is checked and controlled. In other words [by means of the Holy Tongue] the “conflagration of the seventy stars” has no rule over the Jewish people, corresponding to, “one tongue overcoming the other” (lashon nophel al lashon), as explained. The spirit of folly is nullified <and vanquished> by the Holy Spirit.

Conceptually this is the rectification of the Covenant, which is synonymous with the Holy Spirit, as in (Zevachim 116a): “Neither did there arise any more spirit in man” (Joshua 2:11) —[about which our Sages say that this alludes to the lack of masculine virility].

This is, “He then sealed flesh in its place” (Genesis 2:21). [Concerning this our Sages taught] (Berakhot 61a): “This was only required for the location of the ChaTaKh (incision)”—namely, ChiTuKh (articulation) of the words <of the Holy Tongue>.

And this is, “He built” (Genesis 2:22) —”He constructed her like a storehouse” (Berakhot, ibid.). The primary construction and rectification of the Holy Tongue is dependent upon (Isaiah 33:6), “the fear of God is his storehouse,” corresponding to (Ecclesiastes 12:13), “Sof davar (In the end), all is heard: fear the Lord.”

This is like a granary of wheat. In other words, fear is a storehouse upon which the making and rectifying of the chitah (wheat)—the twenty-two letters of the Holy Tongue—depends.

This is the meaning of (Psalms 60:8), “The Lord spoke through His holiness”—holy words are dependent upon “fear the Lord.”

Now Yosef, because he had achieved perfection of the Holy Tongue—as in (Genesis 45:12), “… that I myself am speaking to you,” in the Holy Tongue—it is therefore written of him (ibid. 41:38), “Can there be another person who has the spirit of the Lord in him as this man does?” The “spirit of the Lord” is synonymous with rectifying the Covenant, in the aspect of, “Neither did there arise any more spirit in man.” For rectifying the Covenant is dependent upon the Holy Tongue, as in, “From here we learn that sexual promiscuity was forbidden to them.” This is because one without the other is impossible. In other words, rectification of the Covenant and perfection of the Holy Tongue are dependent one upon the other.

And this is the meaning of (Proverbs 29:3), “But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.” “Do not read this hon (wealth), but garon (voice).” This corresponds to the Holy Tongue, because the person who blemishes the Covenant forfeits the Holy Tongue.

This is also (ibid. 3:9), “Honor God with your wealth.” Specifically honor, for the concept of honor is dependent upon it [the Holy Tongue]. This is because the reverse of honor is shame and disgrace, which are associated with the genitalia. As is brought in the Tikkunim (Tikkuney Zohar #58, p.92a): “They were not embarrassed” (Genesis 2:25) —”embarrassment applies specifically to the genitalia.” And sexual immorality is synonymous with blemishing the Covenant, the concept of the foreskin, <the concept of disgrace, as in (Genesis 34:14), “We cannot give our sister to an uncircumcised man> as this would be a disgrace to us.”

This is “honor,” which is the reverse of shame and disgrace. It is dependent upon “your wealth”—namely, “your voice,” which is the perfection of the Holy Tongue, as explained.

And “yoSeF,” <because he had> perfection of the Holy Tongue, which is the rectification of the Covenant, <it is written of him,> “God has aSaF (gathered up) my humiliation” (Genesis 30:23). This is because honor depends upon this [gathering up of humiliation], for “embarrassment applies specifically to the genitalia,” as above.

And the Serpent, which is the comprehensive evil, <when it sees> that the Holy Tongue lacks perfection, it goes and rules over the Holy Tongue. This corresponds to, “The Serpent’s rule is over the flesh”—namely, the concept of Chavah, mentioned above. She is ‘flesh of his flesh,’ corresponding to (Haggai 2:12), “consecrated flesh.”

And this is the concept of the Serpent who seduced Chavah and polluted her (Shabbat 146a). He is the storm-wind, the spirit of folly, the “woman of folly” (Proverbs 9:13). He continually seduces the Holy Spirit, which is the Holy Tongue, the woman of wisdom—corresponding to (ibid. 14:1), “the wisdom of women”—and then pollutes her.

This corresponds to (Genesis 4:7), “Sin crouches at the door.” “At the door,” as in (Mikhah 7:5), “the doors of your mouth” of the Holy Tongue. Sin crouches [by the door/mouth] in order to draw sustenance from it.

[Targum]

And know! It is impossible for this “woman of folly”/the comprehensive evil of the seventy tongues to draw sustenance from the “woman of wisdom”/the Holy Tongue, except by means of the “Tree of Knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). Through this, it lures the Holy Tongue and pollutes it. And the Tree of Knowledge, with its two aspects, good and evil, is a medium between the Holy Tongue/the “woman of wisdom” which is entirely good, and the tongues of the seventy nations which are entirely evil.

Now, the “Tree of Knowledge of good and evil” is synonymous with the tongue of Targum (Aramaic) which is a medium between the Holy Tongue and the tongues of the seventy nations. When the tongues of the nations want to draw sustenance from the Holy Tongue, they can only do so by means of the tongue of Targum. The TaRGuM is synonymous with “a woman of intellect” (Proverbs 19:14), corresponding to (Pesachim 117a), “Intellect, by means of a TuRG’Man (a translator).”

This is because the Targum possesses both good and evil. There are times when it is the quality of MaSKiL (intellect), and other times when it is the quality of M’ShaKeL (destruction). And this “woman of folly” uses the “woman of intellect” to lure the “woman of wisdom.” This is because the primary strength of the forces of evil is only through the Targum, corresponding to (Deuteronomy 26:5), “An Aramaean [tried to] destroy my ancestor”; and to (Numbers 23:7), “Balak has brought me from Aram.” This is [a reference to] the language of Targum, Aramaic, from which the <forces of evil> are aroused to draw from the holiness.

Now in the main, the construction and perfection of the Holy Tongue is only [achieved] by subduing the evil of the Targum and elevating the good in the Targum to the Holy Tongue. By doing this, the Holy Tongue is perfected. Lavan the Aramaean, the “Aramaean [who tried to] destroy my ancestor,” wanted to draw from the holiness by means of the Targum. This is why he called it [the memorial mound] “Yegar Sahaduta.” But Yaakov, who elevated the Targum to the Holy Tongue, called it “Gal’eid,” in the Holy Tongue (Genesis 31:47).

This is (Genesis 2:21), “God the Lord then made [the man] fall into a deep sleep.” < Tardemah (deep sleep)> is numerically equivalent to Targum, as is brought (Likutey Torah, Va’Etchanan). For <vanquishing the evil in> the Targum is the primary construction of the Holy Tongue. And, by elevating the good in the Targum to the Holy Tongue while vanquishing its evil, all the seventy tongues are overcome—”one tongue overcoming the other.”

And this is “VaYaPeL (made fall).” It is an acrostic for “Peh Lahem Ve’lo Yedabeiru (They have a mouth but cannot speak)” (Psalms 115:5). For by means of tardemah / Targum —through which Chavah/the Holy Tongue is primarily built up due to the elevation of the good and vanquishing of the evil in it [Targum]—all the seventy tongues are noPheL (vanquished and overcome). This corresponds to, “They have a mouth but cannot speak”—the first letters of which spell vayapel.

And Yosef, because he had achieved a perfection of the Holy Tongue, was able to interpret dreams. Dreams occur primarily during sleep, that is, during deep sleep, and the perfection of the Holy Tongue is through tardemah / Targum, as explained above. Thus Yosef, who merited to perfection of the Holy Tongue, which is principally perfected through tardemah, was able to interpret the dreams of deep sleep.

{For he was worthy of refining the concept of Targum / tardemah, namely, elevating its good to the Holy Tongue while vanquishing its evil. This is the perfection of the Holy Tongue by means of the tongue of Targum, as explained above. This is why he was able to interpret the dreams of sleep and tardemah, which is synonymous with Targum. He knew how to extract the good and the truth in the dream, which is the concept of tardemah / Targum, because he was worthy of refining the tongue of Targum. For this is the principal perfection of the Holy Tongue by means of the Targum, to which he merited.}

[Seventy Tongues]

And this is the concept of the “chance nocturnal emission” (Deuteronomy 23:11). The storm-wind/the spirit of folly/the seventy tongues ascend via Targum / tardemah /sleep and draw from the Holy Tongue/the Holy Spirit/the Holy Covenant.

For whoever possesses perfection of the Holy Tongue can cool his burning desire through the Holy Tongue, as in (Psalms 39:4), “My heart burned within me… I spoke with my tongue.” He can cool his burning desire with the words of the Holy Tongue, as in (Genesis 2:23), “Now this is bone from my bones.” From here we see that with [the creation of] Chavah, his mind was calmed (Yevamot 63a).

But when someone lacks perfection of the Holy Tongue, the storm-wind is m’KaRer (cools) him with a “nocturnal miKReh” (chance emission) during sleep. This corresponds to (Deuteronomy 25:18), “When KaRkha (they chanced to meet you) on the way,” which is an aspect of KRirut (a cooling off). “On the way” corresponds to (Proverbs 30:20), “Such is the way of a promiscuous woman.” The storm-wind—by way of the Targum, which is synonymous with the <evil force> of nogah —draws from the above mentioned chashmal, <as is known>.

Thus Elisha, by inheriting the Holy Spirit from Eliyahu, received from him the perfection of the Holy Tongue. This is alluded to in (2 Kings 2:9), “Let there be a twofold portion of your spirit upon me.” “Twofold” corresponds to the Holy Tongue, as in [the halakhic requirement to read] “the verse twice and the Targum once” (Berakhot 8a). Because of this it is written of him (2 Kings 4:9), “A holy man passes by here all the time.” [Our Sages see this verse alluding to the fact that] “seminal discharge was never seen on his sheet” (ibid. 10b). This is because perfection of the Holy Tongue safeguards a person from nocturnal emission, for through the perfection of the Holy Tongue one merits to rectifying the Covenant, as explained above.

The reason for this is that the primary perfection of the Holy Tongue is by means of Targum / tardemah and sleep—that is, by refining the concept of Targum / tardemah. Through this one is then saved from the nocturnal emissions of deep sleep, as above.

{“As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own tongues cover them. Let fiery coals descend upon them; may it cast them down into the fire” (Psalms 140:10, 11).} And this is what David requested, “As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own tongues cover them.” “The head of those who surround me” corresponds to (Ezekiel 1:4), “Nogah surrounding it”—for it [the evil force of the nogah] is the head of those that surround holiness. “Let the mischief of their own tongues cover them,” <in other words,> their mischief and evil should be nullified.

And regarding the other tongues of the nations—the concept of the “conflagration of the seventy stars”—<he asked>, “Let fiery coals descend upon them; <may it cast them down into the fire>.” This is because “they emanated from fire and fire will consume them” (ibid. 15:7).

In other words, the concept of nogah / Targum needs to be refined, so that the evil in it will fall away and the good in it will be extracted and ascend. It is then encompassed within holiness, namely, the Holy Tongue. For this is the concept of the perfection of the Holy Tongue through the tongue of Targum, explained earlier. As for the other tongues of the nations, the concept of complete evil, they must be utterly destroyed, as in, “Let fiery coals descend upon them….”

This is the concept of the flame of fire that descends on Shabbat eve upon the heads of the evil forces. This prevents them from being encompassed in the nogah to draw sustenance from the holiness, <as is known>.

The meaning of this is as follows: On Shabbat eve, right as Shabbat begins, nogah becomes encompassed in holiness. When this happens, the other forces of evil, the totally impure ones, also seek to ascend to holiness. But then a fiery flame descends upon their heads causing them to fall below. This is the deeper intention behind washing oneself with hot water on the eve of Shabbat, as explained in the Kavanot. It is also the above mentioned concept of having to extract the good in the Targum / nogah, so that it will be encompassed within the Holy Tongue. As for the other tongues of the gentiles, which are complete evil, we have to vanquish and nullify them totally, as has been explained.

[Power of the Letters]

And when a person elevates the good in Targum <to the Holy Tongue> and perfects the Holy Tongue with which the world was created, this arouses and enhances the power of the letters of the Holy Tongue which are in each thing in the world. For each thing has in it a number of letter permutations with which that thing was created. Through the perfection of the Holy Tongue by means of the tongue of Targum, the power of the letters in each and every thing is aroused and enhanced.

This is (Numbers 14:17), “Now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be enhanced, as You have spoken, saying….” [Elsewhere, our Sages (Sanhedrin 56b) teach:] “Saying refers to sexual offenses”—i.e. the “conflagration of the seventy stars.” This is the lust for sex which is eliminated by the speaking of the Holy Tongue, as above.

And this is “as You have spoken, saying.” In other words, commensurate with the speaking of the Holy Tongue, through which illicit sexual behavior is checked and lust eliminated, likewise will the “power of the Lord be enhanced.” This is because to the degree that speaking of the Holy Tongue—synonymous with crushing and eliminating the lust for sex—is perfected, accordingly the power of God in the Act of Creation—this being the letters contained in each and every thing in the world—is enhanced and aroused. This has been explained above.

[Illumination]

Now, when someone has the ability to awaken an illumination of the letters of the Act of Creation in each thing, then his eating, drinking and all his [physical] pleasures come only from the illumination of the letters which are in eating and drinking. This corresponds to (Ruth 3:7), “He ate and drank, and his heart was good.” “His LeV (heart) was good” alludes to the illumination of the letters of the L-V (32) times that the Holy Name Elohim appears in the Act of Creation which is in each thing.

And this is, “His heart was good”—”good” is nothing other than light, as in (Genesis 1:4), “Then God saw that the light was good.” Thus, “He ate and drank, and his heart was good.” His eating and drinking came from a shining and illumination of the letters of the Thirty-two Elohim contained in the meal which he ate.

And this is, “‘His heart was good’—this is the Grace after Meals” (Ruth Rabbah 5:15). His eating and drinking came from the illumination of the letters that are in the food and drink. This is the concept of Grace after Meals, because food is blessed through the perfection of the Holy Tongue—by causing the letters in each and every thing to be aroused and to shine. It is from there that eating, drinking and the other physical pleasure should primarily come, as explained.

[Permutations]

Now, every simple sage {that is, he is only wise but not a tzaddik,} is capable of knowing the letters with which the thing he is eating was created. For someone who is knowledgeable in the factors controlling sweetness and bitterness, sharpness and saltiness, that this softens and this hardens, this enlarges and this reduces, this constricts and this expands; and he knows the divisions of the letters, which are classified into the three principal letters, the seven doubled letters and the twelve single letters; and he knows to which particular sefirah (Divine emanation) each letter applies and the power of each individual sefirah, which one is soft and which is hard and so on—then, by tasting some food or <even just> seeing something, he knows and understands the letter permutations through which that particular thing was created.

This is because each thing is different in its taste, smell and shape, depending entirely upon the permutations of the letters of the Holy Tongue. For the Holy One, with His wisdom and simple will, weighed exactly so many and so many letters with which to create one thing, and so many and so many letters with which to create something else.

This corresponds to the omissions, inclusions and vowel points which appear in the Torah. Everything is weighed; omissions and inclusions are made to maintain the balance. It is necessary to sometimes remove and sometimes add a letter or vowel point in order to align the balance of God’s power—all in accordance with His wisdom and will. Thus did the Holy One’s wisdom and will obligate: that He would weigh so many and so many letters and vowel points, and would create with this power and these letters and vowel points this thing so that it would have its specific taste, its specific smell and its specific shape. Likewise, He weighed a set of different letters and vowel points and with them created something else, so that it would have a different power, smell, taste and shape proportional to those letters.

This holds true for whatever exists in the world, and one who is just wise [and not a tzaddik] can understand all this with his wisdom. He will know the letters in each thing. Even so, for him to experience and have pleasure just from the letter permutations—corresponding to, “He ate and drank”—is impossible. Only a person who has brought perfection to the Holy Tongue and a new illumination in the Holy Tongue of each thing, i.e. into the letters in each thing, [only] he can fulfill “he ate and drank,” as explained above.

{The explanation is as follows: By means of wisdom alone, when one is knowledgeable in all the aforementioned, it is possible to know the letters contained in each thing. Thus, for example, when a person sees something which is sweet, and he is aware that sweetness has the power to soften, and he knows from which sefirah the power of sweetness and softness emanates—e. g. from the sefirah Chesed —and he knows which of the twenty-two letters is associated with the sefirah Chesed, then he knows that this letter is clothed within that object. This is likewise the case for all that exists in the world.

Yet, even though he is such a great sage that he knows all this clearly, he knows the letters in each thing (for which it is necessary to be thoroughly versed in the Wisdom of Truth, the Kabbalah, and in all natural sciences, as any intelligent person will realize—it being impossible to know all this without being an eminently accomplished student of Kabbalah and other fields of knowledge), it is nevertheless still possible that his eating, drinking and pleasures are still from the physical substance of the thing and not from the illumination of the letters. For it is only possible to merit having all one’s pleasures come exclusively from the letters which each thing contains when one has merited to the perfection of the Holy Tongue—i.e. when he has merited breaking his sexual lust entirely and has perfected the Holy Tongue to the point where he has brought a new illumination into the Holy Tongue, namely, into the letters in each thing. It is specifically the tzaddik who is on this level who merits this: to not feel any pleasure from any thing [in itself]—eating, drinking, and the other worldly pleasures—but only from the illumination of the letters in each thing. Fortunate is he.}

{“May He send your help from Holiness, and from Zion yis’adekha (your support)” (Psalms 20:3). } This corresponds to, “… and from ZIoN yiS’ADekha (your support).” Se’UDatkha (your meals)—i.e. eating, drinking and all the physical pleasures—will be from the TZiun (sign) and mark of the letters which are <combined> and marked in each thing. For the taste, smell and shape is the sign and mark of the letters which are contained in that thing.

This is: “May He send your help from Holiness.” “Your help” corresponds to (Genesis 2:18), “I will make him a helpmate”—namely Chavah/the Holy Tongue, as explained. And this is, “from Holiness”—<“Anywhere that you find protective measures against illicit sexual behavior, you find holiness”>—namely, the Holy Tongue.

Thus, the final letters of “yishlaCh ezreKha mi’kodeSh” (may He send your help from Holiness) spell ChoSheKh (darkness). This alludes to tardemah, which is Targum, for the principal perfection of the Holy Tongue is through the Targum, as explained. And when he has this perfection, as a result, “From Zion [will come] your support.”

[Creation]

Now, someone who has attained this level of “from Zion [will come] your support,” as a result his heart will shine. It is called LeV (heart) by virtue of its receiving and being sustained “from the beauty of beauties,” from the L-V Elohim in the Act of Creation. These are synonymous with the letters contained in each thing, which are all drawn from the concept of the Thirty-two Elohim in the Act of Creation.

And, through the illumination of the light which the heart receives from the Thirty-two Elohim, one’s face radiates with this light, as in (Proverbs 15:13), “A happy heart makes a good countenance.” And when one’s face shines with this purity, then another person can see his face in this face as he would in a mirror, and then feel remorse and return in repentance. This corresponds to (Deuteronomy 5:4), “God spoke to you face to face.” In other words, because you have with you “God’s speech,” i.e. perfection of the Holy Tongue, the countenance radiates and shines to such a degree so that <each and every> person can see himself “face to face.”

This is [the meaning of]: “As long as there was no scale, [there was no providence face to face].” This alludes to the Holy Tongue, which is called a scale because with His will the Holy One weighed the letters, as explained. This corresponds to (Job 28:25), “He makes a weighing of the spirit.” The Holy One weighed so many and so many letters for each and every thing, so that it would have a specific taste, smell and form, as He willed it.

But before the Holy Tongue was perfected, “… there was no providence face to face.” The concept of “face to face” did not yet exist. For it is impossible to merit to a shining face—the concept of “face to face”—except by means of the “scale,” which corresponds to the perfection of the Holy Tongue. This is because essentially, “face to face” is the result of “God spoke to you,” as above.

<In addition,> “scale” corresponds to the concept of the Holy Tongue in that its [the Holy Tongue’s] principal perfection comes through Targum which is nogah, [and nogah] is called a scale, as is known.

And this is the difference between hearing something from a teacher, from a student, or [seeing it] <inside> a book. For the tzaddikim are (Psalms 103:20), “strong warriors doing His word.” They make and construct the word of the Holy One—namely, the Holy Tongue with which the world was created. This corresponds to (Bereishit Rabbah 8:7): “The Holy One consulted with the souls of the tzaddikim and created the world.”

The Holy One anticipated the delight He would have from the souls of the tzaddikim, and by virtue of this, “With the word of God the heavens were made, and by the spirit of His mouth their entire host.” That is, the word of the Holy Tongue, with which the world was created, was made. This is because the tzaddikim are synonymous with “doing His word.” They make the word of the Holy One—that He should speak and create the world.

All this preceded [the Act of] Creation. Now, too, when the tzaddikim want to hear some word from the Holy One, they first make the word and construct it. That is, through their good deeds they merit to hear the Holy One speak. Thus, these words came into existence and were constructed by them. This corresponds to (Psalms 103:20), “Doing His word, to hear the sound of His word.” When they want to hear the Holy One’s word, they first make the word—this being “doing His word.” Then afterwards, they hear that word from the Holy One—this being “to hear the sound of His word.” It is with this word that the Holy One talks to them.

Perfecting the speaking of the Holy Tongue is dependent upon fear, corresponding to, “He constructed her like a storehouse,” as explained. And fear depends upon the ears (Tikkuney Zohar #70, p. 122a). We find that when the tzaddik hears words of Torah from the mouth of the Holy One, these words are perfect. This is because the words are dependent upon fear <and fear depends upon the ears>, and he hears the words in the aspect of “to hear the sound of His word.”

Therefore, someone who hears directly from his [the tzaddik’s] mouth receives the words of the Holy Tongue with perfection—namely, with fear. This Holy Tongue has perfection because of the concept of “to hear the sound of His word.” For perfection of the word depends upon fear, and fear depends upon the ears. But someone who hears it from someone else is far from this perfection, because it has gone down in its level.

And this is [the explanation of the opening verse]: {“Tefillah l’Chabakkuk (A prayer by Habakkuk) the prophet for having erred. O God, I heard Your utterance, I feared; O God, revive Your acts in the midst of shanim (years)….”}

O God, I heard Your utterance, I feared — <This is: When I heard> directly from the tzaddik, who hears it from Your mouth, as in, “Doing His word, to hear the sound of His word.” And thus:

Your utterance — He hears from You, that is, from the mouth of the Holy One Himself. Then:

I feared — For in the main, fear depends upon the ears. And then there is perfection to this Holy Tongue, as explained earlier. And thus:

O God, revive Your acts in the midst of shanim (years) — “Revive,” Rashi explains as arouse. In other words, Your acts are aroused—the power of the Act of Creation is aroused.

in the midst of shanim — [As our Sages teach (Sotah 49a):] “Do not read this ‘in the midst of ShaNiM, ’ but in the midst of Sh’NayiM (two)”—<namely,> the verse twice <and the Aramaic translation once>, i.e. the Holy Tongue. And through a perfected Holy Tongue—perfected through fear which depends upon the ears—the power of the Act of Creation, which was created by means of the Holy Tongue, is aroused and made to radiate.

This is what Rashi explains: A prayer by Habakkuk [the prophet] for having erred — [Rashi says,] “k’Targumo (according to its translation).” For principally, the perfection of the Holy Tongue is through the Targum, as above. And this is:

for having erred — For “errors” allude to Targum. This is because Targum is the concept of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. It is an admixture of good and evil. The same is true of one who sins unintentionally, he also contains good and evil. For the deed is evil, but his intention is good.

Excerpts related to this lesson:

The difference between someone who learns from a book and someone who hears [the teaching] directly from the sage is even greater. This is because a book is only for remembering, as is written (Exodus 17:14), “Write this as a reminder in the Book.” And memory is [fixed] in the power of imagination, for even an animal has memory. This we know empirically, that even an animal can recall that in this place it was bitten by a dog and so it runs away from there. This is why our Sages said (Gittin 60b): “Words of the Oral Torah may not be written down.”

There is more to this than meets the eye. For in truth, this verse “Write this as a reminder in the Book,” was said about the Written Torah which specifically needs to be written down. {All this I [Reb Noson] heard from his [Rebbe Nachman’s] holy lips when I transcribed the lesson in his presence, but he did not fully clarify this point.}

This is the deeper meaning of what our Sages said (Sanhedrin 38b): “The First Man disguised his circumcision. The First Man spoke Aramaic.” Understand this well.

As explained, through the Aramaic tongue, which is the tongue of Targum, the foreskin/the comprehensive evil was able to draw and nurture from the Holy Tongue/the Holy Covenant. Study this carefully. For primarily, blemishing the Covenant/the comprehensive evil/the tongue of the nations is nurtured through the tongue of Targum / nogah. Through this they ascend to nurture from the Holy Tongue/the Holy Covenant, as explained above. This is because quintessentially the scale—choice and free will—corresponds to nogah / Targum, because nogah is referred to as a scale, as above.

And this is: “The First Man disguised his circumcision. The First Man spoke Aramaic.” For one depends upon the other. This is because in the main, the blemishing of the Covenant/”disguising the circumcision” comes about as a result of [people] not elevating the Aramaic tongue/the tongue of Targum to the Holy Tongue, as above.

“Doing His word, to hear the sound of His word.” When the tzaddik makes the word…, as above. When the Holy Tongue comes from above, it is still in need of rectification. For the good still has to be elevated from the Targum. This is the deeper intention of circumcision. As the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 11:6) brings the question which the heretics asked concerning the mitzvah of circumcision: How is it that the Holy One created something which is still in need of rectification? But it was with this intention. As explained earlier, the Holy Tongue, which corresponds to the sanctification of the Covenant that comes from above, is still in need of rectification. Primarily, its rectification is below, in this world, by our elevating the good in the Targum and perfecting the Holy Tongue. This is because the primary rectification of all things is completed below, specifically in this world. This is the concept of the perfection of the Holy Tongue through Targum. For, even though the Holy Tongue comes from above, it nevertheless can only be perfected through the tongue of Targum which is the concept of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil; that is, by extracting the good in the Targum, the good in the Tree of Knowledge, specifically through this is the Holy Tongue perfected.

And this is the concept of what was explained in the Midrash: the answer to the question of the heretics concerning the mitzvah of circumcision: “How is it that the Holy One created something which is still in need of rectification?” They answered there that everything requires rectification. “Lupines need to be cooked… man, too, is in need of rectification.” See there.

As mentioned above, the Holy One created the entire Creation for the sake of man, the owner of free will, specifically so that he rectify all things by extracting the good in the Tree of Knowledge. By doing so he completes and rectifies everything in the world. Thus, it is necessary to make the correction of circumcision, the concept of rectification of the Covenant, specifically in this world. For this is the concept of the perfection of the Holy Tongue specifically through Targum. The Holy Tongue which comes from above, comes from above without perfection, and is only perfected through our extracting the good in the Targum. Only then can the Holy Tongue be perfected, as explained.

And this is chashmal: chash MaL, synonymous with MiLah (circumcision). And MaL is numerically equivalent to seventy, corresponding to the “conflagration of the seventy stars,” mentioned earlier. It is nitMaLel (extinguished), neChTaKh (cut off) and nullified through the mitzvah of circumcision, which is the rectification of the Covenant, as above. Study the Kavanot and understand.

Elevating the good from the Targum is achieved through the rectification of errors. A person has to rectify all that he did by sinning unintentionally. Understand this.

Now, like Yosef, someone who has achieved a perfection of the Holy Tongue is capable of interpreting the dreams of deep sleep, as explained there. This is because dreams are determined by the foods that one eats, as is brought. We’ve seen that in every thing there are letters. And so, when a person lays down and sleeps, the vapors of the foods he’s eaten ascend and rise to the brain. The letters which they contain are combined, and from this the dream is made.

It can be concluded from this that if, when eating, a person would eat the second spoonful before the first, an entirely different dream would show itself to him. For every thing has different letters and if he had eaten this spoonful first, the letters would have combined in different permutations and another dream would have been shown to him. Now, the person who has achieved a perfection of the Holy Tongue knows the letters which all things contains. Therefore, as mentioned earlier, he is capable of interpreting dreams.

Understand well how the subject of interpreting dreams through the perfection of the Holy Tongue has now been properly explained by what is written there afterwards, that through the perfection of the Holy Tongue the illumination of the letters in each thing is made to shine. Through the illumination of the letters in all foods—from which dreams emanate—the tzaddik/Yosef knows how to interpret the dreams of tardemah, as explained earlier.

The following material, which relates to this lesson and was written by Rebbe Nachman himself, was later found:

“May He send your help from Holiness.” The value of the Holy Tongue is very great; with it the world was created. As our Sages said: “‘This one shall be called IShah (woman) because from ISh (man)’—a play on words. From here we see that the world was created with the Holy Tongue.” For woman is synonymous with the Holy Tongue—through her the world was created. And this is ChaVaH, corresponding to speech, as in, “Night yeChaVeH (declares) to night.” And this is what is implied in, “This one shall be called a woman.” For speech is called zot, as in, “V’zot (this is) what their father spoke to them.”

And by virtue of the Holy Tongue, He exalted us above all the L’ShoNot (nations). This is the concept of lashon nophel al lashon: All the l’shonot (tongues) are overcome by the lashon of holiness. And there is no….