#1 Ashrei Temimei Darekh edit
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[Some background and context:
- A follower of R' Nachman ztz"l complained of discouragement in his prayers. R' Nachman z"l answered that he should study a piece of Oral Torah after prayer. On another occasion, he z"l said, "What else is there to do in this world but pray, study and pray?!" And to the dispute where Mithnagdim said study is the main thing, and Chassidim said prayer is the main thing, R' Nachman z"l said, "But I say, 'Pray, study, and pray!'"
- Also, the Maskilim ("Enlightened" secularizers, and Illuminati) had been making inroads getting Jews involved in what they had previously remained excluded or secluded from, worldly languages and education. The Maskilim cunningly claimed to rightly uphold the true, core Judaism and Torah while discarding mere outward "husks" of what is prescribed in the Written Torah and Oral Torah, with the purported aim that Jews find favor and become "useful" in the lands where they lived Initially or secretly their aim was a tyrannical secular world order (Illuminati) abolishing old religions, or to proliferate willful sin and evil in order to "force Mashiach to come" (Frankists).
- Meanwhile, the Chassidim, followers of the Baal Shem Tov (who can be seen as coming to remedy the the Sabatean debacle), were opposed or banned by the Mithnagdim (lit. "opposers") who due to the said debacles turned reactively or protectively away from mysticism, kabbalah, and innovations of any kind.
Immediately in this lesson's opening quote and first lines — indeed, first word, and with masterful construction at many levels — this lesson addresses the remedy of all the above.]
Know [this]. By the [Oral] Torah all the prayers [Heb. tPLwt] and all the requests [BQSh] that we request [PLL] and pray [BQSh] are received [QBL]; only in this way can the favor/grace/charm [CheN] and the importance/primacy/consideration [ChaShiBut] of Yisrael be raised [`ALH] and heightened [RMM] in the view of whoever necessary, whether ethereal or physical [entities]. Because now, in our many misdeeds, the true CheN and ChaShiBut of Yisrael are fallen [nPL]. Because now, the CheN and ChashiBut are mainly with the others [the nations or secularizers]. But by means of the Torah the CheN and ChaShiBut of Yisrael are raised [`ALeH], for the Torah is called: "AYeLeth ahavim we'ya`ALat CheN/a beloved ewe and graceful gazelle (Prov. 5:19), for she ma`ALah CheN/bestows grace on lomedeYaH/those who study it (Eruvin 54). And by this [ZeH] all the prayers and the requests are received [QBL]:
For, the Israelite Man [Ish haYisraeli, meaning one who is able to struggle with and overcome God and man (Gen. 32:48) and to go from level to level] needs to always consider the SeKheL/intellect of each thing, and bind himself to the wisdom and intellect in everything, in order that the intellect in each thing should enlighten him to draw closer to Hashem Yithbarakh, by means of that thing. For the intellect is a great light and shines for him in all his ways, as it is written (Eccl. 8): "Chokhmath adam ta'ir panaw/ A man's wisdom makes his face shine." [cf. Num 6:25 Ya'er H' panaw eleikha wiChuNeka]
[R' Nachman's second son was named Ya'akov. His first son was Shlomo Efraim. Both died in infancy. The first word in the Torah is B'REShiYT]
And this is the aspect of Ya`AQoV [who earned the name Yisrael], for Ya`akov attained the bekhorah/ firstborn primacy, which is heading/beginning [REiShiYT], which is the idea of Chokhmah/ wisdom. As it is written (Ps. 111): Reishith chokhmah/ the first [is] wisdom." And this is like "WaYa`Qe’Veni ZeH pa`amayim/ for he has hindered me these two times" (Gen. 27:36). Onkelos renders this: "weChaKMeni/ for he has outwitted me." And this is the concept of the Sun, for the intellect shines for him in all his ways like the Sun. And this is like (Prov. 4:18) "But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, progressively shining unto the daily zenith." And this is the idea of ח [the letter CheYth] — which connotes life (ChiYuth). For the wisdom and the intelligence are the life of every thing, as is written (Eccl. 7): "the wisdom preserves alive" etc.
However, since the light of the intellect is very great, it is impossible to attain it except by means of the aspect of נון [the name of the letter NUN] which is the idea of Malkhut/ kingship, as written (Ps. 72): "lifnei-shemesh yiNnoN shemo/ Let his name rule in front of the sun," and Rashi explained [yiNnoN as]: a term for Kingship. And this is the aspect of the Moon, because the Moon, she has no light of her own, except only what she receives from the Sun (Zohar III:238). And this is like Malkhut, which has nothing of its own, except what it receives from the Cheith, which is like Chokhmah, which is the aspect of the Sun as mentioned; "And the light of the Moon will be like the Sun's light".
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But whoever does not bind himself to the intellect, the wisdom and the life that there is in each thing, behaves like Esau who scorned the primacy, as it is written (Gen. 25): "So Esau scorned his birthright"; that is, the intellect as mentioned above, like (Prov. 18): "A fool has no delight in understanding, but only that his heart may lay itself bare." And this is like the Wicked Malkhut, like the Moon of the Other Side, of which is it said (Isa. 24): "Then the moon shall be confounded" etc.
And this is like the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination, for the Good Inclination is called "poor and wise" (Eccl. 4), like Malkhut, which is poor and lowly, for it has nothing of its own except what it receives from Chokhmah. And the Evil Inclination is called an "old and foolish king" (there), like the Malkhut of the Other Side, which desires not wisdom and intelligence, like "a fool has no delight in understanding" etc. as mentioned above.
And it is necessary that everyone give strength to the aspect of the Malkhut DiK'dushah (of Holiness), to overcome the Malkhut DeSitra Achra (of the Other Side), as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Berakhoth 5): "A man should always stir up the Good Inclination against the Evil Inclination." And how can he give strength to the Malkhut DiK'dushah? — through the Torah in which he involves himself vigorously (as our Rabbis of blessed memory said there: "A man should always stir up" etc. "If it [the Evil Inclination] leaves, good, and if not, let him involve himself Torah"). And as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Kiddushin 30): "If this degenerate one (the Evil Inclination) incites you, pull him to the Beit Midrash/Torah hall," for through the Torah one gives strength to the Malkhut DiK'dushah.
And then the Malkhut/נ, receives life from Chokhmah/ח, so the ח and the נ are attached and bound, and the light of the Moon becomes as the light of the Sun, "and when one (side) rises the other falls" (Rashi, Gen. 25:23), so the Malkhut DeSitra Achra falls and is annulled, as written (Hos. 14): "For the ways of Hashem are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall in them." That is, through the ways of Hashem — i.e. the Torah — through this the righteous who are bound to the Malkhut DiK'dushah, they are strengthened and receive strength through this. "But the transgressors shall fall in them," like the Malkhut DeSitra Achra, like the Evil Inclination, which falls and is suppressed through the Torah as mentioned above:
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And through this [ZeH] are received all the prayers and requests, for the main reason why requests are not received — is because the words have no CheiN / charm/grace/favor, and do not enter in the heart of the one that they are requesting from, as if there is no space in his heart so that the words should enter in his heart, because the requester has no CheN so that the words should enter into the heart of the one that he is requesting from. But by the Torah [ha-Torah i.e. the hidden Torah], through which the ח and the נ are connected as mentioned above and חן/ CheN/grace is made — and therefore the Torah is called ya`ALath CheN (Prov. 5) — then one merits that his words be words of CheN, and then his words and requests are received, like one who speaks charming words, that the words enter in the heart of the one who is being requested, i.e. the one that he is requesting from. [t.n. chen is a codeword for the kaballah]
And this is the idea of ת(the letter TaW), i.e. through the Cheit and the Nun being joined and tied and the aspect of Chen/grace being made — through this is made the aspect of Taw [Taw is ח and נ juxtaposed], which is a term for engraving and impression, as written (Eze. 9): "we’hiThWitha TaW/and mark a sign," for through the Chen is engraved and impressed a place in the heart of the requested one, to receive the request, for by the Chen his words for accepted. Hence, the aspect of the Chen engraved a place in the heart of the requestee, in order that his words should enter to his heart, and his request be accepted; and the engraving and the impression are the aspect of Taw as mentioned. And this is [the meaning of] (Eccl. 9): "The words of the wise are heard in נחת/NaChaTh/quiet." NaChaTh specifically, namely as in the חן/Chen mentioned and the ת/Taw mentioned.
And therefore Ya`akov — who is the aspect of Intellect as mentioned — therefore he merited Chen, as written (Gen 33:11): "Ki chanani Elohim/For God has dealt graciously with me" etc. And therefore he blessed the tribes with Chen, as written (there): "The children which Elohim has graciously given" etc. And Binyamin was not yet born, so therefore Yosef [later] blessed him with Chen, as written (ibid. 43:29): "Elohim yoChNekha beni/Elohim give you grace, my son."
And specifically Yosef was able to bless him with grace, for Yosef was the most made up from the essence of Ya`akov, as written (ibid. 37:2): "These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph..." for he was the essence of his generations, for "Ya`akov and Yosef are counted as one" [Zohar]. And therefore it is said of Yosef (Deut. 33:13): "Bekhor shoro/his firstling bullock, hadar lo/majestic is he." Bekhor/firstling is like the intellect as mentioned above, and this is [why it is expounded] that ShORo/bullock is a term for gazing [ShOR means "to look"], for one must look at the intellect that there is in each thing as mentioned. And this explains: “majestic is he" — Onkelos renders it: "ZYW LeYH/radiance is his," a term for light, for the intellect shines for him in every thing. Even in a place that was darkness and gloom, the intellect shines for him, when one merits to look at the intellect that exists there in every thing, and it draws him closer to Hashem Yithbarakh:
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And this is the explanation of that which Rabbah bar Bar Chana said: Hai gala dematba` lesfinta, mithchazei ki tzutzita denura chiwwarta bereisha/That wave that sinks a ship appears with a fringe of white fire at its crest, umaChiNin leyh be'aluta dechaqiq `aleyh AHYeH ASHER AHYeH/And they strike it [the wave] with clubs on which is engraved I WILL BE [THE ONE] WHO WILL BE... (B"B 73a): Rashbam: a white fringe of fire at its crest: a white fire; it is an angel of harm.
The wave is the Evil Inclination. That sinks a SeFiNta/ship — it is the grace and importance, [as in] the phrase "SaFuN weChashub (Moed Katan 28), for the evil inclination wants to sink and subdue, God forbid, the aspect of the grace and the importance of Yisrael, the aspect of the Malkhut DiK'dushah. And appears with a white fringe of fire at its crest — for initially the Evil Inclination clothes itself in mitzvoth and misleads the man as if urging him to do a mitzvah. And this is the idea of tzutzita denura chiwwarta, a white fire; though [it is white], it is a harmful angel. And they strike it with clubs on which is engraved "AHYeH ASHER AHYeH" etc., i.e. the main way to subdue the Evil Inclination is through the Torah, which all is names of the Holy One, Blessed-Is-He. And the Torah is like Waw [the letter ו which is ordinal 6], for the Tablets — six [cubits] is their length and six is their width (B"B 14). And this is the idea of the club, i.e. sticks, that are engraved on them "I AM... ,” i.e. Names, standing for the Torah, which is like Waw. And the Waw is the form of a stick, and she (the Torah) is all names of Hashem Yithbarakh. So namely the Torah of Holiness, she subdues the Evil Inclination, which wants to make a man really insane, God forbid, for a sinner is insane, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Sotah 3): No man commits a sin, unless a spirit of folly enters in him. And as with the insane people, [that] they need to beat them and place on them (holy) names — just like that, the Torah that they involve themselves in is like sticks and names, with which they strike and subdue the Evil Inclination, and drive out from the man the insanity and the spirit of folly that is entered in him, as in and they strike it with clubs on which is engraved names etc. as mentioned.
And this is [the explanation of]: Ashrei temimei darekh, haholekhim beTorath Hashem. Ashrei is a term for gazing. TeMimei darekh/who go in purity is like (Gen 25:27): Ya`akov ish TaM/a wholesome man, who is the idea of the intellect as mentioned. That is, to manage to look at the intellect that exists in each thing — which is the idea of Ya`akov the wholesome man — this we attain by [this] Torah.
And this is [the explanation of]: "...who walk in the Torah of Hashem," for through his learning Torah with vigor, through this he gives strength to the Malkhut DiK'dushah, like NUN, to receive from the intellect, which is the aspect of CHeYTh, and then is made CheN, and his words are accepted, as mentioned above, and then Yisrael's Favor and Import rise up, and all the prayers and requests are accepted: