Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 5

Torah 5: With Trumpets and the Sound of the Shofar

[In the Words of Our Rebbe, of Blessed Memory]

With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, acclaim before… (Psalms 98).

א

For every person must say: The entire world was created only for my sake (Sanhedrin 37). It follows that since the world was created for my sake, I must constantly look at and consider the rectification [tikkun] of the world and fill its lacks, and pray for them. And the matter of prayer is in two aspects: Before the decree [gezar din], one prays in the order of the prayer, and it is not necessary to clothe the prayer. But after the decree, one must clothe the prayer so that the angels standing on the left do not understand and do not accuse, as it is written (Daniel 4): “By the decree of the watchers is the sentence,” namely, after the decree, then “by the word of the holy ones is the request,” then the tzadikim clothe their request in a narrative [ma’amar].

ב

But how do we know between before the decree and after the decree? Through the mitzvot that we perform, we can know between before the decree and after the decree, and specifically when we perform the mitzvot with such great joy that one does not desire any reward of the World to Come, but desires that the Holy One, blessed be He, arrange another mitzvah for one as the reward for this mitzvah, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Pirkei Avot 4): The reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah. For one derives pleasure from the mitzvah itself. And this is the difference between the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu and the prophecy of the other prophets, as Rashi explains: “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes… This is the matter that Hashem commanded” (Bamidbar 30). Rashi explains: All the prophets prophesied with “Thus says Hashem,” but Moshe added that he prophesied with “This is the matter,” for the aspect of “thus” [koh] is the mirror that does not shine [aspaklarya she’einah me’irah], and “this is the matter” [zeh hadavar] is the aspect of the shining mirror [aspaklarya hame’irah]. And these two aspects of prophecy exist in the service of the Creator. There is a person who performs the mitzvah for the reward of the World to Come, who does not derive pleasure from the mitzvah itself; if they were not given the World to Come as its reward, one would not perform it. And this is the aspect of “thus,” the mirror that does not shine, like a person who sees something from afar (see Zohar, Vayera 120). Similarly, one performs the mitzvah for its reward that comes at a distant time, namely, after this world. And the payment of reward is called by the name of prophet [navi], for it is the acronym of yavo b’rinah nosei alumotav [“shall come with singing, carrying his sheaves”]. And there in that verse, it alludes to the payment of reward (Psalms 126): “He who goes forth weeping, bearing the seed bag,” who suffers in its performance, “shall come with singing, carrying his sheaves,” who will rejoice in the future when receiving the reward of the mitzvot. Shall come with singing, carrying his sheaves, the acronym is navi. But a prophet who prophesies with “this is the matter,” who does not desire the reward of the mitzvot but desires the mitzvah itself, who rejoices so much in its performance that one rejects any kind of reward, it follows that one’s World to Come is in the mitzvah itself. And this is the aspect of prophet, namely, the payment of reward, in the aspect of: “this is the matter,” in the aspect of the shining mirror, like a person who sees something close up with a beautiful and clear vision. Similarly, one derives pleasure from the mitzvah itself, and one’s reward is before one’s eyes. And one who is on this level, who performs the mitzvah with such great joy that one does not desire any reward of the World to Come for it, can know between before the decree and after the decree. For the mitzvot are a complete stature [komah shlemah], and they vitalize all the statures, whether the stature of man, whether the stature of the world, whether the stature of the year, for world, year, soul receive vitality from the mitzvot, as it is written (Psalms 33): “And all His works in faith,” and it is written (Psalms 119): “All Your mitzvot are faith.”

And the Holy One, blessed be He, is simple unity [achdut pashut] with the mitzvot. And when the works of the Holy One, blessed be He, are in their proper order and arrangement, then the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoices in them and delights in them, as it is written (Psalms 104): “May Hashem rejoice in His works,” like a craftsman who makes some vessel, and the vessel is beautiful, then one delights in it. And the joy of the Holy One, blessed be He, is clothed in the mitzvot, for they are His unity. And one who enters into the joy of the mitzvah enters into the joy of the Holy One, blessed be He, who rejoices in His works. And this is the aspect of (Psalms 149): “Let Israel rejoice in its Maker.” It follows that when there is some pain and judgment [din] in the world, year, soul, then certainly there is a diminution from the joy of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written (Genesis 6): “And He was grieved in His heart.” And as it is written (Sanhedrin 46): What does the Shechinah say? “Woe to Me from My head,” and so forth. And this is what enters into the joy, one can certainly know according to the matter of the joy whether it is before the decree or after the decree. One can also know upon which part of the stature the judgment was decreed, for one knows according to the stature of the mitzvot. If one cannot perform with joy the heads of the mitzvot, namely, mitzvot dependent on the head, one knows that the judgment was decreed on the heads of the world, year, soul. And similarly for the rest of the stature of the mitzvot. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Mechilta, and see Beitzah 16): On Shabbat, “Remember it” from one on Shabbat, namely, the joy and delight of the World to Come, which is the aspect of Shabbat, one should feel during the six days of action, which are the aspect of the performance of the mitzvot through which the world, year, soul were created. And this is (Deuteronomy 24): “On its day you shall give its wage,” that one’s wage should be from the mitzvot themselves, “and the sun shall not set upon it,” that one should not perform the mitzvot for the reward of the World to Come, which is after the setting of one’s sun, after one’s death.

ג

And the essence of joy is in the heart, as it is written (Psalms 4): “You have put joy in my heart.” And it is impossible for the heart to rejoice unless one removes the crookedness [akmimiyut] in one’s heart, so that one has straightness of heart [yashrut lev], and then one merits joy, as it is written (Psalms 97): “And joy for the upright of heart.” And the crookedness in the heart is removed through thunders [re’amim], as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachot 59): Thunders were created only to straighten the crookedness in the heart.

And thunders are the aspect of the voice [kol] that a person brings forth with strength [koach] in one’s prayer, and from this thunders are made. For it is stated in the Zohar (Pinchas 235): When the voice emerges and enters the clouds of rain, a voice is heard for creation, and these are thunders. And the essence of thunders is from Gevurot [strengths], as it is written (Job 26): “And the thunder of His Gevurot who can understand?” And for this reason, we bless: “Whose strength and Gevurot…” And the Gevurot are the aspect of strength and might [gevurah] that a person brings forth the voice with great strength. And this voice strikes the clouds of rain, namely, the aspect of the mind [mochin], from which drops descend drop by drop, as it is written in the Zohar (Pinchas 235): “A well of living water and flowing from Lebanon,” from the whiteness of the mind [libuna d’mocha]. And when it strikes the clouds of rain, then a voice is heard for creation, namely, the aspect of thunders. And this is (Psalms 77): “The voice of Your thunder in the wheel,” namely, in the skull of the mind [galgalta d’mocha]. When it enters the skull of the mind, thunders are made from the voice, and a voice is heard for creation. And this is (Proverbs 49): “My mouth shall speak wisdom,” namely, the speech that emerges from the mouth strikes the wisdom, namely, the skull of the mind. And through this: “And the meditation of my heart…” Namely, through this the thunder is aroused, the heart is aroused, as they said: The voice arouses the intention (see Berachot 24, and in the Rosh and Rabbeinu Yonah there, and in Shulchan Aruch, section 101, and in section 61, paragraph 4). And this is (Berachot 6): One who has the fear of Heaven, one’s words are heard. For one who has fear, one’s voice becomes thunders, for thunder is from the side of Yitzchak, as it is written: “And the thunder of His Gevurot.” And through this, one’s words are heard for creation. And this is (Psalms 103): “Mighty in strength who perform His word, to hear the voice of His word.” It is stated in the Zohar (Lech Lecha 90): Fortunate are those who hear voices from above, namely, through the Gevurot thunders are made, and through this the heart hears, and this is: “And the meditation of my heart understanding.” And as it is written (I Kings 3): “And give Your servant a hearing heart.” And also one’s words are heard for creation. And this is: “To hear the voice of His word.” And this is the aspect of the voice of the shofar, this is the shofar of the ram, the ram of Yitzchak (Zohar, Pinchas 235), the aspect of: “And the thunder of His Gevurot” (Psalms 89). And this is: “Happy is the people who know the blast [teru’ah],” specifically “know,” that the voice should strike the mind, the aspect of clouds of rain, and become the aspect of thunders.

ד

But one must clear the mind from external wisdoms [chokhmot chitzoniyot] and foreign thoughts [machshavot zarot], from chametz [leaven], so that one’s wisdom does not become leavened [tachmitz] with external wisdoms and desires, so that when one brings forth the voice and it strikes the mind, thunder will be made from it. But when the skull of the mind is blocked with impurity, as it is written (Leviticus 11): “And you shall become impure with them,” then one’s voice is not heard. Also, one should guard one’s fear [yir’ah], from which the voice emerges, as it is written: “And the thunder of His Gevurot,” so that one does not have external fear. And this is (Pirkei Avot, Chapter 3): If there is no wisdom, there is no fear; if there is no fear, there is no wisdom. And this is (Shabbat 56, and in Sanhedrin 21): Gavriel descended and fixed a reed [kaneh] in the sea. The explanation: From the chain of the Gevurot, namely, external fear, fixed a reed in the sea of wisdom. Reed is the aspect of the voice that emerges from the reed (Berachot 61), namely, through the chain of the Gevurot, which is the aspect of a golden suspita [susfita d’dahava], external fear, the voice remains fixed in the blockage of the intellect and is not heard for creation. And the essence is to guard the mind so that it does not become leavened. And this is (Psalms 68): “Rebuke the beast of the reed [chayat kaneh],” as it is in the Zohar (Pinchas 252): Reed [kaneh], chet you break and make from it a hei. And make from the letters of chametz [leaven] matzah [unleavened bread], namely, do not leaven your wisdom. And this is in the language of rebuke [ge’ar], in the language of strife [merivah], for matzah is in the language of strife, for the tzadikim make strife [matzuta] on the other sides so that they do not approach the tabernacle of holiness. Namely, when you guard your wisdom so that external wisdoms do not enter it, so that you do not think evil thoughts, which are the aspect of the reed of the Other Side, opposite the reed of wisdom, the reed of understanding of holiness, through this you are saved from the aspect of chametz, which is the side of death, as it is stated: That which causes leavening, there is the side of death. And believe that all the strife [matzuta] and quarrel that exists between complete tzadikim is only to drive away the other sides. And this is the meaning of (Proverbs 15): “An ear that hears the rebuke of life will abide among the wise.” In the language of complaint [telunah] and quarrel (and see Zohar Chadash, 6, Vayetzei, and he lodged there that night, like “and the people complained”). When you hear quarrels between the tzadikim, know that this is conveying rebuke to you because you have blemished the drops of your mind [tippei moach], regarding which it is said (Proverbs 2): “All who come to her do not return, nor do they attain the paths of life,” that you are attached to the side of death, the aspect of chametz, the aspect of Gavriel descended, etc. And know that the reed is fixed, namely, external wisdoms are fixed in the sea of your wisdom. And certainly, if your mind had not been blemished, you would not hear quarrels between the tzadikim. And the quarrel is only for your sake, so that you return from death to life, from chametz to matzah, from chet to hei, and return from evil fear, from a blemished voice, from blemished wisdom to good fear, to a good voice, to good wisdom.

And when you guard your mind from the aspect of chametz so that it is not blocked, then your voice will strike your skull and thunder will be made from it, and the crookedness in your heart will be extended, and then you will merit joy, as it is written: “And joy for the upright of heart.” And this is the meaning of (Psalms 81): “I would have answered you in the secret of thunder, I tested you at the waters of Meribah, Selah.” Waters of Meribah [mei merivah] is the aspect of matzah, the aspect of the mind. Through this thunders are made.

ה

And know that one must include the Gevurot in the Chasadim [kindnesses], the left in the right, as it is written (Psalms 20): “In Gevurot is the salvation of His right hand.” For the essence of revelation is through the Chasadim, as it is written (Psalms 110): “Sit at My right hand.” And similarly, one must include the love [ahavah] with the fear [yir’ah] so that thunders will be made, and this is from the side of the right, the white mind like silver (Tikkun 70). And this is (Exodus 14): “And the sea returned toward morning to its strength.” The sea is the wisdom [chokhmah], toward morning of Avraham (see Zohar, Trumah 170), the aspect of: “Avraham My lover” (Isaiah 41), “to its strength,” this is the Gevurot, namely, the aspect of: “The voice of Your thunder in the wheel.” And this is (Song of Songs 8): “Many waters cannot quench the love,” for the essence of strengthening is through love, as it is written: “Sit at My right hand,” and so forth. And this is the meaning of (Psalms 29): “El of glory,” El this is Chesed, glory this is wisdom [chokhmah], as it is written (Proverbs 3): “Wise ones shall inherit glory.” “Thunders,” this is the aspect of thunders, namely, the Gevurot, the aspect of thunders, one must include with them love so that they strike the glory, the aspect of wisdom, so that thunders will be made from them, and you will overcome your enemies, as it is written: “Sit at My right hand,” and so forth.

And this is the meaning of: Rabba bar bar Chana said: Once we were traveling in a ship, and the ship ascended between fin and fin of a fish, three days and three nights; it in uprightness and we in lowness. And if you say, the ship does not travel much? When Rav Dimi came, he said: Like heating a kettle of water, it travels sixty parasangs, and a horseman shoots an arrow and it precedes it. And Rav Ashi said: That was a gildana of the sea, which has two fins (Bava Batra 73). Rashi: Fin [shitz]: Fins on the back of the fish, one toward the head and one toward the tail: It in uprightness, for it was going against the wind: And we were going in lowness, like the wind goes, for the waters of the sea do not flow except through the wind going in them: Like heating a kettle of water, the measure for heating a kettle of hot water: And it shoots a horseman an arrow, when someone shoots with a bow and arrow on the shore of the sea toward the land, we would see that the ship precedes the arrow. Ship [sfinata] in the language of importance. This is the aspect of Gevurah, fear, as it is written (Isaiah 33): “The fear of Hashem is His treasure,” which is the essence of importance. Fin [shitz] in the language of distress [tzarah], as it is written (Numbers 16): “And I will consume them in an instant,” and its translation: And I will destroy them. Three days and three nights, this is the aspect of mitzvot, in which there are rational, traditional, and decrees, and it is written in them (Joshua 1): “And you shall meditate on it day and night.” It in uprightness and we in lowness, this is the aspect of: “May Hashem rejoice in His works, let Israel rejoice in its Maker.” Like heating a kettle of water, this is the mind [mocha], as it is written (Song of Songs 4): “And flowing from Lebanon.” Travels sixty parasangs, this is the aspect of Gevurot, sixty warriors, and the thunder of His Gevurot. And if it shoots a horseman an arrow, horseman [parasha]: This is the aspect of Chesed, which brings forth hidden things to light, things that are contracted, it expounds [mefaresh] them. Arrow [gira] this is (Psalms 144): “Send Your arrows and confound them,” this is the aspect of: “Sit at My right hand,” and so forth. And it precedes it, this is the aspect of fear that precedes, for fear precedes, as it is written (Psalms 111): “The beginning of wisdom…” That Rabba bar bar Chana related, that he traveled so much in the attribute of fear and saw the greatness of the power of fear until he could understand through it between before the decree and after the decree. And this is between fin and so forth. And then it explains how one can understand, namely, through the mitzvot, which are the aspect of three days and so forth, one can understand, and specifically when one performs them with joy. And through the joy of the mitzvot, one can understand, for the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoices in His works, and the joy is clothed in the mitzvot, as mentioned above. And we rejoice below also in the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: “Let Israel rejoice in its Maker.” And we do not desire any reward, even the reward of the World to Come, as mentioned above. And this is: It in uprightness and we in lowness, according to His joy so is our joy. And through this we can understand. And then it explains how to attain the aspect of joy through the aspect of thunder. And this is: When Rav Dimi came, he said: Like heating a kettle of water, and so forth, this is the aspect of: “The voice of Your thunder in the wheel.” Sixty, this is the aspect of Gevurot that strike the skull and from it thunders are made, and a voice is heard. This is the aspect of the voice arousing the intention, the aspect of: Thunders were created only, and so forth. And then it says that the essence of the strengthening of the Gevurot is only through Chasadim, and one must include the left in the right, as mentioned above. And even so, one must precede the fear (see Tikkunim, Introduction). For the owner of a loss seeks one’s loss [as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Kiddushin 2): The way of a man is to seek after a woman, a parable to a person who lost a loss, and so forth. The explanation: For love [ahavah] is the aspect of man [ish], and fear [yir’ah] is the aspect of woman [ishah], as is known. And therefore, one must precede the fear, for then love will come to one automatically, for love goes and seeks after fear constantly, for the owner of a loss seeks after one’s loss, as mentioned above. Thus I heard from his holy mouth explicitly]. And this is the aspect of: And if it shoots a horseman an arrow, and so forth. And Rav Ashi said: That was a gildana of the sea, and so forth. Gildana is the aspect of the Name AGLA, which is the aspect of Gevurot, for it is the acronym of: Atah Gibor Le’olam Adonai, as brought (Zohar Chadash, Parashat Trumah). For gildana is the letters AGLA, and the Name Adonai in its fullness is the Name AGLA, as mentioned above. And this is the meaning of: “With trumpets and the sound of the shofar,” and so forth, namely, through the aspect of the voice that emerges, as mentioned above, through this the sea will thunder, and so forth, the aspect of thunders is made, the aspect of: “The voice of Your thunder in the wheel.” The world and its inhabitants, this is the aspect of the heart and its arteries, as they said: Thunders were created only, and so forth. Rivers will clap hands [yimcha’u kaf], the aspect of joy, as mentioned above: “And joy for the upright of heart.” And through the joy of the heart, together the mountains will sing [yeranenu]. Singing [rinnah] in the language of prayer [tefillah], as it is written (I Kings 8): “To hear the singing [rinnah],” and so forth. Mountains, the aspect of tzadikim (see Midrash Rabbah, Bamidbar, Parashah 9, 15), namely, through the joy of the heart, one can pray and clothe one’s prayer in a narrative [ma’amar] when one understands that the judgment has been decreed. And this is the meaning of together [yachad], that one clothes one’s prayer in narratives [sipurim] together [yachad].