תּוֹרָה מו - נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי תָמִיד

Nafshi B'Chafi Tamid — "My Soul Is Always in My Palm" · Opening: Psalms 119:109 · Likutay Moharan Part I, Toirah 46

Clapping the palms during prayer is the aspect of the union — of placing the bed between north and south [Berachos 5b] — which are the aspect of the two hands. (And see above §9 — that through proper prayer one merits one's union and one's livelihood.)

Also through this the judgments are sweetened. For the right hand is the great hand — and the left is the strong hand. And at the moment of striking — when they join together — this is the aspect of the high hand [ yad ramah ]. And they are the aspect of three hands — the aspect of three Divine Names [ havayos ]. For yad [hand] is the aspect of the Divine Name — ten letters in its full spelling and four letters in its simple form — corresponding to the fourteen joints in each hand. And through the three hands which are three Divine Names — the three Elokim [the judgments] are sweetened — which are the aspect of the words issuing from the throat — which have the numerical value of three times Elokim .

Also through this one is saved from forgetting and merits memory. For through sweetening the judgments — the aspect of Elokim — through the palms as above — when palm strikes palm — in the aspect of: "my soul is always in my palm" [Psalms 119:109] — nafshi [my soul] — the aspect of prayer and speech — as it is written [Song of Songs 5:6]: "my soul went out at His speaking" — and through this: "and Your Torah I have not forgotten" — the initial letters of which spell 336 [ shin-lamed-vav ] — the numerical value of three havayos and three Elokim . That is: the sweetening of the judgments — the aspect of mochin d'katnus [constricted minds] — from which comes forgetting — and one comes to mochin d'gadlus [expanded minds] — the aspect of memory and the revelation of speech through the minds. And therefore during prayer one knows whether he is in mochin d'katnus or mochin d'gadlus .

Also through this strife is nullified. For all strife is drawn from the aspect of Korach — the aspect of darkness (the numerical value of k'Korach [like Korach] = choshech [darkness]) — the aspect of left — against Aharon — the aspect of light — the aspect of right. And through clapping the palm they are included in one another and unity is made. And this is the explanation of: "all the peoples — clap the palm" [Psalms 47:2] — "the language of joining" (as Rashi explains there). 📜 Translator's Summary — Toirah 46 [from the Translator] Central theme: Four effects of clapping palms during prayer: (1) union and livelihood; (2) sweetening of judgments through the three hands = three Divine Names; (3) rescue from forgetting — the initial letters of "Your Torah I have not forgotten" = 336 = 3 havayos + 3 Elokim; (4) nullification of strife — joining Korach/left/darkness with Aharon/right/light into unity. The gematria of the throat (§2): The Aramaic word for throat ( garon ) = gimel(3)+resh(200)+vav(6)+nun(50) = 259, which equals... the source states: "the words issuing from the throat numerically equal three times Elokim." Three × 86 = 258. The source likely reads the throat passage with kollel or a variant spelling. In any case this is the source's own gematria, faithfully rendered.