Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 48

Likutay Moharan Volume 1: Torah 48

“For that you acted treacherously against Me in the waters of strife at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin” (Deuteronomy 32:51)

[In the language of our master, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, of blessed memory]

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1. The Formation and Protection of the Sukkah

Tzairay [Tzairay - a Hebrew vowel, two horizontal dots under a letter making the sound "ai," its name; צֵירֵי] is the aspect of “And He formed” [Va-yeetzehr] (Genesis 2:7), a formation for good, a formation for evil, a formation for reward, a formation for punishment (Zohar Beraishis 27a and Ra’aya Mehemna Behar 111a). And in Berakhot 61a, this is the aspect of din [din - judgment, divine justice] and mercy. This is the aspect of binah [binah - understanding, the sefirah of divine intellect], for there the fetus is formed, as it is written: “If [אִם, im - if, or aim - mother] to understanding [binah] you call” (Proverbs 2:3) [The Hebrew im can be read as aim (mother), linking to binah as the maternal sefirah nurturing spiritual forms]. And there are two aspects: chesed [chesed - kindness, divine benevolence] and din (judgment), for from there (binah) judgments are aroused (Zohar Vayikra 10a). And it is the aspect of sukkah, as it is written: “You have screened me in my mother’s belly” (Psalms 139:13).

And it is the aspect of the koach [koach - power, spiritual strength or energy] of tefillah [tefillah - prayer, spiritual service], that is, what they pray with power, as it is written: “All my bones shall say” (Psalms 35:10). And it is the aspect of sukkah, as it is written: “With sinews and bones You have screened me (tisoachichainee - same root as sukkah)” (Job 10:11). For the power that a person inserts into the letters—these are the twenty-eight letters of the work of Genesis, with which the world was created (Avot, chapter 5)—they receive power from these twenty-eight letters. And the speeches that a person speaks with koach (power), they are themselves the speeches of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: “And I place My words in your mouth” (Isaiah 51:16), for they are themselves the word of Hashem. And they are “The power of His works” (Psalms 111:6) [as mentioned above].

And the utterances with which the world was created, they are the aspect of chesed (kindness), as it is written: “For I said, a world of kindness shall be built” (Psalms 89:3). And chesed (kindness) is the aspect of sukkah, the aspect of chibbuk [chibbuk - embrace, divine closeness]. And this is: “And I place My words in your mouth,” then “And in the shadow of My hand I have covered you” (Isaiah 51:16), which is the aspect of sukkah, which is the aspect of the shadow of a hand, the chibbuk (embrace) of the right hand (Zohar Pinchas 214b) [as mentioned above].

But the speeches that are not holy speeches then cause the Sukkas Notzrim [likely referring to the sukkah of guards, Sukkas Shoamrim, per Sukkah 8b, or possibly gentiles, per Jeremiah 4:16; the root implies constriction or distress, as per Rashi on Isaiah 24:20] to be aroused, the sukkah of the nations, as it is written: “Whose mouth speaks vanity and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood” (Psalms 144:8), which is the chibbuk (embrace) of the sitra achara [sitra achara - other side, evil forces]. And this is the interpretation of: “You shall hide them in a sukkah from the strife of tongues” (Psalms 31:21). For when the tongues of the nations prevail, Heaven forbid, then the Shekhinah [Shekhinah - Divine Presence, G-d’s immanent aspect] is in riv [riv - strife, conflict; root: ר-י-ב] with the Holy One, blessed be He (Tikkun 21, folio 44b). “Hear, O mountains, the strife” (Micah 6:2)—that it is riv (strife) for Her sons in galuta [galuta - exile, dispersion], for in the Eretz Yisrael [Eretz Yisrael - Land of Israel] it is rabbi [rabbi - master, authority; root: ר-ב-י] (there, folio 45b), as the letters of riv [רִי''ב] are reversed and become rabbi [רַבִּי''] [as mentioned above].

And the main essence of the Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) is through the koach (power) of His works, as it is written: “The power of His works He has declared to His people, to give them the inheritance of nations” (Psalms 111:6). But when this koach (power), which is the aspect of sukkah, is damaged, then the nations of the world prevail, the right hand of falsehood prevails, and from rabbi (master), riv (strife) is made. Then it is riv (strife) for Her sons who were exiled from the table of their father and left their land [as mentioned above].

And for this reason, sukkah, that is, tefillah (prayer) with koach (power), is a segulah [segulah - propitious quality, spiritual remedy] for sons. And for this reason, immediately after Sukkot [Sukkot - Festival of Booths] is Shemini Atzeret [Shemini Atzeret - Eighth Day of Assembly], when the nukva [nukva - female, Malkhut, divine sovereignty] detains and collects the drop so that it does not drop (as explained in Pri Etz Chayim, at the end, in the intentions of Shemini Atzeret). And this is the aspect of: “You have screened me in my mother’s belly” (Psalms 139:13), which is the aspect of sukkah; there the aspect of ibbur [ibbur - pregnancy, spiritual formation] is made. And for this reason: “And Hannah prayed upon Hashem” (1 Samuel 1:10) (Zohar Acharei 79b, and see Zohar Toldot 137a and Pei Ohel HaChaim there), which is the aspect of sukkah [as mentioned above].

Also, the Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) is a segulah (propitious quality) for sons, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Rosh Hashanah 16b): “Go forth from your land” (Genesis 12:1)—and there you shall merit sons. And this is because of: “The reward of the fruit of the womb” (Psalms 127:3), the reward of sukkah, the aspect of: “You have screened me in my mother’s belly” (Psalms 139:13). For the main essence of the Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) is through the koach (power) of His works, as it is written: “The power of His works He has declared to His people, to give them the inheritance” (Psalms 111:6). And this koach (power), it is the aspect of sukkah, “All my bones shall say” (Psalms 35:10)—the aspect of: “With sinews and bones You have screened me” (Job 10:11)—the aspect of: “And I place My words in your mouth and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you” (Isaiah 51:16) [as mentioned above].

And this is the aspect of: “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what Hashem requires of you: but to do justice” (Micah 6:8). This is din (judgment) (as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded in Makkot 24a), the aspect of: “His left hand under my head” (Song of Songs 2:6). “And loving kindness”—this is the aspect of inner chasadim [chasadim - kindnesses, divine acts of benevolence]. “And to walk humbly”—this is the aspect of the makkifim [makkifim - encompassing lights, transcendent divine energies], the aspect of sukkah. For the walls of the sukkah are two according to their law, which are Netzach [Netzach - Eternity, the sefirah of victory] and Hod [Hod - Splendor, the sefirah of humility], and a third, even a handbreadth, which is the aspect of Yesod [Yesod - Foundation, the sefirah of connection] (Sukkah 6b). And this is the aspect of: “And to walk humbly.” “And humbly”—this is the aspect of Yesod (Foundation), revealing a handbreadth and covering a handbreadth (Nedarim 20b). And “to walk”—this is the aspect of Netzach (Eternity) and Hod (Splendor). “With Hashem your G-d”—this is the aspect of the Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel), for anyone who dwells in the Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) is like one who has a G-d (Ketubot 110b), for the Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) is made from the koach (power) of His works [as mentioned above].

And in the future, when the nations of the world will be tested by the commandment of sukkah (see Avodah Zarah 3a), then it will be fulfilled: “For then I will turn to all the peoples a pure language” [שָׂפָה, safah - language, acronym: שׂSakhar פPri הHabaten - reward of the fruit of the womb, Psalms 127:3] (Zephaniah 3:9). Safah (language) is the aspect of sukkah [as mentioned above]. Also then, the riv (strife) of tongues will be reversed, and there will not be the aspect of riv (strife) [as mentioned above]. And there will be “One language to serve Him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9). “The language of truth shall be established forever” [שְׂפַת אֱמֶת, sfas emess - language of truth] (Proverbs 12:19)—meaning, even the nations will return to serve Him with one accord [as mentioned above].

And this is: “If you do well, you will be lifted up” [אִם תֵּיטִיב שְׂאֵת, acronym: שׂSfat אEmess תTeekoan - language of truth shall be established] (Genesis 4:7). “At the entrance sin crouches” [לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רוֹבֵץ, acronym: רחל - Rachel, in reverse, symbolizing the Shekhinah] (Genesis 4:7), referring to the reversal of faces, which is the aspect of riv (strife), which is riv (strife) in galuta (exile), where the nations of the world prevail, the riv (strife) of tongues, “Whose mouth speaks vanity” (Psalms 144:8) [as mentioned above].

And this is the interpretation of (the main verse of this teaching) “in the waters of strife” —this is the aspect of the waters of chasadim (kindnesses), the aspect of sukkah, which saves from the riv (strife) of tongues, as it is written: “You shall hide them in a sukkah from the strife of tongues” (Psalms 31:21) [as mentioned above]. "Kadesh" [Kadesh - the city in the desert of Tzin, Kadesh means holy], its Aramaic translation is Rekem, meaning to embroider or to draw, referring to the aspect of Tzairay (birth pangs), from which the formation of the fetus comes [as mentioned above]. "Tzin" [Tzin - wilderness of Zin, from root צ-י-ן, hardness or change] means the iron mountains (Sukkah 32a), and it is the meaning of temurah [temurah - change, substitution] and chilluf [chilluf - exchange, spiritual deviation]. The explanation is that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them to speak to the rock, so that Israel would learn a fortiori regarding sakhar [sakhar - reward] and onesh [onesh - punishment], as Rashi explains. But they damaged the speech, and caused, Heaven forbid, the strengthening of the riv (strife) of tongues, and caused the strengthening of the right hand of falsehood, as it is written: “Whose mouth speaks vanity” (Psalms 144:8). And this is the interpretation of Tzin (Tzin), meaning temurah (change/counterpart/swap), a change of holiness, a change of Tzairay (birth pangs), a change of the sukkah of holiness, it became a sukkah of impurity [sukkah biklippah - sukkah of spiritual corruption], Heaven forbid. For “From afar you will see it, but you shall not come there” (Deuteronomy 32:52), for the Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) is from the koach (power) of His works [as mentioned above].