ציצית ג

This is the aspect of Yisrael traveling in the midbar with the Mishkan. Wherever they erected the Mishkan, the place became holy with kedushas Bais HaMikdash. Yisrael were going to conquer Eretz Yisrael — for this they needed to draw "Ko'ach ma'asav," revealing to all that everything is ours: Hashem created the world for us, by His will He gave it to them, by His will He took it and gave it to us → they conquer Eretz Yisrael. Therefore Hashem commanded them to carry the Mishkan through the midbar and erect it in every place they encamped. Through this they drew "Ko'ach ma'asav" (= Chesed Chinam) → the power to go and conquer Eretz Yisrael.

And therefore, at night, dina shalta [strict judgment prevails], as is explained in the holy Zohar,2 for all dinim [judgments / severity] are drawn from the aspect of shelo k'saider, which is the aspect of the dinim from which come all the sufferings, G-d forbid — things that are against a person's will, which is the aspect of shelo k'saider. For shelo k'saider is the aspect of the darkness of night — like a person walking in darkness, who then walks shelo k'saider, since he cannot find the straight path and may stumble on a stone and the like. But in the light of day, he sees the path and walks k'saider.

It follows that day and night are the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, the aspect of Adam and Chavah, etc. And therefore, at night — when the aspect of shelo k'saider prevails, and the aspect of k'saider, which is Chochmah, which is light, which is day, withdraws — therefore one must sleep. And sleep is an aspect of bittul [self-nullification]. For when a person sees that his Da'as is becoming confused and the mind is not properly settled, and then the aspect of dinim that cling to the aspect of shelo k'saider can overpower — for when the Da'as of holiness is in a state of completeness, then the aspect of shelo k'saider is nullified to the aspect of k'saider, as above, for "ba'asar d'is d'char, nukva lo idkar taman," as above — but at night, when Da'as withdraws and then, G-d forbid, the aspect of shelo k'saider — from which stems the hold of the dinim, G-d forbid — overpowers, then a person must remove his awareness entirely, as if he has no mind at all, and nullify himself completely. This is the aspect of sleep, for one is compelled to sleep at night, at a time when the mind is not in a state of completeness, as above — for then, G-d forbid, the aspect of shelo k'saider can overpower, as above. Therefore, one must sleep — to remove one's awareness entirely and nullify oneself completely, to demonstrate that the aspect of shelo k'saider, which is the aspect of the body, has no vitality whatsoever except through the seichel. And now we remove the seichel entirely, and the body remains like an inanimate stone, devoid of vitality, except in a very great state of constriction. And then, during the time of sleep, the seichel is renewed and strengthened further. And then, when one awakens from sleep, the mochin return to him renewed, and then the body is restored and strengthened, for the primary vitality of the body is through the neshamah [soul]. And the neshamah and the body are2 the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, for body and soul are2 the aspect of man and woman, as is known — the aspect of Adam and Chavah, the aspect of light and darkness, wisdom and folly, as brought in the Torah-teaching "Dirshu Hashem v'Uzo" (Siman 37). And the body has no vitality whatsoever except through the neshamah. Therefore, at night, when the Da'as is not in a state of completeness, one must remove the Da'as entirely and truly nullify oneself — this is the aspect of sleep — so that the aspect of shelo k'saider should not overpower, as above. And therefore, when one awakens from sleep, one must wash his hands with water. For water is the aspect of Da'as, as in: For we need to draw the waters of Da'as, in order to draw the aspect of k'saider, in order to nullify the contamination that clings to the hands — whose hold is in the aspect of shelo k'saider. For the entire hold of the klipos [husks / forces of impurity] is in the aspect of shelo k'saider — when it does not receive vitality in completeness from the aspect of k'saider. This is the aspect of the darkness of night and sleep, when the body — which is the aspect of night — remains without vitality from the seichel, which is the aspect of day. And then the Sitra Achara [the Other Side / forces of impurity], whose hold comes from there — from the aspect of shelo k'saider — clings to the hands specifically. For the entire essence of the tikkun [rectification] mentioned above — that shelo k'saider be connected and subsumed within the aspect of k'saider — this is subsumed within the aspect of יו״ד, which is the aspect of כ״ף [20], the aspect of yadayim [hands], the aspect of: "Achor vaKedem tzartani, vatasheiss alai kapeicha," as above. This is the aspect of: "Do not read 'yadeicha' [Your hands], but rather 'yudeicha' [Your יו״ד's]," as is brought regarding the verse: "Pose'ach es yadeicha" — "You open Your hand" (Tehillim 145:16). For the totality of the world, relative to Hashem, is in the aspect of shelo k'saider, for Hashem is exalted and elevated above all spiritual realms, and all the worlds are in the aspect of shelo k'saider relative to Him. For all the worlds are conducted through the aspect of Malchus, as explained in the Torah-teaching mentioned above, and Malchus is the aspect of shelo k'saider, as above. And this is the aspect of: "B'Tishrei nivra ha'olam" — "In Tishrei the world was created" (Rosh Hashanah 27a). 'Tishrei' is the aspect of תשר״ק — 'shelo k'saider' — the aspect of Malchus, as above. And the primary purpose of the creation of the world is "b'gin d'yishtamod'un laih"3 [in order that they should come to know Him] — in order to merit complete Da'as, namely, to know Him, blessed be He, which is the essential true Da'as, and only this is called Da'as, as it is written: "V'yadata hayom vahashaivosa el l'vavecha, ki Hashem Hu HaElokim" — "And you shall know today, and bring it to your heart, that Hashem is G-d" (Devarim 4:39). That is to say, the primary purpose of creation was in order to connect shelo k'saider with the aspect of k'saider — to elevate all the worlds to their root, so that the aspect of shelo k'saider, which is the aspect of the totality of all the worlds, returns and is nullified before the aspect of k'saider, which is Da'as, which is the knowledge of His G-dliness — which is the essential tachlis [ultimate purpose] and the enduring reality that will remain at the very end, and everything will be nullified before it. However, to merit this — to connect and elevate all the worlds, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, to their root, which is the aspect of k'saider, which is the Chochmah and Da'as mentioned above — this is impossible to achieve except in this world of action, through performing the mitzvos and fulfilling the Torah. And the totality of the Torah is subsumed within the hands, which are the instruments of action, as in: "Hayom la'asosam" — "Today, to do them" (Devarim 7:11). And this is the aspect of: "U'shnai luchos habris al sh'tai yadai" — "And the two Tablets of the Covenant were upon my two hands" (Devarim 9:17). For the totality of the Torah, which is the aspect of the two Tablets of the Covenant, is contained within the two hands, which are the aspect of the instruments of action. For the hands extend every object to the place where it is needed; so too in the totality of the world — through the aspect of the hands, which are the instruments of action, the aspect of the totality of the Torah — through this we take all the worlds, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, and elevate them and extend them to Hashem, so that they become subsumed in their root, in the aspect of k'saider. And therefore it is found in the Zohar4 that at the time of the passing of Rabbi Eliezer the Great, he raised his two hands and said: "Vai l'trai Toros d'yistalku mei'alma" — "Woe for the two Torahs that will depart from the world," etc. For the two hands are the aspect of the totality of the Torah — the aspect of the Torah SheBichsav [Written Torah] and Torah SheBa'al Peh [Oral Torah], as above. And therefore, the primary channel for drawing holiness is through the sanctity of the hands. And this is the aspect of nitteylas yadayim shacharis. For because during sleep the vitality withdraws, and then the Sitra Achara, whose hold is in the aspect of shelo k'saider, clings to the hands specifically — for it constantly pursues holiness. And because the primary function of holiness — to subsume all the worlds in their root, that is, to subsume the aspect of shelo k'saider within the aspect of k'saider — is accomplished through the aspect of the hands, as above — therefore the Sitra Achara, d'azla basar piruda tadir [which constantly pursues separation], and constantly seeks to overpower in order to separate, G-d forbid, the aspect of shelo k'saider from the aspect of k'saider — therefore it clings to the hands specifically, where the primary holiness resides, for they are the primary instruments through which one can bind and elevate the aspect of shelo k'saider to the aspect of k'saider. Therefore, they [the forces of impurity] cling there most intensely. And therefore, immediately upon rising from sleep, one must wash his hands with water — immediately — to draw the waters of Da'as, in order to draw the aspect of k'saider, in order to drive away the Sitra Achara that clings from the aspect of shelo k'saider, as above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Shabbos 109a): "Bas melech hi, u'makpedes" — "She is a princess, and she is particular," etc. For the klipah [husk / shell of impurity] is indeed called a "princess" [daughter of the king], because it derives its hold from the blemish of Malchus — when one separates the aspect of Malchus for himself and says "ana emloch." For then everything becomes shelo k'saider, from which stems the hold of the dinim and the klipos, as above. And therefore she is called a "princess," as above. And therefore, before washing, it is forbidden to touch one's eyes, ears, etc. with one's hands (Shulchan Aruch, Siman 4, Se'if 3). For all of these are the openings of the head and the brain, and all these seven openings are the aspect of the channeling of Da'as that is drawn through these seven openings, which are the aspect of the seven lamps, as explained elsewhere (Siman 21). And therefore, before washing, it is forbidden to touch them with one's hands, so that the aspect of shelo k'saider should not overpower the aspect of k'saider — which is the aspect of Da'as, the aspect of the seven openings of the brain — through the contamination clinging to the hands, which are the instruments of action, whose hold stems from the aspect of shelo k'saider. And therefore, one must first purify and sanctify the hands with water — which is the aspect of drawing the waters of Da'as — and then one can raise the hands to Hashem and subsume everything in the aspect of k'saider, as in: For through drawing Da'as, everything is subsumed in the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of Chochmah and Da'as, as above. For Chochmah is called kodesh [holy], as is known.5 And this is the aspect of rising at chatzos [midnight], or at least before dawn — in order to connect night with day through Torah and prayer, in order to connect and subsume the attribute of night within day. That is, to subsume the aspect of shelo k'saider, which is the aspect of night, within the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of day — which is the primary service of a person: to elevate and subsume all the worlds in their root, as above. And this is the meaning of: "Who stand" etc. "at nights" specifically — for the primary tikkun is through this: through rising at night to engage in Torah and prayer, for through this one subsumes night within day, shelo k'saider within the aspect of k'saider — which is the primary rectification of all the worlds, as above. And this is why the next verse follows: "S'u y'daichem kodesh u'varchu es Hashem" — "Raise your hands in holiness and bless Hashem." "Raise your hands" specifically — for to elevate and connect and subsume night within day, shelo k'saider within the aspect of k'saider, this is accomplished through the hands specifically, which are the instruments of action, the aspect of the totality of the Torah, which elevate all the worlds to their root, as in: "S'u y'daichem kodesh u'varchu es Hashem" — the aspect of: "Ki essa el shamayim yadi" — "When I raise My hand to the heavens" (Devarim 32:40). This is the aspect of the raising of the hands spoken of in the holy Zohar, for the totality of the worlds is contained within the hands, as in: "Af yadi yasdah eretz, vimini tipchah shamayim" — "Indeed, My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens" (Yeshayahu 48:13).6 And therefore, the primary holiness resides in the hands. For through fulfilling the Torah and the mitzvos, which are contained within the hands — the instruments of action — through this, all the worlds, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, are elevated, and they are raised and extended to their root, to Hashem, to the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of Chochmah, which is called kodesh, as is known. And this is: "S'u y'daichem kodesh," as above. And therefore it connects beautifully with the preceding verse, which is: "Behold, bless Hashem, all servants of Hashem, who stand at nights," as above. And this is the aspect of Rosh Hashanah, the aspect of the blowing of the shofar — which is the aspect of the awakening from sleep, as is explained in the Kavanos7 — that on Rosh Hashanah there is an aspect of sleep, and through the shofar there is the aspect of awakening from sleep. For in Tishrei the world was created8 — which is the aspect of shelo k'saider, the aspect of תשר״ק, as above. And then, when the aspect of shelo k'saider is aroused, one needs the aspect of sleep — to nullify oneself completely. This is the aspect of the sleep of night, as above. For then, on Rosh Hashanah, it is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and the primary teshuvah is to return from gadlus, to humble oneself, and to truly feel one's lowliness and worthlessness. For the primary teshuvah is submission and humility, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachos 7a): "One self-rebuke in a person's heart is better than a hundred lashes," etc. And as it is written: "V'over al pesha lish'airis" — "[He] passes over transgression for the remnant" (Michah 7:18) — for one who makes himself like shirayim [leftovers / remnants] (Rosh Hashanah 17a). It follows that the primary teshuvah is humility and lowliness. For all sins are drawn from the aspect of shelo k'saider when one separates it for himself — that is, through gadlus. For from this stems the hold of all the dinim, from which comes the hold of the evil inclination and the klipos, from which come all the sins. And so it is explained in the holy books9 that through pride come all the sins, G-d forbid. For "whoever is arrogant, it is as if he worships idolatry" (Sotah 4b), and "whoever acknowledges idolatry, it is as if he denies the entire Torah" (Chullin 5a). It follows that through gadlus one comes to all sins, G-d forbid, for through gadlus one separates the aspect of shelo k'saider from the aspect of k'saider, as above, from which come all the sins, as above. And therefore, the primary teshuvah for all sins is humility — that one make himself like dust to be trampled upon, and feel his lowliness and his distance from Hashem, and humble himself and break his heart before Hashem. For through this, Hashem forgives him, as it is written: "Leiv nishbar v'nidkeh, Elokim lo sivzeh" — "A broken and crushed heart, G-d, You will not despise" (Tehillim 51:19), and as it is written: "V'over al pesha lish'airis" — for one who makes himself like shirayim. For through humility and lowliness, when one makes himself like מ״ה, like nothing and naught — through this he returns to the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of מ״ה. Through this all the dinim — which are the aspect of the sins, as above — are nullified. And therefore, on Rosh Hashanah — which is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, the first day of the creation of Adam HaRishon [the first man] — one needs the aspect of sleep, which is the aspect of bittul — nullifying oneself completely, as if one has no mind at all, only crying out to Hashem and proclaiming His kingship with complete temimus [simplicity / innocence], without any intellectual sophistication. For on Rosh Hashanah, Adam and Chavah were created — whose root is from the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, as above — and they were meant to rectify all the worlds through their service, that is, to subsume the totality of all the worlds, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, within the aspect of k'saider — to subsume Chavah within Adam. And then everything would have become k'saider, and the entire world would have been conducted k'saider, without any suffering or dinim, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, as above. But they blemished through their sin, and through this they separated the aspect of shelo k'saider from the aspect of k'saider. For the primary cause of their sin was the aspect of gadlus, the aspect of "ana emloch" — for this was the essential enticement of the Nachash HaKadmoni [the primordial serpent], as it is written: "Ki yodei'a Elokim ki b'yom achalchem mimenu, v'nifk'chu eineichem, vihyisem kailokim" — "For G-d knows that on the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like G-d" (Bereishis 3:5). And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Bereishis Rabbah 19) that it [the serpent] told them: "Every craftsman hates his fellow craftsmen — for from the tree He ate and He created the world," etc. That is, it implanted in them envy and desire to reign and become haughty, as it is written there: "And you shall be like G-d, creators of worlds" — as if to say: "Why should you be submissive and nullified before Him? If you eat from the Tree of Knowledge, you will yourselves be G-d and king like Him!" All of this is the aspect of "ana emloch" mentioned above — wanting to draw the aspect of Malchus to oneself, G-d forbid. And through this everything became shelo k'saider, for he is within the aspect of shelo k'saider. And therefore, indeed, death was decreed upon them for all generations, for they blemished the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of Chochmah, from which comes all vitality, the aspect of "HaChochmah t'chayeh," the aspect of "מ״ה chayainu," etc. And they blemished this and separated themselves from the aspect of k'saider, from the aspect of Chochmah, from the aspect of מ״ה, which is the essential vitality, as above. Therefore, death was drawn upon them — the opposite of life. And therefore, they caused everything to become shelo k'saider — which is the aspect of all the dinim and decrees that were decreed upon the world through their sin, as it is written there:10 "B'itzavon tochalenah, v'kotz v'dardar tatzmi'ach lach" — "In sorrow shall you eat of it, and thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you" (Bereishis 3:17–18). And Rashi explains: "When you sow wheat, it will sprout for you thorns and thistles," etc. All of this is the aspect of shelo k'saider, which they caused through their sin — which was the aspect of gadlus, the aspect of "ana emloch" — through which everything became shelo k'saider, by drawing upon themselves the aspect of shelo k'saider through their sin, etc., as above. And not only did they fail to rectify the world — they did not elevate and refine the world from the aspect of the dinim that cling to the aspect of shelo k'saider, and subsume everything in the aspect of k'saider, which is what they were supposed to do and rectify on the very day they were created, for it was for this purpose that Adam and Chavah were created: to elevate the entire world to its root, to subsume the totality of the world, which is the aspect of shelo k'saider, within the aspect of k'saider, as above — not only did they fail to rectify this, but they also greatly damaged it through their sin, etc., as above. And therefore, the primary enticement of the serpent was directed first at Chavah, for Chavah is the aspect of shelo k'saider, from which the hold of the klipos extends. And the primary tikkun is that the aspect of shelo k'saider be nullified to the aspect of k'saider — that Chavah be subsumed and nullified within Adam. And the serpent overpowered Chavah, the aspect of shelo k'saider, in order to entice her, in order to separate, G-d forbid, the aspect of Chavah from Adam — so that the aspect of Chavah, the aspect of shelo k'saider, would overpower, G-d forbid, the aspect of Adam, k'saider, until Adam would do the will of Chavah, in order to strengthen the aspect of shelo k'saider, G-d forbid, as above. However, afterward they did teshuvah immediately and began to rectify everything. But the rectification will not be completed until the end — until Mashiach Tzidkainu [our righteous Messiah] comes, as is brought.11 And every single year we must rectify this on Rosh Hashanah, for then they were created and were supposed to rectify this, and they damaged it, as above. And therefore, we engage in our service on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to rectify this, as is brought in the Kavanos.12 It follows that the primary tikkun on Rosh Hashanah is to strive to return and rectify so that everything becomes k'saider — to do teshuvah for all one's sins, which are drawn from the aspect of shelo k'saider, from the aspect of gadlus — and to nullify oneself to Hashem in complete bittul, in order to elevate the entire world that was created then, which is the aspect of shelo k'saider, and return and subsume it within the aspect of k'saider, as above. And this is the aspect of the sleep of Rosh Hashanah that is brought in the Kavanos — that sleep falls upon it [Ze'ir Anpin], etc. For sleep is the aspect of bittul. For there is the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, which are the aspects of Chochmah and Malchus, Adam and Chavah. And one must nullify the aspect of Chavah to the aspect of Adam, to know that the entire world — which is conducted through the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of Chavah — is all drawn from Him, blessed be He, alone. For "Hashem's is the kingship," and everything is as nothing and naught before Him, blessed be He, "and all the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing," etc.13 And this Da'as is a great mitzvah — to know, and to make known, and to become known — for this is the essential vitality of a person and all the worlds in their entirety. And through this, everything returns to being k'saider, as above. But at a time when the aspect of shelo k'saider — which is the aspect of dinim — seeks to overpower, that is, on Rosh Hashanah, when the world was created, which is the aspect of shelo k'saider, and on which Adam and Chavah sinned, etc., as above, through which they caused the aspect of shelo k'saider to overpower, G-d forbid — therefore one must then nullify oneself completely in the aspect of sleep. That is, to remove and nullify one's mind entirely, as if one has no mind at all — only to proclaim Him, blessed be He, as King, with emunah [faith] and complete temimus, without any intellectual sophistication. All of this is the primary essence of our service on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: we engage only in revealing His kingship, without any chochmos [intellectual sophistication]. For we remove our minds entirely and nullify ourselves completely. This is the primary essence of our service during these awesome days, when all of Yisrael engages in prayers and supplications, in songs and praises of the Book of Tehillim, and in all manner of requests and supplications and selichos [penitential prayers] and piyutim [liturgical poems], etc. All of this is the aspect of temimus and peshitus [simplicity], without any intellectual sophistication at all. For we reveal His kingship, blessed be He, through temimus alone, without any chochmos. And this is the aspect of the sleep of Rosh Hashanah that occurs then, as explained in the Kavanos. And it is explained there that sleep is the withdrawal of the mochin from Ze'ir Anpin [the small countenance — a Kabbalistic partzuf] upward, etc. And then the mochin and vitality are channeled to the aspect of Malchus not through Ze'ir Anpin, but rather through Binah, Ima Ila'ah [the Supernal Mother] herself, etc. And afterward, through the shofar, new mochin are drawn — that were renewed through the sleep — and then there is an awakening from sleep, and then Malchus is "sawed" [separated to become a complete partzuf], etc. — see there. That is, sleep is the aspect of the withdrawal of the mochin: the mochin are withdrawn intentionally so that the aspect of shelo k'saider, the aspect of gadlus, should not cling to them. For the primary blemish affects the mochin, as brought in the writings of the Arizal14 — that the blemish of gadlus is in the mochin. And therefore, גאוה [pride] has the gematria of י״ה [15], which are the mochin — see there. For the primary blemish of pride is that one says "ana emloch." And in truth, the primary vitality of Malchus is through Chochmah, for "HaChochmah t'chayeh," etc., as explained there in the Torah-teaching mentioned above. And one must elevate Malchus to its root, in the aspect of "V'haysa LaHashem hamelucha" — "And the kingship will be Hashem's" (Ovadyah 1:21) — to know that all the worlds and all that is in them, which are the aspect of Malchus, as above, everything was created and is conducted only through His kingship, blessed be He, alone, who rules over all. And therefore, one must nullify oneself before Him, blessed be He, and be in one's own eyes as truly nothing, in the aspect of "V'nachnu mah" — for the primary vitality is the aspect of מ״ה, the aspect of "מ״ה chayainu," as above. But when one has gadlus and says "ana emloch" and wants to draw Malchus to himself — all because he is proud of his mind, and it seems to him that he has already attained some level of intellect, and he is a scholar or a kabbalist or a tzadik, to the point where it is fitting for him to reign and lord over others — it follows that he wants to reverse the order: to separate Malchus for himself, as if he has the power and the Da'as to sustain Malchus, whose primary vitality comes from Chochmah. He wants to draw the aspect of Chochmah into the aspect of shelo k'saider, and to strengthen the aspect of shelo k'saider over k'saider, G-d forbid. For certainly one cannot draw the aspect of Malchus to oneself except through Chochmah, which is the vitality of Malchus. And therefore, one who is proud and says "ana emloch" blemishes the brain and the Chochmah, for he wants to draw the brain into the Malchus of the Sitra Achara, which is arrogance. And therefore, at a time when the aspect of shelo k'saider has not yet been sweetened — that is, at the beginning of Rosh Hashanah — one must nullify and withdraw the brain entirely, so that the aspect of shelo k'saider, the aspect of dinim, etc., should not cling to it, as above. And therefore, we nullify ourselves completely. And during the bittul — which is the aspect of sleep, meaning that we do not employ any intellectual sophistication — then we are subsumed far above human wisdom. For through temimus and peshitus and emunah, one ascends above the brain and Chochmah, as explained elsewhere in our writings.15 And then we proclaim Him, blessed be He, as King with temimus, without any chochmos. This is the aspect of the mochin and vitality being channeled to Malchus not through Ze'ir Anpin — which is the aspect of human wisdom, for the primary aspect of Adam [man] is Ze'ir Anpin, as is known16 — for now we reveal His kingship without any chochmos, only through bittul alone. And then we are subsumed far above, in the aspect of Binah, Ima Ila'ah, which is the encompassing aspect of the three upper [sefiros], and from there His kingship, blessed be He, is revealed. And afterward, through the shofar, new mochin are drawn, and there is an awakening from sleep. For through sleep and bittul, one afterward merits great mochin. And then Malchus is "sawed" and becomes a complete partzuf, etc. For afterward, when one merits the mochin of holiness, then His kingship, blessed be He, is revealed to all with complete Da'as — for one merits to channel all the mochin only for the sake of the revelation of His kingship, blessed be He — to know, and to make known, and to become known that He is the Fashioner, He is the Creator, etc. And then the aspect of shelo k'saider is sweetened and subsumed within the aspect of k'saider, in the aspect of "ba'asar d'is d'char, nukva lo idkar taman" — for it is nullified before Him. For when the mochin are in a state of completeness in holiness, one does not fear the aspect of shelo k'saider, since one knows that everything is from Him, blessed be He, alone — and then the aspect of shelo k'saider is completely nullified. And therefore, the primary awakening from sleep is through the sound of the shofar. For the kol [voice / sound] is the aspect of מ״ה, הוי״ה, the aspect of k'saider, as it is written in the Tikkunim:17 "הוי״ה in the kol, and dibbur in Adam" — which are the aspects of k'saider and shelo k'saider. For the kol awakens the kavanah [intention / concentration], which is the mochin. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Rosh Hashanah 29b): "The blowing of the shofar is chochmah [a skill / wisdom] and not a melachah [labor]." For the sound of the shofar is the aspect of Chochmah, the aspect of מ״ה, the aspect of: the kol awakens the kavanah in the brain. For in the kol alone there is no graspable content — one cannot understand anything from another person through the kol alone. For the kol is the aspect of מ״ה, the aspect of the potential of Chochmah alone. For now we draw only the aspect of the kol, which is the aspect of מ״ה, k'saider, in order to strengthen the aspect of k'saider. And afterward, through the kol, the dibbur [speech] is built — this is the aspect of the tefillah [prayer], the aspect of Malchuyos, Zichronos, and Shofros [the three special blessings] that we recite on Rosh Hashanah after the blowing of the shofar. And I had many more things to say on this matter, but it was not written down in its time and was forgotten. What a loss for what has been lost! May Hashem grant us the merit to recover all the lost things, and may we never again lose any matter or utterance — like a cemented cistern that does not lose a drop18 (Avos 2:8). Amein, may it be His will.