Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 75

Likutay Moharan, Torah 75

Y’vorchenu Elokim, v’yir’u oso kol afsei aretz [May He bless us, G-d, and they shall fear Him, all the ends of the earth] [Psalms 67:8]

[In the language of the companions] Behold, there is the attribute (midas) of victory, controversy, and war, arising from bloods (damim [-vital forces]) not yet used to serve Hashem, Blessed be He, as it is written, “And their victory shall be sprinkled” [Isaiah 63:1], which Rashi explains as bloods. The Holy One, Blessed be He, found no vessel (kli) to hold blessing (bracha) for Israel except shalom (peace) [Ukzin, Chapter 3]. In controversy, there is the aspect of the maker of shalom, which is the raising of female waters (ha’ala’as mayin nukvin [-spiritual arousal from below]). For example, when a question (kushya) arises, it is controversy. The answer (terutz) is the maker of shalom, raising mayin nukvin. Sometimes, shalom fosters shalom in another place (makom), raising mayin nukvin elsewhere. Torah and prayer (tefillah) also raise mayin nukvin, embodying shalom, as it is written, “Creator of the utterance of lips, peace” [Isaiah 57:19], and “Maker of peace and Creator of all” [Isaiah 45:7].

At creation (briyah), worlds (olamot) fell below through breaking of the vessels (sheviras hakeilim [-Kabbalistic concept where divine vessels shattered, scattering holiness]), and these worlds, which are letters (osios), dispersed into many sparks (nitzotzos). Through ha’ala’as mayin nukvin via Torah and tefillah, these nitzotzos achieve combination (tzeiruf), forming a world (olam), which is shalom, as it is written, “And I will give peace in the land” [Leviticus 26:6]. From the earthliness (artziyus), the nitzotzos are elevated, creating shalom. This is, “And to say to Zion, You are My people” [Isaiah 52:7]—read not ami (My people) but imi (with Me), in My partnership (shutafus) [Introduction to Zohar, 5a]. As Hashem, Blessed be He, creates heavens and earth (shamayim v’aretz) through His utterance (milul), so do we through Torah and tefillah. This occurs daily until the coming of Mashiach (Messiah), until, “And His feet shall stand on that day on the Mount of Olives” [Zechariah 14:4], an aspect of feet (raglin), per the Ari, of blessed memory. Torah and tefillah are aspects of standing (amida), tied to raglin. For Torah, it is written, “And you here stand with Me” [Deuteronomy 5:28], and “And they stood at the foot of the mountain” [Exodus 19:17]. For tefillah, “And Pinchas stood and prayed” [Psalms 106:30]. Through the raglin of Torah and tefillah, one draws near to, “And His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives”, as it is written, “Righteousness shall go before Him” [Psalms 85:14]. Righteousness (tzedek) is the speech (dibbur) of Torah and tefillah, as it is written, “Righteousness you shall speak” [Psalms 58:2].

[Shuta d’inuka (partnership of the child) in the thigh (shok) of its father and mother [Sukkah 56a] is not fully understood here.] Before rectification (tikkun), nitzotzos not brought into holy dibbur are in the aspect of, “Limping on his thigh” [Genesis 32:32], a defect (p’gam) of raglin. When brought into holy dibbur, it is, “And He built the rib” [Genesis 2:22], rectifying the p’gam. Before dibbur, nitzotzos lack tzeiruf and connection (chibur), existing in brokenness (shevarim) and controversy. Through holy dibbur, they achieve tzeiruf, creating shalom. Thus, one must speak only words of Torah (divrei Torah) and tefillah, not other things (d’varim acheirim). The Gemara [Sukkah 53a, Taanis 25a] states: Levi hurled words (hitiach d’varim) upward and became lame, reflecting, “Limping on his thigh”, as his non-holy dibbur left him with a p’gam. One must speak Torah or tefillah until the body (guf) becomes null and void (batel v’efes), as in, “And they shall be one flesh” [Genesis 2:24], uniting the guf with dibbur, as it is written, “And night to night declares” [Psalms 19:3] [see Likutay Moharan, Sign 19, Letter 3; Likutay Torah, Sign 82]. This is the rib (tzela), where “And He built the rib” means the guf is nullified through holy dibbur.

This nullification requires fear (yirah), as our Sages said [Bava Basra 10a]: “A hard body, fear breaks it”. Fear (pachad) is Fear of Yitzchak (Pachad Yitzchak) [Genesis 31:42], meaning yirah. Thus, “Y’vorchenu Elokim, v’yir’u oso” [May He bless us, G-d, and they shall fear Him] means bracha, which is shalom, comes through yirah, nullifying the guf via Torah and tefillah. “Kol afsei aretz” [all the ends of the earth] signifies all earthliness (artziyus) becoming void and nothing (efes v’ayin), enabling bracha through shalom.

[Again, it is written]: “Y’vorchenu Elokim, v’yir’u oso kol afsei aretz” [May He bless us, G-d, and they shall fear Him, all the ends of the earth]. The attribute of victory, controversy, and war arises from damim not yet used to serve Hashem, Blessed be He, as it is written, “And their victory shall be sprinkled” [Isaiah 63:1], which Rashi explains as damim. One must nullify victory and controversy and pursue shalom, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, found no kli for bracha except shalom [Ukzin, Chapter 3]. This is achieved by speaking much Torah and tefillah, meriting shalom. In controversy, one makes shalom by raising mayin nukvin. A kushya divides the heart (lev), as matters seem contradictory; the terutz makes shalom by resolving them, raising mayin nukvin. [Ha’ala’as mayin nukvin is the arousal of longing (hishtokekus) and love (ahava) toward another, such as for Hashem or a true tzadik (righteous one), connecting to Hashem and His tzadikim. This maker of shalom fosters ahava, uniting and making peace, which is mayin nukvin.] Sometimes, shalom creates peace in another makom, raising mayin nukvin elsewhere. All speeches (diburim) of Torah and tefillah are mayin nukvin, as known, “Creator of the utterance of lips, peace” [Isaiah 57:19]. This is the primary rectification (tikkun) of briyah, as it is written, “Maker of peace and Creator of all” [Isaiah 45:7].

At briyah, olamot fell through sheviras hakeilim, and osios scattered into nitzotzos. Through mayin nukvin of Torah and tefillah, nitzotzos and osios achieve tzeiruf, forming an olam, which is shalom. Before entering divrei Torah and tefillah, they lack tzeiruf and chibur, existing in shevarim and controversy. Holy dibbur combines them, creating shalom, rectifying and renewing the fallen olamot, as if creating them anew. Thus, our Sages said [Introduction to Zohar, 5a]: “And to say to Zion, You are My people”—read imi (with Me), in My shutafus; as I create shamayim v’aretz by My milul, so do you through Torah and tefillah. This is, “And I will give peace in the land” [Leviticus 26:6], raising nitzotzos from artziyus, creating shalom, the essence of briyah’s tikkun.

Thus, one must speak only holy diburim, not other things, to elevate nitzotzos and rectify the olamot. Briyah was through dibbur, as it is written, “By the word of Hashem heavens were made” [Psalms 33:6]. Through sheviras hakeilim, nitzotzos fell into all things—food (ma’achal), drink (mishteh), garment (malbush), and all pleasures (ta’anugim). The pleasure (ta’anug) in these comes from nitzotzos, which are osios. Before dibbur, they are blood (dam), an aspect of soul (nefesh), as it is written, “For the soul of all flesh, its blood is in its soul” [Leviticus 17:14]. When brought into dibbur, it is, “My soul went out when he spoke” [Song of Songs 5:6], raising and uniting nitzotzos, making shalom. Thus, damim not used to serve Hashem, Blessed be He, cause victory and controversy, as unrectified nitzotzos remain in controversy. One must serve Hashem with all drops of blood (tipei dam) by speaking much Torah and tefillah, transforming damim into holy diburim, nullifying victory and controversy.

This clarification (birur) of nitzotzos occurs daily until Mashiach, fulfilling, “And His feet shall stand on that day on the Mount of Olives” [Zechariah 14:4]. The tikkun of nitzotzos is through raglin [see Ari, of blessed memory]. Torah and tefillah are amida, tied to raglin, rectifying the feet, as in, “Righteousness shall go before Him”. This merits the aspect of “And His feet shall stand”.

In Torah and tefillah, there are two aspects (g’vanim): thought (machshavah) and cry (tze’aka), represented by Moshe and Dovid. Tze’aka is, “Wisdoms cry aloud outside” [Proverbs 1:20]. Machshavah is, “The curves of your thighs” [Song of Songs 7:2]. For Moshe, it is written, “And Moshe cried” [Exodus 2:23], and “And he went and spoke” [Exodus 3:16], gathering assemblies (k’hilos), reflecting, “Wisdoms cry aloud outside”. For Dovid, “In assemblies bless G-d” [Psalms 35:18], also “Wisdoms cry aloud outside”. [This Torah’s language (lashon) is unrefined and lacks much; what I understood, with Hashem, Blessed be He’s help, I rewrote in a second edition (mahadora).]

[This elucidates how Torah and tefillah, through holy dibbur, raise nitzotzos, transforming controversy into shalom with yirah nullifying the guf, enabling bracha until Mashiach completes the tikkun.]