Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 40

Likutay Moharan II, Torah 40: One Who Knows from the Land of Israel

One who knows from Eretz Yisrael [Land of Israel], who has truly tasted the taste of Eretz Yisrael, can recognize in another whether he was with a tzadik [righteous one] on Rosh Hashanah [New Year] or not, and whether that tzadik is great in stature or small, and whether he is a true tzadik or not, or whether he himself is a tzadik. For the taste of Eretz Yisrael can be depicted before one who knows the taste of seichel [intellect]. For only one who is an ish bur [ignorant person] cannot know this, but one who knows from seichel, such as scholars who sense a bit of the taste of seichel in the simple meaning and question, as is the way of scholars, or wise men in other wisdoms who sense the taste of seichel, can understand the taste of Eretz Yisrael. For the avira d’Eretz Yisrael machkim [air of the Land of Israel makes wise] (Bava Basra 158; Zohar, Pinchas 245; Tikkunei Zohar 22). And the taste of chochmah [wisdom] and seichel is certainly very precious, but the main virtue of the holiness of Eretz Yisrael is only through the providence of Hashem, blessed be He. And because Hashem, blessed be He, gazes upon Eretz Yisrael always, as it is written: “The eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12), through this, Eretz Yisrael is sanctified, and its air makes wise. For einayim [eyes] are named after chochmah, for the opening of chochmah is called the aspect of einayim, as it is written: “And the eyes of both of them were opened” (Genesis 3:7), and Rashi explains: This is said regarding chochmah. And because the einayim of Hashem are on Eretz Yisrael, gazing upon it always, through this, the avira d’Eretz Yisrael machkim [air of the Land of Israel makes wise]. But from where is this drawn and aroused in Hashem, blessed be He, that is, the aspect of einayim to provide providence, as mentioned above? This is done through the neshamos [souls] of Israel, that Hashem, blessed be He, glories in them, in the aspect of: “Israel, in whom I will be glorified” (Isaiah 49:3). And through this glorying, the aspect of tefillin [phylacteries] is made, which are called pe’er [glory] (Sukkah 25), and the tefillin are the aspect of mochin [minds], and they enter within and burst forth in the einayim. And from this, the providence of Hashem, blessed be He, is made, as it were, through which the holiness of Eretz Yisrael is made, the aspect of avira d’Eretz Yisrael machkim, as mentioned above. And for this reason, it is called Eretz Yisrael, for it receives its holiness from the aspect of: “Israel, in whom I will be glorified”, as mentioned above.

But certainly, not all times are equal in the closeness of Israel to Hashem, blessed be He, for sometimes, heaven forbid, there is one who becomes distant from Hashem, blessed be He. And then, on the contrary, the Shechinah [Divine Presence] cries out: “Woe to me from my head, woe to me from my arm” (Sanhedrin 46). That is, its cry is that the aspect of glorying is spoiled and damaged, that He cannot glory in them, and the aspect of tefillin, which is made from the glorying, is damaged, as mentioned above. And this is: “Woe to me from my head, woe to me from my arm”, specifically from my head, from my arm, the aspect of tefillin (which are placed on the head and arm (-these words were added in editions from after 1874), as mentioned above. But when one of Israel draws close to Hashem, blessed be He, and another Israelite is added who wants to serve Him, blessed be He, and the more numerous Israelites are added who want to serve Him and draw close to Him, then His glorying, blessed be He, is increased and added, that He, blessed be He, glories in His people Israel who draw close to Him. And through this glorying, tefillin mochin are made, and from this, the holiness of Eretz Yisrael is made, the aspect of avira d’Eretz Yisrael machkim, through His eyes of providence, as mentioned above.

But one who can see this glorying, that Hashem, blessed be He, glories in His people Israel, then he receives the aspect of pe’er and mochin from this glorying that he sees, and the aspect of tefillin is also made for him, and they enter within, as mentioned above, and burst forth in the einayim, as mentioned above. And then his eyes also become the aspect of the einayim of Hashem. And then, in every place where he gazes and sees, there too the aspect of avira d’Eretz Yisrael machkim is made, for the main holiness of Eretz Yisrael is only from the aspect of the ainayim mentioned above. But who is this who can see Hashem, blessed be He, to see His glorying, blessed be He? Indeed, one who sees the true tzadik, who brings people close to His service, blessed be He, and he is the main closeness of Israel to their Father in Heaven, it is found that he himself is the glorying in which Hashem, blessed be He, glories in His people, for through him is all the closeness and glorying. Then, one who gazes upon him, and the main matter is at the time of the gathering, when people gather to him to hear the word of Hashem, and especially on Rosh Hashanah, when it is the great gathering, then the glorying is greater, because many people gather who desire to draw close to Him, blessed be He, and then the glory and beauty of the tzadik is increased, for he himself is the glorying, as mentioned above. Then, one who truly gazes upon this true tzadik, then he also receives from this glorying, and the aspect of tefillin mochin is also made for him, as mentioned above, and then his eyes also become, as mentioned above, the aspect of the einayim of Hashem. And then, also in every place where he gazes, the aspect of Eretz Yisrael, the aspect of avira d’Eretz Yisrael machkim, is made, for he makes the air wise through his gazing with his einayim mentioned above, which are made from the glorying, as mentioned above [T.N. see Likutay Halachos, Orach Chaim, Laws of Grace after Meals 4:11].

And this is the meaning of: “Your eyes shall see a king in his beauty” (Isaiah 33:17), that is, when you merit to see a king in his beauty, that is, the tzadik in his beauty and glory, that is, at the time of the gathering, when his beauty and glory are manifest, as mentioned above, through this: “Your eyes shall see a far-off land”, the aspect of Eretz Yisrael, the aspect of avira d’Eretz Yisrael machkim. For chochmah is called marchakim [far-off, see Torah II:83 - because the main wisdom is to know that the wisdom is distant from him and he has not attained it], as it is written: “I said I will be wise, but it is far from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23), that is, through seeing the tzadik in his beauty and glory, as mentioned above, through this, in every place where you see with your eyes, it will become the aspect of avira d’Eretz Yisrael machkim, as mentioned above. And this is: “Your eyes shall see a far-off land”, as mentioned above. It is found that one who has a desire and yearning for Eretz Yisrael (T.N. as was with Rabbainu himself, see Chayay Moharan - The Life of Our Leader Rabbi Nachman #54), especially one who has tasted the true taste of Eretz Yisrael, when he meets and converses with a person who was with a true tzadik on Rosh Hashanah, he is obligated to sense then the taste of Eretz Yisrael, for through this person, this air also becomes the aspect of Eretz Yisrael, as mentioned above, and it is fitting that his yearning and longing for Eretz Yisrael be aroused now, each according to his level. And the main matter is that it be in truth and simplicity.

And there are further matters in this, for no person dies with half his desire in his hand (Midrash Rabbah, Ecclesiastes, Section 1). It is found that one never fulfills his desire and will with wealth, for he always lacks, as mentioned above. But there is the aspect of abundant wealth, the aspect of: “And silver of abundance for you” (Job 22:25) [See Chayay Moharan, The Life of Our Leader Rabbi Nachman #585], which is the language of doubling. It is found that with this abundance, his will is fulfilled, since it is doubled (and he did not conclude) [See Likutay Halachos, Orach Chaim, Laws of Grace After Meals 4:16 for a suggested conclusion].