Posts
Laws of Purim
The general principle [of that ma'amar] is: to see the downfall of the wicked is impossible except through the bechinas Eretz Yisrael, in the bechinas "Sit at My right hand, etc." [Tehillim 110:1] — the right hand being the bechinas Eretz Yisrael, the bechinas Binyamin-ben yamin [son of the right hand], who was born in Eretz Yisrael. And to draw down the bechina of the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael now in exile, etc., in the bechinas "And even so [v'af gam zos], etc." [Vayikra 26:44] — this is through the shining forth of the light of zechus avos [the merit of the Forefathers], etc. For the wicked draw down the bechinas ayin ra'ah [evil eye] upon their adversaries, etc. And a person is saved from this evil eye through the limud zechus [advocating merit] that a person pleads on behalf of the wicked man. For the Holy One, blessed be He, also advocates merit on behalf of the wicked — in order to save the tzaddik from the evil eye of the wicked man, etc. For to remove the judgment [din] and verdict requires the revelation of the Hand, in the bechinas "and my hand will take hold of judgment" [Devarim 32:41], etc. And when the hand of Hashem is revealed, a shadow is thereby formed — and within that shadow the tzaddik is sheltered from the venom of the evil eye, in the bechinas "and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you" [Yeshayahu 51:16], etc. And through this the light of the tzaddik's eyes is strengthened and he is able to see and perceive the righteousness of the Holy One, blessed be He — even though the wicked man prevails in the judgment — and his heart is straightened from crookedness, and he strengthens himself and prays for his needs, for his heart has been set right in the perfection of emunah [faith] — for the essence of prayer is through emunah, etc. And this is the bechina of the Parah Adumah [Red Heifer], etc. And this is the bechinas afar v'aifer [dust and ashes], etc. And one must also repair through his prayer the bechinas three sounds [kolos], etc., etc. And through prayer in proper form, the light of zechus avos shines forth in the bechinas "May the merit of the Forefathers intercede" [chalah zechus avos]. And "uv'asar d'avahan taman Shecinsa taman" — [Aramaic:] "where the Forefathers are, there the Shechinah is" [Zohar] — which is the bechinas chalah [the portion of dough separated], which is also "gam zos" — for the bechinas chalah is the measure of forty-three eggs, and it is the bechina of the inheritance of Eretz Yisrael, etc. And through the bechinas Eretz Yisrael, not only is one saved from the evil eye of the wicked — but one even sees upon them what they had sought to see upon him, etc. And know: not every person can properly repair these sounds [kolos] in his prayer, for sometimes the aforementioned sounds in his prayer come forth from great wicked men — as in the bechinas Og king of Bashan, whom even Moshe Rabbainu, peace be upon him, feared — for his hold was adjacent to the Right, which is Eretz Yisrael, since he was of the household of Avraham, etc. Until the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe: "Do not fear him, etc." [Bamidbar 21:34]. And through this the tzaddikim — who are doers of good — merited before Hashem. For before the cutting off of the wicked, the face of Hashem had been hidden and concealed b'osei ra [within those who do evil] in order to cut them off, etc. And now, immediately upon seeing the cutting off of the wicked, the face of Hashem is immediately revealed — to do good, etc. [See all of this there well, well.]
~ Section Aleph ~
And this is the bechinas Purim — for Haman, of the seed of Amalek, has always been a scourge [retzu'as mardus] for Israel, whose eye is always evil toward Israel. And immediately when Israel went forth from Egypt and the sea was split before them and Pharaoh and his troops were drowned in it, etc. — Amalek had an evil eye upon them and rose up against them. And Hashem, blessed be He, holds His hand over him in judgment and restrains His anger against him for a very long time — and through this very restraint Hashem wages war against him, as it were [kivyachol], in the bechinas "For a hand is upon the throne of Yah — war for Hashem against Amalek, from generation to generation" [Shemos 17:16]. For through this very restraint — that Hashem advocates merit on behalf of the wicked and holds His hand in the judgment of the wicked — the tzaddik is thereby saved. And this is ultimately the cause of the wicked man's downfall [as is explained there in the aforementioned ma'amar]. And this itself is what is explained there at its conclusion: that at first the face of Hashem is hidden within those who do evil [b'osei ra] in order to cut them off — meaning: at first Hashem hides His face from the tzaddik and grants greatness, as it were, to the wicked man, in the bechinas "For You behold toil and vexation — to give it into Your hand, etc." [Tehillim 10:14]. It thus emerges that the face of Hashem is hidden within those who do evil. And through this they have all their greatness and honor — because the face of Hashem is hidden within them. And all this is in order to cut them off, etc., as stated — for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not exact punishment from a nation until its measure is full. And therefore when Hashem sees that some wicked man whose eye is evil toward the tzaddik is growing powerful — and the time for cutting off the wicked has not yet come — then Hashem advocates merit on his behalf and holds His hand in judgment, and through this very act rescues the tzaddik, etc., as stated. And the tzaddik is strengthened through this and prays for his needs — and the tzaddik himself must also advocate merit on his behalf, as stated. And he must strengthen his heart to pray, as stated — until he merits to come to the bechinas Eretz Yisrael, and then he merits to see upon the wicked man what he wishes to see upon him. And Hashem knows the hidden things — and He knew that in the days of Moshe the time for Amalek's final downfall had not yet come, for they had not yet come to Eretz Yisrael. And therefore He held His hand over the judgment and did not command his complete destruction — as Rashi explained there: that he [Moshe] only cut down the heads of his warriors. From this [we learn] that they acted according to the Divine word. 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]. For Moshe fought him through the bechina of the Hand — for at first glance it is puzzling: why did Moshe let his hand rest so that Amalek would prevail? But Moshe also knew that the time for his final downfall had not yet arrived, and he was compelled to fight him with the bechina of the Hand in such a way as not to execute full judgment upon him — only the minimum necessary. But the remainder of the judgment that was due him He held in His hand — and through this very restraint they could be saved from him at that time, until they would merit to come to the bechinas Eretz Yisrael, when his complete downfall would come. And this is: "And it was: when Moshe raised his hand... and when he let it rest, etc." — as stated.
And this is: "And his hands were emunah" [Shemos 17:12] — which the Targum [Aramaic translation] renders: "p'rishan bitzloh" — "spread out in its shadow." For the essential thing is prayer — which is the bechinas emunah — that one must greatly strengthen oneself to pray to Hashem, blessed be He, and not allow any crookedness [akmimiyas] into one's heart, G‑d forbid, and not to harbor doubts against Hashem, blessed be He, upon seeing the success of the wicked man — as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. And all this comes about through the bechina of the Hand — through His holding His hand over the judgment, as stated. And this is: "For a hand is upon the throne of Yah" — that He held His hand over the bechina of the throne of judgment. And through this very act there is war for Hashem against Amalek, etc. And therefore keis [throne] is written deficient [without the letter vav], and the [Divine] Name is written deficient — for the thrones of judgment [kis'os l'mishpat] are now deficient, and the face of Hashem is also hidden — and therefore the Name is also written deficient. And through this very situation there is war for Hashem against Amalek, etc., as stated.
~ Section Beis ~
For Amalek is the totality [k'laliyus] of the seventy nations — as it is written: "Amalek is the first of the nations" [Bamidbar 24:20]. And the nations in general are in the bechinas ayin ra'ah — for their eye is always evil toward Israel — for they are seventy nations, and their root is from the bechinas ayin ra'ah [the "ayin" being seventy in gematria]. And Amalek is the totality of the ayin ra'ah — for he is the totality of the seventy nations. And the essential subduing of the ayin ra'ah is through Eretz Yisrael — which is the bechinas Binyamin. And therefore King Shaul was commanded to strike Amalek and destroy him — for Shaul was of the seed of Binyamin, and at that time Israel was in Eretz Yisrael, and then it was fitting to destroy him utterly. But Shaul erred in this and spared Agag — for one must carefully examine oneself whether one has the strength to stand against the wicked man and this ayin ra'ah. For not everyone can withstand him — particularly against Amalek, who is the totality of the ayin ra'ah of the entire world — and sometimes one must specifically advocate merit on his behalf in order to be saved from his evil eye. And therefore Shaul erred and debated in the valley [vayarev b'nachal] and argued with a mistaken kal va'chomer [a fortiori reasoning] and advocated merit on his behalf — specifically to be saved from his evil eye. And therefore Shaul erred and spared Agag — and in truth he erred in this, as Shmuel the prophet reproved him: "Though you are small in your own eyes, you are the head of the tribes of Israel" [Shmuel I 15:17]. For this was the essential cause of his error — that he was small in his own eyes and thought he lacked the strength to withstand him. But in truth Shaul did have the strength to withstand him and destroy him entirely — for he was of the seed of Binyamin who was born in Eretz Yisrael, and all of Israel was already upon their land in Eretz Yisrael. And therefore he could then have destroyed him entirely — for his essential downfall comes through Eretz Yisrael, as stated.
~ Section Gimel ~
And through this [Shaul's error] Haman was born. And therefore when the wicked Haman arose, there was an immensely great time of distress, the like of which had never occurred, as is cited. For he grew powerful through the force of the blemish of King Shaul, who was from the tribe of Binyamin — from the bechinas Eretz Yisrael. And therefore his power was very great — corresponding to what Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote there regarding Og, whose power came from the fact that he was adjacent to Eretz Yisrael and was of the household of Avraham — which is the bechina of the Right. Similarly Haman grew powerful from the blemish of Shaul, who was the bechinas Eretz Yisrael. And particularly since he was of the seed of Amalek, who is the totality of the ayin ra'ah. And therefore he grew powerfully strong with a very evil eye upon Mordechai and upon all Israel — until he wished to pass them entirely from the world, G‑d forbid. And therefore he wished to nullify the power of Israel's shekalim [half-shekel contributions], as it is written: "And ten thousand talents of silver I will weigh out" [Esther 3:9] — as our Sages of blessed memory stated. And Hashem said: Wicked one, their shekalim already preceded your shekalim [and counteracted them]. For the shekalim were [given] so that the evil eye should not prevail over them in the census — as Rashi explained. And he wished to prevail with the ayin ra'ah, and therefore he sought to nullify the power of the shekalim, G‑d forbid. For the shekalim are the bechinas tzedakah [charity] — and tzedakah is the bechinas tov ayin [a good eye], in the bechinas "He who has a good eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor" [Mishlei 22:9] — for the essence of tzedakah is to be of good eye in giving to the poor, with a beautiful and good eye, as it is written: "Lest there be a base thought in your heart, and your eye be evil toward your poor brother, etc. — you shall surely open your hand to him, etc." [Devarim 15:9]. It thus emerges that tzedakah is the bechinas tov ayin — the opposite of ayin ra'ah — and this is the bechina of the shekalim, which are the bechinas tzedakah.
~ Section Dalet ~
For it was then at the end of the Babylonian exile, which lasted seventy years — corresponding to the bechina of the ayin ra'ah [seventy in gematria] that had prevailed over them, on account of their having caused a blemish in Eretz Yisrael. For the Babylonian exile came about through the sin of Eretz Yisrael — through neglect of the Shabbos years of the Land — as it is written: "Then shall the land be paid its Shabbosos, etc." [Vayikra 26:34]. For the essential subduing of the ayin ra'ah — namely all the seventy nations — is through Eretz Yisrael. And because they had caused a blemish in Eretz Yisrael and had not observed the Land's shemitah, the ayin ra'ah therefore prevailed over them and they became obligated in exile of exactly seventy years. And therefore Haman sought to prevail at the time of the end of the exile — at the end of the seventy years — when they were far from Eretz Yisrael, to overpower them with the ayin ra'ah — so as not to allow them to return to Eretz Yisrael and to the Beis HaMikdash. For Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash are the bechinas tov ayin — as it is written: "The eyes of Hashem your G‑d are always upon it" [Devarim 11:12]. And regarding the Beis HaMikdash it is written: "And My eye and My heart shall be there" [Melachim I 9:3]. And therefore it says of Haman: "And when Haman saw [uchr'os Haman es Mordechai]" — the word "saw" specifically — "at every time that I see Mordechai" [Esther 5:13] — "I see" specifically — the bechinas ayin ra'ah, that he sought to prevail over him with the evil eye, as stated.
~ Section Heh ~
For Haman-Amalek is the pollution of the primordial serpent [zuhamas hanachash hakadmoni] — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Where is Haman alluded to in the Torah? Where it says: 'Hamin ha'aytz asher tzivisecha — Is it from the tree that I commanded you?'" [Chulin 139b]. For the root of the ayin ra'ah is the bechina of the primordial serpent, who was cunning, etc. — who had an evil eye toward Adam and Chavah, as Rashi explained on the verse: "And they were both naked — the man and his wife — and they were not ashamed. And the serpent was cunning above all the animals of the field, etc." [Bereishis 2:25–3:1]. And Rashi explained: because he saw them engaging in marital relations in the sight of all, he became jealous of them and incited them to eat from the Tree of Knowledge — for women's mind is easily swayed, etc. — in order that Adam would die and he would take Chavah, etc. — see there. For before the sin of the first Adam — when they were both pure with absolute purity — they were both naked before all eyes and were not ashamed, for they did not fear or feel shame before any eyes in the world, from any ayin ra'ah in the world — because there was no hold of evil within them at all. For the essential reason one must fear and be afraid of the ayin ra'ah is only lest the evil eye inject its venom into the person himself, G‑d forbid — meaning, to cause some evil to enter him, G‑d forbid, from the evil eye. And therefore when the enemy and the evil eye prevail against a person, he must be entirely good — the bechinas tov ayin. And even toward the wicked man himself he must advocate merit — that his eye should not be evil, G‑d forbid, even toward the greatness of the wicked man — even though it may outwardly seem to him that this is, G‑d forbid, unjust — even so he must advocate merit on his behalf and believe in the Holy One, blessed be He, for Hashem is righteous, and he must have no crookedness in his heart, G‑d forbid, toward Hashem, blessed be He — for He is righteous and upright. And then he will certainly be able to be saved from the evil eye of the wicked man — as stated in the aforementioned ma'amar. For the essential thing is that the person must guard himself so that the evil eye not take hold of him, G‑d forbid — for the crookedness of heart, namely the evil of heart — when some evil thought, G‑d forbid, enters his mind against the deeds of Hashem, because He gives all the greatness and honor and wealth to the idol-worshippers and the wicked and those who oppose the truth, while the righteous and upright are left in disgrace, in great lowliness, in poverty and straits — this thought, G‑d forbid, is the bechinas ayin ra'ah, for ayin ra'ah depends on the evil of the heart: "shuryena d'eina b'liba talya" — [Aramaic:] "the root of the eye depends on the heart" — as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere. It thus emerges that the evil of heart — namely the crookedness of heart that harbors doubts against Hashem, G‑d forbid — this is the bechinas ayin ra'ah. Therefore the essential thing is that the person must guard himself from the ayin ra'ah taking hold of him — meaning: that no thought or doubt against the deeds of Hashem, G‑d forbid, should come to him at all — only to believe with complete faith and with uprightness of heart that Hashem is righteous in all His ways. And therefore one must advocate merit on behalf of the wicked in order to be saved from his evil eye — for through advocating merit on behalf of the wicked one merits to see the righteousness of Hashem, and one's heart is straightened from crookedness, and one merits emunah and prayer — as is well explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. For this is the essential thing: that the person himself be saved from the evil eye — that it not take hold of him, G‑d forbid. For the sum total of all the Torah [klal kol haTorah kullah] is the bechinas holy eyes [einayim d'kedushah], the bechinas tov ayin. And this is the bechinas Beraishis — which is the opening of the Torah — "taman raishis min bas, sheheim t'las gevanin d'eina ubas ayin" — [Aramaic:] "there is the 'raishis' [beginning] from 'bas' [daughter] — which are the three colors of the eye and the pupil of the eye" — as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere. And so too the Torah concludes: "before the eyes of all Israel" [Devarim 34:12] — for the sum total of all the Torah and mitzvos is not to follow, G‑d forbid, the desires of one's evil heart and the sight of one's eyes, as it is written: "And you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes, etc." [Bamidbar 15:39]. For the eye sees and the heart desires — as our Sages of blessed memory said — and all the lusts and thoughts that come through the sight of the eye, as stated, all of these are from the bechinas ayin ra'ah. And every person must have compassion on himself and close his eyes from seeing evil, and seal his eyes from the visions of this world entirely, and not gaze upon the lusts of this world and its vanities — to remove and nullify completely the hold of the ayin ra'ah from himself and from his domain — only to be of good eye and not to look with his eyes except at Torah and divine service, as it is written: "Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look before you" [Mishlei 4:25]. And as it is written: "Uncover my eyes and I will behold wonders from Your Torah" [Tehillim 119:18]. And it is written: "My eyes are always toward Hashem, etc." [Tehillim 25:15].
~ Section Vav ~
And therefore the first Adam — before the sin, when he was pure with absolute purity and had no hold of ayin ra'ah at all — he did not fear or feel shame at all, as stated. And the serpent — who is the root of the ayin ra'ah — became jealous of him. And the essence of his craftiness was that he went and introduced into them the bechinas ayin ra'ah, and incited them to harbor doubts against Hashem and to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And he said to them: "For G‑d knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like G‑d, etc." [Bereishis 3:5] — that they would have ayin ra'ah and doubts against Hashem, etc. — until he incited them. "And the woman saw that the tree was good for eating, and that it was a delight to the eyes" [Bereishis 3:6] — "saw" specifically — "a delight to the eyes" specifically. "And they ate of it." And the very eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is itself also the bechinas ayin ra'ah — which is the evil of heart, as stated — for holy eating is in the bechinas tov ayin and good heart: "And he ate and drank and his heart was merry" [Rus 3:7] — which is the bechinas tov ayin, as stated. And this is: "And his heart was merry" — this is Birkas HaMazon [Grace After Meals], the bechinas tov ayin hu y'vorach [he who has a good eye shall be blessed]. And this is the bechinas "Behold, my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey" [Shmuel I 14:29]. But eating of forbidden things, G‑d forbid — the bechinas eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — brings evil to the heart, which is the bechinas ayin ra'ah. And therefore from then on the bechinas ayin ra'ah took hold of them — until death was decreed upon them, which is the bechinas ayin ra'ah, as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar on the saying of Abba Shaul who said he was a gravedigger — which is to subdue the ayin ra'ah called the bechinas death. For death is the closing of the eyes, as it is written: "Enlighten my eyes lest I sleep in death" [Tehillim 13:4]. For from when the first Adam sinned, each person must die and return to the dust — in order to utterly nullify the hold of the ayin ra'ah. And therefore they afterward had need of garments, as it is written: "And the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed for themselves, etc. — and He made for them garments of skin, etc." [Bereishis 3:7,21]. For at first there were garments of light [kasnos or — spelled with aleph] — for their eyes shone with the bechinas tov ayin and there was no hold of ayin ra'ah in them at all. Therefore they had no need of any garment or covering at all, as stated. But now that their eyes were opened and the bechinas ayin ra'ah prevailed over them, they therefore needed garments and coverings to cover and conceal themselves so that the ayin ra'ah should not prevail over them. And this is the bechina of the garments that are now needed — because the eyes that now have the hold of ayin ra'ah from the pollution of the serpent, as stated, should not prevail. Therefore garments and coverings are needed to shield and cover oneself from the ayin ra'ah — that it should not prevail.
~ Section Zayin ~
And this is the bechina of the tzitzis that hang from the garments — which are the totality of all the Torah — as it is written: "In order that you may remember and perform all My commandments" [Bamidbar 15:40]. For tzitzis is the rectification [tikun] of the garments and they rectify the ayin ra'ah, in the bechinas "and you shall see it and remember, etc." [Bamidbar 15:39] — for tzitzis is a term for the gazing of the eyes — the bechinas "peeping through the lattices" [Shir HaShirim 2:9] — as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere. For the rectification of the garments — which is tzitzis — is the rectification of the eyes, as stated. And therefore immediately in the morning upon arising from sleep, the first mitzvah is to seize the tzitzis and don them immediately — for immediately upon rising from sleep and opening one's eyes, one must guard them at once, that the bechinas ayin ra'ah not take hold of them, G‑d forbid. Therefore one must dress in tzitzis immediately — which is the bechinas holy eyes, the bechinas tov ayin, the bechinas holy garments and coverings that cover the person from the ayin ra'ah, in the bechinas covering of the eyes [kesus einayim]. For garments and clothing cover the person from the ayin ra'ah so that it does not prevail over him. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory greatly warned about modesty [tznius] — that a person should cover himself with his garments and not be naked at all, even at the moment when he removes his cloak — as is written in the Shulchan Aruch — as R' Yochanan said: "The walls of my house have never seen the folds of my cloak." For now a person must greatly guard himself from the ayin ra'ah. And garments are the protection for this, as stated.
~ Section Ches ~
And therefore the wicked Haman — who was the pollution of the serpent, the bechina of the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the bechinas "Is it from the tree [hamin ha'aytz]?" as stated — therefore had a very, very evil eye upon Mordechai and upon all of Israel. For this is the essential pollution of the serpent, as stated. And therefore their counsel then was to bring the wicked Vashti before the king naked — something unheard of in the world — in order to increase in the world the bechinas ayin ra'ah, G‑d forbid. For the essential bechinas ayin ra'ah is this lust of licentiousness [ta'avas niuf], which encompasses all the lusts of all the seventy nations — which are the bechinas ayin ra'ah. For the seventy nations are the bechinas ayin ra'ah, as stated. And all the lusts — all of which are drawn from the bechina of the seventy nations, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, elsewhere — all of them are the bechinas ayin ra'ah, for the eye sees and the heart desires, as stated. And this lust of licentiousness is the totality of all the lusts of all the seventy nations — as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere [§36]. Therefore this lust is the essential bechinas ayin ra'ah — for this lust depends on the eyes, as it is written: "And you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes, which lead you to go astray [asher atem zonim], etc." [Bamidbar 15:39]. And as it is written: "And he who closes his eyes from seeing evil" [Yeshayahu 33:15]. And our Sages of blessed memory said: this refers to one who does not gaze at women, etc. And therefore the essential [remedy of] modesty and closing the eyes is with regard to this lust — and even in holy marital union great modesty is required. And so the essential purpose of covering garments is for modesty from this lust. And they sought to remove the shame from their eyes and to bring her naked before them — in order to increase the bechinas ayin ra'ah further. But Hashem thwarted their evil plan, and the very same means ["minei u'vei abba laizil bei narga" — Aramaic: "through that same father goes that same axe" (Megillah 13b)] — for through this very act those evil-eyed ones became jealous of one another. Until Haman himself — who was the force of the ayin ra'ah — had an evil eye toward Vashti's greatness and himself counseled to kill her. For the ayin ra'ah itself, through the force of its evil eye toward everything — as is the way of the ayin ra'ah — killed the force of the ayin ra'ah, which was Vashti the wicked — who was the force of the ayin ra'ah. For she was the bechina of the wicked kingdom, the bechina of the lust of licentiousness — which is the bechinas ayin ra'ah. And therefore she stripped the daughters of Israel naked and made them work on Shabbos [Megilah 12b] — for Shabbos is the bechinas tov ayin: Shin = the three colors of the eye, beis = daughter [bas], tav = the pupil [bas ayin]. And therefore our Sages said: a large stride takes one-five-hundredth from the light of one's eyes, and it is restored by the Friday night Kiddush. For Shabbos is the rectification of the eyes — the bechinas tov ayin hu y'vorach — for there is the essential blessing, in the bechinas "and He blessed it and sanctified it" [Bereishis 2:3]. And therefore the essential holy marital union is on Shabbos — for then it is in holiness without any hold of ayin ra'ah whatsoever. But the wicked Vashti sought to strengthen the ayin ra'ah and worked on Shabbos with the daughters of Israel naked. And therefore her downfall came through the ayin ra'ah itself — namely through the wicked Haman and through Achashverosh, who sought to increase the force of the ayin ra'ah by bringing her naked on Shabbos. And she too intended it for a sinful purpose and greatly desired it — for she herself was also the force of the intensified ayin ra'ah. But Hashem thwarts the plans of the cunning and set one evil eye against the other until one killed the other — and the very same means: the ayin ra'ah itself. And she was killed through the ayin ra'ah itself specifically, as stated.
~ Section Tes ~
"And under the nettle shall rise up the myrtle" [Yeshayahu 55:13] — she is Esther, who was exceedingly modest — as our Sages of blessed memory said: through the modesty of Rachel, Shaul merited to come forth from her, who hid himself among the baggage [nechba el ha'kelim]. And through the modesty of Shaul, he merited and Esther came forth from him — for modesty is the opposite of ayin ra'ah, as stated. And therefore all of these were exceedingly modest — in order to subdue the ayin ra'ah. For they came from Binyamin who came from Rachel, who was born in Eretz Yisrael — through whom specifically the essential subduing of the ayin ra'ah comes, as stated.
~ Section Yud ~
And the essential subduing of the ayin ra'ah is through the advocacy of merit [limud zechus] that the Holy One, blessed be He, pleads on behalf of the wicked — through which the tzaddik is saved. And through this the light of the tzaddik's eyes is strengthened, and he merits prayer, etc., as stated. And therefore before Haman's downfall, he was greatly, greatly elevated. And this was the essential cause of his downfall — for as long as his measure was not full, the Holy One, blessed be He, advocated merit and removed His judgment from him — on the contrary: He raised and exalted him greatly. And this is the bechinas: "After these things, the king elevated Haman and exalted him and placed his seat, etc." [Esther 3:1] — and this elevation is the bechina of the advocacy of merit that Hashem pleads on behalf of the wicked man. And through this specifically the tzaddik is saved, as stated.
And this is the bechinas: "And the king removed his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, etc." [Esther 3:10] — for everything has its root above, as is known. And the removal of the ring from the king's hand alludes to the removal of the ring from above — for Hashem, blessed be He, as it were [kivyachol], extended His hand and held in judgment His hand — to remove the judgment from the wicked Haman — on the contrary: He gave into his hand, as it were, great greatness. In the bechinas "For You behold toil and vexation — to give it into Your hand" [Tehillim 10:14]. Until the face of Hashem was hidden within those who do evil [b'osei ra] — which was Haman. And then at the time when the face of Hashem is hidden within them, they have all their greatness and honor. And this is the bechina of the removal of the king's ring to Haman — for the ring is the seal of the king, with which all the king's judgments are sealed, as is explained there in the matter of how all the king's judgments were [administered] through the ring. And then Hashem removed His judgment from him — on the contrary: as it were, He hid His face and His judgment within him and gave him the judgment at that time in the bechinas one who prevails in the verdict — as if all the judgment were in his hand. For the face of Hashem is hidden within those who do evil, as stated — for the face of Hashem is the bechina of the judgment that goes forth from the face of Hashem, as we say: "From before You let our judgment go forth" [Tehillim 17:2]. And as it is written: "And I will set My face against that man, etc." [Vayikra 20:6] — and similarly. And then at the time when Hashem advocates merit on behalf of the wicked man — He extends His hand over him and hides the face and the judgment, G‑d forbid, in the bechinas "the face of Hashem is against those who do evil" [Tehillim 34:17], etc. And then they have all the greatness and honor, as stated, and he prevails in the verdict as if the judgment were his — as stated. And this is the bechina of the removal of the king's ring — the seal of the king, namely the king's judgments — which was then given to Haman, as stated. For now all the judgment is hidden with them in exile. And therefore, even in holiness, when one wishes to effect some judgment and authority for the sake of upholding our holy faith — one must act through them specifically [through the governmental authorities] — as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere [§20] — for the face of Hashem, which is the judgment, is hidden with them, as stated.
~ Section Yud Aleph ~
And this concealment — that the face of Hashem is hidden within those who do evil, and afterward their downfall is brought about through it, in the bechinas "the face of Hashem is against those who do evil, to cut them off" — this concealment is the bechinas Esther, who was taken into the house of King Achashverosh. For Esther is the bechinas hiddenness [hastara] — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Where is Esther alluded to in the Torah? In the verse: 'And I will surely hide [haster astir], etc.'" [Chulin 139b]. For Esther was beautiful of form and fair of appearance — for a thread of grace was drawn over her, for beauty and charm were drawn upon her from the Supernal Countenance — from the bechinas three hundred and seventy lights of the supernal lights of the Face. It thus emerges that Esther is the bechina of the Supernal Countenance that was hidden in great hiddenness and concealment — that the holiness was so concealed that Esther the righteous woman was taken into the house of King Achashverosh. And this is the bechinas "the face of Hashem is against those who do evil, to cut them off" — that Esther was taken, who is the bechina of the hiddenness whereby the face of Hashem is hidden within those who do evil. And through this Haman and his seed were cut off — who are the ayin ra'ah. And therefore specifically after Esther was taken into the king's house — then specifically Haman was elevated, as it is written: "After these things, the king elevated Haman, etc." [Esther 3:1]. For then specifically — at the time when the face of Hashem is hidden within those who do evil — they then have all their greatness through the face of Hashem specifically, which is hidden within them — which is the bechinas Esther who was taken into their home. And afterward, through this specifically, comes their downfall — in the bechinas "the face of Hashem is against those who do evil — to cut them off" as stated — as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. And the essential thing is prayer — for at the time of concealment when the ayin ra'ah prevails and the face of Hashem is hidden within them — then indeed Israel were in great danger, for the ayin ra'ah — which was Haman — prevailed over them greatly. Particularly since they had stumbled in Babylon with foreign women — which is the blemish of that lust, which is the essential ayin ra'ah — and also they had benefited from the feast of that wicked one, which is the blemish of eating — the bechina of the blemish of eating from the Tree of Knowledge — through which the evil of heart took hold, G‑d forbid — which is the bechinas ayin ra'ah, as stated. And therefore his power was very great. But Hashem sent them then Mordechai and Esther — and Mordechai was specifically strengthened through the very greatness of the concealment — that Esther was taken into the king's house, which is the bechina of the concealment of the face of Hashem as stated — from which the greatness of the wicked Haman was drawn. And Mordechai was specifically strengthened through this — for this is the bechina of the shadow that is drawn through the Holy One's extending His hand to advocate merit on behalf of the wicked and to exalt him in order to cast him down — through which the light of the tzaddik's eyes is specifically strengthened and he looks afar and prays to Hashem. And this is the bechinas Mordechai who gave his heart and gazed and believed in Hashem — that certainly Esther was not taken into the house of the uncircumcised for nothing — and he believed that certainly it was for the salvation of Israel, as Rashi explained there — meaning that he understood through the very concealment itself — which is the bechinas Esther's being taken — that certainly the judgments of Hashem are righteous and upright. And through this his heart was strengthened and he prayed to Hashem. And the more Haman grew powerful, the more he did not harbor doubts, G‑d forbid, against Hashem — on the contrary, he greatly strengthened himself and greatly multiplied prayer and supplication and crying out to Hashem, as it is written: "And he went through the city and cried out a great and bitter cry" [Esther 4:1]. And so all Israel with him cried out and prayed and supplicated and pleaded before Hashem. And the essential prayer is to awaken the merit of the Forefathers — through which one merits Eretz Yisrael — as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. And therefore they decreed a fast of three days — corresponding to the three Forefathers — as is cited: "d'imhon a'alas Esther kodam malka" — [Aramaic:] "it was with them [the Forefathers] that Esther entered before the king" [Zohar]. And therefore on the third day Esther donned royalty — she was clothed in the holy spirit — the bechinas "uv'asar d'avahan taman Shecinsa taman" [where the Forefathers are, there the Shechinah is]. Therefore on the third day — in the bechina of the three Forefathers who were awakened through their prayer and their outcry — it is cited that then Eliyahu went and awakened the Forefathers. And through this Esther donned royalty — which is the Shechinah — the bechinas "uv'asar d'avahan taman Shecinsa taman d'hi Eretz Yisrael" — which is the bechinas chalah zechus avos, etc. And through this — that they drew down the bechinas Eretz Yisrael through the three Forefathers, through their prayer and Mordechai's prayer — whose prayer was in proper form with absolute perfection as explained in the aforementioned ma'amar — through this they merited that not only did the wicked Haman not see upon Mordechai what he had wished to see — but it was completely reversed: Mordechai the righteous saw upon the wicked Haman what he had wished to see upon him, and they hanged Haman on the tree that he had prepared for Mordechai. All this is as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar — that the tzaddik merits through the aforementioned bechinas to see upon the wicked man what he had wished to see upon him. And all this was fulfilled then in the days of Mordechai and Esther — that they merited through their great prayer to see upon him what he had wished to see upon Mordechai, as stated.
~ Section Yud Beis ~
And this is the bechinas what Esther invited Haman to the feast — and our Sages of blessed memory said that this is the bechinas "If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread, etc. — for you are heaping coals upon his head, etc." [Mishlei 25:21–22]. For Esther is the bechina of the concealment — that the face of Hashem is hidden within those who do evil in order to cut them off — and through this they first have all their greatness, etc., as stated. And this is the bechina of the elevation and exaltation of Haman — specifically after Esther was taken, as stated. And therefore in the end the face of Hashem was so hidden that Esther invited Haman [to the feast] — meaning: the hidden face of Hashem elevated him more and more — and then specifically, when he was exalted very high through the very force of the concealment of the face of Hashem — which is the bechinas Esther — that was specifically his downfall: in the bechinas "the face of Hashem is against those who do evil — to cut them off." And all this was through the force of proper prayer, as stated. For at the time when Esther invited Haman to the feast, the heart of Israel went out and their hearts were utterly broken, and they poured out their hearts like water before Him, blessed be He — as is cited in the holy writings. Meaning: at the time of greatest concealment — then one must greatly strengthen oneself to pray and cry out to Hashem. And through this one merits to be saved from the ayin ra'ah — until they merited to see upon him what he had wished to see upon Mordechai, as stated.
~ Section Yud Gimel ~
And this is the bechinas: "That night the king's sleep fled" [Esther 6:1] — for sleep is drawn from the bechina of the ayin ra'ah — which is the bechinas death — for sleep is one-sixtieth of death. And therefore we ask before sleep: "Enlighten my eyes lest I sleep in death." And therefore we ask: "Under the shadow of Your wings shelter us" [from the bedtime Shema], "Into Your hand I entrust my spirit" [Tehillim 31:6]. For we are saved from the ayin ra'ah through the bechina of the Hand — through the bechina of the shadow of the hand — the bechinas "and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you." And this is what Haman said: "There is a certain people [yeshnoh am echad]" [Esther 3:8]. And our Sages expounded: "They have slumbered [yashnu] from the mitzvos" [Megillah 13b] — for he said that the sleep drawn from the ayin ra'ah had prevailed over them, as stated. And therefore the miracle came about through the flight of sleep [nidud hashenah] — which is the bechinas subduing the ayin ra'ah, as stated.
~ Section Yud Dalet ~
And therefore immediately upon rising from sleep one dons tzitzis and tefilin — which are the bechina of the rectification of the eyes. For tzitzis is the bechinas holy eyes, as stated. And so tefilin: in the bechinas "and as frontlets between your eyes" [Shemos 13:16]. And this is the bechinas: "And Mordechai went forth from before the king in royal garments of blue and white, etc." [Esther 8:15] — the bechinas multiplied garments and holy coverings — all of which is the opposite of the ayin ra'ah. For the subduing of the ayin ra'ah is through the garments of holiness — which cover the person, as stated. And therefore they then merited tzitzis and tefilin — as our Sages said: "vikar — these are tefilin, etc." [Megillah 16b]. For they are the bechinas holy garments that subdue the ayin ra'ah: in the bechinas "for it is his covering alone" — that is tzitzis — "it is his garment for his skin" — that is tefilin [Zohar on Shemos 22:26] — as stated. And this is the bechinas "and gladness [v'sasson] — this is milah [circumcision]" [Megillah 16b] — for the orlah [foreskin] is the bechinas clouds that cover the eyes — the bechinas ayin ra'ah — the bechina of the blemish of the Bris [Covenant]. And through the removal of the orlah and the priah the atara [crown] is revealed — which is the pupil of the eye [bas ayin]. And then through the mitzvah of milah — the bechina of the rectification of the Bris — one is thereby in the bechinas tov ayin, in the bechinas tov ayin hu y'vorach — for there Hashem commanded the blessing, where it is the bechinas Yosef the righteous, who withstood his trial and guarded the Bris — and through this he merited to be saved from the ayin ra'ah. For he is the bechinas tov ayin: "ben poras alei ayin" [Bereishis 49:22] — and our Sages expounded: "Those who ascend above the evil eye [ol'ei ayin], etc." For the essential bechinas tov ayin is through guarding the Bris, as stated. And this is: "For the Jews there was orah [light]" [Esther 8:16] — "orah" specifically — the bechina of the light of the eyes, the bechinas tov ayin. And this is: "orah — this is Torah" [Megillah 16b] — for the totality of all the Torah is in the bechinas tov ayin, in the bechinas Beraishis, as stated, in the bechinas "enlighten our eyes with Your Torah," as stated.
~ Section Tes Vav ~
And this is the bechinas: "And in the spoils they did not lay their hand" [Esther 9:15]. And Rashi explained: so that the king should not have an evil eye over this — meaning: they demonstrated that they were now in the bechinas tov ayin and had no desire for wealth at all — which is the bechinas ayin ra'ah, when one is jealous of another's wealth. But they had departed from this desire and had no evil eye whatsoever toward wealth. And they did not cast their eye even upon the wealth of the spoils — for they had merited through Mordechai to the bechinas tov ayin. And therefore they had subdued the ayin ra'ah to the point where it was impossible for the king to have an evil eye — for they had subdued the ayin ra'ah, as stated.
~ Section Tes Zayin ~
And this is the bechinas mishloach manos ish l're'aihu and matanos la'evyonim — for we must give tzedakah, which is the bechinas tov ayin hu y'vorach ki nasan milachmo ladal, as stated. And therefore on Purim: all who extend a hand to receive, one gives to them [kol haposhait yad nosnim lo]. For then there is no ayin ra'ah at all — only tov ayin, giving generously and with good spirit to all who extend a hand to receive. And this is also the bechinas mishloach manos ish l're'aihu — to demonstrate the great spread of the good eye now: that each one's eye is good and beautiful toward his fellow, and they send portions one to another and this one to that one — for all of this is the bechinas tov ayin, in that each one's eye is good toward his fellow.
~ Section Yud Zayin ~
And this is the bechina of the seudah [feast] of Purim — for now, when they have subdued the ayin ra'ah and merited tov ayin, now the eating is in holiness, in the bechinas "and he ate and drank and his heart was merry, etc." as stated — which is the bechina of the eating of Shabbos, when it is a great mitzvah to eat three meals corresponding to the three Forefathers. For on Shabbos it is the bechinas tov ayin, as stated. And then the three Forefathers shine — who are the bechinas tov ayin, for through them the ayin ra'ah is subdued, as stated. And therefore on Shabbos it is a great mitzvah to eat — as it is written: "And Moshe said: eat it today, for today is Shabbos... see, etc." [Shemos 16:25] — "see" specifically. For on Shabbos the eyes shine forth, in the bechinas "see that Hashem has given you the Shabbos." And through this itself it is a mitzvah to eat: "eat it today" — for then the eating is in holiness, as stated.
~ Section Yud Ches ~
And therefore on Purim one merits a very, very great revelation [hisgalus] — as is cited in the holy writings. For when the doers of evil were cut off — who were Haman and his seed, etc. — the face of Hashem is then revealed to those who do good — as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. And this is the bechina of the great illumination — the bechina of the illumination of Mordechai that now shines forth in great revelation that is found at no other time — as is explained in the writings of the Arizal. For because they merited to utterly cut off the doers of evil — who were Haman and his seed and all his family — through this the face of Hashem is further revealed — as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. And this is the bechina of the great illumination and revelation of Purim, as stated. And this is the bechina of the joy of Purim — the bechinas "For the Jews there was light and gladness and joy" [Esther 8:16]. For the essential joy comes through the bechina of the revelation of the face of Hashem — in the bechinas "fullness of joy is before Your face" [Tehillim 16:11]. And because on Purim — through the cutting off of the wicked, as stated — the bechina of the face of Hashem is further revealed, as stated — therefore then the joy is very great.
~ Section Yud Tes ~
And therefore the mitzvah of Sukkah protects against Amalek — as is cited in the Zohar. For the sukkos are the clouds of glory [ananai ha'kavod] that saved from Amalek — who came only against those whom the cloud expelled, etc. — see there. For the Sukkah is the bechina of the shadow of the hand — the bechinas "and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you." And therefore on Sukkos seventy bulls are offered — corresponding to the seventy nations — and this is the bechinas our advocating merit on their behalf, so that they may endure until their time comes. And through the advocacy of merit that we plead on behalf of the ayin ra'ah — namely the seventy nations — and offer seventy bulls on their behalf, through this the shadow of the hand is drawn — and through this we are saved from the evil eye of the wicked man, in the bechinas "and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you." And this itself is the bechina of the Sukkah — which is the bechinas "and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you" — which is formed through this very thing: that we then advocate merit on their behalf and offer sacrifices for them, as stated. And this Sukkah — which is the bechina of the shadow of the hand, as stated — protects from Amalek, who is the totality of the ayin ra'ah, as stated. For through the shadow of the hand drawn from the advocacy of merit one pleads on behalf of the wicked man — which is the bechina of the Sukkah made through the seventy bulls one offers for them — through this one is saved from the evil eye of the wicked man, as stated.
~ Section Chuf ~
And this is the bechinas all the sacrifices — from whose smoke the Sitra Achra drew nourishment. And so one must give some portion from everything — as is explained in the Zohar regarding the matter of Iyov. And this is the bechinas mayim acharonim [water for washing hands at the end of a meal] — for one must advocate merit on their behalf and give them some life-force in great tzimtzum [contraction] — and through this one is saved from them, from the evil eye, that it not prevail, G‑d forbid — in the bechinas "and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you," as stated.
~ Section Chuf Aleph ~
And therefore after Purim one reads Parshas Parah — for the prayer of Mordechai, who prayed before Hashem at the time when Haman prevailed, is the bechina of the Parah Adumah — as is well explained in the aforementioned ma'amar: that prayer in proper form is the bechina of the Parah Adumah. And therefore afterward one reads Parshas Parah — for the bechinas Parah Adumah is produced from the bechinas Mordechai's prayer, as stated. And through this they merited to see upon the wicked Haman what they had wished to see upon him, as stated. And they merited afterward — through Daryavesh the son of Achashverosh — to return to Eretz Yisrael and to build the Beis HaMikdash. For Mordechai and Esther, of the seed of Binyamin, first merited to draw down and reveal the bechinas Eretz Yisrael through their great prayer — until they afterward merited through this to return to Eretz Yisrael and to build the Beis HaMikdash, which are the bechinas tov ayin, as stated.
~ Section Chuf Beis ~
And this is the bechinas basar she'nisalem min ha'ayin [meat that was lost from sight] — which is forbidden for Israel to eat. For Israel's eating must be holy — it must be in the bechinas tov ayin hu y'vorach, etc., as stated — for the essential [realization of] tov ayin is through eating, as stated. And therefore an animal that died on its own is a nevailah [forbidden carcass] — forbidden to eat — for death is the bechinas ayin ra'ah, as stated. And one must rectify the living [animal] through shechitah [ritual slaughter] — through which the bechinas ayin ra'ah — the bechina of the side of death [sitrah d'mosa] — is subdued, in the bechinas "the face of Hashem is against those who do evil — to cut them off." This is because the chalaf [slaughter knife] is the bechina of the avenging sword — the bechinas "the sword of Hashem" — the bechina of the face of Hashem — which is the bechina of the holy Malchus — the bechinas "in the light of the king's face, etc." [Mishlei 16:15] — which is the bechina of the face of Hashem — the bechinas dina d'malchusa [the law of the kingdom] — the bechinas "the sword of Hashem" — the bechina of the chalaf of shechitah — the bechinas Eretz Yisrael, which is also the bechinas Malchus [Kingship]. Through all this the ayin ra'ah is essentially subdued — and only then is the meat permitted for eating. For Israel's eating must be in the bechina of the holiness of Eretz Yisrael — through which the ayin ra'ah is subdued, as stated. And therefore we are commanded to recite the blessing after eating and to mention Eretz Yisrael in the blessing — as it is written: "And you shall eat and be satisfied and bless Hashem your G‑d for the good land, etc." [Devarim 8:10]. And all the blessings on enjoyments we learn from there — as is explained in the Gemara: "after [eating] one blesses, etc." For the essential blessing is in the bechinas Eretz Yisrael — which is the bechinas tov ayin hu y'vorach — in order to draw the bechinas tov ayin from the bechinas Eretz Yisrael — to subdue the ayin ra'ah so that it not take hold in the eating, G‑d forbid, etc., as stated.
~ Section Chuf Gimel ~
And this is the bechina of the preparations of meat for eating — that it must be prepared through shechitah and examination of the lung [bedikas hare'ah], and afterward it must be washed and salted well, to remove all blood — that no blood remain in it. For it is stated in the aforementioned ma'amar that one must subdue three sounds [kolos] during prayer — which are the bechinas shechitah, srefah, asefah [slaughter, burning, gathering] as stated regarding the Parah Adumah — see there. And this is the bechina of the slaughter of all animals and wild creatures, etc. — the bechinas subduing the sound of the fool [kol kesil] — namely false beliefs, which is the bechinas animality, the bechinas foolishness and absence of da'as. And through examination of the lung [bedikas hare'ah] the second sound — the sound of blasphemers [kol annos] — is subdued — which is the bechina of the heresy [apikorsus] of the wisdom of philosophy. For the lung is the sustaining of the intellect — as is explained elsewhere — for the lung cools the heat of the heart. For it is explained there that the aforementioned evil wisdom is most harmful to those who engage in licentiousness and in this wisdom of philosophy — exceedingly harming them — for their heart is deficient, in the bechinas "he who commits adultery with a woman is lacking of heart, etc." [Mishlei 6:32]. And therefore their heart cannot treasure the intellect within it, in the bechinas "in my heart I have hidden [Your word], etc." [Tehillim 119:11]. And through the lung the heart is protected from the heat of this lust of licentiousness — for the lung blows upon the heart and cools its heat so that it should not overheat with this lust. And therefore the essential sustaining of the intellect depends on the lung — for the essential sustaining of the intellect is through guarding from this lust. And when the heat of the heart is cooled from this lust through the lung — then the intellect is protected. And then the heart can treasure within it the intellect — not to sin, G‑d forbid, through the intellect — but on the contrary, through the holy intellect one is further strengthened for the service of Hashem. It thus emerges: when the lung is whole — the holy intellect is completed and the heresy is subdued — which is the bechina of the second sound, the bechina of the sound of licentiousness [kol annos] — as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar — see there. And this is the bechina of the examination of the lung. And the third sound — which is the sound of revilers and blasphemers — meaning all manner of humiliations, etc. — this is subdued through distancing oneself from blood and purifying and kashering the meat from blood through soaking and salting — through this the bechinas all humiliations is subdued. Which are the bechinas bloodshed and humiliations — as is explained elsewhere. And through distancing oneself from blood, as stated, all the humiliations and bloodshed are subdued and sweetened, and the bechina of the third sound mentioned above is subdued. And all this is brought about through the chalaf of shechitah — which is the essential rectification. For the chalaf is the bechinas "the sword of Hashem" — the bechinas "exaltation of G‑d in their throat and a two-edged sword in their hand" [Tehillim 149:6]. For the essential rectification is through prayer — as is explained there — see there. And when one merits to subdue the bechinas ayin ra'ah through the shechitah, etc., as stated — then the meat is permitted for eating. For the essential rectification of eating is in the bechinas tov ayin, as stated. And therefore one must greatly guard the meat — to keep one's eye upon it so that the eye of the nations not prevail over it, for they are the bechinas ayin ra'ah and are suspect of substituting and corrupting, G‑d forbid, the eating of Israel. For they are the bechinas ayin ra'ah — and the essential corruption of eating comes through this, as stated. And therefore one must be careful that the meat not be lost from sight [yis'alem min ha'ayin] — meaning from the eyes of Israel. For the eyes of Israel in general are the bechinas tov ayin. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory greatly warned to give a portion to the poor from one's food — so that it be in the bechinas tov ayin — for the essential rectification of eating is through this, as stated.
📜 Translator's Summary — Purim Halacha 5
- Source ma'amar: Likutay Moharan I, §55 — "Abba Shaul says: I was once a gravedigger." The entire halacha develops the themes of that teaching: ayin ra'ah vs. tov ayin, Eretz Yisrael, limud zechus, prayer, and the subduing of Amalek-Haman.
- Central Theme: Haman-Amalek is the totality of the ayin ra'ah [evil eye] — which on the spiritual level means: crookedness of heart, doubt against Hashem, and the lust of licentiousness. The entire Purim story is the story of how Israel, through prayer, advocacy of merit, modesty, and tov ayin, subdued this force.
- Seventy Nations / Seventy Years: The seventy nations are rooted in ayin ra'ah (seventy = ayin in gematria). The Babylonian exile lasted seventy years as a tikun for the blemish in Eretz Yisrael. Haman sought to exploit this at the end of those seventy years.
- The Ring: Achashverosh's ring given to Haman symbolizes how Hashem withdraws judgment and grants apparent power to the wicked before their downfall — "the face of Hashem hidden within those who do evil."
- Esther = Concealment: From a different angle than Halacha 4 — here Esther's taking to Achashverosh represents the concealment of the Divine face within the forces of evil, which paradoxically leads to their downfall.
- Mordechai's prayer = Parah Adumah: Proper prayer that subdues the three kolos (sounds) is the bechina of the Parah Adumah — hence Parshas Parah is read after Purim.
- The Laws of Kashrus: Sections 22–23 connect the laws of meat preparation (shechitah, bedikas hare'ah, salting) to the spiritual subduing of the three evil sounds — and to the principle that Israel's eating must be in the bechinas tov ayin.
- 23 Sections — the longest Purim halacha in the series.
No comments:
Post a Comment