Translation:Likutei Moharan/30

by Nachman of Breslov

Meishra deSakina

-A bed of knives, with what is it cut?
-With the horn of an ass.
-And does an ass have a horn?
-And is there a bed of knives?

They brought him two eggs and said to him,
Which is from the white pair and which from the black pair?
He brought them two cheeses and said,
Which is from the white goat and which is from the black goat?
[ -- Bekhoroth 8b, R' Yehoshua ben Chananya versus the Sages of Athens]

[1 A Teacher Constricts Upper Intellect into a Lower One to Enter It In the Student]

Perceptions of Divinity are impossible to attain except by many contractions, from `illah/the First Cause to `allul/the caused, from upper intellect to lower intellect, as we see tangibly that it is impossible to grasp a great intellect except by clothing in a lower intellect. Like a teacher when he wants to explain a great intellect to the student, he needs to clothe it in a lower and smaller intellect so that the student can understand it, namely he first gives him introductions and lesser intellects that bring him around first in order to make him understand by this the intended thing that is a great upper intellect.

[2 To Perceive Godliness, to Keep Seeking the Greatest Healer in Accord with His Utter Farness from H"Y]

And everyone needs to seek such a suitable teacher, who can explain to understand such a great upper intellect namely perceptions of Divinity, for one needs for this such an utterly great Rabbi who can explain such a great intellect, by the lower intellect as mentioned, in order the lesser people can understand it. And the smaller a person, or farther, from Hashem Yithbarakh, the greater a Rabbi he needs, like we found when Yisrael was on an utterly low level namely in Mitzrayim/Egypt, as they were sunk in the 49 gates of impurity, they needed a great Rabbi and very great awesome teacher, namely Moshe Rabbeinu r.i.p., for the lesser and farther [a person] the greater the teacher he needs, who was such a coach (omman) that he could clothe such a lofty intellect namely perception of His Blessed Name for someone so lowly and far as he.

For the sicker the person the greater a healer he needs, so the man should not say, It is enough for me if I follow some honorable and God-fearing man even though he is not of an exceptional level, for if only I were first like him! He should not say this, for on the contrary the more a man knows of his soul his lowliness and how vast the distance how far he is from Hashem Yithbarakh, each person in accord with his knowledge of his soul, accordingly the more he knows he is farther, he needs to seek for his soul a very, very great healer of the highest degree. That is, to keep asking constantly to be privy to draw nigh to a very, very great Rabbi as mentioned, for the smaller he is, the greater a teacher he needs as mentioned.

[3 Brains vs. hairs, are compared to Upper Intellect vs. Lower Intellect, and the Divine Intellect of the Mitzvoth. Black hair, Bakkol, the eye pupil, non-Babylonian exiles, and introductions, allow us to focus and grasp the upper aspects]

And this is the aspect of the hairs: the lights of one's brains are emitted in his hairs. Likewise the upper intellect which is perceptions of Godliness is clothed in the lower intellect, and this is the aspect of "Se`ara Be`igula/Hair in a circle" (Tikkun 70 daf 113), an aspect of encircling — namely, the introductions which go roundabout until they get to the point, as explained. Yet the main thing is the point. As we find in the words of the Rabbis obm: They surrounded him with halakhot, until they arrived at [the question of] "the daughter's rival wife" (Yevamot 16a) [For example, a man's daughter marries the man's brother her uncle and the uncle dies. The man is exempt from Yibbum because he cannot marry his own daughter but the question becomes is he exempt from marrying other wives the uncle had i.e. rival wives and the answer is yes]. Thus, all the halakhot which they had previously discussed were not the main intention; they were just circlings and introductions in order to arrive at the "daughter’s rival," which was the intended. And this is the aspect of se`ara ukma/"black hair (Tik. ibid.), the aspect of (Song 1:5) "Shechorah ani wena'awah/Dark am I and beautiful." Because blackness focuses the power of sight and contracts it so that one can see well. Likewise, the lower intellect is an aspect of blackness. It contracts within itself the comeliness and beauty of the upper intellect.

And these Se`ARot (hairs) correspond to "the Shi`uRa (measures) of the letters of the Torah." For the mitzvot are the wisdoms of the Blessed Creator, as each commandment has different measures and specifications. For example: Why is the prescription of a particular mitzvah as it is? Because that is what His wisdom, Blessed Is His Name, required. And the same is true of the prescription of a different mitzvah: in accordance with His wisdom, Blessed Is His Name. And each and every mitzvah has letters, words and themes which are the measures and specifications in which the wisdom of the His Blessed Name is contracted. Which this is the aspect of the upper intellect being enclothed in the lower intellect, through which we attain perceptions of Godliness, as mentioned. This is the aspect of: Our patriarch Avraham had a bat (daughter), and Bakol was her name (B"B 16b). "Bat" corresponds to bat ayin (pupil of the eye), which is the black in the eye, which is the aspect of the blackness mentioned, which contracts, defines and includes in it all the large things standing opposite to it. For instance a large mountain: when it stands in front of the pupil, which is the black in eye, the entire mountain is inside the pupil viewing it. Because the blackness in the eye contracts all the large things, and they are included and seen in it. So it enables one to see and grasp the thing he is looking at. Similarly, the lower intellect contracts and confines the great, upper intellect and it becomes included within it. Through this, one is able to see, understand and grasp the upper, great intellect, as mentioned.

And this is the aspect of (Ex. 3:2), "Wayera elaw Hashem belaBaT-esh/And H' appeared before him in a flame of fire." The Blessed Name wanted to enclothe perceptions of Godliness for him, and He enclothed it for him in the aforementioned aspect of BaT ayin (pupil).

This corresponds to: A daughter [born] first is a good sign for sons (B"B 141a). "A bat first" is the aspect of the lower intellect, which is a first and an introduction to the upper intellect. And this is the aspect of "a good sign for sons." "Sons" corresponds to the upper intellect, as in the teaching of our Sages obm <on the verse> (Isaiah 43:6), "Hevi'u vanai merachoq, uv'nothai miktzeh ha'aretz/Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth." "Bring My sons" alludes to the exiles of Babylon, whose minds were composed, like sons. "My daughters" alludes to the exiles in the other lands, whose minds are unsettled, like daughters (Menachot 110a). Thus, "sons" is the aspect of a composed mind, corresponding to the upper and great intellect which is grasped through introductions, corresponding to the lower intellect. And this is, "Daughter first... " which is the lower intellect, "is a good sign for boys," because by it one attains the Upper Intellect which is the aspect of sons as mentioned. And this is "good sign," for in it is signed and defined the upper intellect, in the aspect of, "shi`ura de'atwan de'oraitha/dimensions of the Torah's letters," the aspect of "I am black but beautiful" as mentioned.

[4 Attaining the Lower Intellect Requires Shunning Gain]

But to come to this Lower Intellect is impossible except by despising gain, shunning money with utmost revulsion. For the "black hair" which is the aspect of the Lower Intellect is from the the side of Malkhuth, and also the one who shuns gain is from the side of Malkhuth, for the Lower Intellect is the aspect of Malkhuth, which is the aspect of the Lower Intellect that is in every world, as it conducts that world. As this intellect of the conducting and Malkhuth is the aspect of Chokhmah and Lower Intellect corresponding to the intellect of the perceptions of Godliness. And therefore during the days of Shmuel when the leaders of the era fell into money, as it is written, "Wayyetu acharei habbetza`/ And they turned after money," and therefore immediately blemished the Malkhuth of holiness, as written, "Ki othi ma'asu mimmlokh `aleihem/ For it is me they have rejected from ruling them, wesha'alu lahem melekh kekhol ha`aqum/ And have asked for themselves a king like all the idol worshipers." And in the days of Shelomoh when silver was not valued [at all] (cf. 1 Kings 10:21), the Malkhuth of holiness was perfect and established. As it is written (1 Chron. 29:23), "Wayyeshev Shelomoh `al-kisse Hashem/ Shelomoh sat on the throne of Hashem" — he ruled over the upper ones and lower ones (Meg. 11b). Because of this, Shlomo attained the aforementioned lower intellect, as in (1 Kings 5:11), "Wayyechkam mikol-ha'adam/ And he was wiser than all men," and the scripture (ibid. :10), "Watterev chokhmath-Shelomoh mikkol-benei qedem/ And Shelomoh's wisdom surpassed that of all the people of the east." For this intellect is an aspect of Malkhuth. But by love for money one succumbs to the black of the Other Side — the aspects of "Shabetai pathya ukma/ Saturn, a black vessel," melancholy, as in (Gen. 3:17), "Be`itzavon tochelenah/ in sorrow you will eat it." And falls into the circle and encirclements of the Other Side, as in (Ps. 12:9), "Saviv resha`aim yithhalachun/ The wicked go round about." For he desires and longs for money, as in (Num. 11:8), "ShaTu ha`am welaktu/ The people strolled about and gathered it" — with ShTuta (foolishness) (Zohar II:62b), the opposite of wisdom.

[5 Drawing Vitality to the Lower Wisdom via Joy on the Festivals]

And whoever has that wisdom needs to see to draw life into it, to enliven the lower wisdom, each person in accord with the aspect of lower wisdom he has, [and] in accord with the aspects of lower wisdom in each world. And the main vitality is from the Light of the Face, as in (Prov. 16:15), "Be'or penei-melekh chayim/ In the light of the living King's face." Therefore one needs to raise the Malkhuth, the aspect of Lower Wisdom, to the Light of the Face, which radiates on the Three Festivals. For the essence of the Light of the Face is joy, as written (Prov. 15:13), "Lev sameach yeytav panim/ A joyous heart makes a good face." And the essence of joy is from the mitzvot, as written (Ps. 19:9), "Pikudei Hashem yesharim mesamchei-lev/ Hashem's instructions are straight, they make the heart rejoice." And the main joy is in the heart, as is written (ibid. 4:8), "Nathata simcha velibi/ You have placed joy in my heart," And the heart of the entire year is the Three Festivals, the aspects of (Lev. 23:4), "Elleh Mo`adei Hashem/ These are the festivals of H'." The first letters spell EMY/ my mother, as is brought, which is "EM labbinah/ [you should call] discernment 'Mother'" (Prov. 2:3). And Binah is the heart (TZ, Intro). And the joy of all the mitzvoth that we perform all year gathers in the heart, which are the Three Festivals. This is why they are days of joy, as written, (Deut. 16:14), "Wesamachta bechaggekha/ You shall rejoice on your festivals." Then the face radiates because of the joy, as in, "A joyous heart makes a good face." Because of this, we were commanded (ibid. 16:16), "Shalosh pe`amim bashanah yera'eh kol-zekhurekha eth-penei Hashem/ Three times each year all your males shall see the face of H' your God," in order to receive the Light of the Face.

And this is the aspect of (Suk. 27b), "A man is obligated to receive the countenance of his master on the festival." In order to receive the Light of the Face, to give vitality to the aspect of Malkhut. And this is (Ps. 85:14), "Tzedeq lefanaw yehalekh/ Justice will arrive at His face..." Tzedeq is the Malkhut of Holiness when it is led to the Light of the Face. This primarily happens in the aspect of (ibid.), "...Weyasem lederekh Pe`AMaw/ And set his steps on the way," namely three Pe'AMim (times) each year through which one receives from the Light of the Face, as explained. And this is the aspect of (Ibid. 140), "Yeshvu yesharim eth-paneikha/ The uprights will dwell in Your face" (Ps. 140:14). Yesharim are the "Pikudei Hashem yesharim mesamchei lev/ The instructions of God are upright, making the heart rejoice." They compose, illumine and organize the Light of the Face, as above.

[6 Extricating the Malkhuth D'Kedushah from the Four Malkhuts by Chesed]

And there are times when, God forbid, the aspect of the Malkhuth diKedushah, the aspect of lower wisdom, falls into the exile of the Four Malkhuts. For Malkhuth is the aspect of DaLeTh, "begin DeLeiTh migarmah keloom/ because it hasn’t anything of its own" — other than via the offshoots of the upper intellect which disseminate to there. It, too, is comprised of four worlds, for in every world there is the aspect of Malkhut, the aspect of Lower Wisdom, which is the aspect of the Wisdom that guides that world, as above.

All the wisdoms of the nations are below the lower wisdom and their wisdom draws from there. But when, God forbid, they draw more than they should, they gain power [over Malkhuth]. This creates the rule of the Four Malkhuts, which are the four exiles.

And who can bear the great yell and cry when the aspect of Malkhut, aspect of lower wisdom, falls into their midst, God forbid, in the aspect of (Eccl. 9:17), "za`akath moshel bikhsilim/the cry of a ruler among fools," that is, the cries when the dominion, the aspect of Malkhuth, aspect of lower wisdom, falls among fools. For the fool wants to get smart, wanting to draw into their "wisdoms," which are true folly, the aspect of true wisdom, the aspect of the lower wisdom mentioned.

There is also another, greater cry than this, namely that Hashem Yithbarakh, as it were, Himself roars, as in (Jer. 25:30), "Sha'og yish'ag `al nawehu/He roars mightily over His abode" — over His habitation (Zohar III 74b), which is the aspect of Malkhuth, which falls in the exile of the Four Malkhuts.

So we have to see to severing and detaching this aspect of Malkhut from among the four exiles, and raising it up from there. And the main way to raise it up is by the aspect of chesed (lovingkindness), in the aspect of (Isa. 16:5), "Wehuchan bechesed kisse/The throne is established in chesed," the aspect of (Hos. 10:12), "Qitz'ru lefi-chased/Cut [the harvest] with lovingkindness," that by chesed we cut and sever the Daleth, the aspect of Malkhuth, and detach it from them, and raise it to the Or Hapanim/Light of the Face.

This is why Avraham was a man of chesed, and always sought to do chesed, in order to elevate [the aspect of the Dalet,] the Malkhut, from them. And this is why Avraham pursued the Four Kings in order to subdue them, for they are the aspect of the Four Malkhuts of the Sitra Achra. For Avraham despised money, for he rejected the money of Sodom, as written (Gen. 14:23), "Im mechut we`ad serokh/Not even a thread or a shoestrap... so you will not be able to say, 'I made Avraham rich.'"

For Avraham instituted Shacharit (the Morning Prayer) (Berakhot 26b), the aspect of shacharut (blackness), which is the aspect of the lower intellect, as explained, the aspect of lower wisdom, which is the aspect of blackness as mentioned, which aspect one merits to rectify by "despising monetary gain," as mentioned.

Thus from Avraham descended Yitzchak and Yishmael, Yaakov and Esav, who are the aspect of, "The Torah speaks [in four passages] of four sons: one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who does not know how to ask," who correspond to the Four Malkhuts of Holiness, as is known.

Yitzchak is the aspect of the wise son, for the name "YiTzChaK" refers to TzeChoK/cheer and simchah/happiness, the aspect of (Prov. 10:1) "Ben chakham yesammach av/A wise son makes his father rejoice." Esav is the wicked son. Yaakov is the simple son, as written (Gen. 25:27), "Yaakov ish tam." Yishmael is the aspect of the son who does not know to ask, for Yishmael did teshuvah as our Rabbis obm said (B"B 16b). And the essence of repentance is the aspect of not knowing to ask, namely to repent and ask forgiveness from Hashem Yithbarakh for the unknown [sins], which is the essence of repentance, in the aspect of (Ps. 69:5), "Asher lo-gazalti az ashiv/That which I did not steal, I must then return."

And this is the aspect of, "Avraham instituted ShaChaRYT": it is an acrostic for Chakham (wise), Rasha (wicked), Tam (simple), and She’eino Yode’a [lish'ol] (does not know to ask), which are the aspect of the Four Malkhuts, as explained.

And this is (1 Sam. 15:33), "Wayshassef Shmuel eth-agag/Shmuel hacked Agag into pieces." For Agag embodied the Four Malkhuts of the Other Side, as is written (Num. 24:20), "Reishith goyyim `Amalek/First among nations is Amalek." And this is [why] Rashi explains "he hacked into pieces" as: he quartered him. In other words, he cut and separated the dalet — the aspect of Malkhut of Holiness, which hasn't anything of its own — from Agag, the embodiment of the Four Malkhuts of the Other Side, and elevated the Malkhut of Holiness on the Three Festivals. And this is, "wayShaSsePh" (he hacked into pieces)," acrostic for Shavuot, Sukkot, Pesach, for the primary life-force of Malkhut is from the Light of the Face during the Three Festivals, as explained.

In the aspect of, (2 Sam. 11:1), "Wayhi lithshuvath haShanah, le`eth tzeth haMelakhim/ It came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out." Teshuvath haShanah is the aspect of the Three Festivals which are days of judgment, days of returning; as in the teaching of our Sages (R"H 16a): On Pesach the grain harvest is judged, on `Atzereth... Then is "the time when kings go out" — Malkhut of Holiness is taken out from the exile of the Four Malkhuts and raised to the Light of the Face which shines on the Three Festivals as mentioned.

Therefore there are four aspects on each Festival. On Pesach they are the four cups. On Shavuot it is the order of the Mishnah, which each one learned four times, as our Sages taught (Eruvin 54b): What was the order of the Mishnah?... On Sukkot they are the four species. All of these correspond to the above mentioned aspect of the Dalet, the aspect of Malkhut, that has to be elevated to the Light of the Face through the joys of the mitzvot accumulated in the Festivals [which are the heart of the year] as mentioned.

[7 Revelation of the Chesed by the rebuke from the Tzadik who receives the prayers good and bad with muddlings]

Now, the main revelation of the chesed/ lovingkindness, by which the Dalet is cut and separated from the four exiles of the idolaters, is through rebuke. For as a result of the one who gives rebuke opening his mouth, wisdom is revealed. And through this wisdom, lovingkindness is revealed. This is because the primary revelation of lovingkindness is through wisdom, for "El nehiro dechokhmata/El is the light of wisdom," as is written (Prov. 31:26), "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the Torah of lovingkindness is on her tongue."

And this is (Ps. 141:5): "Yehelmeni tzaddik chesed weyokhicheni/ Let the tzaddik strike me with lovingkindness and let him rebuke me..." That is, through rebuke lovingkindness is revealed. And we have to accept their rebuke, even though their rebuke sometimes comes with humiliation, demeaning us. Still we have to accept their rebuke, in order to receive through it the lovingkindness.

For though they sometimes rebuke in a demeaning way, one has to judge them favorably. For "Ein adam nitfas `al tza`aro/ One is not held responsible for words spoken while in pain (B"B 16b). For they suffer greatly because of us, for even that which we consider good, in terms of the tzaddikim is bad. And like what our Sages said: "Kol tovathan shel resha`im ra`ah hi etzel hatzadikim/All the good of the wicked is bad for the tzaddikim (Yevamot 103a). That is, our affairs and worldly conversations are definitely bad for them, but even our good things, like prayer, which with respect to our abilities is only good, is bad relative to the tzaddikim. In the aspect of (ibid.), "...Ki-`od uthfilathi bera`aotheihem/For yet my prayer is in their evil." For our prayers disturb them.

For, all the muddling of the mind, all the confusions, all the nonsense that have at times, are all drawn into our prayers. For all these disturbances etc. and all the thoughts which a person occasionally thinks, all come to mind precisely at the time of prayer. He hears them all, exactly when he gets up to pray, as in (Ps. 106:2), "Mi yemallel gevuroth H' yashmi`a kol-tehillatho/ Who can express the mighty acts of God? Who can make heard all His praise?" "His praise" is a term for (Job 4:18), "Uv'mal`akhaw yasim TaHaLaH/ His angels He charges with folly" — namely muddling and confusions, since they make themselves heard precisely then when one stands up to pray and to "express the mighty acts of H'."

This happens in two aspects. Either: They come to be repaired, because they see he's praying with proper concentration, so they come to be repaired, as this is the time when they can be repaired, for they contain holy sparks that need repair. Or an alternate aspect: Since the person is not fit to pray, and they come to disturb him from praying.

No matter what the reason, it is precisely then, at the time of prayer, that all a person’s confusions and all his disturbances come and make themselves heard to him. This is why the disturbances and confusions are called TaHaLaH, because they come precisely at the time of prayer and TeHiLLaH/ worship, as explained.

And all these prayers, with all the muddlings, come to the tzaddikim, for the tzaddikim are an aspect of Mashiach, to whom all the prayers come to be elevated, as in (Isa. 48:9), "Uth'hillathi eChToM lakh/ For My worship, I will hold back (My anger) for you." For, all the praises come to the aspect of the Mashiach who is the aspect of ChoTeM/ nose, as in (Lam. 4:20) "Ruach appeinu mashiach H' /The spirit of our nose, Mashiach (anointed) of H'"

For the Mashiach will judge by smell (as our Rabbis obm said, Sanh. 93b), as in (Isa. 11:3), "Waharicho b'yir'ath H' / He will fill him with the spirit of fearing H'" — namely with prayers, as in (Prov. 31:30), "Yir'ath H' hi tith'hallal/ the fear of God, that is what's praiseworthy." For he smells and senses in the prayers he receives from them, each person how he is. For, all the muddlings of each person are in his prayer as mentioned.

Hence, the tzaddikim suffer because of our prayers, which disturb them as mentioned. Because of this we have to accept their rebuke even if they humiliate us, as mentioned.

Nevertheless it seems: how can he rebuke each and every person? Don't all the prayers come together to him, those of the worthy and those of the unworthy? So how can he know which prayer comes, from this or that person, so that he might rebuke him?

However, he knows this by the azzuth/ boldness and the Torah of each person, whether his prayer is proper or not. For there are two kinds of boldness. There is a holy boldness, without which it is impossible to receive the Torah. As our Sages said: "Lo habayshan lamedh/ The bashful person does not learn (Avot 2:5). And as our Rabbis obm said, "Why was the Torah given to Israel? because they are bold" (Beitzah 25b). And like they said, "Be bold as a leopard (Avot 5:20). This is why the Torah is called `OZ/ bold," as written, (Ps. 29:11), "H' `OZ le`amo yitten/ H' give boldness to His people." For it is impossible to approach the Torah without holy boldness.

Counter to this there is the reverse: brazenness from the Sitra Achra/ Other Side, from whence come "other Torahs," which are their "Torahs," which are the aspect of pesilim/ idols, for "Whoever is brazen, it's definite that his ancestors' feet did not stand on Har Sinai (Nedarim 20a).

And he has "Torah" [teachings] from the Sitra Achra that are called "pesilim." This is the reverse of our holy Torah, which is an aspect of (Ex. 34:1), "Pesol lekha/carve out for yourself," for it is called pesolet/ chaff by virtue of [what will happen in] the future. As our Sages of blessed memory said (Pesachim 50a), "Light that is valuable in this world shall be insignificant and lightweight in `Olam haBa," for it is the aspect of pesolet, which is insignificant and lightweight and floats to the top.

But his Torah PeSoLet even in this world, and that's why they're called PeSiLim (idols), as is written (Ex. 20:3), "Lo-ta`aseh leka pesel/ Do not make for you an idol.” So whoever who has their boldness [i.e., brazenness] from the Other Side, receives their "Torah," that aspect of idolatry.

By the boldness that the tzaddik sees in each and every individual as he is — whether he has holy boldness or the reverse — thereby he [the tzaddik] knows if his prayer was a kosher one or the reverse. For the prayer too results from boldness. For it is impossible to stand up and pray before the Hashem Yithbarakh except by means of boldness, each person according to to his heart's estimation of the greatness of the Creator, bless His Name, as it is written (Prov. 31:23), "Noda` bashe`arim ba`alah/ Her master is known at the Sh`ARim (gates)" — each person relative to what his heart m'Sha`ER (estimates) (Zohar I:103b).

Now, each person, relative to the value at which he estimates in his heart the greatness of the Creator, bless His Name, how is it possible for him to get up and pray before Him? Especially the [`Amida] prayer, which is pela'oth/ wonders, that is, rearrangement of the [celestial] order: The order dictates that things go a certain way, and each star and constellation is set in its individual watch and order, according to how the Creator, bless his Name, arranged that they be fixed and ordered, like this and like that. Yet he comes with his prayer and wants to rearrange the order thus working supernaturality [pela`oth] .

Therefore, at the time of prayer one must remove the embarrassment, as written (Ps. 22:5,6), "Bekha batchu avotheinu.. Batchu welo-voshu/In You our fathers trusted.. they trusted and were not ashamed." For, due to timidity, that he's shy of His Blessedness, it's impossible to pray except by boldness, as explained.

This is the aspect of (ibid. 77:15), "Atah ha'El `oseh fele hoda`ta ve`ammim `UZzekha/ You are the Almighty that doeth wonders. Make known your strength among the nations;" Hashem Yithbarakh works wonders by Yisrael's prayers, which are the result of `AZuth (boldness), as above. As thereby He makes known to the idolators the `azzuth d'kedushah of Yisrael. As by the idolaters seeing the wonders that are worked in the world by Yisrael's prayers, they know how great is Yisrael's `azzuth d'kedushah, that they have such boldness to pray and work wonders, as explained.

Thus the Tzaddik by seeing the boldness and the Torah of each and every person, thereby knows which prayer caused him interference [and] from whom it comes. As a result, he knows how to rebuke him.

[8 Conclusion]

So this is the explanation of [what the Sages of Athens asked]: Meishra d'sakina (a bed of knives) — this is the aspect of the aforementioned chokhmah tata'ah/ lower wisdom, aspect of Malkhut. For it is the abovementioned limud/ study, aspect of (Num. 22:30), "ha'haSKeiN hiSKaNti," a term for study (as Onkelos translates it: have I repeatedly learned?), the aspect of (Lev. 26:25) "cherev nokemet/a vengeful sword," which is the aspect of Malkhut.

Meishra — Rashi translates this as `ARuGa (a patch), which is the aspect of "za`akath moshel/ the screams of one who rules" as it is written (Ps. 42:2), "ke'ayyal t`ARoG/ As a gazelle (cries longingly)."

How does one harvest it? — Rashi explains: With what does one cut it? That is, with what do we cut and free the Malkhut in order to save it from the screaming, in the aspect of, "chatakho le'arba`ah/ he cut him in four," as explained above. [Rabbi Yehoshua] answered them:

B'Karna d'chamra (With a donkey's horn) — that is, with rebuke, whereby the lovingkindness is revealed. With this we cut and sever the Dalet, as in "Kitz'ru lefi chased/ Cut the harvest with lovingkindness" as mentioned.

Karna (a horn) is an aspect of the rebuker's voice, an aspect of the shofar-horn, as in (Isa. 58:1), "Harem kashofar kolekh w'hagged l'`ammi pish`am/ Raise your voice like a shofar and tell My people of their transgression" — that is, the abovementioned rebuke.

Chamra is the aspect of (Gen. 49:14), "Yissakhar chamor garem/ Issakhar is a strong-boned chamor (donkey)." Aspect of (I Chron. 12:33), "Umibenei Yissakhar yod`ei binah la`itim/ Of the children of Yissachar (or, Discerners of Yissachar), knowers to discern the times." For by rebuke she [the Dalet] is elevated to the Festivals, which are aspect of Bina la`itim as above.

They brought him two Bei`Ei (eggs) — a term for prayer and Ba`Uta (supplication), aspects of prayer.

They said to him, Which is from the white [hen] and which is from the black? — In other words: You say that with rebuke we elevate Malkhut as mentioned, yet how is it possible to give rebuke? All the prayers arrive together, so how can he know [whom] to rebuke based on the prayer? He can't know which is the prayer of the worthy or the reverse. So that's: Which is from the white one and which is from the black one? Which prayer is from the worthy person or the opposite.

He brought them two cheeses — aspect of (Job 10:10), "wekhaggvinah taKPe'Ani/ like cheese will you curdle me?" Namely the aforementioned two aspect of Torah, which are the aspects of KaPhuY/frothy and kal/slight, like pesolet, as in, "pesol lekha," and "lo-ta`aseh lekha pesel/ Do not make for yourselves a pesel."

And said to them, Which is from the white `AiZ (goat) and which is from the black `AiZ? Namely the two AZuts, which are the holy boldness and the brazenness of the Other Side, from which come the two [types of] Torah as explained. Commensurate with the boldness it is possible to know the prayers as mentioned and thereby rebuke them. Through this we sever and separate the aspect of Malkhut, rescuing it from "za`akath moshel/ the screams of one who rules" and raise it to the aspect of the Light of the Face which shines on the Festivals, <the heart of the entire year, as in, "Lev sameach yeytiv panim/ A happy heart makes good face" (Prov. 15:13)>.

[9 Note]

This lesson [Rebbe Nachman] began by quoting the verse (Gen 41:1), "Wayhi mikketz/ And it came to pass, at the end of [two full years]," but subsequently did not explain it based on the concepts taught here. He later said that had he wanted to finish the explanation of the verse, he'd have to teach another lesson like this one in order to explain this verse.

[10 Epilogue]

From a person’s voice it is possible to know his aspect Malkhut. For in each and every person there is the aspect of Malkhut, and it can be detected in his voice, for no two voices are alike, as each person's voice is different from his fellow's. Therefore it's possible to recognize a person by his voice, as we see tangibly. For a person's aspect corresponds to his voice, so from his voice it is possible to know his aspect of Malkhut. For there is "the voice of victory," and "the voice of succumbing" (Ex. 32:18), in accordance with the aspect of each person's Malkhut. Thus, at the time Shaul persecuted David because he saw that he would rule, the verse records that Shaul and David were together and Shaul said to David (I Sam. 24:16), "Ha-kolekha zeh beni Dawid?/ Is that your voice, my son David?" For Shaul discerned that he's strong in the aspect of Kingship; that's why we he asked David, "Is that your voice, my son David?" For he discerned it's the voice of a real king. That's why Shaul wanted to lift up his voice, that is, raise his voice above David’s voice, but he could not. This is the meaning of (ibid.), "Wayyissa Sha'ul eth-kolo wayyevk/Shaul lifted up his voice and he cried." That is, he wanted to lift up and raise his voice, as explained, but the sound [that emerged] was a sob. This is the meaning of "he cried;" his voice sobbed, a hushed sound of crying. Thus, Shaul then said to David (ibid.:20), "Yada`ti ki-malokh-timlokh/ I know you will certainly rule!" He knew this by the voice, as explained.