Translation:Likutei Moharan/55

It is found in the Talmud: Abba Shaul Omer (Abba Shaul Says): I used to be an undertaker. Once, while chasing after a deer, I entered the thigh bone of a dead man. I chased after it for three parasangs but met up with no deer, nor did the thigh bone end. When I returned, they said to me: That was [the thigh] of King Og of the Bashan. (Niddah 24b)

Know! the only way to see the downfall of the wicked is through the aspect of the Land of Israel, corresponding to “Sit at My right hand, while I make your enemies your footstool” (Psalms 110:1). Yamin (“right hand”) is the aspect of the Land of Israel, the aspect of Binyamin: Ben yamin, who was born in the Land of Israel.

But drawing the aspect of the holiness of the Land of Israel now, in exile, while she is under the control of the Other Side, so that her holiness is incapable of being revealed — it is nonetheless possible to reveal and draw her holiness even in this bitter exile, in the aspect of “Thus even this too in their enemies’ land” (Leviticus 26:44). That is, even in the bitter exile it is possible to reveal the aspect of “this too.”

By what means is it possible to draw the holiness of the Land of Israel? — by means of the illumination of patriarchal merit. As in the teaching of the Zohar (III, 174a): Wherever the patriarchs are present, the Divine Presence is present, in the aspect of “I will remember My covenant with Yaakov… and I will remember the Land” (Leviticus 26:42). When the light of patriarchal merit shines, the holiness of the Land of Israel is revealed. Then not only is a person saved from someone wicked, but he also sees happen to the wicked person what the wicked person wanted to have happen to him.

The wicked draw the aspect of an evil eye upon their enemies, corresponding to “Not only this, but he sees happen to his enemies” (Berakhot 7b). Yet a person is spared from this evil eye by finding merit in the wicked person, because the Holy One, too, finds merit in the wicked person in order to save the tzaddik from the wicked man’s evil eye. This is as our Sages said: “Not only this” — but he is exonerated, as it is said, “Your judgments are far removed from him” (Psalms 10:5).

And by virtue of his exoneration — that they find in him merit — the tzaddik is spared from the evil eye of the wicked person. This is because in order to remove sternness and judgment, the hand must be revealed, in the aspect of “grasp judgment in My Hand” (Deuteronomy 32:41), so that [judgment] does not overwhelm the wicked. When the Hand of God is revealed, the shade is created in which the tzaddik is concealed from the poison of the evil eye, in the aspect of “I have sheltered you with the shade of My Hand” (Isaiah 51:16).

In this bitter exile the eyes of the wicked person are polished like a cast mirror and his poisonous eyes see into the distance, in the aspect of “they look on and deride me” (Psalms 22:18), but because of the shade, the light of his eyes is dimmed, preventing their poison from doing harm.

As for the tzaddikim, however, the light of their eyes is presently minimal, in the aspect of “Who is blind like My perfect one?” (Isaiah 42:19). But by means of the shade, the light of their eyes is strengthened. This is like those whose vision is weak; they are unable to see well when the light is bright and strong, but require shade in order to see.

This is the meaning of: {“The wicked man watches for the tzaddik and seeks to have him put to death. God will not abandon him into his hand, nor let him be found guilty should he be tried” (Psalms 37:32-33).}

The wicked man watches for the tzaddik and seeks to have him put to death — that is, with the evil eye, as explained above.

God will not abandon him into his hand — Specifically “into his hand,” i.e., with the revelation of the Hand of God, as explained above. By what means is the Hand of God revealed? By means of: nor let him be found guilty should he be tried — through the aspect of “grasp judgment in My Hand,” the aspect of “Your judgments are far removed,” as explained above.

As a result, the light of the wicked person’s eyes is dimmed, in the aspect of “They are muddled in vision, [they stumble in verdict]” (Isaiah 28:7). Because “they stumble in verdict” — this being the aspect of judgment, exoneration — “they are muddled in vision” — the light of his eyes is dimmed, as explained above.

But by means of the shade, the light of the tzaddik’s eyes is strengthened, as explained above. He is then able to see into the distance, in the aspect of “I lift my eyes up to the mountains” (Psalms 121:1). He sees and perceives God’s justice, and he can know and understand that God is in the right — even if the wicked person is exonerated, although this does not seem right. And he sees that God’s acquitting the wicked man in judgment is the Holy One’s justice: “I will not let a wicked person escape judgment” (Exodus 23:7).

And this is the meaning of “I lift my eyes up to the mountains.” It is the aspect of the Holy One’s justice, corresponding to (Psalms 36:7) “Your justice is like the highest mountains” even though “Your judgment is” suppressed in “a great deep.”

As a result of the tzaddik’s vision being strengthened through his seeing God’s justice, his faith is strengthened and he is able to pray. This is because his heart is divested of the crookedness that it had before he saw God’s justice. For by means of the Divine justice that he sees, the heart is divested of its crookedness and becomes upright, in the aspect of “Your justice to the upright of heart” (Psalms 36:11). At first the crookedness of his heart prevented him from believing completely in God, because it seemed to him that the Holy One had perverted the verdict, God forbid. But now that he sees God’s justice, his heart is upright with perfect faith.

Then he strengthens himself and prays for his needs. For the foundation of prayer is faith — he believes that everything is in God’s jurisdiction, even to change nature. And the Holy One does not deny any creature its due reward, because God is just. This is the aspect of “I will give thanks to You with an upright heart” (Psalms 119:7) — by means of an upright heart, which corresponds to faith, the aspect of prayer is made. {“Instruct the Israelites to bring you a red cow temimah (without blemish), in which there is no defect and on which no yoke has been laid” (Numbers 19:2).}

This is also the aspect of the red cow, as in the teaching in the Zohar (III, 180b): The cow that receives from the shor (ox).

cow — This is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of “We will offer [the words of] our lips instead of cows” (Hosea 14:3).

that receives from the ShoR — The aspect of gazing, as connoted by “aShuRenu (I behold it), but it is not near” (Numbers 24:17). For by means of the aspect of “I lift my eyes up to the mountains,” as explained above, the aspect of prayer is made. And this is:

red [cow] temimah — “Red” indicates a decree of judgment; “TeMimah” indicates a shor TaM (an innocuous ox), mitigated judgment. In other words, he sees the Holy One diminish the intensity of the judgment, in the aspect of “grasp judgment in My Hand.”

on which no yoke has been laid — This refers to “those of Israel whose faith is perfect” (2 Samuel 20:19). It is the aspect of strengthening faith, of prayer, which is achieved by means of strengthened vision, in the aspect of “Your justice to the upright of heart,” as explained above.

This is the aspect of dust and ashes mentioned in connection with the [red] cow. The aspect of prayer requires the aspect of dust and ashes. For both in the particular and in the general, a person must subdue the evil to the good, in the aspect of “You will crush the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet” (Malakhi 3:21). This is the aspect of ashes within the aspect of prayer. And foot is the aspect of prayer, as in (Psalms 26:12), “My foot stood….”

The evil in the particular — i.e., his physical body and his corporeality — he should nullify during prayer; like the early chassidim, who while praying divested themselves of all corporeality. And the evil in the general — i.e., the prayers he prays with the Jewish sinners — he should nullify their evil. He should turn the evil into a buttress for holiness. This is the aspect of the ashes in prayer.

As for the dust in prayer — this entails binding himself, in general and in particular, with the nefesh-ruach-neshamah of those who rest in the dust, and through his prayers arouse them to pray with him in the aspect of “Awake and sing out, you who rest in the dust” (Isaiah 26:19). This is the meaning of “Let him put his mouth to the dust” (Lamentations 3:29) — i.e., he should bind his words to those who rest in the dust, as explained above.

This is what Avraham prayed, “I have begun to speak up before my Lord, and I am mere dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27) — because this is a necessary element for the aspect of prayer.

And this is called praying with a quorum, because the letters TZiBuR (quorum) are the acronym of TZaddikim Beinonim Reshaim (the righteous, the intermediate, the wicked). “The intermediate” is the one praying, as in the teaching of the Sages (Kiddushin 40b): A person should always consider himself as if his merits [and offenses] are equally balanced. “The tzaddikim” are the aspect of dust; “the wicked” are the aspect of ashes, as explained above.

Awakening those who rest in the dust — this applies in the particular and in the general. The particular is the parts of his nefesh-ruach-neshamah that were already reincarnated and rectified. The general is the nefesh-ruach-neshamah of others resting in the dust, to rouse them to pray with him.

This is also the aspect of the many sevens associated with the [red] cow; whatever relates to it is seven, as is brought (Zohar III, 76b): seven washings, seven priests, etc. This is the aspect of prayer, corresponding to “I praise You seven times daily” (Psalms 119:164).

Through his prayers he must also rectify the aspect of the three sounds: the aspect of “the sound of the fool is in [too] many words” (Ecclesiastes 5:2); the aspect of “What I hear is the sound of song” (Exodus 32:18); and the aspect of sound corresponding to “My humiliation is before me always… at the sound of the vilifier and the blasphemer” (Psalms 44:16, 17). This is also the aspect of “cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet wool” (Numbers 19:6) associated with the [red] cow.

“Cedar” corresponds to “the sound of the fool is in [too] many devarim” — in many false practices and beliefs. These are the aspect of the ways of the Amorites, for “A fool believes everything” (Proverbs 14:15). Thus, this is the aspect of the cedar, corresponding to “I destroyed the Amorites, [a people] as tall as cedars” (Amos 2:9). Tall people are mostly fools. Because of their height, the vapors that ascend from the heart to the mind to develop there and become thoughts — these vapors are weakened by the lengthy journey from the heart to the mind of such tall people, and so are incapable of becoming intelligent thoughts. This is the reason tall people are fools. And this is the aspect of the ways of the Amorites; they have no intelligence whatsoever, because [they were] “as tall as cedars,” which is why they have faith in many false beliefs.

As for short people, their vapors develop well and become intelligent thoughts. However, because their intellects surpass their good deeds — the aspect of “he whose wisdom is greater than his deeds” (Avot 3:9) — when the intelligent thoughts returns to their hearts, their hearts lack the strength to contain the intelligence, because the heart’s strength comes mainly from good deeds. As a result, they are in the aspect of “Will he purchase wisdom, when the heart is lacking” (Proverbs 17:16). And because of this intelligence they cause [others] to sin. It is they, the philosophers, who lack a good and pure heart, and are not in the aspect of “I have stored Your word in my heart, in order that I not sin against You” (Psalms 119:11). Thus, as a result of this intelligence, they are the primary cause of [others] sinning.

Hence, they are the aspect of “hyssop that emerges from the wall” (1 Kings 5:13). “Hyssop” is the aspect of short people; they are intelligent, but the heart is incapable of storing within it the power of the intellect. This is because their hearts are weak and lacking, especially those who are sexually immoral, who occupy themselves with philosophy, which causes them great harm, because their hearts are lacking, in the aspect of “One guilty of adultery lacks a heart” (Proverbs 6:32). This is the meaning of “hyssop that emerges from the wall” — i.e., the walls of the heart. The intelligence emerges by way of the walls of the heart, and the heart is incapable of containing within it the intelligence, in the aspect of “I have stored [Your word] in my heart.”

This is also the aspect of “What I hear is the sound of song” — the sound of reviling and blaspheming, because with their wisdom they blaspheme the One Above, as is known. Thus, it is said of them: “Do not be excessively wise” (Ecclesiastes 7:16).

“Scarlet wool” is the aspect of the third sound, the humiliation and vilification a person receives from enemies, in the aspect of “My humiliation is before me always; the shame of my face covers me, at the sound of the vilifier and the blasphemer.” This is “tolaat (scarlet) wool,” the aspect of “But I am a tolaat (worm) and not a man; vilified by men and humiliated by a people” (Psalms 22:7).

This is also the slaughtering, burning and gathering associated with the [red] cow. They are these three aspects:

Slaughtering corresponds to nullifying the beliefs of the foolish, in the aspect of “The slaughter by the wayward was even worse” (Hosea 5:2).

Burning corresponds to strengthening the heart so that it can contain the wisdom within it, in the aspect of “My heart is hot within me” (Psalms 39:4). By virtue of the intellect being retained in the heart, the heart becomes hot because the intellect is like a contained fire. This is the burning.

Gathering corresponds to nullifying the humiliation by the enemy, in the aspect of “God has gathered away my disgrace” (Genesis 30:23). This corresponds to nullifying the third sound, as explained above.

The person who prays must rectify all this through his prayers:

[He must] elevate those who succumb to false beliefs — elevating them with his prayers to true faith, which is prayer, and establishing in their hearts complete faith.

[He must] rectify also the hearts of scholars, the philosophers, in order that their hearts can contain the intellect and not cause them to sin, in the aspect of “I have stored [Your word] in my heart.” This is accomplished by means of the heart’s intentionality while praying: he rectifies their hearts.

And [he must] transform all the humiliation and vilification, turning it into glory. For when a person stands in the Chamber of the King and nullifies himself so totally that the only thing he sees is the King, then without a doubt when he hears any vilification and humiliation, he interprets this vilification and humiliation as glorification of the King. For how could anyone enter the King’s Chamber and humiliate the King? Rather, these words must certainly be words of glorification. Thus he analyzes the words for how he might interpret and combine them so that they become glorification for the King. He would also not presume that perhaps these vilifications are directed at him. This cannot be, for who is he? Why, he has nullified his corporeality, so that all that there is here is the King Himself.

This is the meaning of “while in His Chamber, all declare, ‘Glory!’” (Psalms 29:9) — all the declarations have to be combined, so that they become glory. For while praying, a person stands in the Chamber of the King, in the aspect of “Adonoy (My Lord), open my lips” (Psalms 51:17). ADoNoY is HeIKhaL (Chamber). Therefore, he must turn all humiliation into combinations of glory for the King.

Through proper prayer, the light of patriarchal merit shines, in the aspect of “the merit of the patriarchs is ChaLaH (activated).” This occurs through proper prayer, because patriarchal merit is activated as a result of “Moshe vayeChaL (implored)…” (Exodus 32:11) — through the aspect of prayer. And “wherever the patriarchs are present, the Divine Presence is present.” For She is the aspect of challah, she is gam zot (this too); GaM is the aspect of ChaLlaH, whose measure is M-G (43) eggs.

This is also the aspect of the inheritance of the Land of Israel. They were commanded to perform this mitzvah immediately, as it is written (Numbers 15:19, 20), “When you eat the land’s produce, you must set aside an elevated gift…”; from “the first of your kneading, you must set aside challah as an elevated gift.” For “wherever the patriarchs are present, the Divine Presence is present” — she being the aspect of challah, which is the Land of Israel.

And through the aspect of the Land of Israel he is not only saved from the evil eye of the wicked, but he also sees happen to them what they wanted to have happen to him. Until now “they surpassed the fantasies of their hearts” (Psalms 73:7), they accomplished even more than what they hoped to. But now, through “vayeChaL,” through “the merit of the patriarch’s ChaLaH,” through the ChaLlaH gift, through the Land of Israel— their hearts become “a heart made sick by deferred hope” (Proverbs 13:12).

And this is the meaning of: {“Put your hope in God and keep to darkho (His way), and He will raise you high that you may inherit the land. When the wicked are destroyed, you will witness it” (Psalms 37:34).} Put your hope in God and keep to DaRKho — This corresponds to rectification of prayer, to DRiKhat (drawing) the bow, which is the aspect of prayer. These are the three colors of the rainbow, which are the illumination of patriarchal light, as explained above. Through this:

He will raise you high that you may inherit the land — This corresponds to the Land of Israel. And through this:

When the wicked are destroyed, you will witness it — the aspect of “Sit at My right hand, [while I make your enemies your footstool],” as explained above.

And this is: “Abide in the land, and nourish [yourself] on faith” (ibid., v.3) — through faith, which is prayer, one comes to the aspect of the Land of Israel.

Know, too, that not everyone is capable of rectifying the above mentioned sounds through his prayer. Sometimes those sounds in his prayer come from such very wicked people, that anyone who stands up against them endangers his life.

This requires great prayer, like the prayer of Moshe Rabbeinu, of blessed memory. Yet even Moshe Rabbeinu was afraid of King Og of the Bashan — because Og’s hold is close to the right side, which is the Land of Israel — until God said to Moshe, “Do not be afraid of him” (Numbers 21:34). For he said, “My right hand has departed,” as is brought in the Zohar (III, 184). And Og’s hold is on the right side, for he is a member of Avraham’s household, and his land is close to the Land of Israel. This is why Moshe feared antagonizing him. All the more so other people. A person must scrutinize himself extensively, and he must understand where the root of the wicked person has its hold, if he is going to be able to antagonize and destroy him.

This is the meaning of what Abba Shaul said:

I used to be an undertaker. Once, while chasing after a tzvi (deer), I entered the kulit (thigh bone) of a dead man. I chased after it for three parasangs but met up with no deer, nor did the thigh bone end. When I returned, they said to me: That was [the kulit] of King Og of the Bashan.

I used to be an undertaker — He strove constantly to see the destruction of the wicked, who though alive are called dead (Berakhot 18b).

Once, while chasing after a tzvi — For in the main the downfall of the wicked is by means of the inheritance of the Land of Israel, by drawing the holiness of the Land of Israel, corresponding to “Sit at My right hand…,” as explained above. And the Land of Israel is “the tzvi (fairest) of all the lands” (Ezekiel 20:6).

I entered the KuLiT of a dead man — That is, he wanted to rectify the above mentioned KoLoT (sounds).

I chased after it for three parasangs — This is the aspect of prayer, of which there are three. Through them the light of the merit of the three patriarchs — who are the legs of the Throne — shines, in order to draw the light of the Land of Israel, which is the above mentioned aspect of the tzvi.

but met up with no tzvi, nor did the kulit end — He did not attain the aspect of the Land of Israel, the nullification of the sounds mentioned above.

When I returned — That is, after he finished praying, for then a person takes three steps back.

they said to me: It was [the kulit] of King Og of the Bashan — Not every person can rectify kolot such as these, because [Og’s] hold is on the right side. Thus, even Moshe Rabbeinu was afraid of him until God assured him: “Do not be afraid of him,” as brought in the Zohar.

This is why the aspect of a wicked person like Og is called “refugee,” as it is written (Genesis 14:13), “Then the refugee came” — this is Og. It was his hope that Avraham would be killed, and he would marry Sarah. He corresponds to “The wicked man watches for the tzaddik” — Avraham, etc.; “God will not abandon him into his hand” — in the aspect of “grasp judgment in My Hand.” The Holy One held his judgment in abeyance for a long time, until the time of Moshe Rabbeinu, of blessed memory. This is why he is called “refugee,” corresponding to “I will be free of my judgment forever” (Job 23:7) — he escaped judgment an extremely long time.

And through this, the tzaddikim, who do good, merit God’s countenance. Prior to the destruction of the wicked, God’s countenance is covered and hidden in order to destroy the evildoers, in the aspect of “God’s countenance is in those who do evil, to destroy [them]” (Psalms 34:17).

But now, as soon as we see the destruction of the wicked, God’s countenance is immediately revealed to those who do good. This is the meaning of “Seek His countenance constantly” (Psalms 105:4). By means of “constantly” — the aspect of the Land of Israel, as it is written (Deuteronomy 11:12), “God your Lord keeps His eyes on it constantly”… by means of the Land of Israel you will merit to find God’s countenance. For by means of the Land of Israel you will merit to see the destruction of the wicked, as explained above.

This is also the aspect of encompassing the angel Sandal in the angel Metat, Minister of the Countenance — the encompassing of the World of Action in the World of Formation — by repeating the verse “Every neshamah (soul)” (Psalms 150:6) — with each and every neshimah (breath) one must praise God.

However, by means of an evil eye, the breath is doubled. We see this empirically, that when a person has an evil eye, he yawns and opens his mouth to inhale a second time. And when the breath is doubled, praise also has to be doubled, as explained above. In particular, he has to praise and thank God that He rescued him from this evil eye and that he sees the destruction of the wicked.

This is the aspect of Metat, Minister of the Countenance, radiating to the World of Action — i.e., those whose actions are good merit the countenance of God as a result of the destruction of the evil eye, which caused the breath to be doubled.