Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 63

Likutay Moharan

Torah 63: Sod Kavonas HaMila (Secret of the Kavana [-Kabbalistic Intentions] of the Circumcision)

"Seraphim stood above Him, six wings, six wings to one; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew" [Isaiah 6:2]

The secret of the kavana (kabbalistic intentions) of the circumcision, for bris (organ of circumcision, referring to the covenant of sexual purity) is called in the language of the Targum amah (cubit), as mentioned in this language in the Gemara (Shabbat 108b), and it is the aspect of amah of six handbreadths [tefachim] (Eruvin 3b) [Wordplay: bris as amah (אמה) links the circumcised organ to measurement, symbolizing structure and holiness], that the bris includes them, and it is the aspect of "Seraphim stood above Him, six wings, six wings to one" [Isaiah 6:2] (see Zohar Pinchas 246) [Correlation: Six wings parallel six tefachim, symbolizing spiritual elevation].

Six wings, they are the aspect of the six tefachim (handbreadths) above, "With two he covered his panim (face), and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew" [Three pairs of wings correspond to three aspects of spiritual function: concealment, grounding, and elevation], for panim is the aspect of and he slapped him on his face (Bava Kamma 32b) [Root: (t-f-ch) (טפח) connects physical measurement to spiritual covering], and with two he covered his panim, is the aspect of two tefachim, aspect of revealing a handbreadth and covering a handbreadth, as our Sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Nedarim 20a).

Similarly, with two he covered his feet, is the aspect of and he slapped him with his sandal (Bava Kamma 32b), and it is also the aspect of two tefachim as above, revealing a handbreadth and covering a handbreadth, and with two he flew, is the aspect of birds [ofot], that were created from the mire (Chullin 27b), aspect of flapping to make fly (Yoma 78a, Gittin 16a, Avodah Zarah 50b) [Wordplay: Root (t-f-ch) (טפח) ties flying to the bris’s spiritual elevation].

And all the six tefachim, all are included and placed in the bris, for the six tefachim above are the aspect of "Six days in which Hashem made the heavens and the earth" in the aspect of "Behold, You have made my days handbreadths" [Psalms 39:6], as it is written "Six days Hashem made etc., and He rested on the seventh day" [Exodus 20:11], that is, all the six days, aspect of the six tefachim, He placed all of them on the seventh day, which is Shabbos, which is the aspect of bris, as it is written "An everlasting covenant between Me and the children of Israel" [Exodus 31:16] [Correlation: Shabbos as bris links rest to covenantal holiness].

This is the aspect of Bereishit Bara Shit (בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא שִׁית) (In the beginning created six) (Tikkunei Zohar Tikkun 11), aspect of six days, six tefachim above, that all are placed and included in the bris, and this is Bereishit Brit Esh (בְּרֵאשִׁית בְּרִית אֵשׁ) (In the beginning covenant of fire) (Tikkunei Zohar Tikkun 3, page 18), that is, bris that is included from six days, six tefachim, six wings, and this is bris of fire, aspect of seraphim with six wings, which are the aspect of six tefachim as above.

For also fire has six powers, and as explained also to the investigators, that there are six powers in fire, that is, melting and freezing, cooking and burning, blackening and whitening, and similarly a bird has six powers, for through flying it is hidden and revealed, near and far, etc.

And the tzadik (righteous one), who is the aspect of bris (organ of circumcision, referring to the covenant of sexual purity), aspect of "The righteous is the foundation of the world" [Proverbs 10:25], he is included from the aspects of the six tefachim above, which are divided into three aspects of two by two, that is, each aspect from the three is the aspect of revealing a handbreadth and covering a handbreadth, for he is the aspect of revealing a handbreadth and covering a handbreadth against himself, and this is the aspect of: with two he covered his panim (face).

Similarly, he is the aspect of revealing and covering against the world, and this is the aspect of with two he covered his feet, and similarly he is the aspect of revealing and covering against Hashem, and this is the aspect of with two he flew, for sometimes he is with the world, aspect of revealing, that he reveals and brings himself close to them, and sometimes he is the aspect of covering, that he is covered and hidden from them, that he distances himself greatly from them, and not only does he distance himself from them, and elevates himself above them, and they cannot come close to him, but questions [kushyos] and wonders [t’michos] fall upon him, until his mind is distorted and confused because he distanced himself greatly from them, and questions and wonders are difficult for him, and this is the aspect of: covering a handbreadth, and this is the aspect of with two he covered his feet, feet in the language of drawing, as "And all the people that are at your feet" [Exodus 11:8], those who go after your counsel (as brought in Rashi there), that is, in the drawing that he draws the world to him, it is the aspect of revealing a handbreadth and covering etc. as above.

For because the mind of the tzadik in himself cannot be received from him, therefore he needs to cover and clothe himself in small things so that he can reveal, that the world can receive from him, and this is the aspect of: revealing a handbreadth and covering a handbreadth, that what he covers and clothes himself, is the aspect of revealing, that through this he reveals himself to them, for without this it was not possible to reveal to them, and sometimes he is the aspect of covering literally, that he is covered and hidden from them, and distanced and wondrous from them as above.

Similarly with Hashem, it needs to be the aspect of revealing and covering, for he needs to attach and bring himself close to Hashem, as if, so to speak, Hashem is revealed and comes close to him, but the more he comes close to Hashem, he needs to distance more, that is, the more he comes close, he needs to know that he is very far from Hashem, for if he thinks and imagines in his mind that he has already come close to Hashem and knows the knowledge of Hashem, this is a sign that he knows nothing, for if he knew a little from Hashem, he would know that he is very far from Him, for the more he comes close to Hashem, and knows more, he knows that he is very far, and does not know at all, and this is a matter that it is impossible for the mouth to speak and explain, for the greatness of the Creator has no measure, and this is the aspect of "Peace to the far and to the near" [Isaiah 57:19], aspect of: revealing a handbreadth and covering, that the more he comes close, he distances as above.

This is the aspect of with two he flew, flew, its Targum: serves [m’shamesh], that is the aspect of revealing a handbreadth and covering of the service, that he serves and worships Hashem as above. And with two he covered his panim, this is the aspect of revealing a handbreadth and covering a handbreadth with himself, "My face shall go" [Exodus 33:14] (see Berachot 7a), and also panim in the language of will and supervision of Hashem, as it is written "Hashem make His face shine upon you" [Numbers 6:25].

The tzadik sometimes receives upon himself afflictions [yissurin] for the world, and it is like an exchange that he exchanges with Hashem the influence and supervision, that he does not want this influence and supervision, and covers the face of this supervision, and receives upon himself yissurin, for he chooses spiritual influence and supervision, and that influence that went away, was scattered among the world, and this is the aspect of revealing a handbreadth and covering, that sometimes he reveals the face of will and supervision and covers the face of anger, and sometimes he covers the face of will and supervision as above.

The bread of the panim is the aspect of bris, as it is written "On the day of Shabbos he shall arrange it before Hashem etc., an everlasting covenant" [Leviticus 24:8], and it is said of them "And you shall make for it a border of a handbreadth" [Exodus 25:25], and therefore the aspect that receives the six tefachim above is called mitpachat (kerchief, from root (t-f-ch) (טפח)), as it is written "Give me the kerchief" [Ruth 3:15], "And you shall spread your wings over your maidservant" (there), that she requested the wings above, which are the aspect of the six tefachim as above, therefore: "And he said to her give me the kerchief and he measured for her six measures of barley," which are the aspect of six tefachim, six wings above.

And there is a serpent [nachash] and an ant in its mouth, and this ant certainly has no rest because it is in the mouth of the nachash, and the nachash sometimes walks, and sometimes flies, and the difference between walking and flying, for in flying it can fly and soar in a moment greatly, but in walking it walks little by little as the way of the walker, which is heavy movement.

In all evil speeches that they speak, and especially when they touch upon tzadikim (righteous ones) and great ones, in these speeches they make wings for the nachash, that it can fly, for through holy speeches, they make wings of holiness, in the aspect of "And the possessor of wings will tell the matter" [Ecclesiastes 10:20], but in these evil speeches, they make wings for the nachash, and they are against the six wings of holiness above, for the speech comes out from the wings of the lung [kanfei re’ah (כנפי ריאה)], therefore it becomes from it the aspect of wings for the nachash, for the speech that comes out from the six rings of the windpipe [shis izka’in d’kaneh], is against the six wings of holiness above [Correlation: Speech from lungs/windpipe parallels wings, but evil speech empowers the nachash’s flight].

The nachash, they are those sages for evil, who investigate philosophy and epicureanism [apikorsus (heresy)], as it is written "They are sages to do evil, but to do good they know not" [Jeremiah 4:22], that they are only sages to do evil, that if they want to use their wisdom to do good, they cannot, "And the serpent was cunning above all the beasts of the field" [Genesis 3:1].

Through evil speeches, they make wings for these sages who are the aspect of the nachash, that they can fly and soar, that is, that their wisdom and apikorsus flies and spreads in the world, and harms the world greatly, and also in their investigations themselves, they fly like one who has a flying intellect, that is, that their intellect flies in speed, and their wisdom is opened to them greatly.

But if the nachash has no wings, that is, they have no evil speeches as above, then the nachash has only the aspect of walking, that is, that these sages for evil above have only what they investigate among themselves, and they do not fly in the world, that is, their wisdom does not spread and fly in the world, and they cannot harm the world, only those close to them, such as their students and colleagues, but far from them they cannot harm, like the walker, that walks only a little and cannot hasten to a distance like the flier.

Also among themselves their intellect does not fly, that is, their wisdom is not opened to them so much, and they do not fly and hasten in their wisdoms, only investigate in their wisdom little by little, like the walker, and also what they harm others with their wisdom, it is only in the aspect of walking, that it does not fly and enter deeply into the brain and the heart, only that it attaches a little to the brain, but does not enter deeply into the heart and the brain.

But when they have, G-d forbid, wings from evil speeches as above, then their intellect flies as above, and also harms from a distance like the flier that flies in one hour to a distance, and also their corrupted wisdom flies and enters and attaches to the brain and heart in great depth.

The ant that is placed in the mouth of the nachash, is the aspect of the tzadik of the generation, who is the sage of righteousness and the righteous one, and possessor of good traits, and because he is a great sage of holiness and enters into these wisdoms, then when these sages enter into their investigation, to investigate in these wisdoms, then he has very great pain and has a great battle with them, that is, with the aspect of the nachash above, for they overcome him greatly with confusions [bilbulim] and false beliefs [emunot kazviyot].

He is the aspect of treacherous confidence [mivtach boged], that overcomes him with treacherous confidence, that is not complete and true confidence as proper, which is the aspect of false beliefs [emunot kazviyot], and this is the aspect of "A broken tooth and a tottering foot is treacherous confidence" [Proverbs 25:19], that is, this treacherous confidence is the aspect of a broken tooth against the sage who is the ant in its mouth as above, for because he is a sage and enters into the service of G-d, these confusions and false beliefs overcome him more, and he needs always a great battle with them.

Whether when the nachash walks and whether when it flies, he has great pain and a great battle, only that certainly at the time of flying, his pain is much greater, and he has no rest at all whether when it walks, whether when it flies, only that there is an intermediary [memutza] between the walking and the flying, and it is at the time that it ceases the flying and lowers itself from the flying from above to below, as the way of the flier when it wants to lower and bring itself down.

Then the ant above has rest, for then it neither walks nor flies, that is, for there are several times that the sages rest and do not investigate, such as at the time of sleep and eating, and then there is rest for the sage who is the aspect of the ant in its mouth, for the sage is the aspect of an ant, as it is written "Go to the ant, you sluggard, see its ways and be wise" [Proverbs 6:6], for this sage teaches knowledge and the ways of G-d to the people.

This is the secret of what the Elder said (Zohar Mishpatim page 95): Who is the serpent [nachash] that flies in the air and goes in separation, meanwhile there is rest for one ant that lies between its teeth, that is, the aspect of the nachash above that flies in the air, that its flight is through the airs, that is, through evil speeches, that wings are made for it from them, and goes in separation, that is, it has only the aspect of walking when the wings of holiness are as their repair, and the nachash has no wings from evil speeches, then it has only the aspect of walking.

This is and goes in separation, aspect of "And their wings were separated from above" [Ezekiel 1:11], that is, the aspect of wings of holiness then, and goes, that it has only the aspect of walking for the investigators to investigate at any time they want, only that they cannot fly in the aspect above when they have no wings from evil speeches, and they have only the aspect of walking as above, meanwhile, that is, the aspect of the intermediary [memutza] between the walking and the flying as above, and this is called meanwhile [bein kach u’bein kach], that it is between the walking and the flying, and then it has rest for the ant that lies between its teeth as above.

Begins in connection [chibura] and ends in separation [piruda], that is, these investigators, who are sages for evil, who are the aspect of the nachash as above, their wisdom and investigation begins in connection, that the beginning of their investigation begins from the connected, from the connection of matter [chomer] and form [tzura], and ends in separation, that their wisdom ends in the separated intellects [sichliyim nifradim].

For so is the way of all their investigation to begin from the connection of chomer and tzura, and ascend from level to level, from the beginning from chomer and tzura of the material, and after that from chomer and tzura of the more refined, and after that from chomer and tzura of cause and effect, until they reach and end in the sichliyim nifradim, and they want to attain through their human, mistaken, and corrupted investigation as known, they want to attain through these investigations from the connection of chomer and tzura the sichliyim nifradim, and this is begins in connection and ends in separation.