Likutei Moharan 11:1/ליקוטי מוהר"ן י״א:א׳

1“Ani YHVH (I am God), that is My Name. My glory I shall not give to another, nor My praise to idols.” (Isaiah 42:8)

2There is an upper unification and a lower unification: Shema Yisrael and Barukh shem kvod malkhuto l’olam va’ed (Blessed be the name of His glorious Kingdom forever more) (Zohar I, 18b). Each and every Jew should make certain to bring about [these unifications]. By doing so, one can come to deep Torah understanding.

3When a person is on a low spiritual level, he is still very far from Torah understanding. Only through speech will he be able to come to deep Torah understanding—i.e., by verbalizing the words of Torah. As it is written (Proverbs 4:22), “For they are life l’motzA’eihem (to those who find them)”—[and our Sages taught: Read this] l’motzI’eihem (to those who express them) verbally (Eruvin 54a).

4Speech enlightens a person regarding all the areas in which he needs to repent. As our Sages taught: Open your mouth and your speech will enlighten (Berakhot 22a). And each and every time, because of each and every repentance, he moves from level to level until he emerges from his low spiritual level and comes to deep Torah understanding.

5This is what Yochni and Mamrei asked Moshe: “You’re bringing teven (straw) into Apharayim?” To which he answered, “People say, ‘To the vegetable market, take vegetables [to sell]’” (Menachot 85a). TeVeN corresponds to TeVuNah (understanding) <of Torah>, as is written (Proverbs 2:11), “understanding will preserve you.” [Yochni and Mamrei] understood that Moshe wanted to bring Torah understanding into the Jewish people. This is why they asked, because when the Jews do not carry out God’s will, they are likened to aphar (dust). How could he bring them to a high level, to Torah understanding?

6Thus: “Teven” connotes tevunot of Torah. “You’re bringing into Apharayim?” alludes to aphar, i.e., a low spiritual level. He answered them, “People say”—in other words, through speaking; the speech of a Jewish person directs him to all the areas in which he needs to repent. This is, “To a place of yarka (vegetables)”—the areas in which he should repent. YaRKa corresponds to repentance, as the Midrash comments: “vaYaReK (he called out) his trained servants” (Genesis 14:14) —[Avraham] enlightened them by reciting the Chapter of Shoftim (Bereishit Rabbah 43:2). In other words, he encouraged them to repent. For the Chapter of Shoftim deals with repentance, [as our Sages taught:] “Is there any among you who is afraid or faint-hearted” (Deuteronomy 20:8) —he fears because of the sins he committed (Sotah 43a).

7This is the meaning of “People say, ‘To the vegetable market’”—i.e., through the reciting and speaking of a Jewish person; “to the vegetable market”—[he is directed] to the areas in which he needs to repent. Speech directs him so that he can repent. And this is “yarka Sh’KuL (take vegetables),” corresponding to teshuvat hamiShKaL (fitting repentance). Speech will enlighten him so that he will be able to repent precisely commensurate with his sins.