Chasidut · Breslov

Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 1:9/ליקוטי הלכות·אורח חיים·הלכות השכמת הבוקר א׳:ט׳

אוְאַחַר־כָּךְ אוֹמְרִים בִּרְכַּת קְרִיאַת־שְׁמַע וּמְבָרְכִין לְהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ עַל חִדּוּשׁ מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית שֶׁמְּחַדֵּשׁ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּכָל יוֹם תָּמִיד, זֶה בְּחִינַת מַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּשְׁכָּן שֶׁנִּבְנָה מֵהַטּוֹב הַנַּ״ל כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי ״צִיּוּרָא דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא כְּצִיּוּרָא דְּעוֹבָדָא דִּבְרֵאשִׁית״ כַּנַּ״ל.

1PERFECTION OF PRAYER AND SPEECHReb Noson now proceeds to the third section of the Shacharit liturgy. Having found and refined the good points by reciting the passages of the korbanot, and then turned those points into the songs of Pesukei d’Zimrah, we now recite the blessings of Kriat Shema and the Shema itself.Next we recite the blessings of Kriat Shema. In this third part of Shacharit we bless and thank HaShem for the renewal of the Act of Creation, stating that “with His good He renews each day, continuously.” This Act of Creation corresponds to the construction of the Mishkan, which is built from the aforementioned good points of the Jewish people.⁶⁹ This is because, as taught previously, “the design of the Mishkan matched the design of the Act of Creation.” Thus reciting the blessings of Kriat Shema, in which we bless HaShem for His perpetual renewal of the creation, signifies constructing the Mishkan.

בוְשָׁם עִקַּר תִּקוּן הַתְּפִלָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ישעיה נו, ז-ח): ״כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל הָעַמִּים, נְאֻם ה׳ אֱלֹהִים מְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכוּ׳״. כִּי עִקַּר בִּנְיַן בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הוּא עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ ״מְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל״, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמּוֹצֵא גַּם בְּהַנִּדָּחִים וְהָאוֹבְדִים נְקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת וּמְקַבֵּץ אוֹתָם אֶל הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה הַטּוֹב שֶׁיִּתְקַבֵּץ בְּעֵת בִּיאַת הַגּוֹאֵל בִּמְהֵרָה בְּיָמֵינוּ, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יִהְיֶה בִּנְיַן בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, בְּחִינַת ״הָהָר הַטּוֹב הַזֶּה״ כַּנַּ״ל. וְשָׁם עִקַּר תִּקוּן הַתְּפִלָּה כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי עִקַּר הַתְּפִלָּה הוּא רַק עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה, עַל־יְדֵי הַטּוֹב שֶׁמּוֹצְאִין כַּנַּ״ל.

2It is there in the Mishkan that the main tikkun of prayer takes place, as it is written, “For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus declares God, HaShem, Who gathers in the outcasts of Israel.” For the Beit HaMikdash, the “house of prayer for all peoples,” is essentially constructed as a result of HaShem gathering in “the outcasts of Israel”—through His finding the good points even in the outcasts and those who have gone astray, and gathering up those points into holiness. The future Beit HaMikdash will also be built from this good, which will be gathered up entirely with the coming of Mashiach, may it happen soon in our days. This is the significance of the site of the Beit HaMikdash being called “this good mountain.”⁷⁰ 3:5), Rashi says that this refers to the Beit HaMikdash, as in “this good mountain.” In LM I, 81, Rebbe Nachman teaches that “mountain” refers to none other than the site of the Beit HaMikdash, as the Torah states, “this good mountain and the Lebanon.” See also Maharsha on Bava Kama 55a, s.v. haro’eh et. Prayer is most rectified and has its greatest ascent when recited there, since the essential tikkun of prayer is achieved only through this, the process of gathering up all the good points that we find.

גוְעַל־כֵּן קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה אוֹמְרִים קָרְבָּנוֹת וּפְסוּקֵי דְּזִמְרָה, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁמְּבָרְרִין הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת וְכוּ׳, וּמִזֶּה נַעֲשֶׂה נִגּוּנִים וּזְמִירוֹת כַּנַּ״ל, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ בּוֹנִין מִזֶּה מִשְׁכָּן, שֶׁשָּׁם עִקַּר תִּקוּן הַתְּפִלָּה. וְזֶה בְּחִינַת בִּרְכוֹת קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת הֵיכָלוֹת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה (זהר פקודי רס:), בְּחִינַת מִשְׁכָּן, בְּחִינַת בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, שֶׁהֵם הֵם הֵיכָלוֹת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה. וְעַל־כֵּן אוֹמְרִים אָז: ״וּבְטוּבוֹ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית״, כִּי ״צִיּוּרָא דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא כְּצִיּוּרָא דְּעוֹבָדָא דִּבְרֵאשִׁית״ כַּנַּ״ל.

3And so, before we can recite the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, we recite the passages of korbanot and Pesukei d’Zimrah—that is, we refine the good points, and this creates the songs and melodies we sing in praise of HaShem. After that, from these good points we build a mishkan, where the primary tikkun of prayer takes place. This is the significance of the blessings of Kriat Shema, termed “the Supernal Chambers of Holiness” in Kabbalah.⁷¹ II, 260b; Eitz Chaim 46:2. In Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaKaddish 1, the Arizal identifies the blessings associated with Kriat Shema with the seven (primary) Chambers of Holiness of Beriah, the World of Creation. This corresponds to the Mishkan and the Beit HaMikdash, which are the actual Chambers of Holiness in this world. Thus we say at that time, in the blessing of Yotzer Ohr, “With His good He renews each day, continuously, the Act of Creation.” This alludes to the mishkan that we construct, for, as mentioned above, “the design of the Mishkan matched the design of the Act of Creation.” Thus by constructing these Chambers of Holiness we rouse and renew the work of Creation.

דוּמִשָּׁם, מִבְּחִינַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, מְקַבְּלִין הַתִּנּוֹקוֹת הֶבֶל פִּיהֶם שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ חֵטְא. וְזֶה בְּחִינַת קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, בּחְִינתַ (דברים ו, ז): ״וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְכוּ׳ וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אוֹתָם אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם לְדַבֵּר בָּם וְכוּ׳״ (שם יא, יט), כִּי עִקַּר בְּחִינַת קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, הוּא מִבְּחִינַת הַטּוֹב שֶׁנִּתְבָּרֵר כַּנַּ״ל.

4Having explained the purpose of the blessings of Kriat Shema, Reb Noson now turns to the passages of the Shema, beginning by clarifying the mitzvah of teaching Torah to one’s children, as mentioned there.And from there—from the Mishkan built out of the good points of the Jewish people—the little schoolchildren receive the undefiled breath of their mouths.⁷², Reb Avraham Chazan explains that when a tzaddik reveals a person’s good points, that person’s sins are forgiven. He is then like a young schoolchild and can begin to study Torah and serve HaShem anew, with the purity of undefiled breath. Elsewhere, Rebbe Nachman links the schoolchildren’s pure Torah study with the keruvim in the Mishkan (see LM I, 37:4), which had the faces of young children (see Sukkah 5b). HaShem’s call to Moshe, “Vayikra” (see note 10 above), thus emerged from between the Mishkan’s keruvim—i.e. as the voice of the Torah, which is intrinsically bound with the voice of the young children who study it (Biur HaLikutim on LM I, 282, s.v. ve-da). This idea is expressed in Kriat Shema by the verses “You shall teach them repeatedly to your children” and “Teach your children to speak them.” For, as we will see next, the yichud, unification, we effect by reciting Kriat Shema stems primarily from the good that has been refined.

הוְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְיַחֵד קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ עַל־יְדֵי הַעֲלָאַת מַיִין נוּקְבִין, שֶׁמִּתְפָּאֶרֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה, כִּבְיָכוֹל: ״חֲזִי בַּמֶּה בְּרָא קָאָתֵינָא לְגַבָּךְ״ (זהר ויקרא יג.).

5Through this beirur of the good points, HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah are brought into yichud⁷³. This is the mystical process whereby man’s devotions bring about the manifestation of Godliness in the creation. The antithesis of this unification is the concealment of Godliness brought about by humanity’s sins, which produces, as it were, a separation between the transcendent and immanent aspects of Divine influence. The Shekhinah is then said to reside in the darkness of exile. Nevertheless, our prayers and the mitzvot we perform in the service of HaShem have the power to undo the concealment, end the state of exile, and reinstate yichud. This is the basis for the custom of readying oneself to pray or perform some mitzvah by reciting the words “For the sake of the unification of HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah … behold, I am prepared and ready to perform the mitzvah of…” via an arousal from below elevating mayim nukvin.⁷⁴, lit. “masculine waters”) and an ascending force (mayin nukvin, lit. “feminine waters”). (See LM I, 185, note 12, for the meaning of “waters” in this connection.) The spiritual energy that ascends from below is the consequence of an arousal from below (it’aruta d’litata)—namely man’s fulfillment of HaShem’s will below, in this world, through Torah study, keeping the mitzvot, and prayer (here, the Kriat Shema). Typically, this ascent of energy elicits a reciprocal arousal from above (it’aruta d’li’eila), so that shefa, an inflow of Divine benevolence, descends for the benefit of mankind and the world. This is when the Shekhinah prides Herself before HaKadosh Barukh Hu, as it were, saying, “See what a child I bring to You.”⁷⁵ (III, 13a) metaphorically depicts the raising of mayin nukvin and the reciprocal descent of mayin dukhrin as a mother who displays her wellcared- for child to her husband, proudly demonstrating how she has nurtured and developed the treasure he has entrusted to her. “See what a child I bring to you,” she says. This naturally gains her husband’s favor and motivates him to unite with her to share more of his bounty. In the context of Reb Noson’s discourse, the raising of mayin nukvin is the Shekhinah taking pride in the souls of the Jewish people. She displays Her “children” to HaKadosh Barukh Hu, as it were, and the supernal yearning that this awakens occasions their yichud and the subsequent flow of mayin dukhrin (shefa) that He transfers into her care.

ווְכָל זֶה עַל־יְדֵי מַה שֶּׁמּוֹצְאִין נְקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת אֲפִלּוּ בְּפוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי זֶה בְּחִינַת הַעֲלָאַת מַ״ן -לְהַעֲלוֹת הַקְּדֻשָּׁה מֵעִמְקֵי עִמְקֵי הַקְּלִפּוֹת, וּבָזֶה מִתְפָּאֶרֶת בְּיוֹתֵר וְיוֹתֵר, כִּי זֶה עִקַּר כְּבוֹד הַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב רַבֵּנוּ זַ״ל כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים (סימנים י, יד), כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר (יתרו סט.): ״כַּד אָתֵי יִתְרוֹ דַּיְקָא כְּדֵין אִסְתַּלֵק וְאִתְיַקֵּר שְׁמָא דְקֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עֵילָא וְתַתָּא״, כִּי דַּיְקָא כְּשֶׁנִּתְרוֹמְמוּ וְנִתְעַלּוּ הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ מֻנָּחִים לְמַטָּה מְאֹד, בָּזֶה דַּיְקָא מִתְפָּאֶרֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה, כִּבְיָכוֹל, בְּיוֹתֵר.

6All of this comes about by dint of our finding good points even in Jewish sinners. For this is the concept of elevating the mayim nukvin: to elevate the fallen sparks of holiness from the deepest depths of the kelipot. The Shekhinah takes exceptional pride in this, because HaShem’s glory is most exalted precisely when that which was furthest from Him draws closer. Rebbe Nachman addresses this point a number of times in his writings,⁷⁶ as does the Zohar, which teaches, “It was precisely when the idolatrous priest Yitro came to join the Jewish people that the Name of HaKadosh Barukh Hu was exalted and glorified above and below.”⁷⁷ 1) states: There was not a form of idolatry that Yitro did not worship. Yet it was precisely Yitro who came and pronounced HaShem’s greatness, that “He is greater than any god” (Tehillim 135:5), thereby exalting His glory on high and in this world. See also Zohar II, 69a. For it is specifically when the good points that were embedded in the lowest levels are raised up and elevated that the Shekhinah is, so to speak, proudest.

זוְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְיַחֵד קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ, בְּחִינַת ״ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד״, כַּיָּדוּעַ. וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (שמות כו, ו): ״וְהָיָה הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶחָד״, שֶׁנִּכְלָלִין כָּל הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת בְּאַחְדּוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ.

7As a result of this, HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah are unified, as expressed in the opening verse of Kriat Shema, “[Hear O Israel,] HaShem is our God, HaShem is One.”⁷⁸, where the Arizal teaches that the words “YHVH Eloheinu YHVH” signify a great unification., ⁷⁹ II, 161b, that the inter-inclusion of the two Holy Names YHVH and Eloheinu indicates the unity of all that exists. This same unity manifested in the Mishkan, as expressed by the verse “The Mishkan will be one.”⁸⁰ II, 162b. See also Tolaat Yaakov: Sod Emet VeYatziv. Through the Mishkan, all the good points, which are the sparks of Godliness in each Jew, become encompassed in His Oneness.

חוְאָז מַתְחִילִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל הַתְּפִלָּה שֶׁל שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה, וּמַתְחִילִין: ״אֲדֹנָי שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח וְכוּ׳״. כִּי עַל־יְדֵי כָּל הַנַּ״ל, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה דַּיְקָא יְכוֹלִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמּוֹצְאִין הַטּוֹב וְעוֹשִׂין מִשְׁכָּן וְכוּ׳, כַּנַּ״ל. וְאָז יְכוֹלִין לִפְתֹּחַ פֶּה לְדַבֵּר, כִּי זֶה עִקַּר עֲלִיַּת הַטּוֹב שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה לִבְחִינַת דִּבּוּר, וְעַל־כֵּן מְבַקְּשִׁין עַל זֶה: ״אֲדֹנָי שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח וְכוּ׳״.

8And then, after reciting the Shema, we begin to pray the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, commencing with the words “My God, open my lips …” For it is specifically as a result of all that has been mentioned above that we are able to pray. Having found the good points, built a mishkan, and brought HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah into yichud, we can open our mouths to speak words of holiness. This is the main ascent of the good—namely that it rises up to the dimension of dibbur. And so it is this that we now request: “My God, open my lips [that my mouth may declare Your praise].”Reb Noson has shown that the order of Shacharit parallels the ascent of the good points. By reciting the passages of korbanot we find and refine the good points that exist in every Jew. This good becomes the songs and melodies we sing to HaShem in Pesukei d’Zimrah. Next we recite the blessings of Kriat Shema, which correspond to the “chambers of holiness,” the mishkanot that we build from the good points. We follow this by reciting the Kriat Shema itself, so that through the yichud we effect between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah, the good becomes encompassed in HaShem’s Oneness. As a result, the good points become perfected dibbur—namely our ability to express ourselves in the holy words of prayer. We begin by asking HaShem to open our lips so that we might recite the Shemoneh Esrei, praising Him and entreating Him for all our needs.