Chasidut · Breslov

Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 4:8/ליקוטי הלכות·אורח חיים·הלכות השכמת הבוקר ד׳:ח׳

אוְזֶה בְּחִינַת לְבִישַׁת הַמִּנְעָלִים, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִנְעֹל שֶׁל יָמִין תְּחִלָּה וְלִקְשֹׁר שְׂמֹאל תְּחִלָּה (שלחן ערוך סימן ב׳ סעיף ד׳). וְלָמְדוּ מִתְּפִלִּין, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל: ״כִּתְפִילִין כָּךְ מִנְעָלִים״ (שבת סא.).

1SHOES AND LOWER WISDOMA person should put on the right shoe first but not tie it. Then he should put on the left shoe and tie it. After that he should tie the right shoe (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 2:4).We have seen that our devotions during the night—including breaking the grip of sleep and then engaging in prayer and Torah after midnight—sever and elevate Malkhut / lower wisdom from the Four Kingdoms/extraneous wisdom and so bring to perceptions of Godliness. Reb Noson now relates this to dressing in the morning, in particular to our putting on shoes to protect the feet—that is, to protect lower wisdom from the extraneous forces, alien thoughts and godless philosophies that keep us from attaining those perceptions.Now, this procedure for rectifying lower wisdom is reflected in the manner in which we put on shoes. Jewish law states that we put on the right shoe first, and then, after donning the left shoe, tie the left shoelace first. This derives from the law of donning tefillin, as Chazal state, “As with tefillin, so with shoes.”⁵⁹ onto it (and not onto the right arm), so too when tying one’s shoes: we give preference to the left by tying the left shoelace first (Shabbat 61a).

בכּיִ הַמִּנעְלָיִם הֵם שְׁמִירָה לרַָגלְיִן (שער הכונות דרושי ברכת השחר), כִּי הָרַגְלִין צְרִיכִין לִשְׁמֹר בְּיוֹתֵר לְהַעֲלוֹתָן מֵהַחִצּוֹנִים הַסְּמוּכִים אֲלֵיהֶם, כִּי הָרַגְלִין הֵם בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה תַּתָּאָה, בְּחִינַת תַּכְלִית הַצִּמְצוּמִים הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁצְּרִיכִין לְחָתְכָן מֵהָאַרְבַּע מַלְכֻיּוֹת וּלְהַעֲלוֹתָן לִבְחִינַת אוֹר הַפָּנִים שֶׁבְּשָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים כַּנַּ״ל, וּמִשָּׁם נִמְשָׁכִין בְּחִינַת מִנְעָלִים שֶׁהֵם שׁוֹמְרִין אֶת הָרַגְלִין מֵהַחִיצוֹנִים.

2For shoes are a protection for the feet. This is also true on a spiritual level. As the lowest part of the body, the feet require extra protection to elevate them from the extraneous forces that are adjacent to them.⁶⁰ 3. For the feet are conceptually associated with Malkhut and lower wisdom, the purpose of the aforementioned constrictions of Divine wisdom.⁶¹ We must sever the “feet” from the Four Kingdoms and elevate them to the aspect of the Ohr HaPanim that shines during the Shalosh Regalim. And from the Ohr HaPanim we draw protection, the concept of shoes, which protect the feet from the extraneous forces.

גוְזֶהוּ: ״כִּתְפִילִין״, שֶׁהֵם אוֹר הַפָּנִים, כַּיָּדוּעַ (פרי עץ חיים שער התפלין פרק ג), ״כָּךְ מִנְעָלִים״, כִּי מִשָּםׁ נִמְשַׁךְ בְּחִינַת הַמִּנְעָלִים, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת שְׁמִירָה לָרַגְלִין (ועין כל זה באריכות בהלכות חליצה הנכללת בהלכות גטין הלכה ד׳).

3This is the meaning of “As with tefillin”—which are a revelation of the Ohr HaPanim, as is known from Kabbalah⁶², op. cit.—“so with shoes.” From the Ohr HaPanim associated with tefillin, which protects Malkhut / lower wisdom, is drawn the concept of shoes as the protectors of the feet.⁶³ that appear in LH, Gittin 4:10.

דוְעַל־כֵּן צְרִיכִין לִנְעֹל שֶׁל יָמִין תְּחִלָּה, כִּי עִקָּר הוּא בְּחִינַת יָמִין שֶׁהוּא חֶסֶד, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה קוֹצְרִין אוֹתָהּ מֵהֶם וּבוֹנִין אוֹתָהּ כַּנַּ״ל.

4Therefore a person must put on the right shoe first, since the right side, which is chesed, is primary. With it we sever Malkhut from the Four Kingdoms and build it up.⁶⁴

הוְעַל־כֵּן בִּקְשִׁירָה – שְׂמֹאל תְּחִלָּה, כְּמוֹ תְּפִלִּין שֶׁקּוֹשֵׁר שֶׁל יָד בִּשְׂמֹאל תְּחִלָּה, כִּי קְשִׁירַת הַשֶּׁל־יָד בִּשְׂמאֹל תְּחִלָּה, זֶה מֵחֲמַת שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְקַבֵּל הַחֶסֶד כִּי אִם עַל־יְדֵי תּוֹכֵחָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב שָׁם, עַיֵּן שָׁם. וְתוֹכֵחָה הוּא בְּחִינַת גְּבוּרוֹת, בְּחִינַת שְׂמֹאל.

5Thus with regard to the tying, the left is given precedence; similar to tefillin, where one begins by tying the strap of the arm-tefillin on the left arm. The reason tying the arm-tefillin on the left precedes donning the head-tefillin is that receiving chesed is possible only through the tzaddik’s rebuke. See the Rebbe’s lesson, where this is explained.⁶⁵ generally restrain their reproach of the Jewish people (see LM I, 22:1), Rebbe Nachman teaches that the suffering that Jews cause a tzaddik by sinning occasionally brings him to dispense rebuke that humiliates his audience. Reb Noson will address this next. And rebuke corresponds to gevurot, severities, which are associated with the left side.⁶⁶ 27:5) “Open rebuke is better than concealed love,” the Arizal teaches that “open rebuke” refers to gevurot, the root elements of the sefirah of Gevurah (Shaar HaPesukim, Mishlei). Gevurot (also known as dinim, judgments) are associated with the left side, as is rebuke (Sanhedrin 107b and Maharsha, s.v. s’mol docheh).

ווְזֶה בְּחִינַת יָד כֵּהָה, עַיֵּן שָׁם, בְּחִינַת הַתּוֹכֵחָה שֶׁהִיא לִפְעָמִים בְּדֶרֶךְ בִּזָּיוֹן שֶׁמַּכְהֶה פָּנָיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵלִי (שמואל-א, ג, יג) שֶׁלֹּא הוֹכִיחַ אֶת בָּנָיו: ״וְלֹא כִהָה בָּם״.

6This relates to Chazal’s exposition of yadkhah as teaching that we should don the arm-tefillin on the yad keihah, the weak or left arm.⁶⁷, the Torah states (Shemot 13:16), “It shall be a sign upon yadKhaH ,ידכה) rather ,(ה) your arm)”—spelled with an added heh Chazal .(ידך) than the more common spelling yadKha expound this as teaching that the arm-tefillin are worn weak arm), which for the ,יד כהה) on the yad KeiHaH majority of people is the left arm (Menachot 37a). means “rebuke.” (כהִָה) Study the Rebbe’s lesson, where he teaches that this alludes to rebuke. Occasionally, rebuke involves humiliation—it makh’heh, turns pale, the other’s panim, as in what is written about Eli not rebuking his sons, “He did not khihah them.”⁶⁸ from the root KaHaH ,(מַכהְהֶ) The word maKh‘HeH means “weaken” or “cause to turn pale.” The ,(כּהָָה) verse Reb Noson quotes from the Book of Shmuel can thus be read as “Though his sons were disgracing themselves, he did not humiliate them.”

זכִּי תְּפִלִּין הֵם מחִֹין (סימן נד), הֵם עִקַּר הַמְשָׁכַת הַשָּגַׂת אֱלֹקוּת הַנֶּאֱמַר בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁעִקָּרָהּ הוּא בְּחִינַת תְּפִלִּין, כַּיָּדוּעַ לַמֵּבִין דְּבָרָיו, כִּי תְּפִלִּין שֶׁל רֹאשׁ וְשֶׁל יָד הֵם בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה וְחָכְמָה תַּתָּאהָ (זהר ואתחנן רסב.). וְזֶה בְּחִינַת שַׁחֲרוּת שֶׁל תְּפִלִּין, בְּחִינַת שַׁחֲרוּת הַנַּ״ל בַּתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל.

7Now, in kabbalistic teaching, the tefillin signify mochin, the elements of consciousness which are the primary means for drawing a perception of Godliness, as discussed in the Rebbe’s lesson. Essentially, such perception entails the constriction of Divine wisdom into lower wisdom, and so it is conceptually related to tefillin, as those who comprehend the Rebbe’s words know. For the tefillin of the head and the arm correspond to upper wisdom and lower wisdom. The blackness of the tefillin boxes and straps likewise alludes to this constriction, similar to the blackness mentioned previously, in the above outline of that lesson.⁶⁹

חוְעַל־כֵּן צְרִיכִין לִקְשֹׁר שֶׁל יַד תְּחִלָּה בִּשְׂמֹאל – בְּיַד כֵּהָה, כְּדֵי לְהַמְשִׁיךְ בְּחִינַת הַתּוֹכֵחָה, שֶׁעַל־ יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְגַּלֶּה הַחֶסֶד, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה קוֹצְרִין אֶת הַמַּלְכוּת, חָכְמָה תַּתָּאָה הַנַּ״ל.

8Therefore we need to begin by tying the arm-tefillin on the left arm, the yad keihah, which hints to makh’heh. This is in order to draw the aspect of rebuke, through which chesed, from the right side, is revealed. With this chesed we sever Malkhut/ lower wisdom from the Four Kingdoms, and by doing so merit perceptions of Godliness.