Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 79

79

Trust in Hashem and do good

Trust in Hashem and do good; dwell in the land and pasture faith [Psalms 37:3]

[In the language of the friends] Behold, the general principle is that every person must ensure no delay in Mashiach [Messiah] comes from their side—that is, to perform complete teshuvah [repentance] and rectify their deeds.

In every tzadik [righteous one], especially a true one, there is a revelation of Mashiach. Even if they lack the full revelation, they possess a measure of Mashiach, corresponding to the attribute of Moshe, as stated in the holy Zohar [Bereishis 25b]: Mashiach is Moshe. I will explain: Moshe gave his life for Israel, knowing his own shiflus [lowliness] in truth and recognizing Israel’s greatness, as it is written: "And the man Moshe was very humble, more than any man" [Numbers 12:3]. Because of this humility, he was willing to risk everything for the people.

Therefore, a true tzadik who knows their shiflus and recognizes Israel’s importance can willingly give their life for them. When can one truly see their shiflus? On Shabbas [Sabbath], as it says: "See that Hashem has given you the Shabbat" [Exodus 16:29]. Shabbas is represented by the three letters ש-ב-ת (Shin-Bet-Tav), symbolizing the three layers of the eye—bat bat ayin [pupil, white, and iris]—indicating humility. On Shabbas, one sees their own lowly place, below their level.

"Let no man go out from his place" [Exodus 16:29]—meaning one should not act above their level, such as committing the sin of Zimri while seeking reward as Pinchas did [Sotah 22b].

When does one see their shiflus on Shabbas? When they complete full teshuvah. There are two types of teshuvah. First, there are those who, amidst worldly pursuits, are struck by thoughts of repentance and return to their original state, as it says: "The living creatures running and returning" [Ezekiel 1:14]—they have no naycha [rest], alternating between impurity and purity, forbidden and permitted, kosher and non-kosher. This reflects the six weekdays.

But complete teshuvah corresponds to Shabbas—it brings naycha. As Rashi explains [Genesis 2:2], Shabbas means rest from all, and evil is banished wholly. The Midrash Rabbah [Bereishis 22:13] recounts how Adam asked Cain about his judgment, and Cain replied that he repented. Adam exclaimed, “If repentance is so powerful, recite ‘A psalm, a song for the Shabbat day’” [Psalms 92:1]. This shows that when true teshuvah is accomplished, evil is fully expelled, mirroring Shabbas, Shadai [Divine Name, meaning “enough”], and Metatron [angelic figure of divine service].

Shadai says to the world: “Enough!” [Chagigah 12a, Bereishis Rabbah 46:3]. Its Shabbas expression is: "And He rested on the seventh day from all His work" [Genesis 2:2]. Metatron also embodies this rest [Bereishis 27a], teaching that when a person truly repents and immerses in holy Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, takes them from there, as it says: "And from there it separates" [Genesis 2:10]. He separates their soul from its desires, guiding it to mitzvos [commandments], bringing sweetness and transformation, as in: "And He showed him a tree, and the waters were sweetened" [Exodus 15:25].

This relates to Moshe-Mashiach: "And the staff of G-d in my hand" [Exodus 4:20]—this staff, Metatron, gives life or death. Metatron is associated with the realm of the Mishnah, symbolizing the six weekdays and their alternating states. People not yet rooted in divine service experience this instability: they fall, rise, and fluctuate—treif [non-kosher] and kosher, impure and pure, forbidden and permitted—as the living creatures run and return.

Complete teshuvah brings Shabbas and naycha—Moshe-Mashiach’s power to turn from evil to good, pushing evil away and bringing rest. It enables one to perceive their shiflus and yet find bitachon [trust] in Hashem. "Trust in Hashem" signifies quiet and secure rest from all turmoil; "do good" means complete transformation from evil to good.

"Dwell in the land" refers to the soul’s naycha, as it says: "My soul is like land" [Psalms 143:6]. Through full teshuvah—the aspect of Shabbas—one can see their shiflus and Israel’s significance, becoming a ro’eh mehumnah [faithful shepherd - Moshe Rabbainu] who is ready to give their soul for Israel.

Pertaining above - the matter of humility which is the aspect of —"Sit each under him" [sh’vu ish tachsav, Exodus 16:29]—means holding oneself low beneath their place and level. Subsequently I heard from his holy mouth, of blessed memory: One who sees their shiflus in truth can never be overthrown or displaced from their place or livelihood, because they are rooted in humility, in the aspect of ayin [nothingness], and thus not truly under any place. Therefore, no one can displace them. This is the meaning of: "Sit each under him; let no man go out from his place" [Exodus 16:29]. Through achieving shiflus, which is the aspect of sh’vu ish tachsav, always holding oneself low beneath their place and level, no one can displace them from their livelihood, Heaven forbid.

And this is what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, teach [Sanhedrin 81a]: "Anyone who stoops to his fellow’s craft is as if he committed adultery with a married woman." For by seeking to displace his fellow from their place and livelihood, he seeks to damage the aspect of shiflus, the aspect of sh’vu ish tachsav. Thus, it is as if he committed adultery, for ayshes [wife] is an acronym for שְׁבוּ אִישׁ תַּחְתָּיו (sh’vu ish tachsav). By damaging the aspect of humility and shiflus, which is sh’vu ish tachsav, he violates the principle that ensures no one is displaced from their place, as mentioned above.