Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 2

Likutay Moharan 1:2

יְמֵי חֲנֻכָּה הֵם יְמֵי הוֹדָאָה
The days of Chanukah are days of hodaa [thanksgiving].

1. The days of Chanukah are days of hodaa [thanksgiving], as it is written: “And they established these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and to praise” (Al Haneeseem). The days of hodaa are the aspect of the shaashua [delight] of the World to Come, for this is the essence of the shaashua of the World to Come: to give thanks and to praise His great name, blessed be He, and to know Him, blessed be He. Through this, one is close and near to Him, blessed be He, for the more one knows and recognizes Him, blessed be He, the closer one is to Him. For all other things will be nullified in the future, all of them, in the aspect of: “All sacrifices will be nullified, except for the thanksgiving offering” (Midrash Rabbah, Tzav, parsha 9; Emor, parsha 27). In the future, only the aspect of hodaa and thanksgiving will remain, to give thanks and to praise and to know Him, blessed be He, as it is written (Isaiah 11:9): “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea”. This is the entire shaashua of the World to Come.

2. The aspect of hodaa, which is the shaashua of the World to Come, is the aspect of halachos [Jewish laws]. For the halachos that one merits to learn, especially one who merits to innovate in them, this is the aspect of the shaashua of the World to Come, in the aspect of (Niddah 73a): “Whoever studies halachos every day is assured to be a son of the World to Come”. For when a halacha is renewed, intellect and knowledge are renewed, and daas [knowledge] is the essence of the shaashua of the World to Come, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of (Berachot 54b): “Four must give thanks”, which are explained in Psalm 107, concluding with: “Whoever is wise will observe these and understand the kindnesses of Hashem”. “The kindnesses of Hashem” is the aspect of halachos, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Ketubot 96a): “Whoever prevents his student from serving him is as if he withholds kindness from him, as it is said: ‘To withhold kindness from a friend’” (Job 6:14). Serving the Sages is the aspect of halachos, which are the aspect of (Isaiah 55:3): “The kindnesses of David”, for the halacha follows him, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sanhedrin 93b): “And Hashem was with him”—meaning the halacha follows him. This is: “And Hashem was with him”, meaning he is close and near to Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of the shaashua of the World to Come, which is the aspect of halachos, as mentioned above. Therefore, hodaa is called by the name halacha, for hodaa is brought when one emerges from distress. For when one falls into distress, Heaven forbid, the essence of the distress is in the heart, for the heart knows and feels the distress more, as it is written (Proverbs 14:10): “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul”, for “the heart understands” (Berachot 61a). Therefore, it feels the distress more. At the time of distress, all the blood gathers and rises to the heart, just as when there is distress in a place, Heaven forbid, everyone gathers to the wise one there to receive advice from him. Similarly, all the blood gathers and rises to the heart to seek advice and strategy against the distress. Then they flood the heart, and the heart is in distress and great straits, for not only does the heart itself worry, as it feels the distress more than all, but the blood also floods over it and greatly distresses it. Therefore, when there is distress, Heaven forbid, the heart beats with great palpitations, for it seeks to shake them off and cast them away. Thus, it beats with great palpitations during distress, Heaven forbid. Afterward, when one emerges from the distress, the pathways of the blood return to flow in order within the body’s channels. Therefore, hodaa, which comes when one emerges from distress, is called by the name halacha, after the pathways of the blood that flow in order when one emerges from distress, as mentioned above.

3. From this comes easy childbirth, for when a woman crouches to give birth, her thighs become cold (as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, Sotah 11b). Through this, childbirth occurs, for the blood rises upward, and then the place becomes constricted, and they push the child outward. Afterward, the blood returns to its place, which is the aspect of hodaa, halacha, the aspect of the pathways of the blood that return to flow in order, as mentioned above. For halacha is also the aspect of childbirth, for there are supporters of the Torah who give money to Torah scholars. Initially, they diminish their own wealth, for when they give money to the Torah scholar, it is diminished from them, which is the aspect of “her thighs become cold,” for דָּמִים has a double meaning—blood and money (Megillah 14b, Chullin 87a, Shabbat 139a). But afterward, through their money, by supporting the Torah scholar, halachos are born, which are the aspect of chesed [kindness]. Then, through the bestowal of chesed, the lack is restored and filled. This is the aspect of the shaashua of the World to Come, in the aspect of (Isaiah 30:26): “And the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun”, said of the future (see Pesachim 68b, Sanhedrin 91b). For the moon’s nature is cold, the aspect of lack and coolness, and it is destined to be filled like the light of the sun, the aspect of filling the lack, which is the aspect of childbirth, the aspect of halachos, which are the aspect of the shaashua of the World to Come, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of (Genesis 2:4): “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created”—(the Hebrew word for - when they were created) בְּהִבָּרְאָם, (is the same letters, and can be) read as בְּאַבְרָהָם (in Abraham, Genesis Rabbah, parsha 12), meaning chesed (the attribute of Abraham), for childbirth is through the aspect of halachos, which are the aspect of chesed, as mentioned above. (Psalms 100:1): “A psalm for hodaa, shout to Hashem, all the earth”. The word תּוֹדָה (toada-thanks) shares letters with תּוֹלָדָה [toalada - childbirth]. “Shout to Hashem, all the earth” forms an acronym: הֲלָכָה—halacha, as brought, for halachos, the aspect of hodaa, are the aspect of childbirth, as mentioned above. This is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sotah 10b): Asa became ill in his feet because he imposed forced labor on Torah scholars. For by imposing forced labor on Torah scholars and preventing them from halachos, he became ill in his feet, for halachos are the aspect of rectifying and sustaining the feet, as halachos are the aspect of the pathways of the blood that return and flow in order, as mentioned above. Asa, who impaired this and prevented the Torah scholars from halachos, therefore became ill in his feet.

4. When one merits the aspect of hodaa, halacha, through this, the light of truth is revealed and shines in speech. For initially, when the blood floods the heart, it is the aspect of impairing truth, in the aspect of (Proverbs 29:12): “Men of blood hate the upright”. But afterward, when one emerges from distress, which is the aspect of hodaa, halacha, then truth shines, in the aspect of (Micah 7:20): “You will give truth to Jacob, chesed to Abraham”. “Chesed to Abraham” is the aspect of halachos, as mentioned above. Through this, truth shines and perfects speech, for the essence of the perfection of speech is through truth, for truth endures (Shabbat 104a). Even a lie has no endurance except through truth (as Rashi explains, Numbers 13:27, on the verse “And also it flows with milk and honey”, see Introduction to Zohar, 4b-5a). Thus, the essence of the endurance and perfection of speech is through truth, which shines in speech through the three names, in the aspect of (Psalms 50:1): “El, Elohim, Hashem has spoken”. For these three names are the source of truth, and through them, truth shines in speech, meaning in the square of speech, the aspect of the four parts of speech. For there is a square of speech, and therefore, when Israel was in exile, and speech was in exile (see Zohar, Va’eira 25b), it is said of Moses (Exodus 4:10): “I am not a man of words, neither from yesterday, nor from the day before, nor from when You spoke”. This is the aspect of the square of speech, the four parts of speech. (Isaiah 63:9): “Speaking in righteousness”—this is the aspect of the advantage that man has over an animal, which is speech, the defining trait of man, the aspect of righteousness, which benefits creatures with chesed. This is the defining trait of man, whose way is to perform chesed, unlike an animal, as it is said: “What I did with him today…just as there it is righteousness, so here it is righteousness” (Introduction to Zohar, 13b). Through righteousness, one is called a man, for the righteousness from which speech comes is the defining trait of man, as mentioned above. “I am not a man of words”—this is the speech of righteousness, the aspect of (Psalms 112:5): “Good is the man who is gracious and lends, he sustains his words”, meaning acts of chesed and righteousness. There is also the speech of repentance, the aspect of (Hosea 14:3): “Take words with you and return to Hashem”. Also, “from yesterday,” the aspect of the speech of repentance, as it is written (Psalms 90:4): “And You said, ‘Return, sons of man,’ for a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday”. There is also the speech of wealth, meaning the wealthy who are close to the kingdom, in the aspect of (Genesis 40:13): “Three branches”, which our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded (Chullin 92a): “Three proud princes,” meaning the wealthy close to the kingdom (as Rashi explains there), who have the aspect of speech, in the aspect of (Proverbs 22:7): “The charm of his lips is his friend, the king”, meaning the speech of those close to the kingdom. Also, “from the day before,” the aspect of the three branches mentioned above, meaning the speech of the wealthy close to the kingdom. There is also the speech of kingdom, the aspect of the kingdom of the mouth (P’tach Eliyahu), the aspect of: “from when You spoke,” the aspect of (Psalms 93:2): “Your throne is established from of old”. Truth shines in the square of speech mentioned above through the three names mentioned above: El, Elohim, Hashem, which are the aspects of prayer, Torah, and matchmaking. El is the aspect of prayer, for El is named for strength, as He is mighty and capable, and through prayer, Israel is called by the name El, in the aspect of (Megillah 18a): “From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob El? As it is said: ‘And He called him El’”. For through prayer, so to speak, we take the strength from Him, blessed be He, for we nullify His decrees, so we have the strength, and therefore Israel is called El through prayer, named for strength, as mentioned above. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Jerusalem Talmud, Taanit): “Not a man, El, that He should lie”—He is not a man, but He made the words of El as a lie, for through prayer, His decrees, blessed be He, are nullified, and then Israel is called El. From there, speech shines, in the aspect of (Psalms 145:5): “And they will speak of Your might”, meaning through the strength and might, which is the aspect of El, named for strength, speech shines through truth, for prayer is only through truth, as it is written (Psalms 145:18): “Hashem is near…to all who call Him in truth”. Elohim is the aspect of Torah, as it is written (Exodus 4:16): “And you shall be to him as Elohim”, translated as: “as a master,” and this is: “And he shall be to you as a mouth”, for the aspect of Elohim, the aspect of Torah, shines to the mouth, meaning to speech, for the master teaches the straight path to his students through his Torah, which is the aspect of (Jeremiah 15:19): “If you extract the precious from the worthless, you shall be as My mouth”, the aspect of truth, in the aspect of (Malachi 2:6): “The Torah of truth was in his mouth”. Hashem is the aspect of matchmaking, in the aspect of (Genesis 24:27): “From Hashem the matter came”, the aspect of (Proverbs 19:14): “And from Hashem a prudent wife”, (Genesis 24:50): “Who guided me in the way of truth”. Through this, speech is perfected, for ten measures of speech descended to the world, nine were taken by women, and one by the rest of the world (as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, Kiddushin 49b). As long as there is no connection, speech lacks perfection, but when they are connected, the parts of speech are joined and perfected. Thus, through the three names mentioned above—El, Elohim, Hashem—which are the aspects of prayer, Torah, and matchmaking, speech is perfected through truth, meaning the square of speech, which is perfected through truth, as mentioned above.

5. The perfection of speech is the aspect of lashon hakodesh [the holy tongue], for all the languages of the nations are deficient and lack perfection, for they are called a stammering tongue (Isaiah 32:4). Perfection is only in lashon hakodesh, and lashon hakodesh is connected to Shabbat, in the aspect of (Isaiah 58:13): “And speak a word”—that your speech on Shabbat should not be like your speech on a weekday (Shabbat 113b), in the aspect of (Numbers 6:24): “Thus you shall bless”—in lashon hakodesh (Sotah 38a), for lashon hakodesh includes blessing and holiness. For lashon hakodesh is connected to Shabbat, which is said to have blessing and holiness, as it is written (Genesis 2:3): “And He blessed and sanctified”. Therefore, through lashon hakodesh, which is connected to Shabbat, the joy of Shabbat is drawn to the six weekdays. For the weekdays are the aspect of sadness, and even the commandments performed on the weekdays are the aspect of sadness, for Metatron rules on the weekdays (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 18, page 33b). Metatron is the aspect of a servant, the aspect of sadness. But Shabbat is the aspect of a son, and then there is rest for the upper and lower realms, and joy is aroused. Then all the commandments of the six weekdays are elevated from sadness, and rest and joy are drawn upon them, in the aspect of (Genesis 5:29): “And he begot a son and called his name Noah, saying, ‘This one will comfort us from our work and from the toil of our hands’”. This is the aspect of Shabbat, which is the aspect of a son, the aspect of Noah, the rest of the upper and lower realms (see Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 70, end, and Zohar, Genesis 58-59), which comforts and brings joy to all from sadness, in the aspect of: “This one will comfort us”. When one merits the aspect of lashon hakodesh, which is connected to Shabbat, then through it, the holiness and joy of Shabbat are drawn to the six weekdays. Because lashon hakodesh is connected to Shabbat, the joy of Shabbat is drawn to the six weekdays through it. “El, Elohim, Hashem has spoken”—with the letters, it numerically equals simcha [joy], for through the perfection of speech, which is lashon hakodesh, joy is drawn, as mentioned above.

6. Through drawing the holiness of Shabbat to the six weekdays, the simple unity of Hashem, blessed be He, is revealed. For during the six weekdays, there are varied actions, as each day a different action was created, corresponding to human intellect, to understand in human intellect that varied actions are drawn from the simple One, blessed be He, and exalted. For in human intellect, it is impossible to understand this except through Shabbat, which we merit, as Hashem, blessed be He, gave us a great gift, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Shabbat 10b): “A good gift I have in My treasury, and its name is Shabbat”. Through this, the simple unity is revealed, for Shabbat indicates the faith in the unity, that we believe all varied actions are drawn from the simple One, blessed be He, who created everything in the six weekdays and rested on Shabbat. Thus, through Shabbat, the simple unity of Hashem, blessed be He, is revealed. The revelation of the simple unity is very precious, even to Him, blessed be He, as we find: “An individual and the majority, the halacha follows the majority” (Berachot 9a, 37a). For because they are the majority, each with a different opinion, the aspect of varied actions, when they agree on one opinion, the aspect of varied actions becomes the aspect of simple unity, which is very precious in His eyes, blessed be He. Therefore, the halacha follows them, and also to avoid increasing disputes in Israel, for otherwise, each individual would say according to his opinion, and there would be no end to the matter, and disputes would increase in Israel (see Bava Metzia 59b), which is not His will, blessed be He, for His will is only the aspect of simple unity. For when the aspect of simple unity is revealed below, the simple unity of Hashem, blessed be He, is also revealed above, in the aspect of: “You are One, and Your name is One, and who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the land”. Through the unity revealed in Israel below, His simple unity, blessed be He, is revealed above. This is the aspect of the incident of Rabbi Eliezer the Great with the oven of Achnai (Bava Metzia 59b), for the halacha follows him in every place (ibid.). He wished to show that he merited the perfection of the square of speech, which is achieved through halachos, as mentioned above. Therefore, he said, “The carob tree shall prove it, the water channel shall prove it, the walls of the study hall shall prove it, the heavenly voice shall prove it,” for these four things are the aspect of the square of speech, meaning the four parts of speech mentioned above. For the tzadikim are mighty in strength, performing His word, as brought in the holy Zohar (Lech Lecha 90a), for they perform and guide with speech as they wish. Therefore, Rabbi Eliezer wished to show that he has the perfection of the square of speech, and thus he can manipulate nature as he wishes through the perfection of his speech. He demonstrated this with four things, which are the aspect of the square of speech. “The carob tree shall prove it”—this is the aspect of the speech of righteousness, for the carob is the aspect of righteousness, as the carob is planted only for future generations, as it is said in the Talmud (Taanit 23a): “I found the world with a carob, just as my fathers planted for me, so I plant for my children.” Thus, the carob is only for future generations, like righteousness, which is for future generations, as Rabbi Chiya said (Shabbat 151b): “When a poor man comes, give him bread first, so that it will be given to your children…for the wheel turns in the world.” “The water channel shall prove it”—this is the aspect of repentance, in the aspect of (Lamentations 2:19): “Pour out your heart like water before the presence of Hashem”. “The walls of the study hall shall prove it”—this is the aspect of the wealthy, who are like a wall that everyone turns to, for “the lovers of the rich are many” (Proverbs 14:20), and everyone turns to the wealthy (Psalms 34:11): “Those who seek Hashem lack no good”, meaning the tzadikim who seek Hashem, from whom all good is drawn. But the tzadikim benefit the world with their merit, not themselves (Chullin 86a), for the tzadikim themselves have nothing, but they draw all good to the world, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said about Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa (ibid.): “The whole world is sustained for the sake of Chanina my son, and Chanina my son suffices with a measure of carobs.” Therefore, the wealthy are called the walls of the study hall, for they are like a wall that everyone turns to through their wealth, and all the good they have is drawn from the aspect of the study hall, meaning the aspect of: “Those who seek Hashem lack no good”, from whom all influences are drawn, as mentioned above. “The heavenly voice shall prove it”—this is the aspect of kingdom, for the voice comes from the six rings of the throat, the aspect of kingdom, in the aspect of (I Kings 10:6): “Six steps to the throne” (see Zohar, Naso 121b, Pinchas 235a, and Tikunay Zohar 22). Thus, Rabbi Eliezer demonstrated with these four things that he has the perfection of the square of speech, meaning the four parts of speech mentioned above. But even so, they did not heed this, for an individual and the majority, the halacha follows the majority, for this is precious in the eyes of Hashem, blessed be He, as this is the aspect of the revelation of the simple unity from the aspect of varied actions, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of Shabbat, as mentioned above. This is what the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “My sons have defeated Me,” meaning the aspect of their being sons has prevailed, for the majority agreeing on one opinion is the aspect of Shabbat, the aspect of a son, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of (Psalms 100:2): “Serve Hashem with joy”, meaning to draw joy to the aspect of a servant, the aspect of Metatron, the aspect of the six weekdays, as mentioned above. “Know that Hashem, He is Elohim”, the aspect of the simple unity, that all changes are one, which is revealed through drawing the joy of Shabbat to the six weekdays, which are the aspect of a servant, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of Chanukah, for the days of Chanukah are days of hodaa, which is the aspect of the shaashua of the World to Come, the aspect of halachos, through which one merits the perfection of speech through the revelation of truth, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of the oil of the Chanukah lamp, in the aspect of (Deuteronomy 33:24): “Your integrity and your light to Your pious one”, for through acts of chesed, meaning the aspect of halachos, the light of truth is revealed, in the aspect of: “Your integrity and your light”. This is the aspect of the oil, which is the aspect of the light of truth, in the aspect of (Psalms 43:3): “Send Your light and Your truth”. It must be placed near the entrance (Shabbat 21b), in the aspect of (Micah 7:5): “The openings of your mouth”, meaning speech, for truth shines in speech, as mentioned above, in the aspect of (Psalms 119:130): “The opening of Your words gives light”. Then the joy of Shabbat is drawn to the six weekdays through lashon hakodesh, which is the perfection of speech. This is the aspect of: Chanukah—חָנוּ כ''ה, the aspect of Shabbat, rest, which is connected to lashon hakodesh, which is the aspect of: “Thus you shall bless” in lashon hakodesh, as mentioned above. The joy of Shabbat shines to the six weekdays, which are also the aspect of Chanukah, the aspect of Enoch, Metatron, servant, whose dominion is in the weekdays, in the aspect of: “This one will comfort us from our work and from the toil of our hands”, the aspect of the joy of Shabbat, which is drawn to the six weekdays, as mentioned above. This is (Genesis 41:1): “And it was at the end of two years of days”—“at the end” is the end, the aspect of halachos, which are the shaashua of the World to Come, which is at the end. This is: “two years of days,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Chagigah 5b): Regarding a certain student who was distressed until Rabbi Yochanan expounded for him: “And Me, day by day they seek”, that one day in a year is considered a year. This is: “two years of days,” the aspect of days considered as years through the study of halachos, in the aspect of: “Day by day they seek”, as mentioned above. [We have not merited to complete the explanation of the verse according to the above teaching.]

When the heart is in distress, the lung is also in distress, for the lung sustains the body, as the lung sustains the white moisture and draws moisture to the body. For the body has movements that dry it, as movements dry, and therefore the essence of sustenance is through the lung, which draws moisture. When the heart is in distress, when the blood rises and floods the heart, and the heart beats with great palpitations, then the lung breathes with great breaths, and then the lung dries, and through this, the body dries, Heaven forbid. Oil is a remedy for the lung, as the world says, for oil moistens. This is the aspect of the oil mentioned above, which is the aspect of rectifying distress, as mentioned above. Initially, when the tzadik is in pain and distress, many souls in this world and the World to Come mourn and grieve over his pain, and also the Shechinah mourns, for even over the blood of the wicked, the Shechinah mourns, how much more so over the blood of the tzadikim, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sanhedrin 46a). But when he merits healing, then all are comforted, and joy is drawn to all, in the aspect of (Isaiah 57:18): “And I will heal him and grant him comforts, to him and to his mourners”. Through his healing, comfort is drawn to all the mourners mentioned above, meaning joy, as mentioned above. Know that the psalm for hodaa is a segula [propitious remedy] for a woman in difficult labor, meaning to recite it. “A psalm for hodaa” forms an acronym: מִזְמוֹר לְתוֹדָה—מל, the aspect of the seventy cries of the woman in labor who cries before giving birth, as brought (Zohar, Pinchas 249b). This psalm has 168 letters, and 168 is chesed in the Atbash cipher, for through chesed, the aspect of halachos, childbirth is easy, as mentioned above. There are 43 words in this psalm, for difficult labor is due to a husk that says: “Cut it, neither for me nor for you” (I Kings 3:26), for it does not want it to emerge into the air of the world. Against this, there are 43 words in this psalm, corresponding to the aspect of “neither” mentioned above, for this psalm is a segula for a woman in difficult labor, as mentioned above.