Translation:Likutei Moharan/35

by Nachman of Breslov

“Ashrei HaAm (Happy Is the People) that knows the shofar’s blast; God, in the light of Your countenance they shall go.” (Psalms 89:16)

[Repentance]

Know! Repentance entails returning the thing to where it was taken from. This is the aspect of zarka, about which the holy Zohar brings: It was zarak (thrown back) to the place from which it was taken. What place is that? It is Chokhmah (Wisdom). For Chokhmah is the root of all things, as it is written (Psalms 104:24), “You created everything with wisdom.”

As a result, every person has to guard his intellect from extraneous concepts, which are known as “Pharaoh’s daughter.” For the main wisdom by means of which one acquires wholeness is only the wisdom of Godliness. The other wisdoms are negations of wisdom. They are not wisdom at all. {“Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 43:6).}

The word “daughter” alludes to the wisdom that is not wisdom, as our Sages taught: “Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters” — the latter are the exiles in other lands, whose minds are unsettled, like daughters (Menachot 110a). “PhaRaOh” connotes negation, as is written (Exodus 5:4), “Why taPhRiOo (are you distracting) the people [from their tasks].”

Now, extraneous wisdoms are an aspect of a reed. For there is a KaNeH (reed) in holiness. This is hallowed wisdom, as is written (Proverbs 4:5), “K’NeH (acquire) wisdom.” But “God made one to contrast the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) — i.e., a reed in impurity, as is written (Psalms 68:31), “Rebuke the beast of the KaNeH.” This is extraneous wisdoms.

<Yet,> Israel is a holy nation. Each and every Jew possesses “a portion of God from Above” (Job 31:2), which is an aspect of wisdom. It is by virtue of this that they are called reishit (first), as is written (Jeremiah 2:3), “Israel is holy to God, the first of His yield” — <on account of the reishit (beginning) of wisdom (cf. Psalms 111:10)>.

However, at the time of birth, each and every person’s intellect is contracted. Yet when one starts using it in contemplating the Divine service of the Holy One, then one’s intellect begins to expand, as is written (1 Kings 5:10), “Shlomo’s wisdom was greater.”

But when a person takes into his holy intellect extraneous thoughts, which are extraneous wisdoms, the holiness of his intellect then decreases commensurate with the space occupied by the extraneous wisdom, the extraneous intellect, within the holy intellect. This extraneous wisdom is plunged into the holy intellect like a reed, diminishing the space of holiness. And around this reed — i.e., this intellect — collect and come together all the evil and odious traits.

{When Shlomo married Pharaoh’s daughter, Gavriel descended and plunged a reed into the sea. A sandbank formed around it, on which was built the great krakh (city) of Rome (Sanhedrin 21b).} This is the meaning of: When Shlomo married Pharaoh’s daughter, Gavriel descended and plunged a reed into the sea. In other words, Above as well, from the devolution of the GeVuRot (severities) — this being the aspect of the angel “GaVRiel descended” — gold dross is created. This [gold dross] is an aspect of the evil forces, the extraneous wisdoms, which are also called “a reed.” “And he plunged” it into the sea of wisdom, thereby diminishing the space of holiness. “A sandbank formed around it” — i.e., the aspect of the odious traits. “And on it was built the great KRaKh of Rome” — i.e., the primordial snake, which KaRuKh (latches on) to holiness.

This is why it is called “the great krakh,” as our Sages taught (Sukkah 52a): “because of the great [destruction] it wrought” (Joel 2:20). They expound there that the Evil Inclination has its eye out for Israel and especially her great leaders. As they taught there: “and the Torah scholars more than all the others.” It is because of this that the Serpent and the Evil inclination are called “the great krakh.”} For [the Serpent] latches on to the great leaders of the generation more than other people, <and it builds> its building on this extraneous intellect.

[Renewal of Wisdom]

<And when a person> guards himself from extraneous intellect, that is not all. He <also> has to renew the intellect at all times. This is the aspect of “In His goodness He renews daily, always, the work of Creation” (Morning Liturgy). For the renewal of Creation is the renewal of wisdom, as in, “You created everything with wisdom.”

This is because the renewal of the intellect is the renewal of the soul. For the intellect is the neshamah, as is written (Job 32:8), “the neshamah from the Almighty gives them understanding.” As our Sages taught (Berakhot 10a): Just as the Holy One nourishes the world, so too, the soul nourishes its body. Thus it is the soul that gives vitality to the body, while it itself is the intellect, as is written (Ecclesiastes 7:12), “Wisdom gives life to those who possess it.”

[Sleep]

Now, renewal of the intellect — i.e., renewal of the soul — is by means of sleep, as is brought in the holy Zohar (I, 213b) <based on> “They are renewed every morning; abundant is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). For when the mochin (mentalities, intellect) are overtaxed, then, as we see empirically, they are renewed by means of sleep.

This is why we recite the blessing “Who gives strength to the weary.” Earlier they were exhausted, but now they are revitalized.

And while sleeping, the mentalities —i.e., the soul—enter into faith; this being the aspect of “They are renewed every morning; <abundant is Your faithfulness>,” as is brought in the holy Zohar.

[Cleaving of the Mentalities]

Now, there are a number of aspects to sleep. There is physical sleep, which is a rest for the mentalities. And there is also an aspect of study which is likewise called sleep with regard to the cleaving <of the mentalities to> the Creator.

This is the study of the Torah in its plain meaning. It is an aspect of sleep, as our Sages taught (Sanhedrin 24a): “He has made me dwell in darkness” (Lamentations 3:6) — this is the Babylonian Talmud. This is also the aspect of faith, as is written, “Your faithfulness in the nights” (Psalms 92:3); “and the darkness He called Night” (Genesis 1:5).

Thus, when a person perpetually cleaves to the service of the Creator, so that as a result of this great cleaving his mentalities become overtaxed, he should then study the Torah in its plain meaning. For when he studies the Torah in its plain meaning, his mentalities/soul then enter into faith, in the aspect of “They are renewed every morning,” and they renew themselves and revitalize themselves from their exhaustion.

This is the aspect of PaShTA, muNaCh, ZaRKa. The PShaTA (plain meaning) of the Torah, which is the aspect of “Your faithfulness in the nights,” is a NayCha (rest) for the mentalities, so that the mentalities are renewed as initially. This is ZaRKa — it was ZaRaK (thrown) to the place from which it was taken, <i.e., to Chokhmah>.

[Light of the Face]

Now, the main mentalities, which we receive by means of faith, are received only from the Light of the Face, as is written (Proverbs 16:15), “In the light of the King’s countenance there is life.” “Life” is the mentalities, as in, “Wisdom gives life.” They receive from the Light of the Face by way of faith, which is called Malkhut. This is the aspect of Yerushalayim, as is written (Genesis 14:18), “And Malkitzedek, king of Shalem” — which Onkelos renders: king of Yerushalem.

And [Yerushalayim] is an aspect of faith, as is written (Isaiah 1:26), “city of righteousness, faithful city.” And it is an aspect of night, as in, “Your faithfulness in the nights.” It is also an aspect of the Torah’s plain meaning, as in, “He has made me dwell in darkness,” and as in, “and the darkness He called Night.” And it is an aspect of the small light, as is written (Ecclesiastes 9:14), “There was a small city”; and as in (Genesis 1:16), “and the small light to rule the night.”

And there are a number of aspects to the Light of the Face. There are those who receive the intellect from the Light of the Face of the Torah. For the Torah has seventy faces. And there are those who receive from the Light of the Face of the tzaddikim. When the tzaddik is kindly disposed toward him, then he receives a new intellect and a new soul. This is because the essence of the intellect comes from the Light of the Face, as is written (Ecclesiastes 8:1), “A man’s wisdom [is from] the light of his countenance.”

[Faithful Business]

And there is <also> sleep which is an aspect of faithful business activity, which is also the Torah’s plain meaning. <And so> when a person conducts his business activities faithfully, his mentalities/soul then enter into faith, in the aspect of “They are renewed every morning.” They are renewed there and revitalized from their exhaustion.

This is as our Sages taught: Anyone who seeks wisdom should engage in monetary law (Bava Batra 175b). That is, one who wants to renew his intellect/soul should engage in monetary law — i.e., faithful business activity. For someone who conducts his business activities faithfully is certainly engaged in monetary law, because all monetary laws are connected to business. For it is impossible to conduct one’s business activities faithfully unless one is fully versed in monetary law, lest one make mistakes in these matters.

{“She is like a merchant fleet; she brings her food from afar” (Proverbs 31:14).} And this is an aspect of “She is like a merchant fleet.” That is, through business activity/Torah’s plain meaning “she brings her food from afar” — <i.e., he draws> new intellect from the Light of the Face. For the intellect is called “far away,” as is written (Ecclesiastes 7:23), “I said I will be wise, but it was far from me.”

[Small Light]

However, when a person puts his intellect/soul into faith/Torah’s plain meaning/business activity — in the aspect of “They are renewed every morning” — he then has to guard faith so that the extraneous forces do not draw nourishment from it. For it resides among the extraneous forces, the aspect of “This is Yerushalayim, I set her among the nations, with lands surrounding her” (Ezekiel 5:5). And Yerushalayim is an aspect of faith, as in, “faithful city”; and it is an aspect of night, as in, “Your faithfulness in the nights”; and it is the Torah’s plain meaning, as our Sages taught: “He has made me dwell in darkness,” “and the darkness He called Night.” And it is an aspect of the small light, as in, “and the small light to rule the night.”

And it is necessary to draw the aspect of chashmal from the World of Binah in order to cloak Malkhut, which is faith, so that the nations and surrounding lands do not draw nourishment from it.

So when a person conducts his business activities with such great faith as Rav Safra did, and he fulfills “he speaks the truth that is in his heart” (Psalms 15:2) — this aspect becomes ChaShMaL, a MaLBUSh (garment) around faith. Then, “IMma (Mother) hovers over her chicks” (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction, p.2a), so that they do not draw nourishment from it. She is “IM (If) you call to Binah” (Proverbs 2:3). And Binah is the heart (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction, p.17a).

Thus, as a result of the one who fulfills “he speaks the truth that is in his heart,” “Imma hovers over her chicks” — the heart produces chashmal, a garment around faith, so that the extraneous forces do not draw nourishment from it.

This is as our Sages taught: And anyone who seeks to engage in monetary law should apprentice to Shimon son of Nanas (Bava Batra 175b).

That is, anyone who wants to faithfully engage in business activity — i.e., the Torah’s plain meaning, which is called “darkness,” as in, “He has made me dwell in darkness,” and is called faith, as in, “and the darkness He called Night” — has to then draw chashmal from the heart — i.e., fulfill “he speaks the truth that is in his heart.” And this chashmal cloaks the small light/faith, in the aspect of “Imma hovers over her chicks.”

This is the meaning of “should apprentice to Shimon ben (son of) Nanas.” For hearing is dependent upon the lev (heart). This is because ChaShMaL LeV has the same numerical value as SheMA (hear), [and] as is written (1 Kings 3:9), “Give, then, Your servant a hearing heart.” <That is, “should apprentice to ShiMOn” — he should draw chashmal from lev, which is an aspect of SheMA — to “BeN Nanas” — i.e., to faith, which is an aspect of BaN and Nanas,> the small light.

[Eleven Incense Spices]

Now, when a person conducts his business activities faithfully, when he engages in monetary law — i.e., the Torah’s plain meaning — this is an aspect of bringing the daily-offering and burning the incense. This is because by means of the daily-offering, Chokhmah, Binah and Daat of the World of Action ascend into the World of Formation, and all the holy sparks within the kelipah (evil forces) ascend, in the mystery of the eleven incense spices, into the aspect of <faith>/ Malkhut.

Now, when a person engages in business activities — business activity being an aspect of monetary law, the Torah’s plain meaning — at the time he does business he is occupied with the Torah in its plain meaning. This is an aspect of Metat, who resides in the World of Formation. Consequently, by doing business, the person’s Chokhmah, Binah and Daat ascend into the World of Formation — i.e., to the Torah in its plain meaning. And all the sparks of holiness that are among the nations and lands surrounding Yerushalayim ascend to the aspect of faith, which is called Yerushalayim and Malkhut. “When one rises, the other falls” (Rashi, Genesis 25:23). This is because the destruction of faith is the destruction of Yerushalayim. As our Sages expounded: Yerushalayim was only destroyed once it no longer had any men of faith (Shabbat 119b). {See there, where it is explained that what they meant was faithful business activity.}

But when Yerushalayim, which is faith/business activity/Torah’s plain meaning, gains strength <by means of the chashmal>, then these nations and lands fall. And all the holy sparks within them ascend in the mystery of the eleven incense spices.

This is as our Sages taught: Upon entering the Holy Land, the Jewish people were charged with three mitzvot: to appoint a king; to annihilate the seed of Amalek; and to build the Holy Temple (Sanhedrin 20b). One is dependent upon the other. For appointing a king is an aspect of faith, as explained.

And annihilating the seed of Amalek are the sparks that ascend from among the nations and the lands, in the aspect of the eleven incense spices. As is brought in the Midrash: Why is the chapter of annihilating the seed of Amalek juxtaposed with the laws of weights? This is to tell us that the war with Amalek was due to the sin of weights (Ruth Rabbah 1:2). They are one and the same, as is known.

And building the Holy Temple is an aspect of the Light of the Face, which is renewal of the mentalities, renewal of the soul, as our Sages taught: When someone has daat, it is as if the Holy Temple was built in his lifetime (Berakhot 33a).

[Punish with a Shoelace]

This chashmal — which is made from the aspect of “he speaks the truth that is in his heart,” and which cloaks faith — is an aspect of straps. This is because <the> straps are what encircle Malkhut /faith.

{This is what Rav said to Rav Shmuel son of Shilat: When you punish a child, punish him only with a shoelace. If he learns, he learns; but if he doesn’t learn, then let him keep his friend company (Bava Batra 21a).} “This is what Rav said to Rav Shmuel son of Shilat: ‘When timchei (you punish) a child, punish him only with a shoelace.’” “TiMChei” suggests purity, as is written, “MaChiTi (I will wipe away) your sins like a cloud” (Isaiah 44:22). “A child” is an aspect of the small light, which is an aspect of sleep. “Punish him only with a shoelace” — i.e., the straps of tefilin. As our Sages taught: In the merit of Avraham having said “Neither a thread nor a shoestring!” (Genesis 14:23), his offspring merited two mitzvot: the thread of t’kheilet and the straps of tefilin (Sotah 17a). The Aramaic translation for “or a shoestring” is “[or] a shoelace.”

In other words, when you want to guard the small light/faithful business activity, so that the extraneous forces do not draw nourishment from it, you will not be able to guard the Nanas/small light/a child except with a shoelace/ tefilin straps. That is, you must draw chashmal from “Binah is the heart” in order to cloak faith. This is the above mentioned aspect of serving under Shimon son of Nanas, fulfilling “he speaks the truth that is in his heart” at the time he engages in business, like Rav Safra.

And ReTZUAH (strap) has a numerical value of 370. This is to hint that through this chashmal, which is an aspect of “he speaks the truth that is in his heart,” faith and the mentalities in the soul are guarded and receive from the Light of the Face — this being the 370 lights of the Upper Countenances drawn from the rectification “and Truth,” as is known.

And this is what {Rav said to Rav Shmuel there}: “If he learns, he learns; but if he doesn’t learn, then let him keep his friend company.” Though the matter is problematic, for this might be so when someone learned engages in business activities faithfully; the business activity is then good for him in that his mentalities are renewed. But when someone is not learned, what benefit does he have from engaging in business activities?

<But,> know! someone who conducts his business activities faithfully benefits his friend who shares the same root, so that his friend’s mentalities are renewed within his faithful business activity. This is the meaning of “If he learns, he learns” — someone learned benefits from having his intellect renewed within faith. He will then have new mentalities for study and cleaving to the Creator. “But if he doesn’t learn, then let him keep his friend company.” That is, he does a favor for his friend who is from his root.

[Lights of the Upper Countenances]

And this corresponds to blowing the shofar on Rosh HaShanah. Rosh HaShanah, as is known, is an aspect of sleep, which is an aspect of faithful business activity/Torah’s plain meaning/engaging in monetary law. But the shofar blasts are an awakening from sleep, which is the renewal of the mentalities through the Light of the Face. From this comes the redness in face of the one who blows the shofar — the lights of the Upper Countenances have been awakened.

[Teruah / Shofar's Blast]

And this is the explanation [of the opening verse]: {“Happy is the people that knows the teruah (shofar’s blast); God, in the light of Your countenance they shall go.”}

Happy is the people that knows the shofar’s blast — This is the aspect of elevating the eleven incense spices that are within the <lands and nations> which reside around faithful business activity, to which the sparks are attached. This is:

knows the teruah — “Knows” connotes joining; teruah indicates breaking, because the sparks are from the Shattering of the Vessels.

God, in the light of Your countenance they shall go — <“They shall go” is> an aspect of business activity, as is written (Deuteronomy 33:18), “Rejoice, Zevulun, on your journeys.”

That is, when a person faithfully engages in business activities in order to bring his soul into the aspect of “They are renewed every morning; abundant is Your faithfulness” — in order to receive a renewal of the mentalities, a renewal of the soul, from the Light of the Face — through this all the sparks ascend by means of the eleven incense spices.