Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 66

66 - Let There Be Double of Your Spirit Upon Me

(ויהי נא פי שנים ברוחך אלי - The Transmission of Spirit)

"Let there be double of your spirit upon me," and he said etc., "if you see me taken from you, it shall be so for you" etc. [2 Kings 2:9-10]

And behold, it was fulfilled afterward in Elisha double, it is found that Elisha prayed with greater intention than Elijah his master, for all the miracles and great deeds that Elisha did, all were through prayer, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Megillah 27a) on the verse: "Tell me now all the great deeds that Elisha did." [Note: This teaching explores the spiritual transmission from teacher to student and the power of truth in prayer.]

1.

Know, that it is possible that the student be greater than the teacher, that is, that he have double (pi shenayim [-double portion]) than his teacher, and even so, all will be through the power of his teacher, and this is the aspect of: "Let there be double of your spirit upon me," in your spirit specifically, that through the aspect of the spirit itself of Elijah his teacher, he will have double like him. For it is stated, that the tzadik [-righteous one] has the aspect of two spirits, a higher spirit (ruach le’ela [-upper spirit]), a lower spirit (ruach letata [-lower spirit]), "These are the generations of Noah, Noah" [Genesis 6:9], Noah above, Noah below [as written there in Zohar (Noah page 59b on this verse, see there in Tosefta), and this is its language: Why Noah twice, but every tzadik and tzadik in the world has two spirits, one spirit in this world, and one spirit in the world to come, and so you will find in all the righteous etc., see there] [Correlation: Two mentions of Noah reflect the dual spiritual vitality of the tzadik.], that is, he has the aspect of vitality above, and vitality below, and the spirit and vitality above is very, very great, and the students are with the tzadik from one root [shoresh], only they are dependent on him like branches on a tree, that the tree draws its vitality from its root [shoresh], and the branches draw the vitality through the tree, and there are several aspects in this, for there are students who are in the aspect of branches, and there are those who are in the aspect of leaves, and similarly other aspects. And at the time of the departure (histalkut [-ascension or passing of the tzadik]) of the tzadik, then he attains much more than he attained in his lifetime, each one according to his level, as we found with Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai in the Idra, and with our holy Rebbe, and with other righteous ones. And know, that this is through that at the time of departure, then the aspect of the higher spirit and vitality descends and comes below, and then the lower spirit unites and joins together with the higher spirit, for in truth, they are one, and immediately when they are revealed to each other, they unite greatly in great unity, and because the higher spirit cannot be in this world, for its nature cannot bear this world at all, therefore it ascends above, and through this the tzadik departs, for when the higher spirit ascends, the lower spirit ascends with it because they united greatly in great unity as above. And therefore, it is a very great thing to be at the time of the departure of the tzadik, even for one who is not his student, for because then the higher spirit descends and is revealed below, it is found that a very great illumination is revealed then, therefore it is a great good for all who are there then, and it is a good for them for length of days (Chagigah 5b): on the verse "And he shall live forever etc., for he sees the wise die" [Psalms 49:10]. But for the students, a very great illumination reaches them then even more, for because they are dependent on the tzadik, and draw from one root [shoresh], it is found that this higher vitality is their very vitality, and they unite and embrace also with this spirit in great unity, for it is their spirit and vitality literally as above. And through this, if he merits, he can receive double, for the tzadik who reached his time to depart from the world departs through this, through that he draws with him the higher spirit the lower spirit, and the students receive double through this, for the aspect of the higher spirit remains with them because it united greatly with the lower spirit as above. But there are several aspects in students, and one who is very connected to the tzadik like branches on a tree literally, that is, that he feels in himself all the ascents and descents that the tzadik has, even though he is not with the tzadik, for it is proper for the student to feel in himself all the ascents and descents of the tzadik if he is truly connected as proper like branches on a tree, for the branches feel all the ascents and descents that the tree has, for the tree draws its vitality from its root [shoresh] through the channels that are in it, that it draws through them its vitality from its root [shoresh], that is, that it has hollows through which it draws its vitality, and through this in the winter when the moisture dries up and the hollows contract, through this all the branches contract, and because of this the leaves fall then, and similarly the opposite in the summer as above. And one who is connected to the tzadik similarly, that is, that he feels all the ascents and descents of the tzadik, for there are many, many aspects of ascents and descents, for there are aspects of the departure of the soul, and there is the departure of the Name, which is also the aspect of departure, for the Name is the soul, as explained elsewhere [below in Torah 260], that this is the aspect of giving over the soul literally, see there, and there is the departure from level to level, which is also the aspect of departure, and the student who is so connected that he feels in himself all the ascents and descents of his teacher, then he can merit double at the time of the departure as above. And this is the aspect of "If you see me taken from you," that is, that you see me taken and departing, from you specifically, that is, that from you and from yourself you feel the departure as above, and then you will merit double at the time of the departure as above, for at every time of the departure in whichever aspect it is, then it is the aspect of the descent and revelation of the higher spirit in the aspect of the departure above, and at the time of the complete departure, it descends and is revealed completely as above. And this is the aspect of greeting the face of the teacher (hakbalat penei rabbo [-receiving the presence of the teacher]), that one needs to strive always to greet the face of his teacher, for perhaps now is the time of the aspect of departure, and if he merits, he will receive then a great illumination, in the aspect of double as above. And when he receives double, then it is possible that he pray with intention, and perform deeds and charities more than his teacher, and all through the aspect of the spirit of his teacher, in the aspect of: "Let there be double of your spirit upon me," in your spirit specifically as above [and one who does not know this, does not know what is the left hand, for the left hand is a matter of innovation].

2.

For before they bring out from potential to actual, then the potential and the actual are connected together, and there is no difference between them, for the end of the deed is in the thought first, that is, when a person wants to do something, such as to build a house, he needs to think first in his thought, how will be the form of the building of his house, and then when the image of his house is completed in his thought, then he begins to build it, it is found that the end of the deed is in the thought first, and before he brought out from potential to actual, then the end of the deed is still connected to the beginning of the thought, and there is no difference and distinction between them at all. And it is necessary to see to bring out from potential to actual, and then the potential and the actual are opened and separated, and there is a difference and distinction between the beginning of the thought, which is the aspect of potential, and the end of the deed, which is the aspect of actual, א (alef [-first letter of the Hebrew alphabet]), for א is two יs (yuds), and a ו (vav) in the middle (יוי), which is the aspect of an opening, and these two יs are the aspect of י at the beginning and י at the end, which are the aspect of potential and actual, that is, the aspect of the י of the essential Name (shaim ha-etzem [-essential Name]), which is the Name יהוה (Havayah) blessed is He, which is י at the beginning, which is the aspect of thought first, aspect of potential, and the second י is the aspect of י of the appellation (keenoy [-appellation]), which is the Name אדני (A-donai), which is י at the end, aspect of the end of the deed, aspect of actual, and at the beginning, these two יs are connected together, and there is no difference between them as above, and afterward, when they bring out from potential to actual, they are opened and separated as above. And this is the aspect of the ו within the א, which is the aspect of an opening, that is, that these two יs, which are the aspect of potential and actual, are opened and separated as above. And this ו within the א is the aspect of the ו, letters that are between the two יs of the two Names above, like this, YיAאHהDדVוNנHהYי [Acronym: Combination of Havayah (יהוה) and A-donai (אדני) forming a mystical sequence.], for there are three letters with the י of the essential Name (shaim ha-etzem), which is the aspect of the beginning of the thought, and similarly there are three letters with the י of the appellation Name (shaim hakeenoy), which is the aspect of the end of the deed, for in every thing in the world, there are three aspects, which are place, form, and time, which are the aspect of the three letters above, such as when a person wants to build a house, he needs to think in which place to build it, and in which time, and in which form the house will be built, and similarly in every thing in the world, and similarly afterward at the end of the deed, that is, when he does the thing, there are also the three aspects above, which are place, form, and time, and this is the aspect of the three letters that are with the י at the beginning, which is the beginning of the thought, and similarly there are three letters with the י at the end, which is the aspect of the end of the deed, which are the aspect of the ו that is between the two יs as above. And this is the aspect of the two spirits above, which are the higher spirit and the lower spirit as above, which are the aspect of potential and actual, that at the beginning they are connected together, and afterward they are opened and separated as above, for the aspect of the two spirits above is made through the sweetening of anger, for there is the aspect of anger with Hashem [-the Name] blessed, so to speak, and with people, and when there is anger, G-d forbid, it is the aspect of smoke that comes out from his nostrils, "Smoke went up in His nostrils" [Psalms 18:9], and this smoke harms livelihood (parnasa [-sustenance]) [which through it they bring out from potential to actual, for through that he has livelihood and is not dependent on creatures, he merits truth, the aspect of the world to come, in the aspect of: "Happy is he whose G-d of Jacob is his help, his hope is in Hashem his G-d", that through this they bring out from potential to actual, as below], "As smoke to the eyes" [Proverbs 10:26], "The eyes of all hope in You" [Psalms 145:15], for anger harms livelihood, as brought elsewhere that anger destroys wealth [see above in Torah 59]. And it is necessary to break and sweeten the anger, that is, to sweeten the smoke and clarify it until it becomes the aspect of spirit, that is, an airy spirit, which is made from the clarification of the smoke, and this spirit that is the sweetening of the smoke of anger is the aspect of Moshiach [-Messiah], aspect of "The spirit of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem" [Lamentations 4:20]. And as long as this spirit does not come to the aspect of the hands, it is still before the formation, for the main formation is in the aspect of the hands, which are the vessels of action, where there is the main revelation of the aspect of the spirit, "Into Your hand I commit my spirit" [Psalms 31:6], and in the aspect of "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the spirit of all human flesh" [Job 12:10]. And afterward, when the spirit is revealed in the aspect of the hands, still the two spirits above, which are the aspect of potential and actual, the aspect of the two hands, right and left, are still together, that is, they have not yet been opened and separated, the hands where the two spirits are revealed as above, for still the potential and the actual are connected together, and there is no difference between them at all, and then there is no distinction between right and left as above, and then it is still the aspect of before the creation, that is, before they bring out from potential to actual, that then they are connected together as above. And afterward, when they bring out from potential to actual, then it is the completion of the creation, and then the hands are opened, and there is a distinction between right and left, in the aspect of "My hand also founded the earth, and My right hand spanned the heavens" [Isaiah 48:13], for then there is a difference and distinction between the potential and the actual, which are the aspect of the two hands, the two spirits as above. And all this is done through the sweetening of anger as above, and this is the aspect of My hand also, also specifically as above. And this is the aspect of "You open Your hand" [Psalms 145:16], that the hands are opened and distinguished between right and left as above, and this is Your hand, the aspect of the two יs above (as written in Zohar and Tikkunim introduction page 7, and brought in Pri Etz Chaim in the gate of songs chapter 5, see there), do not read Your hand but Your יs, for the hands are the aspect of the two יs above, which are the aspect of potential and actual, which is the aspect of the two hands, right and left as above, and this is "You open Your hand", the final letters חתך (chetach) as brought, that is, the aspect that the hands are opened and cut, and distinguished between right and left as above, in the aspect of: "My hand also founded the earth" etc. as above, and this חתך in gematria is two times ruach (as brought in Pri Etz Chaim there) [Acronym: חתך (final letters) equals gematria of two times ruach (spirit, 428 = 2 × 214), linking hands to spiritual vitality.], that is, the aspect of the two spirits above, which are the aspect of the two יs, the two hands as above, when they are opened and cut, when they bring out from potential to actual as above, and this is "You open Your hand" etc., in the aspect of the opening above, and all this is done through the sweetening of anger, in the aspect of the spirit of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem as above, My nostrils, that is, the aspect of the spirit of our nostrils etc. above, for through the aspect of the spirit of our nostrils etc., the hands are opened and cut, which are the aspect of the two spirits as above.

3.

And to bring out from potential to actual is through the completeness of speech, and it is necessary that the letters of the speech be in completeness, and this is done through the aspect of the world to come, that through this the letters of the speech are completed, for in the future to come, the speech will be in completeness, for even the idolaters will call the Name of Hashem [-the Name] blessed with speech, "For then I will turn to the peoples a pure language to call all in the name of Hashem" [Zephaniah 3:9], it is found that the speech will have completeness, for now the speech is lacking and not in completeness since not all the world calls to Hashem blessed with speech, but in the future, they will all call to Hashem blessed with speech, even idolaters, and therefore then the speech will be in completeness, in the aspect of a pure language, since they will all call to Hashem blessed with speech, it is found that the speech has completeness, and all this will be in the future, for the main greatness and splendor of ours will be revealed in the future to come, that then all will know and see our greatness, for then all will see the greatness and splendor of the righteous and the upright, happy are they, happy is their portion, "How great is Your goodness that You have stored up for them" [Psalms 31:20], and the opposite, the downfall of the wicked, as it is written "And you shall trample the wicked" [Malachi 3:21], for then it will be the day of great judgment, that the person will be judged for every deed, for every detail and detail, and they will not forgive him for any small thing, for there is no forgetting before Him blessed, and all will be remembered to him then (see Ecclesiastes 12:14, and its Targum, and Chagigah 5a). And then when there will be the downfall of the wicked, and they will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked etc. [as written there in Malachi: "And you shall return and see between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves G-d and one who does not serve"], for then specifically on the day of judgment, they will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked etc., and then they will all turn to Hashem blessed through this, and they will all call in the name of Hashem, in the aspect of: "For then I will turn to all the peoples" etc. as above, and then the speech will be in completeness, in the aspect of a pure language as above. It is found that through the downfall of the wicked that will be in the future, through this the speech will be completed then as above. But it is necessary to draw the aspect of the world to come also in this world, that is, that there be a downfall of the wicked also in this world, and this is done through truth (emess [-truth]), and the main truth is when the person is not dependent on creatures, for since the person is dependent on creatures, his face changes like a kroom [-a bird that changes colors in sunlight, Rashi Brachos 6b], for one who is dependent on creatures, it is very difficult for him to pray among the public, and it is good and comfortable for him to pray alone, for among the public, great faces and lies fall upon him, that he makes movements and lies in his prayer for the sake of people, since he is dependent on them. And even one who is not dependent on creatures for livelihood, for he is sustained from his own, nevertheless, there is one who is dependent on creatures for honor, or for another thing, that is, that he has a desire for honor and importance and the like, it is found that he is dependent on creatures, that he needs their honor and importance, and then when he is dependent on creatures in any aspect, he can fall into great falsehood in his prayer, that is, to make movements in falsehood for the sake of people as above. And there is one who is somewhat upright, and fears Hashem somewhat, and is ashamed in his eyes to make ugly falsehood in his prayer for the sake of others, and intends to pray in truth, but the truth is too much, and also this is not truth, for there is not much truth, for the truth is only one, as brought elsewhere [above in Torah 51, Rabbi Akiva said], that is, because he is ashamed in his own eyes to pray in complete falsehood as above, therefore he wants to cover the falsehood, and to clothe the falsehood in truth, that is, for example, that he desires to make some movement or clapping of hands for the sake of another, but he is ashamed of this that he makes falsehood in his prayer for the sake of people, therefore he steals his own mind, and the evil inclination causes him reasons in his thought until the matter rolls in his thought that he needs in truth to make this movement in his prayer or to clap hand to hand, that is, that he finds for himself some truth that he needs to make that movement for that truth, it is found that he covers the falsehood in truth, it is found that he has too much truth, for the main truth is only one, that is, to pray in true truth for the sake of Hashem blessed alone. There are many colors and many kinds of truth that he finds for himself to cover the falsehood, and this is since the person is dependent on creatures, then faces and lies fall upon him as above, then his face changes to many colors, face, this is the aspect of truth, which is the aspect of face, aspect of "Those who seek Your face, Jacob, selah" [Psalms 24:6], aspect of "You give truth to Jacob" [Micah 7:20], that is, that his truth, which is the aspect of face, changes to many colors, that is, that he has many kinds of truth, that he clothes the falsehood in it, that is, that he finds for himself truth, that his intention is for this, or for that, it is found that the face that is truth changes to many colors, for the main truth is only one as above. And this is the meaning "I will praise Hashem in my life" [Psalms 146:2], that is, when he is not dependent on creatures, and this is in my life, in my life specifically, that is, that I live from my own life, that he is not dependent on the vitality of any person, for one who is dependent on creatures, his life is not life (Beitzah 32b), that is, they are not his life, for he lives from others, but when I am not dependent on creatures, and I live my own life, then I can praise and pray before Him in truth as above, and this is: "I will praise Hashem in my life" specifically as above. And this is (there): since the person is dependent on creatures, the world darkens before him etc. (see below), and when there is truth, then it is the downfall of the wicked, for the main downfall of the wicked to the world to come is through the truth that will be revealed then, as it is written "The lip of truth shall be established forever" [Proverbs 12:19], You established forever is not written, but shall be established, for in the future to come, the truth will be revealed, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Zohar Tissa 188a and Tikkun 63). And through the truth that will be revealed in the future, through this will be the downfall of the wicked, in the aspect of "And He repays His enemies to their face to destroy them" [Deuteronomy 7:10], face, this is the aspect of truth as above, that through this, He repays His enemies and destroys them from the world (Miketz page 197b). And so our sages said, may their memory be for blessing, in the Gemara (Eruvin 22a): that so to speak, they are like a burden on His face, for the face that is the aspect of the truth of Hashem blessed cannot bear the wicked, and when the aspect of the face is revealed, that is, the truth, then it is the downfall of the wicked as above. And through this will be their downfall in the future, for then the truth will be revealed as above, and therefore when they merit truth in this world as above, through this the aspect of the face is revealed as above, and then they draw the aspect of the world to come into this world, and then their downfall is made through the truth also in this world, as it will be in the world to come as above. And through this, they draw the completeness of the letters of the speech that will be in the future, the aspect of a pure language, into this world, for the aspect of a pure language is made through their downfall, that through this they all turn to Hashem blessed as above. And this is the aspect of "And speak a word" [Isaiah 58:13], which is said about Shabbat [-Sabbath], that is, that it is necessary to draw the aspect of the speech of Shabbat, which is the aspect of the world to come, into the speech of this world, to complete the speech in this world, for the main completeness of the speech is from the aspect of Shabbat, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Shabbat 113b): that your speech on Shabbat should not be like your speech on a weekday, for on Shabbat it is the completeness of the speech, for Shabbat is the aspect of the world to come as above. And it is necessary to draw the speech of Shabbat into the speech of the weekday as above, and this is the aspect of El Havayah in formation (Pri Etz Chaim, gate of songs, intentions of Hallel my soul), that through the aspect of El, which is the aspect of truth, aspect of "G-d is not a man that He should lie" [Numbers 23:19], which is the aspect of Jacob, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Megillah 18a), from where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob El, as it is said: "And He called him El, the G-d" etc., for Jacob is the aspect of truth as above, and this truth that is the aspect of the world to come, depends on livelihood, for when he has livelihood and is not dependent on creatures, he can pray in truth as above, "Happy is he whose G-d of Jacob is his help, his hope is in Hashem his G-d" [Psalms 146:5], for when his hope is in Hashem his G-d, and he is not dependent on creatures, then El Jacob is his help, for El Jacob is the aspect of truth as above. And then when they merit to draw the aspect of the world to come, the aspect of truth, the aspect of face, into this world, then the downfall of the wicked is made as above, and this is the aspect of Havayah in the filling of הs, for ה is the aspect of payment of reward, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Eruvin 21a) on the verse "Hegeh and Vahi" [Ezekiel 2:10], Vahi is the payment of reward to the wicked in the world to come, and this is the aspect of El Havayah, that is, El which is the aspect of truth, that through it is made the payment of reward to the wicked, which is the aspect of Havayah in the filling of הs as above, it is necessary to draw it into this world, which is the aspect of "And speak a word", to draw the speech of Shabbat into the weekdays as above, which are the aspect of formation, "Days were formed, and not one in them" [Psalms 139:16], that is, that the weekdays are the aspect of formation, when there is not one in them, which is the aspect of Shabbat, and it is necessary to draw to the aspect of formation, which is the aspect of the weekdays, the aspect of El Havayah, which is the aspect of the world to come, the aspect of Shabbat (Poteach Eliyahu), kingdom of the mouth, that through this the letters of the speech are completed as above.

4.

And when the letters of the speech are completed as above, it is necessary to see to bring out the speech in completeness, for sometimes the letters of the speech are stuck in the straits of the throat, and it is impossible to bring out the speech in completeness, which is the aspect of what they call in Ashkenazi language hoarse, and it is necessary to see to bring out the speech from the straits of the throat, that he can speak in completeness, that is, to draw the vowel points (nekudot [-vowel points]) to the letters, for without vowel points, it is impossible to speak any letter, as known in reality, and then when they draw vowel points to the letters, and bring out the speech in completeness, then they can bring out from potential to actual, for all the thoughts that a person has, all come into the speech, as it is stated in the Zohar (see Idra Zuta 294a), his lips whisper thoughts, and even though the person does not feel this, nevertheless, it is in great subtlety, for all thought in the world that a person has, all are compelled to come into the speech at the time of the thought, only it is in great subtlety. And therefore, all action that a person does needs to come first into the speech, for all things need to come into the aspects of thought, speech, and action, it is found that through the speech, the action is completed and goes out from potential to actual, for before the action goes out from potential to actual, it needs to come first into the aspect of speech. Therefore, to bring out from potential to actual, they need to complete the letters of the speech as above, and to bring out the speech in completeness from the straits of the throat, that is, to draw the aspect of vowel points to the letters, and then when the speech goes out in completeness, the thing goes out from potential to actual as above. And to draw vowel points to the letters is through the desire and yearning (cheshek vekisufin [-desire and yearning]) that they desire to do the commandment (mitzvah [-commandment]) or other thing in holiness that an Israelite desires to do, "Points of silver" [Song of Songs 1:11], that through the yearning and desire, vowel points are made, for it is impossible to do anything except through desire, that is, for example, when he speaks some speech, he needs to have first desire to speak, and similarly when he does some action, if he did not have desire first to do it, certainly he would not do it. And therefore, every thing in holiness that the person needs to do, such as to travel to the tzadik [-righteous one], or other thing in holiness that the person needs to do, they give him first desire so that through this he will do the thing, and the main greatness of the desire is made through the prevention (meniah [-prevention]) that they prepare for him, for when an Israelite needs to do a thing that is needed for his Judaism, especially when he needs to do a great thing needed for his Judaism, that all his Judaism depends on this, such as to travel to a true tzadik, then they prepare for him a prevention, and this prevention is for the sake of the desire, so that through this he will have more desire to do that thing, for through the prevention that they prevent the person from the thing, through this the desire is greatly intensified, like for example when they show a child a thing that is desirable to him, and immediately they snatch it from him and hide it from him, then he pursues greatly after the person, and desires and yearns greatly for that thing, it is found that the main desire is made through that they snatched from him and hid the thing. Similarly, they prevent the person with preventions from the thing needed for him, so that through this he will have more desire, "And hidden bread is pleasant" [Proverbs 9:17], that the more the thing is prevented and hidden from the person, the more he desires it and it is pleasant to him, that from this comes the desire and intensification of the desire for transgression, G-d forbid, may G-d spare us, for because the transgression is greatly prevented from the person, for we are commanded and warned and entrusted about it not to do it, it is found that it is greatly prevented from us, therefore there is an intensification of the desire for it as above, in the aspect of "And hidden bread is pleasant", similarly in holiness, when there is a prevention for a person, the desire intensifies more, and the more the desired thing is greater, the prevention is greater, for there is desire and desirer and desired, that is, the person who desires and the thing desired and the desire that they desire for the desired thing, and according to the level of the desired, so must be the greatness of the desire, and therefore when the desired is very great, it is found that he needs to have a very great desire, then he has a very great prevention, that through this the desire is very great, for the more the prevention is greater, the desire intensifies more as above. And therefore, it is proper for a person to know that when he has very great preventions from some thing in holiness, he should know and understand from this that this thing he wants to do is a very great desired thing, and a very precious thing, that because of this the prevention is very great as above. And especially when he wants to travel to the true tzadik, for there are many righteous ones, but there is the aspect of the points of truth among the righteous, that when they want to come close to him, that all depends on this, then the person has very great and many preventions, and from this itself the person should understand the greatness of the level of the desired as above. And behold, the principle is that all the preventions are only for the sake of the desire, so that through this he will have a very great desire as above, and therefore when a person desires more, certainly he can do the thing and can bring it out from potential to actual, for through the desire, vowel points are made, that through this they bring out from potential to actual as above, for the desire breaks the prevention, for the main prevention is only for the sake of the desire as above, and therefore when a person desires more, according to the prevention, the prevention is automatically broken. And this is the aspect of nine points (see introduction to Tikkunim and Tikkun 18), for the vowel points are the aspect of firmaments, which are the aspect of preventions, for the prevention is the aspect of a firmament, which is the aspect of a screen that separates and screens before the person, and prevents him from the thing, as it is written "Let there be a firmament, and let it divide" [Genesis 1:6], that the firmament is the aspect of a prevention that separates and divides between the desirer and the desired, and therefore also the earth is called a firmament, as it is written "To Him who spread the earth above the waters" [Psalms 136:6], for also the earth is a surface that divides and separates, and therefore the nine points are the aspect of nine firmaments, for the vowel points are made through the desire as above, and the main desire is through the prevention, which is the aspect of a firmament as above, and there are nine points, nine firmaments, for there are several aspects in the desired, for there is desired above desired, and according to the greatness of the levels of the desired, so must be the greatness of the desire, and therefore he has a great prevention as above, that through this the vowel point is made as above, and this is the aspect of nine points, nine firmaments, which are from kamatz to shuruk, which are point above point, firmament above firmament, that is, desired above desired, that according to the greatness of the desired, so must be the greatness of the desire, which is the aspect of the vowel point, which is the aspect of the firmament, for the vowel point is made through the firmament, which is the aspect of prevention as above, until there is a desired that is the aspect of kamatz, grasping and closing, which is the aspect of the vowel point kamatz, which is above all the vowel points, for the desired grasping and closing is very great. And the generality of these matters, that the more a person desires in truth, certainly he can complete it and bring it out from potential to actual, and no prevention and coercion can prevent him from this, only he needs to have a very great desire, according to the level of the desired, and this he can understand from the prevention itself, that when he sees the prevention intensifying and spreading and standing before him, and preventing him greatly, he should know and understand from this that the desired is very great as above, that he should have a very, very great desire, according to the desired, and according to the prevention as above, and then certainly he can complete it as above. For a person should not exempt himself and find for himself an excuse through the prevention to say that he desires to do that thing, only it is impossible for him because of the prevention and coercion, and therefore it will be considered for him as if he did it, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Berachot 6a): He thought to do a mitzvah, and was coerced and did not do it, it is as if he did it, for in truth, certainly when he has coercion, it is considered as if he did it, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing. But all this is said about one who wants to be exempt with this, then he is exempt with it, for what can he do, for he has coercion, but one who does not want to be exempt, only he wants the mitzvah itself or the thing in holiness that he wants to do, he desires the thing itself, if so, what does it benefit him that they lighten for him that it is considered as if he did it, for he does not cool his mind at all with this, for he craves and desires and yearns greatly to do the mitzvah itself, and not to be exempt with the “as if he did it,” for in truth, it is proper for an Israelite that his desire and will be completed in every thing in holiness from potential to actual. And then, when he desires greatly in truth, and does not cool his mind at all with what is considered for him as if he did it, then certainly the thing will be completed, and he will bring it out from potential to actual, and he will break and nullify all the preventions and coercions, for they came only for the sake of the desire, and when he has the desire proper for that prevention, according to the greatness of the level of the desired, then automatically the coercion and prevention are nullified as above. And this is the aspect of "And he went down to Egypt coerced by the word" [Deuteronomy 26:5] (Haggadah of Passover), that when the speech goes down in the straits of the throat, which is the aspect of the exile of Egypt, then it is coerced by the word, that is, that he has coercion and prevention because there are no vowel points to the letters, and he cannot bring it out from the straits of the throat, that from this come all the preventions and coercions as above, and this is the aspect of coerced by the word, that through that the speech is not in completeness, through this he is coerced as above. And this is (Beitzah 32b): since he is dependent on creatures, the world darkens before him, darkens, language of prevention, as it is written "And he did not withhold from me" [Genesis 39:9], "And You did not withhold Your son" [Genesis 22:12], that is, when he is dependent on creatures, then he has preventions, and this is the world darkens before him, that is, when he is among the world, then he has preventions, and it is difficult for him to pray in truth as above, for when he is dependent on creatures, it is more comfortable and good for him to pray alone as above. But one who is not dependent on creatures, who does not need them for anything, can stand among thousands of people to pray in truth to Hashem blessed alone, since he is not dependent on any creature, not for livelihood, not for honor, not for anything, only "His hope is in Hashem his G-d", and this is the secret of (Berachot 18b): a story of a certain pious man whose wife provoked him, and he went and slept etc., and he heard two spirits speaking with each other, and their story was about livelihood, as brought there in the Gemara that she provoked him, this is the aspect of anger, two spirits, this is the aspect of the two spirits above that are made through the sweetening of anger, that is, when they bring out from potential to actual as above, and this depends on the aspect of livelihood, that through it they bring out from potential to actual as above.

And he did not reveal more, how all this Torah is hinted at in this statement.