Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 141

Likutay Moharan 141

If He merits that he truly feels the pain of his sins

If a person merits that he truly feels the pain of his sins, this is when he circumcises the foreskin of his heart. For as long as his heart remains uncircumcised and sealed, it is impossible for him to feel truthfully. Only when he circumcises the foreskin of his heart and there is a space in his heart does his heart genuinely feel the greatness of his pain; then he grieves and regrets sincerely.

And from the greatness of this regret, all the hearts of every drop that were drawn from him will also feel, and in every place to which they were drawn, they will feel there in that place. Whether those drops were drawn from him and became his children of the human species, or those drawn from him to another place — Heaven forbid — even there they have a heart and other organs.

Then, when he circumcises his heart and his heart feels the greatness of his pain and begins to grieve and regret truly, all the hearts of the drops will feel there, and the truth will become revealed to them — how they are cast into a place of filth in the lowest Sheol. At first, it appears good to them, for they are the destroyers of the world. Only afterward, when their hearts are circumcised through the circumcision of their father's heart, do they feel where they are and begin to lament and grieve, causing a great commotion among them.

"And Hashem will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed" [Deuteronomy 30:6].

This means that when Hashem circumcises his heart, He will also circumcise the heart of his seed. Wherever the seed is drawn — whether to the human species, then his children are obligated also to feel thoughts of repentance through the circumcision of their father's heart; and similarly if drawn to another place, Heaven forbid, then the hearts there are circumcised and feel as described above.

The most opportune time for this is the month of Elul, for "Elul" is the acronym of Et Levavcha Ve'et Levav — that is, that Hashem circumcises your heart and the heart simply dependent upon you, wherever it is drawn, as above. This refers to the hearts of the drops wherever they were drawn — whether they became from them his children of the human species or were drawn, Heaven forbid, to another place.

And also, they are his children and depend upon him. Therefore, when a person passes away, they follow the bier and lament over him like his actual children of the human species. But their going and lamenting over him is a great disgrace and shame to him. May the Merciful One save us from these punishments, as is known.