Likutay Moharan Part II — Handwritten Manuscript 1

“Come to פרעה (Pharaoh), for I have hardened his heart, etc.” [Exodus 10:1]

For when it arose in His simple will to create the worlds in order to benefit another—for His attribute is to do good—His light extended to infinity. And He contracted His light to the sides, and there remained a *challal panuy* [empty space], and within the *challal panuy* He created all the worlds through His speech and His *chochmah* [wisdom]. As it is written, “By the word of Hashem the heavens were made” [Psalms 33:6], and also, “You made them all with *chochmah*” [Psalms 104:24]. And the *challal panuy* is called by the name פרעה (Pharaoh), for there He revealed His lights afterward. And before the creation, Hashem possessed all the attributes—both mercy and *chochmah*—but they were in the aspect of *ayn sof* [infinite], for they were not limited. And through the *tzimtzum* [contraction], He then made a boundary for all the attributes, so that we, human beings, can discern His attribute of goodness and mercy. And this discernment comes from the intellect and the *chochmah* that He limited within us and in all the worlds.

And know that there are *chochmos* [wisdoms] that are distant from holiness, and yet there is in them a small measure of divinity, a small measure of holiness, from the *osiyos* [letters] that fell into them at the time of the creation of the worlds, when the vessels broke due to the abundance of light that they could not bear. And they broke and fell, and from them were formed the *kelipos* [shells/impure forces], and their vitality is from the sparks [*here much is missing, for half the page was cut and lost*]. The *chochmah* was from the *tzimtzum*, that is, from the aforementioned *challal panuy*. And regarding these *chochmos*, it is said, “All who come there will not return” [Proverbs 2:19], like the *challal panuy* from which He cleared His divine light. So too, these *chochmos*—you cannot find there that there is anything divine, and on the contrary, they indicate the opposite, like the *challal panuy*. And this *chochmah* is forbidden to speak of, for it has no power of speech, since the *challal panuy* is before the creation, before the *osiyos* [letters] of speech. And there is no power in the speaker to speak of it, and there is no power in the intellect to comprehend it, for He contracted His *chochmah* so that the *challal panuy* would remain. And regarding this, it is said, “Be silent, thus it arose in thought” [Zohar, Introduction 1:18b], for regarding matters that are difficult to comprehend, it is said, “Be silent”. And all the more so, one must flee from these *chochmos*. But because many of our people have already fallen [into these *chochmos*], it was permitted to the *tzadik* [righteous one] of the generation, who is in the aspect of Moshe, and on the contrary, it is a *mitzvah* [commandment] to engage in these *chochmos* in order to raise our people from a deep pit. And do not think that through the *tzadik*’s engagement in these *chochmos*, he will be able to comprehend them. On the contrary, the matter is that he may be able to bring a decisive proof for the renewal of the world. And the same applies to *chochmos* like these, and he may be able to find there His divinity and show their error. Know that this is not possible, except in the future to come, when it will be fulfilled, “Your Teacher will no longer be concealed” [Isaiah 30:20], that all will comprehend, even in the place of the *challal panuy*, which is in the aspect of the *tzimtzum*, the aspect of the concealment of His divinity. Nevertheless, in the future, it will be revealed—a great intellect and knowledge—that they will find divinity even in this aspect. But now, the *tzadik*’s engagement, who is in the aspect of Moshe, in these *chochmos* is beneficial to subdue the power of these *chochmos* due to the great holiness of the *tzadik*, and to bring out the Children of Israel from there. For every thing yearns for its root, and when the *tzadik* engages in these *chochmos*, then all the souls that fell into these mazes yearn and are aroused to cleave to the soul of the *tzadik*, and he brings them out from there.

And this is the meaning of “Come to פרעה (Pharaoh), for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may place My signs in his midst”. That is, Hashem commanded the *tzadik*, who is in the aspect of Moshe, to come to the aspect of פרעה (Pharaoh), the aspect of the aforementioned *challal panuy*. For “I have hardened” is an expression of לבוש ([lavush] clothing) and concealment. “His heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may place My signs in his midst”—that is, Hashem concealed and contracted His divinity, the infinite light, to the sides in order to create afterward the entire creation. And this is “in order that I may place My signs,” that is, the creation of the worlds, which was through the *osiyos* [letters]. And “in order that you may recount in the ears of your son and your son’s son” [Exodus 10:2], per Rashi [elsewhere], until here is the mercy of the Father. That is, through the creation, you can recount His mercy, which you discern with the discernment of your intellect, in the ears—this is the aspect of discernment, as in “The ear tests words” [Job 34:3]. For the recounting comes from the power of the *osiyos* [letters] of speech through which the worlds were created, and the discernment comes from His *chochmah*, through which He created the worlds. And the servants of פרעה (Pharaoh) are the introductions to these *chochmos*, which assist these *chochmos*. Just as there is no king without servants, so too there is no *chochmah* without introductions. And פרעה (Pharaoh) is the aspect of the *tzimtzum* and the *challal panuy*, and “heart” is the aspect of the core of the *chochmah*. And the *tzimtzum* is also in the *chochmah*, but it is impossible to comprehend how He removed His light of *chochmah* from there so that it would not be in the aspect of *ayn sof*. For the *tzimtzum* itself is also through His *chochmah*. Thus, it follows that there is no *challal panuy* devoid of His *chochmah*. And this is “for I have hardened,” that is, I have clothed and concealed the heart and core of the *challal panuy* of the aforementioned *chochmos*, and I have clothed the core and heart of their introductions, so that no person can comprehend this. And this is that no person can comprehend this *challal panuy*, all this so that within it I may place within it all the worlds. And this is “in order that I may place My signs,” etc.

But these *chochmos* that have a small measure of holiness from the broken *osiyos* [letters] are in the aspect of a man of the *kelipah* [shell], which is like a monkey before a man. When a man falls there, he can know Hashem from there through the holy *osiyos* that fell there. And this is “What I have mocked in Egypt, and My signs that are in them”—that is, a man of worthlessness, who is like a monkey before a man, like a mockery that they play, called נאך גשפעט [nachgeshpait, a mockery]. The worthless one is like a monkey that does what a man does. And “My signs that I placed in them, [and you shall know] that I am Hashem” [Exodus 10:2]—that is, [*שמי] My Name* that falls there, [he can] know that I am Hashem, as above. And when Moshe came to פרעה (Pharaoh), “Thus says Hashem, G-d of the Hebrews: Let My people go, and they will serve Me” [Exodus 9:1]. “G-d of the Hebrews” is His divinity and His light that He contracted to the sides, and this is the expression “Hebrews,” an expression of “across the river.” And for this reason, we are called Hebrews, for we cast aside all the *chochmos* and cleave to Hashem alone with faith alone. And Moshe came to פרעה (Pharaoh) in order to subdue him, as above. And this is “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?” [Exodus 10:3]. And the main thing is “Let My people go,” as above. For “if you refuse to let them go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your borders” [Exodus 10:4]. Locusts are the aspect of the *tzimtzum*, like “Locusts are my clothing from Me and in Me” [Job 13:28]. So too, the *tzimtzum* and concealment and clothing of His light is from Him and in Him. That is, even the clothing is in *chochmah*. Thus, it follows that everything is one—[even the *tzimtzum* of] the *challal panuy* is all His divinity. But now, there is [no ability] in our hands to comprehend it, for as soon as we [say] that He removed His light, this indicates that He is not there. And as soon as we say that His *chochmah* is there, it is difficult to comprehend the *tzimtzum* and the *challal*, for there is no *challal* here. But in the future, it will be fulfilled, “Your Teacher will no longer be concealed”, that the entire intellect of the renewal of the world, all the concealment and *tzimtzum*, will be revealed. And this is “tomorrow,” that is, in the future, as in “And tomorrow to receive their reward” [Avot 2:16]. And this is “Behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your borders,” that is, your borders, which is the aspect of the *challal panuy*, will be revealed there in the future—the locusts, that is, the clothing from Me and in Me. And this is “And my righteousness will answer for me tomorrow” [Genesis 30:33], for it will come for my reward, that is, in the future, it will answer [and explain] to me resolutions for all the doubts. And this is my righteousness, that is, the clothing and concealment and *tzimtzum*, as in “I donned righteousness” [Job 29:14]. And this is “will answer,” like “Answer a fool” [Proverbs 26:5], that it will answer and resolve for me all the doubts—my righteousness, which are my clothing, they will answer me regarding the clothing and the *tzimtzum* of Hashem.

And this is that sometimes all this is done among the *tzadikim* [righteous ones], for they create worlds, as it is brought, “Say to Zion, you are My people” [Isaiah 51:16]. And the *tzadikim* are drawn, each one to a different side—this one pulls here, and that one there. And this is the aspect of the *tzimtzum* of the light to the sides, so that there may be formed within the *challal* that remains between the sages some formation. And this is what Shimon, his son, says, “All my days I grew up among the sages, and I found nothing better for the body than silence” [Avot 1:17]—among the sages, specifically, who are not in unity, and each one is drawn to a different side. And silence is better for this, as above, that is, the aspect of Moshe, who was “heavy of mouth” [Exodus 4:10], as above, through whom the heresy that is cast upon people is subdued, due to seeing the dispute among the sages. And this division among them is the aspect of the aforementioned *challal panuy*. And “The exposition is not the main thing, but the action” [Avot 1:17], that is, even though if the sages were in unity, they would innovate novel expositions, know that then they would be in the aspect of the extension of the infinite light. And in the extension of the infinite light, it is impossible for any formation to come into being. And this is “the exposition is not the main thing, but the action,” that is, that some formation should be made within the *tzimtzum*. And “Whoever increases words brings sin” [Avot 1:17], for after the *tzimtzum*, some formation is made through their speech. And even through their mundane conversation, and even from those where [each one] spoke against his fellow sage, some formation is made. And from the abundance of their speech, sin is brought, that is, the aspect of *chochmos* that have a small measure of holiness, as above. And this is what Shimon, his son, says—“says” is the aspect of “and in order that you may recount”—“his son” is the aspect of mercy, as above. Shimon is the aspect of “in the ears,” that is, the aspect of discernment, [as above].

[Thus far I found from the handwritten manuscript of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, from the Torah “Come to Pharaoh,” which was printed in the book in section 64, and the pages were torn and burned on the sides, and in some places only half a page was found, and I copied them letter by letter, and in the place of the missing text, I marked a sign like this *, and in some places where the lack is evident, I placed it within two round brackets, as above.]