Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 65

65 - And Boaz Said to Ruth

(ויאמר בעז אל רות - The Field of Souls)

And Boaz said to Ruth, Have you not heard, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field, nor pass from this one, etc., let your eyes be on the field where they reap, and go after them, have I not commanded the young men not to touch you, and when you thirst, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men draw [Ruth 2:8-9]

[Note: This teaching explores the spiritual field of souls, prayer, and attaining the ultimate purpose (tachlis).]

1.

Know that there is a field (sadeh [-field]), and there grow trees and grasses, exceedingly beautiful and lovely, and the precious beauty of the sadeh and its growth cannot be described, fortunate is the eye that has seen this. And the trees and grasses are the aspect of holy souls (neshamos k’doshos [-holy souls]) that grow there. And there are very many naked souls (neshamos arumos [-souls without their proper vessels]) that wander and roam outside the sadeh, waiting and hoping for their rectification (tikkun [-rectification]) so they may return and enter their place. And even a great soul, upon which very many souls depend, sometimes, when it goes out, it is difficult for it to return there. And they all seek and hope for the master of the field (baal hasadeh [-the tzadik who tends to souls]) who can engage in their tikkun. And there is a soul whose tikkun is through the death of one, or through the mitzvah [-commandment] and service of one. And one who desires to gird his loins to become the baal hasadeh must be a measured and strong man, a valiant warrior, wise, and a great tzadik [-righteous one], for he must be an exceedingly great and lofty person. And there is one who cannot complete the matter except with his death, and even for this, he must be exceedingly great, for there are very many great ones who, even with their death, do not benefit, only if there is a very, very great and lofty person can he complete what is needed in his lifetime, for very many afflictions (yissurin [-afflictions]) and difficult things pass over him, but through his greatness and loftiness, he overcomes them all and performs the actions of the sadeh as needed. And when he merits to rectify the neshamos and bring them in, then it is exceedingly good and beautiful to pray (l’his palel [-to pray]), for then the prayer (tefillah [-prayer]) is for their tikkun. And this baal hasadeh supervises and strives always to water the trees and grow them, and in other rectifications of the sadeh, and to distance the trees from each other the proper distance so that one does not weaken the other, for sometimes it is necessary to show a great closeness a great distance so that one does not weaken his fellow [Correlation: The tzadik as gardener ensures spiritual growth without interference.].

2.

And know, that when the neshamos produce fruits (peiros [-spiritual accomplishments]) that fulfill the will of the Omnipresent (Hashem [-the Name]), then the eyes of the baal hasadeh shine, and they can watch and see in the place that is needed, "Field of Watchers" (שְׂדֵה צוֹפִים - Sadeh Tzofim) [Numbers 23:14] [Wordplay: Tzofim (watchers) links to spiritual clarity.]. But when they do not fulfill the will of Hashem blessed, G-d forbid, then his eyes are darkened, G-d forbid (Ohalos Chapter 18, Moed Katan 5b, see there [on the connection between crying and impaired vision]), for crying is the impairment of sight, as it is written "And the clouds return after the rain" [Ecclesiastes 12:2], and our sages, may their memory be for blessing, expounded (Shabbat 151b): This is the sight that goes after crying [Correlation: Crying impairs spiritual vision, linked to lack of divine will.]. And when his eyes shine and watch, in the aspect of the Sadeh Tzofim above, then he can look at each and every one to bring him to the ultimate purpose (tachlis [-goal of unity and goodness]), that is, he can look at the speech (dibur [-speech]) of each one, if it is not in its complete tikkun because it is still far from the tachlis, then he brings him to the tachlis, and then the dibur is proper in completeness, for every dibur [and dibur] is a complete world. And when a person stands to pray (l’his palel) and speaks the words of tefillah, then he gathers buds and flowers and lovely roses, like a person walking in a sadeh and gathering lovely roses and flowers one by one until he makes one bundle, and then gathers more one by one and makes another bundle, and joins them together, and so he goes and gathers and collects very many beautiful and lovely bundles. Similarly, he goes in tefillah from letter to letter until many letters are joined and become a dibur, and so he makes complete words, and then the two words are joined, and then he goes and gathers more until he completes one blessing, and then gathers more and more, and goes from Patriarchs to Strengths, and from Strengths to Sanctities, and so further [referring to the progression of blessings in the Amidah prayer: Avot (Patriarchs), Gevurot (Strengths), Kedushot (Sanctities)], who can extol the great splendor of the gatherings and collections that a person gathers and collects in the words of tefillah. And when the dibur goes out, and the dibur goes out from the soul (nefesh [-soul]), as it is written "And the man became a living soul" [Genesis 2:7], and its Targum: a speaking spirit [Wordplay: Root (חיה - life) links nefesh to dibur.], and the dibur comes and is heard in his ears, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Berachot 15a), let your ears hear what you bring out with your mouth, then the dibur requests and pleads from the nefesh not to separate from it, and immediately when the first letter goes out, such as the letter ב (bes) from the word ברוך (baruch), then it requests and pleads from the nefesh not to separate from it, for how can you separate from me due to the great connection and love between us, for you see my precious beauty and my radiance and my splendor and my glory, and how can you disconnect yourself from me and separate from me, it is true that you need to go further to gather more precious and great spiritual treasures (segulos [-propitious remedies]), but how can you separate from me and forget me, in any case, you will see that in every place you go and come to, you will not forget me, and you will not separate from me, all the more so when he completes one word, then the entire word requests all the above and embraces and hugs it and does not let it go from it as above. And in truth, he needs and is compelled to speak very many more speeches and many blessings and matters until the completion of the tefillah, therefore the principle is that he must make one from the entire tefillah, and in every dibur he speaks, all the speeches of the tefillah should be present there [present there], and from the beginning of the tefillah until the end, all should be one, and when he stands in the last dibur of the tefillah, he should still be standing in the first word of the tefillah, so that through this he can pray the entire tefillah, and even so, he does not separate even from the first letter of the tefillah.

3.

And know, that this aspect, that is, the aspect of one (echad [-one]), is the aspect of the tachlis [-ultimate purpose], "On that day Hashem will be one and His name one" [Zechariah 14:9], and on that day, that is, the tachlis, and it is the aspect of entirely good, for echad is entirely good, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Pesachim 50a) on this verse "On that day Hashem will be one" etc., is He not now one? But now we bless on the bad: True Judge, and on the good: The Good and Beneficent, but in the future, they will bless on all: The Good and Beneficent, it is found that the aspect of echad is the tachlis, and it is entirely good, for the tachlis is entirely good, for even all the troubles and yissurin [-afflictions] and evils that pass over a person, G-d forbid, if he looks at the tachlis, certainly they are not evils at all, only great goods, for certainly all the yissurin come with intention from Hashem blessed for his good, whether to remind him to return in repentance, whether to cleanse his sins, and if so, the yissurin are great goods, for the intention of Hashem blessed is certainly only for good, it is found [it is found] that in all the evils and yissurin that a person has, G-d forbid, if he looks at the tachlis, that is, the intention of Hashem blessed, he will have no yissurin at all, but on the contrary, he will be filled with joy, from the great abundance of good that he looks at in the tachlis of these yissurin, for the tachlis is entirely good, entirely echad as above. And in truth, there is no evil in the world, only all is good, but the main pain that a person has from the yissurin that pass over him, G-d forbid, is only because they take from the person the knowledge until he cannot look at the tachlis, that is entirely good, and then he feels the pain and suffering of the yissurin, for when he has knowledge, and looks at the tachlis, he does not feel the pain of the yissurin at all as above. And in this, you will understand a hidden and concealed matter, what is imprinted in the nefesh [-soul] of a person when he has great yissurin, may G-d spare us, such as, for example, when they cut off a limb of a person, G-d forbid, then he closes and shuts his eyes strongly, for this we see in reality, when a person desires to look at something far from him, then he closes his eyes and narrows and contracts the sight to aim the sight at the far thing he desires to see, and this is because the sight is a servant and messenger of the brain to bring the thing he sees into the brain, for the main sight is the knowledge, that is, to know the essence of the thing he sees, and the knowledge is in the brain. And when the brain desires to know this thing that stands before it, then it sends the sight, and the sight goes and sees the thing and brings it into the brain, and then he knows what he sees. And therefore, when they pass something before a person in great speed, he does not know the essence of the thing, even though in truth he saw the thing with his eyes literally, nevertheless, because of the speed, there was no time to bring the thing into the brain. And therefore, when the thing is far from him, the sight has no strength to go there and bring it into the brain because the other things he sees from the side confuse it, and also because of the dispersion that the sight is dispersed, through this it is weakened and has no strength to bring the thing he sees into the brain. Therefore, he must close his eyes, and narrow the sight and aim it at the thing needed, so that other things do not confuse it, and also so that the strength of the sight is strengthened, and it is not weak, and then he can see the far thing as above. Similarly, when one desires to look at the tachlis that is entirely good, entirely echad, he must close his eyes, and aim the looking at the tachlis, for the light of this tachlis is far from the person, and it is impossible to see it except by closing the eyes, that he must completely close his eyes, and shut them very strongly, even to press them with the finger, to close them completely, and then he can look at this tachlis, that is, he must close his eyes from the vision of this world completely, to conceal his eyes and shut them greatly, not to look at all at the desires of this world and its vanities, and then he can see and attain the light of this tachlis, that is entirely good, and then the yissurin are nullified as above, for the main yissurin are because he is far from the tachlis as above. And therefore, it is imprinted in the nefesh of a person to close his eyes at the time of yissurin as above, to flee from the yissurin and nullify them through the looking at the tachlis, that is entirely good, that this looking is impossible except through the closing of the eyes as above. And even though the person does not know anything of what he is doing, nevertheless, the nefesh knows everything, and therefore it is imprinted to close the eyes at the time of yissurin as above.

4.

And behold, in truth, at the time of nullification (bittul [-nullification]) that he is nullified to the tachlis that is entirely good, entirely echad, then in truth the yissurin are nullified as above. But it is impossible to be constantly fixed in the aspect of bittul, for then he would go out from the human condition, and therefore it is necessary that the bittul be in the aspect of going and returning (ratzo v’shov [-going and returning]). Therefore, when the intellect (sechel [-intellect]) returns from the bittul to the brain, which is the vessel of the sechel, then it is impossible for the brains, which are the vessels, to receive this sechel of the aspect of bittul, for it is the aspect of the infinite (ein sof [-infinite]), which is the aspect of the tachlis, that is entirely echad, entirely good, and because of this, the brain feels the pain of the yissurin, for the main feeling of all the yissurin and pains, G-d forbid, is in the brain, for from the brain go out channels to all the limbs, and through this, the brain feels the pain in whichever limb it is. And know that afterward, when he returns from the bittul to the vessels, that is, the brains, then the yissurin intensify more than they were before, like two people who wrestle and fight and strengthen against each other, that when one sees that his fellow is overpowering him, then he strengthens greatly, and intensifies more, similarly, when the adversaries (baalei dinim [-accusers]) see that he desires to overpower the yissurin and nullify them through the bittul to the tachlis as above, then they strengthen and intensify more, and therefore afterward, when he returns from the bittul, then the yissurin are greater than before, for they intensify against him because he desires to flee from them as above. But afterward, the yissurin are alleviated, and they are comforted through the renewal of the Torah (chiddushei Torah [-renewals of Torah]) that they merit through the yissurin, for through the yissurin he comes to the aspect of bittul as above, and afterward, even though he returned from the bittul, nevertheless, from the impression that remains from the bittul, through this is made the chiddushei Torah, for through the bittul that he was nullified to the tachlis and attained that all the yissurin are very great goods, through this he is filled with joy, and the joy is a vessel for the chiddushei Torah, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Shabbat 88a): At the time that Israel said we will do and we will hear, sixty myriads of angels descended, and gave two crowns on the head of each one, and when they sinned etc., and the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to return them to us, as it is said "And everlasting joy upon their head" [Isaiah 35:10], it is found that the joy is the aspect of we will do and we will hear, which is the aspect of receiving the Torah. And through the chiddushei Torah that they merit through the impression of the bittul as above, through this they cool the yissurin afterward, for through this they extinguish the thirst of the soul (tzimaon hanefesh [-thirst of the soul]), for the feeling of the yissurin is the aspect of tzimaon hanefesh, for tzimaon is through saltiness (m’lichus [-saltiness]), and m’lichus is the aspect of yissurin, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Berachot 5a), it is said bris with salt, and it is said bris with yissurin [Correlation: Salt and yissurin both preserve and refine, linked to the bris (covenant of spiritual purity).], for the nefesh is the daughter of the sechel, for the main growth of the nefesh is through the sechel that grows it and rectifies it, and as it is written "Also without knowledge the soul is not good" [Proverbs 19:2]. And when the sechel is in completeness, then it produces peiros, but when the sechel is impaired, then it is the aspect of "A land of fruit into saltiness" [Psalms 107:34], and the m’lichus is the aspect of the yissurin that are felt because the sechel is not in completeness as above, and it is the aspect of tzimaon hanefesh as above. And through the chiddushei Torah above, through this they cool the yissurin and extinguish the tzimaon, in the aspect of "Ho, everyone who thirsts, go to the waters" [Isaiah 55:1], "Happy is the man whom You discipline, O G-d, and teach him from Your Torah" [Psalms 94:12], for through the yissurin, he merits the chiddushei Torah as above, and this is a sign that he acted through the yissurin and received them properly, when he merits afterward to chiddushei Torah, that this is a sign that he merited the aspect of bittul to the tachlis through the yissurin, and through this he merited chiddushei Torah, through the impression as above. And the baal hasadeh above, when his eyes shine, in the aspect of "Field of Watchers", then he can look at each and every one, if he is close to the tachlis, and when he sees in one that he is far from the tachlis, then his tefillah is not yet in completeness as proper as above, for he cannot make one from the entire tefillah, and when he stands at the end of the word, he forgets the beginning of the word, and he cannot include his tefillah in the aspect of echad as above. And the baal hasadeh above looks at him and brings him to the tachlis, that is entirely echad as above, and then he can make one from the entire tefillah, and even though he stands at the end of the tefillah, he is still standing at the beginning of the word of the beginning of the tefillah as above. And this is the aspect of (Shabbat 104a): MמNנTzצPפKך the watchers established, ה (hei) at the beginning of a word and ה (hei) at the end of a word, watchers, this is the aspect of the baal hasadeh, when his eyes are in the aspect of "Field of Watchers" as above, then he can rectify and look at those who are close to the tachlis, and when they stand at the end of the tefillah, they are still at the beginning of the word as above, and on those who are far from the tachlis, and they are the aspect of the end of the word, for when they are at the end of the word, they are at the end of the word literally as above, and the watchers rectify them, and bring them to the tachlis as above. And this is the aspect of they forgot them and returned and established them, that is, because they are far from the tachlis, they forgot the beginning of the word, for they do not include their tefillah in the aspect of echad as above, and they returned and established them and rectified them, that it will be entirely echad as above. And this is the meaning, "And Boaz said to Ruth", he is the intellect (sechel [-intellect]), as it is written "Wisdom strengthens the wise" [Ecclesiastes 7:19] [Wordplay: Boaz from (עז - strength) links to sechel.], Ruth is the aspect of the nefesh, from which come the dibur of prayers and songs and praises, as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing (Berachot 7b), why is her name called Ruth, for from her came David who sated the Holy One, blessed be He, with songs and praises [Wordplay: Ruth from (רוה - to sate) links to spiritual dibur.], "Have you not heard, my daughter", for the nefesh is the daughter of the sechel as above, have you not heard, that is, let your ears hear what you bring out with your mouth, that is, incline your ears and hear the request of the dibur and its pleas that it requests and pleads not to separate from it as above, and this is "Do not go to glean in another field" as above, for all the letters and speeches are precious gatherings that are gleaned in supernal fields as above, and the dibur requests from the nefesh, not to go from it to glean other gatherings as above, but this is impossible, for it needs to go and glean more as above, but "Nor pass from this one", that is, even when you go to another word, do not pass from the first word as above, and this is done through meriting the tachlis as above, "Let your eyes be on the field where they reap", that is, the aspect of the looking at the tachlis, for the reaping is the tachlis of the plowing and sowing, "Have I not commanded the young men", this is the aspect of the closing of the eyes, that it needs to shut them and join the sight, to aim it at the tachlis as above, for without this it is impossible to look at the tachlis as above, and this is "Have I not commanded the young men", language of joining and connection (tzavta v’hischabrus [-joining and connection]), that it needs to command and join the sight as above, and the eyes are called young men (ne’arim [-young men]), for they are the servants of the sechel as above, for the sight is a messenger and servant to the sechel as above, and this is "Not to touch you", the aspect of plagues (nig’ei [-plagues]) of the nefesh, for when the sight is dispersed, and sees everything before it, that is, it does not close and shut its eyes from the vision of this world as above, this is the aspect of nig’ei of the nefesh, and it needs to command and join the ne’arim, that is, the sight, not to look from the side at the vanities of this world, not to touch the nefesh, and then it can look at the tachlis as above, and then through the looking at the tachlis, all the yissurin are nullified as above. But afterward, when he returns from the bittul, the yissurin intensify more as above, that this is the aspect of tzimaon hanefesh as above, and this is "And when you thirst, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men draw", for to extinguish the tzimaon is through the chiddushei Torah that the brains receive, which are the vessels of the sechel, through the impression that remains from the bittul as above, and from there the nefesh drinks to extinguish its tzimaon as above, and "Drink from what the young men draw", for the ne’arim, which are the eyes of the sechel, they draw the chiddushei Torah from the impression that remains from the looking at the tachlis as above, and through this the yissurin are nullified afterward, and extinguish the tzimaon hanefesh as above. And this is the aspect of the Garden of Eden, aspect of Moses and Aaron, garden, is the aspect of the nefesh, aspect of "And their soul shall be like a watered garden" [Jeremiah 31:11], Eden, is the aspect of the tachlis (as our sages said, may their memory be for blessing, Berachot 34b), aspect of bittul as above, and this is the aspect of (Taanit 31a): The Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to make a dance for the righteous in the future to come, and each one points with his finger etc., dance, this is the aspect of joy, which is a vessel for receiving the Torah as above, and all this is through the bittul, that through the shining of the impression from the bittul, from there comes the Torah, through the vessels, as brought there, and this is the aspect of pointing with his finger, pointing, this is the aspect of the vision and the shining of the impression from which comes the Torah, and this is the aspect of pointing with his finger, aspect of the Torah, which is the aspect of "Finger of G-d" [Exodus 31:18]. And he did not complete this discourse.

Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 65

Torah 65: And Boaz Said to Ruth

And Boaz said to Ruth, “Have you not heard, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field, nor pass from this one… Let your eyes be on the field where they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn” (Ruth 2).

א

Know that there is a field, and there grow trees and grasses, very beautiful and lovely, and the precious beauty of the field and its growth cannot be described—fortunate is the eye that has seen this. And the trees and grasses are the aspect of holy souls [neshamot] that grow there. And there are many, many naked souls that wander and roam outside the field, waiting and hoping for rectification [tikkun] so that they may return and enter their place. And even a great soul, upon which many souls depend, sometimes when it goes out, it is difficult for it to return there. And they all seek and hope for the master of the field [ba’al hasadeh] who can engage in their rectification. And there is a soul whose rectification is through the death of a certain person, or through a mitzvah and service of a certain person. And one who wishes to gird one’s loins to undertake to be the master of the field must be a steadfast and strong person, a mighty warrior, wise, and a very great tzadik. For one must be a very great and exceedingly exalted person. And there is one who can only complete the matter through one’s death, and even for this, one must be very great, for there are many great ones who, even with their death, would not avail, but only if there is a person who is very great and exceedingly exalted can complete what is needed in one’s lifetime vitality. For many sufferings and difficult things pass over such a person, but through one’s greatness and merit, one overcomes them all and performs the actions of the field as needed.

And when one merits to rectify the souls and bring them in, then it is very good and beautiful to pray, for then the prayer is for their rectification. And this master of the field oversees and strives constantly to water the trees and nurture them, and for the other rectifications of the field, and to distance the trees from one another the appropriate distance so that one does not negate the other. For sometimes it is necessary to show a great follower a great distance so that one does not negate one’s fellow.

ב

And know that when the souls produce fruits, performing the will of the Omnipresent, then the eyes of the master of the field shine, and they can be watchmen and see in the place that is needed (Numbers 23): “The field of seers.” But when they do not perform the will of Hashem, blessed be He, Heaven forbid, then one’s eyes are darkened, Heaven forbid (Oholot, Chapter 18, from a minor witness, see there). For weeping is the spoilage of vision, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 12): “And the clouds return after the rain,” and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded (Shabbat 151): This is vision that follows weeping. And when one’s eyes shine and see, in the aspect of the “field of seers” mentioned above, then one can look at each and every one to bring them to the ultimate purpose, namely, one can look at the speech of each one, if it is not in its complete rectification because it is still far from the ultimate purpose. Then one brings it to the ultimate purpose, and then the speech is proper in its perfection, for every speech is a complete world.

And when a person stands to pray and speaks the words of prayer, then one gathers blossoms, flowers, and lovely roses, like a person walking in a field and gathering lovely roses and flowers one by one, until one makes a single bundle, and then gathers more, one by one, and makes another bundle, and joins them together. And so one continues to gather and collect many beautiful and lovely bundles. Similarly, one proceeds in prayer from letter to letter until several letters are joined, and a word is formed from them, and so one forms complete words. And then two words are joined, and then one continues to gather more until one completes one blessing. And then one gathers more and more, proceeding from Avot to Gevurot, and from Gevurot to Kedushot, and so one continues further. Who can extol the greatness of the splendor of the gatherings and collections that a person gathers and collects in the words of prayer? And when the speech goes forth, the speech comes from the soul, as it is written (Genesis 2): “And the man became a living soul,” and its translation is: a speaking spirit. And the speech comes and is heard by one’s ears, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachot 15): “Let your ears hear what you bring forth from your mouth.” Then the speech requests and pleads from the soul not to separate from it. And immediately, when the first letter goes forth, such as the letter beit from the word Baruch, then it requests and pleads from the soul not to separate from it, for how can you separate from me given the greatness of the connection and love that exists between us? For you see the precious beauty, radiance, splendor, and glory of mine, and how can you disconnect yourself from me and separate from me? It is true that you must go further to gather more precious and great treasures [segulot], but how can you separate from me and forget me? In any case, you will see that in every place you go and come to, you will not forget me, and you will not separate from me. All the more so when one completes a single word, then the entire word requests all the aforementioned, and it envelops and embraces it and does not allow it to go from it, as mentioned above. And in truth, one must and is compelled to speak many more words and many blessings and matters until the completion of the prayer. Therefore, the principle is that one must make the entire prayer one, and in every word one speaks, all the words of the prayer should be present. And from the beginning of the prayer to the end, it should all be one, and when one stands at the final word of the prayer, one should still be standing at the first word of the prayer, so that through this one can pray the entire prayer. And even so, one does not separate even from the first letter of the prayer.

ג

And know that this aspect, namely, the aspect of one [echad], is the aspect of the ultimate purpose [tachlit], (Zechariah 14): “On that day Hashem will be one and His Name one.” And “on that day,” this is the ultimate purpose, and it is the aspect of entirely good, for one is entirely good, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Pesachim 50) regarding this verse: “On that day Hashem will be one,” and so forth, “Is He not one now? Rather, now we bless over evil: ‘True Judge,’ and over good: ‘The Good and Beneficent,’ but in the future, we will bless over everything: ‘The Good and Beneficent.’” It follows that the aspect of one is the ultimate purpose, and it is entirely good, for the ultimate purpose is entirely good. For even all the troubles, sufferings, and evils that pass over a person, Heaven forbid, if one looks at the ultimate purpose, certainly they are not evils at all but great goods, for certainly all the sufferings come with intention from Hashem, blessed be He, for one’s benefit, whether to remind one to return in repentance [teshuvah], or to cleanse one’s iniquities. And if so, the sufferings are great goods, for the intention of Hashem, blessed be He, is certainly only for good. It follows that in all the evils and sufferings that a person has, Heaven forbid, if one looks at the ultimate purpose, namely, the intention of Hashem, blessed be He, one will have no sufferings at all, but on the contrary, one will be filled with joy, from the great magnitude of the good that one perceives in the ultimate purpose of these sufferings, for the ultimate purpose is entirely good, entirely one, as mentioned above.

And in truth, there is no evil in the world, only all good, but the primary pain that a person has from the sufferings that pass over one, Heaven forbid, is only because one’s knowledge [da’at] is taken away, until one cannot look at the ultimate purpose, which is entirely good. And then one feels the pain and anguish of the sufferings, for when one has knowledge and looks at the ultimate purpose, one does not feel the pain of the sufferings at all, as mentioned above. And through this, you will understand a hidden and concealed matter, what is ingrained in the soul of a person when one has great sufferings, may we be spared, such as, for example, when a limb is cut off a person, Heaven forbid, then one closes and shuts one’s eyes tightly. For this we see with our senses: when a person wants to look at something far from one, one closes one’s eyes and narrows and focuses the vision to direct the sight toward the distant thing one wishes to see. And this is because vision is a servant and messenger of the mind [moach] to bring the thing seen into the mind, for the essence of seeing is knowing [yediah], namely, to know the essence of the thing seen, and the knowing is in the mind. And when the mind wishes to know this thing that stands before it, it sends the vision, and the vision goes and sees the thing and brings it into the mind, and then one knows what one sees. And therefore, when something passes before a person with great speed, one does not know the essence of the thing, even though one truly saw the thing with one’s eyes; nevertheless, due to the speed, there was no time to bring the thing into the mind. And therefore, when the thing is far from one, the vision lacks the strength to go there and bring it into the mind, because other things seen from the side confuse it, and also because of the dispersion that scatters the vision. Through this, it is weakened and lacks the strength to bring the thing seen into the mind. Therefore, one must close one’s eyes and focus the vision and direct it toward the thing needed, so that other things do not confuse it, and also so that the strength of the vision is fortified and not weakened, and then one can see the distant thing, as mentioned above.

Similarly, when one wishes to look at the ultimate purpose, which is entirely good, entirely one, one must close one’s eyes and direct the perception toward the ultimate purpose, for the light of this ultimate purpose is distant from a person, and it is impossible to see it except by closing the eyes, completely shutting them tightly, even pressing them with the finger, to close them entirely. And then one can look at this ultimate purpose, namely, one must close one’s eyes completely from the sight of this world, conceal and shut them tightly so as not to look at all at the desires and vanities of this world. And then one can see and attain the light of this ultimate purpose, which is entirely good, and then the sufferings are nullified, as mentioned above, for the essence of the sufferings is due to being far from the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above. And therefore, it is ingrained in the soul of a person to close one’s eyes during sufferings, as mentioned above, in order to escape from the sufferings and nullify them through the perception of the ultimate purpose, which is entirely good. And this perception is only possible through closing the eyes, as mentioned above. And even though a person does not know anything about what one is doing, nevertheless, the soul knows everything, and therefore it is ingrained to close the eyes during sufferings, as mentioned above.

ד

And behold, in truth, at the moment of nullification [bittul], when one is nullified to the ultimate purpose [tachlit], which is entirely good, entirely one [echad], then in truth the sufferings are nullified, as mentioned above. But it is impossible to remain constantly fixed in the aspect of nullification, for if so, one would go beyond the bounds of human existence. And therefore, it is necessary that the nullification be in the aspect of going and returning [ratzo v’shov]. Therefore, when the intellect returns from nullification to the mind [moach], which is the vessel of the intellect, then it is impossible for the mind, which is the vessel, to receive this intellect of the aspect of nullification, for it is the aspect of the Infinite [Ein Sof], the aspect of the ultimate purpose, which is entirely one, entirely good. And because of this, the mind feels the pain of the sufferings, for the primary sensation of all the sufferings and pains, Heaven forbid, is in the mind. For from the mind, channels extend to all the limbs, and through this, the mind feels the pain in whichever limb it is.

And know that afterward, when one returns from nullification to the vessels, namely, the mind, then the sufferings become stronger than they were before, like two people wrestling and fighting, strengthening themselves against each other. When one sees that one’s opponent is overpowering one, then one strengthens oneself greatly and becomes even stronger. Similarly, when the adversaries see that one wishes to overpower the sufferings and nullify them through nullification to the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above, then they strengthen themselves and become even stronger. And therefore, afterward, when one returns from nullification, the sufferings are greater than before, for they strengthen themselves against one because one wishes to escape from them, as mentioned above. But afterward, the sufferings are alleviated, and one is comforted from them through the renewal of the Torah [chiddushei Torah] that one merits through the sufferings. For through the sufferings, one comes to the aspect of nullification, as mentioned above. And afterward, even though one returns from nullification, nevertheless, from the impression [reshimu] that remains from the nullification, through this, a renewal of the Torah is achieved. For through the nullification, when one is nullified to the ultimate purpose and attains that all the sufferings are very great goods, through this one is filled with joy. And joy is a vessel for the renewal of the Torah, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Shabbat 88): When Israel said, “We will do and we will hear,” sixty myriads of angels descended and placed two crowns on the head of each one, and when they sinned… and in the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will restore them to us, as it is said, “And everlasting joy upon their heads.” It follows that joy is the aspect of “we will do and we will hear,” which is the aspect of receiving the Torah.

And through the renewal of the Torah that one merits through the impression of nullification, as mentioned above, through this, the sufferings are cooled, for through this, one quenches the thirst of the soul [tzimaon hanefesh]. For the sensation of the sufferings is the aspect of the thirst of the soul, for thirst comes through saltiness, and saltiness is the aspect of sufferings, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachot 5): It is said bris with salt, and it is said bris with sufferings. For the soul is the daughter of the intellect, for the primary growth of the soul is through the intellect that nurtures and rectifies it, as it is written (Proverbs 19): “Also without knowledge the soul is not good.” And when the intellect is in its perfection, then it produces fruits, but when the intellect is blemished, then it is the aspect of (Psalms 107): “A fruitful land into saltiness.” And saltiness is the aspect of sufferings that are felt because the intellect is not in its perfection, as mentioned above, and this is the aspect of the thirst of the soul, as mentioned above. And through the aforementioned renewal of the Torah, through this, the sufferings are cooled, and the thirst is quenched, in the aspect of (Isaiah 55): “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters,” (Psalms 94): “Happy is the man whom You discipline, O Hashem, and from Your Torah You teach him.” For through the sufferings, one merits the renewal of the Torah, as mentioned above, and this is a sign that one has acted through the sufferings and accepted them properly when one merits afterward the renewal of the Torah, which is a sign that one has merited the aspect of nullification to the ultimate purpose through the sufferings, and through this, one merited the renewal of the Torah through the impression, as mentioned above.

And the aforementioned master of the field [ba’al hasadeh], when one’s eyes shine in the aspect of “the field of seers,” then one can look at each and every one, whether one is close to the ultimate purpose. And when one sees in someone that they are far from the ultimate purpose, then their prayer is not yet in its proper perfection, as mentioned above, for one cannot make the entire prayer one, and when one stands at the end of a word, one forgets the beginning of the word and cannot encompass one’s prayer in the aspect of one, as mentioned above. And the aforementioned master of the field looks at them and brings them to the ultimate purpose, which is entirely one, as mentioned above. And then one can make the entire prayer one, and even when standing at the end of the prayer, one is still standing at the beginning of the word of the beginning of the prayer, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of (Shabbat 104): The letters mem, nun, tzadi, peh, kaf—the seers established them, the hei at the beginning of a word and the hei at the end of a word. The seers, this is the aspect of the master of the field when one’s eyes are in the aspect of “the field of seers,” as mentioned above, then one can rectify and look at those who are close to the ultimate purpose. And when they stand at the end of the prayer, they are still at the beginning of the word, as mentioned above. And those who are far from the ultimate purpose, they are in the aspect of the end of the word, for when they are at the end of the word, they are truly at the end of the word, as mentioned above. And the seers rectify them and bring them to the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of they forgot them and re-established them, namely, that because they are far from the ultimate purpose, they forgot the beginning of the word, for they do not encompass their prayer in the aspect of one, as mentioned above. And they re-established and rectified them to be entirely one, as mentioned above.

And this is the meaning of: “And Boaz said to Ruth,” Boaz is the intellect, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 7): “Wisdom strengthens the wise.” Ruth is the aspect of the soul [nefesh], from which come the speech of prayers, songs, and praises, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachot 7): Why was her name called Ruth? Because from her came David, who sated the Holy One, blessed be He, with songs and praises. “Have you not heard, my daughter,” for the soul is the daughter of the intellect, as mentioned above. “Have you not heard,” this is “Let your ears hear what you bring forth from your mouth,” namely, incline your ear and hear the request and supplication of the speech that requests and pleads not to separate from it, as mentioned above. And this is: “Do not go to glean in another field,” as mentioned above, for all the letters and words are precious gatherings [likkutim] that one gathers in supernal fields, as mentioned above. And the speech requests from the soul not to go from it to glean other gatherings, as mentioned above. But this is impossible, for one must go and glean more, as mentioned above. But “nor pass from this one,” namely, that even when one goes to another word, one should not pass from the first word, as mentioned above. And this is achieved through meriting the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above. “Let your eyes be on the field where they reap,” this is the aspect of the perception of the ultimate purpose, for reaping [ketzirah] is the ultimate purpose of plowing and sowing. “Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you,” this is the aspect of closing the eyes, that one must shut them and connect the vision to direct it to the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above, for without this, it is impossible to perceive the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above. And this is: “Have I not commanded [tziviti] the young men,” in the language of connection [tzavta] and joining, that one must command and connect the vision, as mentioned above. And the eyes are called young men [ne’arim], for they are the servants of the intellect, as mentioned above, for vision is a messenger and servant of the intellect, as mentioned above. And this is: “not to touch you,” the aspect of the afflictions of the soul [nig’ei hanefesh], for when the vision is scattered and sees everything before it, namely, when one does not close and shut one’s eyes from the sight of this world, as mentioned above, this is the aspect of the afflictions of the soul. And one must command and connect the young men, namely, the vision, not to look aside at the vanities of this world, so as not to afflict the soul. And then one can perceive the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above. And then, through the perception of the ultimate purpose, all the sufferings are nullified, as mentioned above. But afterward, when one returns from nullification, the sufferings become stronger, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of the thirst of the soul, as mentioned above. And this is: “And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” For to quench the thirst is through the renewal of the Torah, that the mind, which is the vessel of the intellect, receives through the impression that remains from the nullification, as mentioned above. And from there, the soul drinks to quench its thirst, as mentioned above. And “drink from what the young men have drawn,” for the young men, which are the eyes of the intellect, draw the renewal of the Torah from the impression that remains from the perception of the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above. And through this, the sufferings are nullified afterward, and the thirst of the soul is quenched, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of the Garden of Eden [Gan Eden], the aspect of Moshe and Aharon. Gan is the aspect of the soul [nefesh], the aspect of (Jeremiah 31): “And their soul shall be like a watered garden.” Eden is the aspect of the ultimate purpose, (as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, Berachot 34), the aspect of nullification, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of (Taanit 31): In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will make a circle for the tzadikim, and each one will point with one’s finger… The circle [machol] is the aspect of joy, which is a vessel for receiving the Torah, as mentioned above. And all this is through nullification, through the radiance of the impression from the nullification, from which the Torah comes, through the vessels, as brought there. And this is the aspect of pointing with one’s finger [mar’eh b’etzba’o], pointing is the aspect of the vision and radiance of the impression from which the Torah comes. And this is the aspect of pointing with one’s finger, the aspect of the Torah, which is the aspect of (Exodus 31): “The finger of G-d.”