diff --git "a/txt/Chasidut/Breslov/Likutei Halakhot/English/Likutey Halakhot, Breslov Research Institute. Translated and elucidated by Moshe Mykoff with Dov Grant Jerusalem-New York, 2019.txt" "b/txt/Chasidut/Breslov/Likutei Halakhot/English/Likutey Halakhot, Breslov Research Institute. Translated and elucidated by Moshe Mykoff with Dov Grant Jerusalem-New York, 2019.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/txt/Chasidut/Breslov/Likutei Halakhot/English/Likutey Halakhot, Breslov Research Institute. Translated and elucidated by Moshe Mykoff with Dov Grant Jerusalem-New York, 2019.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,1247 @@ +Likutei Halakhot +ליקוטי הלכות +Likutey Halakhot, Breslov Research Institute. Translated and elucidated by Moshe Mykoff with Dov Grant Jerusalem-New York, 2019 +https://www.nli.org.il/he/books/NNL_ALEPH997008193283205171/NLI + +Likutei Halakhot + +Author's Introduction + +REB NOSON’S INTRODUCTION1The reader will readily notice Reb Noson’s copious use of verses from throughout Tanakh in this Introduction. Only the most obvious of these are referenced in the footnotes. There are undoubtedly others that have gone undetected, having been deftly woven into the text. +“This time I will give thanks to HaShem,”2Bereishit 29:35 (“having attained more than my share”—cf. Rashi). “for He has helped me so greatly.”3Paraphrase of Yehoshua 17:14. “What can I say when it is He Who spoke, He Who created?”4Paraphrase of Yeshayahu 38:15. “Who is like HaShem our God? He lifts up the needy from the dust … from the trash heap He raises the destitute”5Tehillim 113:5, 7.—one such as myself, in order to bring me close to [Rebbe Nachman, who is] such a radiant light, the light of lights, the radiance of radiances. Who can speak the Rebbe’s praise, who can tell of his acclaim? And though it is common knowledge that people routinely pen such praises and accolades about just anybody, one who delves into the Rebbe’s holy works with the eye of truth, who “gainfully exercises his discernment”6Paraphrase of Mishlei 1:5. to deeply ponder these teachings that HaShem in His might has granted me to expound in these volumes, will understand and recognize that even with all the praises, commendations and accolades I have written about the Rebbe, I have yet to reach the fringes of his true praiseworthiness. For his virtues and greatness infinitely exceed what the mouth can express or the heart contemplate. +Yet the One Who examines the heart knows that I acknowledge my own unworthiness, for who am I to author books—especially books like these that deal with the most exalted matters, that open the gate for all who strive to repent, who desire to go out from the darkness to the light, to come close to HaShem and bask in the Light of life? +And if indeed in these times authoring books is not at all considered something great or important, at least let it not lead to disgrace, ridicule and mockery. For nowadays there are many who deride new books, who even before getting close enough to determine whether the books are of value, have already conspired to heap scorn upon them and call them by a pejorative nickname. (And if one who calls his friend by a pejorative nickname forfeits his portion of the World to Come,7Bava Metzia 58b. how much more so should one who uses a pejorative nickname for a work of Torah, the words of the Living God! But this is not the place to go into this.) At any rate, to be an author is not at all considered something great or important in these times. +Nevertheless, there are pious and upright individuals in every generation, even this one, “who walk in sincerity, securely,”8Paraphrase of Mishlei 10:9. “and will not sit in the company of cynics”;9Paraphrase of Tehillim 1:1. upon whom words of truth drop “like cold water on a weary soul.”10Mishlei 25:25. “As for silver and hidden treasures, they search for and seek”11Paraphrase of Mishlei 2:4. words of truth and righteousness that are “set in sockets of fine gold”12Shir HaShirim 5:15.—that is, on the teachings of our holy sages. +But in my impoverishment I know that I have not even minimally attained this ability to convey my knowledge even to those on the most rudimentary level. Yet I confess this without embarrassment. I proclaim the truth and do not hold back. “I call out at the head of the busy streets; at the entrance of the gates, in the city, I say what I have to say.”13Paraphrase of Mishlei 1:21. “I speak of Your testimonies before kings and feel no shame.”14Tehillim 119:46. For just as I am small in my own eyes, as He Who examines the heart knows, so is my soul exalted in the merit of the holiness of he who has endowed me with wisdom, understanding and knowledge—namely Rebbe Nachman, my esteemed master, my teacher, the holy and awesome teacher and true mentor, may the remembrance of the righteous be a blessing. If I would want to tell of only the tiniest bit of all that he has done for my soul, the entire earth would not suffice to contain all my words. “With what can I come before HaShem and bow down before God on high?”15Mikhah 6:6. “You have done so much, HaShem my God; Your wonders and Your thoughts are only for us. There is none that compares to You. Were I to talk and tell of them, they would be too prodigious to portray.”16Tehillim 40:6. +The nature of this work and its format, as the reader will readily see, is based entirely on and follows the order of all the laws in the four parts of the Shulchan Arukh. This is what I was instructed to do directly by Rebbe Nachman himself: to ponder and study deeply each law until HaShem enlightens me with some new insight regarding it. And any insight that HaShem granted me is based entirely on the hakdamot, introductory principles, and foundational concepts that I received from our holy and awesome Rebbe, as expounded in his holy works Likutey Moharan I and II. On several occasions I derived some of these amazing principles from the awesome stories that he told, which are brought down in Rebbe Nachman’s Stories (Sippurey Maasiyot). And though the deeper ideas alluded to in these stories are beyond our grasp, “for the waters have swollen into a stream that we cannot cross,”17Paraphrase of Yechezkel 47:5. HaShem, Who grants understanding to man, nevertheless enlightened my eyes so that here and there I found in the stories some amazing ideas, as the reader will see in LH, Tefillin 5 and LH, Birkhot HaShachar 3, and elsewhere. Other times, I collected various principles from The Aleph-Bet Book (Sefer HaMiddot). +All the hakdamot that I derived from the Rebbe’s works, and all the original insights that HaShem has helped me to innovate from them, He has enabled me to find clearly explained in verses of Tanakh and the discourses of Chazal in the Gemara, midrashim, the holy Zohar, and the writings of the Arizal. Then HaShem enlightened me further so that I could use these insights to explain the laws of the mitzvot according to the four methods of interpretation known as PaRDeS,18PaRDeS orchard) is an acronym for ,פרדס) allusive ,רמז) literal meaning), Remez ,פשט) Pshat homiletical meaning), Sod ,דרוש) meaning), Drush ,סוד) esoteric or kabbalistic meaning). following the arrangement of the laws elucidated in the four parts of the Shulchan Arukh. +I hope to HaShem that your eyes will see amazing wonders in most places. “How great are HaShem’s deeds, how mysterious His thoughts!”19Paraphrase of Tehillim 92:6. With what is explained in these books, every person can understand and comprehend from afar the awesome and amazing greatness of each mitzvah and every law that derives from the details of that mitzvah. This is true even of the laws of interpersonal relations clarified in Choshen Mishpat, from which no one even considers deriving guidance, implicit or explicit, for serving HaShem. Yet HaShem’s kindness prevails, so that through these books, one who is thirsty to hear the word of HaShem will satisfy his soul. +We know that from every part of the Torah, from all the laws and precepts contained in all its branches, we need to extract advice, guidance and hints for how to truly come close to HaShem. Rebbe Nachman explains this in the lesson Chadi Rabi Shimon in LM I, 61, that one should glean principles for upright behavior from everything he learns; see there. But not everyone is capable of doing this. +Yet with HaShem’s help and His wondrous salvation, by means of these books I have somewhat opened the gate to uncover genuine guidance in all aspects of Torah study. In most cases, these are not merely allusions and allegories, but the true, deeper intention of the mitzvah. Reams of pages would not suffice for me to explain my words here. Nevertheless, the truly intelligent person will understand a bit if he sets his heart well to what is stated in these books and in the works of Rebbe Nachman. +Now, although it may seem to the reader that in many places I have been wordy, going over the same point two or three times, know, dear reader, that this too was from HaShem, “Who is wonderful in counsel and exceedingly wise.”20Yeshayahu 28:29. +Anyone who focuses his heart to truly study the Rebbe’s incomparable teachings, which are deeper than the greatest depths and wider than the sea, and then focuses well on these new insights and explanations of those teachings that HaShem has graciously granted me to reveal, will understand well that considering their astounding profundity, I have yet to adequately clarify them. This is the case even where I have explained the matter at considerable length, and certainly in those instances where I was concise. Know that all the teachings the Rebbe revealed are entirely new hakdamot (though they are all based on the mitzvot of the Torah received long ago, they are nevertheless completely original introductory principles). They all present wonderful advice and guidance for how to get close to HaShem, each person from whatever spiritual level he is on. +Our main intention should be to fulfill these teachings with simplicity, just as they emerged from the Rebbe’s lips with sincerity and simplicity. However, on account of our physicality and the dullness of our minds, it is extremely difficult and onerous to embed the sincerity and simplicity of these teachings in people’s hearts. This is because the human intellect inclines toward worldly wisdom, which for the most part misleads the heart from the quintessential truth within simplicity and sincerity. +This is especially so of the Rebbe’s teachings, since in truth their sincerity and simplicity are so very profound, “so tremendously deep, who can discern them?”21Kohelet 7:24. In every single thing that he revealed, there are mounds of Halakhot (discourses), “deep wellsprings flowing forth in valley and mountain.”22Paraphrase of Devarim 8:7. For his teachings are like a gushing fountain, as the reader will glimpse in the places where HaShem has been kind and enabled me to find amazing and awesome ideas, and the deeper intent behind many mitzvot, expressed in a single teaching that the Rebbe revealed. For example, the lesson Sasson VeSimchah Yasigu VeNasu Yagon VaAnachah (LM II, 23) consists of a single concept: to grab hold of sorrow and sighing and bring them into joy, as explained there. HaShem helped me and enlightened my eyes to find so many amazing ideas based on this one hakdamah, as the reader will see at the beginning of Even HaEzer and elsewhere. +Nevertheless, the main intent remains the simple meaning, to transform sorrow and sighing into joy—in other words, to turn all manner of sadness into joy, as explained there. Yet even this simple level—that one must endeavor to overcome all types of sorrow and transform them into joy—is itself difficult and onerous to embed in people’s hearts. But HaShem helped me elaborate on this, and show and reveal that the observance of all aspects of the Torah is dependent on this, for joy is the quintessence of the entire Torah and the mitzvot. By expanding on this in the discourse, one can see from afar the awesome benefit of joy, and how much we must strive to transform sadness into joy. Still, the core of the intention is to be able to fulfill this advice with simplicity, and to beg HaShem to be worthy of doing so. +The same applies to the rest of the wonderful advice and guidance that the Rebbe revealed, such as in the lesson VeAyeh HaSeh LeOlah in LM II, 12. The advice that he elucidates there is extremely profound, meaning that its simplicity and wholesomeness is very deep, and so has to be expounded at length and discussed in many different ways. But with HaShem’s kindness, I have been enlightened and discovered that this advice is alluded to in many places in the Torah, as seen in LH, Geviyat Chov MeiHaYetomim 3. The intelligent person will be able to deduce one thing from another to understand how the entire Torah is filled with this advice. The same applies to the lesson Azamra Le’Elohai BeOdee in LM I, 282, cited in LH, Hashkamat HaBoker 1. This is true as well of the concept of yearning and longing for HaShem. All these topics require lengthy discussions until we merit embedding them in a person’s heart, so he may fulfill them with simplicity and sincerity. That is the most important element, since “the main thing is practice, not scholarship.”23Avot 1:17. For these reasons, it was necessary to expound at length in most places, in order to explain the advice in simple terms, so that the study of it will bring to action. +It is also on account of the insights themselves, for the Rebbe’s teachings are extremely deep and comprehensive. In each and every lesson, there are very many principles, concepts and amazing original insights. And all the original insights that HaShem opened my eyes to see are all bound and firmly tied to the Rebbe’s awesome and holy words. Thus wherever I have expanded the explanation and insight that HaShem has helped me originate, one must return each time to review all the parts of the lesson that the Rebbe revealed and all its numerous details. +As I myself heard from the Rebbe’s holy mouth, there is no one who can properly understand his lessons, since one has to thoroughly recall the words of his holy lesson and be proficient in all of its areas, its specifics and fine details. Therefore in many places I was obliged to discuss and expound at length on the teaching, and to repeat the same idea several times, in the hope that the substance of the true intention might enter the reader’s heart, so he may clearly comprehend the original insight. The main thing is that the insight brings him to action: that he is inspired by it to fulfill the Rebbe’s words with simplicity, and that he puts into practice the principle that I have extracted from the Rebbe’s teachings, upon which I constructed that specific discourse, since the Rebbe’s thoughts are extremely deep. +It is clear and understood by every intelligent person that [one needs to persevere] wherever original insights and interpretations are elaborated at great length in the holy literature. This is true whether they appear in the Gemara and its commentaries or in the texts of Kabbalah and PaRDeS.24Apparently, this is a reference to the genre of works that employ all four methods of Torah interpretation (see note 18 above), a prominent example of which is Shnei Luchot HaBrit. It could be in the commentary of the Shakh on Choshen Mishpat, or in an extremely lengthy answer in the responsa literature. It certainly occurs in the works of the Arizal, in which each homily expands greatly in many directions, and most times a homily mentioned at the end is firmly linked to another mentioned many pages earlier. Whoever is well versed in the Arizal’s writings understands that virtually the entire Eitz Chaim and Pri Eitz Chaim are one long homily. Wherever lengthy expositions appear [in this work], the reader must not be intimidated or grow anxious over the impossibility of ever grasping such an extremely long discourse in the mind and intellect. Regarding this, the verse states, “The eyes of a fool are to the ends of the earth,”25Mishlei 17:24. as Rashi explains; see there. But the wise person says, “I will study a bit today, and a bit tomorrow.” +The youth need to know this well, and it is the responsibility of their instructors and teachers to inform them of it, so they will not be intimidated or made anxious at all by a lengthy explanation or insight. Rather, they should focus their eyes and thoughts on that discourse and proceed gradually. First they should concentrate on one point until they somewhat understand it, and then progress sequentially from one insight to the next, from one point to another, until they have finished a page or two. Each time they should proceed in an orderly fashion from one point to the next, without intimidation or confusion. This way they will accomplish their goal in peace, and even one who is not exceptionally gifted will be able to understand even a very long discourse. +I had to mention this here because in our book, praise HaShem, such lengthy exposition appears throughout. And so I have come to remind the reader not to be intimidated, but to proceed in a sequential manner from one point to another. Doing so, he will proceed securely. And if he pays attention, he will understand that whatever seems to be extensive exposition was entirely necessary for explaining the point well. +Actually, in many instances what seems to be drawn-out appears so only at first glance, before one has concentrated on understanding the matter well. But afterwards, when one studies further and pays attention to what is being said there until he understands it well, he will see that everything I repeated many times still requires a great deal of additional explanation—for with HaShem’s help, most places in these books contain very deep concepts “whose foundations are in the holy mountains,”26Paraphrase of Tehillim 87:1. according to the awesome hakdamot that our great and holy Rebbe revealed. Their profoundness is without measure or end, as each individual who genuinely desires the truth can understand—each one commensurate with his capacity to comprehend. (This is not the place to elaborate on this; see Tzaddik #340 and #391, and Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #196 and #211, where it is somewhat explained.) Therefore these original insights that HaShem has kindly granted me, which are all based on the Rebbe’s holy words, also contain depth, because they all approximate an interpretation and explanation of his holy words. That said, I know in my heart that the measure to which I have penetrated the meaning of his words amounts to less than a drop in the ocean. +May the True God guide me in the path of truth, for the One Who examines the heart knows the secrets of my heart and my thoughts—that my whole desire is solely for the quintessential truth. Blessed is our God, Who has rewarded us with good and given us a Torah of truth. May He continue to do for us these things and many others like them. May He recall the kindnesses of our ancestors and “may He grant truth to Yaakov.”27Paraphrase of Mikhah 7:20. May the verse soon be fulfilled, “Truth will sprout from the earth,”28Tehillim 85:12. until the time that “the throne of David is established with kindness, and he sits upon it in truthfulness.”29Paraphrase of Yeshayahu 16:5. May this happen speedily in our days. Amen, may such be His will. + +Orach Chaim + +Laws of Morning Conduct + + + +Chapter 1 + + + +Section 1 + +A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning for the service of his Creator, so that it is he who awakens the dawn. Gloss: “I set HaShem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8)—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 1:1). +KEY CONCEPTS FROM LIKUTEY MOHARAN1This opening discourse of Likutey Halakhot is atypical of Reb Noson’s “Halakhah 1” (aleph-series) discourses, which as a rule are shorter and less intricate than those he authored in later years (see Appendix B, p. 244). From Reb Noson’s manuscript we learn that this in fact was his teaching on Hashkamat HaBoker – Rising in the Morning from the “Halakhah 3” series, but was switched to here when Likutey Halakhot was brought to press. Apparently, Reb Noson wanted to give this discourse greater prominence since it is based on Rebbe Nachman’s seminal teaching of Azamra (LM I, 282(.
In LM I, 282, Rebbe Nachman states as follows: +When a person begins to examine himself and sees that he is very far from HaShem, full of many sins and blemishes, and it seems to him that he is far removed from all good, he must not despair. Rather, he should search and seek until he finds in himself some good. For how is it possible that he never did anything good in his life? Finding that good point will wake him from spiritual sleep and create in him a genuine feeling of closeness to HaShem. +And even if a person sees that also the little bit of good he has done is riddled with imperfections, mixed with many impurities, he should not get discouraged. He may have performed a mitzvah improperly or for the wrong reasons, yet it is impossible that his deed is totally flawed; that it does not contain at least some bit of good, some flawless point capable of enhancing HaShem’s glory. +And so, just as he persevered and succeeded in finding that first good point, he should continue to search inside himself until he finds some other good. Even if that good too is mixed with many impurities, it has to have in it at least some good point. And in a similar manner he should keep on searching and finding still more good points inside himself. +By judging himself favorably2 See Avot 1:6.and finding still more good points inside himself—even though he has done what he has done and blemished what he has blemished—a person genuinely crosses over from the side of guilt to the side of merit. And through this he can merit doing teshuvah. As long as he believes that he is bereft of good and so feels distant from HaShem, it is indeed very hard for him to sincerely return to Him in repentance. But after he finds his good points and feels genuinely close to HaShem, it is easy to do true teshuvah. +David HaMelekh hints to the power of judging favorably in Tehillim. This is the significance of the verse “There is still a little bit in which the sinner is not ...” By virtue of that “still a little bit”—namely the good that is still in him—there he is not a sinner, and through this, “when you reflect …” When a person finds his good points, he tips the scales of justice in his favor and is no longer at his original place, so to speak. Consequently, “when you reflect upon his place,” he is already not there! Study the Rebbe’s words there. +And by this finding of his good points, a person can bring himself to joy. He will then be able to pray with enthusiasm and inspiration. This is the significance of the verse “I will sing to my God with what I still have left.” Through the “still a little bit”—namely the good he finds inside himself—he is able to sing to HaShem and praise Him.3Rebbe Nachman links this verse from Tehillim (146:2)—“I will sing to my God with what I still have be-ODee)”—with the verse from Tehillim ,בעודי) left (37:10) cited in the previous paragraph—“There is ve-OD me’at) in which the ,ועוד מעט) still a little bit sinner is not.” What is it that enables a person to sing to HaShem? It is the little bit of good that he still finds inside himself, the point in which he is not wicked. Reb Noson will bring this again in the next section (see also note 16 below), linking these two verses to a third verse from Tehillim that likewise alludes to the good point through the Hebrew word od (עוד, still). +And this finding of the good points creates melodies. For melodies are made by selecting the good ruach from the ruach of gloom and despair.4 The word ruach meanings: air/wind and spirit. Here Rebbe Nachman alternates between the two. A musical instrument creates sound when part of it vibrates rapidly, causing the air around it to vibrate. We hear this vibrating ruach, or sound waves, as musical notes. The skill is to play on the instrument in such a way as to select the “good ruach,” the music, and avoid the dissonance and noise, which the Rebbe equates with a melancholy spirit, a “ruach of gloom and despair.”The Rebbe explains that this is precisely the meaning of “I will sing,” which alludes to the concept of melodies and songs of prayer that one creates through finding the little bit of good he still has left. +Now, it is not enough to search only for one’s own good points. A person should also judge others favorably. He must look for and find some good point in everyone, even in a person who is seen by others as thoroughly wicked. Study the Rebbe’s words there, that just as finding the good in himself lifts a person out of despair and into merit, finding the good inside another lifts up that other person into merit so that he too will feel closer to HaShem.5 Chazal teach that each Jew is responsible for his fellow Jew: “All Jews are guarantors for one another” (Shevuot 39a). In LH, Geirim 3:19, Reb Noson writes, “Each Jew has a responsibility to speak with others about how best to fulfill HaShem’s commandments and draw closer to Him.” In a second discourse (LH, Karchah VeKetovat Kaaka 3:1), Reb Noson reads Chazal’s maxim homiletically as “All Jews are included in one another.” In other words, in each Jew there is literally a part of every other Jew. Because of this, each Jew has the power to bring the entire Jewish people to repent, and thus has an obligation to endeavor to do so. From this we can understand how each Jew can lift up his fellow Jew by judging him favorably, even when they are physically very far apart. It is possible precisely because every Jew is included in and bound up with every other Jew (cf. Taamei HaMitzvot, Kedoshim: Mitzvat VeAhavta LeRei’akha Kamokha). Reb Noson teaches (ibid.) that in fact all Jewish souls are, at their root, a single soul. Therefore finding the good in another is, in essence, finding the good in oneself—it lifts one’s spirits and raises him up spiritually, to the side of merit.Every Jew is required to do this.6Once while traveling to Brody, a city in the western Ukraine, Reb Noson began enthusiastically discussing Azamra (LM I, 282). Reb Nachman Tulchiner, who had heard his teacher talk about this lesson on numerous occasions, commented that finding the good in a fellow Jew was obviously something everyone must do. “So tell me,” Reb Noson rejoined, “how many people have you already gotten to repent by virtue of this teaching?” (Siach Sarfey Kodesh 2:527). +And whoever can do this, to find a good point even in Jewish sinners, can be the congregation’s chazan, who reveals the good points in each and every worshipper as he leads them in prayer.7 In Hebrew, the prayer leader is called the shaliach tzibbur (lit. the people’s messenger or emissary), as he stands before HaShem representing all the members of the congregation. A congregation prays with enthusiasm as a result of their shaliach tzibbur finding and raising up their good points, which are all drawn to him and merged within him. Having explained that judging others favorably creates melodies, Rebbe Nachman refers to the individual who can gather up all the good points that are to be found even in Jewish sinners as the chazan, who leads the congregation in songful prayer.Study the Rebbe’s explanation there. +This is the primary spiritual work of the tzaddikim of the generation. Thus the Rebbe teaches: Know that by gathering up all the good points, each of the tzaddikim of the generation constructs a mishkan, a place of holiness for the Shekhinah to manifest.8As will be explained (see §4 below), after the Jews sinned with the golden calf, HaShem commanded them to build the Mishkan, in which they could find atonement. Moshe Rabbeinu, the leading tzaddik of his generation, collected all the contributions made by the Jewish people and erected the Mishkan from their gifts. Rebbe Nachman teaches that the donation each individual brought was a reflection of his personal good point. In this sense, the Mishkan was constructed out of the good points of the entire Jewish people. By revealing the good points of the Jewish souls identified with his own soul, each tzaddik constructs this mishkan, and from there the little schoolchildren receive the undefiled breath of their mouths.9 Chazal teach that the world exists only in the merit of the Torah study of little schoolchildren, whose breath is untainted by sin. The Gemara explains that once a person has sinned, the breath of his Torah study can no longer compare with the pure and unsullied breath of the little schoolchildren (Shabbat 119b and Maharsha, s.v. eino domeh). The merit of his Torah study lacks the power to mitigate the judgments that undermine the world’s continued existence (see LM I, 37:4 and note 40). Rebbe Nachman adds that pure breath—namely the ability to study Torah in purity and holiness—derives from the spiritual mishkan that the tzaddik builds out of the good points of the Jewish people (see also note 72 below).The Midrash says of these schoolchildren, “Let those who are pure come and occupy themselves with that which is pure.” To this end, the teachers who introduce little schoolchildren to Torah start from Vayikra. Study there.10The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 7:3) states that when a child begins reading and is introduced to the study of Torah, he begins not with Bereishit but with the opening verse of Vayikra. Vayikra is the book of the Torah that primarily addresses the issues of purity. It opens with HaShem speaking from the just-completed Mishkan: “He called (Vayikra) to Moshe.” In a Torah scroll, the word Vayikra is traditionally written with an aleph ze’ira, In Aramaic, aleiph means “teach” .ויקרא : a small aleph or “study.” Therefore the first verse of Vayikra is the first verse we teach the small children who, with the pure breath they draw from the Mishkan, sustain the world through the merit of their Torah study. (For a deeper see LH, Eiruvei ,ויקרא in א explanation of the small Techumin 6:6.) +Aside from the aforementioned tzaddikim, each of whom reveals the good points of those in his charge, there is also a universal tzaddik whose encompassing soul is inclusive of all Jewish souls. Because he is capable of gathering up the good that is found in everyone, this Moshe-like tzaddik is acquainted with and can apply all the aspects of the mishkanot that the tzaddikim construct, from which the children receive the undefiled breath of their mouths. Study all this well in LM I, 282. + +Section 2 + +ARISING FROM SPIRITUAL SLUMBER
Reb Noson begins his discourse on the deeper meaning of rising in the morning by linking the finding of good points with waking up from spiritual slumber.

This searching for one’s good points is the concept of waking up from sleep. When a person recognizes that he is far from HaShem he is likely to be despondent, to feel low in both energy and spirit; this is akin to being in a state of sleep, which, Chazal teach, is “one-sixtieth of death.”11Berakhot 57b. But when he seeks and searches and finds inside himself some remaining good point, and he revives himself and cheers himself up, using that fragment of good to rouse himself to serve HaShem—that is the concept of waking up from sleep. +Before showing how he reads Rebbe Nachman’s lesson into the words of the Shulchan Arukh (he will address this in §5 and §6 below), Reb Noson first explores a number of verses that show that people’s good points wake them up from sleep. He begins with the words of David HaMelekh in Tehillim 3.

This is the significance of the verse “O HaShem, so numerous are my tormentors, so many …” These “tormentors” are the tormentors of the soul—namely each person’s sins and spiritual blemishes, which are the source of mankind’s greatest suffering.12Citing the verse (Tehillim 120:1) “In my distress I called out to HaShem,” Midrash Shmuel (on Avot 2:4) teaches that whenever David HaMelekh cried out to HaShem about his suffering and the torment of being pursued by his enemies, he was referring to the spiritual anguish of his soul. The soul’s torment is greatest when its principal enemy, the Yetzer Hara, induces it to sin (see also LM II, 101 and II, 125). When they overpower a person, they seek to defeat him totally by making it seem as if he has no hope, chas ve-shalom. This is the meaning of the verse that follows, “Many say of me, ‘He will never be saved by HaShem,’ selah.” On account of a person’s many sins, the Yetzer Hara tricks him into thinking that all is lost. Then he is conceptually asleep, as in “I lay down and slept.” This alludes to the hopelessness and downheartedness of spiritual slumber. +However, the truth is that a person is forbidden to despair. He must overcome any feelings of hopelessness and wake up from his spiritual sleep by means of the little bit of good that he still finds inside himself. Thus the verse concludes, “I awoke, for HaShem supports me.” Although “I lay down and slept,” I strengthen myself to wake up from my sleep. I keep myself from despair because I know that “HaShem supports me.” In this context, “HaShem” signifies a person’s good. The good point that a person finds inside himself is an aspect of Godliness, as it were, since whatever good exists in the world emanates from HaShem. +Reb Noson now brings further proof of the connection between HaShem and good.

For the Zohar teaches that Torah, the Jewish people, and HaKadosh Barukh Hu are entirely one.13Zohar III, 73a teaches that the three are bound together in a complete unity; see also LM I, 251:3 and Kedushat Levi, Masekhet Avot, s.v. ita be-midrash. It follows that when a good point exists inside a Jew—namely some mitzvah or something good that he did—that good is completely bound up in unity with HaShem.14In LM I, 5:2, Rebbe Nachman teaches that “HaKadosh Barukh Hu is in simple unity with the mitzvot.” Note 27 there explains that unlike man, HaShem and His will are one. Neither duality nor change can be ascribed to His will. It is therefore impossible to separate HaShem’s will or His thoughts from HaShem Himself. The same applies to the mitzvot of the Torah, which, as spiritual expressions of HaShem’s will, are in simple unity with Him. For “HaShem is good to all”—He is all that is good, the origin and essence of all the good in existence. This is also as the verse states, “Taste and see that HaShem is good.” Any good, no matter where it exists or what form it takes, emanates solely from Him. This is the significance of “for HaShem supports me.” In other words, David HaMelekh says, the good point that I find in myself—itself an aspect of Godliness, as in “HaShem is good to all”—is what supports me and also wakes me from sleep. +And then, strengthened by the support of his good point, a person can declare, “I have no fear of the many thousands who have arrayed against me on every side.” Instead, I am once again secure, unafraid of those who would persecute me. Even though the spiritual blemishes and sins that threaten to defeat me are many thousands, chas ve-shalom, I am untroubled. Seeing that I have found at least some remaining good point inside myself, I am able to wake up from my slumber. This genuinely brings me to a position of merit and enables me to merit doing teshuvah. In other words, all the evil of one’s spiritual blemishes and sins is cast aside by the little bit of good that he finds inside himself. And with this good, he revives himself and raises himself up, because just a little bit of light chases away a lot of darkness.15Chovot HaLevavot, Shaar 5, Perek 5. +This is also implied in the verse “I have awakened, ve-odee with You.” “I have awakened” by dint of my od me’at—that is to say, because of the good point still inside me, as in “I will sing to my God be-odee.”16See §1 and note 3 above. Here, Reb Noson cites a third verse from Tehillim (139:18) that employs still) to allude to the good ,עוד) the Hebrew word od I am still) with ,ועודי) point: “I have awakened, ve-ODee still a little ,ועוד מעט) You”—because of my ve-OD me’at bit),” my good point, I can “sing to my God be-ODee בעודי) with what I still have left).” This is the meaning of “and I am still with You”: because of my “still a little bit” which is still completely bound in unity with You, “I have awakened”—this being the concept of waking up and rousing from slumber. + +Section 3 + +WAKING THE GOOD POINTS
Reb Noson has thus far explained that waking up from spiritual sleep requires finding one’s good points. He will next show the link between a person’s good points and waking up before the dawn.

And this is the significance of yet another verse in which David HaMelekh alludes to rousing from spiritual slumber, “Awake, my soul! Awake the harp and lyre! I will awaken the shachar.” In other words, a person must stir himself from his sleep and lift himself up from his spiritual decline. How does he wake himself up? By looking deep inside himself and finding the good points that he still can find within. To do so is to “awaken the dawn.” +For a person’s good point is akin to the shachar. Like the dawn, it emerges out of the darkest darkness, as in the verse “I am shachor but pleasing, O daughters of Yerushalayim.”17Rashi comments that “I am black but pleasing” are the words of the Jewish people to the nations, the “daughters of Yerushalayim.” The Jews say, “My deeds are black, but the deeds of my forefathers are beautiful. And even some of my own deeds contain beauty. Although I sinned with the golden calf, I have the merit black) ,שחור) of receiving the Torah.” Though SHaCHor and concealed in darkness, their deeds nevertheless ,שחר) break through into the light like the SHaCHaR dawn). Mixed in with this good point are many impurities and many spiritual blemishes of which this person is guilty, and so it seems to be black, displeasing. He is unable to appreciate how pleasing and beautiful it actually is, since for him the good point lies buried in gloom and darkness, chas ve-shalom. +But when a person judges himself favorably, and wakes up and finds in himself the good point, its beauty is revealed. Then his good point says about itself, “I am black but pleasing”—though I may appear to be black, I am actually very beautiful. And so, “Do not look down on me on account of my blackness”—I do not deserve to be disparaged because the blackness is not inherent to me, as Rashi comments there. Rather, “I have been scorched by the sun.” For the good point in each person, even in Jewish sinners,18In LM 17:1, Rebbe Nachman teaches, “HaShem takes pride even in the least worthy Jew, even in Jewish sinners, so long as they go by the name ‘Jew’” (see also LM I, 14:3 and I, 80). Reb Noson explains, “There is a special pride that HaShem takes in each individual Jew. Therefore one should never despair of HaShem’s help, regardless of any wrong he may have done. HaShem’s love for him will never cease, and he can still return to HaShem. The main thing is to be attached to the tzaddik and his followers, because they possess the ability to uncover the good and glory present even in the worst people, and so return everything to HaShem” (Likutey Eitzot, Hitchazkut 4). is itself very pleasing and very beautiful. It is just that the darkness covers it. But once it is awakened the good point declares, “I am black but pleasing … Do not look down on me on account of my blackness”—because intrinsically, I am exceedingly beautiful. +Reb Noson interrupts his explanation of “Awake my soul…” and its connection to the shachor of the good point. He will return to this topic in §5 below. Here, having also cited the verse “I am shachor but pleasing,” which Chazal link with the Mishkan, he explains that it was from the good points of the Jewish people that Moshe constructed the Mishkan.

This relates to what Chazal teach regarding this verse. They explain that the Jewish people are saying, “‘I am black’—because of the incident of the golden calf—‘but I am pleasing’—because of the matter of the Mishkan.”19Shemot Rabbah 49:2. Meaning, despite the fact that my sins are many and I have become very distant from HaShem, nevertheless, I am pleasing to HaShem when I look for my good points. +This derives from the following: ‘My sins are many’ is suggested by Chazal’s reference to “the incident of the golden calf,” because idolatry is the sin inclusive of all other sins, for “Whoever worships idolatry is regarded as having repudiated the entire Torah.”20Chullin 5a. Nevertheless, despite my many sins, “‘I am pleasing’—because of the matter of the Mishkan”—meaning “I am pleasing” to HaShem by virtue of the little bit of good that I still find in myself. For immediately after the incident of the golden calf the Jewish people were commanded to construct the Mishkan. Thus the Mishkan was built as a result of HaShem becoming favorably disposed towards the Jewish people through Moshe’s self-sacrifice and his prayers on their behalf. +For Moshe was able to find a good point even in the least worthy Jew, as Rebbe Nachman teaches on a number of occasions.21In addition to LM I, 282, see LM II, 48 and 125. This enabled Moshe to always pray for them, even when they had transgressed the entire Torah through the incident of the golden calf. Even then he was able to find good points in them. +This is the reason Moshe said, “Why, HaShem, should Your wrath burn against Your people?” He had found the good in the Jews and, by doing so, had dispelled the evil entirely. Therefore he said, “Why, HaShem, should Your wrath burn against Your people?” since the evil was of no import compared with the little bit of good that they still had inside them. +And so HaShem became favorably disposed towards him. “[HaShem] relented from the evil,” and instead He taught Moshe the arrangement of the prayer for Divine favor in a time of din,22Din (pl. dinim), as the agency of Divine judgment, is the origin of all negative spiritual forces, of which the demonic kelipot are one example. Dinim manifest in the world when man’s unworthy actions anger HaShem, as it were, causing Divine mercy and Divine kindness to be concealed, and Divine wrath to manifest. setting out before him the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. This is, “He said, ‘I will make all My good pass [in front of you],’” for He taught Moshe the attributes and revealed to him all His good, as it were, so that Moshe would know that HaShem is always “good to all.” He would know too that it is possible to awaken the good even in the least worthy person, and so move him to a position of merit and bring him back to HaShem in teshuvah. +Having explained that by finding the good point we awaken HaShem’s goodness and win His forgiveness, Reb Noson next shows how this is specifically alluded to in the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.

This is the concept of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy set out in the verse “HaShem! HaShem! A compassionate God, gracious and slow to anger …” HaShem is filled with compassion and is “good to all.” He is patient with both the righteous and the wicked. For “He tips the scales of justice towards chesed”23Beit Hillel explains the Divine attribute of “abundant in chesed” to mean that HaShem tips the scales of justice towards loving-kindness (Rosh HaShanah 17a; see also Shemot Rabbah 2:1). Rebbe Nachman applies this to the tzaddik (see §1 above). In Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #96, he teaches, “A tzaddik inclines towards kindness. He even presumes the merit of those who oppose him—that their intention is for the sake of Heaven.” Reb Noson will explain that every person, not just the tzaddik, has to incline towards the side of kindness—for himself as well as for others. and judges everything favorably. He also finds a good point even in Jewish sinners, and thereby tips the scales for them to the side of merit. +This is the significance of “He keeps chesed for thousands.” The concept of chesed is that HaShem inclines towards loving-kindness, judges favorably, and finds a good point even in the least worthy Jew, thereby enabling him to do teshuvah. This chesed holds back Divine wrath and mitigates harsh judgments “for thousands” of sins. In other words, even though the thousands and tens of thousands of transgressions that that person has committed would counter his merit, the little bit of good that HaShem finds by inclining towards kindness repels them all. As a result, HaShem “forgives iniquity and rebellion” and pardons the sinner’s offenses, so that he genuinely becomes worthy of merit.

Reb Noson has explained that HaShem’s Thirteen Attributes of Mercy awaken the good point in each human being, even the least worthy. By inclining towards kindness—namely His attribute of loving-kindness—HaShem brings a person to a position of merit and motivates him to repent, so that He then forgives him for all his sins. + +Section 4 + +CONSTRUCTING A MISHKAN
Reb Noson concludes his explanation of Moshe’s ability to find good even in the least worthy Jew, and how Moshe then used those good points to construct the Mishkan as a tikkun for their sin with the golden calf.

And so HaShem became favorably disposed towards Moshe as a result of his finding good in every Jew even after the incident of the golden calf. For Moshe was the embodiment of good, as expressed in the verse “She saw that he was good.”24This was Moshe’s mother’s reaction upon seeing her newborn son. See note 58 below. And therefore Moshe had the inherent ability to always find the good in everyone—even in the willful sinners of the Jewish people. Through this HaShem was placated, and then He commanded the Jewish people regarding the construction of the Mishkan as a tikkun for their sin. Each Jew was to contribute towards the Mishkan’s construction according to the generosity of his heart. For Moshe would rouse the good in each person, and each person, commensurate with his good, contributed to the construction of the Mishkan according to the generosity of his good heart. +For the Mishkan was constructed from all the good that had been refined from every single Jew. This is the significance of the Torah’s enumeration of their gifts as “gold and silver and copper, and sky-blue and dark red and crimson.” Each person brought a gift that was congruous with his own good point. Kabbalah teaches that “gold and silver and copper, and sky-blue …” allude to the supernal colors,25In Pardes Rimonim (10:1), Rabbi Moshe Cordovero teaches that these colors represent the sefirot, the Divine attributes through which the infinite and unknowable God makes Himself known to His creation. They are called “colors” because each holy attribute has its own distinct characteristic and hue; each sefirah reveals a different dimension of HaShem as He relates to this world. Therefore revealing the supernal colors reveals Godliness, which, as we have seen previously, is synonymous with the good points inside each and every Jew. which are themselves representative of the good inside each and every Jew. +This is the import of HaShem’s praise for the Jewish people, “Israel, in you etpa’er.” The Hebrew term for “pride,” pe’er, also connotes “splendor,” especially as it manifests through the beauty of color.26On account of the Pe’ER (,פאר splendor) of the supernal colors—i.e. the Jewish people’s good points— I take ,אתפאר) HaShem says, “Israel, in you etPa’ER pride). Pe’ER is also etymologically similar to tiPhERet beauty). The sefirah of Tiferet, because it is ,תפארת) inclusive of all the colors, is called “encompassing beauty” (Sefer Gerushin #38). See also LM I, 25:4 and II, 67:5. HaShem takes pride in the Jewish people because they are made up of a multitude of colors. These are the good points inside every Jew, which are likewise inclusive of many colors. For each Jew, even the least worthy among them, has a good point that is unique, and so not found in his companion. As Rebbe Nachman has explained elsewhere, on account of each Jew’s unique good point, his unique color, HaShem takes pride in all of them—i.e. in the splendor of their encompassing beauty.27See LM I, 34:4. +This relates as well to the colors that were in the Beit HaMikdash, and before that, in the Mishkan—the concept of the “gold and silver …” that each Jew contributed according to the generosity of his good heart. For all the numerous good points, which are synonymous with all the different supernal colors inside every Jew, were included there. +Therefore it was specifically after the incident of the golden calf, when Moshe had to search out and find the good points that exist inside every single Jew, that they were tasked with constructing the Mishkan.28Rashi on Shemot 31:18 comments, “The incident of the golden calf preceded the commandment to erect the Mishkan by many days.” He explains there that it took Moshe from the Seventeenth of Tammuz, the day he broke the Tablets, until Yom Kippur to reconcile HaShem towards the Jewish people. On the day after Yom Kippur they began collecting the people’s contributions for erecting the Mishkan. For the Mishkan was built from these good points, as in the midrashic teaching cited above, “‘I am black’—because of the incident of the golden calf—‘but I am pleasing’—because of the construction of the Mishkan.��� That is, by virtue of the good points I still find inside myself, which conceptually are the materials for the construction of the Mishkan. +Likewise, it is understood by the Rebbe’s words in his lesson that through the good found in every single Jew, a mishkan is constructed. And so, that tzaddik who is capable of finding all the good that exists in the entire Jewish people— who conceptually is the chazan, as explained above—he can comprehend all the concepts related to the mishkan of each of the generation’s tzaddikim. Study the Rebbe’s words there, that this mishkan is constructed primarily from that aforementioned good. +With this the Rebbe’s words in the opening section of his lesson, where he discusses finding the good points, are well-connected with what he teaches at its end about constructing a mishkan. Study there well.

Reb Noson has shown that “dawn” represents a person’s good point, which, once roused, is used by the tzaddik to build a “mishkan”—a dwelling for the Shekhinah in this world, and a source for the pure breath that enables a person to study Torah in purity and holiness. + +Section 5 + +INCLINED TOWARDS KINDNESS
Reb Noson next completes his interpretation of the verse from Tehillim cited at the beginning of §3, and then returns to explaining the law of the Shulchan Arukh.

And this is the meaning of “Awake, my soul! Awake …”29Reb Noson now completes his interpretation of the verse from Tehillim cited at the beginning of §3 above. How will I wake myself up? Through “I will awaken the dawn”—that is, by means of my awakening the shachar. This refers to the good point, which, because it appears to be black, corresponds to the dawn, as in “I am shachor but pleasing.” In other words, although I appear to be black, I am actually very beautiful. And this awakening of my good point, the uncovering of Godliness that enlivens my soul, will enable me to rouse myself from my slumber and raise myself up from my spiritual fall. This is the significance of “Awake the harp …” As explained previously, selecting the good points, which are one’s “little bit” of good, creates melodies, as in “I will sing to my God with what I still have left.” +This idea is implicit in the opening words of the Shulchan Arukh, “A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning for the service of his Creator.” A person must overcome every obstacle to wake up from his sleep and spiritual fall. This refers not only to rising in the morning, but also to whenever his spirit falls into a state of sleep and he feels distant from HaShem. He must then act determinedly to shake off his slumber. By what means will he wake himself up? By seeing to it “that it is he who awakens the dawn”—that is, by rousing his good points, which, as noted previously, are black and so akin to the dawn, as in “I will awaken the shachar.” This will enable him to rouse himself from his slumber and rise up from his spiritual fall. +And this is the significance of “to rise up in the morning.”30From the Shulchan Arukh we see that the most auspicious time for rising from sleep is in the wee hours of the morning, so that “it is he who awakens the dawn,” and not that the day begins before he wakes. Even so, for one who is spiritually asleep, “morning” is whenever he awakens with new awareness. The key to waking up from sleep is the concept of “the morning of Avraham,” who is called “the man of chesed.”31Commenting on the verse (Bereishit 19:27), “Avraham awoke in the morning,” the Zohar (I, 203) explains that the Torah makes note of when he awoke to teach that Avraham is identified with “morning,” the part of the day associated with the attribute of chesed. Avraham himself is the model of kindness (see §12A and note 97 below; also LM I, 30:6), and thus in kabbalistic teaching is identified as the personification of the sefirah of Chesed (see Zohar I, 137a; Tikkuney Zohar #22, p. 67b). In other words, a person awakens the dawn, namely his good points, by inclining towards kindness and judging himself favorably. For this reason it was Avraham who brought converts to Judaism.32See Bereishit 12:5. Commenting on the words “and the souls they had made in Charan,” Rashi says that these souls were the converts who joined Avraham when he journeyed to the land HaShem had promised to show him. Rashi notes that Avraham would convert the men and Sarah would convert the women. He would incline towards kindness and find a good point in each person. In this way, he brought everyone closer to HaShem. +Reb Noson has explained that, on a deeper level, awakening the dawn alludes to lifting oneself out of spiritual slumber and despair. A person must judge himself favorably, so that finding his good points will rouse him from his state of slumber and revive his spirit. In the remainder of this section Reb Noson will discuss Rama’s gloss on the first law in the Shulchan Arukh (see p. 18 above).

This is the reason that the Rama’s gloss, “I set HaShem before me always”— advising us to always be mindful of HaShem—is juxtaposed with the words of the Shulchan Arukh instructing us to find our good points. The gloss means that as a result of first finding my good points, in effect I am always placing and setting HaShem right in front of my eyes. Even though according to my spiritual standing I am far from Him, HaShem is nevertheless “before me always,” everywhere—because I find in myself a good point. With the discovery of my good point, I am always able to feel close to Him.33Earlier we saw that a person’s good point is itself Godliness (see §2 above). Therefore, on a deeper level, finding and connecting with the good point literally connects a person with HaShem. In that case, it is clear how Rama’s gloss is meant as an explanation of the words of the Shulchan Arukh. To wake up, a person has to seek out his good point, which is something every Jew has—since, as explained previously, it is impossible that a person has never done anything good in his life. And on account of that good, he has HaShem before him, always. +Reb Noson now extends his interpretation of the verse cited by Rama to the verse’s second clause as well.

And this idea that finding one’s good points leads to constant awareness of HaShem is the explanation of the verse “I set HaShem before me always; because He is at my right hand, I will not stumble.” This means that I always place HaShem before me wherever I am, even on the lowest of levels, chas ve-shalom. Thus we can reread the verse as “by dint of my right hand I will not stumble.” With “my right hand”—i.e. the middah of chesed, the quality of loving-kindness—I find my good points. And due to the aspect of the “right side”34The “right side” refers to the right axis of the sefirot configuration; see note 83 below. The Zohar (I, 83b) teaches that Avraham devoted himself entirely to the Holy One and came to represent the “right side” of the world.—the concept of Avraham, the model of kindness—“I will not stumble,” but instead succeed in being ever mindful of HaShem. +This idea, that chesed keeps one from stumbling, is reflected in the verse “If I said, ‘My foot totters,’ Your chesed, HaShem, would support me.” This means that through chesed—by inclining towards kindness and judging himself favorably, still finding inside himself some good point—he is always able to find HaShem and receive His support. On account of this he will never stumble. +And so the next verse adds, “When the fears within me are abundant, Your consolations cheer my soul.” In other words, when incessant thoughts confound me and, by dint of my many blemishes, seek to bring me down, chas ve-shalom, then “Your consolations cheer my soul.” That is, HaShem consoles him by helping him find some good point inside himself. That good point is his consolation, and with it he brings himself to good cheer. + +Section 6 + +MELODIES AND PRAYER
Reb Noson will now expand his earlier discussion of creating melodies to include the melodies a person creates through the good points he finds by arising in the middle of the night. To that end, Reb Noson introduces here the kabbalistic concept of beirur, spiritual refinement, through which we raise up the fallen sparks of holiness.

It follows that the concept of waking up from spiritual sleep comes about primarily through the good points that a person finds inside himself even when he is on a very low spiritual level, chas ve-shalom. As we have seen, doing so creates melodies.35See §1 above. Elsewhere, Reb Noson writes: Man attaches himself to HaShem from this physical world primarily through melody and song. We see this empirically. Listening to music inspires yearning. It generates a desire for greater closeness to HaShem, even in those who are on a very low spiritual level and feel very distant from Him (LH, Nesiat Kapayim 5:6). For during the night, the time allocated for sleep, the Shekhinah performs beirurim,36Beirur (pl. beirurim; lit. “sifting”) refers to the extrication and refinement of the sparks of the Light of the Infinite One imprisoned among the kelipot, the demonic forces of the Other Side. At Creation, the sefirah-vessels meant to contain this light shattered (see Appendix A, p. 231). Sparks of the light, or nitzotzot, became trapped inside the shards of those metaphysical vessels, and as a result became embedded in the material world in each of the four levels of physical reality (see note 48 below). Every Jew has a role in the spiritual task of beirur—discovering and redeeming the nitzotzot, primarily through Torah study, mitzvot and prayer, but also by engaging in life’s mundane affairs with thoughts, words and deeds directed towards holiness. raising the sparks of holiness that have fallen among the kelipot.37See Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaLailah 4. The Arizal teaches that at night the Shekhinah descends into the lower worlds in order to elevate the souls (these are the nitzotzot) that, as a result of mankind’s sins, fall ever deeper into the realm of impurity and evil. This act of spiritual refinement is analogous to playing music, which entails selecting the good ruach from the ruach of gloom and despair. This hints to what was discussed above, that when the spiritual aspect of sleep, which corresponds to the dark of night, overcomes a person, he must then seek and search in order to find good points inside himself.38See §2 above. Through this act of beirur, of refining the good points concealed in darkness, he will wake up from his sleep. +This is the idea expressed in the verse “I recall my melody in the night; I commune with my heart, and my ruach searches.” In the spiritual night and the dark, which are characteristic of sleep, that is when “I commune with my heart, and my ruach searches.” I search for and seek out the good ruach, which corresponds to the good point, and this creates melodies, as in “I recall my melody in the night.” +In addition to a spiritual awakening, discovering one’s good points also helps a person pray. As explained above, by overcoming the desire for sleep and waking himself up from his slumber through the good points that he finds inside himself, a person brings about the essential tikkun of prayer. For prayer is principally rectified and has its greatest ascent only when a person merits finding the good points he still has inside himself, as in “I will sing to my God with what I still have left.” The “little bit” of good that each person finds within enables him to pray to HaShem and sing His praises. +After introducing the topic of prayer, Reb Noson next shows its connection to beirur of the good points.

This finding and refining of the good points is alluded to in the order of the Shacharit prayer.39Kabbalah teaches that we begin the Shacharit prayer “standing” in the World of Asiyah, with the recital of the korbanot and ketoret passages. By reciting Pesukei d’Zimrah, the second section of Shacharit, we enter the World of Yetzirah. With the blessings of Kriat Shema, the third section, we ascend to the World of Beriah. Finally, with the Shemoneh Esrei we advance to the World of Atzilut (see Appendix A, p. 236). In the remainder of this section of his discourse (and from the concluding paragraph of §8 to the end of §9), Reb Noson will demonstrate that the order in which Chazal arranged the four sections of Shacharit parallels the four stages of the good points’ ascent from the kelipot and transformation into dibbur, perfected speech. We begin by reciting korbanot and ketoret, the passages about animal- and incense-offerings which are themselves manifestations of the concept of beirurim. In regard to the animal-offerings, these beirurim are the finding and refining of the good points, the fallen sparks of holiness, even those trapped inside the animalistic desires of the nethermost level of the World of Asiyah.40See Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei Tefillat HaShachar 3. For the primary purpose of presenting the korban is to elevate the fallen sparks of holiness from the level of animal to the level of man.41See note 36 above, that there are nitzotzot embedded in each of the four levels of physical reality. See also §7 and notes 48 and 49 below. +This concept of beirur of the good points also relates to the incense-offering, which included among its ingredients the foul-smelling chelbenah.42Chelbenah חלבנה) galbanum) is a malodorous gum resin. The ketoret signifies finding and refining the good even in Jewish sinners, who are likened to chelbenah. This is similar to what Chazal teach, that “any prayer that does not also include the prayers of Jewish sinners is not a suitable prayer.”43The 11 spices of the incense-offering were each ground separately and then blended together into a special mixture to be burned exclusively in the Mishkan and, later, the Beit HaMikdash. Chazal teach that ten of these spices had pleasant fragrances, while the eleventh spice, chelbenah, had an unpleasant odor. Why, then, was the chelbenah included in the ketoret? Chazal teach that “a congregation is not a congregation”—its fasts and prayers are ineffective— unless its number also includes sinners. Just as the chelbenah is necessary to give the other spices exactly the right pungency, for a congregation’s prayers to be efficacious they must include the prayers of someone who has fallen and now yearns to do teshuvah. Nothing brings greater glory to HaShem than when those who are far away return to Him (see Kritot 6b and Rabbeinu Bachya al HaTorah, Shemot 30:34). For the ketoret dimension of prayer is primarily fulfilled by finding and refining good points even in Jewish sinners, who are represented by the chelbenah. +This is also the significance of the ketoret being comprised of eleven spices—that is, ten spices aside from the chelbenah. These ten fragrant substances represent the Ten Types of Melody,44The Book of Tehillim includes ten separate styles of praise of HaShem (Pesachim 117a). The Zohar (III, 101a) refers to the various styles as “types of melody” (see also LM II, 94 and note 4). Maharsha (Pesachim, op. cit., s.v. be’asarah) explains that there are ten such melodies because it takes ten to establish the holiness of anything (e.g. ten Jews to form a minyan). This is consistent with the kabbalistic axiom that the realm of holiness is comprised of ten sefirot. The Tikkuney Zohar (#13) details how each melody type corresponds to a specific sefirah. In LM I, 205, Rebbe Nachman explains that reciting ten psalms invokes the power of the Ten Types of Melody, the sefirot of holiness, which effect tikkun and remedy for immoral sexual behavior. The ten styles and their relationship to the ten psalms that make up the Tikkun HaKlali are discussed in detail in Rebbe Nachman’s Tikkun, ch. 5. the melodies made by finding and refining the good in Jewish sinners, who themselves signify the eleventh ingredient, the chelbenah.45Commenting on LM I, 282, Biur HaLikutim (#5 and #8) explains: Chazal teach that people’s prayers are pleasing to HaShem only when they also include the prayers of Jewish sinners. This relates to beirur, extracting the good points from evil. That is, prayers are whole and pleasing to HaShem only when they include good that has been uncovered and drawn out from the evil that envelops it. The ten spices, other than the chelbenah, correspond to the Ten Types of Melody. When a person sifts and separates the good points from evil, his words acquire the qualities of the Ten Types of Melody, enabling him to pray and sing praises to HaShem. + +Section 7 + +ELEVATING SPEECH
In this section and most of the next, Reb Noson will show that the principal ascent of good is in the form of dibbur, speech—in particular, as prayer.
Kabbalah teaches that dibbur is synonymous with Malkhut, the manifestation of the Shekhinah in the world. Therefore when the Shekhinah is hidden from man, so that Malkhut is said to be in exile, dibbur too is dispossessed. A person is then unable to open his mouth to speak to HaShem. Spiritually, he is like a mute. He feels distant from HaShem and is unable to pray. His words are in exile. But if he then engages in self-introspection and, by finding his good points, returns to HaShem by doing teshuvah, his dibbur ascends from exile. The pinnacle of its ascent manifests as the wholeness of speech a person achieves in reciting the Shemoneh Esrei. His dibbur is then at its most perfect before HaShem. Yet even when he recites the korbanot, which, as the first part of Shacharit, is only the start of the tikkun, he has already begun to elevate dibbur, as Reb Noson now explains.

When we recite the Torah passages of the korbanot in prayer, it is as if we actually presented the sacrifices themselves. This is as Chazal teach, “Whoever occupies himself with the laws of the burnt-offering is credited as if he brought a burnt-offering.”46See Tanchuma, Tzav 14; see also note 53 below. His speech is credited as action because the tikkun we bring about by presenting korbanot is in essence accomplished through the dimension of dibbur47The Arizal teaches that through the things we do each morning—including washing our hands, dressing (see §10 below), and donning tzitzit and tefillin—we rectify the outer aspects of each of the Four Worlds (see Appendix A, p. 235) and rid them of the kelipot that attach themselves at night to the holiness of these worlds. However, for this tikkun to be complete, the inner essence of each world must be elevated and included within the world above it. We accomplish this through dibbur, by reciting the four parts of the Shacharit prayer (Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaTefillah 4-5).—the purpose of the spoken word is to raise the sparks of holiness from the inanimate, plant and animal realms to the realm of medaber, speaker.48Jewish tradition has long taught of a fourfold hierarchy in nature (see, for example, Raavad on Sefer Yetzirah 1:10; Rabbeinu Bachya al HaTorah, Shemot ,דומם) 35:1). The four levels of lifeforms are: domeim plant), ,צומח) inanimate), inorganic matter; tzomei’ach living), the animal kingdom; ,חי) the plant kingdom; chai speaker), humanity. ,מדבר) medaber, 49The Arizal teaches that when the nitzotzot fell (see note 36 above), they became embedded in all four levels of physical reality. In bringing a korban—in particular, through the dibbur of confessing one’s sin and expressing remorse—a person raises up all the sparks in the inanimate, plant and animal lifeforms and they become included within him. Since the distinguishing aspect of a human being is his ability to speak, he uses this ability to speak words of holiness to elevate all the corporeality in creation and offer it up to HaShem (Eitz Chaim 50:2 and Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaTefillah 2). +We have already seen that elevating the sparks of holiness is synonymous with elevating a person’s good points. Therefore when the good points rise from their position on the lower levels, the main thing is that they ascend to the dimension of dibbur. For initially, when the good has yet to be refined and recognized on account of the evil that covers and conceals it, a person resembles a mute, lacking dibbur, as in “I became mute with silence; [for] I was silent about the good.” But when we reveal the good, its essential revelation and ascent is as the spoken word of dibbur. We are then able to pray to HaShem and voice His praises. +Reb Noson next introduces two verses from Shir HaShirim as proof that the principal ascent of the good points is to the level of medaber, and that bringing a korban leads to perfected speech.

This is the significance of the verse “O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the concealment of the cliffs.” “My dove” alludes to the good point. It is like a perfect dove, which is called “perfect” because it is completely faithful to its mate and never leaves him, as Chazal teach.50The Midrash likens the Jewish people to a perfect dove. Once a dove becomes acquainted with her mate, she never replaces him with another. The same is true of Israel. Once the Jewish people recognized HaShem, they never exchanged Him for another (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:2, cited by Rashi on Shir HaShirim 6:9; see also Yalkut Shimoni #834). The good point that exists in every person, even the least worthy, is always attached to HaShem—wherever it is, it is perpetually with Him. +Even when, chas ve-shalom, a person’s good point falls deep into the kelipot that surround it on every side—as in “O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the concealment of the cliffs”—and so is thoroughly concealed, HaShem says to it, “Let Me see your image, let Me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasing and your image is attractive.” Even though you are “in the concealment of the cliffs,” trapped among the kelipot, you yourself are very beautiful, as in “I am black but pleasing.” Therefore reveal yourself and let your image be seen, since you are still beautiful. For the good point is perpetually attached to HaShem, and thus forever pleasing. +And so, “Let Me see your image, let Me hear your voice.” In other words, find and reveal the beautiful image of the good point inside you. That will “let Me hear your voice,” for by this uncovering of the good point we merit dibbur. We can then voice the words to thank HaShem and praise Him, whereas previously, because the good point was concealed, we were unable to speak at all. +We learn this as well from another verse in Shir HaShirim. This is the significance of the verse “O you who dwell in the gardens, friends listen to your voice. Let Me hear it.” Rashi interprets “who dwell in the gardens” as a reference to the Jewish people in exile among the nations. This alludes to the good points that dwell and reside as exiles among the “nations”—namely among the evil desires and spiritual blemishes representative of the nations of the world, as brought elsewhere.51See LM I, 36:1, where Rebbe Nachman teaches that each negative trait has its root in, and is the defining quality of, one of the nations of the world. HaShem longs to hear the “voice” of the good points, as in His words to the Jewish people, “friends listen to your voice. Let Me hear it.” For HaShem longs for the good points to be revealed, and for them to make their voices heard in song and praise of Him.52Reb Noson will expand his explanation of this verse in §14 below. +This relates as well to the korbanot—namely that we elevate the good points to the dimension of medaber and reveal them through the words of our prayers. This is why Chazal teach, “Whoever occupies himself with the laws of the burntoffering”— or of any other of the korbanot,53Similar to the maxim cited earlier in this section (based on Tanchuma, Tzav 14), Rabbi Yitzchak taught (Menachot 110a), “Whoever occupies himself with the laws of the sin-offering, it is as if he brought a sinoffering, and whoever occupies himself with the laws of the guilt-offering, it is as if he brought a guilt-offering.” reciting the passages that give expression to its laws—“is credited as if he presented that offering.” We do not find this regarding any other mitzvah. It applies only to the sacrificial offerings, since the tikkun we bring about by presenting a korban—raising the sparks of holiness from the level of animal to medaber—is primarily through dibbur, words spoken in prayer. + +Section 8 + +GOOD POINTS, OFFERINGS AND MELODIES
Reb Noson next cites Chazal’s account of the communal korban tamid, daily-offering, brought in the Beit HaMikdash. Representatives of all three branches of the Jewish people—the Kohanim, Leviim and Yisraelim—participated. Reb Noson will explain how this mirrors beirur of the good points, creating melodies, and elevating the good points as the dibbur of prayer.

Now, this refining of the good points from the animalistic desires finds expression in Chazal’s statement: “[There were] Kohanim with their sacrificial service, presenting the offering; Leviim on their platform, chanting and playing music; and the appointed group of Yisraelim, the maamad delegation, standing at their station and reciting passages of Torah.”54Megillah 3a; Taanit 26a ff. Chazal teach that legislation instituted in the days of David HaMelekh divided the Kohanim into mishmarot (lit. “watches”), 24 family groupings tasked with performing the service in the Beit HaMikdash in rotating shifts, a week at a time. Twenty-four mishmarot of Leviim were likewise appointed, tasked with providing musical accompaniment in rotating shifts from a nearby platform while the Kohanim presented the korbanot. The Yisraelim too were divided into 24 groups, known as maamadot (lit. “standing groups”). A delegation of each group of Yisraelim, known as anshei maamad, men of standing, would ascend to Yerushalayim as emissaries of all the people. From their station near the korbanot during the service, the anshei maamad would pray that HaShem receive the offering of their fellow Jews with favor. Meanwhile, the remainder of each maamad of Yisraelim would gather in their towns to pray, fast, and recite from the Torah’s account of Creation, showing that the world exists in the merit of the korbanot. Over time, this collection of special prayers and Torah readings came to be known as Maamadot. +For the primary tikkun brought about by presenting a korban—finding and refining the good point from the impurities and animalistic desires—comes through the Kohen, who is called “the man of chesed.” Since he inclines towards kindness and judges favorably, he finds good points on all the lower levels, the same objective in presenting korbanot. Therefore all the tikkunim accomplished through presenting a korban come about through the Kohen, “the man of chesed,” which is the trait exemplified by Avraham, as it is written in reference to him, “You will be a Kohen forever.”55Commenting on this verse from Tehillim, Rashi explains that it refers to Avraham. HaShem promised Avraham that the kehunah would come from his descendants. See §5 and note 31 above, which connect Avraham with chesed, the quality linked here with the Kohanim. +And through this beirur that reveals the good points, melodies are made, as explained above. This is reflected in “The Leviim were positioned on their platform,” when they would play music on the platform while the korban was being presented. For it is through the concept of the korban, which is offered by the Kohen, “the man of chesed”—this being the concept of finding and refining good by inclining towards kindness—that melodies are made. +“And the Yisraelim, the maamad delegation, stood nearby at their station,” where they would engage in reciting passages of Torah while the offering was being presented. This is the dimension of dibbur. By reciting these Torah passages they would elevate the good extracted via the korban to dibbur, which is its essential ascent. +Therefore the maamad delegation would read the Act of Creation in Parashat Bereishit (Bereishit 1:1-2:3) and the Song of Moshe in Parashat Haazinu (Devarim 32:1-43).56Reb Noson now explains at some length how the passages of Torah recited by the maamad delegation reflect the idea of revealing the good points. +They read from Parashat Bereishit because the Act of Creation came about primarily through beirur of the good, as in “With His good He renews each day, continuously, the Act of Creation.”57The Arizal teaches that the spiritual worlds are in constant flux, making each new day an entirely new creation (Eitz Chaim 1:5). In LH, Minchah 4:1, Reb Noson explains that renewing the Act of Creation alludes to HaShem constantly constricting His light and then filling the Vacated Space with the creation, just as He did in the beginning (see Appendix A, p. 226). In §9 below, Reb Noson relates renewing the Act of Creation to the third part of the Shacharit liturgy, the blessings of Kriat Shema. It is specifically through the extraction and revelation of the Divine good that HaShem renews the creation daily. This beirur of the good is also implicit in the words “[God saw] that it was good”—meaning that the good is now perceivable because it has been extracted and revealed—which is written about each of the six days of Creation.58Earlier (§4), Reb Noson cited the verse depicting Moshe’s mother’s reaction upon seeing her newborn son: “She saw that he was good.” Rashi on the verse cites Chazal’s teaching that when Moshe was born, the house filled with light (Sotah 12a). This connects with Reb Noson’s teaching here, in which he cites the Torah’s use of the same expression in depicting God’s reaction upon seeing the “newborn” light of Creation: “God saw the light, that it was good.” In both cases, Reb Noson shows that this expression is an allusion to the good point. +We see that evil—and the good it contains, requiring beirur— existed before Creation. Thus, regarding what preceded the tikkun brought about by the Act of Creation, the Torah states, “The earth was without form and void, with darkness …”— this is the kabbalistic concept of the ascendancy of evil when it covers and conceals the good, in this case evil preventing the emergence of the universe. And the tikkun came about through the concept of “the ruach of God hovering.” Chazal say, “Know that this is the ruach of Mashiach”59Bereishit Rabbah 2:4. The Midrash homiletically interprets these opening verses of Bereishit as alluding to the four empires under whose rule the Jewish people would be exiled. “Without form” alludes to the Babylonians, “void” to the Persians, “darkness” to the Greeks, and “the deep” to the “evil empire,” Rome. Like the deep, exile under Rome will appear to be without end. Nevertheless, just as the Torah preordains the Jewish people’s exile, it preordains their tikkun and redemption through the hovering ruach of Mashiach. The Zohar (I, 192b), which likewise links the hovering ruach of Creation with Mashiach, also links the ruach of Mashiach with the renewal of the moon, which Reb Noson discusses in §12A below.—namely the concept of the good, the sum totality of all good, having emerged from the evil of the void and darkness. +The ruach of Mashiach is synonymous with good, because the good points that we find in every single Jew are all “sparks of Mashiach.” For Mashiach, in his redemptive capacity, is the essence of good. He is identified with the redeemer Moshe,60As cited in §4, the Torah relates that Moshe’s mother looked at him and “she saw that he was good.” Moshe was the embodiment of good. The same is true of any tzaddik who is the aspect of Moshe-Mashiach. He is called “good” by virtue of his ability to find the good in every single Jew. In LM I, 79, Rebbe Nachman teaches that the tzaddik who possesses the qualities of Moshe-Mashiach has the power to transform all evil into good and thus eliminate evil entirely. and also with the redeemer Boaz, of whom it is stated, “Then, in the morning, if he is willing to redeem you, good! Let him redeem.”61The Book of Ruth relates that Boaz could take Ruth as his wife, and so redeem the childless widow and her deceased husband’s unclaimed ancestral fields in Eretz Yisrael, only after a closer kinsman had publicly relinquished his right (to perform the quasi-Levirate marriage). Thus when Boaz awoke in the middle of the night to find Ruth lying at his feet, he said to her, “Then, in the morning, if he is willing to redeem you, good! Let him redeem. But if he will not … then I will redeem you.” In LM I, 102, Rebbe Nachman infers from this that Boaz personifies redemption. Like Moshe in Egypt, and like Mashiach in the end of days, Boaz signifies one who rescues and delivers. Tikkuney Zohar (#31, p. 75b) interprets the conversation between Boaz and Ruth homiletically, as HaKadosh Barukh Hu informing the Shekhinah that Her ascent and redemption will come in the “morning,” through the light that will shine from the good deeds of the Jewish people. We learn from this verse that Mashiach, the redeemer of Israel, is identified with good, and that good is the catalyst for redemption.62See note 58 above. Elsewhere, Reb Noson explains that the final redemption, when Mashiach will elevate the holy souls of the Jewish people from the deepest depths of unholiness and gather them in from the four corners of the earth, will primarily come about when all good is redeemed from the deepest depths of evil (LH, To’ein VeNit’an 2:4). Thus it is through the “ruach of God”—namely the good ruach, the ruach of Mashiach—that the world essentially continues to exist and evolve. +For it is on account of the good points that are found within the formlessness, void and darkness that “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Subsequently, as the Torah states, “God separated the light from the darkness.” Because by rousing the good point a person genuinely moves to a position of merit. And then the light is revealed, and the darkness is correspondingly separated and set apart from the light, the evil from the good, and so on, as explained above.63See §2 above. +It follows from all of the above that the Act of Creation occurred primarily as a result of finding and refining the good point. This corresponds to the Zohar’s teaching: “The design of the Mishkan matched the design of the Act of Creation.”64Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction, p. 13a. For the Mishkan too involved beirur; conceptually, it was constructed from the spiritually refined good contributed by the Jewish people. This is why the maamad delegation that stood by the korbanot as they were being presented would engage in reciting the account of Creation. As explained, presenting the korban is akin to the Act of Creation, in its shared characteristic of beirur of the good from evil. +Therefore the korban was offered exclusively in the Mishkan or the Beit HaMikdash. Presenting a korban is an act of beirur. The Mishkan and the Beit HaMikdash likewise involved beirur, as they were built through beirur of the good. A hint to this is the Torah’s reference to the site of the Beit HaMikdash as “this good mountain,” as it was there that the good was separated from evil.65Gittin 56b. Below, Reb Noson will link this to the future Beit HaMikdash in the time of Mashiach (see also note 70). +Reb Noson first explained that offering a korban is an act of beirur since it refines the good points and extracts them from impurity. He then linked this to the maamad delegation’s recitation of the Torah’s account of Creation, since Creation itself came about through beirur of the good from evil. He will next show that the delegation of Yisraelim also read from Parashat Haazinu because that parashah too relates to finding and refining good, turning it into melody and song.

This is also the idea of Parashat Haazinu, whose verses the maamad delegation would recite. For Parashat Haazinu is the song by which Moshe Rabbeinu reassured the Jewish people that by dint of this song the Torah would never be forgotten, as it is written, “This song will testify [that it will not be forgotten]”—even in the greatest concealment, as when HaShem says, “I will utterly hide … this song will be a witness.” For the song implies that even if the Jewish people are very far from HaShem, and so have fallen into the greatest concealment, they are nevertheless close to Him. Good points can be still found in them, even the lowliest of them.66See note 18 above. +This is the import of the verse in Haazinu: “But HaShem’s portion is His people; Yaakov … He discovered them in a desolate land.” Even in a desolate land and in formlessness, we find “HaShem’s portion is His people.” This alludes to the good points. Conceptually, they are “HaShem’s portion inside His people”—that is, the good points are His people’s portion of Godliness. Therefore they would recite from Parashat Haazinu while the sacrifices were being presented, as it is through bringing the korban that the good points undergo beirur, as explained above.67See §6 above. +Therefore Parashat Haazinu is called a “song,” as it is written, “[This] song will testify.” For, as explained above, it is from the good points that we find in a desolate land and in formlessness that songs and melodies are made. +In the final paragraph of this section, Reb Noson resumes his comparison of the progression of the four parts of Shacharit to the four stages of the good point’s ascent.

And so, after reciting the passages of the korbanot and ketoret—which correspond to finding and refining the good points even on the very lowest levels—we then recite the second section of Shacharit, Pesukei d’Zimrah. Selecting the good points creates melodies, as hinted in the verse “Azamra to my God with what I still have left,” with the emphasis on “Azamra.” This alludes to Pesukei d’Zimrah,68Here Reb Noson makes an etymological connection between Pesukei d’ZiMRah (פסוקי דזמרה, Verses of Song) and aZaMRa (אזמרה, I will sing) the concept of songs and melodies made by our finding and refining the good points that are on the lowest levels. Beirur of that “little bit” of good enables us to sing and give praise to HaShem. This is why we say in the Pesukei d’Zimrah the verse “I will sing to my God with what I still have left.” + +Section 9 + +PERFECTION OF PRAYER AND SPEECH
Reb Noson now proceeds to the third section of the Shacharit liturgy. Having found and refined the good points by reciting the passages of the korbanot, and then turned those points into the songs of Pesukei d’Zimrah, we now recite the blessings of Kriat Shema and the Shema itself.

Next we recite the blessings of Kriat Shema. In this third part of Shacharit we bless and thank HaShem for the renewal of the Act of Creation, stating that “with His good He renews each day, continuously.” This Act of Creation corresponds to the construction of the Mishkan, which is built from the aforementioned good points of the Jewish people.69See §4 above. This is because, as taught previously, “the design of the Mishkan matched the design of the Act of Creation.” Thus reciting the blessings of Kriat Shema, in which we bless HaShem for His perpetual renewal of the creation, signifies constructing the Mishkan. +It is there in the Mishkan that the main tikkun of prayer takes place, as it is written, “For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus declares God, HaShem, Who gathers in the outcasts of Israel.” For the Beit HaMikdash, the “house of prayer for all peoples,” is essentially constructed as a result of HaShem gathering in “the outcasts of Israel”—through His finding the good points even in the outcasts and those who have gone astray, and gathering up those points into holiness. The future Beit HaMikdash will also be built from this good, which will be gathered up entirely with the coming of Mashiach, may it happen soon in our days. This is the significance of the site of the Beit HaMikdash being called “this good mountain.”70Commenting on the words “His good in the end of days” (Hoshea 3:5), Rashi says that this refers to the Beit HaMikdash, as in “this good mountain.” In LM I, 81, Rebbe Nachman teaches that “mountain” refers to none other than the site of the Beit HaMikdash, as the Torah states, “this good mountain and the Lebanon.” See also Maharsha on Bava Kama 55a, s.v. haro’eh et. Prayer is most rectified and has its greatest ascent when recited there, since the essential tikkun of prayer is achieved only through this, the process of gathering up all the good points that we find. +And so, before we can recite the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, we recite the passages of korbanot and Pesukei d’Zimrah—that is, we refine the good points, and this creates the songs and melodies we sing in praise of HaShem. After that, from these good points we build a mishkan, where the primary tikkun of prayer takes place. This is the significance of the blessings of Kriat Shema, termed “the Supernal Chambers of Holiness” in Kabbalah.71Zohar II, 260b; Eitz Chaim 46:2. In Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaKaddish 1, the Arizal identifies the blessings associated with Kriat Shema with the seven (primary) Chambers of Holiness of Beriah, the World of Creation. This corresponds to the Mishkan and the Beit HaMikdash, which are the actual Chambers of Holiness in this world. Thus we say at that time, in the blessing of Yotzer Ohr, “With His good He renews each day, continuously, the Act of Creation.” This alludes to the mishkan that we construct, for, as mentioned above, “the design of the Mishkan matched the design of the Act of Creation.” Thus by constructing these Chambers of Holiness we rouse and renew the work of Creation. +Having explained the purpose of the blessings of Kriat Shema, Reb Noson now turns to the passages of the Shema, beginning by clarifying the mitzvah of teaching Torah to one’s children, as mentioned there.

And from there—from the Mishkan built out of the good points of the Jewish people—the little schoolchildren receive the undefiled breath of their mouths.72See §1 and note 9 above. In Biur HaLikutim, Reb Avraham Chazan explains that when a tzaddik reveals a person’s good points, that person’s sins are forgiven. He is then like a young schoolchild and can begin to study Torah and serve HaShem anew, with the purity of undefiled breath. Elsewhere, Rebbe Nachman links the schoolchildren’s pure Torah study with the keruvim in the Mishkan (see LM I, 37:4), which had the faces of young children (see Sukkah 5b). HaShem’s call to Moshe, “Vayikra” (see note 10 above), thus emerged from between the Mishkan’s keruvim—i.e. as the voice of the Torah, which is intrinsically bound with the voice of the young children who study it (Biur HaLikutim on LM I, 282, s.v. ve-da). This idea is expressed in Kriat Shema by the verses “You shall teach them repeatedly to your children” and “Teach your children to speak them.” For, as we will see next, the yichud, unification, we effect by reciting Kriat Shema stems primarily from the good that has been refined. +Through this beirur of the good points, HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah are brought into yichud73In kabbalistic teaching, the unification of HaKadosh Barukh Hu, the masculine aspect of HaShem, with the Shekhinah, the feminine aspect, is known as yichud. This is the mystical process whereby man’s devotions bring about the manifestation of Godliness in the creation. The antithesis of this unification is the concealment of Godliness brought about by humanity’s sins, which produces, as it were, a separation between the transcendent and immanent aspects of Divine influence. The Shekhinah is then said to reside in the darkness of exile. Nevertheless, our prayers and the mitzvot we perform in the service of HaShem have the power to undo the concealment, end the state of exile, and reinstate yichud. This is the basis for the custom of readying oneself to pray or perform some mitzvah by reciting the words “For the sake of the unification of HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah … behold, I am prepared and ready to perform the mitzvah of…” via an arousal from below elevating mayim nukvin.74Kabbalah speaks of two complementary energies in the universe, a descending force (mayin dukhrin, lit. “masculine waters”) and an ascending force (mayin nukvin, lit. “feminine waters”). (See LM I, 185, note 12, for the meaning of “waters” in this connection.) The spiritual energy that ascends from below is the consequence of an arousal from below (it’aruta d’litata)—namely man’s fulfillment of HaShem’s will below, in this world, through Torah study, keeping the mitzvot, and prayer (here, the Kriat Shema). Typically, this ascent of energy elicits a reciprocal arousal from above (it’aruta d’li’eila), so that shefa, an inflow of Divine benevolence, descends for the benefit of mankind and the world. This is when the Shekhinah prides Herself before HaKadosh Barukh Hu, as it were, saying, “See what a child I bring to You.”75The Zohar (III, 13a) metaphorically depicts the raising of mayin nukvin and the reciprocal descent of mayin dukhrin as a mother who displays her wellcared- for child to her husband, proudly demonstrating how she has nurtured and developed the treasure he has entrusted to her. “See what a child I bring to you,” she says. This naturally gains her husband’s favor and motivates him to unite with her to share more of his bounty. In the context of Reb Noson’s discourse, the raising of mayin nukvin is the Shekhinah taking pride in the souls of the Jewish people. She displays Her “children” to HaKadosh Barukh Hu, as it were, and the supernal yearning that this awakens occasions their yichud and the subsequent flow of mayin dukhrin (shefa) that He transfers into her care. +All of this comes about by dint of our finding good points even in Jewish sinners. For this is the concept of elevating the mayim nukvin: to elevate the fallen sparks of holiness from the deepest depths of the kelipot. The Shekhinah takes exceptional pride in this, because HaShem’s glory is most exalted precisely when that which was furthest from Him draws closer. Rebbe Nachman addresses this point a number of times in his writings,76See for example LM I, 10:2 and 14:2. as does the Zohar, which teaches, “It was precisely when the idolatrous priest Yitro came to join the Jewish people that the Name of HaKadosh Barukh Hu was exalted and glorified above and below.”77The Midrash (Mekhilta, Yitro 1) states: There was not a form of idolatry that Yitro did not worship. Yet it was precisely Yitro who came and pronounced HaShem’s greatness, that “He is greater than any god” (Tehillim 135:5), thereby exalting His glory on high and in this world. See also Zohar II, 69a. For it is specifically when the good points that were embedded in the lowest levels are raised up and elevated that the Shekhinah is, so to speak, proudest. +As a result of this, HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah are unified, as expressed in the opening verse of Kriat Shema, “[Hear O Israel,] HaShem is our God, HaShem is One.”78See Shaar HaKavanot, Shaar Kriat Shema, where the Arizal teaches that the words “YHVH Eloheinu YHVH” signify a great unification., 79See Zohar II, 161b, that the inter-inclusion of the two Holy Names YHVH and Eloheinu indicates the unity of all that exists. This same unity manifested in the Mishkan, as expressed by the verse “The Mishkan will be one.”80Zohar II, 162b. See also Tolaat Yaakov: Sod Emet VeYatziv. Through the Mishkan, all the good points, which are the sparks of Godliness in each Jew, become encompassed in His Oneness. +And then, after reciting the Shema, we begin to pray the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, commencing with the words “My God, open my lips …” For it is specifically as a result of all that has been mentioned above that we are able to pray. Having found the good points, built a mishkan, and brought HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah into yichud, we can open our mouths to speak words of holiness. This is the main ascent of the good—namely that it rises up to the dimension of dibbur. And so it is this that we now request: “My God, open my lips [that my mouth may declare Your praise].”

Reb Noson has shown that the order of Shacharit parallels the ascent of the good points. By reciting the passages of korbanot we find and refine the good points that exist in every Jew. This good becomes the songs and melodies we sing to HaShem in Pesukei d’Zimrah. Next we recite the blessings of Kriat Shema, which correspond to the “chambers of holiness,” the mishkanot that we build from the good points. We follow this by reciting the Kriat Shema itself, so that through the yichud we effect between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah, the good becomes encompassed in HaShem’s Oneness. As a result, the good points become perfected dibbur—namely our ability to express ourselves in the holy words of prayer. We begin by asking HaShem to open our lips so that we might recite the Shemoneh Esrei, praising Him and entreating Him for all our needs. + +Section 10 + +DRESSING THE BODY, DRESSING THE SOUL
Reb Noson next shows how waking up from sleep to rouse the good points from spiritual slumber relates to another of our morning activities: getting dressed. When dressing, Jewish law requires that we give priority to the right side. The Arizal explains that a person should take hold of the garment with both hands and then shift it to his right hand. After that, he should transfer the left side of the garment to his left hand. In all of this he should have in mind that initially all things need to be encompassed in the right side, after which the right side provides for the left.

This rousing and refining of the good points is also implicit in the laws of getting dressed each morning.81See Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 2:4; also Magen Avraham 2:3 and Eliyahu Rabbah 2:3. One should initially hold the garment towards his right side and begin dressing. Afterwards, he passes the garment to his left side to clothe himself there. This is in accordance with the principle that “one should always empower the right over the left.”82Shaar HaKavanot, Drush Birkhot HaShachar; Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaTefillah 2. The underlying idea here is that the fundamental of any beginning depends on beginning with the right, the side of Chesed.83Kabbalah depicts the sefirot as lying along three parallel vertical axes. Chesed (Loving-kindness) is situated along the right axis of this configuration (see Charts, p. 252). This means that as a result of his inclining towards chesed and finding in himself some good points, a person wakes himself up from spiritual slumber. This in turn creates garments to clothe his soul,84These garments are the mitzvot. In §2 above, Reb Noson identifies the good point as “some mitzvah or good thing” through which the soul of a Jew becomes “bound in unity with HaShem.” which until now—prior to the revelation of his good points, while he was as yet in a state of spiritual sleep—had been “naked.” +This is the reason brought in kabbalistic teaching for the blessing “Who clothes the naked” that we recite in the morning.85In Shaar HaKavanot, Drush Birkhot HaShachar, the Arizal teaches: On account of a person’s sins, his soul loses its garment of holiness and is instead garbed in impurity and filth. At night a person entrusts his soul with Malkhut on high, in the mystery of “In Your hand I entrust my spirit” (Tehillim 31:6), and Malkhut renews it, in the mystery of “They are renewed in the mornings” (Eikhah 3:23). Anyone whose garment was taken has it returned to him. This is the reason for the blessing “Who clothes the naked.” It was instituted for anyone who at night was stripped of his garment of holiness, but now, in the morning, has received it back entirely renewed. For as explained previously, by revealing the good points—which are alluded to in the verse “Israel, in you etpa’er,” for HaShem takes pride in them, as it were—one creates garments, the concept of raiment of pe’er, raiment of glory for the soul.86See §4 above, where Reb Noson links pe’er with splendor and the supernal colors. The connection he adds here to garments, raiment for the soul, can be found in the Zohar (I, 217a), which teaches, “Make holy garments for your brother Aharon, for glory and for tiferet (splendor)” (Shemot 28:2)—i.e. garments in which the supernal colors appear. +This raiment of splendor and honor refers to tzitzit and tefillin, which are the soul’s clothing, as in “This alone is his covering, the garment for his skin.” Although the verse refers to a garment taken as security for a loan, which must be returned each evening to its owner, the Zohar teaches that this is also an allusion to tzitzit and tefillin.87Zohar I, 23b. See also Tikkuney Zohar #21, p. 55b, that tzitzit are “his covering” and tefillin are “the garment for his skin.” These spiritual garments are Israel’s raiment of pe’er made from the good points that are refined during the night in the manner described above, and as can now be understood in the works of kabbalistic teaching.88In Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei Tefillin 7, the Arizal teaches that the spiritual light emanating from the tefillin that a person dons in the morning derives from his worship of HaShem in the night. Here Reb Noson links this idea with beirur of the good points. +It follows that the soul’s primary garments—the clothes of splendor, the inclusion of all colors89See note 26 above.—are made from the refined good points, which similarly include all the colors, as discussed above.90In §4, Reb Noson explained that, conceptually, it was their good points that the Jewish people contributed for the construction of the Mishkan. Each good point has its own unique color; together, they form the complete spectrum of colors. This is why, when dressing, it is necessary to empower the right side. For all clothing for the soul is derived from the concept of the right. By inclining to the right, towards chesed, and so finding the good points, garments are made.

When a person is spiritually asleep, his soul is said to be naked. Reb Noson has explained that in order to create garments to clothe his soul, he must uncover his good points. Therefore, when dressing, we begin with the right, favoring the side of loving-kindness in order to reveal the good and garb the soul in holiness. A Jew’s most splendid garments are his tzitzit and tefillin. Made from the good refined by serving HaShem in the night, the tzitzit and tefillin that a person dons in the morning are themselves raiment of splendor that envelop his soul and make him the object of HaShem’s pride. + +Section 11 + +THE MORNING BLESSINGS91In Likutey Halakhot (Hebrew edition), a note appears in place of Birkhot HaShachar 2 indicating that the text of that discourse on the morning blessings has been incorporated into Hashkamat HaBoker 1. That text constitutes §11 here.
Here Reb Noson turns to another of our morning activities: reciting the morning blessings. He will show that through these daily blessings we praise HaShem and thank Him for enabling our souls to genuinely wake up.

All the morning blessings hint to this, as through these blessings a person praises HaShem for having helped him find his good points so that he might wake up from his slumber and spiritual fall. +This is the significance of the morning blessing “Who gives the heart understanding to distinguish between day and night.” The good point shines like the light of day, whereas evil corresponds to night and darkness. By finding and rousing the good points, the evil is accordingly separated out from the good. Consequently, one separates day from night, as in “to distinguish between day [and night].” +A similar distinction can be found in the blessing “Who did not make me a non-Jew” (who must keep only seven basic mitzvot). For if a person cannot find the good point inside himself, he could fall away completely, chas ve-shalom, and so become like a non-Jew in respect to his mitzvah observance. But now that he has woken up and strengthened himself as a result of HaShem having helped him find a good point inside himself, he therefore thanks and praises HaShem “that He did not make me a non-Jew.” +This applies as well to the blessings “Who opens the eyes of the blind,” “Who releases the bound,” and “Who straightens those bent over.” Initially, when a person was in a state of spiritual sleep and descent, he was like a blind man groping in the dark. He was literally imprisoned by his sins, bent over by the weight of his despair. But now, through the good point that he found inside himself because HaShem opened his eyes, he is released from his bonds and stands erect. Through this finding of the good point he becomes genuinely worthy of moving from a position of guilt to a position of merit, and of returning to HaShem in repentance. +Similarly, all the rest of the morning blessings hint to this finding of the good point. Thus another of the blessings concludes, “Who gives strength to the weary.” With this a person acknowledges that HaShem has given him strength so that despite his great weariness—that is, despite his feelings of despair and disconnectedness—he is still able to wake up from his sleep. +This is also implicit in the final blessing, which begins, “Who removes sleep from my eyes.” We thank HaShem daily for delivering us from the darkness of night and rousing us from spiritual slumber. All such waking up, as we have seen, comes about as a result of inclining towards chesed and judging favorably.92Reb Noson explained this in §5 above. Therefore the morning blessings close with “Who bestows good chasadim.” For all that we have said about finding the good points and waking up from spiritual sleep comes about as a result of kindness, the concept of “the morning of Avraham.” By inclining towards kindness, Avraham revealed all the good points and so brought everyone closer to HaShem.93See §5 and note 32 above. + +Section 12 + +THE ARBA PARASHIYOT
Thus far, Reb Noson has discussed the deeper meaning of rising in the morning, of getting dressed, of donning tzitzit and tefillin, and of reciting the morning blessings. We have seen how each of these acts relates to judging oneself favorably, finding one’s good points, and waking up spiritually. Reb Noson next turns his attention to the four special Torah readings known as the Arba Parashiyot—Parashat Shekalim, Parashat Zakhor, Parashat Parah, and Parashat HaChodesh. These readings too have as their underlying theme the concept of waking up from spiritual slumber.

This finding of the good points also relates to the Arba Parashiyot, the four special Torah passages read on four separate Shabbatot during the month of Adar.94The Arba Parashiyot are the four Torah passages appended, as the maftir, to the weekly Shabbat Torah reading in the month of Adar (see Mishnayot, Megillah 3:4), two before the Purim holiday and two after it. Each of these special passages is explained more fully in separate notes below. +On the first Shabbat we read Parashat Shekalim, which speaks of the half-shekel contribution to the Mishkan, corresponding to the concept of tzedakah.95Parashat Shekalim (Shemot 30:11-16) is read on the first Shabbat of Adar (or on the preceding Shabbat if that is the day the congregation blesses the new moon). Taken from the Torah portion of Ki Tisa, it recalls the census of the Jewish people taken after their redemption from Egypt. Because the Torah forbids counting the Jews in the normal manner, each adult male was required to donate a half-shekel (the common currency of the time) for the construction and maintenance of the Mishkan. The coins were then counted instead of the people. Nowadays, we read Parashat Shekalim in commemoration of that earlier obligation. Parashat Shekalim thus alludes to finding one’s good points, because tzedakah is a component of chesed, as indicated by the verse “chesed to Avraham.” For Avraham performed tzedakah and chesed with the entire world, through which it is possible to find the good points in everyone, as we have already seen.96See §5 above. +This connection between tzedakah and finding the good points is indicated in the verse about Avraham, who “would call tzedek to his foot.” This teaches that through tzedakah we can call forth the good that falls to the lowest level, which is represented by the feet.97See Sanhedrin 108b, that this refers to Avraham, who rejected idolatry while he was in Aram (the East). In LM I, 67:5, Rebbe Nachman associates this verse with tzedakah. The Rebbe teaches that giving tzedakah elevates HaShem’s glory/Malkhut and rescues it from a descent into the realm of unholiness, in the mystery of “Her feet descend to death” (Mishlei 5:5). TZeDeK uncompromising justice, is transformed through ,(צדק) an act of kindness that calls forth the ,(צדקה) tZeDaKah “feet” and raises them up from the aspect of “Her feet descend.” This is also alluded to in the verse regarding Ruth’s act of chesed, when “she uncovered his feet and lay down.”98Kabbalistically, “she” refers here to Malkhut, whose lower aspects descend to the realm of unholiness, as indicated in the previous note. Reb Noson reads the verse as an allusion to the concealment of a person’s good points throughout the night, “until the morning,” when, as taught above (see §5), they are revealed through an act of chesed, such as giving tzedakah. This is the reason Boaz refers to Ruth’s action specifically as an act of chesed (see verse 10 there). This is likewise hinted to elsewhere in the Rebbe’s words, where he teaches that by giving tzedakah we awaken the good that has become concealed and hidden in places that seem to be most distant from HaShem.99See LM I, 17:5. +And this is the idea underlying the shekalim coins of tzedakah that were contributed to the Mishkan, because conceptually, the Mishkan was built from all the good that was gathered and collected from each and every Jew, as explained previously. And so we read Parashat Shekalim with the awareness that giving tzedakah enables us to reveal the good points. +After that message from Parashat Shekalim that tzedakah extracts the good, on the second Shabbat we read Parashat Zakhor, concerning the battle against the nation of Amalek.100Parashat Zakhor (Devarim 25:17-29) is read on the Shabbat immediately preceding Purim. Taken from the end of the Torah portion of Ki Teitzei, Parashat Zakhor describes the communal responsibility to wipe out every last vestige of Amalek, who is evil incarnate. We read this before Purim because the Jewish people’s archenemy Haman was an Amalekite. We read Parashat Zakhor sequentially after Parashat Shekalim because it is through finding the good arising from the power of tzedakah that Amalek is defeated. +Amalek personifies the full force of the Sitra Achra, the Other Side. He marshals his strength to cast down the spiritually weak among the Jews by making it seem to them as if they no longer have hope, no good points, chas ve-shalom. An example of this can be found in the Torah’s account of Amalek’s attack on the fledgling Israelite nation, which relates, “He cut off among you all the weaklings … when you were faint and exhausted.” Amalek seeks to cut off the “weaklings,” namely those lacking spiritual strength, by convincing them that they are far from HaShem, and then using their despair to bring them down, chas ve-shalom. This is the meaning of “he cut off among you.” But when a person merits finding a good point inside himself even while falling, Amalek is thereby defeated. +This is why after Parashat Shekalim, which signifies arousing the good, we read Parashat Zakhor, which enables us to defeat the evil that is Amalek. +After that passage about Amalek, on the third Shabbat we read Parashat Parah, whose verses expound the laws relating to the parah adumah, the red cow.101Parashat Parah (Numbers 19:1-22), read on the Shabbat after Purim, is taken from the beginning of the Torah portion of Chukat. It discusses the laws of the parah adumah, the red cow, whose ashes were mixed with water to ritually purify anyone who had been in contact with a corpse. Only the pure could eat from the Korban Pesach, and so a public announcement right before the month of Nisan reminded the people to purify themselves before making the pilgrimage to Yerushalayim. Nowadays, we read Parashat Parah in commemoration of that earlier obligation. It relates to the mitzvah of teshuvah, as illustrated in the Midrash’s teaching on those verses, “Let its mother come and clean up after her child.”102Bamidbar Rabbah 19:8. The “mother” is the red cow, whose ashes came to purify the Jews after they had sinned with her “child,” the golden calf. Finding the good points, the theme of Parashat Shekalim, defeats the evil personified by Amalek, the theme of Parashat Zakhor. This enables a person to genuinely merit doing teshuvah, the theme of Parashat Parah. It reiterates Rebbe Nachman’s teaching cited above, that through beirur of the good points from the darkness that conceals them, one genuinely moves from guilt to merit and is able to repent. +This also relates to the Zohar’s teaching that the underlying theme of the mitzvah of the red cow is the extraction of good from evil. Commenting on the requirement stated in Parashat Parah that it be “a perfectly red cow,” the Zohar explains that “red” connotes dina kashya, hard judgment, whereas “perfectly” connotes dina rafya, soft judgment.103Zohar III, 180b. “Hard” and “soft” in this context refers to the severity of the din and the degree to which it conceals Godliness. Through the red cow we temper and mitigate the harshness of judgment. In other words, when a person is beset by dina kashya, evil becomes dominant, chas ve-shalom. In that state of hard judgment, he feels distant and disconnected from HaShem, and so must temper the din by finding in himself some good point that he still possesses. +This is the meaning of the Torah’s statement that the red cow must be perfect, an animal “that has no blemish, upon which no yoke has been laid.” Conceptually, a person’s good point is like “a perfect dove.”104See §7 above. It is free of any blemish, for it is beautiful and attractive, as in “I am black but pleasing.” +This finding of the good points also relates to another essential feature of the red cow. On the Shabbat that Parashat Parah is read, a refrain in the yotzrot states that the ashes of the red cow “would purify the contaminated and contaminate the pure.”105On each Shabbat that one of the Arba Parashiyot is read, we recite a selection of piyutim based on the theme of the day, known as yotzrot, during the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei. This particular refrain in the yotzrot for Parashat Parah is based on Midrash Tehillim 9:1. This is analogous to a person judging himself favorably and finding the good points he has inside himself, which is similarly the idea of purifying the contaminated and contaminating the pure. For whoever is on a low spiritual level especially needs to find some personal merit so that he does not fall entirely, chas ve-shalom. His main purification and teshuvah is precisely through this. +Conversely, when someone who is pure feels confident of his piety, his cocksureness will surely “contaminate” and harm him, because he will succumb to pride, chas ve-shalom. Chazal address this in their teaching: “Even if the entire world says to you, ‘You are righteous,’ you should see yourself as if you are wicked.”106Niddah 30b. +However, this is only to keep one from becoming arrogant, not to distress him. Therefore Chazal said “as if you are wicked,” and not “as actually wicked.” For it is forbidden to consider oneself as genuinely wicked, chas ve-shalom. Just the opposite is required! If a person sees himself as completely wicked, and even if it is true, chas ve-shalom, he must nevertheless seek and search to find inside himself a good point, on account of which he is not completely wicked. This one good point will itself bring him purity and he will merit doing teshuvah, as explained above. +Thus finding this good in oneself and in others parallels the red cow. For a person on a low spiritual level, finding the good point “purifies the contaminated.” But for a person on a high spiritual level, if finding the good point leads to pride, it “contaminates the pure.” +After that, on the fourth Shabbat we read Parashat HaChodesh.107Parashat HaChodesh (Shemot 12:1-20) is read on the Shabbat preceding the month of Nisan. Beginning with the words “This month shall be for you the head of the months,” it recounts HaShem’s revelation to Moshe on the first day of Nisan, two weeks before the Exodus, regarding the establishment of the Jewish (lunar) calendar based on the first sighting of the new moon. Each month, the new moon first appears in the sky as no more than a small point of light. Prior to the fixing of the Jewish calendar (circa 358 C.E.), a new month was deemed to have begun only after the Sanhedrin, based on the testimony of two reliable witnesses who had seen the new moon itself (Rosh HaShanah 24a), declared it sanctified (Kiddush HaChodesh). Today, we give thanks for the reappearance of the moon by reciting the Kiddush Levanah blessing. This passage pertains to Kiddush HaChodesh, the sanctification of the new month, which conceptually relates to the role of the good point in restoring the moon from its blemish of diminishment.108Kabbalah identifies the moon with the sefirah of Malkhut. Thus the moon’s waning during the second half of each month represents Malkhut in a diminished state, a state of exile. This is the deeper meaning of Chazal’s teaching that HaShem reduced the moon and diminished its light, its “blemish” being the origin of all sin and suffering in the world. And HaShem tasked the Jewish people with restoring and redeeming the moon—effecting the tikkun of Malkhut—through their service of Him. Most directly, we restore Malkhut to wholeness through the Kiddush Levanah blessing. Reb Noson writes: With the beginning of each new month, each time we recite the Kiddush Levanah blessing, as well as through all the other devotions the tzaddikim and others perform for the moon’s benefit, the moon undergoes further spiritual rectification. In the future, the entire world will recognize that the moon waxes to completion on account of the holiness of the tzaddikim and the Jewish people (LH, Rosh Chodesh 6:20). +The explanation is as follows. It is known that when the Jewish people are on a low spiritual level, chas ve-shalom, it is akin to the moon in a state of blemish on account of the primordial moon’s complaint,109Zohar I, 53a. since the moon’s blemish is the origin of all spiritual blemish and sin.110This can be deduced from LM II, 91:3, where Rebbe Nachman teaches that the waxing of the moon—i.e. the undoing of its diminishment—mitigates din and brings atonement for sin. Elsewhere, Reb Noson explains that the moon’s diminishment alludes to tzimtzum, HaShem’s constriction of His Infinite Light at the earliest stages of Creation (see Appendix A, p. 226). The Gemara’s account of the moon’s complaint and HaShem’s diminishing its light goes on to relate that, seeing He could not appease the moon, HaShem said, “Bring a (sacrificial) atonement for Me, that I diminished the moon” (Chullin 60b). HaShem, as it were, regretted the tzimtzum, as it would later manifest as the concealment of Godliness from man. This concealment is the reason for man’s lack of daat, which in turn is the cause of spiritual blemish and sin (LH, Minchah 7:34; see also Me’or Einayim, Bereishit). +Reb Noson now clarifies how our sanctifying the new moon rectifies the moon’s blemish.

Therefore when a Jew on a low spiritual level wakes up and finds a good point inside himself, and through this returns to HaShem, it is akin to the restoration of the moon from its blemish, the concept of Kiddush HaChodesh. This is so because Kiddush HaChodesh is essentially this idea of looking for and finding the good point concealed by the darkness. For at the very beginning of the month, when we look for the moon in order to sanctify it in beit din,111This refers to the Sanhedrin. the moon is then extremely small and thin, merely a point in the nighttime sky. This point corresponds to the good point, which says about itself, “I am black but pleasing.” +This means that when the moon is at its absolute smallest at the end of each month, all Jews must then seek and search for it until eyewitnesses can testify to having found some speck of the light of the moon. By virtue of this small point they then sanctify the new month in beit din. Sanctifying even just a tiny bit of the moon’s light elevates it; it rectifies and restores the moon. For when we rejoice over just a mere speck of the light—namely that good point that we merit to find despite its being infinitesimally small and concealed in darkness—we ourselves are rectified and genuinely become deserving of merit through this. Conceptually, this is the rectification and restoration of the moon from its blemish. +Therefore, after receiving the witnesses’ testimony, the head judge of the beit din and all the people present there say, “Sanctified! Sanctified!”112Rosh HaShanah 24a. From this we see that by judging favorably, even a single point is sufficient to instill sanctity. +This is also the idea that all say, “Sanctified! Sanctified!”—meaning that through their words, i.e. by elevating the good points to the dimension of dibbur, they elevate the moon from a state of blemish and diminishment.113This is the principle taught above (see §7), that the good reaches its highest level when raised to the dimension of dibbur. Their words bring the moon to a state of tikkun and wholeness, which is its sanctification. And all of this was brought about by a mere single point of light that they sighted from the emerging moon. +After explaining the moon’s waning as its blemish and the moon’s waxing as its tikkun, Reb Noson adds that the stars that HaShem created to appease the moon are the good points that assist the moon in returning to wholeness.

So we see that this idea of the moon’s completion itself expresses the concept of the good points effecting tikkun. This should be clear to us because we know that although the moon was diminished on account of its complaint, HaShem then gave it the stars in order to conciliate it, as Chazal teach and Rashi brings in his commentary.114See Rashi on Bereishit 1:16; based also on Chullin 60b and Bereishit Rabbah 6:4, as cited above. The stars, as points of light, actually hint to the aspect of the good points that are found inside every Jew, through which people genuinely move to a position of merit by being judged favorably. +This is the explanation of “and those who matzdik the masses [will shine] like the stars.” Interpreted homiletically, “those who matzdik” refers to the tzaddikim of the generation.115See Tikkuney Zohar #1, p. 1b, that the world since he ,(צדיק) exists in the merit of the tZaDIK justifies) its existence by increasing ,מצדיק) matZDIK righteousness. They find the good in all people and judge everyone favorably, so that even the sinners among the Jewish people genuinely move to a position of merit. This good corresponds to the stars, as in “those who matzdik the masses [will shine] like the stars,” since the stars resemble points of light. Their appearance in the nighttime sky dispels darkness, much as the good points revealed by the tzaddikim dispel the darkness in a Jewish sinner. +Thus this verse at the end of the Book of Daniel, “and those who matzdik the masses,” addresses the aforementioned subject of tzaddikim engaging in beirur, spiritual refinement. As explained there, the angel of HaShem spoke to Daniel about the spirit of unbelief that would sweep over the world in the days preceding the coming of Mashiach. “Many will spiritually refine and cleanse themselves, and they will be purified. The wicked will act wickedly … But the wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who matzdik the masses [will shine] like the stars.” In other words, in the pre-messianic era at the end of days, the forces of impurity of the Sitra Achra will become overpowering, chas ve-shalom. Great will be the beirur and purification that will take place then, as indicated by the angel’s words to Daniel, “Many yitbareru and cleanse themselves, and they will be purified.” But many others will be in danger of falling away.116See Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #35, where Rebbe Nachman states, “Great atheism is coming to the world.” He continues: There will be great temptations before Mashiach’s coming, when “many will refine and cleanse themselves, and they will be purified” in faith. Fortunate indeed is the person who resists these temptations and remains firm in his belief. He will be worthy of all the good promised to us by the prophets and sages of old. See also ibid. #230. +And so the main tikkun at that time will come about through the aforementioned concept of finding the good through “those who matzdik the masses,” namely the tzaddikim. They will judge everyone favorably and find good points even in the least worthy, this being the primary spiritual work of the tzaddikim. And since judging favorably and finding the good in every Jew is the foremost task of Mashiach,117See §8 and note 60 above. it will be precisely this that will hasten Mashiach’s coming, may it happen soon in our days. For this is the concept of Mashiach, who, as noted above, is the essence of good and the bringer of redemption. And it is also the import of “But the wise will shine … and those who matzdik the masses [will shine] like the stars,” because the main tikkun and the redemption at the end of days will come about through the good points, which are the shining stars, as explained above. +This is also the significance of David HaMelekh’s words in Tehillim, “Praise Him, all stars of light.” For the good points, which are the stars that shine, enable us to thank and praise HaShem, as in “I will sing to my God with what I still have left.” On account of the “little bit,” which is my good point, I will be able to sing praises to Him. +And this is the reason HaShem gave the stars to the moon, to conciliate it. For HaShem was assuring the moon that through the stars—which conceptually are the good points, that is, the light of Godliness inside every Jew—the moon’s blemish is rectified. +RISING AT MIDNIGHT
This finding of one’s good points and waking up spiritually also relates to rising at midnight. Rising at chatzot symbolically means that we must break the deepest sleep by arousing the good points, as in “Awake, my soul! Awake the harp and lyre!”119See §3 and §5 above, that a person’s good point is analogous to the dawn. This refers to David HaMelekh’s harp, which, as Chazal teach, was played by ruach tzafon, the north wind. Ruach tzafon—synonymous with ruach tovah, the good spirit120In LM I, 54:7, Rebbe Nachman explains that the good wind” or “good spirit”) “ ,רוח טובה) ruach tovah רוח) refers to the spirit of prophecy, or ruach hakodesh Divine inspiration). He links this ruach to music ,הקדוש and melody, teaching that in order to be “skilled at playing” one must know how to find and gather the components of the ruach one by one in order to build the tune, the joy. This good ruach, of prophecy, is the opposite of the ruach of gloom and despair (see note 4 above). See LH, Rosh Chodesh 3:6, where Reb Noson writes that “north” signifies the great good that is concealed in the deepest hiddenness. The north wind blows precisely at midnight because that is when the concealed good is revealed.—is the good point that is tzafun (concealed) and hidden even in the deepest sleep, even in someone on the lowest spiritual level.121In LM I, 8:2, Rebbe Nachman paraphrases the teaching of the Tikkuney Zohar (#69, p. 106b) that links the north wind with the spirit concealed inside man. which blew —(רוח צפוֹן) He teaches: The ruach tZaFoN upon David HaMelekh’s harp, as in “the ruach of God hovering” (see §8 above)—corresponds to the ruach the concealed spirit in man’s ,(רוח הצפוּן) ha-tZaFuN heart, which is the ruach of life. An example of good being concealed is expressed in the verse “How great is Your good that tzafanta.”122We have already seen (§2 above) that this “great good” is the Godliness, the good points, implanted within every Jew. These good points blow upon David’s harp, separating out the good wind from the winds of gloom and despair, since it is through this that melodies are made. This is why, as Chazal teach, the harp played of itself—that is, by dint of this north wind, the beirur of the good points. Thus through its melodies we wake up at midnight from the deepest sleep and slumber to recite Tikkun Chatzot and engage in Torah study. +REDEMPTION
Reb Noson now returns to his discussion of Parashat HaChodesh, which, as we have seen, speaks of the tikkun of the moon. Parashat HaChodesh, which is read on Shabbat two weeks before Pesach, also references the redemption from Egypt. We will next see that Jewish redemption—whether from Egypt in the past or when we will be gathered in from among the nations in the future—is dependent on finding the good points. In this it resembles the tikkun of the moon.

Now, being roused from the lowest levels by the good points relates to the Exodus from Egypt, as stated in the opening verse of Parashat HaChodesh, “This month is for you …”123Rashi reads this verse based on the Mekhilta: “When the moon renews itself, it will be for you the beginning of the month.” As we saw earlier in this section, the beit din and the people sanctified the new moon after witnesses testified to the appearance of its crescent—i.e. a mere point of the moon. Parashat HaChodesh, namely Kiddush HaChodesh, corresponds to finding a point of light hidden in the darkness of night. This sanctification of the new month was the very first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as they departed from Egypt. For the redemption from Egypt came about mainly through the aforementioned good points, as in “I [HaShem] passed by you and saw you wallowing in your own blood.” In other words, the Jews had become sullied by sin, sunken in 49 gates, or levels, of impurity.124Zohar Chadash, Yitro: Lamah Nizkar. See also Shnei Luchot HaBrit (Mesekhet Pesachim: Matzah Ashirah 33), which explains, as do many works of Chassidic teaching, that we count the 49 days of the omer-offering in order to rise up out of the 49 levels of impurity. Nevertheless, HaShem took pity on them and found good points in them, despite the powerful impurity of Egypt that engulfed them, and He redeemed them. +This is as Chazal teach, “Because of four things alone the Jewish people were redeemed.”125Vayikra Rabbah 32:5 lists the four: The Jews did not change their names, they did not change their language, they spoke no slander, and they guarded against immorality. Bamidbar Rabbah 20:22 substitutes their avoidance of slander with their loyalty and faithfulness: all the Jews, without exception, kept their plans for leaving Egypt hidden from their slavemasters. This alludes to the good points that HaShem found in them even while they were in Egypt, on account of which they were redeemed. +Thus the verse concludes, “I said to you, ‘Through your blood, live! Through your blood, live!’” Even in the midst of the blood and filth—despite them—“live!” For even there it is possible to find good points, through which the Jews were redeemed in the past and will be redeemed in the future. +Therefore the first mitzvah the Jewish people were commanded was Parashat HaChodesh, the concept of sanctifying the new month by virtue of a mere point of light. This sliver of the moon represents the little bit of good inside even the least worthy Jew. Finding this good point is the essence of the redemption from Egypt, and in the future it will be the essential catalyst for the final redemption, the ingathering of Israel’s exiled from the nations, as explained above.126See §8 and note 62 above. +“Blessed is HaShem forever; amen, amen.”127Reb Noson cites this verse from Tehillim (89:53) mostly to close a discourse. Apparently, he was intending that here as well, but then decided, perhaps at a later date, to include the following additional insights on the topic of chatzot. + +Section 13 + +SPLITTING THE NIGHT
Reb Noson further develops the topic of chatzot and, in doing so, explains why the Exodus from Egypt took place specifically at midnight.

This connection between the good point and redemption is alluded to in Moshe’s declaration, “[Thus said HaShem,] ‘Around midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt.’”128The reason for the vagueness in Moshe’s declaration— saying that HaShem would go forth “around midnight” rather than “at midnight”—is explained in the introduction to §15 and notes 141 and 148 below. The emphasis is on “around midnight,” for at midnight the good point rouses. This is because midnight is associated with the ruach tzafon, which contains the good that would blow upon David’s harp at midnight to arouse him, as explained previously. +And this is why the good ruach—the good point—issues specifically from tzafon, namely the side of judgment and concealment, as the prophet Yirmiyahu states, “From the tzafon the evil will break out.”129According to its straightforward meaning, this verse refers to the Babylonians, who were set to invade Eretz Yisrael from the north. Reb Noson cites it here (also in LH, Rosh Chodesh 3:6) as proof that when the evil of consummate concealment “breaks out” (lit. “opens”) and thus is exposed, great good issues forth. That hidden good of the Babylonian conquest may have been the fact that HaShem chose to pour out His wrath on the wood and stones of the Beit HaMikdash rather than on the Jewish people themselves (see Yaarot Devash, Chelek 1, Drush 13). Reb Noson likewise cites this verse in LH, Pikadon 3:10, where he links “north,” the consummate concealment, with the challal ha-panui, the Vacated Space (see Appendix A, p. 226). The Void that preceded the Creation similarly appeared to be vacated and “open” (devoid) of all Godliness. The hidden good of that concealment lies in the fact that, as Reb Noson explains elsewhere, it introduced into the creation bechirah, free will (see LH, Shluchin 3:2). The ruach tzafon, the good ruach, which would blow melodiously upon David’s harp, is drawn specifically from there, from the place that is tzafun.130Reb Noson spoke of the link between tZaFoN (north) and tZaFuN (concealed) in the previous section; see also note 121 above. For the primary benefit of the good is most apparent when it issues from extreme evil and the Sitra Achra; particularly through this beirur of the good from the bad are melodies made. This same idea is brought in the holy teachings, which cite the words of Kohelet that the advantage of light is most apparent specifically when it emerges from (i.e. is contrasted with) darkness.131Kohelet (2:13) states, “I perceived that the advantage of wisdom over folly is as the advantage of light over darkness.”, 132This is true not only empirically. The Zohar (III, 47b) teaches that without darkness in the world, we could not appreciate the profound spiritual benefit of light. +The necessity to reveal the good from the deepest concealment is the reason the ruach tzafon blows specifically at midnight. For at midnight the Shekhinah is, so to speak, at its absolute smallest.133This is because during the first part of the night, the Shekhinah descends to the realm of impurity in order to engage in beirur and raise up the sparks of holiness that have fallen there. See Shaar HaKavanot cited in note 37 above. She is then just a tiny point,134See Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar Tikkun Chatzot 2. akin to the good point submerged among the kelipot. Therefore sleep is heaviest at that time, and anyone whose heart has been touched by the fear of HaShem must exert great effort to overcome sleepiness and wake up specifically then. This is analogous to rousing oneself from the grip of spiritual slumber and the kelipot of the Sitra Achra by means of no more than a single good point. And so, waking up at that time, at midnight, corresponds to the Exodus from Egypt, which similarly came about through finding the good points within the dark night and great impurity of exile. +This also relates to the night of Pesach. For at midnight HaShem took pity and skipped over the homes of the Jewish people and their firstborn when He afflicted Egypt and killed its firstborn.135Shemot 12. This means that HaShem, in His mercy, passed over the evil and instead gathered up and rescued the good points—namely the Jews themselves, whom HaShem calls “My son, my firstborn, Israel”—separating them out from the midst of the Egyptian firstborn, from the midst of the strength and stranglehold of the Sitra Achra. This was the essence of the redemption from Egypt: Pesach night, at midnight, HaShem skipped over their evil and found their good instead. +Thus the first to reveal the mystery of midnight was Avraham Avinu. This was at the night’s divide, midnight, when he fought against the four evil kings and rescued Lot from captivity, as it is written, “The night was divided against them.”136The simple meaning of the verse is that Avraham divided his forces against the enemy, and he and his servants attacked that night. The translation here follows the Zohar (I, 92b), which teaches that, as in Egypt, the essential miracle occurred at midnight—i.e. at the divide of the night. See also Bereishit Rabbah 43:3. For the underlying concept of midnight is fulfilled through Avraham’s dominant character trait. Metaphorically, rising at midnight refers to breaking the heaviness of spiritual sleep, shattering the spiritual night and darkness by means of the good point. This comes about only through the example of Avraham, “the man of chesed,” by inclining towards kindness and judging favorably. +This goes further, because the reason Avraham pursued the kings to rescue Lot was for the purpose of rescuing the good point inside Lot. Although Lot himself was a wicked person, Avraham risked his life for him, to save him for the sake of the good point that Lot had inside him. For Ruth was destined to descend from him, and from her would descend David HaMelekh, ancestor of Mashiach, who, as mentioned above, is the essence and root of the good point.137See §8 above. +Therefore the main intention of the four evil kings in their war was to kill Lot, since the entire aim of the Sitra Achra is to overpower the good point. But HaShem does not abandon it into their hands. He instilled sufficient power in Avraham, the embodiment of chesed, to rescue Lot on account of the good point that Lot possessed. This enabled Avraham to kill the kings, because by judging favorably and finding the good point even in the wicked, the Sitra Achra is defeated. For, as explained above, evil is dispelled by just a little bit of good. + +Section 14 + +FROM THE LOWEST LEVELS
Reb Noson returns to the second of the two verses from Shir HaShirim that he cited in §7 above. Here he will show how it alludes to midnight.

This is the import of what is written in the Zohar, linking the verse “O you who dwell ba-ganim” with the idea of rising at midnight. Study there, where the Zohar homiletically interprets “O you who dwell ba-ganim” as “you who dwell be-genuta, in disgrace”— alluding to man’s soul residing “in the disgrace and filth of this lowly world.”138Zohar, Midrash HaNe’elam, Bereishit, Maamar #2. Despite the lowliness of his station, when a person rouses and wakes up in the middle of the night to engage in Torah study, his words are heard on high. +This relates to what was discussed above. The Zohar is telling us that even though a person is on the lowest spiritual level, with his good point submerged in “disgrace and filth,” HaShem, the angels and the souls of the tzaddikim in Gan Eden still listen to his voice; this is the meaning of “friends listen to your voice,” which itself is the concept of rising at midnight in order to engage in verbal Torah study and prayer.139The Zohar (III, 213a) teaches that when a person studies Torah, and certainly when he rises at midnight to study, HaShem and the tzaddikim in Gan Eden listen in. See above, where I cited this verse “O you who dwell ba‑ganim,” explaining that it was said in reference to the good point that each person possesses, regardless of where it lies (i.e. in the lowest places), even in the midst of a person’s evil desires and flaws.140See §7 above. Now, based on this teaching of the Zohar, this idea has been well clarified. + +Section 15 + +THE MOMENT OF MIDNIGHT
Reb Noson has explained that waking up at midnight to recite Tikkun Chatzot is conceptually the same as waking up the good point through which each Jew remains connected to HaShem. Further insight into this parallel can be gleaned from Chazal’s teaching regarding the exact moment of midnight and the verse in Shemot in which Moshe discloses the time of the Jewish people’s redemption.

This is the reason Chazal emphasized the importance of knowing how to determine the time of midnight. As cited in Berakhot 3b, Chazal ask, “But did David know when it was exactly the middle of the night? Even Moshe did not know.”141Chazal ask how David HaMelekh could declare in Tehillim (119:62), “At midnight I will rise to praise You,” when even Moshe Rabbeinu was unable to determine that exact moment. This question is based on two premises. The first, that Moshe didn’t know the precise time of midnight, is based on the vagueness in his declaration to Pharaoh regarding the time of redemption being “around midnight.” The second premise is that David couldn’t have known more than Moshe, whose perception and knowledge of holiness was unparalleled in the annals of mankind. However, David actually did know, because “a harp hung [above his bed. +The moment midnight arrived, the north wind would come and blow upon it].” The inner meaning of this is that the essence of the collective redemption of the Jewish people, as well as the individual redemption of the soul of each and every Jew, depends on this knowledge and perception of the concept of midnight. This is the ability to determine well the good points that are most concealed at the time of a person’s midnight of lowliness. +Thus there is always hope, even when the full force of spiritual slumber overwhelms the soul of a Jew, threatening to cast him down totally, chas ve-shalom, on account of his many sins and spiritual flaws, such that he is on the verge of falling completely, may HaShem save us. For precisely at that moment, HaShem, in His kindness, enlightens that person, so that he reminds himself of the good points that he possesses, and revives himself. +This corresponds to the practice of rising at midnight. At that time the Shekhinah—namely the collectivity of all Jewish souls—is at Her smallest and lowest point. She then cries out bitterly to HaShem, as in the verse “Like a deer longs,”142The Zohar III, 68a teaches that “a deer” alludes to the Shekhinah. With this verse “Like a deer longs … so my soul,” Reb Noson shows that the Shekhinah is the collectivity of all Jewish souls, and that, like the soul, She cries out longingly for HaShem. and as in “A voice is heard on high—wailing, bitter weeping.”143See Zohar I, 134a, and Shaar HaPesukim, Yirmiyahu 31, that “Rachel” in this verse is an allusion to the Shekhinah. She “weeps for her children,” the souls of the Jewish people, who have fallen spiritually and been exiled on account of their sins. HaShem then awakens His compassion and endows the Shekhinah/souls “with a touch of chesed”144Chagigah 12b: “Whoever engages in Torah [study] at night, HaKadosh Barukh Hu endows with a touch of chesed during the day” (and see below, p. 143, note 46). in order to redeem and return the Shekhinah/souls to Her/their former spiritual level. All this is clarified in the writings of the Kabbalists.145Regarding this concept of “a touch of chesed,” see Zohar III, 213a; also the Arizal in Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaLailah 4 (cited in note 37 above), and Likutei HaShas, Masekhet Berakhot. +And all this that the Shekhinah goes through happens to every single Jew, all the time. Spiritual slumber repeatedly threatens to overwhelm him, until he very nearly succumbs, may HaShem save us. At that very moment he must look for his good point. +This is as in the verse “If I said, ‘My foot stumbles,’ Your chesed, O HaShem, would support me. When my worries within me are many, Your consolations cheer my soul,” all of which relates to the aforementioned holy teaching of Azamra. For at the moment a person’s mind reaches absolute constriction,146This is the concept of constricted consciousness (mochin d’katnut, lit. “immature/small intellects”). It indicates a lack of daat, man’s internalized knowledge and awareness of HaShem. In LM I, 29:2 and 60:6, Rebbe Nachman likens constricted consciousness to the mind being sound asleep in the darkened state of spiritual slumber. such that he wants to say, “My foot stumbles,” chas ve-shalom—precisely then, HaShem’s chesed will support him in the manner described above. HaShem will help him uncover his good point, to rouse him from his spiritual slumber and bring him back. +This concept of waking up the good points at a person’s midnight of lowliness is parallel to actually getting up at chatzot, the time of the greatest constriction. That is precisely the time for arousing from one’s slumber—namely rising from one’s spiritual fall—by means of “I will sing to my God with what I still have left.” +And redemption, both collective and individual, is contingent on this waking up at chatzot. Thus the first redemption, the redemption from Egypt, took place specifically at chatzot. Similarly, the final redemption, which we hope will come speedily in our days, will come about through chatzot—meaning the concept of chatzot, the quality of being able to wake up from spiritual slumber by finding the good points at the spiritually lowest times. +This will come about by virtue of the devout and the God-fearing who get up nightly at chatzot to study Torah; in this way, by studying Torah at this time, they draw upon themselves the holiness of midnight, when great chesed is awakened. And through this chesed they merit always drawing upon themselves the concept of arousing from spiritual slumber, the ability to find the good points at the darkest times, by dint of the special influence that exists at midnight. Rising at midnight enables the devout and the God-fearing to constantly draw this ability upon themselves— that is, whenever the kelipot seek to cast them into a very powerful slumber and constriction. Even if the Sitra Achra succeeds in defeating them, chas ve-shalom, and despite whatever suffering they may have had to endure, they will still always be able to rouse themselves from the mightiest constriction through waking up at chatzot—that is, by dint of the remaining little bit of good that each one finds inside himself. +And so, in Egypt, Moshe did not yet know how to properly determine the time of midnight. It was still prior to the Giving of the Torah and there had yet to be an it’aruta d’litata, an arousal of spiritual input from the Jewish people below.147See §9 and note 74 above. There were not yet in existence that many tzaddikim who would arise at midnight and engage in Torah study, since it was before the Giving of the Torah and therefore difficult to determine the precise point of midnight. This is true even according to the opinion that Moshe also knew the exact moment of midnight. Moshe knew, but he could not speak freely about it to others for fear that they still might err.148See Berakhot 4a, where Rabbi Zeira explains that Moshe actually did know the precise moment of chatzot. Even so, Moshe said, “Around midnight,” lest Pharaoh’s astrologers miscalculate the exact time of chatzot and then declare Moshe a liar when that (miscalculated) time passed without the plague having started. He could not yet openly reveal this insight, because it was before the Giving of the Torah. +However, David HaMelekh did know the exact time of midnight because of the harp that hung above his bed. As brought in Rebbe Nachman’s teachings, the harp drew its power from the Torah, since David’s harp had five strings, paralleling the Five Books of the Torah.149LM I, 8:2; and see Zohar III, 32a. It would wake him from his sleep so that he knew how to determine the time and the point of chatzot. For David is representative of Mashiach, who is constantly engaged in rectifying Jewish souls, rousing them from sleep through the aforementioned concept—through the good points that he finds in each one. He also teaches each person how to do this on his own, enlightening the person’s heart so that he is always able to search for, seek out and find the good points inside himself. David-Mashiach does this in order to enable each person to wake up from his spiritual slumber and fall, so that he will not fall away completely, chas ve-shalom. +And for the person who wants to find his good points, the main thing is to determine when he is on the verge of falling, chas ve-shalom. Precisely at that moment, HaShem will enlighten him with His chesed, to save him and wake him up, as in the verse “If he falls, he will not be cast down,” and as in “[The wicked man] watches [for the tzaddik] … HaShem will not abandon him into his hand.” The same is taught about the Jewish people as a whole at the time of the final redemption: “When He sees that their power is gone, with none to protect or fortify them, He will then say … ‘See, now, that I, I am He.’”150These verses are from the Song of Haazinu (Devarim 32). Ramban’s commentary to this chapter (verse 1) indicates that this Song is an assurance of the future, final redemption. See also Sifrei there. Reb Noson spoke of the final redemption earlier in this section. +All this that we have said about finding one’s good points comes by dint of the power of the Torah that we have already received, as transmitted through Moshe Rabbeinu and through all the tzaddikim ever since. They are the ones who have best explained to us the Torah’s ways of drawing close to HaShem in all situations. +Therefore David HaMelekh knew when it was midnight, a person’s darkest and yet most propitious time for spiritual awakening, through his harp. This was because David was one who “knows how to play.” For the entire aforementioned holy teaching— that a person has to search for the good and revive himself through it—relates to the holy melodies, the extraction of good notes from the bad, that issue from David��s harp. This is as in “I will sing to my God with what I still have left.” Specifically, “I will sing” and play melodies through the good point I still find in myself. This is as David himself said, “Awake … the harp and lyre! I will wake the dawn.”151Reb Noson explained this in §3 above. +Through this knowledge of finding the good notes /points, David merited knowing how to determine the point of midnight, the most beneficial time for spiritual elevation. The final redemption of the Jewish people, both collectively and individually for each and every Jew, depends on this idea. For David is Mashiach. Through him will come the final redemption, the complete redemption after which there will be no more exile. +Mainly it will come through the aforementioned concept of songs and melodies, as in “mashiach of the God of Yaakov, and sweet singer of Israel.” In other words, Mashiach will come as a result of our implementing the teaching of Azamra. May he come quickly in our days, amen. +Consider these ideas well, because it is impossible to spell everything out. Nevertheless, each person, no matter what he experiences in his life, in youth as well as in old age, will always be able to revive himself on the basis of all the concepts and ideas we have discussed here. They clarify a small measure of the truth in the advice and holy instruction contained in “I will sing to my God with what I still have left”—Rebbe Nachman’s Azamra. The Rebbe strongly encouraged us to “go with” it—to always keep this teaching in mind and practice it.152See above, p. xiv, note 4. Happy is he who steadfastly holds on to it. + +Chapter 2 + + + +Section 1 + +A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning for the service of his Creator, so that it is he who awakens the dawn. Gloss: “I set HaShem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8)—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 1:1).1For Rama’s complete gloss, see p. 18 above. At the very end he mentions a major theme of this discourse: rising from sleep with alacrity to serve HaShem. +It is fitting for every person who fears HaShem to be pained and distressed over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash (ibid. 1:3).2Reb Noson will expound this law in §5 below. +KEY CONCEPTS FROM LIKUTEY MOHARAN3As a rule, Reb Noson introduces his discourse with a selection of key concepts from one of Rebbe Nachman’s teachings (usually Likutey Moharan). This discourse is one of the exceptions. In its place we have provided a “Section 1” taken from Reb Noson’s abbreviated version in Kitzur Likutey Moharan on LM I, 13, the lesson on which this discourse is based.
This discourse is based on the lesson Ashrei HaAm—Hashgachah (LM I, 13), in which Rebbe Nachman teaches how one can become the focus of HaShem’s Divine providence.4Chassidic teaching refines the meaning of hashgachah, Divine providence, defining it as HaShem’s caring watchfulness and direct personal supervision (hashgachah pratit) of everything that exists—all animate matter, plants, animals and humanity. For man, hashgachah more specifically signifies HaShem’s ongoing active participation in every aspect of his life; His providing each person with the necessary means to serve Him and make His Immanence, i.e. the Divine Presence, known in the world. This is eminently apparent with regard to man’s livelihood. A person who has bitachon, trust in HaShem, believing that HaShem alone provides for all his needs, will earn his income honestly and make sure to set aside time for Torah study, prayer and doing mitzvot., 5Hashgachah is thematically related to Rosh HaShanah, the day on which Rebbe Nachman taught this lesson (see also LM II, 8:10). The Torah alludes to this connection in the verse “The eyes of HaShem your God are upon it continuously, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Devarim 11:12). Chazal teach that on Rosh HaShanah “all the world’s inhabitants pass before Him [in judgment]… and are examined in a single glance … The Creator sees their hearts together and considers all their deeds” (Rosh HaShanah 18a). Rosh HaShanah is also known as Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment (Rabbeinu Bachya al HaTorah, Bereishit 1:31). The Zohar (III, 231a) teaches that on Rosh HaShanah the forces of judgment are especially predominant and require hamtakah, mitigation.
To benefit from HaShem’s full hashgachah,6The distinction between full and partial hashgachah will become clear over the course of the discourse. Rebbe Nachman discusses this in §4 of his lesson; see also note 43 below. a person first has to break his excessive desire for money.7Taavat mammon, the lust for money, is most apparent in a person who makes it his life’s mission to amass ever greater wealth (LM I, 23:1). Lacking emunah, faith in HaShem, he instead puts his bitachon in money, mistakenly believing that the more he has, the more secure and fulfilling his life will be. A subtler form of taavat mammon is found in one who understands the foolishness of pursuing wealth, but whose attachment to money manifests as miserliness. Lacking a generous spirit, he is loath to part with his wealth, and so is stingy in giving charity and tightfisted with strangers and family alike. A third, even more subtle and far more widespread form of taavat mammon is when a person worries and grows anxious about not having enough money. His distress indicates a lack in his emunah and bitachon, an inability to rely on HaShem to provide him with livelihood without his having to sacrifice his whole life to earn it. When this desire burns inside a person’s heart, it is akin to idolatry. It therefore awakens HaShem’s burning anger and arouses dinim,8See LM I, 180, that money and dinim share the same spiritual root on high; thus for a person with taavat mammon, earning a living is fraught with hardship and difficulty. Like Adam after he sinned, his sustenance will come “through suffering…and by the sweat of his brow” (Bereishit 3:17, 19; see also note 33 below). the agency of suffering and misfortune in the world.
The way to break one’s lust for wealth is through tzedakah. Giving charity generates a ruach of generosity inside a person, a ruach that blows upon his heart and cools his burning desire for money.9Rebbe Nachman speaks of the desire for money as a conflagration of the heart. Based on the Zohar (III, 224a), the Rebbe’s advice for cooling the flame of money-lust is to gift one’s money to tzedakah. Giving tzedakah creates a ruach (spirit) of generosity, a ruach (wind) that blows upon his heart and dampens both his burning desire for wealth and the Divine wrath that it elicits. He should also engage in masa u-matan be-emunah.10Engaging in “the give-and-take of business with faith” and/or “with honesty.” The former obtains from a person’s belief that man’s livelihood comes solely from HaShem. The latter entails conducting all one’s financial dealings with integrity. So important is being ethical in earning a living that Chazal teach: The first question a person is asked by the Heavenly Court after he passes away is “Did you conduct your business be-emunah?” (Shabbat 31a). Only those who lived life with emunah and bitachon will be able to answer in the affirmative. (See also LH, Aveidah u-Metziah 3:3.) Happy with his lot and pleased with that which HaShem has favored him, his lust for money disappears.11Reb Noson includes this idea in the prayer he composed based on LM I, 13. He pleads with HaShem to help him engage in masa u-matan be-emunah, and enable him to make Torah study his primary occupation and earning a living an occasional endeavor. He asks too for the wisdom to not weary his mind with earning a living and, while engaging in business, to be able to attach his thoughts to HaShem and to the holy Torah that is embedded within the give-and-take of business and the practice of one’s worldly occupation (Likutey Tefillot #13).
To the degree that people’s burning desire for wealth is tempered, so too is HaShem’s burning anger. The spiritual origins of that anger, the dinim, are mitigated, and chesed, loving-kindness, flows freely into the world.12The Arizal teaches (Eitz Chaim 1:1) that Creation came about because HaShem desires to give. Therefore the natural state of being is one in which chesed—the bounteous and unlimited influx of HaShem’s love and kindness—flows freely into the world, unhampered by either sin or dinim. And though the Edenic state depicted in Bereishit was short-lived and will not return until “sinners disappear from the earth and the wicked cease to be” (Tehillim 104:35), we do, on occasion, get a taste of it by serving HaShem and doing His will. This proliferation of the elements of chesed leads in turn to the manifestation of daat, internalized knowledge and awareness that HaShem’s Immanence fills all of creation.13The Zohar (II, 20) articulates a basic tenet of kabbalistic teaching that states, “As above, so below”— everything in the spiritual dimension is paralleled in the physical world. Thus the graphic depiction of the sefirah-configuration as tzelem Elohim (the image of HaShem) suggests that the human form was, so to speak, fashioned in the likeness of the Supernal Image. Therefore each sefirah is associated with a particular limb or organ of the human body (see Charts, p. 252). The sefirah of Daat corresponds to the neck (throat), since its primary role is to integrate the head (both right and left brain) and the heart. As expressed by the verse “Know today and take it to heart that HaShem, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth below—there is no other” (Devarim 4:39), the manifestation of daat in man is the internalized knowledge and awareness that HaShem’s Immanence fills all of creation.
Chazal teach that acquiring daat is analogous to building the Beit HaMikdash.14Chazal base this analogy on their observation that appear in (מקדש) and mikdash (דעת) the words daat verses in Tanakh with a Name of HaShem placed both before and after them, the former in I Shmuel 2:3 and the latter in Shemot 15:17. Rabbi Elazar adds, “For someone with daat, it is as if the Beit HaMikdash has already been rebuilt in his day” (Berakhot 33a). In other words, he already possesses the level of awareness that will be universal in the messianic era, when the Beit HaMikdash will again stand. Having fulfilled his personal obligation to bring awareness and knowledge of HaShem into the world, for him the Beit HaMikdash is already built! Just as the Beit HaMikdash is the abode of the Shekhinah in the world, daat is the abode of the Shekhinah in the mind. Building daat brings to a new revelation of Torah,15For the generation’s tzaddikim, those individuals with ample daat, a “new revelation of Torah” refers to the new Torah insights that they reveal in order to bring themselves or others closer to HaShem. As it applies to everyone else, it refers to a renewal of their dedication to and enthusiasm for Torah study, which they accomplish as a result of the spiritual advice and guidance they gain from the tzaddik’s teachings. which in turn draws upon us the caring watchfulness and inflow of HaShem’s full hashgachah. For the Torah itself is the power of vision associated with HaShem’s “seeing eye of compassion,” His hashgachah.16The written Torah is comprised of four components These are: .(טנת"א) known by their acrostic TaNTA ,נקודות) cantillation marks), Nekudot ,טעמים) Te’amim ,אותיות) crownlets), Otiyot ,תגין) vowel points), Tagin letters). The Arizal teaches that TaNTA signifies the spiritual lights that emanated from the “eyes” of Adam Kadmon to form the World of Atzilut (Eitz Chaim 5:1; see Appendix A, p. 229). In §4 of his lesson Rebbe Nachman bases the connection between Torah and sight on the parallel between TaNTA and the four colors of the eye; see there. As it relates here, TaNTA signifies the power of vision of HaShem’s “seeing eye of compassion”—namely His hashgachah (see also note 44 below; LH, Basar She-Nitaleim Min HaAyin 3:3). Therefore the closer a person is to the Torah, the more fully he is impacted by and benefits from HaShem’s hashgachah.
Rebbe Nachman explains that this is especially true of the new Torah teachings revealed to the world by the true tzaddik and leading sage of the generation. All those who come to this tzaddik-sage bring their aspirations and desires. The tzaddik gathers up their wills, the good as well as the bad, and elevates them together with their souls. This elevation eliminates their desire for money and sparks a yichud, unification, between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah, thus revealing HaShem’s Oneness.17Here, yichud refers to the mystical process whereby the Jewish people’s devotions unite HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah, so that by dint of their Oneness, Godliness is revealed in the creation. Through one’s devotions—and especially through the mediation of the tzaddik-sage—Jewish souls ascend and become attached to the Shekhinah. The Shekhinah then “presents” these souls to HaKadosh Barukh Hu as mayin nukvin, the “arousal from below.��� This evokes mayin dukhrin, the “arousal from above,” as it awakens His will to unite with Her and, through Her, provide shefa for the world (see more in note 30 below, and also above, pp. 52-53, notes 73-75). In this way, the tzaddik-sage renews people’s souls, and through the new insights into the Torah that he reveals, he teaches them to fulfill the Torah anew.18Although elevating Jewish souls, effecting yichud, revealing new Torah insights, and so on, are primarily the purview and responsibility of the leading tzaddik and sage of the generation, even a simple Jew plays a part in executing the various tikkunim discussed here. “Your people—all of them are tzaddikim,” says the prophet (Yeshayahu 60:21). Elsewhere, Rebbe Nachman brings this verse as proof that every Jew actually has a tiny bit of the tzaddik-sage inside him (see LM I, 34:4). By connecting to his own inner tzaddik-sage, as it were—and certainly by connecting to the tzaddiksage himself—every Jew comes closer to the Torah and thereby merits HaShem’s full hashgachah, each one according to his spiritual level.
ZERIZUT AND EMUNAH
Jewish law requires that we start our day by getting up from sleep promptly and eagerly in order to serve HaShem. Reb Noson will show that this necessitates the trait of zerizut, alacrity, which is associated with emunah, belief in HaShem.19Zerizut is alacrity and eagerness in the pursuit and fulfillment of mitzvot. In Mesillat Yesharim (ch. 6-9), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) cites in this regard the Tannaitic teaching (Avot 5:23) “Be fierce like a leopard, light like an eagle, swift like a deer, and strong like a lion to do the will of your Father in heaven.” Ramchal cites the Gemara that studying Torah and doing mitzvot are among the things that most require self-strengthening and self-encouragement (Berakhot 32b).

The Shulchan Arukh states, “A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he [who awakens the shachar].” This means that when a person wakes up, he should rise with zerizut, without a trace of sluggishness.20In kabbalistic teaching, sleep signifies a dormancy of mochin, man’s mental faculties, and a suspension of his daat. Sleep is therefore associated with dinim, which, as forces of judgment and concealment, exist as obstacles to intellectual awareness and spiritual wakefulness. This trait of zerizut relates to the element of emunah, as Rebbe Nachman writes elsewhere, that a person’s zerizut in serving HaShem is an indication of his level of emunah.21See LM I, 155:2, where Rebbe Nachman teaches that whereas a lack of emunah begets slothfulness and sluggishness in serving HaShem, vibrant emunah motivates a person to zerizut and joy, and thus enables him to overcome any obstacle that might undermine his service of HaShem and inhibit his spiritual growth. +Kabbalah teaches that at night a diminished emunah descends among the kelipot, the forces of evil. Then in the morning, meaning from midnight until the morning, emunah becomes magnified and awakens.22Kabbalah teaches that emunah equates with the Shekhinah, which in turn is synonymous with the sefirah of Malkhut. The Arizal teaches that at night, Malkhut (as the Divine persona of “Rachel”) descends into the lower worlds in order to redeem all the aspects of holiness that have fallen there on account of man’s sins (Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaAmidah 2; see also ibid. Drushei HaLailah 4). Thus in a world darkened by sin, faith is said to be trapped among the forces of evil. But from midnight to dawn, emunah / Malkhut / the Shekhinah gradually ascends (ibid. Drushei HaLailah 3), primarily through the devotions and prayers of man (see §5 below). Therefore a person should eagerly awaken from sleep before the dawn in order to strengthen himself with emunah, so that he can build up and magnify the overall presence of emunah in the world.23From LM I, 155, which Reb Noson just cited (note 21), we see that a person’s zerizut derives from and is strengthened by his emunah. Here, based on the Shulchan Arukh, it seems the other way around, that emunah is increased on account of his zerizut. Reb Noson teaches here that both are true. Just as a person’s emunah increases his zerizut, so that he rises enthusiastically to serve HaShem, so too his emunah is strengthened by the zerizut he displays in rising eagerly in order to serve Him. +This is the meaning of “so that it is he who awakens the shachar.” One has to arise early in order to build up, magnify and awaken the shachar, which, in its aspect of Ayelet HaShachar, namely the Shekhinah,24When the first rays of dawn burst forth out of the ,איילה) darkness, they resemble the antlers of an AYaLah mountain deer); see Bekhor Shor on Shemot 34:30. Thus איילת) the light of shachar is called AYeLet HaShachar In the kabbalistic lexicon, Ayelet HaShachar is .(השחר synonymous with Knesset Yisrael, the Congregation of Israel, an appellation for the Shekhinah (Zohar II, 19b and III, 21b), Whose rectification and return to wholeness comes with the dawn. corresponds to Malkhut25See note 22 above, that emunah is associated with Malkhut. In Pri Eitz Chaim (Kriat Shema al HaMitah 11) the Arizal likens Malkhut to an ayalah, a female deer, whose narrow womb makes her always desirable to her mate (see Yoma 29a). This can also be said about Malkhut. Although at night Malkhut / the Shekhinah descends into the realm of the Sitra Achra, the Other Side, she closes herself off to all impurity and so remains always desirable to HaKadosh Barukh Hu. and to emunah.26See Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaLailah 3. Citing the verse “They are new in the mornings; Your emunah is great” (Eikhah 3:23; Reb Noson will bring this verse in §3 below), the Arizal teaches that Malkhut, as emunah, returns to being “great” as morning replaces the night. In Pri Eitz Chaim (op. cit.) he explains: After midnight Malkhut / the Shekhinah, who is “Your emunah,” returns to fullness and abundance as a result of all the Jewish souls becoming encompassed in Her. Then, in the morning, the souls emerge from Malkhut renewed. +And this corresponds to the idea of breaking the excessive desire for money, through which tzaddikim are able to elevate souls and draw down Torah, as Rebbe Nachman writes in the lesson Ashrei HaAm—Hashgachah. Study there.27LM I, 13 (summarized in §1 above). Rebbe Nachman teaches that in order to draw new Torah insights into the world, the tzaddik-sage gathers together and elevates people’s souls and wills. This “arousal from below” (see note 30 below) effects a yichud between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and the Shekhinah—i.e. the manifestation of Godliness in the creation—after which the tzaddiksage is able to reveal Torah insights and so elicit full hashgachah from above. +For each day we are obligated to receive the Torah anew—either through derivation of new insights or by renewed commitment to its teachings.28See note 15 above, that for those with ample daat this means receiving new Torah insights, while for everyone else it means renewed dedication to Torah study. As Chazal teach on the phrase “‘that I charge you this day’—every day the words of Torah should appear in your eyes like new.”29As if we had received the Torah this very day at Sinai; see Rashi on Devarim 11:13 citing Sifrei, Va’etchanan 8; also Rashi on Devarim 26:16. +The way to receive the Torah anew is by elevating the soul and renewing it, as explained there.30In LM I, 13:2, Rebbe Nachman explains this elevation of the soul as the kabbalistic concept of “an arousal from below.” The Zohar (I, 77b) illustrates the reciprocal relationship between HaShem and humanity with the example of the flow of Divine bounty and blessing into the world. This downward flow of shefa is called “an arousal from above.” In order for shefa to descend there must first be “an arousal from below.” Kabbalah calls this latter arousal “elevating mayin nukvin (feminine waters)”—i.e. an awakening of spiritual energy from this world through humanity’s devotions to HaShem. This awakening generates a reciprocal arousal from above, called mayin dukhrin (masculine waters)—i.e. the flow of shefa and blessing that HaShem’s hashgachah benevolently provides for the world and humankind in particular (see also Zohar I, 86b). In the present context, the Torah is the shefa and blessing we receive from above as a result of the tzaddik-sage elevating the souls as mayin nukvin in order to rejuvenate them. This is achieved by breaking the excessive desire for money and thereby strengthening emunah. This is analogous to rousing from sleep with zerizut, which is itself an indication of the strength of one’s emunah. +All this is so since lusting for money equates with nonbelief,31See Rambam (Yad HaChazakah, Hilkhot Teshuvah 3:7) that belief in other gods (avodah zarah, idol worship) and nonbelief in the existence of HaShem (kefirah, atheism) are essentially the same. Thus whereas in §1 the desire for money is equated with avodah zarah, here Reb Noson equates money-lust with kefirah. A person without emunah denies that it is HaShem Who gives him livelihood and provides for all his needs, and so worships the money instead (see also note 35 below). with night, whose darkness is symbolic of the concealment of emunah. This leads to anpin chashukhin, “darkened countenances” of sadness and sluggishness, corresponding to death— and, by extension, to sleep, which Chazal teach is one-sixtieth of death.32Berakhot 57b. Each night, when we go to sleep, we return our souls to HaShem. Therefore sleep is akin to death, as Chazal teach, “Sleep is one-sixtieth of death.” Then, when we awaken in the morning, our renewed souls are returned to us. The Midrash teaches that with this act HaShem exhibits His faithfulness to us. It is a model for the way He will return our souls to us in the future at the time of the Resurrection (Eikhah Rabbah 3:8)., 33LM 23:1 states, “The distinguishing feature (panim) of the Sitra Achra is a darkened countenance, namely melancholy, idolatry, etc. … Thus those who succumb to the desire for money and do not believe that HaShem can provide them with livelihood through easy means expend great effort in their pursuit of sustenance. They earn their livelihood through suffering (see note 8 above) … and thus are bound to the countenance of the Sitra Achra, ‘other gods,’ darkness, the aspect of death, as in ‘He set me in darkness [as those long dead]’” (Eikhah 3:6). +This is why a person must be mighty like a lion; why he has to be resolute and strong-willed, so that he breaks his desire for sleep, which is comparable to death and the desire for money. Then, with his emunah revived, he is able to renew his soul and elevate his desires, and through this draw down Torah anew.

Reb Noson has drawn a parallel between the desire for sleep and the desire for money, as both signify diminished emunah. Conversely, rising with zerizut and giving tzedakah, which breaks money-lust, both build emunah. Rectified emunah renews one’s soul and one is rewarded with new Torah insights. +SLEEP FOR THE SOUL
Reb Noson next explains that when we break the desire for sleep, sleep itself becomes beneficial, not just for the body and mind but also for the soul.

And when a person breaks his desire for sleep—as when he breaks the desire for money—then, on the contrary, sleep is actually beneficial for him. For through sleep he renews his soul, as in “They are new in the mornings; your emunah is great,” alluding to the emunah of the person himself.34In the verse, “Your emunah” refers to HaShem’s faithfulness. Reb Noson’s reading here follows Rebbe Nachman’s reading of this verse in LM I, 62:5, as referring to a person’s faith emerging anew each morning (see following note). +Similarly, through the money a person earns—via masa u-matan be-emunah, which is the concept of sleep—he renews his soul, as explained in the lesson Ashrei HaAm—Zarka.35LM I, 35. Rebbe Nachman teaches there that a person whose mind is constantly focused on serving HaShem must look for opportunities to rest and rejuvenate his intellect, which the Rebbe equates with renewing the soul. Otherwise, his mind will become overtaxed and his soul will grow weary. The Rebbe suggests two ways to accomplish this renewal: through sleep, and by transacting one’s business with emunah (which is itself a state of sleep as compared with exerting the mind with Torah study). The faithfulness and integrity with which a person conducts his business affairs cause his mind to rest in the security of emunah and be renewed there. The Rebbe teaches there that a businessman who has emunah suffers no loss as a result of his faith and integrity. On the contrary, by breaking the desire for wealth and transacting his business with emunah, he turns an exceptional profit— namely a renewed soul.36In teaching that waking up with zerizut rectifies sleep, rendering it beneficial—and that, analogously, engaging in masa u-matan be-emunah rectifies our relationship to money—Reb Noson illustrates the essential role of hamtakat ha-dinim. Serving HaShem does not mean going without. As humans, we need to sleep. We also need to earn a living. What we do not need, and what mitigating judgment frees us from, is being caught in the grip of either of these dinim-rooted aspects of life. HaShem created the world with His attribute of rachamim, compassion, but also with His attribute of din, judgment (Bereishit Rabbah 12:15). Our task is to learn to mitigate the elements of din and judiciously incorporate them into our lives. +This is the explanation of “Lazy one, how long will you lie down? When will you rise from your sleep?” It means: How long are you going to lie down and sleep lazily? When are you going to break the desire for sleep? For then, when a person breaks this desire, on the contrary, by sleeping he actually strengthens his mind and renews his soul. Thus “When takum from your sleep?” means: When will you have a takumah, revival, such that your soul will arise and be elevated through sleep? +And when a person merits elevating his soul by breaking his desire for sleep, he effects a yichud between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah.37Regarding the unification of HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah, see note 17 above. This is the meaning of “so that it is he who awakens the shachar.” By waking up eagerly from sleep to serve HaShem, he awakens Ayelet HaShachar, namely Malkhut / the Shekhinah, for union.38Whereas earlier we saw that “awakens” refers to raising and rectifying the “dawn,” namely Malkhut and the Shekhinah, here Reb Noson explains “awakens” as preparing the Shekhinah / Malkhut for union. Waking the Shekhinah causes Her to ascend, thereby facilitating Her yichud with HaKadosh Barukh Hu.

Reb Noson has shown that the nightly suspension of daat we call sleep is representative of diminished faith. This blemish of emunah is mirrored in the nightly diminishing of the Shekhinah and Her descent from the highest spiritual realms. Conversely, zerizut in rising from sleep restores emunah and rectifies the Shekhinah. Going to sleep with the intention of rising with alacrity in order to serve HaShem accomplishes this as well. Sleep is then most beneficial: it renews the soul, and awakening facilitates the awakening of the Shekhinah and leads to a yichud on high. +LIKE A LION
Reb Noson now returns to the first law of the Shulchan Arukh with which he began this discourse. He will show how it alludes to gathering the souls and their diverse wills in order to then merit hashgachah, the opening topic of Rebbe Nachman’s lesson.

This is the explanation of “A person should strengthen himself like an ari, lion.” The word ari suggests a gathering, and so the Shulchan Arukh’s statement alludes to gathering the souls in order to elevate them.39In §5 of his lesson, Rebbe Nachman teaches that man’s soul possesses characteristics associated with each of the living creatures that appeared in Yechezkel’s vision of the Chariot (see Yechezkel 1). Of the four, attention here is on aryeh, the lion. Reb Noson will next ,(אריתי) with the word ARIti (ארי) ARI /(אריה) link ARYeh gather). ,ארה) from the root ARah As Rebbe Nachman writes in the lesson Ashrei HaAm,40LM I, 13. gathering souls and all the wills that issue from them is the concept of “Ariti my myrrh with my spice.”41A person’s will is directly linked to his soul. His evil desires have the power to blemish his soul; his holy desires have the power to embellish his soul. This is the deeper meaning of “I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.” “Myrrh,” an aromatic resin with a bitter taste, alludes to the bitterness of a soul blemished by a person’s base wants and inclinations. “Spice” alludes to the pleasant scent that perfumes the soul as a result of its spiritual yearnings and aspirations. Each person who comes to the tzaddik-sage comes with his soul and its various wills and desires. The tzaddik-sage gathers all these wills—the exalted as well as the fallen—in order to elevate them. The verse from Shir HaShirim thus reads: The tzaddik-sage says, “I have gathered the blemishes and bitterness of the soul together with the pleasant fragrances that stem from the soul’s desire to serve HaShem” (Parparaot LeChokhmah). The tzaddik gathers people’s diverse wills, all their wants and aspirations—these as bitter as myrrh and those as fragrant as spice—and then elevates them in order to renew their souls.42Reb Noson writes (Advice, Tzaddik #19), “Search for a tzaddik who has the power to gather in the souls and elevate them. Then your soul will be elevated with the others and renewed, and through this, Torah will be brought down into the world and revealed. You must plead with HaShem again and again to make you worthy of finding such a tzaddik. He has the power to cleanse you of the blemishes caused by your desires and impulses, and actually elevate them. When a person has a certain lust, the desire itself is a blemish which embitters the soul… But by coming to the tzaddik, a complete tikkun can be achieved. The tzaddik has the power to purify and elevate even a person’s negative desires together with his positive, holy yearning.” +And by elevating the souls and wills we draw new Torah insights. This in turn elicits full hashgachah.43In LM I, 13:4, Rebbe Nachman explains that full Divine providence is reserved for those close to the Torah, which, being comprised of TaNTA, signifies HaShem’s power of vision and supervision (see note 16 above). Those distant from the Torah, on the other hand, are distant from HaShem’s sight, as it were, and so the Divine providence they receive is incomplete. For it is through the Torah that we are brought into HaShem’s sight.44Rebbe Nachman discusses the concept of drawing down new Torah revelations in §2 and §4 of his lesson. As mentioned in §1 above, it is primarily the tzaddiksage who can reveal the Torah’s wisdom through new insights. Wisdom corresponds to the power of vision, as in (Bereishit 3:7) “And the eyes of both of them were opened.” Rashi on this verse explains that Adam’s and Chavah’s eyes opened with wisdom (see also Siftei Chachamim there). This refers to seeing with the mind’s eye. Thus wisdom is an aspect of sight—insight. Because the wisdom that the tzaddik-sage brings is Torah wisdom, it elicits full hashgachah, HaShem’s “seeing eye of compassion.” As explained earlier (see note 16), the Torah is comprised of TaNTA, the spiritual energy that emanated from the eyes of Adam Kadmon. Therefore the closer one is to Torah, the more he becomes the focus of HaShem’s vision. +This is why Rama’s gloss on the law “A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning” cites the verse “I set HaShem before me always.” In other words, when zerizut in serving HaShem breaks the desire for sleep, elevation of the soul elicits a new revelation of Torah. By setting ourselves close to the Torah we come into His direct line of sight, so that His hashgachah is upon us always.45Through the Torah we are ever mindful of HaShem’s presence—“I set HaShem before me always”—and so become worthy of His caring watchfulness and shefa. Reb Noson expresses these ideas in prayer. He writes: Master of the Universe … do not hide Your eyes from us. Compassionate God, take pity on us and watch over us with an eye of tender mercy and graciousness—a single eye of compassion, an open eye that never slumbers. Place us under Your full hashgachah and let Your vision rest upon us through Your holy Torah, which You have radiated to us through the true tzaddikim. Let us be close to Your holy, watchful eye, until we will be the focus of Your vision, and we will become merged with You (Likutey Tefillot #13).

When a person who strengthens himself and serves HaShem with zerizut comes to the tzaddik, the tzaddik gathers all his wills, the base and the lofty, and raises them up. This renews his soul and he receives the Torah anew. Then, through his closeness to Torah, he becomes the focus of HaShem’s “seeing eye” of hashgachah. +MITIGATING DIN
Having explained that rising from sleep with zerizut strengthens emunah, mitigates din, and builds daat, Reb Noson now shows how this parallels rising each night to “rebuild” the Beit HaMikdash by reciting Tikkun Chatzot.

This matter is related to what is written in the Shulchan Arukh (Orach Chaim 1:3), “It is fitting for every person who fears HaShem to be pained and distressed over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash,” for “whoever mourns over Yerushalayim will merit witnessing its rejoicing,” as Chazal teach.46Taanit 30b. +It follows that being pained and distressed over the destruction and absence of the Beit HaMikdash correlates to its rebuilding and the subsequent rejoicing. Furthermore, the building of the Beit HaMikdash is synonymous with building up daat,47See note 14 above. through which it is possible to elevate souls, as explained above and brought in LM I, 13. Study Rebbe Nachman’s words there. +And that is the reason for rising at midnight to recite Tikkun Chatzot.48In addition to the Shulchan Arukh, the Gemara, Midrash and Zohar all extol the great value of rising in the middle of the night to recite the collection of psalms, lamentations and prayers that comprise Tikkun Chatzot. More recent holy teachings also laud this practice, notably the literature of Breslov Chassidut; see Crossing the Narrow Bridge, ch. 8, pp. 124-129; The Sweetest Hour, passim. Rebbe Nachman said, “Mitzvah gedolah le-hiyot be-simchah tamid (It is a very great mitzvah to be happy always)” (LM II, 24). His followers ,שמחה) have an oral tradition that the word SiMChaH Mikveh ,(שולחן ערוך) joy) stands for Shulchan Arukh the four —(התבודדות) Hitbodedut ,(חצות) Chatzot ,(מקוה) cardinal devotions of a Breslover chassid. By breaking the desire for sleep—namely the desire for money—and mourning over Yerushalayim and the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, we spiritually rebuild it. Through this aspect of building the Beit HaMikdash and meriting daat it becomes possible to gather up the Jewish souls, elevating and renewing them, and rendering them worthy of a new revelation of Torah. +Therefore rising at midnight mitigates dinim,49See LM I, 149, where Rebbe Nachman teaches that chatzot is as efficacious as a pidyon (see note 53 below), for it mitigates the dinim. because by rising at that time we have effectively broken the grip of sleep—in particular, sleep in its association with death and nonbelief.50See note 20 above. Sleep as it relates to death and nonbelief is accompanied by dinim, for “as long as there is nonbelief and idol worship in the world, [there is burning anger in the world].”51Sifrei, Re’eh 84. This Midrash discusses a city in which the majority of inhabitants have worshipped idolatry. In such a case, the entire city, including inanimate objects, must be destroyed (Devarim 13:13-19). Failing to eliminate even one of these objects in essence leaves a reminder of idolatry in the world. Reb Noson relates this here to the idolatry of money worship. Failing to eliminate even the minutest trace of money-lust leaves a remnant of HaShem’s wrath, and so keeps the dinim from being mitigated entirely. But by rising at midnight, we raise up emunah and strengthen it. HaShem’s wrath and the dinim are thus mitigated, and we draw chasadim, the elements of kindness and love, into the world.52Kabbalah teaches that the inner structure of Daat is formed from the confluence of chasadim, benevolences, the root elements of the sefirah of Chesed that extend from Chokhmah on the right side of the sefirahconfiguration, and gevurot, severities, the root elements of Gevurah that extend from Binah on the left side (see Charts, p. 252). The parallel to the sefirah of Daat is the daat in the mind of man (see note 13 above). Man’s daat is formed from the confluence of chasadim, the qualities of kindness and generosity that unfold from chokhmah, human wisdom, and gevurot, the qualities of judgment and restraint that unfold from binah, human understanding (Eitz Chaim 25:2 and 34:3). In LM I, 10:6, Rebbe Nachman links emunah with chasadim. +To conclude, Reb Noson relates to one last concept from Rebbe Nachman’s lesson: the power of tzedakah to mitigate din.

This also relates to what the Rebbe writes elsewhere, that rising at midnight and lamenting the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash is as efficacious as giving a pidyon.53A pidyon, redemption, refers to money or an object given to a tzaddik so that he will effect a tikkun and salvation on behalf of the giver. It is a time-honored custom for a Jew experiencing some misfortune or hardship to give tzedakah to a tzaddik and ask him to pray on his behalf. The pidyon serves as a catalyst through which the dinim of Heaven’s decree against him are mitigated., 54See LM I, 149; also see LH, Ribit 5:5. The analogy to a pidyon is precise, because the pidyon is a form of tzedakah, and we have already seen that giving tzedakah breaks the desire for money and so mitigates the dinim.55For the role tzedakah plays in breaking the desire for money, see §1 and note 9 above. In LM I, 180, Rebbe Nachman shows that money shares a common spiritual root with dinim. Therefore when a person breaks his desire for money and gives a pidyon to a tzaddik, it mitigates the dinim. A possible further reason Reb Noson introduces the topic of pidyon here lies in its connection to Rosh HaShanah (see note 5 above for the connection between this lesson and Rosh HaShanah). Rebbe Nachman teaches that erev Rosh HaShanah is a very good time for presenting a pidyon to redeem oneself in the eyes of Heaven and cleanse one’s soul (Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #214; Uman! Uman! Rosh HaShanah!, p. 61). The same is true of rising at midnight; it is like giving a pidyon. By rising at midnight one breaks the desire for sleep, which corresponds to breaking the desire for money, through which we mitigate dinim, as explained above.56Although sleep becomes beneficial once a person breaks his desire for it (see §3 above), sleep is a dormancy of the mochin and a suspension of daat. The time one spends asleep is time spent under the sway of dinim. Breaking the grip of sleep and rising in the middle of the night builds awareness of HaShem and delivers a person from all the misfortune and suffering that the dinim generate.

Reb Noson has shown that three Rosh HaShanah themes—strengthening emunah, mitigating din, and meriting hashgachah—have practical applications for us throughout the year. The sleep that overtakes us each night is representative of diminished emunah. But if we break the grip of sleep and wake up with zerizut, we strengthen our emunah. This mitigates the dinim, the concealment of Godliness. The resultant increase of daat elevates our souls, and with the new revelation of Torah that this brings, we become the focus of the seeing eye of HaShem. + +Chapter 3 + + + +Section 1 + +KEY CONCEPTS FROM LIKUTEY MOHARAN
A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he who awakens the shachar, dawn. [Gloss: “I set HaShem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8)—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah] (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 1:1).

This discourse is based on the lesson Vayaseiv Elohim (LM I, 62), in which Rebbe Nachman discusses how to strengthen one’s emunah in HaShem. Study the Rebbe’s words there. +The Rebbe clarifies there the distinction between the two types of questions of emunah. There are questions whose solution a person can readily comprehend. Concerning this Chazal stated, “Know what to answer…”1Avot 2:14: “Be diligent in the study of Torah and know what to answer a heretic.” A Jew must know how to answer the heretic’s questions and theological challenges to faith (Rambam and Rabbeinu Yonah, loc. cit.). In fact, with regard to that which HaShem has placed within the grasp of the human mind, honing the intellect in order to comprehend the matter clearly is a great mitzvah. Hence the dictum: “Know what to answer a heretic.” +But there are also questions whose solution is unfathomable to the human intellect. Only in the future will the answer be revealed.2Rebbe Nachman also addresses the topic of nonbelief and heresy in LM I, 64:2-3. See also LM I, 21:4. In the meantime, a person must not explore questions of this sort. Regarding someone who does rely on his intellect to delve into such questions, it is written, “Whoever goes to her will not return”—i.e. to his previous level of devoutness and simple faith.3Shlomo HaMelekh likens heresy to a temptress. Rashi explains that the attraction of heresy is so powerful that anyone who succumbs to “her” enticements finds it all but impossible to escape (see also Avodah Zarah 17a). For when it comes to questions of this sort, one is forbidden to rely on his intellect. Instead, he must stand firm in emunah. +Now, even regarding those questions that do have an answer, it sometimes happens that the pathways of a person’s intellect become blocked, and he does not know how to respond to the question. On account of this, the heresy of the question becomes injected into him. This sort of heresy exists in everyone, in each person relative to his spiritual level. If he looks within, he will be able to understand how to a greater or a lesser degree he too has been affected by heresy.4Unlike the comprehensive prohibition against exploring questions whose solutions will be understood only in the future, the prohibition against delving into answerable questions is relative, dependent on the state of a person’s intellect at that moment. When the pathways of his intellect are blocked and a solution eludes him—a state that kabbalistic teaching refers to as mochin d’katnut, constricted consciousness—he should rely on emunah. But when the pathways are unblocked, so that he is in the state of mochin d’gadlut, expanded consciousness, it is a mitzvah for him to explore the questions and seek to answer them. +One should serve HaShem with both of his inclinations, with the yetzer hara, evil inclination, subservient to the yetzer tov, good inclination.5See below in this section and note 9. In truth, if a person would really know with his whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” then the pathways of his intellect would never be blocked and he would not succumb to heresy. The extent of this awareness of HaShem’s Immanence is reflected in his conduct during prayer. If he would know and internalize that HaKadosh Barukh Hu stands over him when he prays, and that He listens to every single word of the prayer, he would surely pray with great fervor and be extremely meticulous about concentrating on his words. But, in general, because a person does not know this with a whole heart, he is neither very fervent nor meticulous. +And all of this is due to the concealment of the knowledge of HaShem’s Immanence. This concealment stems from the element of machloket—the dispute in a person’s heart caused by the ascending power of his yetzer hara—as expressed in “their heart is chalak.”6The prophet Hoshea speaks of the idol-worshiping Jews whose hearts were divided against HaShem. Rebbe Nachman teaches that this dividedness stems from conflict within the heart, the dispute between one’s good inclination and its evil counterpart. When divided) between ,חלק) a person’s heart is ChaLaK devotion to HaShem and yielding to his yetzer hara, his division or dispute) indicates ,מחלקת) inner maChLoKet an absence of deep spiritual knowledge, i.e. daat, and thus an inability to answer the “personal” heresies that plague his heart and distance him from HaShem. This refers to questions that arise because the pathways of his intellect have become blocked and “divide” his heart, to the point that he does not know what to answer to the heresy in his own heart. +The way to remedy this machloket in the heart is by studying the rulings of Jewish law that cite the disputes between the various legal authorities and come to a clear conclusion.7The division in a person’s heart is rooted in the disputes of holiness, namely the disputes of the Tannaim and Amoraim recorded in the Gemara. Uncertainty about how HaShem wants the disputed law fulfilled leaves one’s evil inclination a way-in to undermine not only the dispute of holiness but even the very foundation of emunah itself. By studying the disputes of the Sages and how these disputes are resolved as rulings of Jewish law, one fosters inner peace. The daat he acquires in learning to distinguish between prohibited and permitted, kosher and unkosher, pure and impure eliminates the machloket that divides and plagues his heart with conflict. For a more extensive explanation, see §2 of the Rebbe’s lesson and the notes there. Through this study a person attains both daat and inner peace, and so merits eliminating the questions in his heart.8In §2 of his lesson, Rebbe Nachman notes that peace) is an acrostic for the ,שלום) the word ShaLOM Mishnah’s dictum (Avot 2:14): “Ve-da Mah She-tashiv Know what to ,ודע מה שתשיב לאפיקורוס) Le’epikoros answer a heretic)” (see note 1 above). for “your (לבבך) He will then be able to pray with a whole heart, as in Chazal’s exposition of the verse “with all levavekha” as meaning to pray to HaShem “with both your inclinations.”9The Torah uses the word levavekha .(לבך) heart” rather than the more common libkha Chazal (Berakhot 54a) see the doubling of the letter in leVaVekha as an allusion to the heart’s two (ב) vet inclinations: “You shall love HaShem your God with both your inclinations,” using the energy generated by your yetzer hara to serve the objectives of your yetzer tov. This praying with both inclinations of the heart is also alluded to in “I will praise You with an upright leivav when I study Your just laws.”10As in “with all leVaVekha” (see previous note), heart) also has the letter vet doubled. Here ,לבב) leiVaV too this indicates that one should pray to HaShem with both of the heart’s inclinations. How does one achieve a whole heart? By studying “Your just laws,” namely the rulings of Jewish law. Reb Noson will further expound this second proof-text in §3 below. Study the Rebbe’s words there.11See §2 of the Rebbe’s lesson. +However, studying the rulings of Jewish law is effective only in dealing with questions whose answer a person can readily comprehend, whereas it is forbidden to explore those questions for which there are no answers. Rather, one must strengthen oneself with emunah. +And when a person has complete emunah, free of all questions and doubts, his eating has the power to effect a yichud, unification,12Yichud is the union of the masculine and feminine aspects of Divinity, HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah, respectively, so that by virtue of their union an abundance of HaShem’s compassion and goodness are revealed in the creation. For yichud to transpire, both of these aspects must be in a state of wholeness, which the Kabbalists refer to as panim (see note 22 below), i.e. positioned facing each other rather than back-to-back (see Shaar Maamarei Rashbi 105 ff ). The mitzvot that a Jew performs are the primary vehicle for bringing about this union. between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah,13The term Shekhinah denotes the Indwelling Presence of HaShem in the world. In its identity as Malkhut, the manifestation of Divine sovereignty, Shekhinah also signifies the contraction of Ein Sof, HaShem’s Infinite Essence, in order to directly supervise and govern creation (see Appendix A, p. 225). Whereas the nonbeliever attributes the governance of creation to nature and human agency (see LH, Masa u-Matan 4:8), one who possesses complete emunah ascribes the supervision of creation—namely the Shekhinah—to HaKadosh Barukh Hu. Such a person therefore eats with full recognition and emunah that his sustenance comes from HaShem alone, through the agency of His Indwelling Presence, and in this way effects a yichud between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah (see further, notes 14 and 15). since food is spiritually refined and elevated through emunah14In his lesson Rebbe Nachman explains that in order for one’s eating to bring about a yichud, the food has to have already been refined of the forces of spiritual impurity that were mixed in with it as a result of Adam’s eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Conversely, eating food that contains an admixture of good and evil can cause a person to sin, and sin separates HaKadosh Barukh Hu from the Shekhinah.—through the faith in HaShem displayed by eating in holiness.15A person who has complete emunah eats in order to better serve HaShem. He is not gluttonous, eats only kosher food, recites blessings with kavanah, studies Torah at the meal, and so on. No less significantly, when a person with complete emunah eats, he is grateful to HaShem and acknowledges His hashgachah, Divine providence, as the agency through which he obtains his sustenance. +Now, emunah is perfected and adorned mainly by bringing closer to HaShem precisely those who are most distant from Him.16By definition, perfecting anything means providing it with what it previously lacked. In the case of emunah, those distant from faith in HaShem are the addition that makes it whole. To perfect and adorn emunah, they must be brought to belief in HaShem. This is true not just of the nonbelievers among the nations of the world, but also of Jews whose lack of emunah in HaShem resembles that of the nations. In neglecting the faith of their forefathers, they have become distant from HaShem and need to be drawn closer. Their newfound recognition of HaShem enhances emunah. However, to achieve this, one must be able to elevate the sparks of holiness in the letters of speech.17The Midrash teaches that the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are the building blocks of Creation (see Bereishit Rabbah 18:4). In an alternate account of the Breaking of the Vessels, the Arizal identifies the letters of speech with the sefirah-vessels that house the Light of Ein Sof from which all the worlds were formed (Eitz Chaim 5:5). At the shevirah, these letter-vessels broke into countless shards bearing sparks of the Light, which then fell into the lower realms (see LM I, 54:3; see also Appendix A, p. 231). Man furthers the fall of these holy sparks when he employs his faculty of speech improperly, including reciting the words of his arid, absentminded prayers.. Only the redemption of these holy sparks creates the speech of holiness needed to restore emunah to the world. Then, once these holy sparks begin to ascend,18The fallen holy sparks ascend when man purifies his speech through fervent prayer, Torah study, speaking words of faith, and the like; and by abstaining from profanity, slander, mockery, falsehood, and the like. the faculty of speech turns itself around and gathers up the remaining sparks of holiness from the kelipot, the forces of evil.19Speech acts here in its identity as the sefirah of Malkhut and the Shekhinah. +In order to elevate the holy sparks of speech, one needs to fast. Man’s cravings for food and drink are the primary physical desires.20See note 67 to Rebbe Nachman’s lesson, which explains why he considers gluttony, and not immorality or avarice, the primary physical desire. When these desires become overpowering, chas ve-shalom, they draw the letters of speech into the exile of Egypt, making it impossible to speak words of holiness.21See LM I, 45, that quintessentially the Egyptian exile was the exile of speech. They also undermine holy emunah, and so people’s questions of faith increase. At that point it is necessary to attach the back of holiness,22To indicate a subject’s wholeness and perfection or lack thereof, Kabbalah employs the terms panim and achor, “front” and “back.” Here, the “back of holiness” signifies holiness of a lesser intensity and level. Holiness that is in any sense incomplete or inferior needs to be concealed from the evil and impure forces, lest they exploit its imperfection for their own benefit. The idea of attaching the back of holiness derives from the kabbalistic teaching regarding Ze’ir Anpin (the masculine principle) and Malkhut (the feminine principle). In their rectified state of gadlut (lit. “maturity”), these Divine personas (see Appendix A, pp. 233-4) stand face-to-face in preparation for yichud. Prior to reaching this wholeness they are in a state of deficiency, katnut (lit. “immaturity”). Their “backs”—their elements of lesser holiness—are then exposed to the kelipot. In order to safeguard holiness and keep the power of the kelipot in check (see following note), it is necessary to conceal holiness by attaching Ze’ir Anpin and Malkhut back-toback (Eitz Chaim 8:6). to conceal it, so as to prevent the kelipot from drawing any more than a bare minimum of sustenance from this lesser holiness.23The Arizal teaches that like all things in creation, the kelipot are sustained by nitzotzot, sparks of holiness, the life-force without which they could not exist (Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaPurim 6; see Appendix A, p. 231 ff ). However, because HaShem does not want the forces of evil to become overly powerful, their access is limited to the back of holiness, and even there only to the bare minimum of life-force needed to insure their continued survival. Yet there are certain times and situations in which the back of holiness becomes especially vulnerable to the kelipot. Then, to insure that their ability to overpower holiness is held in check, the back of holiness must be concealed. And the way to conceal the back of holiness is through fasting. Unlike indulging one’s desires for food and drink, fasting denies the kelipot access to their source of sustenance, and so breaks any hold they have over holy speech.24Fasting subdues man’s physical desires. Thus if a person’s aim in eating and drinking is to satisfy his physical desires rather than elevate the sparks of holiness trapped inside the food, he would do well to serve HaShem by fasting. Keeping food from his throat keeps sustenance from the kelipot, and so thwarts their attempts to prevent the words of holiness from passing through the throat. +In addition to subjugating physical desire, fasting is also valuable because it expresses a new beginning.25Fasting indicates a person’s recognition that he has to step back from his attachment to the physical pleasures of this world. As an act of teshuvah, fasting expresses one’s desire for a new beginning. Reb Noson fleshes out this idea in §5 below. This is important because the essence of all things is their beginning, and because “all beginnings are difficult.”26Mekhilta, Yitro 2:5. Rebbe Nachman gives two reasons why the beginning of a devotional practice is more meritorious than its continued performance: 1) The beginning is the foundation on which whatever one subsequently accomplishes is built; and 2) “All beginnings are difficult,” since it takes greater effort to change oneself than to maintain a change once it has been instituted and routinized. +Once the back of holiness has been concealed through fasting, the kelipot are unable to enter there and draw sustenance from the power of holiness. And with the capacity of the kelipot impaired, the face of holiness—the radiance of consummate emunah—is then revealed. HaShem engineers this in order to extract from the mouths of the kelipot the holiness that they have swallowed. And then all those who are spiritually distant turn to the emunah of the Jews, as expressed in “Then I will turn the nations to a pure language.” The emphasis is on “turn,” as the verse can also be read, “I will turn a pure language to the nations.” It is the “pure language,” meaning the faculty of speech that has been refined and extracted from the midst of the kelipot, which turns its face to the nations. It does this in order to gather up from them the remaining sparks of holiness. Then the continuation of the verse, “that they all proclaim in the Name of HaShem,” is realized. All those who were spiritually distant are drawn closer to HaShem—this being the adornment of emunah. +This perfecting and adorning of emunah is alluded to in Saba d’Mishpatim,27The Zohar recounts the deep mysteries that were revealed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciples by several very exalted souls. This section of Zohar (II, 94a-14a) is known as Saba d’Mishpatim. which states: Emunah is like “the beautiful maiden who has no eyes, i.e. she is concealed… She emerges and is revealed in the morning, but over the day becomes covered.” For man’s emunah renews itself each morning, as in a rereading of the verse “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great,” where it is “your emunah,” a person’s faith, that the psalmist is alluding to.28In the Book of Eikhah, “Your emunah is great” refers to HaShem’s faithfulness. Rebbe Nachman reads this as referring to a person’s faith—to his emunah that emerges anew each morning, having been strengthened and made great by his nighttime devotions. See also Rashi’s commentary on this verse in Eikhah. But subsequently, “over the day [it] becomes covered”—due to the burdens of daily existence, emunah becomes obscured and concealed. +Thus we need to engage in the tikkun of emunah by drawing the spiritually distant towards holiness. Once perfected, all the questions that would undermine emunah are eliminated, and HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah are joined in a state of yichud. Emunah, the Shekhinah, then pleads and advocates before HaShem on behalf of the spiritually distant ones, asking that He draw them closer. +This yichud is alluded to in the verse “Then Yehudah approached [Yosef].” The commentaries explain that this is “the drawing close of one king to another king,”29Bereishit Rabbah 93:2. hinting to the unification of HaKadosh Barukh Hu with the Shekhinah.30The Zohar (I, 206b) explains this meeting of kings, Yosef and Yehudah, as the yichud of Ze’ir Anpin/ HaKadosh Barukh Hu and Malkhut / the Shekhinah. Yosef, as the Biblical exemplar of the tzaddik, personifies Yesod, the component of Ze’ir Anpin that engages in union. Yehudah, as progenitor of the Davidic dynasty, personifies Malkhut, Ze’ir Anpin’s mate. Their drawing close signifies the face-to-face yichud of these Divine personas. +When joined in yichud, the Shekhinah pleads with HaKadosh Barukh Hu to show compassion for the spiritually distant ones. She says, “For you are just like Pharaoh.” In other words, “You are known only from pheraoh, what is revealed31In its account of Moshe descending from Mount Sinai to discover the Israelites worshiping the golden calf, the Torah states (Shemot 32:25), “Moshe realized that the nation was exposed, for Aharon pheraoh (had exposed) has the ,פרְָעהֹ) exposed them).” PheRaOH Pharaoh). This indicates ,פּרְַעהֹ) same letters as PaROH that the name Pharaoh implies revealing (see also Metzudat Tzion on II Divrei HaYamim 28:19).—namely a world ostensibly governed by nature, in which Your hashgachah is hidden. It is this concealment that causes people to err in emunah.” Thus the Shekhinah begs HaKadosh Barukh Hu to make His hashgachah known to them. How? By allowing those who are distant from Him to witness the tzaddik overturning the laws of nature.32“The God of Israel has said, the Rock of Israel has spoken to me, ‘[Become] a ruler of men; a tzaddik rules through the fear of God’” (II Shmuel 23:3). Chazal interpret this verse as HaShem saying, “I am the Ruler of men. And who rules over Me? The tzaddik! For I issue a decree and he nullifies it” (Moed Katan 16b). Owing to the tzaddik’s fear of HaShem, his prayers have the power to annul HaShem’s decrees of illness, poverty, and the like, thereby overriding the laws of nature through which HaShem governs the world. +This is the meaning of the Midrash’s teaching “Just as Pharaoh decrees, i.e. nature dictates a certain course of cause and effect, but fails to carry out its program when a tzaddik nullifies it, You too decree that the world now be governed by nature but fail to carry this out,” since the tzaddik prays and nullifies that too. Seeing You nullify Your will to the will of the tzaddik strengthens the emunah of those who are distant and brings them closer to You.33The supernatural wonders that the tzaddik performs through his prayers prove that the natural order is subject to a Higher Will. People see that in response to the tzaddik’s prayers to HaShem, some constant of nature acts inconstantly or some law of physics is inexplicably contravened. From this they deduce that HaShem exists and that everything in creation conforms to His will. Were it otherwise, the tzaddik’s prayers would be helpless to effect a change in the set rules of nature. Study all this well in the Rebbe’s words there.34See §6 of the Rebbe’s lesson. See also LM I, 62:7 and notes 125-134 there. + +Section 2 + +2 ■ RISING WITH EMUNAH
Reb Noson begins his discourse on the law that a person should strengthen himself to rise in the morning to serve HaShem by linking it with strengthening emunah, especially through studying Torah in the hours before dawn.

Now, this teaching regarding strengthening emunah bears directly on the first law in the Shulchan Arukh, “A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he who awakens the dawn.” Awakening the shachar, rising before dawn, effectively “awakens” or strengthens emunah. For emunah is identified with the sefirah of Malkhut,35Tikkuney Zohar #67, p. 97b; Zohar III, 198b. Kabbalah teaches that at night Malkhut, the sefirah synonymous with the Shekhinah, descends into the lower worlds in order to redeem the sparks of holiness that have fallen there on account of humanity’s sins (Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaAmidah 2; see also ibid. Drushei HaLailah 4). Malkhut is also identified as emunah, for by accepting HaShem’s kingship and sovereignty, one displays his emunah in Him (see LM I, 35:5). Thus in a world darkened by sin, faith is said to be trapped among the forces of evil. But at midnight, Malkhut / the Shekhinah / emunah begins to ascend (ibid. Drushei HaLailah 3), particularly through the spiritual devotions of those who, as Reb Noson will explain, “awaken the dawn.” which is termed shachar—as in the kabbalistic concept known as Ayelet HaShachar.36See above, p. 90, note 24, that the light of shachar is called Ayelet HaShachar. In the kabbalistic lexicon, Ayelet HaShachar is an appellation for the Shekhinah (Zohar II, 19b), namely Malkhut, Whose rectification and return to wholeness comes with the morning’s dawn. +Moreover, emunah and morning’s dawn, the shachar, are conceptually related. For the main perfection of faith takes place in the morning, as expressed in “They are renewed in the mornings, your faith is great.” Every morning the power of emunah is regenerated. This relates to the Zohar’s teaching cited above, that emunah is the “beautiful maiden” who “emerges in the morning” and is revealed then. All of this was explained previously, in the concepts from the Rebbe’s lesson.37See the passage from Saba d’Mishpatim cited in §1 above. It is for this reason, namely that the main perfection of emunah occurs in the morning, that emunah is termed shachar, the beginning of the morning. +And so, in order for emunah to be revealed, every person must “strengthen himself like a lion” and exert great effort to rise up early in the morning, before daybreak, in order to study Torah and pray, and to elevate, complete and magnify holy faith. Perfection of emunah depends on his serving HaShem. This is the meaning of “so that it is he who awakens the shachar,” corresponding to the verse “I will awaken the shachar.” In other words, through a person’s pre-dawn devotions, he merits awakening the shachar in its identity as emunah, which needs to be magnified and completed up until daybreak. For morning is the main time of emunah’s elevation and perfection, as indicated in “They are renewed in the mornings,” and in the passage cited from Saba d’Mishpatim, “She emerges in the morning.” +Thus far Reb Noson has explained that emunah is renewed every morning, and that we therefore get up before dawn to elevate and magnify emunah through our Torah study and prayer. He next specifies that the optimal time to engage in perfecting emunah is after midnight, through the daat one acquires by studying the rulings of Jewish law.

Now, the consummate and most effective devotion for strengthening emunah is to strengthen oneself greatly, exerting utmost willpower, to rise each night at midnight. The holy Zohar, in many places, is clear about how extremely vigilant one must be regarding this. It teaches that anyone whose heart has been touched by fear and awe of HaShem is obligated to rise specifically at midnight.38See Zohar I, 77b and 92b; Zohar II, 46a. See also Reishit Chokhmah, Shaar HaKedushah 7, which cites many additional passages from the Zohar on the importance of rising at midnight to serve HaShem. +For holy emunah is mainly perfected through voiding, crushing and eradicating from one’s mind the two types of questions and heresies discussed above. As we have seen, there are the questions that are intrinsically unanswerable and insolvable. Regarding these the Torah states, “Whoever goes to her will not return.” Rather, one must rely exclusively on emunah. In addition, there are the questions that can be resolved, for which honing one’s intellect is a great mitzvah. But with these questions too there are pitfalls. It sometimes happens that the pathways of the intellect become blocked and so even these questions cannot presently be answered. As a result, an element of heresy enters his heart. And for each person, these questions that are unresolvable because the pathways have become blocked are relative to his spiritual level, commensurate with each person’s intellect. +The tikkun for this, to merit opening the mind and revealing the pathways of the intellect, is through study of the rulings of Jewish law. One then merits peace, and the machloket—the dispute in the heart caused by one’s yetzer hara, such that the heart is plagued with denial and heresy—is eliminated. Moreover, through the daat a person acquires by studying the rulings of Jewish law, he merits knowing how to answer the heresy in his heart, as discussed above. +Reb Noson now explains that the darkness of night symbolizes the concealment of daat.

For the truth is that everyone has a bit of heresy in his heart. This is why a person needs to strengthen himself to rise at midnight. For day and night, with respect to their characteristics of light and darkness, represent daat and foolish ignorance, namely the concealment of knowledge. Rebbe Nachman explains this in the lesson Dirshu,39LM I, 37. that daat corresponds to the revelation of light, whereas foolish ignorance, being the concealment of knowledge, corresponds to darkness. For the physical darkness of night stems from the darkening of daat, the concealment of the knowledge one must have of HaShem’s Immanence, from whence the heretical questions of emunah derive. +This idea, that night suggests spiritual darkness and heresy, is brought in the Zohar: “When night spreads its wings, the gates of Gan Eden close shut. The forces of darkness40Lit. “executors of decrees.” These are the destructive angels that rule the night. See Zohar I, 203b, that when night falls, the forces of darkness sent to execute harmful decrees are given free rein to spread dinim, elements of judgments, across the world. When day breaks, they return to their places. are released into the world, and the world is then governed through the Matron.”41This refers to the Shekhinah, which in the works of the early Kabbalists is known as the Matron. “All Israelites are princes” (Mishnah, Shabbat 14:4), and so the Divine persona of Malkhut, the source of Jewish souls, is also called the Matron and Holy Queen. Being the lowest of the sefirot, Malkhut interfaces between the Supernal Worlds and this lower world of corporeality, and thus serves as the agent between HaShem and man. This agency is depicted in the following passage from the Zohar (II, 51a) on the relationship between the Holy King (HaKadosh Barukh Hu) and His Queen (the Shekhinah / Malkhut): “Every mission that the King wishes issues from the house of the Matron. Every mission from below to the King ascends first to the house of the Matron, and from there to the King. Thus the Matron is the agent of all, from above to below and from below to above.” Consequently, a world, a time, or a situation governed by the Matron is one that calls for emunah rather than daat. +As we understand it, this means that at night spiritual darkness becomes overpowering. This is the absence of daat, the shutting of the gates of Gan Eden, which are the gates and pathways of the intellect.42Kabbalah teaches that Upper Gan Eden, where the souls reside, is located in the World of Beriah (Kehillat Yaakov, Erekh: Gan). Of the four planes of existence (spiritual, mental, emotional and physical), Beriah corresponds to the mental plane and the mind’s mochin, mental faculties. Hence Reb Noson’s link here between the gates of Gan Eden and the pathways of the intellect. This is when “the forces of darkness are released into the world.” These forces signify dinim and kelipot, the forces of judgment and evil. Their hold is primarily through the heresies and questions that arise due to the departure of daat at night, which corresponds to the closing of the gates of Gan Eden.43See Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaLailah 3, where the Arizal teaches that at night the mochin depart entirely. In context here, these are the pathways of the intellect, the gates of Gan Eden that close shut. +“And then, at night, the world is governed through the Matron,”44See Zohar I, 20b and Matok MiDevash there. The Torah relates that HaShem set two great luminaries in the sky to light up the earth and “to have dominion by day and night” (Bereishit 1:18). Commenting on this verse, the Zohar teaches that dominion of the day belongs to Man (Ze’ir Anpin), and dominion of the night belongs to Woman (Malkhut/the Matron). namely the spiritual aspect of sovereignty, “the Holy Queen,” which corresponds to holy emunah. For at night, at the time of darkness—with the departure of daat—a person has to strengthen himself exclusively with emunah. Earlier we saw that emunah is identified with Malkhut,45See above and note 35. the sefirah of Sovereignty, corresponding to the Matron. This is the idea expressed in “your emunah in the nights”—that to survive the darkness, a person must rest his mind and instead rely solely on his emunah in HaShem46This agrees with Rashi’s interpretation of this verse in Tehillim, that it refers to a person’s emunah in HaShem’s faithfulness (cf. §1 and note 28 above).—as the Rebbe discusses elsewhere. Study there.47LM I, 35:3. Reb Noson explains this next; and see note 49 below. +After clarifying that the darkness of night alludes to the darkening of daat and so to the heretical questions that undermine faith, Reb Noson addresses the spiritual dimension of sleep and its connection to emunah.

Now, this idea of total reliance on emunah at night relates to nighttime sleep. For at night darkness is drawn into the world. The primary source of this darkness is Supernal Darkness, which signifies the depth of the matter. It indicates that Divine daat is deep and very distant from us,48The mysteries of the Torah are likened to darkness in that they are hidden from general view, veiled by the great depth of their profundity. as expressed in “He made darkness His concealment.” HaShem’s “concealment” alludes to the questions that are impossible to answer, and for which it is absolutely impossible to find a solution in this world. For these questions are an aspect of darkness, in that they conceal the revelation of His Godliness. And it is impossible to remove this darkness by means of any daat, but solely by means of emunah, since it is impossible to find an answer for these questions. Instead, we need to rely on emunah alone. +Thus this relates to nighttime sleep, since sleep indicates the departure of daat. During sleep the mind is at rest, and so daat then enters the realm of emunah and becomes renewed there. This is the meaning of “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great,” as Rebbe Nachman explains in the lesson Ashrei HaAm. Study his words there.49See LM I, 35:3, where Rebbe Nachman cites the Zohar (I, 213b) that from this verse we learn that when man’s intellect—which he equates there with the soul— is overtaxed, sleep refreshes and renews it. +In other words, sleep possesses a spiritual dimension linking it to the darkness of night, when the forces of darkness begin to rule the world. These forces are the kelipot, heresies and insolvable questions associated with the darkness of night. One must sleep at that time, because sleep is a tikkun and a rest for the mochin, the mental faculties. For then, with the onset of night, a person needs to completely remove his daat—this is the idea of sleep being the departure of daat—and rely solely on emunah. +For this is the fundamental purpose of sleep: that we completely remove daat at that time, and rely solely on emunah. This is the idea behind “accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven” before sleep. We do this by reciting Kriat Shema al HaMitah, through which we declare our emunah in HaShem’s sovereignty and absolute unity. Affirming our submission to HaShem and releasing our souls into His care are necessary then because at the time of sleep the mochin enter into emunah. For in the face of those questions that are impossible to answer—which correspond to the power of the darkness of night—there we need to completely release and remove our daat, as in actual sleep, and rely solely on emunah. + +Section 3 + +UNBLOCKING DAAT AT MIDNIGHT
Reb Noson next elaborates on the distinctive roles of the two halves of the night, focusing in particular on the hours from midnight until dawn.

This idea, that we strengthen emunah through sleep, relates to rising at midnight. For although sleep is a major rectification for the mochin—since they are renewed through emunah at the time of sleep—nevertheless, one must be vigilant to rise at midnight. +The reason for this is that the night—which is the darkness, meaning the absence of daat—is comprised of two parts. These are the first half of the night, the hours until midnight, and the second half of the night, the remaining hours until dawn, as discussed in Kabbalah.50Zohar I, 92b. See also Kehillat Yaakov (Erekh: Chatzot), ,(ליל) that during the first half of the night, called leil the dinim (also known as gevurot) rule; whereas during the ,(לילה) the second half of the night, called lailah chasadim prevail. Thus Chazal teach: Whoever studies Torah after midnight is endowed with a touch of chesed during the day (Avodah Zarah 3b). +These two parts of the night correspond to the two types of questions mentioned above. During the first half of the night, the darkness and din are most intense, since the darkness at that time derives from the nature of the questions that are insolvable. Those questions represent the deepest darkness, since they cannot be resolved. Therefore a person needs to sleep at that time, since sleep is the departure of daat. For during the first half of the night one needs to completely remove his daat and rely solely on emunah; this removal itself being the aspect of sleep. +However, at midnight din is sweetened,51This is the kabbalistic concept of hamtakat ha-dinim (lit. “sweetening of judgments”) by mitigating their harshness. In §2 Reb Noson linked the dinim with the kelipot and destructive forces that rule the night. Transformation of these agents of harm and judgment begins with the second part of the night. and then those questions that cannot be resolved are dispelled from the mind. And so that is the time we must rise from sleep to study Torah and serve HaShem.52In particular, this devotion includes mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash by reciting Tikkun Chatzot (see p. 95 above). By doing so, we draw daat and unblock the pathways of the intellect. Our objective in this is to merit the complete data necessary for resolving and comprehending answers for those questions that can be resolved. +This is the meaning of “At midnight I will rise to praise You for Your just laws”—with the emphasis on “for Your just laws.” For rising at midnight to study Torah in order to draw daat relates to the idea of studying the previously mentioned rulings of Jewish law. Through this study one draws the daat required to answer those questions that can be resolved, namely the daat that one merits by studying Torah at midnight. +This accords with what is discussed in the holy Zohar 53Zohar II, 57a. and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman,54See LM I, 149. that rising at midnight and studying Torah at that time draws down daat. For then, during the second half of the night, din is sweetened. Thus the darkness at that time derives only from the nature of the questions that can be resolved. These questions have answers, but the pathways of daat have become temporarily blocked, as symbolized by the darkness of night that remains even after din has been sweetened. +Therefore we need to study Torah at that time, in order to unblock the pathways of daat and, with the light of day, merit perfect daat—i.e. to fully elevate and magnify the emunah at dawn. For morning is the time that emunah becomes whole, as in “She emerges in the morning.” This is the deeper intent of the law that a person should rise at midnight “so that it is he who awakens the shachar.” Waking the shachar, as we have seen, strengthens emunah.55See §2 above. A person should get up and study Torah after midnight so that he is the one who awakens and strengthens emunah, enabling it to emerge in the morning whole.

Reb Noson has set out the nighttime devotion of a Jew. He sleeps during the first half of the night, and this clears from his mind the questions of emunah that have no answer. Then he rises at the start of the second half of the night and studies Torah, gaining the daat that will enable him to answer the questions for which answers do exist. + +Section 4 + +PRAYING WITH A WHOLE HEART
Reb Noson now returns to the discourse’s opening citation from the Shulchan Arukh. He will explain the juxtaposition of Rama’s gloss to the words of the law, particularly as it relates to elevating emunah.

This emergence of emunah is the reason why in the Shulchan Arukh, immediately following the law of “awakening the dawn,” Rama notes, “‘I set HaShem before me always’—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah … For [when a person is by himself at home] he sits and moves differently [than when in the presence of a great king … All the more so when a person takes to heart that the Great King, HaKadosh Barukh Hu, Whose glory fills the whole world, stands over him and observes his actions],” as explained there.56For Rama’s complete gloss, see p. 18 above. +The meaning of this gloss is that one has to know and believe in HaShem’s Immanence, that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” and that whether he is sitting or standing he is always in the presence of the King of kings, HaKadosh Barukh Hu. He merits this steadfast emunah by awakening the dawn, i.e. by rising at midnight. Through this he draws the daat that unblocks the intellect, until he merits knowing completely that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” as is explained clearly in the Rebbe’s lesson.57See §2 there. +Therefore the gloss in the Shulchan Arukh, “I set HaShem before me always”— which means knowing that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—is juxtaposed with the idea of awakening the dawn. For the two are interdependent: we can merit knowing completely and with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory” by means of the daat that we draw down by rising from sleep at midnight. This is the daat that relates to studying the rulings of Jewish law, as explained previously in connection with the verse “At midnight I will rise to praise You for Your just laws.” +Reb Noson now shows that rising at midnight to study Torah and serve HaShem also enhances the quality of one’s prayers the following morning.

And this is the inferred meaning of “to praise You”—the word le-hodot connotes prayer,58The translation here follows Targum Yonatan, who as “to praise” rather than the (להודות) renders le-hodot more common “to thank.” as connoting (אודך) as does the word odekha in “odekha with an upright heart when I study Your just laws,”59Radak on this verse reads odekha praise. which is explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.60See §2 of Rebbe Nachman’s lesson (and note 40 there). He brings this proof-text to show that studying the rulings of Jewish law enables one to pray with both inclinations—i.e. with a whole heart. We merit praising HaShem through wholehearted prayer by rising at midnight to study Torah and serve HaShem.61Together these two verses from Tehillim 119 contain most of the discourse’s major topics. Both refer to “Your just laws,” namely Jewish law, and to praising HaShem. But the topics of Torah study and the whole (“upright”) heart needed to pray with kavanah are mentioned only in verse 7, whereas rising at midnight appears only in verse 62. By linking them here through their common themes, Reb Noson shows that rising in the night to study Torah is what enables us to pray with kavanah in the morning. +Reb Noson interrupts his discussion linking one’s devotion before dawn with prayer in order to further clarify the meaning of rising at midnight.

Thus rising at midnight is the essence of what the Shulchan Arukh calls “awakening the dawn.” For the main thing is to rise at midnight. But even someone who is unable to get up at midnight can achieve much when he strengthens himself to at least get up before the light of day to study Torah and serve HaShem. In this way, he unblocks the pathways of the intellect relative to his spiritual level, in accordance with his serving HaShem in the hours before dawn. Through his devotions he merits knowing with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” because all his doubts and questions of emunah have departed, as explained previously.62See §3 of the Rebbe’s lesson. This is why, in the Shulchan Arukh, juxtaposed to this law of awakening of the dawn is the gloss “I set HaShem before me always”—which means knowing that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—since one is dependent on the other. +Reb Noson now returns to developing the idea that studying Torah and serving HaShem in the night enhances prayer the next morning.

And rising at midnight also leads to improved prayer. For the main objective in awakening the dawn is to improve our prayer, so as to merit praying in the morning with great kavanah and a whole heart. +By awakening the dawn, engaging at that time of the night in Torah study and serving HaShem, the pathways of the intellect are unblocked and we merit eliminating the questions of emunah and the heresy. Following this we merit knowing completely that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” which is the intention of the gloss in the Shulchan Arukh “I set HaShem before me always.” And then, through knowing with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” we merit praying with great kavanah. For once a person is aware that HaShem stands over him at the time he prays, and that He hears, listens and is attentive to every single utterance that comes from his mouth, he will surely pray with great fervor and be very careful to focus his attention on what he is saying, as explained above. +And the way to merit this awareness of HaShem’s Immanence—knowing with a whole heart, without any doubts or questions of emunah, that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—is by rising at midnight, which is the idea of awakening the dawn. +It follows that rising at midnight is spiritually beneficial for praying with kavanah. Likewise, from the Kavanot of the Arizal, it is understood that rising at midnight is a tikkun and a preparation for prayer.63Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei Tefillin 5.

Reb Noson has explained that serving HaShem in the night enables a person to become fully aware of HaShem’s Immanence—to know with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—and so to pray with proper devotion in the morning. + +Section 5 + +MAKING A NEW START
Reb Noson next discusses the reason why Jewish law forbids eating or drinking before Shacharit, and explains how this safeguards emunah and enhances one’s prayer.

Therefore it is forbidden to eat before prayer, in order to pray Shacharit with devotion.64Shuchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 89:3. The Zohar and other kabbalistic texts are extremely stringent on this point, stating that even when a person rises from his sleep at midnight, he must not eat or drink until after praying Shacharit. Whoever does eat and drink at that time is considered like one who practices sorcery—may HaShem save us! Study there.65Zohar II, 215b; Eitz Chaim 49:3. +Yet nowadays, the defiant ones in the nation who drink before prayer have grown in number. It has gone so far that doing so has become completely permissible to them. And to justify their behavior, they base themselves on greater authority,66Lit. “suspend themselves on a tall tree.” in that they have found several tzaddikim who conducted themselves in this way. However, these were tzaddikim who were very ill and so had no choice but to drink before praying. These defiant ones presumptuously liken themselves to those tzaddikim, rather like an ape to a man, and imitate their actions—all in order to justify filling their bellies with coffee before prayer. There are even some who also eat before praying. Woe to them! Woe to their souls! For this is a very serious prohibition, as explained in the teachings of Chazal67Berakhot 10b. and especially in the holy Zohar and other kabbalistic texts.68See note 65 above. +And so we should not compare ourselves to these great tzaddikim, who are possessed of a different, higher spirit. This is especially true since they only drank before praying because they were very ill and so were compelled to do so. Furthermore, we should not permit this to ourselves since most of the tzaddikim did not engage in this practice. Our holy Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman, related that he never as much as drank water before morning prayers. Even though according to the law in the Shulchan Arukh drinking water is permitted, he did not do even this before praying Shacharit.69Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #277. +Let us return to our subject. Based on what was said above about praying with fervor and focus, it is a bit clearer why one is forbidden to eat or drink before prayer. +It is explained in the Rebbe’s lesson70See §5 there. that the tikkun of emunah is achieved by elevating the sparks of speech and restoring them to holiness. One merits achieving this elevation by fasting. For by indulging one’s desire for food and drink, the kelipot become stronger. This is especially true of the forces of evil embodied as Pharaoh’s officials.71The Arizal teaches that each body part has a corresponding kelipah that is empowered when holiness is lacking. He identifies the kelipot that parallel the trachea, the esophagus and the jugular veins with Pharaoh’s three officials. The trachea (windpipe), which aids in maintaining the body’s fluids by carrying air to the lungs, corresponds to Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, in charge of drink. The esophagus (food pipe), which carries food from the mouth to the stomach, corresponds to Pharaoh’s chief baker. The jugular veins that pass through the neck are responsible for draining blood and ,פרעה) so correspond to Pharaoh’s chief butcher. PaROH Pharaoh) himself is identified with the kelipah that, as the back ,הערף) his name suggests, stands at HaORePh of the neck) (Likutey Torah, Vayeishev; see also §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson, and notes 66 and 68 there). They draw the faculty of speech into the exile of Mitzrayim—i.e. the realm of meitzar ha-garon, the narrowness of the throat.72The Biblical name for Egypt, MitZRayim strait or ,מצר) is etymologically related to MeitZaR narrow). The Arizal teaches that “Mitzrayim” signifies meitzar ha-garon, the narrowness of the throat. The throat, being a narrow passage between the head and the body, represents constriction and severe judgment. At a time or in a situation of din, the throat becomes a bottleneck, referred to here as the exile of Mitzrayim (Likutey Torah, Vayeishev). Holy speech is then prevented from exiting,73Similar to indulging in eating, speaking or praying improperly (e.g. absentminded prayer) strengthens the kelipot. In the human body, the organs of speech lie adjacent to the trachea, esophagus and jugular veins. This proximity enables Pharaoh’s three officials—the kelipot associated with the throat—to trap the letters of speech in the narrow of the throat. Then Pharaoh, the kelipah that stands at the back of the neck, draws sustenance from the holy sparks in the letters of insufficiently holy words. and one is unable to enunciate a single word before HaShem.74See note 21 above, that the Egyptian exile signified the exile of speech. Rebbe Nachman similarly teaches that in Egypt, prayer itself was in exile. The Jews were unable to open their mouths to talk to HaShem (Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #88; see also LM I, 9:5). +Reb Noson next explains that when a person’s speech descends into the exile of Mitzrayim /meitzar ha-garon, his inability to speak to HaShem—a “dryness of the throat”— signifies his incomplete emunah and the presence of kelipot. But if he fasts, he conceals the back of holiness and so breaks any hold Pharaoh’s officials have over holy speech. He is then able to speak and call out to HaShem.

The remedy for this is fasting. By depriving himself of all food and drink, a person conceals the back of holiness and thereby denies sustenance to the kelipot associated with the throat. Instead, his fasting draws the waters of the chasadim, benevolences,75See above, p. 96, note 52. Chasadim and gevurot, the respective root elements of Chesed and Gevurah, together form the inner structure of Daat, the sefirah corresponding to the throat. One way in which Kabbalah depicts Daat’s chasadim and gevurot is as the forces of expansion and constriction. The expansiveness of the chasadim is characteristic of water, while the constriction of the gevurot is characteristic of fire (Eitz Chaim 34:6). Reb Noson explains that when a person fasts, the chasadim (whose origin is in the mind) are drawn into the throat to relieve the constriction caused by the “dryness of the throat” (cf. Tehillim 69:4). See also LH, Tisha B’Av u-She’ar Taaneitim 1:2, where he relates this to fasting in order to bring rain in a time of drought. to moisten the throat and so relieve the meitzar ha-garon, the throat’s constriction. This enables him to fulfill the verse “Cry out from the throat—do not hold back!” As a result, his emunah is entirely rectified. He is then able to eat in holiness, and through his eating bring HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah into yichud. Rebbe Nachman has thoroughly explained all this. Study his words there.76See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson. +Therefore one is forbidden to eat and drink before prayer, because he needs to deprive himself of food and drink before praying Shacharit in order to safeguard emunah. This is akin to the concept in Jewish law known as a “fast of hours,”77Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 562:10. Taanit sha’ot, a “fast of hours,” is a voluntary fast that an individual undertakes for a part of the day rather than the entire day. where even a partial-day fast adds to one’s merit. This fast of hours happens all the time, in that every day people go without food by fasting before prayer. By doing so, they draw the spiritual illumination associated with fasting to conceal the back of holiness.78See note 22 above. Before emunah emerges in the morning it is vulnerable to attack by the kelipot, which draw sustenance from the heretical questions that undermine faith. If a person eats or drinks before Shacharit, he empowers the kelipot even more. Therefore it is necessary to conceal the back of holiness by fasting until after prayer. This enables them to extract the faculty of speech from the narrow of the throat, and by dint of this, adorn the holy emunah that is renewed every morning.79On the topic of adorning emunah by bringing closer to HaShem those who are most distant from Him, see §1 and note 16 above; see also further on in that same section. Adorning emunah in turn enables them to merit expressing speech— namely the words of the Shacharit prayer—with complete devotion. +Prayer itself is synonymous with emunah, as known from Kabbalah.80See LM 7:1, where Rebbe Nachman teaches that emunah is synonymous with prayer. Prayer, as Reb Noson noted above, is identified with Malkhut. And see note 35 above, linking Malkhut with emunah. We know too that emunah is perfected through the tikkun of speech. This is the reason why speech in particular is the primary medium of prayer. And perfection of speech is achieved by depriving oneself through fasting and breaking one’s excessive desire for food. On account of this, every single Jew must fast and deprive himself at least before the Shacharit prayer, when, in any case, the basic law strictly forbids eating and drinking. A person must go without food every day before prayer so that he can draw illumination from the inner aspect of fasting in order to rectify the words of his prayer. This corresponds to the tikkun and adornment of emunah, as discussed above, and as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson. Study there.81See §4 of the Rebbe’s lesson. +In conclusion, Reb Noson discusses the connection between fasting and keeping one’s devotions to HaShem fresh by starting anew each morning.

In addition, a person must go without food before Shacharit, since the fast, which conceals the back of holiness, is itself the power of the beginning.82Reb Noson introduced these topics from Rebbe Nachman’s lesson—namely fasting, concealing the back of holiness, and beginning anew—in §1 above (see also notes 21 and 25-26 there). This means that when a person repeatedly turns back toward the beginning to re-experience the drive and excitement he felt then, he is able to receive power, i.e. inspiration, from the beginning. For the beginning is the main thing, and also because “all beginnings are difficult,” as explained well in the Rebbe’s lesson.83See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson. It is also clarified there, at the end of the lesson, that because the primary inspiration for all one’s devotions comes from their beginnings, one must endeavor to begin afresh every time. This is so that his service of HaShem does not become old and habitual for him. It will enable him to succeed in his devotions, because one’s energy in serving HaShem mainly conforms to the beginning. And so each time he must begin anew, since perhaps his first beginning, right there at the start, was not as it should have been. Therefore he needs to begin again right now. Similarly, on each day and with every chance he gets, he should begin anew. Study the Rebbe’s lesson there. +Therefore every morning before praying Shacharit a person must fast. He should not eat or drink before prayer in order to extract the sparks in the letters of speech from the narrow of the throat, since their being trapped there will prevent him from praying with fervor and focus. The way to accomplish this is by returning to the beginning, which conceptually underlies the fast.84Rebbe Nachman explains in §5 of his lesson that the principal merit a person earns for fasting is from the beginning. When a person fasts two days, the second day is of greater value, but only because we determine the period of his fasting by turning back to the beginning and reckoning the hours he first began his fast. This act of returning, attaching each successive day of fasting to the first day, is the concept of attaching and concealing achor, the back, of holiness. It is analogous to achorayim, the “stepping back” method of writing the Name of HaShem, in which one repeatedly returns to the first letter, as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.85Concealing the AChOR by returning to the beginning is analogous to the retrograde method of writing HaShem’s Name known This calls for “stepping back” .(אחוריים) as AChORayim and repeating the previous letters before adding the next one, until the entire Name has been written out in full. The achorayim of the Holy Name YHVH is written then ;(י־ה) then yod heh ;(י) as follows: we first write a yod In .(י־הוה) and finally yod heh vav heh ;(י־הו) yod heh vav writing the Name this way, each additional letter draws from the first one, much as each additional day a person fasts draws value from the day his fast began. Study there.86See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson. +This must be done every morning, since each and every day, in the morning, a person must make a new start in Divine service, as in “They are renewed in the mornings…” He should begin his day as if he had never before begun serving HaShem. This accords with Chazal’s teaching on the verse “‘that I charge you this day’—Each and every day the words of the Torah should be in your eyes like new.”87As if we had received the Torah this very day at Sinai; see Rashi on Devarim 6:6 citing Sifrei, Va’etchanan 8; also Rashi on Devarim 26:16. They similarly expounded the verse “‘Be attentive and hear, Israel: This day you have become a people’—Every day it shall seem to you as if today you have entered into a covenant with Him.”88Cf. Rashi on Devarim 27:9. +It follows from this that in serving HaShem we must begin anew every day. Therefore we must not eat before praying in the morning, since restraining ourselves from eating is an aspect of fasting, a return to the beginning.89Fasting involves returning to the beginning and so is an aspect of achorayim. When a person practices self-control with regard to food, he conceals the back of holiness from the kelipot. This is true of all one’s devotions to HaShem. When a person repeatedly returns to the beginning, each time making a fresh start, his renewed fervor conceals the back of holiness. The fallen sparks can then be elevated and restored to the realm of the holy. See also LM I, 261, where Rebbe Nachman teaches, “This is a cardinal principle in the service of HaShem: Literally every day, a person needs to begin anew.” In this way, we draw the light of the power of the beginning, and as a result of this inspiration, merit starting each morning anew. + +Chapter 4 + + + +Section 1 + +KEY CONCEPTS FROM LIKUTEY MOHARAN
A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he who awakens the shachar, dawn. [Gloss: “I set HaShem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8)—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah] (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 1:1). +This discourse is based on the lesson Meishra d’Sakina, LM I, 30, in which Rebbe Nachman discusses attaining a perception of Godliness. Study well the entire lesson there. +The general rule derived from the Rebbe’s lesson is that every person must persistently seek out and search for a true rav, one of such superlative greatness that he will be capable of enlightening him with a perception of Godliness.1“Perception of Godliness” refers to daat, the internalized knowledge that HaShem’s Immanence fills all of creation. This awareness fills a person, according to his spiritual level, with a deep inner sense of HaShem’s immediate closeness and everlasting love. Elsewhere, Reb Noson writes that this is the meaning of “to know that HaShem is Elohim” (I Melakhim 8:60)—dispelling the illusion that a God exists other than HaShem, and knowing intimately that whatever one experiences in life comes from the hand of HaShem for one’s benefit (LH, Geviyat Chov MeiHaYetomim 4:1). +For perceptions of Godliness are impossible to attain except through many constrictions of Divine wisdom.2Implicit in Rebbe Nachman’s use of the term tzimtzum, constriction, is its kabbalistic meaning as the constriction of the Light of Ein Sof at the very first stages of Creation (see Appendix A, p. 226). For wisdom, and Divine wisdom in particular, is associated with light (see Peirush Ramban al Sefer Yetzirah 1; see also following note) and with Creation, as in “HaShem, how great are Your works! You created them all with wisdom” (Tehillim 104:24)—alluding to the sefirah of Chokhmah., 3See LM I, 1:2, where Rebbe Nachman teaches that a Jew should always focus on the seikhel, intellect, that inheres in all things in creation. Attaining this seikhel, which is Divine wisdom, will enable him to come closer to HaShem through that thing. Thus the Rebbe refers to Divine wisdom as “a great light that shines for a person in all his ways.” However, as he explains here, Divine wisdom is incomprehensible unless its profundity is channeled through constriction into lower seikhel/lower wisdom. This involves simplifying that wisdom through the indirect explanations and hakdamot, introductory principles, that typically precede the presentation of any complex material. It is comparable to the pedagogical methods employed by the teacher who teaches a young child. +Therefore with regard to Divine wisdom, the further a person is from HaShem, the greater the constriction he requires to attain that wisdom. The more immature his spiritual level, and, homiletically speaking, the more spiritually ill he is, the greater the “doctor” he requires—that is, the greater the rav he requires. This rav has to be so great that he can cure even him. He must be able to explain the essential matter to him in indirect ways—through the constriction of Divine wisdom into lower wisdom—until he succeeds in instilling into him perceptions of Godliness; their attainment being the main purpose for which man was created. +In his lesson4See §3 and §4 there. the Rebbe clarifies that these constrictions, which are the hakdamot that enable a person to attain perceptions of Godliness, correspond to lower wisdom, the holy and uncomplicated understanding of Godliness that can be found in the simple Jew. Lower wisdom equates with the sefirah of Malkhut,5Malkhut (lit. “Kingship” or “Sovereignty”) is the lowest and last of the ten sefirot (see Charts, p. 252), and as such interfaces with this physical world. which functions as a conduit to bring down higher wisdom to the lower realm. In this role, Malkhut corresponds to the se’arot, hairs, of the head. Kabbalistic teaching conceptualizes the se’arot of the head as narrow channels leading to the mind,66 Kabbalah depicts Divine wisdom as a radiant light that descends through the hair to provide the mind with mochin, mental faculties (Zohar III, 129a). As elements of consciousness, mochin are man’s primary means for drawing perceptions of Godliness. The Arizal explains that the hairs of the head (and beard) serve as narrow conduits for constricting Divine wisdom, whose radiance would otherwise be too bright for the human mind to absorb (Shaar Maamarei Rashbi, Peirush Sifra d’Tzniuta, ch. 1). comparable to constrictions. Thus the Tikkuney Zohar likens them to “shiurim, measurements, of the letters of Torah,” in the sense that the letters and also the mitzvot that the letters articulate are measured and calculated constrictions of Divine wisdom.7The shapes of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are not incidental, but rather precise expressions of the light of Divine wisdom within form and measure. Similarly, each mitzvah in the Torah is an expression of Divine wisdom within form and measure. In context here, this is synonymous with lower wisdom, the reduction of the light for the benefit of those on the lower levels. Like the hair, letters and mitzvot serve as channels for constricting Divine wisdom in order to further man’s perception of Godliness. Tikkuney Zohar (#70, p. 122a) highlights their connection by pointing to the etymological similarity between the words Sei’AR(שֵׂעָר, hair) and ShiUR (שִׁעוּר, measurement). +Two additional concepts that the Tikkuney Zohar links with Malkhut, “black hairs” and “surrounding hairs,”8The Zohar (II, 70-78) teaches that it is possible to accurately detect a person’s character and personality traits from his hair, facial features, and the lines of his fingers and hands. This is the art of chokhmat ha-partzuf (physiognomy). The Tikkuney Zohar (#70, p. 122a-124a) speaks of this as well, identifying hair that is black and hair that surrounds the head as indicative of the qualities associated with Malkhut. similarly represent constriction. Just as the image of large objects is reduced and constricted in the blackness of the pupil, Divine wisdom is constricted in the blackness of the hair. The same is true of the hairs that encircle the head; they signify constriction and the indirect explanations that transform Divine wisdom into lower wisdom. The link between Malkhut and blackness is alluded to in the verse “I am shachor but pleasing.”9The Tikkuney Zohar (#70, p. 124a) teaches that a worthy person with black hair possesses traits similar to the Shekhinah, namely Malkhut, of whom it is written, “I am black but pleasing.” In context here, the Shekhinah declares, “I am black”—in this world I manifest through constriction, as lower wisdom—“but pleasing”—for my essence is actually Divine wisdom. This relates to the teaching of Chazal that “Avraham instituted Shacharit.”10Berakhot 26b teaches that each of the Patriarchs instituted one of the three daily prayers., 11The word ShaChaRit (שחרית) is etymologically related to ShaChaRut (שחרות, blackness), and so likewise alludes to constriction. For Avraham was the first to constrict Divine wisdom in order to instill perceptions of Godliness into the common people. +And after constricting Divine wisdom into lower wisdom we have to infuse that wisdom, the sefirah of Malkhut, with vitality.12While constriction is indispensable to attaining perceptions of Godliness, there is a danger that the lower wisdom it produces will lack vitality—i.e. be narrow and uninspiring. The way to invigorate Malkhut is through the Ohr HaPanim, the Light of the Supernal Countenance,13The PaNiM (פנים, face) of anything is an expression of its PeNiMiyut (פנימיות, innerness and essential-being). The light of the panim is thus a manifestation of that inner essence. Kabbalah teaches that HaShem’s Ohr HaPanim (see Bamidbar 6:25) is the Light that shines from the sefirah of Keter (the Divine persona of Arikh Anpin; see Appendix A, p. 233), a level even more exalted than perceptions of Godliness from Chokhmah. See notes 55 and 56 to LM I, 30, that this Light of the Supernal Countenance shines into and invigorates Malkhut; see also LM I, 23, which links the Ohr HaPanim with joy, as Reb Noson does here. which shines when we are joyous on the Shalosh Regalim.14See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson that the reason for the pilgrimage to the Beit HaMikdash on each of the Shalosh Regalim is to receive illumination from the Light of the Supernal Countenance, as in “Three times a year all your males shall see the Panim of HaShem your God” (Devarim 16:16, translation based on Chagigah 2a; see also note 116 below). +But sometimes the sefirah of Malkhut falls. Malkhut is synonymous with the letter dalet, which has a numerical value of four and can be read as d’let, the Aramaic word for “that has no.” The Zohar says of the sefirah of Malkhut that it has no light of its own.15Eitz Chaim 6:6: “It [Malkhut] has no light of its own”—only what which it receives from the other sefirot. Thus the light that illuminates Malkhut is one that has been reduced by repeated constriction. This “impoverishment” is reflected in Malkhut being When spelled .(ד) associated with the Hebrew letter dalet it can alternatively be vowelized ,(דלת) out, as DaLeT poverty), and so relates to ,דלות) as the word DaLuT as in “that has no light of its ,(דלית) the Aramaic D’LeiT own.” Malkhut’s connection to the dalet links it as well to the dalet’s numerical value of four (see Charts, p. 259). This lack renders Malkhut susceptible to the rule of the Four Kingdoms.16Bereishit Rabbah 44:19; Rashi on Bereishit 15:14. See §6 of the Rebbe’s lesson that just as there are Four Kingdoms of holiness, one for each of the Four Worlds (see Appendix A, p. 235), there are Four Kingdoms of evil, represented by the four empires under whose rule the Jewish people have been subjugated (Babylon, Medea/Persia, Greece, and Rome). We know too that wherever the Jews were in exile, the Shekhinah, which is Malkhut, was there with them (Megillah 29a). This is the sefirah of Malkhut, namely lower wisdom, falling amid the Four Kingdoms. These Four Kingdoms of evil incorporate all the powers of impurity and the kelipot, the forces of evil. As relates here, they are associated with extraneous wisdom, the alien thoughts and godless philosophies that keep man from attaining perceptions of Godliness.17In §6 of his lesson the Rebbe writes, “The wisdom of the nations is inferior to lower wisdom and draws from it. But when, chas ve-shalom, extraneous wisdom draws more than it should, it overpowers Malkhut. This creates the rule of the Four Kingdoms, the four exiles.” in ba-kesilim is generally (בַ)ּ ” +And who can bear the sound of wailing when Malkhut falls under the rule of the Four Kingdoms and is caught in their midst? This is as in “the shouts of a ruler ba-kesilim”—the screaming that ensues when Malkhut, the manifestation of sovereignty and rule, falls amid the foolish.18Although the prefix “ba rendered as “over,” in context here it suggests “amid.” The “ruler,” namely Malkhut, is trapped “amid” the kesilim, namely the Four Kingdoms. It cries out because when the foolish want to become clever, they draw from lower wisdom/Malkhut, but twist that wisdom in accord with their foolishness. To redeem lower wisdom, we must sever Malkhut from them. This relates to the incident in which the prophet Shmuel killed King Agag of Amalek and “cut him into four.”19Commenting on the verse “Shmuel severed Agag,” Rashi explains that Shmuel cut the Amalekite king into four. Shmuel cut and severed the dalet—namely the Malkhut of holiness—from Agag, the embodiment of the Four Kingdoms of evil.20The Biblical nation Amalek was not only the first nation to attack the Jewish people after their departure from Egypt, but also remained Israel’s primary enemy historically. Notorious for its exceptional cruelty and denial of HaShem, Amalek has come to symbolize the irredeemable root of all evil in the universe. In context here, Amalek is representative of all Four Kingdoms, and Agag, the Amalekite king, is the personification of all their impurity and evil. For us, this severing of Malkhut from the realm of the kelipot takes place by means of the revelation of chesed, loving-kindness, occasioned by the rebuke of the tzaddikim. Study all this well in the Rebbe’s lesson.21In §7 of the Rebbe’s lesson he teaches that we should accept the rebuke of the tzaddikim, even if occasionally we are humiliated by it. The wisdom contained in their words of rebuke reveals chesed, as in “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the Torah of chesed is on her tongue” (Mishlei 31:26). Reb Noson will expand on this in §8 below.

Reb Noson has highlighted some key concepts from Rebbe Nachman’s lesson on attaining perceptions of Godliness. This requires a tzaddik capable of constricting Divine wisdom into lower wisdom, the uncomplicated understanding of Godliness found in a simple Jew. While indispensable, such constriction leaves lower wisdom, which equates with Malkhut, with two faults in need of rectification. The first is that, for some, lower wisdom fails to inspire; it feels limiting and insufficiently spiritual. Constriction has, as it were, robbed lower wisdom of its light, so that like Malkhut, it has no light of its own (see note 15). To rectify lower wisdom, we need to infuse it with Ohr HaPanim (see §3-§5 below). Lower wisdom also has no response to heresy and the godless ideologies that would confound it. Herein lies its second deficiency. For if a person’s emunah is not strong, lower wisdom’s artlessness, its innocence, leaves him defenseless against the attraction of extraneous wisdom, the secular studies and philosophical inquiry foreign to Torah and Jewish tradition. The rectification for this is the revelation of chesed, the uncovering of the love concealed within the tzaddik’s rebuke, through which he brings back to HaShem those who have grown distant from Him (see §4 and §8 below). + +Section 2 + +RISING BEFORE DAWN
Reb Noson opens his discourse by explaining that lower wisdom—our gateway to perceptions of Godliness—is renewed every morning. He then links the renewal of lower wisdom with the mitzvah of rising early to “awaken the shachar” through Torah study and service of HaShem.

Now, all this—the rectification of Malkhut and the building of a person’s intellect through lower wisdom—occurs every morning. At the time of Shacharit, the Shekhinah, in Her identity as Ayelet HaShachar, ascends.22When the first rays of dawn burst forth out of the ,איילה) darkness, they resemble the antlers of an AYaLah mountain deer); see Bekhor Shor on Shemot 34:30. Thus איילת) the light of shachar is called AYeLet HaShachar In the kabbalistic lexicon, Ayelet HaShachar .(השחר is an appellation for the Shekhinah (Zohar II, 19b), Whose rectification and return to wholeness comes with the morning’s dawn. This is indicated by the ascension of the first ray of shachar, dawn.23At the break of dawn HaShem delights with the Shekhinah and with all those whose spiritual devotions in the night ensured Her ascent (Zohar II, 46a). It is also symbolic of the lowest sefirah, Malkhut, in its aspect of lower wisdom—meaning as the light of Divine wisdom constricted to our low level, as discussed previously. This lower wisdom is itself called shachar, because it constricts vision, just as the shachor, blackness, of the eye constricts the large objects that appear in the pupil. It is only through this that all perceptions of Godliness come about. +Therefore a person must greatly strengthen himself to rise early in the morning, before daybreak, in order to study Torah and serve HaShem. By doing so, he will magnify, elevate and awaken the shachar in its aspect of lower wisdom. This is as in “Awake 24 The Zohar (II, 42b) teaches: There is only one God, my soul … awaken the shachar”—so that one will wake up from sleep, and through the lower wisdom from his Torah study merit a perception of Godliness and gain awareness of HaShem. It is for this that we were created! This is not the reserve of the tzaddikim. Each person must attain this awareness. It is the only reason he has come into this world. The Supernal Worlds too were created only for this, as the Zohar states, “in order that they should know Him.”24The Zohar (II, 42b) teaches: There is only one God, yet He is called by different Holy Names—El, Elohim, etc.—so that we might know Him in each and every characteristic; how He directs the world through chesed and din, loving-kindness and judgment, in accordance with a person’s actions. + +Section 3 + +THE BENEFIT OF SLEEP
Before explaining the devotion of strengthening oneself to rise early in the morning, Reb Noson clarifies how sleep, in the sense of removing one’s conscious intellect, plays a role in the attainment of perceptions of Godliness.

And this idea, that perceptions of Godliness are attainable only through lower wisdom, is related to waking up from sleep. +The primary reason for sleep is to counteract the kelipot. These negative forces arise because Malkhut, namely lower intellect,25In this section Reb Noson substitutes “lower wisdom” (chokhmah tataah) with “lower intellect” (seikhel tachton), which is the term Rebbe Nachman uses in his lesson to signify what is essentially the same thing (and see note 3 above). is adjacent to the impure extraneous forces. As is known from Kabbalah, Malkhut is the last outpost of holiness.26As the lowest of the sefirot, Malkhut functions as the boundary between all that is inherently holy and the realm of the Sitra Achra “below” it. For those who acknowledge HaShem’s kingship, Malkhut becomes the gateway into the spiritual realm, enabling them to perceive the light of Godliness. But for those who reject the yoke of Heaven, Malkhut becomes a barrier preventing their entry into the spiritual realm. On account of this Malkhut sometimes falls into their domain. It falls among the impure forces identified with the Four Kingdoms, particularly in their manifestation as extraneous wisdom. These forces seek to pull this holy lower intellect towards themselves, to gain strength by appropriating it into their extraneous wisdom, as explained there.27See §6 of the Rebbe’s lesson. And so, to prevent the kelipot from overpowering the intellect, we need to completely relinquish our conscious intellect in sleep. +Reb Noson now clarifies when sleep contributes to our spiritual progress and when it does not.

To elaborate: As long as a person can use his intellect in a holy fashion, sleep is unnecessary. As long as he can continue to attain a perception of Godliness by indirect means—through the indirect explanations and hakdamot that constrain the highest levels of daat—it is a great mitzvah for him to use his intellect as much as he can, each person according to his spiritual level. +But when the intellect begins to decline and confusing thoughts overwhelm a person, sleep becomes absolutely necessary. This confusion is caused by the aforementioned element of extraneous wisdom, namely the Four Kingdoms that seek to gain power by pulling this holy intellect towards themselves. A person must sleep then, for sleep is the departure of daat. He must completely relinquish his daat, this being the fundamental element of sleep.28See above, p. 114 ff. +Reb Noson explains how a person must give up his intellect for emunah, faith in HaShem, at the time of sleep, and how this emunah then protects him while he sleeps.

And this is why during sleep the neshamah, which is the higher intellect, enters into emunah. This is as in the verse “They are new in the mornings; your emunah is great,” alluding to the emunah of the person himself.29In the verse, “Your emunah” refers to HaShem’s faithfulness. Reb Noson’s reading here follows Rebbe Nachman’s reading of this verse in LM I, 62:5, as referring to a person’s faith emerging anew each morning. Emunah is renewed every morning as a result of the intellect’s inclusion into it during the preceding night. This inclusion is necessary because at the time of increased confusion, a person must completely set aside his intellect and rely solely on emunah. +And so during sleep the power of death holds sway, as cited in the holy Zohar.30Zohar I, 207b; see also above, p. 91, note 32. For at that time, the vitality drawn from the Ohr HaPanim to invigorate lower wisdom31See §1 and note 13 above. disappears, and the Four Kingdoms/extraneous wisdom, which are associated with the power of death, take control. Thus at that time, with higher and lower wisdom concealed, the world exists mainly through emunah—on the strength of our reciting Kriat Shema al HaMitah, a declaration of our emunah in HaShem’s absolute unity, with kavanah, focused intent. +Thus sleep is necessary whenever the influence of extraneous wisdom increases. This wisdom includes all the many kinds of mental confusion that everyone in the world experiences at one time or another, all the negative and strange thoughts, untoward musings and ideas. All these derive from that aspect of the kelipot that is the Four Kingdoms/extraneous wisdom. When this wisdom, in any of its manifestations, begins to overwhelm the intellect, one must completely remove daat and rely on emunah. This is the reason for sleep, which is the departure of daat, when the neshamah, namely the intellect, enters into emunah, as explained elsewhere.32Rebbe Nachman discusses this in LM I, 35:3. +Reb Noson now concludes his explanation of the importance of strengthening oneself to rise early in the morning, and why Rama juxtaposes this law with the verse “I set HaShem before me always.”

Now, even though sleep is of great benefit in preventing the reinforcement of the kelipot, one must nevertheless be strong-willed to avoid sleeping too much. For the goal is not to suppress the intellect, but to expand it with perceptions of Godliness. To this end, a person needs “to strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning.” He must break the grip of sleep and rise to engage in Torah study and prayer. This in order to sever and elevate Malkhut/lower wisdom from the Four Kingdoms/extraneous wisdom and thereby merit attaining perceptions of Godliness. +This is why the gloss “I set HaShem before me always” immediately follows the opening statement in the Shulchan Arukh that one should strengthen himself to get up early in the morning. The purpose of strengthening is so he will merit awareness of HaShem—that is, attaining perceptions of His Godliness—to the extent that he is ever mindful of HaShem’s presence, not forgetting Him for a moment. + +Section 4 + +JOYS OF THE PANIM
Reb Noson now expounds a number of verses from Tehillim 16 in line with the concepts he has discussed thus far in his discourse. He begins with the verse just cited from Rama’s gloss.

This, then, is the explanation of this verse. “I set HaShem before me always”—that is, I can set my mind on perceptions of Godliness—and “because He is at my right hand, I will not stumble.” One achieves these perceptions and is protected through the “right hand,” since Malkhut—i.e. lower wisdom, through which perceptions of Godliness are attained—is built mainly by way of the right side of the sefirahconfiguration, especially through the revelation of chesed, as the Rebbe writes there in his lesson.33Kabbalah depicts the sefirot as positioned along three parallel vertical axes. The sefirah of Chesed (Loving-kindness) is situated along the right axis of this configuration (see Charts, p. 252). The Rebbe discusses this in §6 in his lesson; see also notes 84-86 there. For through acts of chesed we sever Malkhut from the Four Kingdoms of evil and then elevate it to the Ohr HaPanim that shines during the Shalosh Regalim. This light arises from the joy of the heart engendered by the mitzvot that we perform throughout the year. Study Rebbe Nachman’s words there.34In §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson. +This is “because He is at my right hand, I will not stumble”—meaning that through the aspect of the right side, which is chesed, “I will not stumble.” On account of chesed I will not stumble or allow my intellect to fall to the Four Kingdoms, under the influence of extraneous wisdom, chas ve-shalom. Rather, I will merit elevating my intellect, until through it I will be able to attain perceptions of Godliness—this being “I set HaShem before me always.” +Reb Noson expounds the next verse of Tehillim 16, which speaks of joy and glory, showing how both these subjects relate to attaining perceptions of Godliness.

And this is the explanation of the next verse in Tehillim, “Therefore my heart rejoices and my glory elates.” “My heart rejoices” is an expression of the heart’s joy in fulfilling the mitzvot, which is related to the Ohr HaPanim that shines during the Shalosh Regalim. From the Ohr HaPanim comes the vitality that invigorates Malkhut, namely the aspect of glory identified with HaShem, Who is “the Melekh of glory.”35The revelation of MaLKhut is the revelation (מלכות) King). Rabbeinu ,מלך) of the glory of the MeLeKh Bachya (on Shemot 29:43) identifies HaShem’s glory (kavod) as the Shekhinah, which, as HaShem’s Indwelling Presence, equates with Malkhut. This is the import of “Therefore my heart rejoices.” It refers to receiving the Ohr HaPanim of the Shalosh Regalim, as indicated in “A joyful heart makes a cheerful panim,” as the Rebbe writes in his lesson.36See §5 there. And through this, “My glory elates.” This alludes to the revelation of HaShem’s glory, in that joy and vitality are drawn to the sefirah of Malkhut, which is synonymous with the glory of HaShem. +Reb Noson explains the role of the tzaddik in enlightening one’s body, which, like one’s soul, needs to be infused with awareness of HaShem through perceptions of Godliness.

And as a result of the joy and vitality revealed in Malkhut, “my flesh too rests secure”—namely the gross flesh of the body. It too will be infused with perceptions of Godliness. For mankind was created for this purpose: that through toil and effort in studying Torah and doing mitzvot, a person disciplines his body and infuses it with awareness of HaShem. As Chazal teach, “‘Man was born to toil’—This refers to toiling in Torah.”37See Sanhedrin 99b, where Chazal explain these words from Iyov 5:7 as referring to man’s obligation to toil with his mouth to study and teach Torah (see Maharsha, loc. cit.). For one must labor in Torah and service of HaShem, and strive to sanctify and purify himself so much that he merits enlightening even his body with a perception of HaShem’s Godliness. +We achieve this sanctity and purity because of the great and true tzaddik whom Rebbe Nachman encourages us to find. This tzaddik guides us around lofty insights with such awesome, indirect explanations and such wondrous constrictions until he enlightens us with a perception of Godliness even while we are still spiritually constrained in our bodies. He does this so that the body too will be enlightened by this. For this is the essence of spiritual perfection: to impart spiritual awareness even to the body, so that it too benefits from all the illuminations and perceptions of Godliness that the neshamah attains, as explained in the lesson Chotem be-tokh Chotem.38The Rebbe discusses this at length in LM I, 22:5, where he teaches, “It is necessary to show great compassion for the body, to see to purify it, and thus to be able to inform it of all the insights and perceptions that the soul perceives.” This is the significance of “my flesh too rests secure.” This verse alludes to the idea that even the flesh of a person’s body will rest securely when during his lifetime, while still in his body, he merits awareness of his Creator through the true tzaddik who enlightens him with perceptions of Godliness. +Reb Noson now expounds the next verse of Tehillim 16, showing how the tzaddik saves us from spiritual destruction.

And this is the meaning of “For You will not abandon my nefesh to the grave.” Nefesh, the lowest part of the soul, is related to Malkhut, the lowest of the sefirot, as is known.39See Tikkuney Zohar #21, p. 49a. Malkhut is synonymous with the aforementioned lower wisdom. This is implicit in the verse “For You will not abandon my nefesh to the grave”—that is, the portions of my Malkhut, the aspect of my lower wisdom, which is “my nefesh,” will not fall. “You will not abandon them, chas ve-shalom, or let them descend “to the grave,” namely to extraneous wisdom, which stems from the Sitra Achra and the kelipot. These are the forces that constantly contrive to overwhelm man’s nefesh, namely his intellect, which he requires if he is to attain perceptions of Godliness. +However, I am certain that “You will not abandon my nefesh to the grave,” because “You will not allow Your pious one to see destruction.” “Your pious one” here refers to the rav, the true tzaddik, who is devoted to my spiritual rectification. In his merit and through his power, I am certain that “You will not abandon my nefesh to the grave.” For “You will not allow Your pious one,” namely the rav and the true tzaddik, “to see destruction”—in order that he not witness the destruction of his followers’ souls in Gehennom. You will save us, so that he will not have to always see and look at that place from which he seeks to elevate us. +For if I should be in the grave or Gehennom, chas ve-shalom, certainly the tzaddik, who is the true rav, will always look there with great anguish in order to elevate me from that place, since he is constantly occupied with my spiritual rectification. And so, on account of his merit and through his power, I am certain that “You will not abandon my nefesh to the grave,” in order to “not allow Your pious one”—the true tzaddik—“to see destruction.” +Reb Noson concludes this section with his exposition of the final verse of Tehillim 16, showing how David HaMelekh’s request of HaShem encapsulates several of the topics discussed thus far in his discourse.

And this is also our request of HaShem, “Let me know the path of life, the fullness of the joys in Your Panim.” We ask that You make known to us the path and the way to achieve genuine life, to draw vitality in order to invigorate the aspect of Malkhut/lower wisdom. This vitality comes through the Ohr HaPanim that shines during the Shalosh Regalim, corresponding to the heart’s joy, as in “the fullness of the joys in Your Panim.” + +Section 5 + +THE OHR HAPANIM AND THE BEIT HAMIKDASH
Having shown that rising early to “awaken the shachar” effects a rectification of lower wisdom, Reb Noson now explains that reciting Tikkun Chatzot invigorates Malkhut / lower wisdom with the Ohr HaPanim that shines in the Beit HaMikdash.

This rectification of lower wisdom is a characteristic of rising at midnight, as will now be demonstrated. +For a person must strengthen himself greatly, exerting utmost willpower to rise from sleep at midnight and greatly mourn the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. This is the primary means for elevating Malkhut from the impure extraneous forces and the kelipot, as is known from the Kavanot of the Arizal. +Malkhut ascends through this because when one mourns over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, it is considered as if he is quite literally engaging in its rebuilding. Chazal expressed this in their statement “Whoever mourns [over Yerushalayim] merits to see her rejoicing.”40Taanit 30b. And through this mourning one draws upon himself the sanctity of the Beit HaMikdash, which is the primary source of the Ohr HaPanim that one draws down during the Shalosh Regalim. This is why we were required to make the pilgrimage to the Beit HaMikdash on the festivals, in order to, as written in the Torah, “see the Panim of HaShem”41See Devarim 16:16 and 31:11.—in order to receive the Ohr HaPanim.42Rebbe Nachman addresses this in §5 of his lesson. +It follows that the Ohr HaPanim is mainly revealed in the Beit HaMikdash. Therefore one must rise at midnight and greatly mourn over its destruction. Through this he will merit, according to his spiritual level, “to see her rejoicing,” and to draw vitality upon himself from the Ohr HaPanim that shines there. With this he will be able to invigorate Malkhut/lower wisdom, in order to merit attaining perceptions of Godliness. +This connection between mourning and the festivals is why we mention the festival pilgrimage to the Beit HaMikdash in the Tikkun Chatzot prayer, in the psalm KeAyal Taarog.43This is Tehillim 42. The verse states, “These do I recall [and pour out my soul]: how I passed with the throng when I would walk in the procession to the House of God.” This refers to how the Jewish pilgrims would ascend to the Beit HaMikdash on the festivals, as Rashi expounds the verse there. +And this is the reason that we mention the word panim three times there.44In Tehillim 42:6 and 12, and 43:5. Although not identical, all three verses mention the panim, which Reb Noson links here to the Ohr HaPanim. As it is written there, “Why are you downcast, my soul … for I will yet thank Him for the salvations of His Panim.” Panim is accordingly mentioned three times, corresponding to the three times of pilgrimage during the year, namely the Shalosh Regalim on which the Jewish people would ascend to receive the Ohr HaPanim. +Therefore after reciting Tikkun Chatzot and drawing vitality from the Ohr HaPanim, we need to now study Torah at midnight. For all the letters of the holy Torah are holy measurements and constrictions of Divine wisdom through which we are able to attain a perception of His Godliness,4545 See §3 of the Rebbe’s lesson. as the Rebbe writes there in his lesson. +And, as Chazal teach: Through the Torah a person studies at that time of night, “he is endowed with a touch of chesed during the day.”46Chagigah 12b states, “Whoever engages in Torah study at night, HaShem endows him with (lit. ‘draws upon him a string’) of chesed during the day, as it is written, ‘By day HaShem will command His chesed, [because] in the night His song [of Torah] is with me’” (Tehillim 42:9). By means of this chesed we are able to sever and disconnect Malkhut from extraneous wisdom, and build it to perfection with the arrival of dawn. This is alluded to in the verse “A throne is established with chesed.”47This refers to King Chizkiyah, whose malkhut, sovereignty, was firmly established because he performed many acts of kindness, as Rashi on this verse explains. In context here, this alludes to the power of chesed to invigorate Malkhut / lower wisdom. As stated in the Rebbe’s lesson and inferred from the Kavanot of the Arizal, this refers to the enthronement of Malkhut.48See Rebbe Nachman’s discussion in §6 of his lesson; see also Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaLailah 4, where the Arizal teaches that Torah study before daybreak rectifies Malkhut. + +Section 6 + +MOURNING THE TRUE TZADDIKIM
Reb Noson now introduces an added dimension to the midnight service: mourning the loss of the tzaddikim, who devote themselves to enlightening each Jew with perceptions of Godliness and to achieving a rectification for his soul.

And so, in order to perfect Malkhut and lower wisdom, a person must cry out bitterly and wail greatly at midnight over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. This is so that he might sympathize with the Shekhinah and with all those who are pained by Her suffering. For it is impossible to bear the sound of the screaming and wailing at the time that Malkhut falls into the midst of the Four Kingdoms / extraneous wisdom. This is as the Rebbe writes in his lesson, “Who can bear the sound of the wailing…”49See §6 there. +But mainly our wailing needs to be intensified over the passing away of the true tzaddikim, who were engaged in instilling us with a perception of Godliness. Now that they are gone, we have been left as ‘orphans, with no one to connect us to our Heavenly Father.’50This is a paraphrase of Eikhah 5:3; the translation here follows Kitzur Alshikh on the verse. Finding a rav is very difficult. We must actively seek out and search for a true tzaddik such as this. Therefore we need to weep and cry out profusely to HaShem about this, so that He will have mercy and compassion on us and ‘restore our former glory.’51Lit. “restore the crown to its former state.” Chazal teach that the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah, Men of the Great Assembly, were so called because they restored HaShem’s crown of glory to its former magnificence; see Yoma 69b. And we must plead with Him to quickly send us once again true tzaddikim who will dedicate themselves to our spiritual rectification and enlighten us with perceptions of Godliness, so as to bring us to the ultimate good, whose attainment is the reason we were created. For this good is attainable only through the true tzaddik of superlative greatness. He alone has the power to heal the sick, those who are oppressed with the sickness of the soul—as we are today, in this era preceding the coming of Mashiach, which each of us knows in the depths of his soul. + +Section 7 + +SEARCHING FOR THE TZADDIK
Reb Noson now interprets a number of verses from the Book of Mishlei as referring to searching for the tzaddik, whose closeness enables a person to attain whatever he is missing in life, both materially and spiritually.

To find the true tzaddik, one has to “shrug off sleep from his eyes and slumber from his eyelids.”52Chemdat HaYamim (Chodesh Elul, ch. 2) uses this expression, a rewording of Mishlei 6:4, in connection with rising at midnight. He must wander about in search of him, and offer many prayers and supplications that he will merit finding the true tzaddik who can heal him and instill in him a perception of Godliness, in order to save his soul from destruction. +Shlomo HaMelekh, peace be upon him, cried out about this in Mishlei, “Give your eyes no sleep, your eyelids no slumber. Save yourself like a deer from the hand [of the hunter] and like a bird from the clasp of the trap.” This advice is fulfilled through a person’s searching until he finds the tzaddik, the true leader who will draw him close to HaShem. This is the meaning of what is written in the verse immediately preceding this, “Do this, then, my son, and be saved, for you have fallen into your friend’s hand. Go humble yourself and bolster your friend,” which Rashi explains as meaning “Bring many friends who will pray to Him on your behalf.” In other words, bring true tzaddikim, who are called “brothers” and “friends” of HaShem.53Yalkut Shimoni, Vayikra 19:17 (remez 613). For a person must humble himself, like a doorstep that is trodden and stepped upon, in order to seek out the true tzaddikim with every ounce of his energy, until he merits finding them.54The subject in Mishlei is a person who has pledged security for another to a moneylender, but cannot honor his pledge. Rashi reads this homiletically as referring to someone who has not honored his pledge at Sinai to keep the mitzvot, but instead has gone in the ways of heretics and nonbelievers. He should humble himself like a doorstep that is stepped and trodden upon, and bring many friends to plead with HaShem on his behalf. Reb Noson reinterprets this here as referring to someone who seeks greater closeness to HaShem. He should bring many true tzaddikim to pray to HaShem on his behalf. +This is also the subject of what which is written further on, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to recline, and your poverty will arrive like a strider, your lack like a defender.” For a person must minimize his sleep and slumber in order to seek out the true tzaddik, who is called a “strider” and a “defender.” Tzaddikim are called “striders” because they constantly go from one spiritual level to another, higher level,55See Baal Shem Tov al HaTorah, Va’etchanan 4. as it is written, “I will let you be one who strides among the stationary.”56,עומד) 56 Angels and seraphim are called omeid stationary), because they are created complete and can ascend no higher. Man, on the other hand, is created spiritually incomplete, but by striving can advance to ever higher levels of holiness, and so is called strider) (Shnei Luchot HaBrit, Hagahot ,מהלך) mehaleikh le-Mesekhet Chullin 7). The tzaddik is also called a “defender” because he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.57This is a stylistic usage of II Shmuel 22:31 and Tehillim 18:31. The Zohar (III, 71b) teaches, “The tzaddikim protect the world during their lifetimes, and even more so after their deaths.” +This is now a restatement of the verse in the affirmative: “Sleep little, slumber little …” until you merit the arrival of “your poverty like a strider.” Rashi explains this to mean that the things you are wanting and lacking will be provided in full. In other words, whatever impoverishes you, and whatever you lack materially and spiritually, will come to you quickly, like one who strides swiftly and like a defender who is nimble. Consistent with this explanation, this means: According to the greatness of the tzaddik that you merit finding—the one who is called a “strider” and a “defender”—all that you lack and your poverty, meaning that which makes you poor, will come to you. For all lacks are filled through the tzaddik, because he draws all physical and spiritual bounty by instilling awareness of His Godliness into his followers. Through this, all lack is filled, as it is written, “If you have acquired daat, what do you lack?”58Vayikra Rabbah 1:6. +Reb Noson concludes that given the great benefit of closeness to a true tzaddik, a person must make every effort to “shrug off sleep from his eyes” and rise at midnight to mourn the loss of the tzaddikim from the world.

Therefore one must break the grip of sleep and rise at midnight in order to copiously mourn, lament, weep and cry out over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and the overpowering bitterness of the exile, both physical and spiritual. Even more than this, one must weep and cry out profusely over the loss of the tzaddikim, which is many times worse than the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, as Chazal teach. All that we suffer, may HaShem spare us, is on account of this, as in a rereading of the verse as “The tzaddik is gone, but no one takes it to heart … that because of evil the tzaddik has been gathered in.” +Therefore whoever pities his soul needs to cry out greatly to HaShem that even now he should merit finding a true rav and leader. This must be a tzaddik who can instill in him awareness of HaShem’s Godliness, namely the daat through which whatever he lacks will be filled, all suffering will be eliminated, and all that exists will be rectified. + +Section 8 + +SHOES AND LOWER WISDOM
A person should put on the right shoe first but not tie it. Then he should put on the left shoe and tie it. After that he should tie the right shoe (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 2:4).

We have seen that our devotions during the night—including breaking the grip of sleep and then engaging in prayer and Torah after midnight—sever and elevate Malkhut / lower wisdom from the Four Kingdoms/extraneous wisdom and so bring to perceptions of Godliness. Reb Noson now relates this to dressing in the morning, in particular to our putting on shoes to protect the feet—that is, to protect lower wisdom from the extraneous forces, alien thoughts and godless philosophies that keep us from attaining those perceptions.

Now, this procedure for rectifying lower wisdom is reflected in the manner in which we put on shoes. Jewish law states that we put on the right shoe first, and then, after donning the left shoe, tie the left shoelace first. This derives from the law of donning tefillin, as Chazal state, “As with tefillin, so with shoes.”59Rabbi Yochanan teaches that just as we give preference to the left by tying the strap of the armtefillin onto it (and not onto the right arm), so too when tying one’s shoes: we give preference to the left by tying the left shoelace first (Shabbat 61a). +For shoes are a protection for the feet. This is also true on a spiritual level. As the lowest part of the body, the feet require extra protection to elevate them from the extraneous forces that are adjacent to them.60See Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaTefillah 3. For the feet are conceptually associated with Malkhut and lower wisdom, the purpose of the aforementioned constrictions of Divine wisdom.61See §1 above. We must sever the “feet” from the Four Kingdoms and elevate them to the aspect of the Ohr HaPanim that shines during the Shalosh Regalim. And from the Ohr HaPanim we draw protection, the concept of shoes, which protect the feet from the extraneous forces. +This is the meaning of “As with tefillin”—which are a revelation of the Ohr HaPanim, as is known from Kabbalah62Pri Eitz Chaim, op. cit.—“so with shoes.” From the Ohr HaPanim associated with tefillin, which protects Malkhut / lower wisdom, is drawn the concept of shoes as the protectors of the feet.63A parenthetical source citation here reads: Study this further in the laws pertaining to chalitzah that appear in LH, Gittin 4:10. +Therefore a person must put on the right shoe first, since the right side, which is chesed, is primary. With it we sever Malkhut from the Four Kingdoms and build it up.64See §1 and §4 above. +Thus with regard to the tying, the left is given precedence; similar to tefillin, where one begins by tying the strap of the arm-tefillin on the left arm. The reason tying the arm-tefillin on the left precedes donning the head-tefillin is that receiving chesed is possible only through the tzaddik’s rebuke. See the Rebbe’s lesson, where this is explained.65Study §7 of the Rebbe’s lesson. Although the tzaddikim generally restrain their reproach of the Jewish people (see LM I, 22:1), Rebbe Nachman teaches that the suffering that Jews cause a tzaddik by sinning occasionally brings him to dispense rebuke that humiliates his audience. Reb Noson will address this next. And rebuke corresponds to gevurot, severities, which are associated with the left side.66Commenting on the verse (Mishlei 27:5) “Open rebuke is better than concealed love,” the Arizal teaches that “open rebuke” refers to gevurot, the root elements of the sefirah of Gevurah (Shaar HaPesukim, Mishlei). Gevurot (also known as dinim, judgments) are associated with the left side, as is rebuke (Sanhedrin 107b and Maharsha, s.v. s’mol docheh). +This relates to Chazal’s exposition of yadkhah as teaching that we should don the arm-tefillin on the yad keihah, the weak or left arm.67Regarding donning the arm-tefillin, the Torah states (Shemot 13:16), “It shall be a sign upon yadKhaH ,ידכה) rather ,(ה) your arm)”—spelled with an added heh Chazal .(ידך) than the more common spelling yadKha expound this as teaching that the arm-tefillin are worn weak arm), which for the ,יד כהה) on the yad KeiHaH majority of people is the left arm (Menachot 37a). means “rebuke.” (כהִָה) Study the Rebbe’s lesson, where he teaches that this alludes to rebuke. Occasionally, rebuke involves humiliation—it makh’heh, turns pale, the other’s panim, as in what is written about Eli not rebuking his sons, “He did not khihah them.”68The Hebrew word KhiHaH from the root KaHaH ,(מַכהְהֶ) The word maKh‘HeH means “weaken” or “cause to turn pale.” The ,(כּהָָה) verse Reb Noson quotes from the Book of Shmuel can thus be read as “Though his sons were disgracing themselves, he did not humiliate them.” +Now, in kabbalistic teaching, the tefillin signify mochin, the elements of consciousness which are the primary means for drawing a perception of Godliness, as discussed in the Rebbe’s lesson. Essentially, such perception entails the constriction of Divine wisdom into lower wisdom, and so it is conceptually related to tefillin, as those who comprehend the Rebbe’s words know. For the tefillin of the head and the arm correspond to upper wisdom and lower wisdom. The blackness of the tefillin boxes and straps likewise alludes to this constriction, similar to the blackness mentioned previously, in the above outline of that lesson.69See also note 11 above. +Therefore we need to begin by tying the arm-tefillin on the left arm, the yad keihah, which hints to makh’heh. This is in order to draw the aspect of rebuke, through which chesed, from the right side, is revealed. With this chesed we sever Malkhut/ lower wisdom from the Four Kingdoms, and by doing so merit perceptions of Godliness. + +Section 9 + +EXPELLING THE EXTRANEOUS
A person should not wipe himself using the right hand (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 3:10).

Having explained that the spiritual purpose of wearing shoes is to protect Malkhut / lower wisdom from the extraneous forces, Reb Noson shows how keeping the laws in the Shulchan Arukh that are associated with other morning activities—particularly our conduct in the bathroom—similarly accomplishes this goal.

And so, because the right side is synonymous with chesed, Jewish law states that after a person relieves himself he may not wipe himself using the right hand, since he uses that hand to tie the tefillin.70Berakhot 62a. Using the right hand to remove fecal matter impedes it from drawing the rebuke-of-chesed aspect of tying tefillin that severs Malkhut from extraneous wisdom. +The explanation is as follows. Food consists of two elements, the absorbable nutrients and the waste product. Extraneous wisdom, through which heresy proliferates, is associated with the extraneous component of food, the waste that is termed “vomit and excrement, with no [clean] place.” Conversely, true wisdom is likened to the nutrients, because the food a person eats gives him life, and when he eats in holiness, it illuminates his panim. An allusion to this can be found in the verse “he ate and drank, and his heart was happy,” as explained elsewhere.71See LM I, 60:6, where Rebbe Nachman cites this verse as proof that food’s main purpose is to revive the heart, whose rectification brings light to the panim. See also LM I, 19:7. +The essence of this life-force—namely the illumination of the panim that a person receives from food—stems from the spiritual aspect of the food, which is the good that the food contains. Only this spiritual element gives a person real life, as in “that not on bread alone does man live, but on every utterance from the mouth of HaShem does man live.” However, the material aspect of the food, to which evil attaches itself, becomes complete waste and is expelled out of the body. It is akin to the extraneous wisdom / heresy, which is termed “vomit and excrement.��� +Therefore “whoever wishes to accept upon himself the yoke of Heaven’s malkhut in a complete manner”—which corresponds to the rectification of lower wisdom/Malkhut—“should relieve himself and wash his hands.” “He should relieve himself” in order to expel the waste, which is synonymous with extraneous wisdom. And then he should wash his hands with water, symbolic of the waters of Chesed.72Kabbalah teaches that the sefirah of Chesed signifies outflowing and expansiveness, and thus is associated with the element of water. Washing one’s hands symbolizes the drawing of the root elements of Chesed, the chasadim (benevolences), from Daat (see above, p. 122, note 75) in order to “cleanse” lower wisdom / Malkhut. This is in order to evoke chesed through which to sever Malkhut and purify it from the Four Kingdoms.73A parenthetical source citation here reads: Study this in the laws pertaining to the sotah that appear in LH, Gittin 4:15. +After that “he should don tefillin, recite Shema and pray,” all of which relates to the rectifications accomplished through the prayer that he recites in the morning. All these rectifications—namely waking from sleep, relieving oneself, washing one’s hands, donning tzitzit and tefillin, reciting Shema and prayer—serve the purpose of elevating Malkhut.74Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaTefillah 4 and 8. This elevation of Malkhut each morning is paralleled in lower wisdom, whose rectification is alluded to by the teaching “Avraham instituted Shacharit,” as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.75See §6 there; also §1 and note 10 above. +And so, because one wipes oneself to remove the waste associated with the extraneous wisdom of the Four Kingdoms, one should not wipe with the right hand, since he uses it to tie the tefillin, one of the morning rectifications that elevates Malkhut. Tefillin signify the revelation of the Ohr HaPanim, the source of Malkhut’s essential vitality that enables it to ascend and become purified from the Four Kingdoms. +This is also the reason a person may not relieve himself positioned between east and west,76Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 3:5. since he would then be facing Yerushalayim, the site of the Beit HaMikdash, where the main Ohr HaPanim is revealed.77See §5 above. + +Section 10 + +CHANUKAH LIGHT
Here and in the ensuing sections Reb Noson extends his discussion of perceptions of Godliness to a connection with the Chanukah candles. In this section he explains how the Chanukah lights are representative of drawing the light of a perception of Godliness by means of constrictions, both into oneself and into one’s home.

Now, all of this relates to Chanukah. For lighting the Chanukah candles corresponds to drawing a perception of Godliness by means of constrictions. In fact, this is at the root of lighting all lights and candles associated with the holiness of a mitzvah. Correspondingly, the illumination arising from a mitzvah is expressed in the Zohar as “to light candles” and “to kindle lamps.”78These examples from the Zohar depict illumination through mitzvah performance as lighting a light (see Zohar II, 166a). Reb Noson will next show how the act of lighting a candle or kindling a lamp represents constricting Divine wisdom in order to perceive Godliness. +This drawing of a perception of Godliness by means of constrictions is also the concept of tefillin, whose constrictions—the boxes and straps79See §8 above.—illuminate the mochin, which are the main perceptions of Godliness.80This is as Chazal state, “ ‘Let your head never lack oil’ (Kohelet 9:8)—this is tefillin” (Shabbat 153a). The Arizal teaches that tefillin symbolize the light of the mochin bursting forth from the brain (Eitz Chaim 29:7). This is reflected in the prayer that we say at the time of donning tefillin, “And pour the good oil over the seven branches of the Menorah.”81The “good oil” alludes to the mochin (see previous note). In likening the human body to the Mishkan, Kabbalah associates the head with the seven-branched Menorah (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction, p. 13b). The seven apertures of the head are the seven lamps, which when sanctified brighten the panim of the menorah (see LM I, 21:2 and notes 18 and 19 there). This is as in “A person’s wisdom illuminates his panim” (Kohelet 8:1). We mention oil because drawing a perception of Godliness by means of constrictions is akin to drawing “the good oil”—the “oil of sacred anointing,” namely holy daat82Shemot 30:25: “You shall make of it oil for sacred anointing.” Kabbalah teaches that kodesh, the Hebrew term for “holy” or “sacred,” refers to wisdom (Zohar III, 61a). In LM II, 8:12, the Rebbe teaches that just as oil is drawn up to the flame, the fatty fluids of the body are drawn up to fuel the mind. After teaching LM I, 54, Rebbe Nachman said, “I have now spoken of how to kindle the Chanukah light—meaning how to draw the oil of great holiness and kindle the lamp with ‘oil for sacred anointing.’ This is daat, as is known.”—into vessels and constrictions.83The Zohar (III, 109b) links the “oil for sacred anointing” with the left side and the gevurot, which in context here represent constrictions. These vessels and constrictions are the physical oil, lamp and wick required for the light to burn. As for the light itself, it is derived from the aspect of a perception of Godliness, the origin of all lights, for He is the Light of all lights, as it is written, “HaShem is my light and my salvation.” +Next Reb Noson discusses the uniqueness of the miracle of Chanukah, especially as a “weekday” festival with the power to illuminate even those in the deepest darkness in order to bring them back to HaShem.

This also relates to the power of the miracle of Chanukah, for at that time “the wicked Greek Empire rose up to make the Jewish people forget Your Torah and transgress.”84This is excerpted from the Al HaNissim prayer recited on Chanukah. The wicked Greek Empire referred to here is the personification of all extraneous wisdom, termed “Greek wisdom” by Chazal since the Greeks were the ones most involved in disseminating extraneous wisdom to the world. This is the main weapon used by the Malkhut of evil—namely the Four Kingdoms—for overwhelming the Malkhut of holiness. +Consequently, it was a time of terrible distress, since the Greeks wanted to make the Jewish people completely forget the Torah. Apart from decrees against performing mitzvot, they wanted to prevent the Jews from attaining perceptions of Godliness by strengthening extraneous wisdom, the very antithesis of Torah. +For the Torah and mitzvot serve as measures and vessels through which we can draw a perception of Godliness, as explained previously. The Greeks wanted to cause the Torah and mitzvot to be forgotten by strengthening extraneous wisdom—this being the concept of the Malkhut of evil associated with the Four Kingdoms overcoming the Malkhut of holiness/lower wisdom. +This is similar to what is happening nowadays, when due to our many sins, heretics are gaining prominence and seeking to draw extraneous wisdom into the world in order to cause the Torah to be forgotten completely. As we see empirically, whoever is drawn to their ways completely casts off religious observance. He shaves off his beard and peiyot, drinks the wine of non-Jews, and eventually becomes completely irreligious, may HaShem save us. +Nevertheless, HaShem, in His abundant compassion, prepared the cure ahead of the injury. He performed for us a great and wondrous miracle during the time of Mattityahu ben Yochanan the Kohen Gadol. The Jewish people not only subjugated and soundly defeated the wicked Greek Empire, but also, through the power of the miracle, drew wondrous spiritual light into the world for all generations. HaShem performed this miracle so that each individual Jew, in his own home, would have the power to draw this light—that is, the light of perceptions of Godliness attained through the constrictions, namely the oil, the lamp and the wick required for the light to shine. +This corresponds to the rectification explained in the Rebbe’s lesson, that the greater a person’s spiritual illness, the greater the rav he requires. This would be the kind of master and sage who is able to produce the wondrous constrictions required to instill a perception of Godliness even into such a person. This influence is drawn upon us during Chanukah by way of the superlatively great tsaddikim who instituted the kindling of Chanukah lights. As a result of this mitzvah, it is now possible to draw illumination to every individual, in his home, regardless of how spiritually ill he is. For the Arizal similarly clarifies in the Kavanot of Chanukah that the mystical idea of Chanukah is that we draw the wondrous light—the light that encompasses all the yichudim of HaShem’s Names85Yichudim, unifications, are a form of kabbalistic meditation designed to unify the potencies of the different Names of HaShem through the permutation and combination of their letters. The Arizal teaches that when lowering our hand to light the Chanukah candles, we should have in mind that we are drawing light from the head downward. The yichudim that pertain to this act entail unifying YHVH with ADoNaI and ,(י־הוה + אלהים) YHVH with ELoHIM ,(י־הוה + אדני) The numerical value .(י־הוה + אהיה) YHVH with EHYeH of all the letters of these Holy Names totals 250, the candle) (Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar ,נר) same as that of NeR Chanukah 4; see Charts, p. 256).—downwards, to below a height of ten handbreadths.86Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 671:6, states regarding placement of the Chanukah menorah, “It is a mitzvah to position it below ten tefachim (31-38 inches)” from the ground. +Kindling the lights below ten handbreadths distinguishes Chanukah from Shabbat and Yom Tov. We light candles of mitzvah on Shabbat and Yom Tov because at those times the sefirah of Malkhut/lower wisdom has its primary ascent. This is the meaning of “a mitzvah is a candle.” Due to the holiness of Shabbat and Yom Tov, the kelipot—which are synonymous with the Four Kingdoms— fall away completely. The Malkhut of holiness then ascends from among them, shining with a bright Divine light. This is reflected in the law of lighting candles in honor of Shabbat and Yom Tov. We kindle them in their place, above ten handbreadths, where the Malkhut is situated at the time of its ascent. +But on Chanukah, the essence of the lighting is by way of a wondrous miracle, since Malkhut has no significant ascent at that time. For the days of Chanukah are regular weekdays, when the kelipot/the Four Kingdoms are not completely eliminated as on Shabbat and Yom Tov. In spite of this, we kindle this holy light that encompasses all yichudim, bringing the Divine light downwards into the vessels, which represents the drawing of a perception of Godliness through constrictions. +This is the idea mentioned above, that the very great tzaddikim draw such wondrous rectifications into the world to the point that they are able to instill perceptions of Godliness through constrictions even into the very lowest spiritual level, to below ten handbreadths, a place to which the Shekhinah has never descended.87Sukkah 5a. +Thus now, on account of the power of the miracle, we kindle the holy and awesome Chanukah light specifically there, below ten handbreadths. This corresponds to drawing a perception of Godliness through constrictions all the way down, in order to illuminate every single Jew who wants to receive it—even if he is the worst of the worst, and even if his soul is exceedingly tormented on account of his many sins. Even he can be illuminated with the light of a perception of Godliness thanks to the tremendous strength of the great tzaddikim who draw the power of the Chanukah miracle into the world. Even on a weekday, when we cannot yet elevate Malkhut/lower wisdom completely, these tzaddikim nonetheless draw the light of a perception of Godliness through constrictions downwards, even to the lowest level. For their great power enables them to shine even into those at the lowest level and to heal even the most spiritually ill, which equates with kindling the Chanukah lights below ten handbreadths. +This is alluded to in the verses “Even though I walk in the valley of the deepest darkness, I will not fear evil, for You are with me” and “although I sit in the darkness, HaShem is a light to me.” We draw the light of perceptions of Godliness downwards, into the depths of “the darkness,” into “the valley of the deepest darkness,” in order to illuminate the very lowest so that illumination and awareness of His Godliness reaches them as well, so that it might heal and rectify them, and bring them back to Him. + +Section 11 + +BEIT HILLEL AND BEIT SHAMMAI
Reb Noson next shows that the halakhic dispute between the students of Shammai and the students of Hillel over how many lights one kindles each night of Chanukah is fundamentally a dispute over the appropriateness of drawing down a perception of Godliness to those on the lowest spiritual levels.

This relates to the dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel regarding the order of lighting the Chanukah candles. Beit Shammai contends that on the first day of Chanukah we should kindle eight lights and thereafter “keep decreasing” the number of lights until, on the last day of Chanukah, we kindle a single light. Conversely, Beit Hillel contends that on the first day we should kindle one light and from there on “keep increasing” the number of lights until, on the last day, we kindle eight lights.88Shabbat 21b. +The ruling of Beit Shammai is consistent with Shammai’s personality and perspective. Chazal say that Shammai was strict and exacting, and therefore would distance potential converts, even pushing them away with a builder’s ruler.89Shabbat 30b, 31a. But Hillel, due to his great humility and gentleness, would compassionately draw them near to HaShem, despite their inherent unsuitability. Even if they would suggest strange and absurd things, such as that he teach them the entire Torah while standing on one foot, he would not push them away. Rather, through his wisdom and wondrous humility, he would draw them near. Consequently, Beit Shammai, being the students of Shammai, ruled in the way that they did. Owing to his intense piety and holiness, Shammai was unable to tolerate the people who were spiritually distant from HaShem, those who were sullied by the sins of their youth and the like. Therefore Beit Shammai ruled that we should “keep decreasing” the number of lights. +Now, the truth is that Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel both agree that we ought to add and increase the light with each succeeding day. For certainly this would be an appropriate reflection of the nature of the miracle during the days of Chanukah, when the candle remained lit—a light that should have lasted for only one day burned for eight days. With each subsequent day the miracle was certainly greater and more wondrous, and so without question we need to mark this with ever greater light by kindling more lights on each succeeding day. +Nevertheless, Beit Shammai maintains that it is precisely for this reason—due to the ever increasing light that is drawn as the days pass—that we need to “keep decreasing” the number of lights that we kindle, since the wicked and spiritually distant are unworthy of making use of this wondrous light. This is similar to Chazal’s teaching that HaKadosh Barukh Hu saw that the world was unworthy of using the light of the seven days of Creation and so proceeded to store it away for the tzaddikim.90Chagigah 12a; Bereishit Rabbah 12:6. With this light Adam was able to see from one end of the world to the other. But HaShem foresaw the corruption and depravity of the early generations and so concealed the light to keep them from exploiting it. Reb Noson cites this teaching here as another example of light being hidden from the wicked, but also to teach that sparks of the light of Creation are revealed in the lights of Chanukah (see Rokei’ach, Hilkhot Chanukah; also B’nei Yissachar, Maamarei Kislev-Tevet 2). Therefore Beit Shammai maintains that even in our time, when the tzaddikim are able to attain great spiritual light, they must hide it away. And the more light they are able to attain, the more they must conceal it, so that the wicked and spiritually distant from HaShem will not benefit from it. Correspondingly, they maintain that the lights should “keep decreasing.” +On the other hand, Beit Hillel, being students of Hillel, ruled consistent with his outlook. Hillel engaged in drawing closer those very distant from HaShem, and so his students followed his reasoning in saying that the lights should “keep increasing.” For on the contrary, the greater and brighter the light the tzaddikim draw into the world, the more they need to illuminate the world—to enlighten every human being so as to draw near all those who are exceedingly distant. The tzaddikim must try to enlighten even the very smallest and lowest spiritually, to heal even the most seriously ill, may HaShem save us. +For as we learned above, the greater a person’s spiritual illness, the greater the rav he must seek out for himself. This is also true for the rav and tzaddik. The higher the spiritual level he attains, the more he must reach down to and enlighten the very smallest and lowest spiritually. This is the essence of the tzaddik’s virtue and greatness: drawing near to HaShem those who are the furthest from Him. In fact, bringing them closer is the essence of HaShem’s greatness and glory, as Rebbe Nachman writes elsewhere.91See LM I, 10:2. +And this is true even though the tzaddikim must unquestionably conceal the great light of spiritual awareness, particularly when they reach such prodigiously lofty levels and perceptions of Godliness. Certainly in such a case, they are forced to conceal and store away the light, since the world is unworthy of using it. Nevertheless, they devise such ingenious plans, effect such potent rectifications, and clothe the light with such wondrous garments and constrictions—until they enlighten even those on the very lowest spiritual level. In this way, the tzaddikim gradually increase the light and cause it to radiate below more and more every single day, in consonance with Beit Hillel’s ruling to “keep increasing” the number of Chanukah candles with each succeeding day. +According to Chazal, Beit Hillel’s ruling is based on the principle “In matters of sanctity we elevate to a higher level and we do not downgrade.”92Shabbat 21b. But the question is: Would anyone even think of downgrading holiness, chas ve-shalom?! However, this relates to what we said above, that there are tzaddikim of truly great spiritual stature who nonetheless, on account of their outstanding holiness, are unable to tolerate the world. Owing to the intensity of their sanctity, they distance some people and, by getting angry at them, bring them down, chas ve-shalom, since these tzaddikim are incapable of tolerating their reprehensible behavior. +However, HaShem does not desire this attitude, “for He desires chesed.” He wants the tzaddikim to always have compassion for the Jewish people and draw them near, even if they are as they are. And even if He Himself is actually very angry with them because of their wrongdoing, He wants the tzaddikim to pray for them to repent and to bring them closer to Him. This is how Chazal explain the verse “Moshe would take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far from the camp,” since the people had sinned so greatly with the golden calf. Chazal tell us that in response to Moshe’s action, HaShem said, “I am angry at the Jewish people and you are angry at the Jewish people. If so, who will draw them near?”93Cf. Shemot Rabbah 45:2. Rashi cites this Midrash in his commentary.94See Rashi on Shemot 33:11. +Similarly, we find concerning various prophets and tzaddikim that HaShem Himself complained to them, telling them about His considerable distress, as it were, from the many sins of the Jewish people. When they supported His words instead of advocating on behalf of the Jews, He was very strict with them. We find this in connection with Hoshea, as reported in the Gemara,95Pesachim 87a. and also regarding Eliyahu, who said, “I have been zealous.” HaShem said to him in response, “Anoint Elisha ben Shafat … as a prophet in your stead.” Chazal interpret this as HaShem saying to Eliyahu, “I have no wish for your prophecy, since you are accusing the Jewish people.”96Mekhilta, Parashat Bo, Introduction; see also Rashi on I Melakhim 19:16. +For HaShem wants only that we speak favorably about the Jewish people and show them compassion—even the worst ones—in order to draw all of them closer to Him. Just like Moshe Rabbeinu, who sacrificed his life for the Jewish people and said, “But if not, pray, blot me out.”97If he could convince HaShem to forgive their sin with the golden calf, good. But if not, Moshe pleaded with HaShem to erase his name from the entire Torah (Rashi, loc. cit.). +This role of the tzaddikim in drawing near to HaShem those who are distant from Him relates to the principle “In matters of sanctity we elevate to a higher level.” The more the tzaddikim achieve and the more they become absorbed in sanctity, attaining a greater perception of Godliness, the more they need to elevate souls by drawing them near. +In contrast, “and we do not downgrade the degree of sanctity” means that the tzaddikim must be careful not to bring down souls by pushing them away by virtue of their own great sanctity. That is, they must not allow their great sanctity and perception of Godliness to make them strict and exacting with the Jewish people. This can leave the tzaddikim unable to tolerate the worst people, to the point of becoming so angry with them that they bring them down, chas ve-shalom. This is in consonance with the ruling of Beit Shammai to “keep decreasing” the number of Chanukah lights with each succeeding day. +For this is not the correct way. Rather, it must be that “in matters of sanctity we elevate to a higher level, and we do not downgrade.” The higher the spiritual level a person reaches and the greater perception he attains, the more he must astutely devise marvelous new constrictions. Then he will be capable of drawing near more and more souls, and healing even the worst people and the most spiritually ill. +All of this relates to the Chanukah light that we kindle below ten handbreadths from the ground, to bring the great light of perceptions of Godliness even to the spiritually lowly. This is why the light must be in consonance with Beit Hillel’s ruling to “keep increasing,” in order to add to the spiritual light in the world and so elevate more and more souls closer to HaShem. + +Section 12 + +CHANUKAH AND THE BEIT HAMIKDASH
Having earlier taught that chesed frees Malkhut from the malkhut of the Greek Empire—i.e. freeing lower wisdom from the influence of extraneous wisdom—so it can be invigorated with the Ohr HaPanim, Reb Noson here links chesed and the Ohr HaPanim with two key components of the Chanukah miracle: the Kohanim and the Beit HaMikdash.

Therefore the miracle of Chanukah, the triumph of the Malkhut of holiness over the Four Kingdoms, came about specifically through the Kohanim. For the Kohen represents chesed, corresponding to Avraham, the personification of this trait. As discussed previously, through this revelation of chesed we sever Malkhut from the Four Kingdoms and vitalize it with life from the Ohr HaPanim that shines during the Shalosh Regalim.98See §4 above. +Therefore this holiday is called Chanukah, after the chanukah, dedication, of the Beit HaMikdash that took place during that period.99Chanukah commemorates the rededication of the Second Beit HaMikdash at the time of the Maccabean revolt against the Greek/Seleucid Empire. It is also linked to the dedication of the Mishkan in the desert (Mishneh Berurah on Orach Chaim 670). For the main revelation of the Ohr HaPanim is in the Beit HaMikdash, to which the pilgrims would ascend on the Shalosh Regalim in order to receive the Ohr HaPanim.100See §5; also note 14 above. This is the concept of Chanukah, namely to infuse vitality into Malkhut from the Ohr HaPanim and thereby merit a perception of Godliness—this being the essence of lighting the Chanukah candles. + +Section 13 + +A MITZVAH IS A CANDLE, TORAH IS LIGHT
Reb Noson next shows that the Torah, synonymous with light, represents perceptions of Godliness; while the mitzvot, synonymous with a candle, the containment of light in physicality, represent the constrictions needed in order to reveal those perceptions.

Meriting a perception of Godliness through constrictions is also alluded to in the verse “For a mitzvah is a candle and Torah is light; and moral rebuke is the path of life.” As explained there in Rebbe Nachman’s lesson, chesed is revealed through rebuke. This in turn causes Malkhut/lower wisdom to be rectified and we thereby merit perceptions of Godliness. Study the Rebbe’s words there, that through chesed we sever Malkhut from the Four Kingdoms and animate it with life from the Ohr HaPanim.101LM I, 30:5-6. This enables us to merit such perception. +This is the meaning of “For a mitzvah is a candle and Torah is light.” This alludes to attaining a perception of Godliness by means of constrictions, from which all lights and kindling of all holy candles—the concept of “Chanukah candles”—derive. We merit this through “moral rebuke is the path of life.” In other words, through “moral rebuke,” the aforementioned rebuke by the tzaddik, we merit chesed and so are able to invigorate Malkhut. +And this is the meaning of “moral rebuke is the path of life.” By means of moral rebuke we draw the Ohr HaPanim, which is called “life,” in order to infuse vitality into Malkhut/lower wisdom. Through this we merit attaining a perception of Godliness via constrictions, as expressed in “a mitzvah is a candle and Torah is light.” +This is why Scripture identifies a mitzvah as a “candle,” a lesser illumination, and Torah as “light,” a greater illumination. This nomenclature conveys that although both the Torah and the mitzvah are considered constrictions for perceiving Godliness, there are many, many aspects and different levels when it comes to constrictions and conceptualizations. For we have to radiate Divine wisdom downwards, from conceptualization to conceptualization and from constriction to constriction. Therefore the Torah relative to the mitzvah is like light relative to a candle, because so many levels of constrictions and conceptualizations are needed in order to attain perceptions of Godliness, which are themselves a “light” and a “candle” that illuminate a person. Fortunate is one who merits this. + +Section 14 + +VISITING THE SICK
Having earlier explained that the defining feature of the exalted light of Chanukah is its power to illuminate even those on the lowest levels with perceptions of Godliness (see §10 and §11), Reb Noson shows how this idea connects with visiting the sick. Chazal teach that the light of the Shekhinah appears above the head of the sick person. Reb Noson likens the Shekhinah’s light to the light of the tzaddik that illuminates the spiritually ill.

This also relates to the mitzvah of visiting the sick. We are required to visit the sick person and show him a cheerful countenance. In practice, this means that people should call on him, help supervise his affairs, and see to all his needs, as stated in the Shulchan Arukh.102Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh Dei’ah 335:1-8; Tur, ibid. This is the concept of an “illumination of the panim.” People do not hide their panim from him or seclude themselves in their homes, but instead visit him, tend to his needs, and chat with him. All this is termed an “illumination of the panim.” In this way, they invest him with new life, drawing from the dimension of the illumination of the Supernal Panim. For the vitality that gives life to the sick comes mainly from there, as in the verse cited in the Rebbe’s lesson, “In the Light of the Panim of the King there is life.”103See §5 of LM I, 30, where the Rebbe cites this verse as proof that life-force for lower wisdom / Malkhut comes mainly from the Light of the Panim. As explained in note 55 there, this refers to light from the highest sefirah, Keter. +Therefore Chazal teach, “The Shekhinah is present above the head of one who is ill,”104104 Shabbat 12b; Rashi on Bereishit 47:31. as expressed in the verse “HaShem will sustain him on his sickbed, [even though] You have wholly disturbed his repose…” This relates to our point above, that precisely because one is ill, the light of the Shekhinah is drawn over him. This light conceptually equates with the light of the true tzaddik who looks after all the spiritually ill, especially the most ill, who are in the category of “You have wholly disturbed his repose with his illness.” The tzaddik looks after them the most, to bring them healing and invigorate them physically and spiritually, in a manner that enables him to infuse them with perceptions of Godliness. This is the essence of the tzaddik’s greatness and his virtue: he strives to heal the most spiritually ill. And so, precisely because a person is so ill and his repose has been wholly disturbed, the Shekhinah is present above his head. This refers to the Indwelling Presence of HaShem, which is identified with the light of the tzaddik, because the tzaddikim are the shekhinah, dwelling place, of the Omnipresent One.105This is based on the Zohar (II, 163b), which teaches that seeing the panim of the tzaddik is like seeing the Panim of the Shekhinah, the Indwelling Presence of HaShem. In context here, HaShem, as the Omnipresent One (HaMakom), dwells with the tzaddik and thereby enables him to illuminate people with the Light of the Panim. +This is the meaning of Rashi’s comment on the verse regarding Avraham, “‘HaShem appeared to him’—to visit the sick.” For it is precisely because one is ailing and people need to visit him that “HaShem appeared to him.” This alludes to perceptions of Godliness that the sick merit as a result of the light of the tzaddik, which is representative of the Shekhinah. +Reb Noson next shows how Chanukah and Purim—the “exile” festivals of the Jewish people—symbolize visiting the sick and drawing the Ohr HaPanim upon ourselves and into our homes.

This illumination of the sick with the light of the tzaddik relates to the revelation of light on Chanukah and Purim. These festivals are associated with the mitzvah of visiting the sick in the sense that, despite being very holy and special days, they are nevertheless “weekdays,” since they are not times when work is prohibited.106Unlike the Yomim Tovim, when the melakhot, creative works, are prohibited (other than for okhel nefesh, food preparation), the festivals of Chanukah and Purim carry no such restrictions. All melakhot are permitted, as on regular weekdays when, as mentioned above (§10), Malkhut/lower wisdom cannot be elevated completely. The explanation for this is that they both possess the abovementioned characteristic— the capacity to enlighten even the most ill people with perceptions of Godliness by means of the great power of the tzaddik, who can fashion such marvelous vessels and constrictions. +This can be explained by way of analogy. When a person is healthy, the king will certainly not go to him to show him his panim. Rather, whoever wants to greet the king and bask in the radiance of his panim must first cleanse and purify himself very well, and put on appropriate attire. Then he has to position himself at the king’s gates and beg the king’s personal guards107Lit. “those who see the king’s panim.” to obtain permission for him to enter. He will have to employ all the relevant strategies, until he is finally allowed to appear before the king, in accordance with his status—whether this means being granted entry to the royal courtyard, or to the palace, or to the inner chamber—so that the king should shine into him the light of his radiant panim. +But it is a different story when one of the king’s entourage falls ill and is confined to his sickbed, may HaShem save us. Then, when the king’s compassion is aroused to revive that person with the light of his panim, the king is compelled to go visit him in his home in order to shine into him the light of his panim and revive his spirits. This is the idea that “the Shekhinah is present above the head of one who is ill.” +This relates to Chanukah and Purim in the sense that they are holy festivals that were given to us in order to revive us until this very day—in this time of bitter exile when, as the holy Zohar writes, the Jewish people are called “sick,” as alluded to in “Sustain me [in exile] with dainty cakes, drape me in [the fragrance of] apples, for I am sick with love.”108Zohar III, 40a. +And owing to the immense severity of our spiritual illness, we are unable to make the pilgrimage, to appear and prostrate ourselves in worship before HaShem on our Shalosh Regalim. We are unable to enter His sacred House, the Beit HaMikdash, to receive the Ohr HaPanim, as we say in the Mussaf prayer for the festivals, “Because of our sins we have been exiled from our land and distanced… We are unable [to ascend to appear and to prostrate ourselves before You].” +And so, in His tremendous compassion, the Master of Compassion took pity on us. For our benefit He added these two holy days of Chanukah and Purim— instituted for us by the great tzaddikim, the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah—in order to draw the Ohr HaPanim upon us and into our homes, even in the depth of our exile. He did this so that on Chanukah each person, in his home, can merit kindling the Chanukah light. This light corresponds to the Ohr HaPanim, as expressed in “He brightens the panim with oil,” which alludes to a perception of Godliness.109See §10 above. +The same is true regarding Purim. Each person merits drawing upon himself an aspect of the receiving of the Torah, which one does anew every year on Purim, even in the depths of exile. This renewed acceptance of the Torah is alluded to in “[The Jews] confirmed and accepted.”110See Shabbat 88a, where Chazal teach that in the days of Achashveirosh the Jewish people voluntarily re-accepted the Torah; they confirmed what they had long before accepted under duress when they received the Torah at Sinai. +Now, Kabbalah identifies Chanukah and Purim with the concept of feet,111Each of the festivals corresponds to a particular part of the human form (see Shaar HaKavanot, Inyan Rosh Chodesh). An editorial insert to the text here adds: Chanukah and Purim “parallel the sefirot of Netzach and Hod, which correspond to the raglin” (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction, p. 17a; see Charts, p. 257). the lowest levels of spirituality. This corresponds to the mitzvah of visiting the sick, a mitzvah we fulfill with the feet by going to be with the sick person. And this relates to what we said above, that on Chanukah and Purim, HaShem shows us compassion. He comes to visit us and illuminates us with His holy Panim, even in the depths of our exile, for we are so spiritually ill, as each of us knows in his soul. In His mercy, He visits us and revives us with the light of His holy Panim through the sanctity of these holy days that He gave us, namely Chanukah and Purim. For these are holy festivals celebrated specifically on weekdays, which are akin to the days of exile, when we are incapable of ascending to Him, of going up to the Beit HaMikdash in order to receive the Ohr HaPanim. Rather, HaShem draws down the Ohr HaPanim to us, into our homes, so that we may be invigorated by the true and great tzaddikim in every generation who are engaged in our spiritual rectification—those who endeavor mightily to revive the most spiritually ill. + +Section 15 + +CHANUKAH TZEDAKAH TO THE POOR
Here Reb Noson will connect Chanukah, the Ohr HaPanim, and the mitzvah of tzedakah, charity.

This also relates to the custom on Chanukah for the poor to go around from house to house collecting tzedakah that is called “Chanukah money.”112This custom, commonly known by its Yiddish name “Chanukah gelt,” is brought in Shulchan Arukh, Magen Avraham 670. This is an expression of the illumination of the Supernal Panim—that HaShem shines His Panim towards us, into our homes. For the only way to receive “the Light of the Panim of the Living King”113Based on Mishlei 16:15. This verse is alternately translated in §14 above as “In the Light of the Panim of the King there is life.” righteous- ,צדק) is by giving tzedakah, as it is written, “With tzedek I shall behold Your Panim.”114114 Reb Noson is here equating tZeDeK charity). ,צדקה) ness) with tZeDaKah +Therefore on the festivals, when the Jewish people are required to make the pilgrimage to the Beit HaMikdash to receive the Ohr HaPanim, “[each] man” must bring “according to what he can give.” This means that he must bring the olat re’iyah-offering,115115 In addition to the required chagigah (festivaloffering) for each of the Shalosh Regalim, every adult male was to bring an olat re’iyah (a burnt-offering upon appearing) in the Beit HaMikdash. as it is written, “the Panim of HaShem shall not be seen empty-handed,”116116 Translation of these verses from Devarim is based on Chazal’s teaching that HaShem comes to the Beit HaMikdash to see the festival pilgrims, just as He appears there to be seen by them (Chagigah 2a; see also Rashi on Shemot 34:20: “It is your obligation to bring the olah-offering of ‘seeing the Panim’”). because it is impossible to receive illumination from HaShem’s Panim without a personal contribution. +However, there is a distinction between the Shalosh Regalim and Chanukah. On the festivals, when one must ascend to the House of HaShem to receive the Ohr HaPanim, one must bring up the offering, which as the contribution of one’s heart correlates to tzedakah. Personal effort is required in order to bring it up to the House of HaShem. +In contrast, on Chanukah the poor come into one’s home. The Zohar refers to them as “[HaShem’s] broken vessels,”117Zohar I, 10b. signifies the manifestation of (שכינה) in whom manifests the shekhinat, dwelling place, of the Light of His Panim, as in “Eshkon with the despondent.”118SheKhiNah HaShem’s Presence dwelling in this world. In likening this here with the Zohar’s depiction of the poor as “HaShem’s broken vessels,” Reb Noson proves that it is with the poor and despondent that HaShem says dwell)—they are His SheKhiNat ,אשכן) He will eShKoN dwelling place). ,שכינת) +Therefore when HaShem loves someone and wants to shine His Panim upon him, He sends him a poor person through whom he can gain merit. This is as the holy Zohar teaches, “To the one for whom HaKadosh Barukh Hu has compassion, He sends a poor person as a gift.”119Zohar I, 104a. For Chanukah is a time when HaShem shines His Panim into our homes. Therefore in His compassion He sends the poor into our homes, so that we might attain merit through them, so that through them we might receive the Ohr HaPanim that shines into our homes at that time. + +Section 16 + +INCREASING THE LIGHT
Earlier (§11), Reb Noson explained that the basis of the dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel concerned the appropriateness of drawing down a perception of Godliness to those on the lowest spiritual levels. He now applies this subject to the opposition raised against the tzaddikim in his time—especially Rebbe Nachman—who devoted themselves to bringing even the most spiritually distant closer to HaShem.

Now, the aforementioned dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel concerned drawing near to HaShem those people who are so very spiritually distant from Him that, strictly speaking, it would be unseemly to draw them close. There we saw that Beit Shammai states that we “keep decreasing” the number of lights in order to conceal the light from the spiritually distant so they will not be drawn closer to HaShem. Beit Hillel, however, states that we “keep increasing” the number of lights, because we need to fashion appropriate vessels and constrictions so as to illuminate with His light even the spiritually distant, so that they too will be drawn near. +The matter of their dispute is related to a more general polemic in every generation regarding the perfect tzaddikim who engage in drawing near those who are spiritually distant from HaShem. For a great many rise up against them. Even many of the great tzaddikim oppose them, due to the attribute of judgment that has embedded itself inside them. This causes them to harbor enmity in their heart towards such a tzaddik, until it appears to them as if he is acting inappropriately and so they openly oppose him. It has been this way for ages, in almost every generation, yet especially so in our time, in this era preceding the coming of Mashiach, when vilification among Torah scholars has become commonplace.120Ketuvot 112b teaches: The generation in which the son of David comes will see vilification among the Torah scholars. And the greatest opposition has been against our great and awesome Rebbe, may the memory of the righteous and holy be a blessing. This was because he sacrificed himself and spent all his days showing compassion for the Jewish people— drawing closer to HaShem all those spiritually distant from Him. +Reb Noson shows that the issue of drawing closer those who are distant from HaShem was also the reason Yosef’s brothers, the Shevatim, opposed Yosef, who inherited this practice from their father Yaakov.

This corresponds to the opposition raised against Yosef HaTzaddik by the Shevatim. For Yosef is comparable to the tzaddik who is occupied with drawing people near to HaShem; he mosif ve-holeikh, “keeps increasing,” the Divine light every day. Each time, according to the need, he makes marvelous constrictions and vessels so that anyone in the world who wants to come near can do so. For this reason he is called “Yosef,” which is etymologically related to the word mosif—indicating that he is mosif ve-holeikh.121Scripture states that Rachel called her son Yosef, saying, “May HaShem yosef to me another son” (Bereishit He will add) and moSiF ,יוסף) 30:24). The words yoSef .(יסף) adds) share the same Hebrew root, YSF ,מוסיף) But the Shevatim, although they were all holy individuals— since they were all great tzaddikim—took issue with him over this practice. +This effort by Yosef to bring people closer to HaShem is reflected in the verse “Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s megurei.” Chazal interpret this to mean that he would megayeir geirim, convert proselytes, as cited by the Rebbe Nachman elsewhere in his teachings.122Bereishit Rabbah 84:4. Rebbe Nachman cites this in LM I, 228. And this was also true of Yosef, as in “These are the chronicles of Yaakov: Yosef,” meaning that Yosef followed the path of his father Yaakov. He too engaged in converting proselytes and drawing near those who are spiritually distant from HaShem, because “whatever happened to Yaakov, happened to Yosef.”123See Rashi on Bereishit 37:2, s.v. eileh toldot. This is the explanation of “These are the chronicles of Yaakov—Yosef,” as Rashi elucidates there: “All the wisdom that Yaakov received from studying at the yeshivah of Shem and Ever, he transmitted to Yosef,”124See Rashi on Bereishit 37:3, s.v. ben zekunim. and so too whatever else happened to Yaakov, also happened to Yosef. +All this—both explanations of Rashi—is needed to explain why “the chronicles of Yaakov” is juxtaposed with the first verse, “his father’s me-gurei,” which informs us that Yaakov would convert proselytes. Scripture immediately follows “his father’s megurei” with “These are the chronicles of Yaakov: Yosef,” the explanation of which is that Yaakov transmitted to Yosef all his wisdom, including the wisdom needed to megayeir geirim. +This is as we said above. Just as Yaakov converted proselytes through his superior wisdom—for he knew how to make such great constrictions that he could heal the most spiritually ill—similarly, Yosef HaTzaddik was always involved with this. For Yaakov had transmitted to him all his wisdom, the main purpose of which is to bring perceptions of Godliness into the world, “to make known to the sons of man His mighty deeds.” +This role is alluded to in “Yosef, at the age of seventeen, would tend the flock with his brothers.” “Tending flock” signifies the role of the leader of the generation, who in all places is called a “shepherd.”125See, for example, Yechezkel 34:2 and Yirmiyahu 17:16. This is also the meaning of “at the age of seventeen.” The Midrash teaches that seventeen is the gematria of tov, good.126Tanchuma, Korach 12; see also Siftei Kohen on Bereishit 47:28. That is, Yosef was good towards everyone, and was himself entirely good. Through this he was able to draw everyone near, because he found good points even in the very worst sinners, and by means of this drew them near to HaShem.127See p. 33 above, where Reb Noson similarly teaches Notes & Sources that Moshe Rabbeinu was the embodiment of good and so was always able to find the good in everyone. is etymologically sugges- (בלהה) +This is also why “he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah,” who, as the children of the maidservants, are identified with the lowliest of Jewish families. These are the sort of people to whom Yosef would lower himself most, befriending them in order to draw them closer to HaShem. +For this reason, those who are distant from HaShem are called “the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah,” hinting to the fact that the Evil One and its forces have a tight grip on such people. “Sons of Bilhah” alludes to “I will make you into balahot,”128128 The name BiLHah .(בלהות) tive of BaLaHot is etymologically sugges- (זלפה) which Rashi interprets as “demons,” meaning the forces of the Yetzer Hara. These are the demons and kelipot that terrify, confuse and bring a person to evil. Similarly, “sons of Zilpah” alludes to “zalaphah has gripped me on account of the wicked.”129129 The name ZiLPaH .(זלעפה) tive of ZaLaPhaH The forces of the Yetzer Hara are synonymous with balahot and zalaphot, fright and rage, and so all those drawn after them are called “the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah.” But the great tzaddik, represented by Yosef, engages with these people. He lowers himself to their level in order to draw them near to HaShem. +And this is the meaning of “And [Yosef] was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah.” Rashi explains, “He would act childishly.” For the true tzaddik, with his mighty wisdom, lowers himself to them so much that it appears as if he is acting childishly. He speaks with them about mundane matters, he eats and drinks with them, and occasionally he even takes leisure strolls and plays games with them. His entire intention is to draw them near to HaShem through this. This idea is understood from Rebbe Nachman’s words in a number of places, just how much the tzaddik lowers himself to engage with the world. With respect to his exalted level, all of this is reckoned as acting childishly. However, the tzaddik’s intention is nothing but pleasing to HaShem, because he does all this in order to draw the very distant closer to HaShem. There is no other way to draw them near. This is the meaning of “And [Yosef] was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah.” + +Section 17 + +YOSEF, THE TZADDIK OF COMPASSION
In this section Reb Noson brings further proof that Yosef HaTzaddik is identified with bringing everyone nearer to HaShem and illuminating them with perceptions of Godliness.

This is why he is called Yosef, as alluded to in “God asaf my shame.” Yosef gathers in and eliminates all disgrace and embarrassment from the Jewish people, since he brings them to teshuvah and so closer to HaShem. This is the meaning of “May HaShem yosef for me another son,” on account of which he is called Yosef. This means that the tzaddik always works le-hosif, to add, and to draw close new souls each time.130130 The word asaf is formed of the three root letters (יוסף) meaning “gather.” The name Yosef ,(אסף) ASF are formed of the (להוסיף) and the word le-hosif meaning ,(יסף) etymologically similar root letters YSF “add.” The tzaddik, personified by Yosef HaTzaddik, serves HaShem by gathering in those who have grown distant from Him and thus adding to the souls who serve Him. He constantly requests this of HaShem, as alluded to in “May HaShem add for me another son,” in the sense that each time HaShem should add for him a new student—since a student is called a son, because “whoever teaches Torah to his friend’s son is considered as if he fathered him.”131Sanhedrin 19b. He constantly searches and seeks to add new people and bring them near, as in “May HaShem yosef for me another son.” +Therefore the verse states, “Now, Yisrael loved Yosef more than all his sons, for he was the son of his zekunim.”132This reflects Chazal’s teaching that “zakein” denotes someone with wisdom (Kiddushin 32b). Yisrael loved him greatly because of this—because Yosef desired to show compassion for everyone and to design ways to bring everyone near. This is the meaning of “for [Yosef] was the son of his zekunim.” Zakein, elder, denotes the trait of very great compassion, as in the midrashic depiction of HaShem at Sinai as “a zakein full of compassion.”133Mekhilta, Parashat Beshalach 4. Kabbalistic teaching states that the Thirteen Rectifications of the Zakan, the Supernal Beard, similarly signify very great compassion.134As mentioned above, Ohr HaPanim is the Light that shines from the Countenance of the Divine persona of Arikh Anpin (see note 13 above). The Arizal teaches that the channels through which this Light descends are the hairs of Arikh Anpin’s Countenance, otherwise known as the Thirteen Rectifications of the Beard (Sefer HaLikutim, Toldot). The Zohar (III, 131a) associates these Thirteen Rectifications with the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy through which we evoke Heaven’s compassion, as brought in Shemot 34:6-7 (see also Eitz Chaim 13:9 and LM I, 27:3, note 12). This connection is intimated ,זקָָן) by the resemblance between the words ZaKaN elder). In the kabbalistic ,זקֵָן) beard) and ZaKeiN lexicon, Arikh Anpin is the “Elder,” whose defining quality is great compassion. Thus Yosef received from Yaakov all the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, the concept of zakein, through which the great tzaddik shows compassion for everyone and brings them all closer to HaShem. +This is why Targum Onkelos renders “for he was the son of his zekunim” as “for he was his wise son.” Yosef certainly would have needed to be a wise son since one needs great wisdom for this—amazing and exceedingly profound wisdom in order to be able to create the appropriate vessels and constrictions that would enable him to draw near such distant souls, such spiritually ill people, and infuse them with perceptions of Godliness. +Thus the Torah states that “he made him a cloak of passim.” The explanation of passim is “a fine woolen garment of many beautiful colors,” as Rashi comments on the words “karpas and sky-blue wool.”135This is a combination of Rashi’s commentary on Esther 1:6, where he explains “white, karpas and skyblue wool” as many different colored fabrics, and his commentary on Bereishit 37:3, where he interprets to mean a fine woolen garment “such (פסים) PaSsim green) and sky-blue wool.” See also ,כרפס) as karPaS Megillah 12a. In other words, because Yaakov saw that Yosef engaged in drawing near to HaShem the spiritually distant, he made for him wondrous garments of amazingly beautiful colors—the concept of “a cloak of passim,” meaning marvelous constrictions, which are vessels and garments through which to extend a perception of Godliness even to the most spiritually distant. Conceptually, the constrictions, which correspond to lower wisdom, are inclusive of all the colors. These colors are the entirety of the vessels and garments of holiness through which one perceives His Godliness, as is written in the holy Zohar several times about Malkhut/lower wisdom, that “it is inclusive of all the colors.”136Zohar I, 91a; ibid. III, 296b. + +Section 18 + +YOSEF, THE TZADDIK OF VALOR
Here, Reb Noson expounds Yosef’s dream as alluding to his unique ability to create the constrictions that enable others to perceive Godliness. Reb Noson also shows how this is alluded to in the verses from the Book of Mishlei in praise of the “woman of valor.”

This relates to what Yosef dreamed: “Look, we were binding alumim in the field,” where the explanation of the word alumim is “binds.” This signifies the concept of constrictions, which are synonymous with bindings, because a constriction is a binding. In other words, Yosef dreamed that all of the Shevatim engaged in this; they were “binding alumim” and creating bindings and constrictions in order to draw through them a perception of Godliness. +Nevertheless, Yosef HaTzaddik’s constrictions and vessels surpassed all of theirs, as in “look, my sheaf arose and even remained standing”—his binding and constriction arose and even remained standing forever and for all eternity. “And look, your sheaves encircled my sheaf and bowed down to it.” This indicates that everyone, including the Shevatim, must receive perceptions of Godliness from him, by means of the wondrous constrictions that he creates with his profound wisdom. As a result of his having constantly engaged in drawing souls near to HaShem, he merited that even the great tzaddikim who engage in attaining perceptions of Godliness via constrictions also need to receive from him. +This idea that the tzaddik’s perceptions and constrictions rise above everyone else’s is expressed in “Many women have excelled, but you surpass them all.” This verse from the Book of Mishlei speaks of the greatest true tzaddik—the one who engages in creating vessels and garments, and in drawing Torah with such genuine wisdom that everyone can come closer to HaShem. This dovetails with the praise in Mishlei for the “woman of valor,” as “she looks for wool and flax” alludes to the vessels and garments required for perceiving Godliness.137See §17 above, where Reb Noson connects wool with constrictions. This is as Rebbe Nachman teaches in LM I, 29:12, that the letters of the word tZeMeR ,מצר) wool) can be rearranged to spell MeitZaR ,צמר) constriction). +This connection to the tzaddik is also expressed in “She is like the merchant ships, [bringing her food] from afar. She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household.” This means that in the deepest darkness of the night of exile for Jewish souls, she provides them with food—that is, the tzaddik provides them with perceptions of Godliness. And so on for the rest of the holy praise in Mishlei for the “woman of valor”/tzaddik. +This also relates to “Her husband is renowned in the she’arim.” The word she’arim alludes to the “shiurim, measurements, of the letters of Torah.”138See §1 and note 7 above. This signifies the idea of constrictions of the Torah as manifested in its letters, which the tzaddik draws with his wisdom. By dint of these constrictions, HaShem, “Her Husband,” is renowned in the world. This then is the meaning of “Her husband is renowned in the she’arim”—Her Husband is known through the constrictions, i.e. the shiurim of the letters. +And this is “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the Torah of chesed is on her tongue.” Interpreting this homiletically, Chazal state, “This refers to the one who studies Torah in order to teach it.”139Sukkah 49b. This is the tzaddik, who teaches his torah to others in order to draw them near to HaShem. +And this is “She oversees the ways of her household.” For the tzaddik oversees the ways of his household—how he should always conduct himself so that his light will never be extinguished, so that a vestige of his wisdom remains for generations to come, forever. For “she does not partake of the bread of idleness”—his bread and his torah are not “the bread of idleness,” chas ve-shalom, since the tzaddik has always been extremely alacritous in serving HaShem. +Therefore “her children rise and laud her.” These are the students, who are called “children”—those whom the tzaddik has drawn near to HaShem. “[Also] her husband, and he praises her.” This refers to HaShem, because He approves of this devotion of the tzaddik. HaShem yearns for the tzaddik to draw everyone close to Him, “because He desires chesed.” And so HaShem praises the tzaddik, saying, “Many women have excelled, but you surpass them all.” + +Section 19 + +THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE DISTANT STARS
Lastly, Reb Noson shows that Yosef’s second dream too alludes to his being the great tzaddik who “turns the many to righteousness” by instilling them with perceptions of Godliness.

And this is the meaning of “Look, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars are bowing down to me.” +“Sun” and “moon” represent giver and receiver, upper intellect and lower intellect, rav and student. For the tzaddik, who is the rav, is called “sun,” as it is written, “The sun rises and the sun sets.” Interpreting this homiletically as alluding to the tzaddik, Chazal state, “Before the sun set …”140Chazal state, “A tzaddik does not depart from the Notes & Sources world until another tzaddik like him is created, as it is written, ‘The sun rises and the sun sets.’ Before the sun of Eli set, the sun of Shmuel of Ramah rose” (Kiddushin 72b). And the moon is likened to a student, who receives the spiritual light from his rav just as the moon receives its light from the sun. +“And the eleven stars” referenced in Yosef’s dream alludes to the spiritually distant people who are brought near to HaShem. These are very holy souls, who nevertheless were initially trapped in the depths of the kelipot. Yet they ascended from there, akin to the fallen sparks of holiness redeemed from the depths of the kelipot by the eleven spices of the ketoret, incense-offering.141Eitz Chaim 39:3. This representation of the “eleven stars” as distant souls brought near to HaShem by the tzaddik is alluded to in “Those who teach righteousness to the masses [will shine] like the stars.” +All of them “are bowing down to me.” For the great tzaddik draws such wondrous insights that all the spiritually great and small, and all those who are distant from HaShem, want to draw near. Everyone needs to receive from him. It was already explained above142See §13 above. that even within the constrictions themselves there is the aspect of upper intellect and lower intellect. For they contain so many levels, including the aspects of rav and student, sun and moon, and so on. Therefore everyone must submit and bow and set aside his ego in the presence of the greatest tzaddik, represented by Yosef, because he is the one who instills perceptions of Godliness into all of them. + +Chapter 5 + + + +Section 1 + +KEY CONCEPTS FROM LIKUTEY MOHARAN
A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he who awakens the dawn (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 1:1). +This discourse is based on Rebbe Nachman’s lesson Tik’u Tokhachah, LM II, 8. Study the full lesson there, from start to finish. +In brief, what emerges from that lesson1Reb Noson opens with concepts from §3 of Rebbe Nachman’s lesson. relevant to our topic is that the essential tikkun for blemished daat2Daat, man’s internalized knowledge and awareness of HaShem, is the keystone of his spiritual existence. Guided by daat, he possesses the know-how to properly serve HaShem as well as the inner strength to fend off the many worldly desires that would lure him away from Divine service. But when daat is blemished, his mind falls into a state of mochin d’katnut, constricted consciousness, and so is in need of tikkun, a spiritual remedy. comes through the tzaddik, the master of great spiritual strength, who can successfully pray a prayer of din, a “judgment-prayer.” This is a prayer of protest and complaint, recited as a call for justice, similar to the prayer Pinchas prayed at the time of the incident with Zimri.3Commenting on the verse (Tehillim 106:30) “Then Pinchas stood up vayephalel, and the plague stopped,” Rabbi Elazar taught: The verse does not say vayitpalel he disputed). ,ויפלל) he prayed) but vayephalel ,ויתפלל) Pinchas engaged in debate with his Creator. Throwing down before HaShem the corpses of Zimri and the Midianite princess with whom Zimri had sinned, he declared, “Master of the Universe! Is it justice that 24,000 people of Israel should perish on account of these two?” (Sanhedrin 82b). See also LM I, 36:4, note 63. +For in matters of holiness, all damage is the result of blemished daat. This is exemplified by the Serpent’s perversion of wisdom, as in “Now, the Serpent was cunning.”4Rebbe Nachman equates the cunning of the Serpent in Gan Eden with the blemished daat that strengthens the Sitra Achra, the Other Side that stands opposite holiness. To win over Chavah, the Serpent employed twisted logic, telling her that HaShem did not want rivals and so had forbade her and Adam to eat from the Eitz HaDaat, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which would give them the Godlike ability to create worlds (Rashi on Bereishit 3:5). Because of this corruption of wisdom, which spoils and blemishes the mind, the locus of daat in the body, man’s holiness is damaged and his desire for immorality grows stronger.5See §2 of the Rebbe’s lesson (and note 62 there), where he cites in this regard Chazal’s teaching that a person does not sin unless he is overcome by a spirit of foolishness (Sotah 3a). When a person falls from holy daat into foolishness, immoral desires follow. Chazal also teach that HaShem had appointed the Serpent as ruler over all the animals in creation, but the Serpent desired what did not belong to it (ibid. 9b). Thus on the verse “Now, the Serpent was cunning,” Rashi comments that the Serpent desired the first woman, and so schemed to do away with Adam so it might take Chavah for itself. This relates to the Rebbe’s teaching here linking immoral desire with eating from the Eitz HaDaat—i.e. blemished daat. +For the mind, which houses daat, is comprised of three mochin.6Kabbalistic teaching aligns the different parts of the human form with the ten sefirot. The head or brain corresponds to the upper three sefirot—Chokhmah (Wisdom), Binah (Understanding), and Daat (Knowledge). The Zohar (III, 129a) refers to these three mental faculties collectively as mochin. In the realm of human consciousness, each of these mental faculties serves as a separate barrier shielding the mind from immoral thoughts and desires (see note 64 of the Rebbe’s lesson). These mental faculties act as three partitions, or barriers, arrayed against this desire for immorality. However, when the Sitra Achra feeds on compassion, namely daat,7From §2 of Rebbe Nachman’s lesson we see that compassion is both a prerequisite for and also a product of daat. The truly enlightened person is a compassionate person. Yet one cannot be truly compassionate unless his compassion is guided by HaShem. Thus Kabbalah associates compassion and chesed with mochin d’gadlut, expanded consciousness, and conversely, mochin d’katnut with misguided compassion and din (see Eitz Chaim 22:1). For a lengthier explanation see LM II, 7:1, where the Rebbe brings an example of misguided compassion due to a lack of daat as showing compassion for a convicted murderer. Although setting the killer free seems to be an act of compassion, it is in fact an act of cruelty. then daat itself becomes diminished, causing this desire to be strengthened, chas ve-shalom.8A person’s sins and wrongful deeds empower the kelipot, the evil forces of the Sitra Achra, and enable them to feed on his compassion, turning it into cruelty. Even one’s mitzvot and good deeds, if they are lacking in any way, strengthen the Sitra Achra’s ability to undermine one’s compassion and daat. This is explained in greater detail in LM I, 139 and ibid. I, 277:4 (see also notes 65-71 there). +Then, with compassion diminished and daat blemished, all prayer is in the category of din. Only a judgment-prayer can be offered.9Based on Rabbi Shimon’s advice in the Mishnah (Avot 2:13), “When you pray, do not make your prayer rote, but rather compassion and supplication,” the Rebbe teaches in his lesson (§2) that the ideal prayer is one formulated as an entreaty, a plea for compassion. This requires a person to be in a state of mochin d’gadlut, expanded consciousness, cognizant that HaShem’s compassion positively impacts every aspect of his life. When a person’s daat is blemished, he is incapable of recognizing the magnitude of HaShem’s compassion and consequently cannot entreat HaShem and plead for Him to show compassion. Then only judgmentprayers are possible, as all the prayers that people pray are from a state of mochin d’katnut—complaint rather than supplication, protestation rather than plea. But the danger is that the Sitra Achra, since it shares the same root as judgment, will desire to “swallow” this kind of prayer.10When a person lacks the daat to recognize the influence of HaShem’s compassion on his life, he prays from a place of constriction and din—sometimes even with anger at HaShem for some presumed injustice he has suffered, or good he has been denied. Mostly he insists that HaShem show him compassion as he understands it. The Sitra Achra is able to take advantage of this. It feeds on his prayer of din, until eventually it consumes it altogether. This prevents a person’s prayers from being answered by HaShem. See note 75 on the Rebbe’s lesson. At such a time, a master of great spiritual strength is required, one who can pray a prayer of din that the Sitra Achra is incapable of swallowing.11At a time of din the tzaddik too prays a judgmentprayer, without any overt sign of his recognition that HaShem is compassionate. This convinces the Sitra Achra that it can swallow his prayers just as it has swallowed everyone else’s. In truth, the tzaddik never loses sight of HaShem’s compassion. This awareness is his great spiritual strength, so that even in times of powerful din the tzaddik is able to stand firm against the Sitra Achra. Instead, the tzaddik’s judgment-prayer, termed “staff of your strength,” sticks in its throat and the Sitra Achra is forced to disgorge all the elements of holiness that it has previously swallowed.12In §3 of his lesson, Rebbe Nachman cites Tehillim 110:2 that “HaShem will dispatch from Tzion the ,בקרב) staff of your strength, for you to rule be-kerev lit. “inside”) your enemies.” The word “inside” seems superfluous. The Rebbe explains that “staff of your strength” refers to the tzaddik’s judgment-prayer. When the “enemy,” i.e. the Sitra Achra, attempts to swallow the master of strength’s staff of strength, the prayer sticks “inside” its throat, causing it to vomit up not just that prayer but also all the elements of holiness in the daat, compassion and prayers that it previously ingested. The Rebbe also links this to Iyov’s observation concerning the ephemeral nature of a wicked person’s success: “He swallowed wealth and vomits it out; God flushes it out of his innards” (Iyov 20:15; see note 109 below.) +In this process, the Sitra Achra is also compelled to vomit up its very life-force—particularly the holy souls born into this world as non-Jews.13The souls of future converts are fallen sparks of holiness ordained by HaShem to (temporarily) sustain the realm of the Sitra Achra. But when the Sitra Achra tries to swallow the tzaddik’s prayer of din, and that prayer sticks in its throat and forces it to disgorge any holiness that it has in its innards, the holy sparks/souls are redeemed. They return to the realm of holiness as non-Jews who convert and as baalei teshuvah, penitent Jews, who return to HaShem. (It is axiomatic of the Rebbe’s lessons that his teachings regarding converts apply to baalei teshuvah as well.) Previously, these souls were its substance; the Sitra Achra fed on their holiness. But once set free, many of them become converts to Judaism, and the public sensation stirred by this causes HaShem’s glory to be magnified.14In his lesson Rebbe Nachman cites the verse (Tehillim 96:7) “Bring to HaShem families of the nations, bring to HaShem glory and might.” The act of redeeming the souls of converts from the Sitra Achra and bringing those sparks of holiness to HaShem correspond to bringing the “families of the nations” to attach themselves to the faith of Israel. In this way, we “bring to HaShem glory and might.” +This magnification of HaShem’s glory and the increase in daat that accompanies it inspires an awakening in the souls of the Jewish people, channeling into the world an influx of the spirit of prophecy.15See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson, where he explains that prophecy is rooted in the souls of the Jewish people, which are themselves rooted in HaShem’s glory. Thus the return of many souls to their original holiness generates both greater recognition of HaShem’s glory in the world and a concomitant stirring in Jewish souls, resulting in the spread of prophecy. Here, “prophecy” refers to a spirit of holiness that instills man with awareness of HaShem’s Immanence—i.e. knowing with a whole heart, with perfect emunah, that “the whole world is filled with His glory” (see above, p. 103 and p. 117 ff ). In this sense, every Jew is potentially a prophet. On a deeper level, the Arizal teaches that the Jewish soul emanates from Beriah, the world also identified in the kabbalistic lexicon as HaShem’s Throne of Glory (see Appendix A, p. 235). He cites in this regard Chazal’s teaching that all the Jewish neshamot were hewn from the Throne of Glory, and so declare, “Blessed is our God, Who created us for His glory” (Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei Ashrei/Pitum HaKetoret/Aleinu 1). Elsewhere, the Arizal explains that prophecy is formulated in Beriah (Sefer HaLikutim, Shemot 6). Thus when the souls are stirred, and so seek greater connection to their source on high, their spiritual yearning draws down the spirit of prophecy from that very same source. And this in turn leads to the refinement and rectification of the medameh, man’s imaginative faculty,16In the most general sense, the prophetic experience is said to consist of two distinct stages. The first entails the inflow from on high of what, for lack of a better term, is referred to as Divine light or energy. The inflow that fills the prophet’s mind is ineffable, too numinous to even identify. The latter can happen only in the second stage (Beriah; as in previous note), when the prophet employs ko’ach ha-medameh, his power of imagination. Through the ability of his mind to create mental images, the Divine light takes on definition and an image forms in his mind (see Sefer HaBrit I, 17:17; cf. Radak on Yirmiyahu 23:28). so that worldly illusions cannot deceive it.17As mentioned in note 15 above, prophecy here is to be understood in the wider sense as awareness of HaShem’s Immanence—namely daat. This achievement is not the reserve of the biblical prophet, but the purpose of every Jew. In the process of giving form to the awareness of HaShem’s Immanance (Divine light), the medameh itself is purified. The metaphoric visions, dreams and symbols of prophecy purge the medameh of its “imaginariness” which gives rise to false images, impressions and beliefs. The most stubbornly persistent illusion is the belief that the dictates of nature, not HaShem Himself, govern our world, as discussed in note 25 below. But when the tzaddik’s prayer of din causes many to convert, and the ensuing revelation of HaShem’s glory causes the spirit of prophecy to spread in the world, the imaginative faculty is rectified. +As a result, emunah, a product of the medameh, is refined18In §7 of his lesson Rebbe Nachman explains that emunah derives from the medameh. Anything a person can comprehend with his intellect requires no emunah. Emunah comes into play only in relation to something whose logical reason one does not know or cannot understand. For when a person’s intellect is incapable of comprehending a matter, it is said to be “constricted” (katnut); he must then rely on the medameh. The mental images that his medameh creates bring him to emunah in that thing or idea (see following note). Thus when prophecy spreads and as a result the medameh is refined and rectified, emunah is also rectified. All false emunah is then eliminated.—especially one’s belief in chiddush ha-olam. This is the idea that HaShem created the world yesh mei-ayin, “something from nothing,” and even now continues to do so through its perpetual renewal.19The most essential emunah is faith in chiddush haolam—that HaShem brought the world into existence out of absolute nothingness (ex nihilo), and that even now each moment is a new creation, as we say in our daily prayers, “Who in His goodness renews daily, continuously, the works of Creation.” Intellectually, it is impossible to comprehend how something can come from nothing. Therefore chiddush ha-olam is a matter of emunah, the faith we received from our ancestors, free of all philosophical inquiry and scientific speculation. Thus the Midrash teaches: HaShem says, “With emunah I created the world; with emunah I govern it; and with emunah I will renew it in the future” (Otiyot d’Rebbi Akiva, Ot Heh). A more thorough discussion of yesh mei-ayin can be found in notes 184-186 on the Rebbe’s lesson (and see Appendix A, p. 235). The core of this belief was revealed at the Giving of the Torah, when the entire Jewish people merited a spirit of prophecy.20Chazal teach that dvar is one of the ten terms the Torah uses to connote prophecy, as in (Bereishit 15:1) “The dvar (word) of HaShem came to Avram in a vision, saying …” (Bereishit Rabbah 44:6; see also Shabbat 138b). In §7 of his lesson Rebbe Nachman links the “DVaR ,עשרת הדברות) of HaShem” with Aseret HaDiBRot (דבר) the Ten Commandments), which embody all the mitzvot of the Torah (see Rashi on Shemot 24:12). The Rebbe then links both prophecy and the Torah with the Ten Utterances through which heaven and earth were created (see Rosh HaShanah 32a). This is alluded to in the verse “By the dvar of HaShem were the heavens made” (Tehillim 33:6), which in our context relates to our emunah that He created the world yesh mei-ayin. This teaches that the spread of the spirit of prophecy brings to perfected emunah—i.e. the emunah the Jewish people attained at the Giving of the Torah, when “HaShem spoke) to you face-to-face” (Devarim 5:4) ,דבר) DiBeiR and so they merited the spirit of prophecy. +And through our emunah in chiddush ha-olam in this world we will also merit the renewal of the world in the future, as the World to Come. This is reflected in the verses “To relate Your chesed in the morning, your emunah in the nights” and “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great,”21Rashi on Eikhah 3:23 comments that “they are renewed” refers to HaShem’s acts of chesed. Reb Noson will relate to this in §11 below, where he explains that HaShem builds the world anew (chiddush ha-olam) through chasadim, the elements of Chesed (and see notes 99 and 100 there). alluding to the emunah of the person himself.22According to their literal meaning, both “Your emunah in the nights” (Tehillim 92:3) and “Your emunah is great” (Eikhah 3:23) refer to HaShem’s faithfulness. However, in his lesson Rebbe Nachman reads them as alluding to a person’s faith in chiddush ha-olam (see also LM I, 62:5). See Rashi on each of these verses. In both verses the first clause is predicated on the second. The “morning,” i.e. the future redemption and renewal of the world, will come about because of the fortitude of our emunah, that is, the faith we maintain in chiddush ha-olam throughout the dark “night” of exile.23See §9 of the Rebbe’s lesson (also §11 below) where he cites the words of the psalmist “The world will be built on chesed” (Tehillim 89:3) as further proof of the link between chesed/morning and the future renewal of the world. Also, having taught that emunah is rooted in the medameh, a constriction of the intellect (see note 18 above), the Rebbe links emunah with the night and nighttime dreams, which are similarly connected with constricted intellect (sleep) and the medameh. +And the chiddush ha-olam of the future will be brought about through the unique attribute of Eretz Yisrael, namely the power to reveal hashgachah, Divine providence.24Regarding hashgachah, see above, p. 86, note 5. Rebbe Nachman addresses the link between the future chiddush ha-olam and hashgachah in §10 of his lesson. This future revelation will make clear to all that the world is governed not by the dictates of nature, but directly by the hand of HaShem, through miracles and wonders. Then the mistaken emunah that people have in the natural order will be voided altogether.25Rebbe Nachman explains that the distinctive holiness of Eretz Yisrael derives from the continuous manifestation of HaShem’s hashgachah there, as the verse states, “The eyes of HaShem your God are upon it continuously, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Devarim 11:12). In LM I, 9:5, he shows that Eretz Yisrael is synonymous with miracles, HaShem’s hashgachah through the supra-natural—i.e. Divine will countermanding the dictates of nature (see also LM II, 4:5 and note 54 there). At present, HaShem’s will is concealed and people believe in determinism, that existence follows the laws of nature. But in the future, when the entire world will be renewed through the unique attribute of Eretz Yisrael, it will be obvious to all that everything is governed solely by hashgachah. +Through this future revelation, when hashgachah will be obvious and recognized by all, a new song, telling of HaShem’s wonders, will be channeled into the world.26At present, HaShem governs the world from behind the cloak of nature, as it were, by means of the agencies of cause and effect. Thus the song we presently sing in praise of HaShem relates to the natural order: “The heavens declare the glory of HaShem, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork” (Tehillim 19:2). His Immanence and glory are for the most part concealed from those whose medameh and emunah have yet to be rectified. But with the chiddush ha-olam of the future, His Immanence and glory will be seen by all. A new song will burst forth from everyone’s lips, extolling Him for His hashgachah/wonders, as in “Sing to HaShem a new song, for He has performed wonders” (ibid. 98:1). This song is the concept of the voice that waters the garden,27Referring to the earliest stages of Creation, the Torah relates, “A river runs out of Eden to water the garden” (Bereishit 2:10). The link between the voice and the river’s water appears in a second verse, “HaShem, the rivers rose up, the rivers lifted their voices” (Tehillim 93:3). Thus the Rebbe speaks of the voice that waters the garden and causes the “flora” that grows there to flourish. drawing people closer to HaShem.28The Rebbe discusses this in §1 of his lesson. He explains that this “voice” is the melody of the new song that will be sung when HaShem renews His creation in the future, the song telling of His wonders. It is the voice of the tzaddik whose moral guidance instills Jewish souls with a pleasant scent—i.e. spiritual sustenance for the soul, which Reb Noson discusses next. +This voice, the soul’s sustenance, which is associated with fragrance and the fear of HaShem,29The Tikkuney Zohar teaches that each person receives the sustenance he deserves [according to the shefa, bounty, he elicits through his prayers]. For some this shefa is Torah, sustenance for the soul. For others the shefa that descends becomes bread, sustenance for the body (Tikkuney Zohar #21, p. 45b; ibid. #69, p. 101b). The Rebbe teaches that the soul is sustained by the “flora” that grows in the garden watered by the voice—namely fragrance and the fear of HaShem. Chazal teach that fragrance is the source from which the soul derives pleasure in this world (Berakhot 43b), as the power of scent is the most spiritual of the physical senses (Maharsha, loc. cit., s.v. taharah). Also growing in this garden is the fear of HaShem, which is associated with fragrance, as in “He will be imbued with the scent of the fear of HaShem” (Yeshayahu 11:3). overpowers the body’s sustenance, namely food and drink.30Antithetical to the soul’s sustenance is the body’s sustenance, the food and drink that, when eaten in excess, nourish physical desire. An increase in the power of one produces a commensurate decrease in the power of the other. So, for example, increasing the influence of the body’s sustenance weakens the soul’s connection on high and its ability to draw spiritual bounty, making gluttony a major hindrance to the attainment of spiritual goals. This mastery of the spiritual over the material is expressed in the verse regarding Yaakov, who is associated with the voice and scent.31This is as in “The voice is the voice of Yaakov” (Bereishit 27:22). Yitzchak also blessed Yaakov, saying, “See, my son’s fragrance is like the scent of the field” (ibid. 27:27). Rashi (loc. cit.) adds that HaShem instilled into Yaakov the fragrance of Gan Eden. In context here, this was because Yaakov represents the voice that waters the garden. The Torah relates that Yaakov was born with “his hand holding on to Esav’s heel,” which, as the back part of the foot and lowest part of the body, signifies utmost physicality.32Yaakov is the voice, and thus associated with the soul’s sustenance. Esav corresponds to the body and its desires (Rabbeinu Bachya al HaTorah, Bereishit 25:27), and thus he is associated with the body’s sustenance, the physical food and drink that when eaten in excess “empowers the heel of the Sitra Achra,” as the Rebbe explains in his lesson. When soul and body enter the world together, the spiritual subdues the physical, represented by Yaakov’s “hand holding on to Esav’s heel.” +Study all this very well in LM II, 8, for it is a most awesome teaching.33See Tzaddik #169 (end), where Reb Noson writes that all the concepts and tikkunim discussed in Rebbe Nachman’s lesson, his last teaching before his passing, “contain the deepest, most awesome and exalted secrets.” He mentions there that when the Rebbe cited the verse (Ruth 4:14) “Blessed is HaShem, Who has not left you without a redeemer,” he sang the words, so that it appeared as though he was praising and thanking HaShem for giving them a redeemer to rectify and redeem Jewish souls and draw down the spirit of Mashiach through such awesome and wondrous tikkunim. + +Section 2 + +Reb Noson has highlighted some of the major topics of Rebbe Nachman’s lesson on awakening daat. This effort requires a tzaddik capable of praying a judgment-prayer that forces the Sitra Achra to surrender all the holiness it has devoured. With the elements of holiness set free, HaShem’s glory becomes magnified and this leads to the spread of belief in HaShem—most especially belief in His renewal of the world in the future. By dint of this chiddush ha-olam, a new song will be heard in the creation, a song that relates HaShem’s wonders and draws everyone closer to Him. For in that future world, the supernatural will be the stuff of everyday existence. Reb Noson will show that even now, in this world, it is possible to hear that song in the merit of our nighttime and daytime devotions in serving HaShem.

THE JUDGMENT-PRAYER OF GEVURAH
Reb Noson opens his discourse by linking man’s personal renewal when waking from sleep with the renewal of the world that will coincide with the revival of the dead. In a deeper sense, both signify the awakening of daat.

All this that we have excerpted from Rebbe Nachman’s lesson regarding the tikkun of daat relates to waking up from sleep. The return of the sentient soul to the body each morning is analogous to the future revival of the dead, which itself exemplifies chiddush ha-olam.34See following note. This is supported by the wording of the blessing we recite daily upon waking from sleep, “Blessed are You … Who restores souls to dead bodies.”35See Yaarot Devash 1:1, that when reciting this blessing we should have in mind that HaShem restores souls to dead bodies in this world (when we wake from sleep, which Chazal teach is one-sixtieth of death), and will do so again in the future when He will revive the dead. Moreover, the person who yearns for and looks forward to the latter will find his emunah in yesh meiayin growing stronger, since creating something from nothing is itself a form of giving life to the dead. +Reb Noson emphasizes the benefit of waking up from sleep, inasmuch as sleep is essentially the restriction of daat. Yet he also recognizes the value of sleep as a rest for the mind.

At its root, waking up from sleep mainly derives from all the tikkunim mentioned in the above lesson. Conversely, the need for sleep results from a restriction of the mochin and their disorientation as a consequence of the Sitra Achra blemishing daat. This follows from “the Serpent was cunning,”36See above and note 4. for the Serpent/Sitra Achra even now adheres to the human mind on account of the sin of the first man. +Every person must battle greatly with the thoughts in his mind in order to purify them from the hold of the Sitra Achra, from “the Serpent was cunning.” This explains the need for sleep. For at the point that the mind becomes taxed and confused due to this mental battle with evil, it is necessary to sleep, which is a rest for the mochin. But then the “Sitra Achra settles upon his hands,”37Zohar I, 169b. In §6 below, Reb Noson will explain why the hands in particular. since its power is most ascendant with the departure of the mochin. +Reb Noson reveals how, by reciting Kriat Shema al HaMitah and binding oneself to the tzaddikim, one can mitigate the restriction of daat during sleep.

And so at that time, the main tikkun comes through the master of spiritual strength who can successfully pray a prayer of din. Through this he extracts all the daat and mochin from the Sitra Achra, and the waters of daat are revealed.38See note 69 below. This revelation and the connection between daat and water are alluded to in the prophet’s depiction of the World to Come, at which time compassion will replace all evil and destruction, “for the earth will be filled with daat, as water covers the seabed.” +Thus revelation of daat is comparable to waking up from sleep, when the mind returns to full consciousness. It takes place through extracting the daat from the Sitra Achra so that it returns it to its place wonderfully refreshed, as expressed in “They are renewed in the mornings.”39See §1 and note 21 above. Here, Reb Noson reads “they” as referring not to HaShem’s acts of chesed and the chasadim, but to the mochin, whose renewal in the morning parallels chiddush ha-olam on a microcosmic scale. This is not contradictory, as chasadim are actually core elements of the mochin. +And since the Sitra Achra seeks to control the daat when the mochin depart, therefore the primary tikkun for this negative consequence of sleep is the recital of Kriat Shema al HaMitah. For this reason, one must recite the bedtime Shema with abundant concentration, as taught in the Kavanot of the Arizal.40Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaLailah 7-8. +For Kriat Shema al HaMitah has the quality of a prayer of din, as Chazal state, “Whoever recites the Shema at his bedside is considered as though he grasps a double-edged sword in his hand.”41Berakhot 5a. And so the main thing is to bind oneself in thought to the tzaddikim of the generation, the masters of spiritual strength, who can successfully pray a prayer of din. +Reb Noson details an additional benefit to reciting Kriat Shema al HaMitah: the acquisition of gevurah, strength, to rise at chatzot and recite the kinnot, elegies, in the Tikkun Chatzot.

And subsequent to this—i.e. to reciting Kriat Shema al HaMitah and binding oneself to the tzaddikim—a person will be able to overcome the grip of sleep to get up at midnight and serve HaShem. For the essence of rising at midnight stems from the power of those tzaddikim who can pray a prayer of din. From that attribute of gevurah extends “the flame that strikes the wings of the rooster,” which then crows at midnight.42See Zohar I, 218b, which teaches that at a time of extreme din, the gevurot (severities; see following note), in the form of a fire from the north, strike the wings of the “rooster” on high, which is likewise a symbol of gevurah (and so in rabbinic teaching is called “gever”; see Yoma 20b). Rabbi Meir ibn Gabbai links this to the rooster’s crowing at midnight, at the height of the rule of din in the world (Tolaat Yaakov, Sod Birkhot HaShachar). This signifies the ascension at that time of the gevurot, on account of which people rise at midnight and lament the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash.43Gevurot, the root elements of the sefirah of Gevurah (Strength), represent constriction and severity (see above, p. 96, note 52, and p. 122, note 75). Reb Noson explains here that it is the strength associated with the gevurot that enables a person to break the grip of sleep and rise at midnight. Below (§5), he will link the gevurot with the prayer of din of the master of spiritual strength. +Reb Noson now explains the significance of reciting Tikkun Chatzot: to extract the daat and all the holiness swallowed by the Sitra Achra.

In fact, all the kinnot recited over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash share the characteristic of a prayer of din, because weeping and lamentation are manifestations of dinim and gevurot. Therefore in the kinnot we strongly contend with HaShem and demand justice from Him. For example, we say in Tikkun Chatzot, “Why, HaShem, have You made us stray from Your ways? [Why have You] hardened our hearts so that we do not fear You?” And we ask, “Where are Your vengeance and Your might? Your abundant yearning and Your compassion for us have been withheld!”44See Rashi and Metzudat David on these verses. Indeed, many of the kinnot continue in this vein. +And this is why we say after the kinnot the more hopeful “Let the King of glory enter,” since by reciting the kinnot—the prayer of din that is a tikkun of the mind, correlating to waking up from sleep—we extract from the Sitra Achra all the daat and all the compassion. We extract too all the souls and holy sparks that it swallowed, until we actually make baalei teshuvah and converts,45The inclusion here of baalei teshuvah is explained in note 13 above. and though this reveal and magnify HaShem’s glory. +Reb Noson cites the kabbalistic source for all of the foregoing.

This set of nighttime devotions corresponds to what is taught in the Kavanot,46Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar Tikkun Chatzot 2. that during the first half of the night, at the time of sleep, the sefirah of Malkhut descends into the lower worlds. It goes down into the depths of the kelipot in order to refine and elevate all the souls and holy sparks that have fallen and descended to there. This continues until midnight, when Malkhut, the soul, wishing to return to its place in holiness, cries out, “Like the deer cries longingly … so my soul.”47This is the Shekhinah (Malkhut) crying out to be reunited with HaKadosh Barukh Hu (Shaar HaKavanot, Tikkun Chatzot 1). Therefore as part of Tikkun Chatzot we recite Tehillim 42, in which this verse appears., 48Kabbalah identifies man’s nefesh, soul, with the sefirah of Malkhut (Shaarei Orah, Shaar HaShemini; Eitz Chaim 5:5).In light of the above, Reb Noson next explains why we recite the verses of Tehillim 24 after the kinnot of Tikkun Chatzot. He shows how the references to HaShem’s glory in these verses allude to the increase and enhancement of that glory when converts and baalei teshuvah—the souls and holy sparks swallowed by the Sitra Achra—return to Him. +This takes places in the Heavenly sphere, but also dovetails with all of the aforementioned earthly tikkunim which are all actuated through the devotions of the tzaddikim, the masters of strength who pray a prayer of din. The tzaddikim are the mighty emissaries of HaShem, as in “mighty warriors who do His bidding.” Like Malkhut, they descend into the realm of the Sitra Achra in order to extract the fallen souls and sparks. +And the ascent of those souls and sparks from the grip of the Sitra Achra brings converts and baalei teshuvah, whose return leads to an increase of HaShem’s glory. Consequently, right after the recital of the kinnot, which are characteristic of a judgment-prayer, we say, “Lift up your heads, O gates… Let the King of glory enter.” For it is primarily then that His glory is revealed by virtue of our rising at midnight—that is, by virtue of “the flame that strikes the wings of the rooster” and our recital of the kinnot over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. All of this, our rising on account of the gevurot and reciting the kinnot, stems from the judgment-prayer of the master of strength. All this increases and magnifies His glory. And so at that time, after the kinnot of Tikkun Rachel, we pray greatly for this revelation of HaShem’s glory by reciting Tikkun Leah, repeating the phrase “Let the King of glory enter.”49Tikkun Chatzot consists of two sections. The first, Tikkun Rachel, is comprised primarily of the vidui, confessional, and selected kinnot, lamentations over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. The second section, Tikkun Leah, is almost entirely a collection of psalms expressing our longing for the final redemption, including Tehillim 24, in which this phrase appears. +And this is the meaning of the verse “Who is this King of glory?” which follows the previously cited verse from Tehillim and seemingly has no explanation whatsoever. After all, what is the subject of this question? Who is the questioner and who is the responder? +However, all this is in line with and explained by the subject matter we have discussed thus far. For the Sitra Achra—the concept of “the Serpent was cunning”—is empowered time and again to conceal and obscure HaShem’s glory by feeding on daat and gaining strength through the desire for immorality, thereby distracting and confusing people’s prayer. All this represents the concealment of HaShem’s glory. For just as the tikkun of extracting the life-force from the Sitra Achra increases and magnifies HaShem’s glory, so too the opposite occurs once the forces of evil have been strengthened. HaShem’s glory is then concealed. +Therefore after midnight, when we begin to engage in this tikkun of daat by binding ourselves to the tzaddikim, who are “mighty warriors,” we then say, “Lift up your heads, O gates; be uplifted, O you everlasting doors.” These are the gates and doors of the Beit HaMikdash, which represent the gates and doors of the human mind.50Zohar I, 103b. See also LM I, 30:8 (and note 153 there), where Rebbe Nachman teaches that each person’s perception of HaShem’s greatness is commen , שער) gates) / ShAeR ,שערים) surate with the She’ARim assessments) of his mind. We request that they all be opened and “let the King of glory enter” so that His Godliness and glory will be revealed. We pray for this revelation to manifest in the world at large, through the public sensation generated by the return of baalei teshuvah and converts, and individually, in the mind and heart of each person, so that when all one’s daat and compassion is restored, everyone will recognize and be aware of HaShem’s glory. +But then immediately the unidentified questioners ask, “Who is this King of glory?” These questioners are the evil and foreign thoughts drawn into a man’s heart from daat blemished by the influence of “the Serpent was cunning.” This is the Serpent that seduced Adam and Chavah and that continues to seduce all those who follow it. As it is written in the holy Zohar, “Woe to the primordial Serpent that brought death to Adam and all the generations destined to come after him.”51Zohar I, 52b. So these questioners ask, “Who is this King of glory?” because they assume that they have already completely concealed His glory such that it is now impossible to reveal it, impossible for it to ever again enter our minds and hearts or into the world at large. +At that point we gird ourselves and answer them without hesitation, “HaShem, Who is powerful and mighty! HaShem, Who is mighty in battle!” We especially emphasize that HaShem is “powerful and mighty” and “mighty in battle,” mentioning at this time of din only the force of His might and His power.52HaShem’s might and power, but not His compassion and chesed. See note 9 above, which speaks of recognizing HaShem’s compassion when praying. This alludes to the gevurot and the forceful prayer of din and might that the masters of spiritual strength pray. In the words of Chazal, “[These tzaddikim] add strength to the mighty host on high,53Eikhah Rabbah 1:33: “When Jews fulfill the will of the Holy One, they add strength to the gevurah on high.” as it is written, ‘Through Elohim we will be valorous.’”54The Holy Name Elohim connotes the attribute of din (Rashi on Bereishit 8:1). Whenever the world is beset by judgment, the tzaddikim, who are masters of spiritual strength, attach themselves to “Elohim” and pray a judgment-prayer to mitigate the dinim. See Maharsha on Shabbat 119b, that through their prayers the tzaddikim provide strength and might to the Heavenly host, meaning that HaShem annuls His decree of judgment. In other words, the powerful mightiness of the tzaddik’s prayer of din supplies the principal strength needed for battle, as in “HaShem, Who is mighty in battle!” Through this we extract from the Sitra Achra its entire life-force, namely all the souls that it swallowed, and HaShem’s glory is thereby greatly increased, magnified and revealed in everyone’s eyes. +This is why immediately afterwards we again say, “Let the King of glory enter,” and finally conclude with an explicit response, “HaShem, the Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory, selah.” For HaShem will certainly finish His part and reveal His glory to everyone, entirely through the attribute of “powerful and mighty”—by means of the prayer of judgment and might. + +Section 3 + +RENEWAL
Having explained that as a judgment-prayer, Tikkun Chatzot brings us to a revelation of HaShem’s glory, Reb Noson expounds the next stage in the night’s devotions: learning Torah. He shows how this too aligns with the key concepts highlighted from Rebbe Nachman’s lesson, particularly emunah in chiddush ha-olam.

And, as cited above from the Rebbe’s lesson,55See §1 and notes 15 and 20 above. The Rebbe discusses these topics in §5-§8 of his lesson. the magnification and revelation of HaShem’s glory causes the spirit of prophecy, the clarity of His Immanence, to be channeled into the world. This corresponds to the Torah, which is encapsulated in the Ten Commandments and includes all ten levels of prophecy. Through the spirit of prophecy, the medameh is refined, which in turn brings about the essential revelation of holy emunah. +This is the very idea underlying the Torah study a person must engage in after midnight, which is the most ideal time for such study, as brought in Kabbalah.56The ideal time for Torah study is after midnight, after waking from sleep (Zohar II, 27a; Pardes Rimonim, Shaar 8, Perek 19; see also Tur, Orach Chaim 238). Engaging in Torah study then, after the recital of Tikkun Chatzot has revealed HaShem’s glory, equates with channeling the spirit of prophecy, since all the levels of prophecy are included in the Torah. +And through the Torah/prophecy, we merit attaining emunah in chiddush ha‑olam, namely that HaShem continuously renews the world yesh mei-ayin. By way of this emunah we merit the aspect of the chiddush ha-olam of the future, alluded to in the verses “To relate Your chesed in the morning, your emunah in the nights” and “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great.” This is explained there in the Rebbe’s lesson and also in the opening section above.57Rebbe Nachman discusses this reading of these verses in §9 of his lesson; and see §1 and note 22 above. Also explained above, and in note 23, is that in these verses “morning” alludes to the future redemption and renewal of the world. Both will come about by virtue of our maintaining emunah in the chiddush ha-olam of the future throughout the long “night” of exile. +Now, this renewal of the world occurs daily. The early-morning rays break through and shine each day following the darkness of night by virtue of all the aforementioned tikkunim.58As explained in §2 above, this set of nighttime tikkunim begins with reciting Kriat Shema al HaMitah with kavanah before resting one’s mochin through sleep, followed by rising at midnight and reciting Tikkun Chatzot, and finally studying Torah during the remaining hours until dawn. For just as there will be a universal chiddush ha-olam in the World to Come, so too there is a specific chiddush ha-olam that takes place daily in this world. The universal chiddush ha-olam of the future, termed “day,” is evoked and realized through the rectification of emunah at “night,” i.e. in exile, which is comparable to night.59This is as Avot d’Rabi Natan 1:48 teaches: “To relate Your chesed” alludes to the World to Come, which is comparable to the “mornings,” as in “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great.” And “your emunah in the nights” alludes to this world, which is comparable to the “nights.” By virtue of the Jewish people holding firm in emunah during the dark night of exile—entirely by means of the strength of the true tzaddikim, the masters of strength—they merit attaining the chiddush ha-olam of the World to Come, a world governed not by the dictates of nature but the wonders of hashgachah. +In a similar way, a specific chiddush ha-olam takes place each day, through the aforementioned tikkunim that rectify daat.60See note 58 above. These are the rectifications we evoke by rising at midnight and studying Torah at that time, through which HaShem’s glory is increased and we merit emunah. This causes the light of morning to shine; it is the concept of the future chiddush ha-olam, which is itself the concept of morning, for from there the light of morning—the light of daat—is channeled anew each day. All this is alluded in “To relate Your chesed in the morning, your emunah in the nights” and “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great,” as both these verses refer to emunah in chiddush ha-olam. And though according to their simple meaning these verses speak of night and morning in the literal sense, the two—the concept of night and morning, and that of exile and redemption—are essentially one and the same. +And every single Jew can attain this level according to the closeness he has merited to the true tzaddik, the master of spiritual strength. To the extent that he engages in the above tikkunim through this tzaddik’s power—rising at midnight to recite Tikkun Chatzot and study Torah—so will he merit the light of morning, a dimension of emunah in chiddush ha-olam. Then he will be able to genuinely tell of HaShem’s chesed and of the goodness that He has granted him, as in “To relate Your chesed in the morning, your emunah in the nights.” + +Section 4 + +THE NEW SONG
After exploring the deeper meaning of the nighttime devotions, Reb Noson turns to the final subject of the Rebbe’s lesson: the new song of the future that emerges by dint of our perfection of emunah in chiddush ha-olam. Although this new song will fully manifest only in the future world, through the power of the tzaddik’s prayer of din we can awaken it even now, in the melodies and songs of praise in our morning prayers.

Sing to HaShem a new song, for He has performed wonders”— is channeled into the world. All the songs and praises that we recite in the morning, in the Shacharit prayer, stem from this song of the World to Come, since all the present-day songs and praises are channeled from the voice61See note 28 above, that “voice” here refers to the melody of the new song that will be sung when HaShem renews His creation in the future. of the song that will burst forth in the future. +This relates to “when the morning stars sing together,” referring to the songs and praises that are roused daily, in the morning, by the stars and angels.62This is as Targum Yonatan renders the verse: “When the morning stars sing praise together and all the divisions of angels sound forth.” These songs are channeled from the song that will be sung on the morning of the future, the concept of chiddush ha-olam, which in turn derives from the judgment-prayer of the tzaddik who extracts all holiness from the Sitra Achra. +And this aligns with the rest of the verse, “and all the angels of Elohim shout for joy.” Elohim is the Name of HaShem that connotes din.63See note 54 above. All song and praise are drawn by means of “the angels of Elohim,” namely din and holy strength—meaning through those tzaddikim, the mighty ones of strength, who can pray a prayer of din. In turn, this judgment-prayer awakens the song of the future, on account of which “the morning stars sing together.” + +Section 5 + +RISING WITH STRENGTH
Reb Noson now shows how all the above devotions of the night and day are reflected in the words of the Shulchan Arukh.

Now, this is the meaning of the opening words of the Shulchan Arukh: “Yitgaber like a lion to rise up in the morning.” The emphasis here is on the word yitgaber, because great willpower is needed for this rising. For the power to rouse from sleep derives mainly from gevurot64See §2 and note 43 above. Here Reb Noson shows that the wording of the Shulchan Arukh is precise, in which indicates that a person ,(יתגבר) that yitGaBeR has to “strengthen himself” in order to wake up, has the root ,(גבורות) the same root letters as GeVuRot elements of the sefirah of Gevurah that stem from Daat.—that is, from the judgmentprayer of the master of spiritual strength, as explained above.65Reb Noson explained in §2 above that, ultimately, the ability to strengthen oneself comes from binding oneself to the tzaddikim of the generation, as they are the ones who can pray the prayer of din that will wake him from sleep. +And this daily tikkun of daat is also the explanation of what the Shulchan Arukh says next: “so that it is he who awakens the shachar.” This relates to “Awake, my kavod! Awake the harp and lyre! I will awaken the shachar.” The word shachar alludes to the Ayelet HaShachar.66When the first rays of dawn burst forth out of the ,איילה) darkness, they resemble the antlers of an AYaLah mountain deer); see Bekhor Shor on Shemot 34:30. Thus איילת) the light of shachar is called AYeLet HaShachar In the kabbalistic lexicon, Ayelet HaShachar .(השחר is an appellation for the Shekhinah (Zohar II, 19b), Whose rectification and return to wholeness comes with the morning’s dawn. This means that a person should be the one to awaken the melody, the song of the future mentioned above, which Ayelet HaShachar, the Shekhinah, sings in the morning.67Commenting on this verse, the Zohar (II, 46a) teaches that at chatzot the Shekhinah /Ayelet HaShachar arises to sing. Then, with the break of dawn, HaKadosh Barukh Hu delights with the Shekhinah and with all those whose spiritual devotions in the night ensured Her ascent. This is facilitated by the power of the tzaddikim, who wake us up by dint of their revealing HaShem’s kavod when they extract daat from the grip of the Sitra Achra. +This then is the meaning of “Awake, my kavod!”—arouse the glory/soul by arising at midnight, reciting Tikkun Chatzot and studying Torah—“Awake the harp and lyre!”—thereby waking the new song of the future—“I will awaken the shachar”— that Ayelet HaShachar rouses to sing. Fortunate indeed is he who has a part in this. That said, the most important thing is to genuinely draw close to the true tzaddikim for the sake of HaShem’s glory, and not for one’s own glory, chas ve-shalom. + +Section 6 + +WASHING WITH DAAT
Reb Noson now shows how the revelation of daat engendered by the nighttime devotions as clarified above is also the deeper reason for washing one’s hands when waking up from sleep. He begins by explaining that the water one washes with corresponds to daat.

And this daily tikkun of daat also relates to the morning netilat yadayim, the ritual washing of the hands, upon arising from sleep.68See also Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaBerakhot 5, that one should do this immediately upon arising, in order to remove the spirit of impurity that settles upon the hands during sleep. +For the “pure waters” of the ritual washing are drawn down through the revelation of daat, which itself is drawn by means of the tzaddik’s prayer of din. This revelation of daat and its connection to water is alluded to in “for the earth will be filled with daat of HaShem, as the waters cover the seabed.” From that daat we draw these waters for the ritual washing upon arising from sleep.69These “waters” are the chasadim, the root elements of the sefirah of Chesed that derive from Daat. Kabbalah links the chasadim with water, as both signify the qualities of outflowing and expansiveness (Eitz Chaim 23:1; see also above, p. 152, note 72). Washing one’s hands upon arising thus represents morning’s new revelation of daat. +Reb Noson explains that the water of netilat yadayim must be poured specifically over the hands, in order to conjoin its aspect of daat with the emunah aspect of the hands.

This is why it is the hands in particular that we have to wash with the waters of daat. For power and might need to be given mainly to the hands, so that they can overpower the “heel” of the Sitra Achra, that is, the pull of the body, as in “his hand holding on to Esav’s heel.”70See §1 and note 32 above. The verse accentuates this by specifying “his hand,” when it would have sufficed to say, “Then his brother came out holding on to Esav’s heel.” +With daat, man’s hands can overcome the body’s influence because the rectification of daat is achieved mainly through the emunah in chiddush ha-olam,71Here, chiddush ha-olam refers to HaShem’s origination of the world, as the ensuing verse indicates. which is associated with the hands, as in “My hand has even laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand [has spread out the heavens].” Therefore emunah is itself referred to as “hands,” as in “His hands were emunah.”72During the battle against Amalek, “Moshe’s hands grew heavy … Aharon and Chur supported his hands, one on each side, and so his hands were emunah” (Shemot 17:12). This is so because the essence of emunah is the belief that HaShem created the world yesh mei-ayin, the aspect of “hands,” as it is written, “My hand has even laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand …” And it also means believing in the Torah and the practical mitzvot, most of which we need to perform with the hands. +Reb Noson now links the song of the future, the product of daat’s revelation, with the melody aspect of the hands.

And through this we merit the melody of the future, because it too is the concept of the hands, as in “with his hand he will play [a melody] and you will feel better.”73Shaul HaMelekh’s courtiers advised him to find a skilled musician who would play a melody and so relieve the king of his melancholy. The verse implies that music is made through the power of the hands, which according to Rebbe Nachman entails selecting the good wind (tones) from the winds of gloom and despair (see above, p. 24, note 4). +And by means of all this—namely emunah, the performance of practical mitzvot, and the melody of the future—we receive the power of the “hands of Yaakov” to subjugate the “heel of Esav,” as in “his hand holding on to Esav’s heel.” The verse specifically says “his hand,” as that is where this power lies. +Reb Noson concludes with the significance of purifying the hands with water.

And all this power is channeled into the hands by virtue of our pouring onto them the waters of daat, the daat that is revealed by the prayer of the master of strength. With these waters we purify the hands after sleep. This explains why we purify the hands in particular, because the hands are the means for revealing daat, as explained above. + +Section 7 + +SAYING KADDISH ON A YAHRTZEIT
Before clarifying how the concepts he has developed thus far apply to our morning devotions and prayers, Reb Noson introduces the topics of yahrtzeit and the recital of Kaddish, and shows how these connect to revealing daat.

Now, all this that we have said about the revelation of daat following sleep is conceptually related to yahrtzeit, the anniversary of the passing of one’s father or mother, when one recites Kaddish and fasts.74Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh Dei’ah 376:4, and ibid. Orach Chaim 568:8. Although it is customary to fast on the yahrtzeits of one’s parents, in our time rabbinical authorities are lenient regarding this. Instead, they recommend increased tzedakah and Torah study in memory of the deceased. +In carrying out the customs associated with the yahrtzeit, the son awakens the “sleeping” soul of the parent—revives it from the dead, as it were—by infusing it with new daat.

For at that time, the sons engage in rectifying and elevating the souls of their deceased parents. Death corresponds to sleep, as Chazal teach that sleep is one-sixtieth of death.75Berakhot 57b. Thus when the sons implement a tikkun and elevate their parent’s souls, it is akin to a revival of the dead, which in turn is comparable to waking up from sleep with its renewal of daat.76See §2 above. This comparison between the revival of the dead and waking up from sleep is expressed in Daniel’s prophecy regarding the Resurrection, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken.” It is also expressed in the Shemoneh Esrei blessing regarding HaShem’s faithfulness in reviving the dead, in which we say, “He maintains His emunah to those asleep in the dust.” +Earlier Reb Noson discussed the essential role of the gevurah aspect of the tzaddik’s judgment-prayer in one’s waking from sleep. Here he shows that this is paralleled in the role of the yahrtzeit Kaddish in “waking” the souls of one’s deceased parents.

This is why we begin this blessing of “Who restores the dead to life” with “You are mighty forever, God.” For the revival of the dead is essentially the same idea as chiddush ha-olam, which comes about through the prayer of din associated with gevurot, as explained above.77Reb Noson discussed the connection between the revival of the dead, chiddush ha-olam, and the tzaddik’s judgment-prayer in §2 above. Hence the blessing begins, “You are gibor.”78The theme of the second blessing of the Shemoneh Might) which He ,גבורה) Esrei is HaShem’s GeVuRah expresses through reviving the dead. Thus in this Mighty) and as ,גבור) blessing we address Him as GiBoR Master of Strengths). ,בעל גבורות) Baal GeVuRot [This is as explained elsewhere, that with each of the prayers one should draw the power of the judgment-prayer, the aspect of “You are mighty.”79LH, Hilkhot Yom Tov 3:3.] +Having previously linked chiddush ha-olam with the new song of the future (§4), and now having linked chiddush ha-olam with the revival of the dead, Reb Noson explains that the yahrtzeit Kaddish recited over the dead connotes the future song of praise that will burst forth from everyone’s lips when HaShem renews the world one final time.

And so on the yahrtzeit, because it is an element of reviving the dead, we recite Kaddish. Kabbalah teaches that Kaddish is a very amazing and awesome praise, which, as the holy Zohar states, “shatters all the shackles of iron.”80Zohar II, 129b. In distinguishing the uniqueness of the Kaddish, the Zohar notes that its sanctity spreads in all directions, shattering bolts and shackles of iron and also the most pernicious forces of evil. For the Kaddish is drawn from the new song that will burst forth in the future. Thus we begin with the words “in the world that He created according to His will,” meaning a dimension of emunah in chiddush ha-olam—that we believe HaShem created the world as He willed, yesh mei-ayin. +We follow this with “May He establish His Kingdom.” This refers to the chiddush ha-olam of the future, when, with the creation renewed and finally rectified, HaShem will reveal His sovereignty for all to see, as it is written, “HaShem will be King over the entire world. On that day...”81This verse marks the conclusion of the Aleinu prayer, which was apparently added to the daily prayers to instill emunah in HaShem’s sovereignty (cf. Metzudat David ). +And this is why we then say, “Amen. May His Great Name be blessed forever and for all eternity. Blessed and praised … more exalted than any blessing and song, praise and consolation.” All of this corresponds to the song that will burst forth in the future, which is likewise “more exalted than any blessing and song.” +Therefore the sons recite this awesome praise for the benefit of their father’s and mother’s souls, in order to elevate and rectify them. Their main tikkun is to enable their souls to awaken with a more elevated level of daat, this being an aspect of the revival of the dead/chiddush ha-olam, which is triggered by the awesome praise contained in the Kaddish. As the song of the future, the Kaddish is representative of the longed-for bliss of the World to Come, for at that time we will recognize HaShem and be cognizant of everything that the pious Jews and the tzaddikim have accomplished through their spiritual devotions. Fortunate is the one who eagerly awaits this.

Reb Noson has shown how reciting Kaddish on a yahrtzeit relates to the revival of the dead, the renewal of daat, the gevurah characteristic of the judgment-prayer, belief in chiddush ha-olam, and the new song of the future. He next shows that fasting on a yahrtzeit similarly effects a tikkun. + +Section 8 + +FASTING ON A YAHRTZEIT
Reb Noson briefly relates the practice of fasting on a yahrtzeit to another key element in the Rebbe’s lesson: increasing the power of the soul over the body. This is a fundamental component in the revelation of daat and will be most evident when the world will be renewed in the future.

Therefore one refrains from food and drink on the day of the yahrtzeit, in order to subdue the influence of the body’s sustenance through the fast. For by means of all the above tikkunim we merit subduing the body’s sustenance in relation to the soul’s sustenance, as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.82See §1 of the Rebbe’s lesson; also §1 and notes 29 and 30 above. Study well that lesson from start to finish, and then with HaShem’s help you will understand what we have discussed. + +Section 9 + +TIME CYCLES
Reb Noson explains why the tikkun that the son effects for his parent’s soul takes place precisely once a year. Like the diurnal cycle, the annual cycle is a recurring sequence of darkness and light, exile and redemption, symbolic of the soul’s renewal of daat on the yahrtzeit.

And so we do this year after year, reciting the Kaddish and fasting on the day one’s father or mother passed away. The reason the soul requires a yearly tikkun is that tekufot ha-shanah, the annual cycle—i.e. the year-long revolutions made by the celestial bodies at HaShem’s direction83Reb Noson’s view of the universe presupposes the geocentric model, and so the celestial bodies referred to here are the sun, moon, planets and stars, which annually complete their revolutions around Earth. This annual cycle is referred to in Shemot 34:22, which states that the festival of Sukkot is at tekufat ha-shanah, the cycle of the year. Rashi explains that this means at the “return” of the year, the point at which the next year begins.—parallels tekufot ha‑yamim, the diurnal cycle—i.e. the day-long circuit of the celestial bodies across the sky at His command.84The term “tekufot ha-yamim,” the cycles of days, appears in I Samuel 1:20 (albeit in a different context); see also LM II, 7:6. Tehillim 19:7 states regarding the daily motion of the sun, “Its origin is at one end of the heavens, and tekufato (its cycle or circuit) takes it to the [opposite] end.” Over the course of each day, as a result of the diurnal rotation of Earth on its axis, the sun and the stars appear to cross the sky from east to west. Thus just as each 24‑hour period has a daytime and a nighttime, an evening and a morning, so too the composite of the year has a summer and a winter. These seasons parallel day and night. For in winter the nights are long and so, relative to summer, the winter is identified with night. Correspondingly, the summer, whose days are long, is identified with day relative to winter. This is also the meaning of what is written in Tehillim, “The day is Yours, the night is also Yours … You are the One Who fixed [all] the boundaries of the earth; You are the One Who created summer and winter.” +Thus each annual cycle mirrors the cycle of day and night, evening and morning. As for the diurnal cycle itself, it represents the darkness of exile, which is comparable to night, and the light of redemption, which is comparable to morning. The diurnal cycle also represents the totality of this world, which is governed by nature and so is called “night”; in contrast to chiddush ha-olam, which corresponds to the World to Come, a wondrous existence paralleling the light of day. The intelligent person understands that all these—day and night, summer and winter, exile and redemption, this world and the next—are essentially one and the same concept. +Therefore once a period of a year cycles over the soul of the deceased, the sons must again apply themselves to the soul’s tikkun at the year’s completion. This yearly cycle of the soul parallels the cycle of night and day, through which a dimension of the rectification of emunah in chiddush ha-olam is implemented. This is the idea that the light of day that shines in the morning always appears after the darkness of night by dint of our having bolstered ourselves with emunah throughout the darkest darkness of the night,85See §3 above. which is synonymous with exile and this world. For this deceased person had been in this world of darkness, and now he must ascend to his station in order to attain all the aforementioned concepts— clarifying the imagination, achieving emunah in chiddush ha-olam, and hearing the new song of the future—which are comparable to light. Thus the sons engage once again in the soul’s tikkun by reciting the Kaddish, and so on. +Reb Noson provides another reason why the soul’s tikkun must be renewed each year.

Moreover, each and every year has a Rosh HaShanah, which, as clarified amply in the Rebbe’s lesson, is the main time for all the tikkunim,86See §11 there, where Rebbe Nachman discusses the tikkunim implemented on Rosh HaShanah through the prayer of din—namely the extraction of the life-force of the Sitra Achra, revealing daat, chiddush ha-olam, etc. since these rectificationsextend from Rosh HaShanah across the entire year. Therefore at each beginning of the year for the soul of the deceased—on the day of the yahrtzeit, which is its Rosh HaShanah—the sons must devote themselves to the soul’s rectification, and by doing so renew the above tikkunim for yet another year. + +Section 10 + +THE CHAIN OF DAAT
Reb Noson next shows why the revelation of daat—the pivotal feature of the yahrtzeit— devolves specifically upon the son of the deceased.

Now, responsibility for implementing the tikkun of a parent’s soul falls specifically upon the sons. The reason is that the main objective is the tikkun of holy daat, which must be rectified by means of the abovementioned method. Daat is identified with compassion,87See above, §1 and note 7, linking daat with compassion. particularly the compassion that extends from father to son, as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson in regard to Chazal’s statement: “Thus is the extent of a father’s compassion for a son.”88Bereishit Rabbah 54:2. In §2 of his lesson Rebbe Nachman cites this Midrash regarding Avimelekh’s request of Avraham, “Swear to me here by HaShem that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my grandchildren” (Bereishit 21:23). The Midrash teaches that this indicates the extent of paternal compassion that a man feels; it does not reach beyond three generations. See Rashi, loc. cit. will make known) and ,יודיע) And this is the meaning of “Fathers yodee’a Your truth to their sons,”89The words yoDee’A knowledge) come from the same root. Reb ,דעת) DaAt Noson reads this verse as teaching that a father passes his daat on to his son. for daat and compassion are a single concept, so that instilling in them one instills in them the other. +Therefore the son is specifically the one who carries out the tikkun for his late father, because he needs to rectify the daat that extends from father to son, for from that daat in his father’s mind he originated.90Tikkuney Zohar #18, p. 35a; Shaarei Orah, Shaar HaShemini; Shnei Luchot HaBrit, Toldot Adam: Beit HaShem. In LM II, 7:8, Rebbe Nachman similarly teaches, “The son extends entirely from the father’s mind and so merits his father’s perceptions precisely.” Everything is rectified by revelation of this daat through the prayer of din, by which we merit the melody and the song of chiddush ha-olam of the future. This is the soul’s most important tikkun, because this is the purpose for which man comes into the world: to know HaShem as He will be revealed in the future world. +In light of the above, Reb Noson explains why there is a mitzvah for a person to leave behind sons in the world after his death.

And so it is with the aim of knowing HaShem that man’s primary obligation and mitzvah is to ensure that he leaves behind sons. This is entirely for the sake of a tikkun of daat, namely a tikkun of emunah, which becomes ever more refined with each succeeding generation. This idea appears again and again in the verses of Tehillim, as in “His emunah is from generation to generation,” “One generation will praise Your works to the next,” and “Your emunah is from generation to generation. You established the earth …” The end of this last verse explains its beginning, in that the continued existence of the world from generation to generation—as expressed in “You established the earth and it endures”— is for the sole purpose of refining emunah. It becomes increasingly refined from one generation to the next, from father to son, as in “Your emunah is from generation to generation.” +“Blessed is HaShem forever; amen and amen.”91Reb Noson most often cites this verse from Tehillim (89:53) to signal the end of a discourse. Apparently, he was intending that here as well, but then decided, perhaps at a later date, to add the following insights on the topic of rectifying daat. + +Section 11 + +THE MORNING’S PROTOCOL
Reb Noson returns to the main topic of the law cited from the Shulchan Arukh: arising from sleep in the morning. After clarifying the order of going to sleep and the nighttime devotions, he now addresses the morning activities and their connection to the themes of the Rebbe’s lesson.

This tikkun of daat each morning relates to what Chazal teach, that upon rising in the morning, “whoever relieves himself and washes his hands, dons tefillin, and then recites the Kriat Shema and prays the Shemoneh Esrei—it is as if he has wholeheartedly accepted the yoke of the sovereignty of Heaven.” +“Relieves himself.” This refers to expelling the excesses that are the body’s waste matter. In the context of our discourse, this is the idea of subjugating and eliminating the body’s sustenance,92See §1 above and notes 29 and 30. the waste component of food whose negative spiritual effect is the root of all excesses.93See Shaar HaMitzvot, Parashat Eikev, that the waste matter from food derives from the kelipot and evil that have become intermixed with the good in creation. Thus the first thing we do in the morning to reveal daat is eliminate this superfluous sustenance, so that what remains as nourishment is only the spiritual component of the food, the soul’s sustenance. +“And washes his hands.” This refers to the ritual washing of the hands discussed above. We wash the hands, which signify the power of faith and the performance of mitzvot, in order to purify them by means of the waters of daat.94Reb Noson earlier explained the deeper reason for the ritual washing of the hands when arising from sleep; see §6 and note 69 above. +“Dons tefillin.” In Kabbalah the tefillin symbolize the mochin.95Shaar HaKavanot, Drush Tefillin 5. Thus “dons tefillin” alludes to the daat and mochin that we now merit through the tzaddik who, by praying a prayer of din and carrying out the other nighttime rectifications, has extracted the daat from the grip of the Sitra Achra.96See §1 and §2 above. +“And recites the Kriat Shema.” This equates with the rectification of emunah in chiddush ha-olam made by this revelation of daat, as explained above.97See §1 above. +“And prays.” Now that daat has been revealed and faith in chiddush ha-olam has been rectified, the time has come for the complete tikkun of prayer. For afterwards— meaning after it has become necessary to pray a prayer of din in order to extract the daat from the Sitra Achra—then one can effect to perfection the tikkun of prayer. For prayer corresponds to compassion and daat, which, when revealed, constitute the primary rectification of prayer.98See note 9 above; also Berakhot 20b. +For the essence of prayer is to draw into the world elements of chesed,99These are the chasadim (see above, p. 96, note 52). Kehillat Yaakov (Erekh: Hashkeim) states that the essence of prayer is to draw down chasadim. He brings in this regard Chazal’s teaching that likens the prayers of the tzaddikim to a pitchfork. Just as a pitchfork turns over the grain on a threshing floor, so too the prayers of the tzaddikim overturn the attribute of din, judgment, so that it is replaced by the attribute of rachamim, compassion (Sukkah 14a). through which to arouse belief in the future renewal of the world, as indicated in “The olam will be built with chesed.”100In §9 of his lesson Rebbe Nachman cites this verse in connection with both verses that speak of chiddush ha-olam: “To relate Your chesed in the morning, your emunah in the nights” and “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great.” See note 22 above. In LM II, 4:3, Rebbe Nachman cites the kabbalistic teaching that an arousal from above must be precipitated by an arousal from below, and asks: How then did HaShem create the entire world yesh meiayin, when nothing existed through which to effect an arousal from below, nothing to awaken His will to create? He answers that the Act of Creation was catalyzed solely by HaShem’s chesed. This, the Rebbe explains, is the deeper meaning of “The world will be built [alternatively: ‘is continually being built anew’] with chesed”—that is, as an expression of His lovingkindness, without any arousal from below. Prayer also functions to arouse the song of chesed that will burst forth at that future time, which is itself a more perfect version of the many songs and praises that we currently recite when praying.101See §4 above. +And then, having completed the morning devotions and prayed, one certainly accepts the yoke of the sovereignty of Heaven wholeheartedly. For by drawing down the tikkun of chiddush ha-olam of the future, HaShem’s sovereignty and dominion are fully revealed, since the main revelation of His sovereignty will be at that future time, as it is written, “HaShem will be King over the entire world. On that day…”102See §9 and note 81 above. and “When HaShem will reign, the world will rejoice”103Translation of this verse follows Rashi and Metzudat David, that it refers to HaShem’s reign in the future. and “HaShem will reign for all time.” There are many verses in this vein that speak of the future revelation of HaShem’s sovereignty. Even so, now too we draw from that future revelation a complete acceptance of the yoke of the sovereignty of Heaven, in accordance with our spiritual devotions in this world. This is the purpose of all our devotions: to draw upon ourselves the holiness of chiddush ha-olam specifically in this world of action. Through this, each person, according to his portion earned by his devotions, will merit hearing the song and melody of chiddush ha-olam, this being his portion and reward in the World to Come. + +Section 12 + +WAKING REDEMPTION
Earlier Reb Noson explained that the light of redemption is drawn in the morning through the devotion of chatzot, the midnight prayer. In this vein, he explains why the redemption from Egypt occurred specifically at midnight.

And because the tikkun of daat begins each time at midnight, the main Exodus from Egypt occurred at midnight, as it is written, “Around midnight, I will go out into the midst of Egypt.”104Although the Jews departed from Egypt in the daytime (see Bamidbar 33:3), this verse states that at midnight HaShem delivered the final plague, striking dead every firstborn in Egypt, thus effectively commencing the Exodus (see also Devarim 16:1 and Berakhot 9a). The Exodus from Egypt was achieved mainly via the staff of Moshe and Aharon, which represents the tzaddik’s judgment-prayer. This is alluded to in the words “cast it down before Pharaoh. It will become a snake.” The “staff,” signifying the prayer of din, sticks inside the throat of “Pharaoh,” the Sitra Achra, until all the swallowed holiness is redeemed.105See §1 and note 12 above. Thus the main Exodus from Egypt occurred at midnight, when the power of the prayer of din is awakened.106Reb Noson discussed this in §2 above. In light of all that he has explained, Reb Noson expounds Chazal’s teaching that Moshe was unable to determine the exact moment of midnight, whereas David could. +And this relates to what Chazal taught regarding midnight, that since Moshe did not know when it was exactly midnight, how could David possibly know? But David had a sign, because a harp hung over David’s bed. The moment midnight arrived, the north wind would cause the harp to play, rousing David from sleep. +The explanation is that in Moshe’s time, the rectification implemented by the prayer of din, extracting holy daat from the Sitra Achra, had yet to be fully realized. Consequently, the redemption from Egypt was destined to be followed by exile, as the Sitra Achra was still in control. This is the reason Moshe did not yet know how to accurately determine the time of midnight, since the power of chatzot derives from the judgment-prayer that defeats the Sitra Achra and so elicits the revelation of daat. +The soul of David, on the other hand, is the soul of Mashiach, the one who redeems from exile. He will merit executing this prayer of din with absolute perfection and so redeem all holiness from the Sitra Achra. Through this the redemption will be complete, followed by no further exile. +This final redemption brought about through the might of Mashiach is referenced in “O mighty warrior, gird your sword upon your thigh,” alluding to the sword of prayer,108See LM I, 2:1. until such time that “nations fall beneath you, [and your arrows pierce] the hearts of the king’s enemies.” In a similar vein, the verse “HaShem will dispatch from Tzion the staff of your strength,” which is cited in the Rebbe’s lesson in regard to prayer,109In §3 there, Rebbe Nachman teaches that the staff of strength is the prayer of din that the master lit. ,בקרב) of strength prays in order to rule be-kerev “inside”) the Sitra Achra and flush all holiness “out of its innards” (see note 12 above). was said mainly about David-Mashiach. He is also the subject of the preceding verse, “The word of HaShem to my master: ‘Sit at My right, until I make your enemies your footstool’… the staff of your strength…” Mashiach will fully complete the redemption, for he sits at HaShem’s “right,”110Tanna d’Bei Eliyahu Rabbah 18 (s.v. davar acher shifkhi) states that in the future HaShem will reward David for his virtuous deeds by seating him to the right of the Shekhinah. the side of chesed,111Paradigmatically, man faces eastward, towards east] is ,קדם] HaShem. (The Hebrew word KeDeM ancient], and so alludes to ,קדום] similar to KaDuM HaShem, the Holy Ancient One.) When facing east, south is on one’s right and north on one’s left (see also Rashi on Bamidbar 34:15). In Kabbalah, the right side is emblematic of Chesed and the qualities of kindness, while the left side is emblematic of Gevurah and judgment (see Charts, p. 252)., 112This reference to salvation coming from the “right”/chesed can be understood as relating to the verse Reb Noson cited in §4 above regarding the song of the future: “Sing to HaShem a new song, for He has performed wonders; His [people’s] salvation He wrought by His right hand”—signifying Divine chesed. until He makes his enemies his footstool. +Consequently, David was able to apprehend that which Moshe could not—namely the precise time of midnight, since the power of midnight is aroused through the tikkun brought about by the judgment-prayer, a tikkun David-Mashiach can implement. +And this is itself the meaning of what Chazal say there: “David had a harp hung over his bed. The moment midnight arrived, the north wind would blow upon it and the harp would play of itself.” This refers to the wondrous melody of the future, which, as clarified above, is drawn through the aforementioned prayer of din.113See §10 above, where Reb Noson teaches that everything is rectified by the revelation of daat through the tzaddik’s judgment-prayer, by which we merit the melody and song of chiddush ha-olam of the future. This is why the song of the future is aroused specifically by means of the north wind, a manifestation of gevurot, which are characteristic of the prayer of din.114See note 109 above. Like the north wind and gevurot, song and music, which are identified with the Leviim (see above, p. 44 and note 54), are also conceptually associated with judgment and a prayer of din. +And from the melody played by the north wind, David knew when it was midnight. For the quintessential aspect of midnight is the awakening from sleep, which, as the tikkun of daat, corresponds to the final redemption, when everyone will know HaShem as He will be revealed in the future. For the exile is termed “sleep,” “the darkness of night,”115See §9 above. whereas the redemption is called “waking from sleep,” as it is written, “Then God awoke like one who had been asleep.”116This verse recounts the beginning of HaShem’s redemption of the Jewish people from the Pelishtim (Targum and Rashi, loc. cit.). +All this—the power to wake up from sleep and the power to arouse redemption—is drawn into the world by means of the prayer of din, namely the power awakened at midnight. From there the voice of the melody of the future is aroused to play on David’s harp, explicitly through the gevurot of the north wind. Therefore it was through this melody in particular that David knew when it was midnight. He would get up then and study Torah, since rising at midnight, reciting Tikkun Chatzot, and studying Torah are essentially one and the same concept.117See §3 above. + +Laws of Morning Hand Washing + + + +Laws of Fringes + + + +Laws of Phylacteries + + + +Laws for Morning Blessings + + + +Laws of Torah Blessings + + + +Laws of Kaddish + + + +Laws of Reciting Shema + + + +Laws of Prayer + + + +Laws of Priestly Blessings + + + +Laws of Tachanun + + + +Laws of Sidra Kaddish + + + +Laws of Reading the Torah + + + +Laws of the Synagogue + + + +Laws of Business + + + +Laws of Washing One's Hands for a Meal + + + +Laws of Meals + + + +Laws of Grace After Meals and Washing after Meals + + + +Laws of Blessings Over Fruit + + + +Laws of Blessing on Fragrance + + + +Laws of Thanksgiving Blessings + + + +Laws of Blessing on Sights and Other Blessings + + + +Laws for Afternoon Prayer + + + +Laws for Evening Prayer + + + +Laws of Reciting Shema Before Retiring + + + +Laws of the Sabbath + + + +Laws of Joining Domains + + + +Laws of the New Moon + + + +Laws of Passover + + + +Laws of Counter the Omer + + + +Laws of the Shavuot Festival + + + +Laws of the Festival Day + + + +Laws of the Week Days of a Festival + + + +Laws of the Ninth of Av and Other Fast Days + + + +Laws of the New Year + + + +Laws of the Day of Atonement + + + +Laws of the Festival of Booths + + + +Laws of the Palm Branch + + + +Laws of the Hoshana Rabba Festival + + + +Laws of the Hannukah Festival + + + +Laws of the Four Festive Torah Portions + + + +Laws of Purim + + + +Yoreh Deah + +Laws of Slaughtering + + + +Laws of Unfit Animals + + + +Laws of Priestly Gifts + + + +Laws of a Limb from a Live Animal + + + +Laws of Meat that was Unobserved + + + +Laws of Fat and Blood + + + +Laws of Blood + + + +Laws of Salting + + + +Laws of Domesticated and Undomesticated Animals + + + +Laws of Things that Come from a Live Animal + + + +Laws of Birds + + + +Laws of Fish + + + +Laws of Insects + + + +Laws of Eggs + + + +Laws of Meat and Milk + + + +Laws of Mixtures + + + +Laws of Non Jewish Food + + + +Laws of Kashering Vessels + + + +Laws of Taste Transfer + + + +Laws of Libational Wine + + + +Laws of Wine Vessels + + + +Laws of Idol Worship + + + +Laws of Interest + + + +Laws of Idolatrous Practices + + + +Laws of Sourcerers and Enchanters + + + +Laws of Shaving and Tatooing + + + +Laws of Shaving + + + +Laws of Forbidden Dresss + + + +Laws of a Menstruant + + + +Laws of Ritual Baths + + + +Laws of Vows + + + +Laws of Oaths + + + +Laws of Honouring One's Father and Mother + + + +Laws of Honouring One's Rabbi and a Torah Scholar + + + +Laws of Teachers + + + +Laws of Torah Study + + + +Laws of Charity + + + +Laws of Circumcision + + + +Laws of Slaves + + + +Laws of Converts + + + +Laws of a Torah Scroll + + + +Laws of a Mezuzah + + + +Laws of Sending Away the Mother Bird + + + +Laws of New Grain + + + +Laws of Three Year Old Trees + + + +Laws of Mixed Crops + + + +Laws of Mixed Breeding + + + +Laws of Fobidden Fabric Blends + + + +Laws of Redeeming the Firstborn + + + +Laws of Firstborn Kosher Animals + + + +Laws of Firstborn Donkey + + + +Laws of Separating From Dough + + + +Laws of Tithes + + + +Laws of First Shearings + + + +Even HaEzer + +Laws of Procreation + + + +Laws of Matrimony + + + +Laws of Sanctification + + + +Laws of a Bill of Marriage + + + +Laws of a Bill of Divorce + + + +Laws of Levirate Marriage + + + +Laws of Adulterer + + + +Laws of Rape and Seduction + + + +Choshen Mishpat + +Laws for Judges + + + +Laws of Testimony + + + +Laws of Loans + + + +Laws of Plaintiffs and Defendants + + + +Laws of Collecting Loans + + + +Laws of Collecting Loans from Orphans + + + +Laws of Collecting Loans from Purchasers and Laws Designated Collection + + + +Laws of an Agent Collecting Debts and Authorisation + + + +Laws of Authorisation + + + +Laws of Guaranteeing + + + +Laws of Movable Property + + + +Laws of Immovable Property + + + +Laws of Neighbor Damages + + + +Laws of Immovable Partnerships + + + +Laws of Divisions of Partnerships + + + +Laws of Boundaries + + + +Laws of Partners + + + +Laws of Emissaries + + + +Laws of Buying and Selling + + + +Laws of Over and Under Charging + + + +Laws of Gifting + + + +Laws of a Deathly Ill Person + + + +Laws of Lost and Found + + + +Laws of Unloading and Loading + + + +Laws of Ownerless Property and Property of Non Jews + + + +Laws of Inheritance + + + +Laws of an Apotropos + + + +Laws of Deposit and Four Guards + + + +Laws for Paid Guardians + + + +Laws of Artisans + + + +Laws of Hiring + + + +Laws of Leasing and Contract Work + + + +Laws of Hiring Labourers + + + +Laws of Borrowing + + + +Laws of Theft + + + +Laws of Stealing + + + +Laws of Damages + + + +Laws of Causing a Loss and Reporting to Government + + + +Laws of Monetary Damages + + + +Laws of Injuring a Person + + + +Laws of Roof Rails and Preservation of Life +