אות - פט

There are bundles and bundles of sins. 143 Cf. Vayikra Rabbah 21:4; Tzaddik #197; Zimrat Ha'aretz , ibid. “One sin leads to another sin” ( Avot 4:2) . When a person does one sin, it then causes him to commit related offenses. The later sins are then responsible for still more related wrongs.

Each sin draws along those related to it. All these then follow the first. Unrelated sins are not in that group. This is the concept of bundles and bundles of sins. The first sin, together with the related ones following it, forms one package. Each subsequent sin likewise forms its own package. In this manner, bundles and bundles of sins are created.

Each of these bundles ( ChaVeLot ) of sins results in the creation of a troop of angels who destroy ( meChaVLim ) and accuse (ibid., 4:11) .

These Destroyers and Accusers cry out, “Give us life! Give us food!” He [the sinner] is the ba'al aveirah (literally, the “husband or owner of sin”). They cry out to the one who committed the sin, who brought them into existence. He is literally their owner and is responsible for them. He is the one who must provide them with food and sustenance. 144 These Destroyers and Accusers are sustained by performing their mission – namely, by accusing and punishing the sinner who created them (see Rabbi Moshe Cordevero, Tomer Devorah 1:2).

The first sin in the bundle was absolutely without coercion. The sinner must therefore sustain its resultant Destroyer and Accuser. But he must also sustain the other sins in the bundle.

He may argue that these sins were forced onto him. Yet they all resulted from his original, related sin, so this is no excuse. The Destroyers and Accusers can argue that he should have protected himself immediately by observing one of the Torah’s commandments (cf. Sotah 21a; Vayikra Rabbah 21:4) . Since he did nothing to protect himself, he must sustain and nourish the entire troop.

The remedy for this is to learn and to observe the Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy. 145 Stated in Exodus 34:6-7 and in Micah 7:18-20. Cf. Rosh HaShanah 17b; Zohar III, 128a, 185b; Zohar Chadash 24c. You must fulfill these Thirteen Attributes by displaying mercy and doing good deeds. 146 For details on how to accomplish this, see Tomer Devorah 1:2. When you do this, the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes within you stimulates the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy on high, which humble and eliminate the Destroyer bred by your sins. We pray, “God, King, sitting on a throne of mercy … forgiving the sins of His people, removing the first one first.” 147 Prayer said in Selichot and on Yom Kippur. Cf. Rosh HaShanah 17a. This prayer introduces the Thirteen Attributes.

Through the Thirteen Attributes, God removes the first sin in each bundle. The other sins in the package then return to God, Who then grants them sustenance.

It is written, “I will teach rebels Your ways, and sinners will return to You” (Psalms 51:15) .

“Your ways” refers to the Thirteen Attributes. Moses asked God, “Let me know Your ways ” (Exodus 33:13) . Immediately, God revealed the Thirteen Attributes to Moses.

When one learns to observe God’s ways – the Thirteen Attributes – then “sinners will return to You.” The sinners are the sins in the package, which now can return to God.

We must now understand how God sustains these angels of destruction.

There is the first among the first on the Other Side ( Likutey Moharan I, 242) . It is written, “Edom, the first one, went out” 148 This verse is usually translated, “The first one came out red.” In Hebrew, red is Edom , from which Esau derives this second name (cf. Genesis 25:30; Mavoh She'arim 2:2:8; Shemot Rabbah 15:2). (Genesis 25:25) . Therefore, Edom is the first of the first. This is the first one of the initial sins, resulting in all the others.

The Jewish people are so holy that they should not sin at all. Our sins are a product of the Diaspora, where we are under the power of other nations and we must pay them taxes and levies. All sins therefore result from Edom, who is the cause of our exile. 149 Our present state of exile is usually called “the exile of Edom.” It was brought about by Rome, which is often called Edom. The symbol of Rome is Mars, the red star. Also see Likutey Moharan I, 20:6. This Edom is the first among the first.

Therefore, God places all our sins on Edom, who must sustain them.

Regarding those who drove us into exile, it is written, “Place sin upon their sin” (Psalms 69:28) . God places Israel’s sins upon them, which sustains the destroying angels.

This is accomplished through pity, which arouses the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.

The poor are in the category of strict justice, rather than mercy from Above. 150 The poor are the female element, associated with justice ( Zohar I, 13b). Regarding Simeon, it is written, “I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:7) . The Simeonites will go from door to door accepting charity ( Bereshit Rabbah 98:10) . Therefore, Simeon is in the category of strict justice from Above ( Zohar I, 236a) .

We also can actually see that the poor can be very cruel. They are in the category of strict justice which contains no mercy ( Ketubot 84a; Zohar III, 193a) .

Because the poor lack pity and connection to the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, they cannot on their own arouse these Attributes on high. Thus, the poor must beg G-d for mercy. They must plead before God that He Himself have mercy through the Thirteen Attributes and awaken the Attributes on high. When He does this, He then “removes the first one first.”

It is written, “Recall not our first sins against us; quickly let Your mercy precede us, for we are very poor” (Psalms 79:8) . We ask that God “recall not our first sins” in each bundle of sins.

We plead that He “remove the first one first” in each bundle. Then the other sins in the package are automatically discarded and destroyed.

But God removes “the first one first” through the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. Therefore, we must first arouse these Attributes by practicing them in our own lives.

We ask God, “Quickly, let Your mercy precede us.” We must ask this, “for we are very poor.” We are in the category of the poor who lack mercy. Therefore, we are powerless to awaken the Thirteen Attributes.

Therefore, we spread our hands to God, begging that He Himself awaken the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy: “Quickly, let Your mercy precede us, for we are very poor.” We alone have no power to do this.

“Quickly let Your mercy precede us”: It must come from You, “for we are very poor.” We plead that God do this and then “recall not our first sins against us.” For then He will “remove the first one first” in each bundle of sins, letting the other angels of destruction be automatically removed and destroyed.