Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 26

Likutay Moharan II, Torah 26: One Must Distance Oneself from Drunkenness

Pertaining to the new aleph-beis [alphabet], shikrus [drunkenness], letter ד [dalet]. One must distance oneself from shikrus and be meticulous not to drink more than one’s capacity so as not to come to shikrus. For a little drinking according to the need is good to expand one’s daas [knowledge/consciousness]. And know that daas is clothed in chasadim [acts of kindness]. And when one drinks in the proper measure according to one’s worth, then one’s daas is expanded, and one’s moach [mind] is elevated. And then the chasadim are greatly increased through the drinking. For when the daas is elevated, the chasadim are elevated and increased, for daas is clothed in chasadim, as mentioned above. (Eruvin 65) “All who are mitpateh [enticed] by wine have some of the daas of their Creator”. Mitpateh specifically, the aspect of chasadim, for through wine the chasadim are increased. And this is mitpateh, that through the increase of chasadim, one is enticed and appeased even though one was not worthy to be enticed according to ordinary chasadim and could have been angry. But through the increase of chasadim through wine, one is mitpateh, as mentioned above.

But one who drinks too much and becomes mishtaker [drunk], on the contrary, the strength of the gevuros [severities] is increased, and it becomes anger and wrath. And sometimes the gevuros of the sitra achara [other side] are strengthened, and one can come to evils, heaven forbid. And know that through shikrus, one forgets all the mitzvot [commandments] and warnings that Moshe, our teacher, peace be upon him, commanded. For Moshe is clothed in every single one of Israel in every single limb and reminds every single limb to perform the mitzvah pertaining to that limb. For the רְמַ''ח [248] mitzvot correspond to the רְמַ''ח [248] limbs. Mechokek [lawgiver] (Deuteronomy 33:4) is numerically equivalent to רְמַ''ח [248], which reminds of the רְמַ''ח mitzvot, as mentioned above. And through shikrus, one forgets them, in the aspect of “Lest he drink and forget the mechukak [lawgiver]” (Proverbs 31:5). That through drinking and shikrus, one forgets the רְמַ''ח mitzvot of Moshe, as mentioned above. And the clothing of Moshe in the limbs is itself the aspect of the clothing of daas in chasadim, as mentioned above. For Moshe is daas, and the limbs are רְמַ''ח, the aspect of Avraham, the man of chesed [kindness], who is numerically equivalent to רְמַ''ח limbs.