והיה ביום ההוא יתקע בשופר גדול ובאו האובדים…

1“And it shall come to pass on that day that a great shofar shall be sounded, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were cast away in the land of Egypt shall come, and they shall bow down to Havayah on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.”

We need to understand what is said, “a great shofar”: what is the superiority of a great shofar over a shofar that is not great, such as the shofar of Rosh HaShanah at the present time,

as it is said, “And Ado-nai Havayah will sound the shofar,” and “a great shofar” is not mentioned? (This question is explained in the Zohar, Parshas Va’eschanan (266b); see there.

This verse is also mentioned in the Gemara (Berachos, chapter 9, 56b; Rosh HaShanah, chapter 1, 11b; Sanhedrin 110b; Makkos, end of 24a); [in Midrash] Rabbah, Lech Lecha, section 42, on the matter of “And it shall come to pass”;

Vayetze, section 70; Naso, section 13; Midrash Ruth, at the end of the section “And the name of the man was Elimelech”; and in Midrash Esther, on the verse “And it came to pass in the days of.” On the matter of bowing down: Parshas Vayera, section 56.

On “in Jerusalem”: in Koheles Rabbah, at the end of the section “All the rivers.” And this verse, “And it shall come to pass on that day,” etc., is also mentioned in the Zohar, Part I, Parshas Vayigash (210a); Vayechi (250a);

Beshalach (46b); Vayikra, 6b.) Now, on Rosh HaShanah we say, “This day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day.” Seemingly there is a contradiction here, its beginning not [agreeing with] its end:

for “This day is the beginning of Your works” implies an actual beginning, that is, that on it He renews the world each year; and afterwards it says, “a remembrance of the first day,” which implies that it is nothing

but a remembrance, to remember the first day, on which the world was created during the six days of creation. But in truth both are true, for

the matter of Rosh HaShanah, which is called “head” (rosh), is, by way of analogy, like the head of a person. It is the source of life-force (chayus) for all the limbs; in it is the first revelation of the life-force as a whole, and from it are drawn to all the limbs, in particular, their life-force and existence, which at first were included in the head and brain in concealment.

For the seat of the intellectual soul is in the brain, and from it the powers of the soul spread out to all the limbs, from concealment into revelation: to the eye, to see, and to the foot, to walk, etc.

So too, Rosh HaShanah is the first revelation of the life-force of the whole year as a whole. For it is written, “And You give life to them all,” and every single day, “they are new every morning”: the life-force is renewed, so that the life-force of this day is not like that of yesterday.

And so too, in particular, the festivals throughout the year, on which abundant life-force is drawn down, with an added elevation beyond the weekdays, as is known: all these levels of life-force come and are drawn from the level of Rosh HaShanah, and it includes them all together.

(For Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos correspond to the three Patriarchs. Avraham is the level of Pesach, “Knead and make cakes,” and he is Chesed (kindness), the right arm. Shavuos: the Giving of the Torah with the sound of the shofar, the ram of Yitzchak. And Sukkos is the level of “And Yaakov journeyed to Sukkos.” And these are the two arms and the body.

And Chanukah and Purim are the “two thighs of truth.” All this is the level of the body; but Rosh HaShanah is the level of the head, in which the life-force of the whole body is included, and it corresponds to Adam, the first man. And Yom Kippur is also called “Rosh HaShanah” in Scripture, and it is the level of the soul and the inner dimension.

For in the level of the head, too, there is an inner dimension (pnimiyus) and an outer dimension (chitzoniyus); and so it is written in Pri Etz Chaim, that the nesirah (separation) of Yom Kippur is in the mystery of the inner dimension, and that of Rosh HaShanah in the mystery of the outer dimension. And see in the Zohar, Parshas Emor (96b), “the head and the skull,” etc., and in the Mikdash Melech there.

And see the Idra Zuta, end of 288a.) For it is on it that the life-force is drawn from the Source of life, who gives life to the living, the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, who is above the level of our time. And this life-force is higher, and it includes all the portions of the life-force of the year as one,

except that in it they are still in concealment, as [explained] above in the analogy; and afterwards they are drawn from concealment into revelation, in each and every period, as is fitting.

However, it is first divided into the twelve months of the year: on the first day of the month a general life-force for the month is drawn down, and for this reason it is called Rosh Chodesh (the head of the month),

for it is the general life-force for the month; and from it, it is afterwards divided into days, and down to hours and moments, etc. And this is [the meaning of] what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “A person is judged every day,” although in truth Rosh HaShanah is the day of judgment.

But the explanation is that on Rosh HaShanah there is the judgment and the verdict for each and every one concerning the general life-force: whether to draw down the first revelation of the general life-force. Nevertheless, there is also

a judgment every day: whether he is worthy to have a step-by-step descent (hishtalshelus) from the general life-force to the particular life-force, that is, that it be drawn from concealment into revelation. For although he has already been judged on Rosh HaShanah with the drawing down of a general life-force,

it is still possible that [life-force] will not be drawn from the general life-force into revelation in particular, just as it is possible that life-force will not be drawn from the brain to some limb, and the eye will not be able to see, nor the foot to walk, etc.,

and the life-force that belongs to that limb remains in the brain in concealment, held back in the brain and not drawn and spread out from there to the limbs. So too, it can

be that the particular life-force will remain [within] the general life-force of Rosh HaShanah, and then he will receive that kindness in the higher world. And about this is the judgment every day, etc.

(And see what is written about this in Parshas Korach, on the verse “And it bore ripe almonds,” and see what is written in Parshas Re’eh, on the verse “And He will bless you in all that you do.”) But on Rosh HaShanah the general life-force for the whole year is drawn down, and this is the drawing down of an actually new life-force.

Therefore every Rosh HaShanah is called “the beginning of Your works,” for light and life-force are drawn anew for the coming into being of the world. For on the Rosh HaShanah of last year the life-force was drawn down only for one year, from above time into time.

And so too at the beginning of the creation of the world: the drawing down of the life-force on that Rosh HaShanah was for one year, from above time, as it is written,

“For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday”: that is, the six thousand years that the world exists are only six days. (And see the Responsa of the Rashba, Part I, end of section 9 and beginning of section 423.)

Yet this too is the level of time; and above this there is no time at all, and it includes all the time in the span of the six thousand years in a single glance. And from there the life-force is drawn

on Rosh HaShanah for one year. And afterwards, on [the next] Rosh HaShanah, which is called “the festival on which the moon is covered,” that is, the first life-force ascends and is covered and included in its source, and through the shofar and the prayers an actually new light and life-force is drawn down for one year.

Therefore it is called “the beginning of Your works,” an actual beginning. Even so, it is also only a remembrance of the first day, for on the first Rosh HaShanah all this was from His own side, “for He desires kindness,”

but now the matter depends on the arousal from below (isarusa dilesata) of the past year. As we see, not all years are alike: there is a good and sweet year, and there is, etc.;

and this is because of the change in the manner of the arousal from below of the past year, how and what it is. If so, the level of Rosh HaShanah now is the level of judgment and verdict. And although kindness prevails over judgment, which is why we read the portion of the Binding, “And Avraham bound Yitzchak his son,”

which is the mystery of the prevailing of the kindnesses (chasadim) of Avraham over the severities (gevuros) of Yitzchak, and the sweetening of judgment, nevertheless it does not resemble the actual first day, which was actual kindness,

for the drawing down was from His own side, “for He desires kindness,” since there was not yet anyone who could arouse, etc.

And corresponding to this level it is said, “a remembrance of the first day”: only a reminder of the first day, in that, even so, the severities are sweetened,

but not like that of the actual first day. (One may also say that the meaning of “a remembrance of the first day” is that we remember and arouse the first day, and strengthen the attribute of kindness, so that the level of Yitzchak will be included in the level of “Avraham, who loves Me,” etc. And see in the Zohar, Parshas Vayikra

(page 18a), and in the commentary of the Ramaz there; and see what is written below, in the discourse beginning “On the day of Shemini Atzeres,” on the meaning of “a remembrance of the first day” and on the meaning of “This day,” etc.)

And this is [the meaning of] what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Recite before Me [verses of] Kingship (Malchiyos) on Rosh HaShanah, so that you make Me King over you.” “Recite,” specifically: you need to arouse this with an arousal from below, until “you make Me King over you,” so that the revelation of the life-force, the attribute of His Malchus (sovereignty), may He be blessed, will be drawn down.

22. Now, the meaning of “that you make Me King” is this. It is known that there are two levels: the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) and the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). The light that fills all worlds is the life-force that clothes itself in the worlds according to their level, in each and every one “according to its own measure”: souls in one way and angels in another.

It is the level of the power of the Maker that is clothed in the made, truly within it, so much so that even in physicality “there is no blade of grass that has no mazal (constellation) that strikes it and tells it, ‘Grow!’”

This is the level of the drawing down of life-force in particular to this blade of grass specifically. And “one higher than the high watches over [it], and there are higher ones above them”; and in each and every one of them, according to its rank and level, so is the level of the life-force from the Creator that is drawn

into it, in the order of the levels, as it is written, “For My glory I have created it, I have formed it, I have also made it,” which are the three worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; and in particular, many worlds and creatures, truly without end or limit. And the power of the Creator is actually clothed

in each and every one of them according to its rank, like the analogy of the way the life-force drawn from the power of growth in the earth is divided among the many kinds of plants in the world, which differ from one another. And this level is called the light that fills all worlds.

But the level of the light that encompasses all worlds is the light and life-force that is above the chain of descent (hishtalshelus) and above being clothed in the worlds. And corresponding to this level it is said, “I, Havayah, have not changed,” and they said, “You are He before the world was created, and since it was created,” etc.,

exactly the same. Seemingly this is not understood: how can this be, since the worlds nevertheless live and exist from Him, that is, the power of the Creator is actually clothed in them? If so, this is a change from how it was before, etc.

Rather, [it is] because the radiance that gives life to all the worlds is only an external radiance from His essence, may He be blessed; it does not touch Him at all and brings about no change in Him at all.

For the life-force of all the worlds is only as it is written, “I will reign”: His attribute of Malchus (sovereignty) alone, the fact that He, may He be blessed, is called King and is exalted, as it were, over them, is itself their life-force. And this level does not touch His essence at all, as in the analogy of a king of flesh and blood,

who is an entity by himself; and in his being called king over the provinces there is no spreading forth of his actual essence into the provinces, only that his name is called over them.

And this is the matter of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Before the world was created there was He and His Name alone.” But His essence, may He be blessed, is wondrously beyond them and exalted above them, and is called the light that encompasses all worlds. And therefore creation is called “something from nothing” (yesh me’ayin). The meaning is:

in a chain of cause and effect, the cause is affected by the effect that comes from it, and its influence upon it brings about a change in it, because the actual essence of the cause is clothed in the effect, as in the analogy of the progression from intellect to the emotive attributes (middos), and from the emotive attributes to thought, where the actual substance of the intellect is clothed in the emotive attributes, and likewise the emotive attributes in thought, etc.

But with something from nothing it is not so. Rather, the life-force of all the worlds and of what is in them, which is drawn from the Emanator, is not from His substance and essence at all, but from actual nothing,

for His attribute of Malchus alone gives them life, as mentioned above. (And see what is written about this on the verse “Let them bring royal apparel,” on “The Only One, Life of the worlds, King,” etc.)

And this is what is called the light that fills all worlds, which is the level of the life-force that is clothed in the worlds, the power of the Maker in the made (and see about this in the discourse beginning “When you go out,” etc.). And on each Rosh HaShanah it is drawn down anew,

for on each Rosh HaShanah this level of kingship, that there be “I will reign,” is drawn down only for one year; and afterwards it returns and ascends and is included in its source, in the level of “the King who alone was exalted from of old,”

as before the world was created, when the level of His Name was included in the level of “He alone is,” etc. And as it is written, “For Havayah your G‑d is a consuming fire”: that is, like the nature of fire, which withdraws upward. And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “You are standing.”

Therefore: “Recite before Me [verses of] Kingship, so that you make Me King over you”: that they draw down the will for the attribute of kingship, that there be “I will reign”; and this is the drawing down of a new light from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds into the light that fills all worlds.

3And afterwards: “Recite before Me [verses of] Kingship, so that your remembrance may rise before Me for good.” The meaning, by way of analogy: remembrance, where one needs to remember something, applies

only to a thing that is far from him, in place or in rank; then it is fitting to use the term “remembrance” about it, that he will remember it and not forget it from his heart. But when the thing is with him and near him, the term “remembrance” does not apply at all.

4And so the matter of remembrance is to be understood Above. [The reason] we say of Him, may He be blessed, “May our remembrance rise,” etc., is that in truth the life-force of all the worlds, both the lower worlds and the higher worlds, is in truth considered before Him, may He be blessed, as actually nothing, like a drop in the ocean.

For the whole of their life-force derives from a single thought that arose in thought before Him, that there be the coming into being and the emanation of the worlds; and it is called the Primordial Thought. And it is like the analogy of the nullity (bittul) of a single thought relative to the soul as a whole, etc.

Now, on Rosh HaShanah, when everything returns to as it was, we therefore ask that He remember that Primordial Thought which arose then, at the beginning of the emanation of the worlds, as mentioned above.

For since in truth it is considered as actually nothing and bears no comparison to Him, we therefore ask, “Remember us”: that He remember this and again clothe Himself in the level of the thought mentioned above.

And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “You remember the work of the world and recall all the creatures of old,” and the closing blessing, “who remembers the covenant.” (And see in Pardes, Erchei HaKinuyim, the entry “Remembrance” (zechirah); and see the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Pinchas (page 239a),

and in Parshas Ekev (271a), on the verse “I will cause My Name to be remembered,” and in the commentary of the Ramaz there; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Binding to the vine,” on the meaning of “those who sanctify Your Name,” etc.

And see in the Zohar, Parshas Vayakhel (page 200a): “A book of remembrance: two levels that are one, and the mystery of this is Name [and] Havayah: the Name is one, Havayah is one.” And in the Zohar, Parshas Yisro

(page 70a). And see what is written above in Parshas Shelach, on the verse “And you shall remember all the commandments,” etc., “so that you remember,” etc.,

and at the end of the discourse beginning “Remember the Shabbos day,” on the matter of “Remember” and “Keep,” etc. And see further in the Zohar, Part I, Parshas Vayera (end of 120b), on the verse “And Elokim remembered,” etc.,

and in Parshas Vayetze (159b), and in Parshas Beshalach (47a), on the verse “And he remembered the days of old,” etc., and in the Mikdash Melech there. And see on the matter of “the days of old” in the Zohar, Part III, at the end of Parshas Naso (145b).)

Therefore we hold [as law] that on Rosh HaShanah we sound [the shofar] of males (zecharim), that is, the shofar of a ram. And see in the Zohar, Part I, in Parshas Vayechi (246a), that “the higher world is a male world,” etc.

53. “And with what? With the shofar.” Now, the matter of the shofar is that it is a simple sound, drawn from the breath of the heart; and it is not like the level of speech, which is the level of letters drawn from the brain.

For the letters of speech are drawn from the letters of thought, and the letters of thought are drawn from the intellect, etc.; whereas the simple sound is drawn from the breath of the heart, and it is above the intellect. For in the heart there is an outer dimension (chitzoniyus) and an inner dimension (pnimiyus).

Now, the outer dimension of the heart is below the intellect and receives from it, as it is written, “A man is praised according to his intelligence”: the arousal of the emotive attributes (middos) in the heart accords with the intellect, as is known.

But this arousal in these emotive attributes is only the level of the outer dimension of the heart, and it is called the lower will, which is the level of re’usa deliba (the desire of the heart), born and drawn from the level of the intellect’s contemplation.

But the inner dimension of the heart, which is what is called the Supernal Will, does not receive from the intellect or derive from it at all; rather, it is even above the intellect. And this is [the meaning of] what is said, levavi (“my heart”), which implies two hearts, namely the level of the outer dimension of the heart and the level of the inner dimension of the heart, etc.

(As is explained elsewhere on the meaning of what is written, “You are beautiful, my beloved (ra’ayasi), as Tirtzah”: ra’ayasi is from the term re’usa deliba, which is the lower will; it is to become “as Tirtzah,” the Supernal Will that is above the intellect.

And this is through “Unite my heart”; see what is written on the verse “And Moshe assembled,” and on the verse “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov.” And see what is written further on the matter of the outer dimension of the heart and the inner dimension of the heart in the discourse beginning “You are standing,” and in the explanation on the verse “You have captured my heart.”)

And what is said, “The brain rules over the heart,” refers to the outer dimension of the heart, which is born of the intellect, as mentioned above, and the brain rules over it. But the inner dimension of the heart is higher than the level of the brain.

Therefore the brain receives from the heart, as is known: the main nourishment is in the heart, for the blood comes there from the liver, which receives from the stomach the choicest part of the food, which is transformed into blood in the liver; and from it the blood enters the heart, and the brain receives life-force from the heart, etc.

(Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, is called “the Rock of my heart,” while “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah,” which is the level of the brain, as [will be explained] below.) Now, this simple sound of the shofar is from the level of the inner dimension of the heart,

that is, as it is written, “Their heart cried out to Ado-nai”: the outcry of the heart is from the level of the inner dimension of the heart. (And see about this in the Zohar, Part II, Parshas Shemos

(end of 19b and page 20a), and in Pardes, Erchei HaKinuyim, the entry “Outcry” (tze’akah); and see in Midrash Rabbah on Shir HaShirim, on the verse “My dove,” etc.,

“Let me hear your voice,” etc., up to “And when the children of Israel cried out before the Holy One, blessed be He, immediately ‘Havayah saved,’” etc.; and in Shemos Rabbah, section 21, on the verse “Why do you cry out to Me?”: “I have already heard their outcry,” etc.

And see in the Zohar, Part II, in Parshas Beshalach (52b), and in the commentary of the Ramaz there.) And it is drawn forth and born because of the concealment and the opposition in one’s descent below, having become very distant from the light of the countenance of the King of life, the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He;

for because of this the outcry to G‑d grows very strong in their souls, and the level of the inner dimension of the heart toward G‑d, may He be blessed, that is in each and every one of Israel, above his comprehension, is revealed, as mentioned above. And this is the level of baalei teshuvah (returnees), [who come] “with greater strength.”

Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said that complete tzaddikim cannot stand in their place, for it is precisely because of the concealment that the outcry grows great, etc.

And this is the purpose of the descent of the souls into bodies: “to bring the tzaddikim to return in teshuvah.” For while they were in Gan Eden they were all tzaddikim, who “enjoy the radiance of the Shechinah,” which is the work of the tzaddikim, whose service is with the intellect,

as it is written, “Know the G‑d of [your father],” etc. And afterwards, in their descent below into a body and an animal soul, they became the level of baalei teshuvah, to return upward,

for there is [something] that hides and conceals, and because of this the outcry grows great, and it is the level of the inner dimension of the heart. And as in the well-known saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that the essence of teshuvah is in the heart. The meaning is:

teshuvah specifically is the revelation of the inner dimension of the heart, which is above the level of complete tzaddikim, who are from the level of the brain, as mentioned above. And the teshuvah comes from this very thing: as he contemplates the immensity of his distance, that he “has come down astonishingly,” etc. And of the lower Gan Eden our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Better that he be judged,” etc.,

for all the sufferings of Gehinnom are worthwhile, etc. And the higher Gan Eden is higher without end; all the more so must one weep over his distance from the essence of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), for “Better is one hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world,” etc.;

from this his heart will cry out, etc. And this is the matter of the tekiah: a simple sound from the inner dimension of the heart. And afterwards the shevarim, “groaning sighs,” which is the level of a broken heart; and the teruah, “wailing cries,” which is the level of the arousal of compassion through weeping, etc.

And from this is born and drawn forth the second tekiah, which is the level of the revelation of the Supernal Will from above. For the Holy One, blessed be He, is called “the Rock of my heart.”

6And also, levavi (“my heart”) is in the plural, which implies two hearts, namely the level of the outer and the inner dimension in the heart, in the analogy mentioned above. And the outer dimension of the heart is below the intellect, as it is written, “He founded the earth with Chochmah,” etc.

But the inner dimension of the heart is the level of the Supernal Will, which is above Chochmah (wisdom); and Chochmah is called the level of “making” (asiyah) relative to the level of the Supernal Will,

as it is written, “You have made them all with Chochmah,” and as is known. And the level of the tekiah, which is a simple sound, is the level of the revelation of the inner dimension of the heart, which is the level of the Supernal Will that is above Chochmah, mentioned above. And of this it is said (in Zechariah, chapter 9), “And Ado-nai Havayah will sound the shofar”:

just as, by way of analogy, the tekiah is a simple sound from the inner dimension of the heart, so, by way of analogy, it is the level of the drawing down and revelation of the Supernal Will, blessed be He; and it is above the level of the letters that are drawn from Chochmah.

For “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah,” and its essence is the level of letters, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The entire Torah is names of the Holy One, blessed be He,” that is, the level of the letters in the Torah. And for this reason it is called Mikra (Scripture), a term of “calling” (keriah), for one calls Him by His names, and through this He turns Himself, etc.

Therefore touching [between letters] invalidates it, and so too a missing or an extra [letter], for the precision lies in the letters; and this is because it comes forth from Chochmah, from which the letters are drawn. (As is explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “To My mare,” in Parshas Beshalach.)

But the level of the Supernal Will is the level of the inner dimension of the heart, which is the level of a simple sound that is above the letters, as mentioned above. And this is the matter of “And with what? With the shofar.”

74. Now, there is this as well: through this it fills all the blemishes that were made by the sins of the past year.

For the blemishes in the 248 positive commandments and the 365 prohibitions are in the level of Chochmah, from which the Torah is drawn, as mentioned above, and the blemishes reach up to there, etc. And through the shofar, by which a radiance is drawn from the level of the Supernal Will that is above Chochmah, as mentioned above,

it therefore fills all the blemishes that were made in Chochmah, and shines a new light “with greater elevation and greater strength,” like the analogy of a river that has been laid waste and has dried up: one digs deeper, and it fills the lack,

and also “with greater elevation,” etc. For “three bonds are bound to one another: Israel with the Torah, and the Torah with the Holy One, blessed be He”; that is, when one keeps the ways of the Torah and the mitzvos.

But if, G‑d forbid, he has blemished some mitzvah, this bond of “Israel bound with the Torah” is weakened; and then there is no remedy except through teshuvah from the depth of the heart, by which one “leaps over a wall” and draws down from the level of “the Holy One, blessed be He,”

which is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is called holy and separate, and with which the Torah, which is the level of Chochmah, is bound, etc. And through this, that the Holy One, blessed be He, shines into the Torah and into Israel,

He then fills all the blemishes and deficiencies, as the saying goes, “You are the completion of them all; You are the One who fills all the Names,” etc.

And this is [the meaning of] “And Havayah passed before him (al panav) and proclaimed, ‘Havayah, Havayah,’” etc., with the cantillation breaking between them. For there are two levels of the Names Havayah: one is in the chain of descent (hishtalshelus): yud, Chochmah; hei, Binah, etc.

And there are the blemishes [incurred] through Torah and mitzvos, as is written in the writings of the Arizal, in the Shema recited at bedtime: “If I have blemished the letter yud by neglecting the recital of Shema,” etc.

For the mitzvah of reciting the Shema is to unify [Him] in “Havayah is One”: how “there is nothing else besides Him,” and everything is considered as actually nothing. And one who neglects this blemishes the letter yud,

which is the level of Chochmah, the level of self-nullification (bittul), koach mah (“the potential of what”), as it is written, “And Chochmah is found from ayin (nothing)”: it is drawn and born continually from the level of ayin, etc.

And through neglect of the positive commandment “And you shall love Havayah” one blemishes the letter hei, which is the level of Binah, “the heart,” great love (ahavah rabbah), etc. And through neglect of Torah study one blemishes the letter vav, for the vav is the drawing down of a long line from the yud at its head;

for the whole Torah is the level of drawings-down from the higher Chochmah, and one who neglects Torah study cuts short the drawings-down and blemishes the letter vav. And through neglect of the practical mitzvos, [one blemishes] the final hei of the Name,

which is the level of action (asiyah), as is known. But all this is in the level of the lower Name Havayah, which is the level of the coming into being of the chain of descent, as mentioned above.

But the higher Name Havayah, although it too is called Havayah on account of the coming into being that is from Him, may He be blessed, is nevertheless the level of the revelation of a supernal light that is above the chain of descent; and it is the level of the Supernal Will mentioned above, which is far, far above Chochmah.

And therefore the cantillation breaks between them, etc. But the matter of “And He proclaimed, ‘Havayah, Havayah’” is that He, may He be blessed, calls and draws down from the level of the first Name Havayah, which is above the chain of descent, as mentioned above, so that it be revealed in the Havayah that is in the level of the chain of descent.

(And see about this in the Idra Rabba (138a), and see in the book Ruach David there, which explains that the first Name is above the chain of descent, etc.

And so the Mikdash Melech explains, at the end of the book הדרת פ״מ. But in the explanation of the Idra in the book Kol BeRamah, it is implied that the second Name is above the chain of descent, and this is from Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaSelichos, chapter 2. And see in the Zohar, at the end of Parshas Terumah (175b),

and in Parshas Bereishis (20a), and in Pri Etz Chaim, the above-mentioned sha’ar, beginning of chapter 8, and in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Arich Anpin.) [This is in order] to fill all the blemishes and deficiencies that were made in it through the sins, etc.,

as explained above with the analogy of the river that dried up: by drawing out and digging from the spring, the river is filled, etc. And this is the matter of teshuvah: through teshuvah one calls and draws down from the level of Havayah that is above the order of the chain of descent, as it is written, “From the depths I have called You, Havayah.”

Therefore we say the Thirteen Attributes [of Mercy] during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, for then the level of the revelation of the Havayah that is above the chain of descent is drawn down, which is the level of the Supernal Will that is above Chochmah, through the shofar, a simple sound, which is the revelation of the inner dimension of the heart, as mentioned above.

Therefore the shofar must be specifically of a ram or of an ibex, but that of a cow is invalid, for it is written, “the face of an ox on the left,”

which is the level of severities (gevuros), and it is impossible to draw down through it the level of the abundant compassion mentioned above, which is the level of the inner dimension of the heart, the Supernal Will.

For, on the contrary, “the left pushes away,” etc. Rather, [it is] through a ram’s shofar, for “And Yaakov separated the lambs”: they have in them the level of compassion,

which is the attribute of Yaakov; and as is seen tangibly, they have a voice of pity that arouses compassion. (And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “And the kohen shall wave them,” etc., “with the two lambs,” in Parshas Emor.)

Therefore through this we draw down the revelation of the Supernal Will and the abundant compassion that is above the chain of descent. (And see what is written on the verse “As an eagle arouses,” etc., and on the verse “On the third day He will raise us up,” etc.)

Now, although the main drawing down is through the inner dimension of the heart, “their heart cried out,” nevertheless it is through the sounding of the shofar specifically, for the reason that action [reaches] Above; and see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Let them bring royal apparel,” etc.

And further, because the revelation of the inner dimension of the Supernal Will from above must be drawn below, to be clothed in physicality, as in the saying, “Inscribe us in the book of good life,” “Inscribe us in the book of livelihood,” etc.,

so that there be physical sustenance for man; and this is through the abundant compassion mentioned above, which is drawn down and clothed so very far below, in physicality, until its compassion is revealed in physical bestowal.

And so too the compassion as a whole that is drawn down on Rosh HaShanah to sweeten the judgments is also drawn down below, in the manner mentioned above. For the main judgment on Rosh HaShanah is on the bodies: whether he will live or whether he will die,

that is, whether the soul will endure and remain in the body or depart from it; whereas the judgment of the souls is after death, etc.

As is written in the Hagahos Maimoniyos, chapter 3 of the Laws of Teshuvah, in the name of the Ramban, that a person is judged on Rosh HaShanah only for the matters of this world, etc.;

see there. If so, the compassion that sweetens the judgments too means that the compassion is drawn so far below that it is clothed in physicality.

Therefore one must sound the simple sound mentioned above specifically with a physical shofar, of a sheep or a ram and the like, in which there is compassion; and through this the same is aroused from above, that the abundant compassion mentioned above be drawn down and become physical, until its bestowals are in physicality, which is the matter of physical compassion.

For the bestowal of physical life is the level of animality (behemiyus), and it too is brought about through the sounding and the arousal of compassion with the horn of the sheep, which is animality, etc.

(And this is as it is written, “The spirit of man that ascends upward, and the spirit of the beast that descends downward to the earth.” The meaning: “the spirit of man that ascends” is like the matter of “And the spirit returns to G‑d,”

that is, in the level of teshuvah (return), as is explained below in the discourse beginning “Listen, O heavens”; and this ascent is very, very high, to arouse the revelation of the Supernal Will, etc. And see in the Zohar, at the beginning of Parshas Tzav, that the level of the sound of the shofar is called ruach (spirit).

But in order that the drawing down be drawn from there into physical bestowals, which is the level of animality, this is through the level of “and the spirit of the beast that descends downward to the earth,” which is the level of the higher earth, and “the earth is My footstool,” as is explained in the discourse beginning “When you go out.”

Therefore the angels too are called by the name “beast”: “the face of a lion, the face of an ox,” etc., because the angels are the messengers of the flow [of bounty], so that the bestowal be drawn into this physical world (and see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “How beautiful are your steps in sandals”); and they receive from the level of behemah rabbah (the great beast),

which is the bounty as a whole that is clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. And this is [the meaning of] “Man and beast You save, Havayah”: that is, through the two levels mentioned above, of “man” and “beast,” etc. And so too His attribute of Malchus, may He be blessed, is called by these two names, “man” and “beast,” as is explained elsewhere.)

And this is [the meaning of] “And Havayah passed before him (al panav) and proclaimed,” etc. The meaning: this revelation is that He passed over His face (panav), that is, not as befits [what comes] from the level of His face.

For the level of His face, which is the inner dimension, cannot be clothed so far below. And see what is written elsewhere, that His face is the level of the Ten Sefiros.

But from higher up He can lower Himself even below. (And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Let them bring royal apparel,” mentioned above; and see what is written below, at the end of the discourse beginning “To understand the meaning of the verse ‘Who is a G‑d like You,’” etc.) And this is “And Havayah passed”: that He passed across His face, from higher up, etc. And this suffices for one who understands.

85. Now, all this is the level of the shofar of Rosh HaShanah, of which it is said, “And Ado-nai Havayah will sound the shofar,” etc.

(And see what is written on the verse “For as the earth brings forth its growth,” etc., “so will Ado-nai Havayah cause to sprout,” etc., that this is the revelation of Rosh HaShanah, etc.; see there.) But of the Time to Come it is written, “And it shall come to pass on that day that a great shofar shall be sounded.”

The explanation: the matter of the shofar of Rosh HaShanah has already been explained, that it is to draw down so that there be the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is the matter of the coming into being of His attribute of Malchus, may He be blessed, as they, of blessed memory, said, “Recite before Me [verses of] Kingship,” etc.,

and also to fill all the blemishes that were made in the Name Havayah that is in the level of the chain of descent (hishtalshelus), which is also the level of the light that fills [all worlds], as mentioned above: yud in Chochmah, etc.

And the drawing down is from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is the Supernal Will, and through this He “fills all the Names,” etc. And this is the matter of the shofar. (And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Blow the shofar at the New Moon,” and in the discourse beginning “I will greatly rejoice.”)

However, even so, it is called plain “shofar” and not “great shofar.” The explanation: even the level of the light that encompasses all worlds, although it is the level that is not clothed and grasped within the worlds,

and it is the level of “I have not changed,” etc., as explained above, nevertheless, since it is the level that encompasses and surrounds the worlds, it is therefore within the category of the level of worlds.

It is as, by way of analogy, with the heavens and the earth: the heavens surround the earth and all that is on it, and revolve around the earth constantly; and although the heavens are very high above the earth, to the point that the earth is

only like a mustard seed relative to the heavens, nevertheless they bear a relation to each other, so much so that the heavens too must have an end and a limit, since they are what surrounds the earth, etc.,

only that, even so, “the heavens are higher than the earth,” etc. And in the same way the analogue is also to be understood, regarding the light that encompasses all worlds and the light that fills all worlds: although the level of the light that encompasses all worlds is in the level of infinity relative to the radiance that is clothed in the worlds to be the light that fills all worlds, and is not

as in physicality, where the heavens are actually bounded, nevertheless, since it is the level that encompasses the worlds and gives them life in the manner of a surrounding [light], at any rate it bears a relation to, and is within the category of, the level of worlds.

But His essence, may He be blessed, is utterly separate from the category of the level of worlds, even from shining in the level of encompassing and surrounding, etc.; and it will be revealed in the Time to Come. For

it is written, “Praise Him according to His abundant greatness”: that is, there are many kinds of His greatness, one above the other, without end or limit.

Therefore it says “according to His abundant greatness,” and it does not say “according to the greatness of His greatness.” And what is now the level of encompassing and surrounding will be revealed in the Future in the level of the inner [light].

And this is the matter of “And it shall come to pass on that day.” It is along the lines of what is written, “And it shall be said on that day, ‘Behold, this (zeh) is our G‑d’”: that the level of hu (“He”), the level of the hidden,

that is, the level of the light that encompasses all worlds, as is written in the Sifra deTzniusa, at the end of Parshas Terumah (177b), on the verse “He (hu) made us”: “Hu is said of one who is hidden and not found,” etc.,

will be, in the Time to Come, in the level of zeh (“this”), which is the level of revelation face to face. And see in the Zohar, Parshas Shelach (171a), on the matter of “on that day,” and in Pardes, Sha’ar 14, chapter 3.

Now, then, when the level of the light that encompasses all worlds is drawn down to be in the level of actual revelation, the level of encompassing will then be drawn from a higher level

(that is, from a level that is not within the category of worlds at all; and see what is written about this in the explanation on the verse “Those who come, Yaakov will cause to take root,” etc., that this is the matter of “the new heavens,” etc.; see there. And this is the level of “which I make”: “I” specifically, the supernal Emanator, blessed be He, etc.; whereas of the present heavens it is written, “And all these My hand has made,” etc.

And this difference between the level of “My hand has made” and the level of “which I Myself make” will be understood according to what is written in the discourse beginning “And the king extended to Esther,” on the difference between the level of “the golden scepter that was in his hand” and what is written afterwards, “And the king extended,” etc.; see there, also on this matter.)

And then “a great shofar shall be sounded.” The meaning: just as with the shofar of Rosh HaShanah now there is the level of the drawing down from the light that encompasses all worlds into the light that fills all worlds, so too in the Time to Come, when [the light] will be drawn from a much higher level to be in the level of encompassing, the shofar too will then be a drawing down from that tremendously high level and rank.

Therefore it is called a “great shofar,” for it is a drawing down from the level that is not within the category of worlds, as mentioned above, and “His greatness is unsearchable,” far, far above the level of the drawing down that comes from the level of the plain shofar. For

the mitzvos will not be abolished in the Time to Come (this needs examination, in the Gemara in Niddah (61b); however, the Sidrei Taharah, in his novellae there, in the name of the Rashba and the Ran, concluded as I have written), only that it will not be in the manner it is now, when we sound for Malchiyos (Kingship) and Zichronos (Remembrances) and afterwards Shofaros (Shofar verses);

but in the Time to Come there will be Shofaros alone, and for this reason, too, it is called a “great shofar.” And the reason is understood according to what was said above: now the drawing down must be in the level of the light that fills [all worlds], and therefore there must be Malchiyos, “so that you make Me King,” etc.,

and the drawing down is to fill all the blemishes, as mentioned above; whereas in the Time to Come, when what is now the level of the light that encompasses all worlds will be drawn down in revelation in the level of the light that fills all worlds itself, there is no need for Malchiyos and Zichronos (and see in the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, on Zechariah, on the verse “On that day there shall be”), only Shofaros alone, for the shofar is the revelation of the inner dimension, as mentioned above.

But it is called a “great shofar” although in truth every shofar is the revelation of the inner dimension, as it is written regarding the shofar, “Fortunate is the people who know

the teruah; Havayah, in the light of Your face they will walk.” And it is written, “And the light of Your face, for You favored (retzisam) them” (Psalms 44), which is the level of the revelation of the Supernal Will, which is called “Your face,”

that is, it is the level of the inner dimension of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, that is, the level of the encompassing [light]. (And see on the matter of “Fortunate is the people who know the teruah” the Zohar, Part III, in Parshas Vayikra

(18b; 99b; end of 148b); and on the matter of “in the light of Your face they will walk,” there (149a), on “then, in the light of the face of,” etc.,

and in the commentary of the Ramaz there; (and 231b), on “in the light of the face of,” etc.; and at the beginning of Parshas Bo (32b), and in the commentary of the Ramaz there. And see further in Parshas Vayikra (15b),

on “The upright will behold His face,” and in the commentary of the Ramaz there; and see what is written above in Parshas Re’eh on the verse “to do what is right,” etc.

And the matter of “And the light of Your face, for You favored them” is mentioned in the Zohar, Part II, in Parshas Beshalach, 59b.) But this is called a plain shofar.

But the shofar of the Future will be the level of a drawing down from the level of Ra’ava deChol Ra’avin (the Will of all wills), which is the level of the will that is the source of the wills; and it is above the level of this inner dimension that is drawn down now, etc., that is, above the level of the light that encompasses all worlds.

(Therefore it is called a “great shofar,” which is above the level of the inner dimension, that is, the Supernal Will plain and simple, which is called a plain shofar; for it is the level of the Will of all wills.

And see what is written on the matter of the Will of all wills in the discourse beginning “For the conductor, on the eighth,” and see what is written further on the matter of the light that encompasses all worlds, and what is above the level of the encompassing [light], in the discourse beginning “A psalm, a song for the dedication of the House,” etc. And see what is written in Parshas Shelach, in the discourse beginning “I,” of the passage of tzitzis, on the meaning and the matter of “His great Name,”

which is the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that is above the level of the Name Havayah, [where] the yud is tzimtzum, etc.; see there. And therefore it is called “His great Name.” And in the same way one may also explain the meaning of “great shofar.” And also according to what the early Kabbalists wrote, that shemo (“His Name”) has the numerical value of ratzon (“will”).

And see what is written in Parshas Beshalach, in the discourse beginning “And Israel saw,” on the matter of the level of will, in which there is also tzimtzum, the level of yud, etc.; however, the level of the Will of all wills is from the level of “His great Name.”

And see further what is written in Parshas Chukas, in the explanation on the verse “Come to Cheshbon,” on the matter of “every perutah combines into a great account,” etc. And this is also what is written of the Time to Come, “And with great compassion I will gather you”: that is, they are drawn from the level of the great shofar, which draws down the level of great compassion. And see about this in the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Teitzei

(277a), and in the commentary of the Ramaz there; and in the Kisei Melech, [where it] explains that “great compassion” is the inner dimension of Atik. And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “On that very day Avraham was circumcised,” on the meaning and the matter of “Great is circumcision, for thirteen covenants were made over it,” etc.)

Now, in the Zohar, Parshas Va’eschanan (266b), it explains what is written, “And it shall come to pass on that day that [a great shofar] shall be sounded”: “What is ‘on that day’?” etc.,

as it says, “And there shall be one day; it shall be known to Havayah.” And see about this in the Idra (134b); and see what is written about this in the explanation on the verse “And the number of the children of Israel shall be,” that this is the matter of “For great is the day,” etc.;

see there. And according to this it will be understood that it is fitting that in the level of “on that day,” that is, the level of “For great is the day,” “a great shofar shall be sounded,” great specifically. And this is the matter of “according to His abundant greatness,” etc., as mentioned above.

And this is also why regarding the plain shofar it is written, “And Ado-nai Havayah will sound the shofar,” whereas regarding the great shofar it is written “shall be sounded,” and it does not mention who sounds it,

but [this is] because it is a drawing down and revelation from the level of Stima deChol Stimin (the Most Hidden of all hidden), from the level of “His great Name,” which is above the Names Ado-nai and Havayah, etc.

One may also explain [it] along the lines of what is written in Parshas Acharei, at the end of the discourse beginning “For on this day He shall atone,” that there too it does not say who atones,

and this is because it is from the level of “before Havayah you shall be purified,” which is a level that is not grasped in any letter or allusion at all, etc.; see there.

96. And then it is written, “And they shall come,” etc., “and they shall bow down to Havayah.” For regarding the plain shofar it is written, “Fortunate is the people who know the teruah; in the light of Your face they will walk”: although it is the revelation of the inner dimension, there is nevertheless still in it the level of walking.

But with the revelation and drawing down of the great shofar of the Time to Come, which is the level of the revelation of the Will of all wills (Ra’ava deChol Ra’avin), the source of all the inner dimension, then “they shall come,” etc.,

“and they shall bow down”: bowing down is the level of self-nullification (bittul), etc. (And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And all the people saw,” etc., “and the sound of the shofar,” etc., regarding “And there was a voice from above the firmament,” etc., and at the end of the discourse beginning “The heavens are My throne,” etc.)

And then, too, “those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were cast away in the land of Egypt shall come, and they shall bow down,” etc.: that is, even the souls that descended very far below and were swallowed up within Assyria and Egypt, whom the shofar of the present does not arouse;

but when the great shofar is sounded, they too will be aroused, etc. (So it is explained in the book טו״ב, section 586. And see what is written along these lines in the discourse beginning “I am black but comely,” on the meaning of “And Israel saw the great hand that Havayah had wielded in Egypt,”

that is, even in the level of Egypt there is the level of the drawing down and spreading forth of the level of the great hand, which was drawn and spread forth very far down, even into the level of Egypt; that is, the supernal kindness is drawn down so far that even upon the level of a lowly soul, of the lowest levels in Asiyah, clothed in physicality, thoughts of teshuvah fall.

And this is the matter of “the great hand.” It follows that because it is the level of the great hand, which is a very high level, it is therefore drawn and spreads so far below, that even in the level of a lowly soul, etc.

And in exactly this way it is here: because there will be a drawing down from the level of the great shofar, the Will of all wills, it will therefore arouse even from the level of Assyria and Egypt, etc. And see on the matter of “the great hand” in the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Ki Seitzei

(277a), that it too is the level of great compassion; and according to the commentary of the Ramaz there, it is actually one matter with the level of the great shofar; see there.)

Now, in general there are two levels among them. The first: “those who were lost in the land of Ashur (Assyria),” which is the level of delight, from the term ashrei (“fortunate”): “Fortunate are those who dwell,” etc.;

“In my happiness (be’ashri), for the daughters will call me happy,” etc. And in the supernal holiness, this is the matter of “who (asher) has sanctified us with His commandments,” etc. And in the Zohar, Vayechi (247a),

on the verse “From Asher, his bread shall be rich”: “And what is it? The World to Come,” etc.; see there. And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “On the day of Shemini Atzeres,” on the matter of “which (asher) You swore to our fathers from the days of old.”

And “one opposite the other”: the level of Ashur is the pleasures of this world, which came into being from the refuse of the supernal delight, from what fell in the breaking of the vessels, etc.

(And see in the Zohar, Bereishis, 49a, on “And it is called Asherah,” etc.; and in the book טו״ב, section 649, he elaborates on this; and see in the Zohar, Vayikra, 23a.)

And the meaning of “those who were lost in the land of Assyria”: because one chases after the pleasures of this world to fill his evil craving, the spark of G‑dliness in his soul is lost and sunk, and from it the kelipos and the sitra achra (the other side) draw nourishment, etc.,

as it is written, “And Yeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you became gross.” And see what is written about this at the end of the discourse beginning “Israel is holy,” etc., in Parshas Pinchas. And these are called “lost” (ovdim), for they knowingly destroy themselves, G‑d forbid.

(And see what is written in the discourse beginning “As an eagle arouses,” on “Forgive us, for we have transgressed,” etc., up to “Seek Havayah while He may be found”; see there.)

And the second are “those who were cast away in the land of Egypt (Mitzrayim).” The meaning: Mitzrayim is from the term meitzar (strait), for because of the siege and the distress they have no heart to know, etc., as it is written about Israel when they were in Egypt, “And they did not listen to Moshe, from shortness of spirit,”

that is, because of the abundance of trouble, as Rashi explains there; and in Targum Onkelos, “And they did not accept from Moshe, from oppression of spirit,” etc. And in the same way it is said (in Isaiah, chapter 59), “And drunk, but not from wine.”

The meaning: he is confused like a drunkard, and not from drinking wine but from distress and grief, as it says in Targum Yonasan there, “who are drunk from distress,” etc.

And these are called “cast away.” And in the Time to Come they will all be elevated, so that “they shall come,” etc., “and they shall bow down,” etc. And this is [the meaning of] what is written (in Hosea, end of chapter 11), “They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt, and like a dove from the land of Assyria,” etc.,

and this is through “for He (hu) will roar.” The meaning: hu is the level of “the one who is hidden,” etc.; “Hu, this is Atika”; see the Idra Zuta (290a). And the meaning of

“for He will roar” is the matter of “And it shall come to pass on that day that a great shofar shall be sounded,” etc. And through this “they shall tremble,” etc., which is the level of self-nullification and bowing down, as it is written regarding the shofar, “And all the people trembled,” etc.

And it is written, “Shall a shofar be sounded in the city and the people not tremble?” And the meaning of “in the city” is the level of “the city of our G‑d,” the world of speech, the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, etc.

And the shofar is a voice and a drawing down, for the building of the world of speech, which is the level of “city,” etc. But this trembling and self-nullification are in the level of “and the people,” as it is written, “in order to establish you as His people,” etc.

But in order that this trembling and self-nullification be drawn also into the level of “the lost” and “the cast away,” this is through the great shofar, “for He will roar,” and through this “they shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt,” etc.

For Egypt and Assyria too are nullified and utterly nullified when the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) itself, blessed be He, is revealed, before which “darkness is like light.” And then there will be “the Holy One in your midst,”

“and I will not come into the city.” The meaning: there is a level of combinations of letters and drawings-down that are drawn into the opposing side, and they too are called “city,” that is, the level of which the generation of the Dispersion said, “Let us make for ourselves a city and a tower,” etc.

And see in the Zohar, Parshas Noach (75). But in the Time to Come, when all the souls will be elevated, then there will be “the Holy One in your midst,” and the bestowal will not be drawn to the level of “city” mentioned above.

10“On the holy mountain”: our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Like Avraham, who called it ‘mountain.’” For of Avraham it is written, “going and journeying toward the south”; the level of love is called “mountain,”

like a mountain that rises up from the flat land; and “the holy mountain” is the love that is in the level of self-nullification (bittul), for “holy” is the level of Chochmah.

(And see what is written in the discourse beginning “When you kindle the lamps,” on the matter of “Aharon, by your life, yours is greater than theirs,” etc. And perhaps this is the level of Aharon: alef, har (“mountain”), nun. And as is known, the level of Aharon draws down great love (ahavah rabbah), which is above the level of “kindness to Avraham,” as is written there. And this is the matter of “the holy mountain,” etc. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “The voice of my Beloved,” etc., “leaping over the mountains,” etc.)

11“In Jerusalem” (Yerushalayim): yirah shalem, “complete awe,” the completeness of awe. For now it is written, “To make known to the sons of man His mighty deeds (gevurosav), and the glory of the splendor of His kingdom.” The meaning of “the splendor of His kingdom” is the splendor in the creatures that come into being from His attribute of Malchus, may He be blessed,

as it is written, “A thousand thousands serve Him,” for one troop, and His troops are without number, which is a level of very great splendor. Nevertheless, it is through this, that first [there is] “to make known to the sons of man His mighty deeds”: that their coming into being is through the level of gevuros (severities) and contractions (tzimtzumim).

For if His attribute of Malchus, blessed be He, were revealed upon them as it is, they would not be able to receive [it] at all and would be actually nullified out of existence, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “He stretched out His little finger among them,”

which is the level of Malchus, the tenth level of the Ten Sefiros, “and He burned them,” so that they were utterly nullified; for a finite being cannot receive the level of the Infinite (Ein Sof).

Rather, “these are His mighty deeds”: that He contracts Himself, so that His attribute of Malchus is not so revealed; and then the fear and the awe will be limited, as much as the creatures can bear.

And this is not called “complete awe,” for the awe is not in completeness. But in the Future, through “And I will remove the spirit of impurity,” etc., there will be the level of complete awe.

(And this is the level of “the holy mountain,” which is a very lofty love, and is also included with the level of the completeness of awe. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And you shall know this day,” on the matter of the inter-inclusion of love and awe, regarding “And all hearts will fear You, and all innermost parts and kidneys will sing,” etc.,

and below, in the discourse beginning “On the day of Shemini Atzeres.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “The voice of my Beloved,” mentioned above, regarding “leaping,” etc., “and skipping,” etc. And see in the Zohar, Vayeshev

(end of 183b), on the matter of “Jerusalem that is built like a city that is joined together”; see there.) And it may be said that this level will be through the great shofar.

Now, when the Holy Temple stood, the mitzvah of the Jubilee years was in force; and the main [mention of the] shofar in the Torah is said regarding the Jubilee: “And you shall sound the shofar of teruah,” etc.,

“on Yom Kippur you shall sound the shofar,” etc., that is, on the Yom Kippur of the Jubilee year; and through this, “And you shall proclaim freedom in the land,” etc., and slaves were released to their homes, etc.

And the explanation is that it is from the level of the great shofar. For the going out of the slaves to freedom is through a revelation from the level of alma decheiru (the world of freedom), as is written in the Zohar, Parshas Tetzaveh (183a), and in Parshas Emor (92b).

And this revelation and drawing down is the level of the great shofar, as is written in the Zohar, Beshalach (46b), Vayikra (6b), Va’eschanan (266b); and it is a foretaste of the revelation that will be in the Time to Come.

Therefore it is said, “It is a Jubilee; it shall be holy to you,” and this is like the matter of the level of “the holy mountain,” etc., mentioned above. And see on the matter of the Jubilee in the Zohar, Part III (end of 108b, and 109a), and in the Idra Zuta (end of 290b);

Part II (83b, 85b, 211a, 46b). And see in Pardes, Erchei HaKinuyim, the entry “Jubilee” (yovel), and in Sha’ar 13, end of chapter 3, chapter 4, and end of chapter 7.

Therefore the main mitzvah of the Jubilee was only in the First Temple [era] and not in the Second Temple, except that they nevertheless counted it, in order to sanctify the Sabbatical years.

And even in the First Temple [era], only at a time when “all its inhabitants are upon it,” for then it is the level of “like a city that is joined together,” etc.,

as mentioned above; and this is the level of the drawing down of the higher hei into the lower hei, as is written in Etz Chaim, and in the Zohar, Parshas Shemos (9b);

see there, in the Mikdash Melech. And this revelation of the level of the world of freedom is essentially the level of the higher hei. And see what is written elsewhere about the difference in the sounding of the shofar

of Rosh HaShanah, too, between the time of the First Temple and the time of the Second Temple; and it is in the discourse beginning “When the festival of Rosh HaShanah fell on Shabbos, in the Temple they would sound [the shofar], but not in the country.”

And now that, because of our sins, the Holy Temple is destroyed, we nevertheless have Yom Kippur, on which the level of the world of freedom, the level of the Jubilee, shines, as is written in the Idra Zuta (end of 290b), and in Parshas Bo (39b), and in Parshas Acharei (69b), and in Parshas Emor (102b).

Therefore on Yom Kippur, after Ne’ilah, we sound a single tekiah, and it is from the level of the great shofar. For the soundings of Rosh HaShanah are the level of the plain shofar, of which it is said, “And Ado-nai Havayah will sound the shofar,” as mentioned above;

but Yom Kippur, on which the level of the Jubilee, the world of freedom, shines, is the level of this revelation of the great shofar; and this is the level of Ne’ilah, for then is the great ascent,

and it is the level of this revelation of the great shofar. Therefore it is the final sealing, and there is a level of self-nullification in the creatures, along the lines of what is said of the great shofar, “and they shall bow down to Havayah,” etc. And see what is written on the matter of the Jubilee, that it is the level of “a Shabbos of Shabbos-rest” (Shabbos Shabbason), in the discourse beginning “Gathering wood,” in Parshas Shelach.

But in truth all this is only a radiance from the level of the great shofar, and the main revelation of His essence will be in the Time to Come, speedily in our days, amen; for then “a great shofar shall be sounded” in actuality.

127. Now, in [Midrash] Rabbah, Parshas Vayetze, section 70: “You said, ‘And Havayah shall be Elokim to me’; by your life, all the good things,” etc., “‘And it shall come to pass on that day that a great shofar shall be sounded,’” etc.

For it is explained above that the matter of the shofar of Rosh HaShanah is to draw down so that there be the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), and this is the matter of the Name Ado-nai,

which is the level of Malchus, as is written at the end of the discourse beginning “For as the earth brings forth its growth,” on the matter of “so will Ado-nai Havayah cause righteousness to sprout,” etc., and in the discourse beginning “Ado-nai, open my lips.”

13And this drawing down is from the Name Havayah, which is the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), so that it be drawn and shine in the Name Ado-nai. And this is [the meaning of] “And Ado-nai Havayah will sound the shofar.”

For through the shofar the Name Ado-nai, which is the Throne of Judgment, since Ado-nai has the letters of dina (“judgment”), is united with the Name Havayah, which is the attribute of mercy. As is written in [Midrash] Rabbah, Emor, end of section 29: “And He rises from the Throne of Judgment to the Throne of Mercy,” etc.

And the explanation of the matter will be understood according to what is explained above (in the discourse beginning “Blow the shofar at the New Moon”: the meaning of bachodesh is the time of the renewal of the moon),

on the matter of “At first it arose in [His] thought to create the world with the attribute of judgment, as it is written, ‘In the beginning Elokim created’; He saw that the world would not endure, [and] He joined the attribute of mercy with it,”

and this is the matter of the unification of the Name Havayah with the Names Elokim and Ado-nai, through which self-nullification (bittul) is drawn down, so that the yesh (something) be nullified to the ayin (nothing). And this unification and this drawing down as a whole is on Rosh HaShanah, through the shofar, etc.; see there.

And this is [the meaning of] “And Havayah will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning” (see Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 30 (77b), and [Midrash] Rabbah, Bo, section 15); and this is through “And Ado-nai Havayah will sound the shofar,” as mentioned above.

And all this is now. But in the Time to Come, of which it is said, “And Havayah shall be Elokim to me,” the level of the Name Havayah, that is, what is now the level of the light that encompasses all worlds, will in the Future be in the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), like the level and rank of the Name Elokim.

14And there will be a revelation of G‑dliness, as it is written, “And the glory of Havayah shall be revealed,” etc. And then the drawing down through the shofar will need to be from the level of the actual Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), which is above the Name Havayah, to draw the light into the Name Havayah,

in the way that with the shofar of Rosh HaShanah we draw down from the Name Havayah into the Names Ado-nai and Elokim, as mentioned above. And since this is so: “And it shall come to pass on that day that a great shofar shall be sounded.”

The explanation: our Sages, of blessed memory, said in chapter 3 of Niddah (26a), “Five [things] have the measure of a handbreadth (tefach): the shofar, the wall of a sukkah, the lulav,” etc.

And all of these are to draw the light into the level of Malchus: first on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, in the level of “His left hand is under my head,”

and afterwards on Sukkos, in the level of “and His right hand embraces me,” as is written about this in the discourse beginning “And you shall draw water with joy,” and in the discourse beginning “On the day of Shemini Atzeres,” and in the discourse beginning “I will greatly rejoice,” regarding “at the covering [of the moon], for our festival day.”

15And these drawings-down are through the shofar, the sukkah and the lulav; therefore their measure is a handbreadth (tefach), on account of “My hand, too, founded the earth, and My right hand spread out (tipchah) the heavens.”

For tipchah is from the term tefach, which is the palm of the hand, with which handbreadths are measured. And they are the level of the Ten Sefiros, in the number of the ten fingers, five opposite five, etc.

Also, these two hands, right and left, are the light that encompasses all worlds and the light that fills all worlds. And something close to this is explained in the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, on the verse

“Behold, You have made my days handbreadths” (in Psalms, chapter 39); see there. And see on the matter of “My hand,” etc., “and My right hand spread out”: Chagigah, chapter 2 (12b);

Kesubos, chapter 1 (end of page 5a); and what is written about this in the explanation on the verse “Take a census of the sons of Gershon,” on the matter of “the Sanctuary, Ado-nai, that Your hands established”;

[Midrash] Rabbah, Bereishis (end of section 1); Zohar, Part I (30a); Part II, Shemos (20a), Bo (37b), Yisro (83b); Part III, Pinchas (247a).

And this is [the meaning of] what our Sages, of blessed memory, said about the cup of blessing, “and he lifts it a handbreadth from the ground” (end of chapter 7 of Berachos, end of 51a); and the Maharsha explains [it] on account of “I will lift up the cup of salvations.”

That is, kos (“cup”) has the numerical value of Elokim, which is the level of “My hand, too, founded the earth”; and “I will lift up” is to join it to the Name Havayah, on account of what is written, “I will exalt You, my G‑d (Elokai), the King.”

Therefore he lifts it a handbreadth from the ground, to join it to the level of “and My right hand spread out the heavens.” This handbreadth also alludes to the level of

“for all that is in heaven and on earth,” “which holds onto heaven and earth,” etc. And in the Zohar, Part III, Shoftim (end of 273b), it explains “and he raises it a handbreadth from the ground” in the mystery of the yud, etc.

And this will be understood according to what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Who is enthroned on high”: that He raises the hei through the yud within the hei, which is in it and through which a hei is made from a dalet; and through this is the ascent of Malchus into the light that encompasses all worlds.

And this is “and he lifts it a handbreadth,” etc. And in the same way is the mitzvah of mezuzah, to affix it in the handbreadth nearest the public domain (chapter 3 of Menachos, 33b), and likewise with the Chanukah lamp, in the handbreadth nearest the doorway (Shabbos 22a).

And see what is written on the matter of the mezuzah and the Chanukah lamp in the discourse beginning “The Chanukah lamp,” etc., [on] “so that the mezuzah be on the right and the Chanukah lamp on the left”; and what is written on the matter of the doorway in the discourse beginning “The voice of my Beloved, behold, he comes,” on Shir HaShirim.

And this is why the shofar of Rosh HaShanah has the measure of a handbreadth: so that there be the drawing down from the light that encompasses all worlds into the light that fills all worlds, from the level of “and My right hand spread out the heavens.” And this is what is written, that the handbreadth is the level of yud;

that is, the drawing down is from the level of the yud of the Name Havayah, and the yud is the level of tzimtzum (contraction). And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And Havayah your G‑d did not want to listen to Bilam.” And all this is with the shofar of the present, where the drawing down is from the Name Havayah into the Name Ado-nai, as mentioned above; therefore its measure is a handbreadth, the level of yud, etc.

But in the Time to Come, when the level of Havayah will be in the level of Elokim, and the drawing down will be from the essence of the Infinite Light that is above the Name Havayah, and through this there will be the ascents of Malchus, not in the level of

“Behold, You have made my days handbreadths,” but rather along the lines of “length of days You gave him,” from the level of Arich Anpin (the Long Countenance), therefore “a great shofar shall be sounded,” from the level that is above the Ten Sefiros,

which are in the number of the ten fingers, etc. And see what is written on the verse “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov,” on the matter of “And before One, what do you count?”