Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 163

163. Sometimes the speech is placed and ready to go out.

Sometimes speech is placed and ready to exit, but emerges not through the mouth, only the neck [indeed, one can hear speech exiting via the neck, not mouth]. Three kelipot (shells) always seek to seize speech, especially holy speech from a great person. To them, all speeches are beautiful, important, and desirable—especially truly beautiful ones. As Egyptians, all black, would deem Sarah important even if not supremely beautiful. Speech is Sarah-like: some rule speech over city or province (“Sarah to my nation” [Berachot 13a]); some over the world; some over home. But to kelipot—Egyptian-like, black and low—all speeches matter, seized eagerly. The three kelipot are chiefs of bakers, cupbearers, cooks—desires for eating, drinking. Pharaoh is ha'oref (neck letters), behind holiness. Seeing Sarah (speech), these Pharaoh's chiefs find it beautiful, grasping it for him, as “Pharaoh’s chiefs saw her and praised her to Pharaoh” [Genesis 12]. They—trachea, esophagus, veins—grasp speech to the neck. For holy speech (Sarah with Shechinah), though distressing for Avraham, he trusted it brought great good: gathering holy sparks, as “when man rules man to his harm” [Ecclesiastes 8]. But simple speech risks entrapment, G-d forbid, unless a true tzadik extracts it. Some become entirely speech, conversational in people's mouths, wandering scattered. Each encounter brings unique torments, with Pharaoh per aspect. At a great person's mouth: kingly Pharaoh, provincial Egypt, three chiefs—distressing yet restful, yielding holy sparks and good. At low people's: seized to neck, falling into desolate wilderness—no one to meet, bitterly needy. The soul wanders scattered in mouths, tired, hungry, thirsty in desert, lacking restorative food, eating itself: “Men eat their own arm’s flesh” [Isaiah 9]. Like one overcome by cold without cover, folding self-hugging—so the soul: no covering, wrapping itself: “Their souls wrap within them.” So fainted, even food is rejected, like a long-ill patient refusing sustenance. What to do? We caused this by ignoring G-d's good advice [“They turned neck to Me, not face”]. Then imprisoned, bound there. Sometimes elevated heavenward, then cast down—for unordered ascent, mere tossing. As “They ascend heavens, descend abysses” [Psalms 107]. May G-d send soul-healing; we trusted all prepared, may He better our end, amen. [I heard this from his holy mouth, but later, seeing my writing, he said it wasn't well-written as due. These connect to our Rabbis' statement [Berachot 54b]: four must thank, explained in Psalm 107. Per his words, all four—desert wanderers, prisoners, sick, seafarers—hint at soul troubles in G-d's service: wandering weary, hungry, thirsty (“wandered in desert”); so fainted food is rejected (“soul abhors all food”—sick); imprisoned; ascending heavens, descending abysses (seafarers). All mandate thanks for G-d's repeated rescues from controversies, torments, sufferings, strange troubles. May He merit us understanding his holy intent. See this in Torah “G-d turned” sign 62.]