Chasidut · Breslov
Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 1:10/ליקוטי הלכות·
אוְזֶה בְּחִינַת לְבִישַׁת בְּגָדִים, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לֶאֱחוֹז הַמַלְבּוּשׁ בְּצַד יָמִין, וּלְעוֹלָם יַגְבִּיר הַיָּמִין עַל הַשְּׂמֹאל (שלחן ערוך ארח חיים, סימן ב׳ סעיף ד׳, מגן אברהם סעיף קטן ג). כִּי הָעִקָּר תָּלוּי בִּבְחִינַת יָמִין, דְּהַיְנוּ עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּטֶּה כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד וּמוֹצֵא בְּעַצְמוֹ אֵיזֶה נְקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מִתְעוֹרֵר מֵהַשֵּׁנָה, כַּנַּ״ל, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נַעֲשִׂין לְבוּשִׁין לְהַלְבִּישׁ אֶת נִשְׁמָתוֹ, שֶׁהָיְתָה עֲרֻמָּה עַד עַכְשָׁיו, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁלֹּא נִתְגַּלָּה הַטּוֹב בְּעֵת שֶׁהָיָה בִּבְחִינַת שֵׁנָה.
1DRESSING THE BODY, DRESSING THE SOULReb Noson next shows how waking up from sleep to rouse the good points from spiritual slumber relates to another of our morning activities: getting dressed. When dressing, Jewish law requires that we give priority to the right side. The Arizal explains that a person should take hold of the garment with both hands and then shift it to his right hand. After that, he should transfer the left side of the garment to his left hand. In all of this he should have in mind that initially all things need to be encompassed in the right side, after which the right side provides for the left.This rousing and refining of the good points is also implicit in the laws of getting dressed each morning.81 2:4; also Magen Avraham 2:3 and Eliyahu Rabbah 2:3. One should initially hold the garment towards his right side and begin dressing. Afterwards, he passes the garment to his left side to clothe himself there. This is in accordance with the principle that “one should always empower the right over the left.”82; Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaTefillah 2. The underlying idea here is that the fundamental of any beginning depends on beginning with the right, the side of Chesed.83 as lying along three parallel vertical axes. Chesed (Loving-kindness) is situated along the right axis of this configuration (see Charts, p. 252). This means that as a result of his inclining towards chesed and finding in himself some good points, a person wakes himself up from spiritual slumber. This in turn creates garments to clothe his soul,84. In §2 above, Reb Noson identifies the good point as “some mitzvah or good thing” through which the soul of a Jew becomes “bound in unity with HaShem.” which until now—prior to the revelation of his good points, while he was as yet in a state of spiritual sleep—had been “naked.”
בוְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת בִּרְכַּת ״מַלְבִּישׁ עֲרֻמִּים״ שֶׁמְּבָרְכִין בְּשַׁחֲרִית, כַּמּוּבָא. כִּי עַל־יְדֵי הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁנִּתְגַּלִּין, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת (ישעיה מט, ג): ״ישְִׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בּךְָ אֶתְפּאָָר״, כּיִ בּהֶָם מִתְפּאֵָר הַשֵּׁם־יתְִבּרַָךְ, כִּבְיָכוֹל כַּנַּ״ל, עַל־יְדֵי זֶה נַעֲשִׂין לְבוּשִׁין, בְּחִינַת בִּגְדֵי פְּאֵר, בִּגְדֵי כָּבוֹד.
2This is the reason brought in kabbalistic teaching for the blessing “Who clothes the naked” that we recite in the morning.85, Drush Birkhot HaShachar, the Arizal teaches: On account of a person’s sins, his soul loses its garment of holiness and is instead garbed in impurity and filth. At night a person entrusts his soul with Malkhut on high, in the mystery of “In Your hand I entrust my spirit” (Tehillim 31:6), and Malkhut renews it, in the mystery of “They are renewed in the mornings” (Eikhah 3:23). Anyone whose garment was taken has it returned to him. This is the reason for the blessing “Who clothes the naked.” It was instituted for anyone who at night was stripped of his garment of holiness, but now, in the morning, has received it back entirely renewed. For as explained previously, by revealing the good points—which are alluded to in the verse “Israel, in you etpa’er,” for HaShem takes pride in them, as it were—one creates garments, the concept of raiment of pe’er, raiment of glory for the soul.86 with splendor and the supernal colors. The connection he adds here to garments, raiment for the soul, can be found in the Zohar (I, 217a), which teaches, “Make holy garments for your brother Aharon, for glory and for tiferet (splendor)” (Shemot 28:2)—i.e. garments in which the supernal colors appear.
גוְזֶה בְּחִינַת צִיצִית וּתְפִלִּין, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת לְבוּשִׁין דְּנִשְׁמָתָא, בְּחִינַת ״כִּי הִוא כְסוּתֹה לְבַדָּהּ הִוא שִׂמְלָתוֹ לְעֹרוֹ״ (שמות כב, כו) – ״דָּא צִיצִית וּתְפִלִּין״ (זהר בראשית כג:), שֶׁהֵם נעַשֲִׂין מֵהַנּקְֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁמִּתְבָּרְרִין בַּלַּיְלָה בִּבְחִינָה הַנַּ״ל, כַּמּוּבָן בַּסְּפָרִים.
3This raiment of splendor and honor refers to tzitzit and tefillin, which are the soul’s clothing, as in “This alone is his covering, the garment for his skin.” Although the verse refers to a garment taken as security for a loan, which must be returned each evening to its owner, the Zohar teaches that this is also an allusion to tzitzit and tefillin.87 I, 23b. See also Tikkuney Zohar #21, p. 55b, that tzitzit are “his covering” and tefillin are “the garment for his skin.” These spiritual garments are Israel’s raiment of pe’er made from the good points that are refined during the night in the manner described above, and as can now be understood in the works of kabbalistic teaching.88 7, the Arizal teaches that the spiritual light emanating from the tefillin that a person dons in the morning derives from his worship of HaShem in the night. Here Reb Noson links this idea with beirur of the good points.
דנִמְצָא, שֶׁעִקַּר בְּחִינַת לְבוּשִׁין, בְּחִינַת בִּגְדֵי פְּאֵר, כְּלָלִיּוּת הַגְּוָנִין, נַעֲשִׂין מִבְּחִינַת הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁמִּתְבָּרְרִין, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת כְּלָלִיּוּת הַגְּוָנִין כַּנַּ״ל. וְעַל־כֵּן צְרִיכִין לְהַגְבִּיר הַיָּמִין בִּשְׁעַת לְבִישָׁה, כִּי כָּל זֶה נִמְשָׁךְ מִבְּחִינַת יָמִין, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּטֶּה כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מוֹצֵא נְקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת וְכוּ׳, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נַעֲשִׂין לְבוּשִׁין כַּנַּ״ל.
4It follows that the soul’s primary garments—the clothes of splendor, the inclusion of all colors89—are made from the refined good points, which similarly include all the colors, as discussed above.90 This is why, when dressing, it is necessary to empower the right side. For all clothing for the soul is derived from the concept of the right. By inclining to the right, towards chesed, and so finding the good points, garments are made.When a person is spiritually asleep, his soul is said to be naked. Reb Noson has explained that in order to create garments to clothe his soul, he must uncover his good points. Therefore, when dressing, we begin with the right, favoring the side of loving-kindness in order to reveal the good and garb the soul in holiness. A Jew’s most splendid garments are his tzitzit and tefillin. Made from the good refined by serving HaShem in the night, the tzitzit and tefillin that a person dons in the morning are themselves raiment of splendor that envelop his soul and make him the object of HaShem’s pride.