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Laws of Purim
The general principle [of those ma'amarim] is: "The whole earth is filled with His glory" [Yeshayahu 6:3]. And "Eehoo memalay kol almin visovev kol almin vilais asar panoy minay" — [Aramaic:] "He fills all worlds and encompasses all worlds and there is no place empty of Him" [Tikunay Zohar 57a] — and even in the very depths of the klippos one can find Hashem, blessed be He. And whoever subdues his evil inclination [yetzer] — when he then speaks with the nations or observes their deeds — the evil falls and is nullified before him, and the good that had been concealed there is revealed, etc. [see there]. And through this he merits ahavah shebada'as [love that dwells within da'as, above the ordinary middos]. For there are two kinds of love: there is a love that exists within the yamim [days — i.e., the sefirot from Chesed to Yesod], which is the bechinas Chesed — "yoma d'azil im kulhu yomin" — [Aramaic:] "the day that goes together with all the days" [Zohar]. And there is a love that is above the yamim, above all the middos [Divine attributes] — and this is ahavah shebada'as, and it is the bechinas "Oraisa d'Atika Stima'ah da'atida l'isgalya le'asid lavo" — [Aramaic:] "the Torah of the Ancient Hidden One that is destined to be revealed in the time to come" [Zohar]. And every person can taste a taste of the light of ahavah shebada'as by attaching his heart to his da'as, etc. [See all of this there well.] Also see the ma'amar of "V'ayeh haseh la'olah — and where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?" [Likutay Moharan II, §12] — see there well.
~ Section Aleph ~
Behold, the Torah has warned us not to follow the statutes [chukkos] of the idol-worshippers, to distance ourselves from them completely, and not to imitate them, etc. [as is explained in Yoreh De'ah in the Laws of the Statutes of the Idol-Worshippers, see there]. For in truth, although indeed it is truly possible to find G‑dliness [Elokus] even in the languages of the idol-worshippers — since He gives them all life [as is well explained in the aforementioned ma'amar] — nevertheless it is forbidden to enter there, for one can become ensnared there on account of the overwhelming multitude of klippos, which greatly outnumber the good, and the good is concealed there in the utmost concealment. Therefore one can become ensnared among them, G‑d forbid. And the primary warning that the Torah has warned us against is specifically not to walk in their statutes — as it is written: "In their statutes you shall not walk" [Vayikra 18:3]. For "G‑d made this one corresponding to that one" [Koheles 7:14]. And just as in holiness there are two kinds of love — love within the yamim, within which there is the bechinas good days and evil days [as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar], and there is ahavah shebada'as, above the moyach [intellect] and above the middos, and there it is the bechinas all-good, for it is the bechinas Oraisa d'Atika Stima'ah da'atida l'isgalya le'asid lavo, which is entirely good, and there it is above the middos, above the intellect, for it is impossible for us to grasp with our minds the light of this ahavah shebada'as, as stated — so too, correspondingly, on the side of the Sitra Achra there are two bechinos [aspects]. There is the bechina of the klippos and Sitra Achra that exist in the bechina of the yamim — the bechinas evil days, corresponding to the good days — and there, within them, there are various nitzotzos [sparks] from the yamim and middos that have fallen, as is known. And there is yet another bechinas Sitra Achra that is entirely evil and contains no good whatsoever — and no da'as at all — meaning that these are utter foolishness [kesilusas gamur] and complete evil, with no good, no intellect, and no spark of holiness whatsoever. And therefore all their deeds are without any intellect or rationale — not even the rationale of error. For within the bechina of the klipah of the yamim and middos one can find various sparks of holiness, as stated. And therefore there is some rationale and content there, even though it is erroneous — for they invert the words of the living G‑d on account of the overwhelming evil. Nevertheless, in any case there is still some rationale of error and falsehood there. But within the second klipah there is no spark and no rationale whatsoever — for there is no intellect there and no spark — and it is the very root of the Sitra Achra and klipah, for all the Sitra Achra receives from there. And this is the bechinas chukkas ha'amim [the statutes of the nations] — for a chukah [statute] is something that has no rationale whatsoever. And in holiness, the chukkos [statutes] of the holy Torah are the bechinas what is above the intellect — and these are in the bechinas ahavah shebada'as that will be revealed in the future, such as the mitzvah of the Parah Adumah [Red Heifer], of which it is said: "This is the statute of the Torah" [Bamidbar 19:2] — whose secret will not be revealed until the future time. And even Shlomo, peace be upon him, said [Koheles 7:23]: "I said I would become wise, but it is far from me" — regarding this mitzvah. So too on the side of the klipah: the statutes of the nations are the bechina of the second klipah mentioned above, which is below [in the sense of: outside and beneath] the yamim and middos, and in which there is no rationale whatsoever — and therefore they are called chukah. And as we see: their statutes are without any rationale whatsoever, for they are of this bechinas. And this is the bechinas their idol-worship [avodah zarah] — which is open and notorious foolishness [shtuhs nigaleh u'mefursam], and they have no rationale for it whatsoever. And yet they cling to it — for this is the bechina of the second klipah mentioned above, which is entirely evil and contains no intellect and no spark of holiness, as stated. And as is cited in the holy writings [Kisvay Ari] that idol-worship contains no spark of holiness whatsoever — it is the bechinas actual filth [tzo'ah mamash], which is complete waste that contains no good, the bechinas: "Get out — say to it" [Tehillim 118:25, as expounded by the Sages, see there], as is cited. And this is the bechinas: "For all the gods of the peoples are elilim" [Tehillim 96:5] — "elilim" specifically — for elil is a term for something that is nothing, as Rashi explained — for they are utter nothingness with no good whatsoever, and therefore there is no rationale or intellect there. And therefore they are called the statutes of the idol-worshippers, as stated. And whoever associates with idol-worshippers and imitates them, G‑d forbid, can become ensnared in their net until one is caught, G‑d forbid, in the bechina of the second klipah mentioned above — which is the bechina of the statutes of the idol-worshippers — which is entirely evil, G‑d forbid. And when one falls there, G‑d forbid, nothing can support one [ain someich b'yado], G‑d forbid — since there is no spark of holiness there, as stated. And therefore the Torah has warned us to separate from their ways and to distance ourselves from them — and everything is forbidden as chukkas ha'ovdei kochavim [the statutes of the idol-worshippers] — namely, so that one should not become ensnared, G‑d forbid, in the second klipah, which is the bechina of the statutes of the idol-worshippers, where there is no good. And whoever falls there, G‑d forbid, it is difficult to emerge from there — for nothing can support one, since there is no spark and no good there at all.
And this is the bechina of the extraordinary power of the Purim miracle — that Hashem, blessed be He, performed wondrously His kindness with us in those days, and performed for us great miracles and wonders, the like of which had never occurred. For the wicked Haman wished to overpower Israel in the bechinas this second klipah mentioned above — for he made himself into an object of idol-worship, and idol-worship is the bechinas this second klipah, as stated. And therefore he sought to destroy and kill, etc., all the Jews — for there [in that bechinas] is the bechinas utter annihilation [k'layah], since there is no spark of the holiness of Israel there at all, for there is no good there at all, as stated. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said [Megillah 12a]: "Why were the enemies of Israel [a Talmudic euphemism] in that generation deserving of annihilation? Because they bowed to the idol" — namely, idol-worship, which is the bechinas this second klipah — and when one falls there, it is the bechinas utter annihilation and destruction, G‑d forbid, for there is no good there, as stated. And therefore there had never been a time of such distress [eis tzarah] — for none of them [Israel's oppressors throughout history] had ever sought to utterly destroy Israel as did this wicked Haman, may his name be erased. For he is the bechina of the klipah that is utter evil, in which there is no holiness of Israel whatsoever. And therefore he thought in his mind that it would be impossible for Israel to be saved from his hand — for from the second klipah, as stated, it is impossible to escape, since nothing can support one, there being no good there at all, as stated. But in truth and in fact, even this second klipah — which is entirely evil and contains no good — nevertheless certainly receives life-force from Hashem, blessed be He, as it were [kivyachol] — for without Him it would have no life-force at all, and it is inevitable that it too receives life-force from Him, blessed be He, for He, blessed be He, gives life to all. However, it is explained according to the words of Rabbainu, the holy one, of blessed memory, in several places — and particularly in the ma'amar "V'ayeh haseh la'olah — and where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?" [Likutay Moharan II, §12] — that the formidable strength of the klippos and the Sitra Achra receives its life-force from the holiness that is highest of all, above all holiness — that holiness being sealed and concealed in the utmost concealment, the bechinas a ma'amar sasum [a sealed, hidden utterance]. And it is specifically from there that the formidable strength of the Sitra Achra — namely, the bechinas idol-worship — receives its life-force. For because this holiness is in the bechinas being sealed and hidden in the utmost concealment, they therefore receive their life-force specifically from there. [See there.] And therefore even when one falls there, G‑d forbid — though it seems as if there is no way to emerge from there in any manner, G‑d forbid — nevertheless they receive life-force from Him, blessed be He, for He gives life to all. And then, on the contrary — when one merits to return from there and to find G‑dliness there — by coming to know that even there He, blessed be He, is hidden in the utmost hiddenness — then the descent is itself the ultimate ascent. For one thereby comes to the very highest holiness — the holiness that was concealed there, as stated. [See the ma'amar "V'ayeh haseh la'olah", where this matter is well explained — see there.] And this supreme holiness — the bechina of the ma'amar sasum from which they receive life-force — this is the bechinas ahavah shebada'as, which is above the middos and the yamim, which is the bechinas Oraisa d'Atika da'atida l'isgalya le'asid lavo. And this is what Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote in the aforementioned ma'amar "Mi ha'ish hechafetz chaim": that through finding G‑dliness in the very depths of the klippos, one thereby merits ahavah shebada'as. For the depths of the klippos — namely, this second klipah mentioned above, the bechinas idol-worship and chukkas ha'ovdei kochavim — they receive their life-force from the bechina of the hiddenness and concealment of the ahavah shebada'as, which is hidden and concealed in the utmost concealment. And from there they receive life-force, as stated. And therefore the tzaddik who subdues his evil inclination — when he gazes upon this klipah and this idol-worship — then through this specifically he attains the light of ahavah shebada'as, for the hidden light is revealed — that hidden light from which they receive life-force through the greatness of the concealment — and the tzaddik who merits to understand this: the hiddenness and concealment is then revealed to him, and he sees and attains through this specifically the hidden light from which they had been drawing their life-force, as stated. However, for this one requires a very great and awesome tzaddik who can ascend and draw out those who have fallen there, and shatter this klipah, and reveal the light of the supreme holiness — the hidden light mentioned above.
~ Section Gimel ~
And this is the bechina of the extraordinary power of the Purim miracle — for the wicked Haman thought that Israel would be unable to be saved from his hand, G‑d forbid, because he had overpowered them with the force of this second klipah mentioned above. But Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on Israel and prepared the healing before the wound — for in that generation there was Mordechai the Jew. And the strength and force of Mordechai's level is cited in the holy writings [Kisvay Ari]: that he was a great and awesome light, and he was in the bechinas ahavah shebada'as — for Mordechai in gimatriyah [numerical value] equals rav chesed [abundant kindness], as is cited. Rav chesed — this is the bechinas ahavah shebada'as. For love within the yamim is the bechinas Chesed, which is "yoma d'azil im kulhu yomin", as stated. And rav chesed is the bechinas ahavah shebada'as — which is above simple Chesed — and this is the bechinas rav chesed, and this is the bechinas Mordechai, as stated. And because he was of this bechinas, he therefore had the power to shatter even the klipah of Haman-Amalek — namely, the second klipah mentioned above that contains no good, as stated — for he knew and perceived that they too receive life-force from Him, blessed be He, from the bechina of the ma'amar sasum, the bechinas ahavah shebada'as, etc., as stated. For Mordechai was attached from there — and therefore he had this perception. And when one merits to perceive that they too receive life-force from Him, blessed be He, from the bechina of the ma'amar sasum — then they are subdued and utterly nullified, for they had no life-force except from the hiddenness and concealment. But now, when it becomes known that even there He, blessed be He, is hidden — then they fall and are nullified. And then, on the contrary, one merits to ascend to the ultimate height — for one merits to attain the light of ahavah shebada'as, which is the hidden light, as stated. And this is the bechina of the extraordinary greatness of Purim — and it is [traditionally] stated that on no other festival, not even on Shabbos, is found such a formidable and wondrous illumination as on Purim. For indeed Hashem, blessed be He, performed wonders with us and [everything] was reversed — a complete and utter reversal — as it is written [Esther 9:1]: "V'nahafoch hu — and it was reversed, etc." For he [Haman] had sought to overpower, G‑d forbid, through the bechina of the second klipah that contains no good, etc., as stated. And through the tzaddik Mordechai, everything was completely and utterly reversed — for they merited that the light of ahavah shebada'as be revealed — that light from which the aforementioned klipah received life-force through the greatness of the concealment. And now the hidden light was revealed, and they [the klippos] were nullified, as stated — for their life-force was only from the concealment, etc., as stated. And therefore the days of Purim shall not pass away, etc. [Esther 9:28] — and it is [traditionally] stated that all the festivals will be nullified in the future except for Purim. For Purim is the bechina of the revelation of the light of ahavah shebada'as that will be revealed in the future time to come. And therefore the days of Purim will not be nullified even in the future — for all the festivals are a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, and the Exodus from Egypt was [the people] going out from under the hand of Pharaoh. And Pharaoh is the head of all the klippos — but even so, he is the bechina of the klipah that is adjacent to the revelation of the yamim and middos. For Pharaoh has the same letters as ha'oreph [the back of the neck] — and that is the place from which the mochin begin to descend and expand in the bechinas yamim and middos — and there is Pharaoh's hold. And certainly he is a very powerful and formidable klipah, since his hold is at the very beginning [of the descent of the mochin] — but he is adjacent to the bechina of the yamim and middos. But Haman-Amalek is the root of evil and klipah in the bechinas "Amalek is the first of the nations" [Bamidbar 24:20] — for he draws sustenance from the concealment and hiddenness of da'as and mochin, from the bechina of the ma'amar sasum, as stated — and it is impossible to subdue and nullify him except when one merits the light of ahavah shebada'as, which is above the yamim and middos, as stated. Therefore all the festivals — which are the bechinas good days, meaning: those days on which Hashem performed miracles for us at the Exodus from Egypt, and the evil days were subdued and the good days prevailed — and therefore we observe yom tov. Therefore in the future time, when ahavah shebada'as will be revealed — which is above the yamim — the festivals will be nullified at that time. For the light that will be revealed in the future is above the yamim, as stated. But Purim — which is in the bechinas ahavah shebada'as — for then the klipah of Haman-Amalek was subdued [from a level that is even beyond] the yamim, as stated. But Purim — which is in the bechinas ahavah shebada'as — for then the klipah of Haman-Amalek was subdued, whose sustenance comes from there — from the bechinas that concealment, as stated — therefore the days of Purim will not be nullified even in the future. For then [in the future time] they will also merit this illumination — namely, the light of ahavah shebada'as — which is also the illumination of Purim, as stated.
~ Section Dalet ~
And this is the bechinas mishloach manos ish l're'aihu [sending portions, one man to his fellow] — the bechinas complete love and absolute unity [ahavah v'achdus gamur] in which each one is encompassed within his fellow. For there, in the bechinas ahavah shebada'as, it is entirely one — and there, all of Israel is in the bechinas perfect unity with no boundary or separation between one and another, G‑d forbid. And therefore on Purim they intermingle and join together, one with another — namely, mishloach manos: this one sends to that one and that one to this one — for all is one, as stated. And matanos la'evyonim [gifts to the poor] is the bechina of the revelation of G‑dliness — for the essential revelation of G‑dliness, the bechina of the revelation of His Kingship, blessed be He, is through tzedakah — [in the bechinas]: "In righteousness I will behold Your face" [Tehillim 17:15], as is cited. And therefore on Purim — when the hidden and sealed light is revealed — we reveal His G‑dliness, blessed be He, through tzedakah. For this is the essential [means] of drawing the revelation, to reveal the hiddenness of His G‑dliness to all the world: "So that all the peoples of the earth shall know that Hashem is G‑d" [Melachim I 8:60]. And therefore when one merits on Purim to the light of ahavah shebada'as — which is the hidden light — we must reveal this hiddenness. And the essential revelation of His G‑dliness is through tzedakah, as stated.
~ Section Heh ~
And when the hidden light is revealed, a new Torah is thereby produced — for "Kudsha Brich Hu v'Oraisa kulah chad" — the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Torah are entirely one [Zohar I:24a]. And when He, blessed be He, is hidden — this is the bechina of the hiddenness and concealment of the Torah. And when this concealment is revealed, a new Torah is thereby revealed. And this is the bechina of the Megilah — which is a term for revelation [hisgalus], as is cited — for a new Torah was revealed when the light of ahavah shebada'as was revealed, which is the bechinas Oraisa d'Atika Stima'ah from which our holy Torah draws sustenance. And therefore [the Torah] was not given until after Amalek came and was subdued — for the essential revelation of the Torah depends on the subjugation of Amalek, who is the bechina of the klipah that draws sustenance from the aforementioned concealment. And when he is subdued, the concealment is revealed — and then one merits the Torah. For all the holy Torah draws sustenance from the bechinas ahavah shebada'as, which is Oraisa d'Atika Stima'ah. And therefore Israel accepted the Torah anew in the days of Achashverosh — for the essential acceptance of the Torah depends on the subjugation of Haman-Amalek, as stated. And therefore there is no [Divine] Name written explicitly anywhere in the Megilah — only hinted at in the initial letters [rashei teivos] — for it is the bechina of the hidden light, the bechina of the concealed Torah that was revealed then, which is above all holiness. And there are many more things to say in this. Blessed be Hashem forever, amen and amen.
And therefore immediately after Purim one reads Parshas Parah — "This is the statute of the Torah" — as stated above, and understand this.
~ Section Vav ~
And therefore one is obligated to become intoxicated [libsumay b'Puraya] on Purim until one cannot distinguish between "cursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai" [Megillah 7b] — for there [at that level] it is above da'as, and there it is not applicable to say "cursed is Haman" etc. — for there it is entirely good, above the middos, above good days and evil days, as stated. And this is the bechina of the secret of the Parah Adumah [Red Heifer] — which is the bechinas a chukah above da'as — and it makes the pure impure and the impure pure, and this secret cannot be understood until the future time when the concealed Torah will be revealed, as stated.
~ Section Zayin ~
And this is the bechinas: "And it was, when Moshe raised his hand, Israel prevailed, and when he let it rest, etc." [Shemos 17:11]. "But did the hands of Moshe make war? Rather: when Israel looked upward, they were victorious, etc." [Rosh Hashanah 29a]. For when the klipah of Amalek prevails, G‑d forbid, the rectification is to look upward — to look and comprehend the root of its hold above — to understand that it receives life-force from above, from the highest holiness above all holinesses. And through this one subdues and topples it, as stated.
~ Section Ches ~
Esther is the bechinas hahastara [hiddenness] — the bechina of the supreme holiness mentioned above, which is hidden and concealed. And this holiness specifically — by virtue of the great height of its level and its great concealment — is able to enter into the very depths of the klippos. For it is specifically from there that they receive life-force, as stated — since due to the greatness of the concealment, they cannot touch it at all, even though they receive life-force and draw sustenance from it. And this is the bechinas Esther, who was taken to Achashverosh and entered into the depth of the klippos — for she is the bechina of the hastara from which they specifically receive life-force. And therefore in truth Achashverosh did not touch her, as is cited — for she is hidden and concealed in the utmost concealment, and the klippos cannot touch her, G‑d forbid, at all. And yet they derive pleasure and draw sustenance from her — for from the bechina of the hastara itself they draw, as stated. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: that she would sit in the lap of Achashverosh and immerse [in the mikveh] and sit in the lap of Mordechai [Megillah 13b] — for this holiness, by virtue of the greatness of its concealment, descends into the depths of the klippos, as stated. But even so, they do not touch it at all — only Mordechai merits it. For he merits this holiness that is the highest of all holinesses, as stated — for he attains the bechinas Esther, the bechina of the aforementioned hastara, which is the bechina of the hidden and stored-away light [or haganuz v'hatzafun], as stated. And understand these matters well. And there is yet more to say before G‑d [v'od laElokay milin — Iyov 36:2].
~ Section Tes ~
And therefore Purim permits the performance of labor [melachah] and has no sanctity of yom tov at all — for Purim is the bechina of the illumination of the very highest holiness, and due to the immense power of the holiness, no holiness is visible there. And this is analogous to what Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote [as is explained in Likutay Moharan §243]: "All the songs are holy, and Shir HaShirim is the holy of holies" [Mishnah Yadayim 3:5] — and yet in the very book of Shir HaShirim there are no words of holiness and purity at all. [See there and understand well.] For all the festivals — which are the bechinas good days — contain many levels of holiness by which the good days are sanctified: through Kiddush [the sanctification blessing], the prohibition of labor, and the like. For they are the bechinas good days corresponding to evil days — and therefore many levels of holiness must be practiced in them in order to draw forth and strengthen the good days and to subdue the evil days. And if one performs, G‑d forbid, some weekday labor on yom tov — then the evil days, which draw their sustenance from weekday labors, as is known, can gain strength. Therefore labor is forbidden. But on Purim — when the root of evil has been completely subdued and nullified, and the hidden light has been revealed — the light of ahavah shebada'as, which is above the yamim and middos — therefore no holiness is needed to subdue the evil days so that they should not prevail, G‑d forbid, for they have no dominion at all then. And therefore even if one performs weekday labors, the evil has no dominion or hold over them whatsoever — for then the evil has been completely subdued and nullified at its very root. So that even if one performs weekday labors, it [the evil] has no dominion or hold over them, as stated — for then the hidden light is revealed: the light of ahavah shebada'as, which is above time, above the yamim and middos, above all holiness, as stated.
📜 Translator's Summary — Purim Halacha 4
- Note on section numbering: The original Hebrew text numbers the sections: aleph, [no bet], gimel, dalet, heh, [no vav], zayin, ches — with the section on intoxication and Parah Adumah marked as a separate section between dalet and zayin in the previous version, here restored as Section Vav. The final section on melachah was marked ches in the previous version but appears in the Hebrew as Section Tes. These are followed faithfully here from the source text's own markers.
- Central Theme: Based on Likutay Moharan I:33 and II:12. The Purim miracle operated at the absolute deepest and highest level simultaneously — the second, deeper klipah of Haman-Amalek draws sustenance from the very highest, most concealed holiness (the ma'amar sasum, ahavah shebada'as). Mordechai understood this, and by revealing that hidden light, nullified the klipah entirely.
- Two Kinds of Klipah: The first klipah — in the realm of the yamim — still contains fallen sparks and has some distorted rationale. The second klipah — which is Haman-Amalek — is entirely evil, with no sparks, no rationale, and no good whatsoever. It draws from the utmost concealment of the highest holiness.
- Two Kinds of Love: Correspondingly in holiness: ahavah sheb'yamim (love within Chesed and the sefirot) and ahavah shebada'as — love above all the middos, the Torah of the Ancient Hidden One, destined to be fully revealed in the future.
- Why Purim Outlasts All Festivals: All other yomim tovim commemorate the defeat of Pharaoh's klipah — which is in the realm of the yamim. In the future, when the light above the yamim is revealed, those festivals will be transcended. But Purim already operates from that higher level — so it endures.
- The Double "Aval Purim": The text deliberately repeats "But Purim... but Purim..." — the first occurrence emphasizes that Purim subdued Amalek from the level of the yamim; the second, more precise formulation specifies that Purim subdued Amalek whose very sustenance comes from that concealment itself. Both phrasings are translated faithfully.
- Esther = Hastara: Esther embodies the highest concealment — she could enter the depths of the klippos precisely because her hiddenness was so total that the klippos could not touch her, yet drew sustenance from that very concealment. Achashverosh truly never touched her.
- Purim Permits Labor: The root of evil is so completely nullified on Purim that no protective sanctity is needed — just as Shir HaShirim contains no words of holiness yet is "holy of holies."
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