ושאבתם מים בששון ממעיני הישועה

1“And you shall draw water with joy from the wellsprings of salvation.” It is written, “On the eighth day, there shall be an atzeres [a holding-in] for you.” The explanation: throughout the year they would offer upon the altar bulls, rams, lambs and goats,

and fire from above would descend upon the altar in the likeness of a crouching lion and consume them. And on the festival of Sukkos they would pour water upon the altar, and the water libation [lasted] all seven [days]. But on the eighth day, “there shall be an atzeres for you” for all these levels.

2The explanation of this matter: now that we have no Holy Temple and no altar, each person must find “words of delight” in his soul,

and understand how all the supernal levels above are [present] below, in the service of G‑d that is in the heart of each and every one.

And in every generation a person is obligated to see in his soul the matter of the level of fire that burns and consumes the offerings, the bulls, rams, lambs, etc.; the level of the water libation of the festival; and the level of the eighth day, on which is the atzeres [holding-in] of all the levels mentioned above.

3Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The prayers were instituted to correspond to the daily offerings.” The matter is that “the service of the heart — this is prayer,” and the heart alludes to the altar. And just as there were two altars, an inner one and an outer one, so there are two levels in the heart: the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the heart and the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the heart, as is known

And just as they would offer upon the outer altar all the offerings, bulls, rams, lambs, etc., so must each person, in his prayer, arouse the natural love in his heart, which is the level of the outer dimension of the heart alone, so that it blaze like flashes of fire in the revealed [part] of the heart. This is the level of the fire from above that descends in the likeness of a lion to burn the offerings

(see there [in the Zohar], Parshas Tzav) (p. 32b and p. 33a), on “And fire went out” — “this is Uriel,” and in the commentary of the Ramaz there. And on p. 27 he writes that Uriel is numerically equal to Avraham.

It is known that the natural love in the G‑dly soul is an inheritance to us from the level of “kindness to Avraham”; and in the same way it is explained here that the level of the arousal and revelation of the natural love is the level of the fire from above.

See further in the Zohar, Bereishis (p. 6b), and in the commentary of the Ramaz there, that the level of “aryeh” [lion] is numerically two hundred and sixteen, and it is from the level of “the spirit that he left in her”; see there.

In this way too the connection of this level to the natural love will be understood. It follows what is written elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “Vayelaket Yosef” in Parshas Vayigash, concerning the aftergrowths, that this is like the matter of “the spirit that he left in her,” etc.

See what is written about the natural love in the discourse beginning “To explain the matter of Yom HaKippurim,” and what is written about the lion in the discourse beginning “And the lion, like cattle, shall eat straw.”

It is in the manner of what is written, “They shall walk after Havayah; like a lion he shall roar” — this is a love that flares and blazes in a person’s heart when he remembers G‑d, for he does not want to be separated [from Him], G‑d forbid.

4And it is written, “For Havayah your G‑d is a consuming fire.” He is a consuming fire: a fire that burns and consumes all the fires that are not for G‑d, which are called by the name “strange fire,” so that the fire be only for G‑d alone.

Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said that it is forbidden to eat before prayer. For since he wants to eat something, such as physical bread, he must necessarily be on a level higher than and superior to the bread,

so that by virtue of his superiority over it he is fit to rule over it and eat of it. But since it is before prayer, when he has not yet cleared away and burned his excesses with the fire from above,

and he is bound up in worry over his livelihood, he is bound below and falls to the levels of other physical things; he is then on the same level as the bread that he eats, and he is not fit to rule over it and eat of it

(see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Thus shall you bless,” in Parshas Naso). This is a person’s service in prayer: to burn up the worry over livelihood, just as they would offer upon the altar fine wheat flour for the meal-offerings.

Not the matter of livelihood itself, for that is needed, and Scripture praises it, saying, “When you eat of the labor of your hands, you are fortunate,” etc.

But the worry, when a person is distressed and worries about it — this comes from the element of fire and heat in his animal soul, which is a strange fire, and it must be burned up with the fire from above, in prayer, as explained above.

52. Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Although fire descends from above, from heaven, it is a mitzvah to bring [fire] from the ordinary,” in order to make a preparation for the fire from above, that it descend through this.

To understand this matter in the service of G‑d: the Holy One, blessed be He, is called “He who sows righteousness and makes salvations sprout.” The explanation of this will be understood by first introducing what is written, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me” (see what is written on this verse in Parshas Ki Sisa).

The explanation: “and his right hand embraces me” means that the levels of Chesed, “the right arm,” are drawn down so greatly — and “the right draws near” all the sparks and all the souls of Israel, to be united with G‑d, the One and Unique, alone,

as it is written, “the people near to Him” — until it is the level of an actual embrace, like a man who embraces his friend, who cannot be separated from him in any way.

And so, below, great love for G‑d alone is drawn down and revealed, not to be separated from Him, G‑d forbid (see what is written on this in the explanation on the verse “Set me as a seal,” concerning “the straps that hang upon the heart”).

But to merit the quality and level of this great love, there must first be the level of “his left hand is under my head,” for “the left pushes away.”

The explanation: it pushes away and humbles a person, when he takes to heart and deepens his mind and thought [on] how utterly far he is from G‑d, G‑d forbid, and similar matters, all of which come from the left side, as is known.

It is not that the level of the left of the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself is what pushes away, G‑d forbid, for “none who is banished shall be banished from Him”; rather, [it is] when he takes [this] to heart, etc.

And it is drawn down and descends below into the level of “under my head.” The explanation: when I take this level to draw it down below, “under my head,”

that is, into the depth of my thought, then I myself am the one who pushes away and humbles myself from my level, at which I had at first held myself in my own eyes

(see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “A person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim”). In this manner our Sages, of blessed memory, arranged all the confessions of Yom Kippur, in which they confess about themselves and say, “We have rebelled, we have acted abominably,” and the like, humbling themselves greatly before the Holy One, blessed be He,

and saying how very far they are from Him, may He be blessed. And these are the very things that arouse the love and the thirst, that one’s longing be toward Him, may He be blessed.

Through this he will come to attain the level and quality of great love that is on the festival of Sukkos. This is [the meaning of] “He sows righteousness.”

For the Congregation of Israel is called by the name tzedakah [righteousness; also charity], after the verse, “Through righteousness you shall be established”; and also the collective of Israel below are full of the mitzvos of tzedakah and kindness; and in the Ten Days of Teshuvah this is in the state of sowing.

For just as the seed that is sown must be sown in soil that has been well plowed, whereas hard soil will not be sown and will not sprout at all,

so too all the mitzvos of tzedakah and kindness that Israel do and acquire all the days of the year

they will not be sown and will not sprout at all, nor bear fruit above, except through the Ten Days of Teshuvah, when they break their hearts and push away and humble themselves like plowed earth, in the manner of plowing that “loosens the soil”

And so we see plainly in those who give tzedakah that one gives only by making himself like dust.

Whereas if he considers himself something, an existing entity, he will give only some surplus of what he has, but not his toil and his labor and the very life of his soul.

For this he must break the desires of his heart that come from his haughty spirit, and regard himself as equal to his fellow who receives from him.

“What makes you think that your blood is redder,” etc., that he should have what to eat and drink while the poor man has nothing? What is the difference, and why should he be lacking? “Have we not all one Father,” etc.

6And see what is written in the discourse beginning “A land of hills and valleys.” Through this, the level of tzedakah mentioned above is sown; the days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos are the level of sprouting, until on the first day of the festival of Sukkos there grows and sprouts the level of Avraham, supernal Chesed, the level of “and his right hand embraces me” mentioned above.

The level and quality of Avraham, too, came through his saying, “I am but dust and ashes,” that is, the level of dust in which one sows and which makes [things] sprout, as mentioned above. This is “He makes salvations sprout,” and it is in the manner of what is written, “Save Your right hand.”

For it is written, “He drew back His right hand”: the level of Chesed and the right is clothed in the level of the back, in external things, and His hand must be saved for Him, to return to holiness

and in Zohar I) (in Parshas Vayetze, p. 163b, at the end of the column, and in Parshas Pekudei, p. 235a), and in Parshas Shemini (p. 37a), in Parshas Chukas (p. 181b) and in Parshas Terumah (p. 169a), concerning “the cup of salvations,” etc., “Save Your right hand,” etc.

Also connected with this is what is written in the Zohar, Parshas Tisa (p. 189b), and in the commentary of the Ramaz there, and in Parshas Noach (p. 62b), concerning “the end of the right.”

And see in the Zohar, Parshas Chayei Sarah (p. 123a, at the end of the column, and p. 123b, at the end of the column), concerning “His right hand saved for Him,” etc.,

and in Parshas Beshalach (p. 58a, at the end of the column): “‘Your right hand, Havayah, is glorious in power’ — this is the Torah.” It may be said [that this is] as is written below, in the discourse beginning “On the day of Shemini Atzeres,” concerning “I have placed My words in your mouth, and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you”: that from the Torah there comes to be the level of a sukkah, the level of shade, etc.

It follows that this is like the level of “shade by day,” the level of “Save Your right hand,” etc. In the soul, too, this level will be understood: the Torah gives strength and might to the level of the right and to the love of G‑d, according to what is explained in the discourse beginning “In the third month,” in Parshas Yisro, concerning the Torah being called “might,” etc.; see there.

7This is also [the meaning of] “Your right hand, Havayah, shatters the enemy”: that is, all the desires of the evil inclination and the animal soul. And tir’atz [shatters] has the letters of atzeres, for Shemini Atzeres is the level of “so that all the peoples of the earth may know,” as is written in the discourse beginning “Havayah is for me among my helpers.”

This is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “It is a mitzvah to bring from the ordinary.” The explanation: hedyot [the ordinary] means lowly, simple things.

And from milei dehedyota [ordinary matters]: that is, when a person takes to heart to be one of the “masters of reckoning,” [reckoning] all the ordinary matters and all the thought, speech and action that were not for G‑d, which were in him all his days, and how utterly far he is from G‑d, and loathsome and abominable, etc.,

which is the level of “the left pushes away,” etc. And he is made still more lightly esteemed than this, and is lowly and despised in his own eyes, and loathes his life. Then he will become very bitter and cry out to G‑d in his distress,

as it is written, “Their heart cried out.” This bitterness is what brings him to make a preparation for the fire from above, which is the level of the love of G‑d in his G‑dly soul, that it be aroused and blaze in his heart, as mentioned above.

83. Now, all this is the level of the fire upon the altar. But there is another level, greater and higher than this,

and that is the level of the water that was poured upon the altar on the festival of Sukkos; for water quenches the thirst that comes from the element of fire, as it is written, “Ho, everyone who thirsts, go to the water.”

9Within the level and degree of water, too, there are several different levels, one above the other. As it is written, “You have been shown, to know that Havayah is G‑d; in the heavens,” etc., “there is none else besides Him” — with sensory sight, which is the level of complete self-nullification (bittul) of existence, in the manner of sight, as is written elsewhere.

10This level is called the level of water, which cools and extinguishes the heat of the fire. For since he is in the level of complete self-nullification of existence before Him, may He be blessed, then, of itself, the heat of the natural fire in his G‑dly soul cools, and so does the thirst that is like flashes of fire, a flame.

It is like, for example, the love of a son for his father: when he wants to come close to him and is still somewhat far, the love is seen and revealed outside the heart, as he cries, “Father, Father!”

But when he is actually beside his father, the heart within is inlaid with love, yet it is not seen and revealed outside the heart. Therefore it is called the level of water, which cools the level of fire, so that it is not revealed outwardly but hidden within the heart

This is the matter of the prayer of Shemoneh Esrei [the Eighteen Blessings, the Amidah] being [said] in a whisper, silently. For in Pesukei DeZimrah [the Verses of Song] he arouses the love like flashes of fire, to burn and consume the fires that are strange fire, as mentioned above.

[There] he is as though still far from the King; whereas in the [Shemoneh Esrei] prayer he is as though standing before the King and saying, “Blessed are You,” etc.

The explanation: “blessed” is the level of drawing down, for he draws His unity, may He be blessed, down below, so that he be in the state of self-nullification before Him, may He be blessed. In the same way they instituted “We give thanks to You,” which is the level of self-nullification, as is written elsewhere.

This is the matter of the bowings and prostrations, etc. Therefore it is in a whisper and silently (see in the Zohar, Parshas Terumah, p. 137a; Parshas Bereishis, p. 50b; and Parshas Shemini, p. 39a).

But for this level and degree to be fixed and planted in a person’s heart all day, so that he not be moved from it, a person must devise counsels in his soul; for we see plainly that after the Shemoneh Esrei prayer he goes back to being as before.

11The true counsel is the study of Torah and its laws: although they are clothed in lowly physical things, as in the matters of [the orders] Zeraim [Seeds], Moed [Seasons], etc.,

they are the ultimate unity and cleaving to Him, may He be blessed, as is written elsewhere. A person must nullify himself and be absorbed in Him, may He be blessed, to be a fitting place for His unity, may He be blessed, and must nullify and relinquish himself from all his wishes and thoughts.

12As is written elsewhere on the verse “A land that consumes its inhabitants,” etc. In this respect, the study of Torah is exactly equal to the Shemoneh Esrei prayer,

and a person can make the impression of the self-nullification of the Shemoneh Esrei prayer fixed and planted [as] with nails, never to be moved, all day long, as he studies Torah.

This is “On the eighth day there shall be an atzeres for you”: that there be for you an atzeres, a holding-in and absorbing of the level of water mentioned above, that it be absorbed and held within you, so that you not expel it, G‑d forbid

For a person can, after prayer, go back to being as before; and [the remedy] is through the level of “on the eighth day,” which is the level of “Binah is the heart,”

that is, that there be in him the level of self-nullification in the depth of the point of the heart, as mentioned above. This is because the revelation of Atik [the Ancient One] is in Binah, the world of delight.

Therefore through this there comes to be an atzeres, a holding-in and absorbing, of the level of water mentioned above, which is the level of “love in delights,” etc., like the parable of the son when he is beside his father, etc., as mentioned above.

13This is [the meaning of] “And you shall draw water with joy from the wellsprings of salvation”: the level of water mentioned above must be in the manner of a wellspring, as it is written, “Me they have forsaken, the source of living waters,” etc.

That is, by way of analogy, like a source that springs forth from beneath the ground: nothing is seen and grasped but the outflow, whereas the source itself is “deep, deep; who can find it?”

and in the commentary of the Ramaz there; and see further in the Zohar, Vayikra, p. 12a.] So too a person, through an arousal from below, must also dig into the depth of the wellspring, where it springs from the source, “deep, deep,” beneath the dust;

that is, that he be in the level of “and let my soul be like dust to all,” and also that he deepen his mind’s inquiry in the study of Torah and its laws (and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Listen, O heavens,” concerning “like showers upon the grass”),

which is the level of supernal Chochmah, “the beginning of all,” drawn from the source of the supernal living waters; and it descended and came down very far below, until they are in the level of “beneath the dust,” physical matters, Zeraim, Moed, etc.; and from there they spring forth to be “wellsprings of salvation.”

This is [why it says] “wellsprings” — two, for they are two levels: the level of “and let my soul be like dust to all,” and the level of the Torah, which is clothed in physical dust, as mentioned above. Through this specifically it is called the level of “living waters,” for the waters that are on the face of the earth are not called living waters, as is known.

(The explanation of the matter of the two levels of dust that are the source of the two wellsprings mentioned above: the level of “and let my soul be like dust to all” is what is written in the Zohar, Parshas Vayishlach) (p. 170a): “What is the difference between dust and powder?” etc., “dust, from which all fruits come forth.”

And see what is written on this in Parshas Vayishlach, at the end of the discourse beginning “And a man wrestled with him,” and in the discourse beginning “And Yehudah approached him,” concerning “in thought, the land came first,” etc.

Therefore, through this, he can draw down the level of “a well of living waters,” which is the love in the level of water, which is the level of self-nullification.

14The second level of dust is as written in the explanation on the verse “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov,” which refers to the study of Torah, which is called “dust,” being something that is not within the bounds of number — the level of “and before One, what do you count?” etc.; see there.

And see what is written elsewhere on the matter of “Go forth from your land” concerning Avram, which is the revelation of the drawing-down of supernal Chochmah from its source, etc.; and see in the Likkutei Torah [of the Arizal] there, and in Pardes, Erchei HaKinuyim, under the entry “Eretz” [land], that the supernal land is Binah; and so he writes under the entry “Afar” [dust].

So too he writes in Me’orei Or, under the entry “Afar,” that this is the matter of “dust of gold”; and this is “all came from the dust,” even the sphere of the sun, as mentioned in the Rabbah on Koheles. See on this also in the Zohar (Parshas Tzav, p. 34b)

and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And Yaakov dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings,” and what is written in the explanation on the verse “Those who come, He will cause to take root,” concerning “a desirable land,” etc.

It is called the level of dust in the manner of “He made darkness His hiding place”; for even Keser, the source of supernal Chochmah, is drawn from the lowest level of the Emanator, the Malchus of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), etc.

And of this it is said, concerning the study of Torah, “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov,” etc. This is the matter of the two levels of Chochmah, “Chochmah at the beginning and Chochmah at the end,” which are drawn from the two levels of dust mentioned above.

15This is what is said: “And let my soul be like dust to all; open my heart to Your Torah” — the one depends on the other, for “their end is embedded in their beginning.”

In the Zohar, at the end of Parshas Balak: “‘From the wellsprings of salvation’ — these are Abba and Imma.” That is, the two wellsprings mentioned above are the levels of mayin nukvin [feminine waters] and mayin duchrin [masculine waters], and their root is from the two Yesods of Abba and Imma, and they receive from two mazalos [channels of flow], “Notzer” [preserving] and “Venakeh” [and cleansing]. See in Mishnas Chassidim, p. 21a–b.