Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 1

Likutay Moharan 1:1

תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֶּסֶא לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ
Blow the shofar in the beginning of the month, when the moon is concealed, for the day of our festival (Psalms 81:4).

1. For the man of Israel was created so that he would have memshalah [dominion] over the angels (see Tikunay Zohar, page 137). And this is the tachlis [ultimate purpose] and the end of Israel, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat, chapter 2): The tzadikim [righteous] are destined to have their dwelling place inward of the ministering angels, as it is said: “At that time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, ‘What has G-d wrought?’” (Numbers 23:23). The angels will need to ask Israel when they wish to know what G-d has wrought. And every individual must strive to reach this tachlis, to have memshalah over the angels. However, one must guard himself exceedingly and ensure that he has the strength to stand in this memshalah, so that the ministering angels do not become jealous of him and cause him to fall, Heaven forbid (see Zohar, Song of Songs, on the verse “I am black but comely”). For the angels are exceedingly jealous of such a person who has memshalah over them, as we find that our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Chagigah 15b) regarding several great ones, that the ministering angels sought to push them away.

2. And the advice for this is to bind oneself with the neshamos [souls] of Israel. Through this hiskashrus [binding], one is saved from them (Job 26:2): “He grasps the face of the throne”—one must grasp himself to the shorshay haneshamah [roots of the souls], which are hewn from beneath the Throne of Glory, which is the aspect of (Genesis 3:20): “The mother of all living” (see Rashi, Chayei Sarah, page 125b). This is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Shabbat 88b): When Moses ascended on high, the ministering angels said, “What is one born of woman doing among us?” He said to them, “I have come to receive the Torah.” They said, “You set Your splendor above the heavens!” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Return to them an answer.” He said, “I am afraid they will burn me with the breath of their mouths.” He said to him, “Grasp My Throne of Glory.” This means that Hashem, blessed be He, gave him advice to grasp and bind himself to the shorshay haneshamah, which are the aspect of the Throne of Glory, the mother of all living, as mentioned above. Through this, he is saved from the jealousy of the angels, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of (Genesis 2:22): “And Hashem G-d built the tzela [rib/side] that He took from the man”. The word וַיִּבֵן ([root: בנה—build]) forms an acronym: ותְקַעְתִּיו יָתֵד בְּמָקוֹם נֶאֱמָן—“And I will drive him as a peg in a steadfast place” (Isaiah 22:23), which is the aspect of memshalah, as Yonatan translates this verse: “And I will appoint him a faithful steward, serving in an enduring place,” meaning the aspect of memshalah, which has endurance, as mentioned above. The tzela, which is the aspect of Chavah, the mother of all living, the aspect of the Throne of Glory, the shorshay haneshamah, as mentioned above, through which one has the strength to stand in this memshalah. “That He took from the man” refers to the supernal Man, as it is written (Ezekiel 1:26): “And upon the throne was the likeness of the appearance of a man”. “And He brought her to the man” refers to the lower man, through which the lower man has the strength to stand in this memshalah. This is what Rav Amram Chasida said to the angel (Kiddushin 81a): “I am flesh, and you are fire, yet I am greater than you.” The word בִּשְׂרָא ([root: בשר—flesh]) forms an acronym: שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא בְּכָרֵס אֶחָד—“Sixty myriads in one womb” (Midrash Rabbah, Song of Songs, on the verse “Behold, you are fair,” and Tikunay Zohar 21). This is the aspect of the shorshay haneshamah, through which he has the strength to have memshalah over the angels, in the aspect of: “I am greater than you,” as mentioned above.

3. To bind oneself to the shorshay haneshamah of Israel, one must know the source of all the neshamos and the source of their vitality, from where each soul and soul receives its vitality. The primary thing is to know all the mefursamim [renowned ones] of the generation and to bind oneself specifically with each soul and soul. One must bind oneself with all the mefursamim and leaders of the generation, for the neshamos are divided under them. Each renowned one and leader of the generation has several specific souls that pertain to his portion. When one binds himself with the mefursamim, he is connected with all the specific souls of Israel. However, one must know and recognize the mefursamim, for there are many mefursamim who are false, achieving their status only through azus [audacity], as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sanhedrin 105b): “Audacity is kingship without a crown.”

4. To recognize the mefursamim, which ones are through azus, is through the building of Jerusalem, which is the aspect of the heart (see Tikunay Zohar 21, page 49). For Jerusalem is the aspect of complete fear (Midrash Rabbah, Vayeira, parsha 56, and see Midrash Rabbah, Numbers, parsha 2, on the verse “Comely as Jerusalem”), meaning the perfection of fear, which depends on the heart, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Kiddushin 32b): “A matter entrusted to the heart is said, ‘And you shall fear.’” However, there are three traits that destroy Jerusalem, that is, the heart, meaning they impair the fear that depends on the heart. These three traits are: the desire for wealth, the desire for eating, and the desire for licentiousness ([na’uf]). For these three traits are in the heart, and therefore they impair the fear in the heart. Wealth has its root in the heart, in the aspect of (Proverbs 10:22): “The blessing of Hashem, it enriches, and no sorrow is added with it”, in the aspect of (Genesis 6:6): “And He was grieved in His heart”. Eating is in the aspect of (Psalms 104:15): “And bread strengthens the heart of man”. The desire for licentiousness is also in the heart, for the primary desire comes through the heat that comes from the blood in the chamber of the heart. Because they are in the heart, they impair the fear in the heart, which is the aspect of Jerusalem. This is the meaning of (Berachot 3b): “The night has three watches”—night is the aspect of darkness, meaning hindrances, and they are the aspect of three watches, meaning the three traits mentioned above. This is: In the first watch, a donkey brays, the aspect of the desire for wealth, in the aspect of (Genesis 49:14): “Issachar is a strong donkey”, and its translation: “Rich in possessions.” In the second watch, dogs howl, the aspect of the desire for eating, as it is written (Isaiah 56:11): “And the dogs are greedy, they know not satiety”. In the third watch, a baby suckles from its mother’s breasts, and a woman converses with her husband, the aspect of licentiousness, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Ketubot 13b): “They saw her conversing.” This is “a baby suckles from its mother’s breasts,” for this desire is according to the suckling. If the baby suckles from the milk of an impudent woman, then this desire grows strong in him, for the blood becomes turbid and turns into milk (Bechorot 6b). Therefore, when she is impudent, it harms the baby, as the milk made from her turbid blood causes heat in his heart, which is the strengthening of this desire. Conversely, when he suckles the milk of a proper woman, his heart is hollow within him, and he has no heat except the minimal amount necessary for the commandments of the Creator, blessed be His name. This is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Avodah Zarah 4b): David was not worthy of that act, as it is said (Psalms 109:22): “And my heart is hollow within me”. The phrase וְלִבִּי חָלַל בְּקִרְבִּי forms an acronym: חָלָב—milk, meaning through proper milk, his heart is hollow within him, and this desire does not grow strong in him. Therefore, David, who was in this aspect, was not worthy of that act. Conversely, the milk of an impudent woman produces much heat, in the aspect of (Psalms 39:4): “My heart was hot within me”, forming an acronym: חָלָב—milk, as mentioned above. This is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachot 3b): “At each watch, the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and roars like a lion,” meaning over the loss of fear, in the aspect of (Amos 3:8): “A lion has roared, who will not fear?” For these three traits, which are the aspect of the three watches, impair the building of Jerusalem, meaning the perfection of fear that depends on the heart, as mentioned above.

5. To rectify these three traits is through daas [knowledge], for one must draw daas to the heart, in the aspect of (Deuteronomy 4:39): “And you shall know today and bring it to your heart”. One must draw daas to the heart, and through this, the three traits mentioned above are rectified. For daas is the aspect of the three brains in the three cavities of the skull, which are the aspect of the three festivals. For each festival is the aspect of the renewal of the mind, drawing a new intellect to rectify these three traits. At each of the three festivals, one of these three traits is rectified. Therefore, one must be very careful with the honor of the festival day and receive the three festivals properly, for through the commandment of the three festivals, one merits to rectify these three traits. At Passover, the desire for wealth is rectified, as it is written (Exodus 12:36): “And Hashem gave the people favor in the eyes of Egypt, and they lent to them”, against their will (Berachot 9b), for they did not want to at all, as then the desire for wealth was rectified. At Shavuot, the desire for licentiousness is rectified, in the aspect of: Blood becomes turbid and turns into milk (as brought in the kavanot of Sefirat HaOmer and Shavuot, and also in Be’er Heitev, Orach Chaim 494:8). At Sukkot, the desire for eating is rectified, for Sukkot is called “the festival of gathering” (Exodus 23:16), which gathers all kinds of food, and this is the aspect of rectifying the desire for eating, for one who has bread in his basket is not like one who does not (Yoma 74b). This is the aspect of (Numbers 16:15): “The called of the appointed time, men of renown”. “Men of renown” refers to these three traits, for each one is called an aspect of a name: (Exodus 20:24): “In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you”, in the aspect of: “The blessing of Hashem, it enriches”, as mentioned above; (Ruth 4:11): “And make a name in Bethlehem”; (Esther 2:14): “If the king desires her, she is called by name”. Also, the fear in the heart is an aspect of a name, in the aspect of (Deuteronomy 28:58): “To fear this glorious name”. This is the aspect of: “The called of the appointed time, men of renown”, for one must call the appointed times, meaning the three festivals, to rectify these three traits, which are the aspect of men of renown, as mentioned above.

6. Through the building of Jerusalem, meaning the rectification of the perfection of fear in the heart, through this, an angel is created that bestows prophecy to the vessels of prophecy. For prophecy comes from the aspect of the cherubim, in the aspect of (Numbers 7:89): “And he heard the voice from between the two cherubim”. The cherubim are small faces (Sukkah 5b, Zohar, Genesis 18b), and they are influenced by the angel, in the aspect of (Genesis 48:16): “The angel who redeems me from all evil, may he bless the lads”, who are small faces, the aspect of cherubim (see Zohar, Vayechi 228, and Zohar, Balak 187). This angel has its root in fear, for the word מַלְאָך forms an acronym: כִּי אֵין מַחְסוֹר לִירֵאָיו—“For there is no lack to those who fear Him” (Psalms 34:10). Then prophecy is drawn, and even the small ones can prophesy, in the aspect of (Joel 3:1): “Your sons and daughters shall prophesy”.

7. However, one must be very careful of hismanus [seeking appointment], for one who merits fear has a yearning for hismanus. For one who has fear of Heaven, his words are heeded (Berachot 6b). Because his words are heeded, he yearns for hismanus. But he must guard himself exceedingly from hismanus, for hismanus impairs the bestowal of prophecy, the aspect of the angel mentioned above, which is created through fear. This is what Joshua said to Moses when he said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp” (Numbers 11:27): “My lord Moses, restrain them” (Sanhedrin 17a): “Impose upon them the needs of the community, and they will cease.” For the needs of the community, meaning hismanus, consumes and impairs prophecy, as mentioned above, for it is made from the letters מַלְאָך—כְּלָאֵם.

8. Through the bestowal of prophecy, even though there is no one who prophesies, only that there is the aspect of the bestowal of prophecy in the world, through this, prayer is redeemed and saved. For prayer is very exalted, yet people belittle it. When they stand to pray, they desire to discharge the prayer from upon them, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachot 6b): “An outer layer of worthlessness for people”—these are matters that stand at the height of the world, yet people belittle them. Through prophecy, prayer is redeemed from exile, in the aspect of (Genesis 20:7): “For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you”. Through prophecy, prayer is in its perfection, for prayer is the aspect of (Isaiah 57:19): “Creating the speech of the lips”, the aspect of prophecy.

9. When prayer is redeemed and saved, then all the doctors fall, for there is no need for medicines, for all medicines are through herbs, and each herb receives strength from its specific star and constellation, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Midrash Rabbah, Genesis, parsha 10): There is no herb that does not have a star and constellation that strikes it and says, “Grow.” Each star and constellation receives strength from the stars above it, and the higher from the higher above it, until they receive strength from the supernal princes, as it is said (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 44, page 79b): “All the stars borrow one from another, the moon borrows from the sun”, and “For one higher than the high watches” (Ecclesiastes 5:7). They are all in the aspect of borrowing one from another until they receive and borrow from the supernal princes, and the princes receive from those higher than them, higher than high, until they all receive from the root of all, which is the word of Hashem, as it is written (Psalms 33:6): “By the word of Hashem the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host”. Therefore, when one merits prayer, there is no need for the medicine of herbs, for prayer is the aspect of the word of Hashem, which is the root of all. This is the aspect of נָבִיא [prophet], forming an acronym: בִּדְבַר יְיָ שָׁמַיִם נַעֲשׂוּ—“By the word of Hashem the heavens were made.” The letter א is the firmament that separates between waters and waters (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 5 and 40) [Explanation: Therefore, the word שָׁמַיִם takes the place of the א in the word נָבִיא, for the א is the firmament, as mentioned above]. For through prophecy, one merits prayer, which is the aspect of the word of Hashem, as mentioned above (Psalms 107:20): “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their pits”. “He sent His word and healed them” means that all medicines are received only through the word of Hashem, meaning prayer. Then, “and delivered them from their pits,” meaning herbs, in the aspect of (Menachot 71a): “One who reaps for destruction.” For there is no need for the medicine of herbs, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of (Exodus 23:25): “And you shall serve Hashem your G-d, and He will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from your midst”. “And you shall serve Hashem”—service is prayer (Bava Kama 92b). Then, “and He will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness,” meaning there will be healing through bread and water, through their being blessed from the root of all, meaning the word of Hashem, the aspect of prayer. Bread and water will have the power to heal like herbs, for the division of powers—that this herb has the power to heal this sickness and that herb another sickness—is only below. But above, at the root of all, meaning the word of Hashem, all is one, and there is no distinction between bread and water and herbs. When one grasps the root, meaning the word of Hashem, the aspect of prayer, one can draw the powers of healing into bread and water, and there will be healing through bread and water, in the aspect of: “And He will bless your bread…and I will remove sickness”, as mentioned above.

10. However, there are three services that impair the service of prayer, and they are the three traits: a) “Do not despise any person” (Pirkei Avot, chapter 4), meaning not to scorn anyone; b) idolatry, and even the impairment of faith, where faith is not complete, is also the aspect of idolatry; c) guarding the bris [sexual purity], meaning one who does not guard the bris properly. For these three traits are the aspect of services of the other side, and they impair the service of prayer. Scorning people is the aspect of service, as we find with Joseph’s brothers, who scorned him and did not believe he would become king; through this, they fell into the aspect of servitude and said to him: “Behold, we are your servants” (Genesis 50:18). Idolatry—as it is written (Exodus 20:2): “I am Hashem your G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves”, for the land of Egypt was full of idols and idolatry, and therefore it is called the house of slaves, the aspect of servitude mentioned above (see Mechilta, parsha Yitro). Guarding the bris—one who impairs it is also in the aspect of servitude, in the aspect of Ham, about whom it is said (Genesis 9:25): “Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers”. One must depart from these three services, meaning these three traits, and then one merits the service of prayer. Then one can be healed through anything in the world, even through bread and water, as mentioned above. This is the meaning of (Pesachim 25a): “With everything one can be healed”, meaning with anything in the world one can be healed, provided it is except for idolatry, licentiousness, and bloodshed, meaning these three traits, which are the aspect of the three services mentioned above. When one departs from these three traits, then: “With everything one can be healed”, even with bread and water, as mentioned above. For when one is outside these three services and merits the service of prayer, then one can be healed with anything in the world, as mentioned above.

11. Know that there is a distinction between sicknesses, for there is a sickness in the aspect of growing, like sowing a seed in the ground, which rots, and from it emerges a sprout, and it becomes tendrils, and they add one to another until the root is formed, and from it emerge branches, and from these branches other branches, until the fruit grows. Similarly, there is a sickness that grows in a person for many years, and there is a sickness that comes to a person by inheritance from his father and mother and is not revealed until his old age. During the growth and development of the sickness, the sickness is hidden and concealed from the eyes of all living, and no person knows of it, except that there are sensations that arise in the person then, during the growth of the sickness, which are signs of the sickness. Similarly, in the healing of herbs, there are distinctions: there is a sickness that can be healed with one herb, and there is a greater sickness that requires compounded medicines, combining several herbs for healing. There is a sickness that requires medicines from afar to heal it, and there is a sickness for which no medicine avails, for the power of the sickness is greater than the power of the herbs. At the beginning of the growth of the sickness, before it has grown and been revealed, it could have been healed easily, but then it was hidden and concealed from all eyes, and no one knows of it except Hashem, blessed be He, alone. But when one grasps the aspect of the word of Hashem, the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above, when one receives healing from all things in the world, even from bread and water, in the aspect of: “With everything one can be healed”, as mentioned above, then one can be healed even during the growth of the sickness, when it is hidden from human eyes, since no medicines are needed at all, only healing through bread and water, as mentioned above. Therefore, even then, meaning when the sickness has not yet been revealed, one can also be healed through bread and water that he eats then. This is the aspect of (Exodus 15:26): “All the sickness that I placed in Egypt, I will not place upon you, for I am Hashem your healer”. The commentators ask: If He does not place it, what need is there for healing? (see Sanhedrin 101a). But according to the above, it is well resolved: “All the sickness…I will not place upon you” means that He will not bring you to sickness at all, for He will heal you beforehand, during the growth of the sickness. This is: “For I am Hashem your healer”—I, Hashem, specifically, meaning during the growth of the sickness, when no one knows of it except I, Hashem, then I will heal you through the aspect of the word of Hashem, the aspect of prayer, and you will not come to sickness at all, for you will be healed beforehand during its growth, as mentioned above. All this depends on the rectification of prayer, as mentioned above. The rectification of prayer is through departing from the three services mentioned above. This is the aspect of (Exodus 15:26): “And He said, ‘If you will surely listen…and do what is right in His eyes, and heed His commandments, and keep all His statutes’”. This is the aspect of rectifying the three services mentioned above. “And do what is right in His eyes” is the opposite of scorning people, for when one scorns people, it is said (Job 33:6): “I am upright before people, and I said, ‘I have sinned, and I have perverted what is right’”, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Yoma 87a). “And heed His commandments” is the aspect of rectifying the bris, in the aspect of (Genesis 21:4): “And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son at eight days, as G-d commanded him”. “And keep all His statutes” is the aspect of rectifying faith, the opposite of idolatry and impaired faith, about which it is said (Jeremiah 10:5): “The statutes of the nations are vanity”. Then: “All the sickness…I will not place upon you, for I am Hashem your healer”, for then prayer is in its perfection, and one can be healed through the word of Hashem with anything in the world, even when the sickness is born and grows, such as when one does not merit to be healed beforehand. Then, too, one can be healed through the aspect of the word of Hashem, even from a complete sickness, in the aspect of: “And He will bless your bread…and I will remove sickness from your midst”, meaning a complete sickness. For through the word of Hashem, one can be healed forever with anything in the world, as mentioned above, even before the sickness is revealed, as mentioned above, in the aspect of: “With everything one can be healed”, as mentioned above.

12. This is the aspect of the shining of Mashiach [Messiah]. For all things are distinguished one from another by appearance, taste, and scent. Therefore, the thing that causes all plants to grow is called מָטָר [rain], forming an acronym: מַרְאֶה, טַעַם, רֵיחַ—appearance, taste, scent. The primary thing is the scent, for the soul benefits only from the scent, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachot 43b): “What is it that the soul benefits from and not the body? This is the scent.” The essence of prayer is from the soul, in the aspect of (Psalms 150:6): “Let every soul praise G-d”. Mashiach receives all the prayers, for Mashiach is the aspect of the nose, in the aspect of (Lamentations 4:20): “The breath of our nostrils, the Messiah of Hashem”, who receives all the scents, which are the aspect of the prayers. For the suckling of prayer, which is from the soul, is from the scent, as mentioned above (Isaiah 48:9): “And My praise I will restrain for you”, the aspect of the nose, as mentioned above. Therefore, he is called Mashiach, for he suckles and receives from the conversation of the field (see Zohar, Genesis 25), meaning all the scents that come into the prayer, which is the aspect of the nose, in the aspect of: “And My praise I will restrain”, and Mashiach receives them, in the aspect of: “The breath of our nostrils, the Messiah of Hashem”, as mentioned above.

13. This is the aspect of bearing favor, in the aspect of (Esther 2:15): “And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her”, for each one thought she was of his nation (Megillah 13a). For this master of prayer is in the aspect of the word of Hashem, which is the supernal root, from which all the powers and all the hosts of heaven receive. Therefore, all the hosts of heaven and all the supernal princes, each one thinks he is of his nation, meaning he bears favor in their eyes, and each one thinks he is engaged with him alone, for they all receive from him. Then he can recognize the mefursamim who are through azus, for their audacity falls before him. For when one merits prayer, which is the aspect of the word of Hashem, the supernal root, from which all the supernal princes and all the hosts of heaven receive their power, then they are all in the aspect of borrowers from him, in the aspect of: “All the stars borrow one from another”, as mentioned above. Thus, they are all in the aspect of borrowers until the supernal root, which is the word of Hashem, the aspect of the master of prayer, who is the great lender, for all the hosts of heaven and all the powers are in the aspect of borrowers from him, in the aspect of (Nehemiah 9:6): “And the host of heaven bows to You”. The phrase וּצְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם לְך מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים forms an acronym: מַלְוֶה—lender, for they are all in the aspect of borrowers one from another until the great lender, who is the aspect of the master of prayer, who is the great lender, for he is in the aspect of the supernal root, which is the word of Hashem, as mentioned above. Therefore, he can recognize the mefursamim who are only through azus, for no one is audacious before his creditor (Bava Metzia 3a). Therefore, their audacity falls before the master of prayer, who is the great lender, for they are all in the aspect of borrowers from him, as mentioned above (Exodus 33:23): “For you have found favor in My eyes, and I know you by name”. Through the aspect of bearing favor, which is the aspect of: “And the host of heaven bows to You”, for they all receive and borrow from him, through this he bears favor in their eyes, in the aspect of: each one thinks he is of his nation, as mentioned above. Through this: “And I know you by name”, meaning you can know and recognize all the mefursamim, those with a name, for one who is renowned and has a name through azus falls before him, as mentioned above. Also, “And I know you by name” is the aspect of the souls, in the aspect of (Genesis 2:7): “A living soul, that is his name”. For through the mefursamim, he is connected with all the souls, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of: “He grasps the face of the throne”, meaning the binding to the shorshay haneshamah, which are the aspect of the Throne of Glory, as mentioned above.

14. Then one can make Rosh Hashanah, for when a person sits to speak about his fellow, this is the aspect of Rosh Hashanah, which is the day of judgment, when he sits and judges his fellow. One must be very careful of this and examine himself well, whether he is worthy to judge his fellow, for “The judgment is G-d’s” (Deuteronomy 1:17). For only He, blessed be He, alone is worthy to judge a person, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Pirkei Avot, chapter 2): “Do not judge your fellow until you reach his place.” And who can know and reach the place of his fellow except Hashem, blessed be He, who is the place of the world, and the world is not His place (Genesis Rabbah, Vayetze, parsha 68, brought in Rashi, Exodus, parsha Tisa, on the verse “Behold, a place with Me”). Each one has his place with Him, blessed be He, and therefore He alone, blessed be He, can judge a person, for He, blessed be He, is the Master of mercy. Certainly, He fulfills for us: “Judge every person favorably” (Pirkei Avot, chapter 1). We see His mercy in that He established for us Rosh Hashanah, which is the day of judgment, on Rosh Chodesh, for this is a great kindness. For how could we raise our faces to seek atonement from Him, blessed be He? Therefore, He did us a kindness and established the day of judgment, Rosh Hashanah, on Rosh Chodesh, when, so to speak, He, blessed be He, Himself seeks atonement, in the aspect of: “Bring atonement upon Me”, as said on Rosh Chodesh (as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, Chullin 60b, Shavuot 9a). Therefore, we are not ashamed on the day of judgment to seek atonement, since He, blessed be He, Himself seeks atonement then, as mentioned above. Also, through Hashem, blessed be He, Himself, so to speak, coming to the point of needing to say: “Bring atonement upon Me”, meaning He did something that required Him to regret and say: “Bring atonement upon Me”. Therefore, we are not ashamed to come before Him with our sins to seek atonement for them and regret them, for He, blessed be He, also did something that required Him to regret, as mentioned above. Thus, we see the greatness of His mercy. Therefore, He alone, blessed be He, is worthy to judge the world, for He, blessed be He, knows the place of each one, for all places are with Him, blessed be He, for He is the place of the world, and the world is not His place, as mentioned above. For even though we find places where the Divine Presence rested, such as in the Temple, the intention is not, Heaven forbid, that His divinity, blessed be He, is confined there, Heaven forbid, as Solomon said (I Kings 8:27): “Behold, the heavens and the heavens of heavens cannot contain You, how much less this house”. But because there were pleasant things there, for in the Temple there was the image of the work of creation and the image of the Garden of Eden (see Introduction to Tikunay Zohar), therefore He drew His holiness there, blessed be He. But He, blessed be He, Himself—the world is not His place, but He is the place of the world. Therefore, He, blessed be He, can make Rosh Hashanah, which is the day of judgment, for He fulfills: “Do not judge your fellow until you reach his place”, for He is the place of the world, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of (Psalms 93:2): “Holiness befits Your house, Hashem, for length of days”, meaning that Hashem, blessed be He, drew only His holiness to the Temple because there were pleasant things there. But He, blessed be He, Himself—the world is not His place, but He is the place of the world. Therefore: “Hashem, for length of days”, meaning He, blessed be He, can make Rosh Hashanah, which is a long day, as mentioned above (see Beitzah 4b and 6a, and Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 593). One who grasps the aspect of the Throne of Glory, the aspect of the shorshay haneshamah, is also in the aspect of the place of the world, in the aspect of (I Samuel 2:8): “And He will cause them to inherit the Throne of Glory, for to Hashem are the pillars of the earth, and He has set the world upon them”. Through the aspect of the Throne of Glory, the shorshay haneshamah, through this he is the place of the world, in the aspect of: “And He has set the world upon them”. Therefore, he can make Rosh Hashanah, as mentioned above. This is the meaning of: “Blow the shofar in the month”—this is the aspect of the memshalah mentioned above, in the aspect of: “And I will drive him as a peg in a steadfast place”, as mentioned above. “In the month” is the aspect of the renewal of the mind in the three festivals, in the aspect of (Psalms 104:19): “He made the moon for the appointed times”, for all the appointed times and festivals are through the renewal of the moon. “Shofar” is the aspect of the heart, which is nourished from the beauty of beauty (Zohar, Pinchas 247a, 261a, and see Tikunay Zohar 21, page 49). Also, shofar is the aspect of fear, in the aspect of (Amos 3:6): “Is a shofar blown in a city, and the people are not afraid?” (Isaiah 58:1): “Raise your voice like a shofar”. Also, shofar is the aspect of prayer, in the aspect of (Psalms 118:5): “From the straits I called to G-d”, the aspect of the straits of the shofar and the expanse of the shofar. It is also the aspect of the conversation of the field, which returns its power into the prayer, in the aspect of: “And Isaac went out to converse in the field”, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of shofar, in the aspect of (Joshua 6:5): “When they prolong the blast of the horn of the jubilee”, forming an acronym: וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה—“And Isaac went out to converse in the field,” as mentioned above. Through all these aspects, “when the moon is concealed (kesse - same Hebrew letters as, Keesay - throne) for the day of our festival”—this is Rosh Hashanah, for through this one can make Rosh Hashanah, as mentioned above.

Regarding the matter of prophecy mentioned above, there is a difficulty, for the angel that bestows prophecy, meaning the aspect of “The angel who redeems”, as mentioned above, is below the aspect of the place of prophecy, for this angel is the aspect of the Shechinah, as brought, and it is in the aspect of below Netzach and Hod, from where prophecy comes. But there are matters within matters, meaning when it ascends above them, then it specifically bestows prophecy. However, we are not dealing with this now.