Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 8

8 - Blow the Shofar in the Month

Tik’u (blow) the shofar in the chodesh (month), on the keseh (covering [referring to the hidden moon or appointed time]) for the day of our chag (festival); for it is a chok (statute) for Israel, a mishpat (judgment) for the G-d of Jacob (Psalms 81).

1.

Although rebuke (tochacha) is a significant and valuable act, and every member of Israel is obligated to correct a fellow who is behaving improperly, as the Torah states: "You shall surely rebuke your fellow" (Leviticus 19), not everyone is qualified to deliver rebuke. Rabbi Akiva remarked (Arachin 16b): "I am amazed if anyone in this generation is capable of giving proper rebuke." If Rabbi Akiva said this in his time, it applies even more to our current generation. When someone unfit gives rebuke, not only does it fail to help, but it also taints the scent (reiach) of the souls of those who hear it. Through improper rebuke, the rebuker stirs up the foul odor of the recipient’s misdeeds and negative traits, much like an unpleasant object that emits no smell when left undisturbed but releases a stench when moved. Similarly, an unqualified rebuker’s words agitate the negative deeds and traits of those he addresses, causing their spiritual scent to become foul. This weakens their souls and disrupts the flow of divine abundance to the worlds that depend on these souls. The soul’s primary nourishment comes from scent, as taught in (Berachos 43b): "From where do we know that one blesses over scent? As it is said: 'Let every soul praise Yah' (Psalms 150). What benefits the soul but not the body? This is scent [symbolizing spiritual nourishment, distinct from physical sustenance]." Thus, an unfit rebuker’s actions harm the soul’s vitality, which relies on this scent, and consequently block the abundance to dependent worlds. However, when a worthy person delivers rebuke, they achieve the opposite, imparting a pleasant scent to the souls through their words. Such rebuke mirrors Moshe’s correction of Israel for the sin of the golden calf, which infused them with a positive scent, as in: "My nard gave its scent" (Song of Songs 1). Rashi explains that “gave” (rather than “abandoned”) implies a positive imparting of scent, signifying spiritual elevation through Moshe’s rebuke [linked to forgiveness for the golden calf]. Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, noted in the Gemara (Shabbos 88b) that Moshe’s rebuke instilled a good scent, representing mezona d’nishmasa (sustenance of the soul [Aramaic: spiritual nourishment]). The soul’s primary sustenance is this scent. Through the voice (kol) of a worthy rebuker, a good scent is given to souls, nourishing them spiritually. There exists mezona d’nishmasa (soul sustenance) and mezona d’gufa (body sustenance) (Tikunei Zohar 21). Excessive focus on mezona d’gufa through eating and drinking strengthens the heel (akev) of the sitra achara (Other Side [root: s-t-r, realm of evil]), as in: "He who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalms 41). Eating bolsters the physical heels and legs, as referenced in (Shabbos 152a): "Thin in the heels, and you will find in the carpenters" [indicating physical strength in lower limbs]. When the heel of the sitra achara grows, G-d forbid, it weakens the heel of holiness, which is humility and fear of Hashem, as in: "The heel of humility is the fear of Hashem" (Proverbs 22), linked to scent and: "His scent shall be in the fear of Hashem" (Isaiah 11), nourishing the soul. The remedy is the voice, which waters the spiritual garden where scents and fears grow, as in: "And a river went out from Eden to water the garden" (Genesis 2). This river is the voice, as in: "The rivers have lifted up their voice" (Psalms 93), and: "Your voice I heard in the garden, and I was afraid" (Genesis 3). This voice nurtures the garden, fostering scents that embody fear of G-d, the soul’s sustenance. It subdues the heel of the sitra achara, as in: "The voice is the voice of Jacob" (Genesis 27), enabling Jacob to merit scent: "See, the scent of my son is like the scent of a field" (Genesis 27), and to overcome the heel of Esau: "And his hand grasping the heel of Esau" (Genesis 25). The worthy rebuker’s voice aligns with: "Raise your voice like a shofar and tell My people their transgression" (Isaiah 58), ensuring the rebuke imparts a good scent without stirring negativity. This voice, likened to a shofar, is the melody of the future song – simple, double, triple, quadruple – with the acronym: Pashut, Kafol, Shalosh, Ravua [forming ‘shofar’]. This song, tied to the world’s renewal, waters the garden, enabling effective rebuke. The worthy rebuker draws a thread of kindness, as in (Tamid 28a): "One who rebukes for Heaven’s sake draws a thread of kindness," linked to: "One who rebukes a man afterward will find favor" (Proverbs 28). This thread, woven from 72 strings corresponding to the Name Y YK YKV YKVK (Tikunei Zohar 21), supports the future song, tied to: "A world of kindness shall be built" (Psalms 89). Thus, the worthy rebuker’s voice infuses souls with a good scent.

2.

Reaching this voice requires prayer (tefillah), which is rooted in mercy (rachamim) and supplications (Avos chapter 2). Mercy depends on knowledge (da’as), as stated: "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11). In the future, expanded knowledge will eliminate harm and cruelty, as mercy flows from knowledge. However, when the sitra achara (Other Side) siphons off this mercy, it diminishes our share, leaving even the remaining mercy tainted with cruelty, as: "The mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Proverbs 12). This is likened to: "Even jackals draw out the breast" (Lamentations 4), representing the sitra achara’s corrupted mercy, called: "destruction from Shaddai" (Isaiah 13). In contrast, Shaddai signifies holy mercy, as in: "And El Shaddai give you mercy" (Genesis 43), tied to prayer that realigns spiritual forces. When the sitra achara saps mercy, it turns our mercy into cruelty, damaging knowledge, as: "All who get angry, their wisdom departs" (Pesachim 66b). This reduces knowledge to small-mindedness, allowing the sitra achara to feed on this flaw, as in: "And the serpent was cunning" (Genesis 3). This leads to the desire for licentiousness (ni’uf [root: n-a-f, encompassing degenerate sexual thoughts]), as: "No one transgresses unless a spirit of folly enters them" (Sotah 3a). A sound mind acts as a barrier against this desire, with three brains forming protective partitions, from which three types of mercy emerge, as in: "If you lie to me and to my offspring and to my grandson" (Genesis 21), indicating paternal mercy (Bereishis Rabbah, Vayeira 54, Rashi). These correspond to the three daily prayers, each tied to a unique brain and mercy, sustaining the soul through prayer’s mercy and supplications. When knowledge is impaired, licentiousness arises, and prayer shifts to judgment (din), losing its merciful quality. Such prayers are vulnerable to the sitra achara, which feeds on judgment and small-mindedness, swallowing the prayer, G-d forbid.

3.

When prayer becomes rooted in judgment, it requires a man of great power (ba’al koach) to offer it effectively, as Pinchas did during the sin of Zimri: "And Pinchas stood and prayed" (Psalms 106). Our Rabbis explain (Sanhedrin) that he argued with his Creator, praying in judgment. This relates to: "For it is licentiousness, and it is an iniquity of judgments" (Job 31), requiring a prayer of judgment, as Pinchas exemplified. When licentiousness damages spirituality, prayer turns to judgment, and the sitra achara seeks to swallow it. A powerful figure’s prayer, like Pinchas’s, lodges in its throat, as in: "Strength dwells in his neck" (Job 41), forcing it to expel the holiness – knowledge, mercy, and prayers – it consumed, as in: "Wealth he swallowed and shall vomit it up" (Job 20). It also surrenders its own essence, becoming converts (geirim), as in: "From his belly G-d shall dispossess him." This is the staff of strength (mateh oz) sent from Zion: "Your staff of strength Hashem shall send from Zion; rule in the midst of your enemies" (Psalms 110). It shatters the sitra achara, as in: "You crushed with Your strength the sea; You broke the heads of the sea monsters" (Psalms 74), reclaiming holiness. The phrase "and he prayed" has first letters forming: Vehashlech Hifnei Paroh Yehiy Letanin (and cast it before Pharaoh, let it become a serpent) (Exodus 7), symbolizing casting the staff of strength to be swallowed, thus extracting holiness. This connects to: "And Jethro heard" (Zevachim 116a), referring to the Red Sea’s splitting and Amalek’s war, where Amalek defiled through licentiousness: "Who happened upon you on the way" (Deuteronomy 25), linked to: "The first of the nations is Amalek" (Numbers 24) and "and the serpent was cunning." The Red Sea’s splitting, "You crushed with Your strength the sea," rectifies this, producing converts like Jethro.

4.

This is the aspect of thunder (re’amim). Through converts, enabled by the staff of strength, the sitra achara relinquishes its stolen holiness and essence, amplifying G-d’s glory (kavod): "Give to Hashem, O families of peoples, give to Hashem glory and strength" (Psalms 96). This is: "The G-d of glory thunders, Hashem upon many waters" (Psalms 29), where “many waters” are the waters of knowledge: "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem" (Isaiah 11). These waters, reclaimed from the sitra achara, produce converts, magnifying G-d’s glory through thunder, a great noise (Berachos 59a). Thunder is clouds pouring water, the sitra achara’s shells: "You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through" (Lamentations 3). When they release the knowledge they stole, glory is revealed: "And the glory of Hashem appeared in the cloud" (Exodus 16). The word for converts, geirim, has first letters forming: "Ra’am Gevurato Mi Yitbonan" (Who can contemplate the thunder of His might?) (Job 26).

5.

The revelation of glory leads to the spread of prophecy (nevuah), rooted in the seventy souls of Israel: "With seventy souls your fathers went down" (Deuteronomy 10), with first letters Navi (prophet). These souls are tied to glory: "Into their council let my soul not come, and in their assembly let my glory not be united" (Genesis 49). Prophecy arises from this glory, as: "Prophecy only rests upon a wise, mighty, and rich person" (Shabbos 92a), each tied to glory: "Wise men shall inherit glory" (Proverbs 3), "Who is this King of glory? Hashem strong and mighty" (Psalms 24), "And from what is our father’s he has made all this glory" (Genesis 31). The destruction of the house, temple, and exile of Israel’s children – "Woe is me that I have destroyed My house" (Berachos 3b) – reflect damage to prayer ("My house shall be called a house of prayer," Isaiah 56), glory ("And in His Temple everyone says glory," Psalms 29), and prophecy from Israel’s souls.

6.

This is the aspect of healing (refuah), encompassing all prior aspects. Glory’s revelation is the rising sun: "And the glory of Hashem has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60), bringing healing: "And the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing" (Malachi 3), as: "When the day weakens, the sick weaken" (Bava Basra 16b). Prophecy’s spread through glory sustains: "The spirit of a man sustains his infirmity" (Proverbs 18). Prayer clears the clouds of the sitra achara, enabling converts and revealing glory, forgiving iniquity through multiplied prayers, as iniquities are clouds: "And their deeds shall be in darkness" (Isaiah 29). Illness stems from iniquity: "There are no sufferings without iniquity" (Shabbos 55a). Prayer atones, like a sacrifice: "And I will bring them to My holy mountain… their burnt offerings" (Isaiah 56), dissolving clouds: "I have blotted out your transgressions as a cloud" (Isaiah 44), allowing the sun’s healing light. Adding a neighbor (shachen) to Israel’s community amplifies prayer, as in Sefer Yetzirah: three stones build six houses, four build twenty-four, etc., with souls as stones: "The holy stones are poured out" (Lamentations 4). This strengthens the house of prayer, forgiving iniquity and healing: "And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick; the people who dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity" (Isaiah 33). [If the community is unworthy, the tzadik bears their suffering: "Surely our illnesses he bore" (Isaiah 53), but if worthy, all are healed].

7.

Prophecy refines the imaginative power (koach hamedameh): "And by the hand of the prophets I use similitudes" (Hosea 12). This strengthens true faith (emunah) and nullifies false beliefs. Faith applies where intellect fails, relying on imagination. Prophecy, with ten levels corresponding to the ten commandments (Moharan 1:115; "Face to face Hashem spoke," Deuteronomy 5, Shabbos 138b), fosters belief in creation through ten utterances, perfecting holy faith.

8.

One must diligently seek a true leader (manhig) with a prophetic spirit: "a different spirit" (Numbers 14), distinguishing him: "a man in whom there is spirit" (Numbers 27). Even without full prophecy today, this holy spirit strengthens faith in those who draw near, unlike false leaders who spread false faiths: "a lying spirit" (1 Kings 22). At Sinai, Israel’s faith was perfected through Moshe’s prophecy, ending the serpent’s filth (Shabbos 146a). This is the sixth day’s “the”: "the sixth day" (Genesis 1), tied to Torah’s acceptance on Sivan 6 (Shabbos 88a), affirming creation through faith: "And all His works are in faith" (Psalms 33).

9.

Faith enables future world renewal: "the world shall be built with kindness" (Psalms 89), through faith in the night: "Your faith in the nights" (Psalms 92), linked to imagination and dreams (Job 33). This leads to: "They are new every morning; great is Your faith" (Lamentations 3), heralding renewal through kindness.

10.

Future renewal will be through wonders (nifla’ot), providence alone, not nature, like the Land of Israel: "The power of His works He has declared" (Psalms 111, Rashi on Genesis 1). This is: "Always the eyes of Hashem are upon it" (Deuteronomy 11). The new song of wonders: "Sing to Hashem a new song, for wonders He has done" (Psalms 98), contrasts with nature’s song: "The heavens declare the glory of G-d" (Psalms 19). This song, simple to quadruple, tied to kindness, waters the garden, enabling rebuke: "Raise your voice like a shofar." This relates to: "And he saw rest… became a servant under tribute" (Genesis 49), where rest is prophecy (Jeremiah 45, Mekhilta, Bo), land is Israel, bearing is song (Arachin 11a), and tribute is Mashiach: "The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem" (Lamentations 4), spreading scent.

11.

Rosh Hashanah embodies judgment: "the law belongs to G-d" (Deuteronomy 1). Its prayers extract vitality from the sitra achara: "a statute for Israel" (Psalms 81, Beitzah 16a), using the staff of strength. This is Tishrei, as in: "You crushed with Your strength the sea" (Psalms 74), with first letters Tishrei. It restores knowledge, repairing the head, and produces converts: "And you know the soul of the convert" (Exodus 23), end letters Tishrei. This reveals glory, spreads prophecy, strengthens faith, and nullifies false beliefs through blowing, alarm, broken sighs, blowing: glory ("a throne of glory," Isaiah 22), prophecy ("the alarm of the King," Numbers 23), and faith’s triumph ("You shall break their pillars," Exodus 23, Tikkun 18, 21; "The eyes of all look to You," Psalms 145). This is Tishrei’s renewal: "Come, look from the top of Amana" (Song of Songs 4).

12.

This teaching connects to the lung (re’ah), which encompasses all the aspects previously discussed when its functions are in harmony. The man of power (ba’al koach), who prays with intensity in the mode of judgment (din), as exemplified by "And Pinchas stood and prayed" (Psalms 106), acts as a faithful messenger for Israel, risking his life to reclaim holiness from the sitra achara (Other Side [root: s-t-r, realm of evil]). This is reflected in: "As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him" (Proverbs 25). The lung’s cooling quality, which prevents the heart’s heat from overwhelming the body (Tikkun 13, 27b), mirrors this role. The lung is also tied to knowledge (da’as), as the intellect, likened to a candle, burns through the body’s fatness, sustained and elevated to the brain by the lung’s breath. This is why the brain is called neshamah (soul), as in: "And the soul of Shaddai gives them understanding" (Job 32) and "The lamp of Hashem is the soul of man" (Proverbs 20). The lung’s breath is thus the primary source of intellectual sustenance.

The concept of converts (geirim) relates to the lung through the idea of "vapor descends, vapor ascends" (Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 69, 96a), linked to: "They are vapor, the work of errors" (Jeremiah 10, 51). Worldly vapors, representing folly, are transformed into holy vapors through Torah and prayer, symbolizing converts who shift from the sitra achara to holiness. The lung, which inhales and exhales vapor, facilitates this transformation. The revelation of glory (kavod) is connected to the lung via: "Honor Hashem from your wealth" (Proverbs 3), read as migaronech (from your throat) instead of meihonech (from your wealth) (Rashi; Be’er Heitev O.C. 53, citing Pesikta, though Pesikta links it to a sweet voice). The throat, an extension of the lung, channels this glory. The spread of prophecy (nevuah) is the lung’s breath, the spirit of prophecy: "The spirit of Hashem spoke in me" (2 Samuel 23).

The repair of the imaginative is in the aspect of the lung. For sleep and imagination depend on the lung. For the main of sleep and imagination is through cold and moist, and therefore in the time of rains, then sleep falls on a person. And the lung is cold and moist, through which comes sleep and imagination – that is, the imaginations that come to a person in the time of sleep, which is the imaginative power.

The renewal of the world (chiddush ha’olam) is connected to the lung (re’ah), as reflected in the verse: "You send forth Your spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth" (Psalms 104). This refers to the breath of the lung’s wings, symbolizing the flow of divine vitality. This is also linked to providence (hashgacha), which is associated with the Land of Israel, as the lung represents this providence. Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, asked (Chullin 49a): Why is it called re’ah (lung)? Because it enlightens (me’irah [root: a-y-r, to enlighten, connecting the lung to spiritual clarity]) the eyes. This aligns with the verse about the Land of Israel: "Always the eyes of Hashem your G-d are upon it" (Deuteronomy 11), emphasizing divine providence. The melody (nigun) and new song (shir chadash) are also tied to the lung, as in: "Call with the throat, do not hold back; like a shofar, raise your voice" (Isaiah 58). The throat, an extension of the lung, channels this melody, which is likened to the shofar, as discussed earlier. The repair of the scent (reiach) and fear (yirah [root: y-r-a, linking scent to awe of G-d]), which constitutes mezona d’nishmasa (sustenance of the soul [Aramaic: spiritual nourishment]), is achieved through all the aspects mentioned previously and is rooted in the lung. The word re’ah (lung) is formed by the final letters of: Hashem Roei Lo Echsar (Hashem is my shepherd; I shall not want) (Psalms 23) [the end letters spell ‘re’ah,’ tying the lung to spiritual sustenance]. This verse reflects mezona d’nishmasa, as does: "For there is no want to those who fear Him" (Psalms 34), connecting fear, scent, and the soul’s sustenance, as noted earlier. This is further explained through the teaching about Og, king of Bashan, who said: The camp of Israel, how large is it? Three parsangs. I will go and uproot a mountain of three parsangs and cast it upon them. He uprooted a mountain of three parsangs and placed it on his head. The Holy One brought ants that bored through it, causing it to fall onto his neck, trapping him. Moshe, how tall was he? Ten cubits. He took an axe of ten cubits, jumped ten cubits, struck Og on his ankle, and killed him (Berachos 54b). Og’s power was rooted in the right side, drawing from the knowledge (da’as) of holiness, as stated (Zohar Chukat 184a), where the right side is likened to white brain like silver (Tikkun 70, 118a). Thus, Og sought to overpower Israel. He said: The camp of Israel, how large is it? Three parsangs – referring to the camp of Israel (machaneh Yisrael), which embodies the holiness of Israel’s camp, as in: "And your camp shall be holy" (Deuteronomy 23). The holiness of this camp is maintained by guarding against the desire for licentiousness (ni’uf [root: n-a-f, encompassing degenerate sexual thoughts and actions]), specifically nocturnal emissions, G-d forbid, as mentioned in that portion. This guarding is achieved through the three parsangs – the three brains, each acting as a protective barrier against this desire, as explained earlier. The camp of Israel, three parsangs, signifies the holiness of Israel’s camp, protected from licentiousness by these three brains. Og’s intent to uproot a mountain of three parsangs and cast it upon them symbolizes prayer (tefillah), as in: "And I will bring them to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer" (Isaiah 56). This mountain of three parsangs represents prayer drawn from the three brains, which form barriers and give rise to three types of mercy, corresponding to the three daily prayers, as noted earlier. The sitra achara (Other Side [root: s-t-r, realm of evil]), embodied by Og, draws sustenance from knowledge, G-d forbid, and seeks to uproot Israel’s prayers, pulling them to itself and swallowing them, as discussed. This is what Og meant by “cast it upon them,” aiming to seize Israel’s prayers. Once absorbed, even if the sitra achara returns them, they remain tainted due to its influence, as the mercy of the wicked is cruel (Proverbs 12). Thus, Og’s act of uprooting the mountain and placing it on his head means drawing Israel’s prayers – embodying knowledge and mercy (rachamim) – into his own mind, as in: "and the serpent was cunning" (Genesis 3). The ants brought by the Holy One represent the prayer of the man of power (ba’al koach), marked by intensity and judgment, akin to the staff of strength (mateh oz). These ants boring through the mountain signify: "You have pierced with his staffs the head of his villages" (Habakkuk 3), breaking and subduing the sitra achara. This prayer lodges in its throat, as in: "Strength dwells in his neck" (Job 41), forcing it to vomit the holiness it swallowed – prayers and knowledge – as in: "Wealth he swallowed and shall vomit it up" (Job 20). Not only does it expel this holiness, but it also surrenders its own essence, as in: "From his belly G-d shall dispossess him," representing converts (geirim) who transition from the sitra achara to holiness. This is reflected in: "His bowels are as ivory overlaid with sapphires" (Song of Songs 5), and "rule in the midst of your enemies" (Psalms 110). Moshe, ten cubits tall, symbolizes prophecy (nevuah), as he is the master of all prophets, with ten cubits representing the ten levels of prophecy. The axe of ten cubits signifies the tools of creation’s work, the ten utterances that created the world. Through prophecy, one attains faith (emunah), linked to these utterances, enabling belief in the world’s renewal by Hashem’s will. This leads to the future renewal, awakening the new song. Jumping ten cubits reflects this song – simple, double, triple, quadruple – with ten letters, as in: "Leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills" (Song of Songs 2). Mountains and hills are scents, as in: "I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense" (Song of Songs 4), grown in the garden through the melody’s voice, as discussed. This leaping represents musical notes (maasin [from leaping or moving]) created by skipping on harp strings. This melody, the voice of Jacob, subdues the heel (akev) of the sitra achara, as in: "and his hand grasping the heel of Esau" (Genesis 25). Striking Og’s ankle signifies this subduing through the melody’s voice. This explains the verse: Blow in the month the shofar – “blow” is the revelation of glory (kavod), as in: "and I will drive him like a peg in a firm place, and he shall be for a throne of glory" (Isaiah 22). “In the month” signifies the world’s renewal, the new song. “Shofar” is: "raise your voice like a shofar." The verse continues: “on the covering for the day of our festival” – this is prophecy, as in: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?" (Genesis 18), and "For the Lord G-d will do nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3). “The day of our festival” is Rosh Hashanah, tied to faith repaired through the imaginative power (koach hamedameh), as in: "And with a compass He shall describe it" (Isaiah 44), where descriptions and praises stem from the imaginative power. Since G-d transcends all descriptions, praises arise from the imagination, enabling proper glorification when refined. This is the festival aspect, linked to Rosh Hashanah, where faith is renewed through the Torah’s acceptance in Sivan, as faith underpins the world’s creation in Tishrei. All these aspects – glory, prophecy, faith, renewal – stem from the verse’s conclusion: "for it is a statute for Israel, a judgment for the G-d of Jacob," tied to the staff of strength, enabling all these spiritual achievements.