Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 32

Likutay Moharan II, Torah 32: There Are Hidden Tzadikim

There are hidden tzadikim [righteous ones], and they know panim [faces/insights] in the Torah, but they must conceal their Torah. And as they relate a story about the Baal Shem Tov with the preacher. And also with him, there are times when he knows a Torah that has panim, that is, panim in the Torah, and he must conceal it and not say it. And sometimes he does not write it at all, and sometimes he writes it and afterward burns it. And in truth, if it were written, it would become a sefer [book] and would come into the world. And also, there are in them shemos [names], the aspect of Shmi [My Name] that is written in holiness, but the world spoils this, and it must be concealed and burned. But it is a benefit to the world that these Torahs and sfarim [books] are concealed and burned. For there are also many sfarim that were already made into sfarim and were erased and lost from the world. For certainly, the great tzadikim, the early Tannaim and Amoraim and the like, made many sfarim, but they were lost. But this is a benefit to the world, for if this were not so, it would not be possible for us at all to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He. For there are many heretical sfarim that, if they were, heaven forbid, spread in the world, it would not be possible at all to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He. For Yeravam ben Nevat, who made two golden calves and said: “Behold your gods, Israel” (1 Kings 12:28), and led all Israel astray after them—could it enter the mind that he led a great nation astray with such foolishness to worship calves? But certainly, there were in this very, very great wisdoms of heresy. And if, heaven forbid, even one page of these sfarim were found now, heaven forbid, they would distance greatly from Hashem, blessed be He, and it would not be possible to draw close to Him, blessed be He, at all. And therefore, it is a benefit that the holy sfarim mentioned above are concealed and burned. For the sefer is the aspect of Shem Hashem [Name of Hashem], in the aspect of: “A tower of strength is Shem Hashem, in it the tzadik runs and is exalted” (Proverbs 18:10; Bereshis Rabbah 37). Shem Hashem is a sefer, for sefer in number is Shem, as brought, for the sefer is the aspect of Shmi that is written in holiness and is spread in the world and makes a name.

And know that every single one must guard the aspect of Moshiach [Messiah] that one has. For every one, according to one’s holiness and purity, so one has an aspect of Moshiach. And one must guard very much that the aspect of Moshiach not be spoiled. And the main matter on which the aspects of Moshiach depend is guarding from niuf [licentiousness]. For Moshiach is the aspect of chotem [nose], in the aspect of: “The breath of our nostrils, Moshiach Hashem” (Lamentations 4:20). And niuf depends on the chotem, as it is written: “You shall not commit niuf” (Exodus 20:14). And it is stated in the Midrash (Rabbah, Naso, Parsha 10): “Do not derive pleasure from the nose”. And one must guard oneself very much even from the scent of niuf, for it damages the aspect of Moshiach, which is the aspect of chotem, as mentioned above. And the aspect of Moshiach rests upon the anpei oraisa [faces of the Torah], that is, the holy sfarim that reveal the panim of the Torah, and there the spirit of Moshiach hovers, in the aspect of: “And the spirit of G-d hovers over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The spirit of G-d is the spirit of Moshiach (Zohar, Vayechi 240), which hovers over the face of the waters, and water is the Torah, as brought (Taanis 4; Bava Kamma 17). And know that the aspect of “The breath of our nostrils, Moshiach Hashem” becomes a spirit of kinah [jealousy] that goes and is jealous in every place where it finds niuf. It becomes a spirit of kinah and is jealous for this to increase its holiness and purity. And sometimes “He is jealous, and she is defiled, or a spirit of kinah comes over him… and she is not defiled” (Numbers 5:14). For to increase the essence of its holiness and purity, even though she is not defiled, he is jealous for the mere contradiction, for it is considered a blemish against the essence of the purity of the spirit of kinah. And through this, sometimes a get [divorce document] is made. And therefore, the get is called “A sefer kerisus [book of severance]” (Deuteronomy 24:1), for it is made through the sefer, where the spirit of Moshiach, which is the spirit of kinah, rests, as mentioned above. Or he makes her drink bitter waters, and then it is checked whether she is defiled, and so forth. And if not, then on the contrary: “She shall be cleared and shall conceive seed”. And know that there is a lower yichuda [unification] in this world that is in great kashrus [fitness] in holiness and purity to such an extent that the upper yichuda depends on it. For the couple, that is, the man and the woman, are so kasher [fit] that she is very kasher, and there is no trace of defect in her, and he is also very kasher, and their zivug is in such kashrus and holiness that the upper yichuda depends on it. For a man and a woman, if they merit, the Shechinah [Divine Presence] dwells between them, as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded (Sotah 17), for there is in him a י [yud] and in her a ה [hei], which is the upper yichuda. And this zivug and lower yichuda is very, very precious, for in this world a lower yichuda is made in such holiness that the upper yichuda depends on it. And behold, the spirit of kinah, which is the aspect of the spirit of Moshiach, as mentioned above, which is jealous for niuf, what does it do here, since they are very holy and pure? But know that here the spirit of kinah comes for the sake of ahavah [love] (Zohar, Vayechi 245): “All love that has no kinah with it is not true love, as it is written: ‘For love is as strong as death, kinah is as harsh as Sheol’”. For kinah indicates ahavah, for because of the greatness of ahavah, he is jealous for her: “Do not hide”, so that the ahavah not be spoiled, heaven forbid. And this is what the spirit of kinah mentioned above does here for the sake of ahavah, as mentioned above. But since even so, this lower yichuda is in this world, the peace between them can be spoiled, heaven forbid, through the spirit of kinah. For kinah, even though it is for the sake of ahavah, can cause strife, heaven forbid, through being jealous for her, and so forth. And therefore, know that for this reason, the great tzadikim must conceal their Torah, burn it, and cause it to be lost, as mentioned above, so that the spirit of kinah will be removed and not spoil, heaven forbid, the peace of the holy couple mentioned above. For their lower yichuda is very precious, and when the peace between them is spoiled through the spirit of kinah, as mentioned above, it is a very great loss. And therefore, it is necessary that these Torahs and sfarim be lost to remove the spirit of kinah. For the spirit of kinah is the spirit of Moshiach, which rests upon the anpei oraisa, that is, the sfarim, as mentioned above. It is found that when the sfarim are burned and lost, the spirit of kinah, which is the spirit of Moshiach that rests upon the sfarim, is automatically removed, as mentioned above. And this is the secret of “My Name that was written in holiness shall be erased”. For the sefer is the aspect of Shem Hashem, the aspect of Shmi that was written in holiness, as mentioned above. And the Torah said that it shall be erased and lost to bring peace between a man and his wife, that is, the holy couple mentioned above. For the sake of the peace between them, the sfarim that are the aspect of Shmi that was written in holiness are erased and lost, as mentioned above, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Shabbat 116). And if Shmi that was written in holiness, which is the holy sfarim mentioned above, the Torah said shall be erased to bring peace, how much more so the heretical sfarim that cause hatred and contention between Israel, and so forth, that they shall be erased and lost and uprooted from the world, that their memory shall be erased and uprooted from the world. It is found that through the loss of the holy sfarim, a benefit comes that the heretical sfarim are lost and uprooted, and then one can draw close to Him, blessed be He. Amen.