Likutei Moharan 20:10/ליקוטי מוהר"ן כ׳:י׳

110. And there are times when they don’t have even this power. They haven’t the power to punish [the wicked], or to punish through <the gentiles>, or to bring fear into their hearts. The only power they have is to silence them, that they should not speak evil in front of us. This is so that their words should not be heard by the common people. And occasionally they don’t have even this power. It all depends on the inferiority of the [level of] holiness.

2And this is the meaning of: { Then Moshe sent envoys to the King of Edom: “This is what your brother Israel declares: You know all the troubles that we have encountered. Our fathers migrated to Egypt…. The Egyptians mi st reated us…. When we cried out to God, He heard our voice and sent an angel who took us out from Egypt. We are now in Kadesh, a city at the edge of your territories. Please let us pass through your land. We will not go through any fields or vineyards, and we will not drink any water from your wells. We will travel along the King’s Highway.” … Edom’s response was, “Do not pass through my [land], or I will greet you with the sword!” The Jewish people said to them, “We will keep to the beaten path. If we drink any of your water… I will pay the full price. It is of no concern. Only with my foot will I pass through.” He replied, “Do not come through!” (Numbers 20:14-20).}

3Then Moshe sent malakhim (envoys) to the King of Edom — “Malakhim” <means malakhim (angels), literally>, as mentioned. “The king of Edom,” as above.

4This is what your brother Israel declares — In other words, these angels come into existence from the pure statements of the Jewish people, as explained. This corresponds to, “[The Lord] gives the word, the heralds are a mighty host.”

5You know all the troubles that we have encountered. Our fathers migrated to Egypt — “You know,” specifically. This is because all punishments are through him, particularly the Egyptian exile. It resulted from a blemishing of the Covenant, as is known. And blemishing the Covenant brings to the sword, as in (Leviticus 26:25), “a vengeful sword <to avenge [My] covenant.” And Edom> is appointed over the sword, as explained.

6The Egyptians mi st reated us…. When we cried out to God, [He heard our voice] and sent an angel [who took us out from Egypt]— Our Sages <said> that this was Moshe “who took us out.” For the blemishing of the Covenant is a blemishing of knowledge, as in (Genesis 4:25), “And Adam knew.” And the voice arouses the daat (knowledge), as in (cf. Berakhot 24b), ‘The voice arouses concentration.’ Because of this: “When we cried out to God, He heard our voice”—<for> the voice arouses daat —”and sent an angel.” This is Moshe, who is synonymous with daat. And through the revelation of daat as it should be, then, “he took us out.”

7This is why we recite the Haggadah in a loud voice. For the redemption came about through voice, corresponding to, “He heard our voice.” This is also the reason it is called haGaDah, indicating the rectification of the Covenant, as in (Deuteronomy 4:13), “vayaGeD (And He told) you about His covenant.” And the main mitzvah is <to recite the Haggadah over wine>. This indicates a rectification of the daat, as in (Yoma 76b), “Wine and fragrances make clever,” and as in (ibid.), “‘tiRoSh ’: if he is worthy he becomes RoSh (foremost)—i.e., daat.”

8Please let us pass through your land — They wanted to travel to the Land of Israel by way of the power of Edom, so as to receive from him the power to punish the wicked with the sword and with death. This was so that they would be able to travel <to the Land of Israel> on the King’s Highway—the King of the world—and not for the sake of worldly pleasures. And this is:

9We will not go through any fields or vineyards, and we will not drink any water from your wells — This alludes to the pleasures of this world. For all this is not what we desire. Rather, what we desire is:

10We will travel along the King ’s Highway — This is so that the wicked do not prevent us from following the path of the King of the world.

11Edom’s response was, Do not pass through my [land], or I will greet you with the sword! — All this <was> due to the inferior power of the holiness, as explained. And this is:

12We are now in KaDeSh, a city at the edge of your territories — In other words, because the KeDuShah (the holiness) is on such an inferior level, <touching on> the border of impurity, as a result:

13His response was, Do not pass through my…. — For someone who is on a inferior level should not provoke the wicked, for [the wicked man] devours a tzaddik greater than he (cf. Habakkuk 1:13).

14They [the Jewish people] said to them, We will keep to the beaten path — This corresponds to (Psalms 84:6), “the paths in their hearts”—<i.e.,> to bring fear into their hearts.

15If we drink any of your water — “Your water” is synonymous with judgment, as in (Amos 5:24), “But let judgment cascade like water.” In other words, it is sometimes necessary to <flatter> the wicked <in the gentile courts>.

16I will pay the full price — Onkelos translates this as, “their money.” It refers to the bribes <which must be doled out in the gentile courts> in order to have them willingly allow the <judgment of holiness> to be taken from the crookedness.

17It is of no DaVaR (concern). Only with my foot will I pass through — I want to travel and pass through with your power, in order to silence the wicked. So that DiVReihem (their words) do not enter “my foot”—i.e. the common people. They are called foot, as in (Exodus 11:8), “And all the people who are at your feet.”

18He replied, Do not come through! — All this is due to the inferior [level] of the holiness, as explained.

19<From this we can conclude that one has to> pour out his prayer prior to [teaching] the Torah, and bind himself with the souls in the audience. By virtue of this, greater holiness is added above, as in (Proverbs 14:28), “In the multitude of people is the King’s splendor.” And commensurate with the increase of holiness is the increase in the radiance of Torah. And the greater the radiance of the Torah, the greater the power of the angels; the greater the power of the angels, the better he is able to punish the wicked who give a bad report.

20And this is the explanation <of the Sifra De’Tzniuta>:

21Nine precious rectifications were given over to the beard (zakan) — In other words, to the zaken (the sage) who sits in the yeshivah to expound [the Torah] were given the nine concepts mentioned above: 1) “take the staff”; 2) “and gather the community”—to subdue their evil; 3) “speak to the boulder”—with pleading; 4) “in their presence”—that he should bond with them; 5) to draw <words like flaming coals>; 6) to draw Torah [lessons]; 7) the creation of angels 8) to receive power from Edom to subdue <the wicked and the forces of evil>; 9) to come to the Land of Israel.

22And these are <the nine> rectifications that are given over to the sage who expounds:

23The more something is hidden and not revealed — This hints to the soul which is the concept of Miriam. It expires, as explained. The more it is found [to be lofty and precious] — The explanation is: Because of this sage, all that was forgotten due to the soul’s having expired is now found. And now the nine rectifications are listed in order:

24The fir st rectification: Hairs upon hairs from in front of the ears to the top of the mouth — This is the concept of S’ARot (hairs), as in (Psalms 87:2), “ShaARey (the gates of) Zion,” which corresponds to, “The staff of your strength <God> will send from Zion”—<i.e. the concept of, “Take the staff,”> as mentioned above.

25“From in front of the ears,” that is, prior to hearing if they would be able to accept [the Torah]; “to the top of the mouth,” they opened their mouths and said, “We will do.” This is (Ketuvot 112a), “Your mouths preceded your ears.”

26The second rectification: [Hairs above the lip] from one side to the other — In other words, to subdue their evil, as above. With this he takes them out of the authority of the Other Side, and brings them into the domain of holiness. This is the meaning of “from one side to the other”—<corresponding to, “and gather the community,” mentioned above>.

27The third rectification: Found below the two no st rils is a path which is full but does not show out — Namely, the concept of the ChoTeM (the nose), as in (Isaiah 48:9), “For My praise, eChToM (I will restrain My anger) from you.”

28“A path which is full,” because “For those who fear Him lack nothing” (Psalms 34:10) —this is “full.” And fear is synonymous with <praise> [i.e., prayer], corresponding to (Proverbs 31:30), “But the woman that fears God, she shall be praised.” It is the concept of the nose, as in (Isaiah 11:3), “He shall breathe of the fear of God.”

29“But does not show out,” for a person must humble himself and not rely upon his own merits, as explained. This corresponds to (Proverbs 25:6), “Do not show yourself splendorous in the presence of a king.” <This is the third rectification: “speak to the boulder.”>

30The fourth rectification: The sides of the face are covered [with hairs] on both sides — Namely, the binding with their souls; they cover him on all sides. <This is the concept of the fourth rectification, which is “in their presence.”>

31The fifth rectification: Showing out are two <holy> TaPuChin (cheeks), red like a rose — This is the concept of the openings of the heart which are niPhTaChim (opened). The mercies of the Supernal Heart are stirred and there is an inspiration of impassioned words <like flaming coals>—corresponding to “red like a rose.”

32The sixth rectification: In one chut (st rand), tough black hairs TaLyan (cascading) down to the che st — This is the concept of drawing Torah, as explained. For they [the lessons] are synonymous with (Song of Songs 5:11), “[His locks] TaLtalim (are wavy) and black like a raven”—because they are “TiLei TiLim (heaps and heaps) of laws” (Eruvin 21b). They are drawn down to the chest—to the innards, as in (Psalms 40:9), “Your Torah is in my innards.”

33“Cascading in one chut .” This corresponds to (Psalms 50:3), “His surroundings are exceedingly niS’ARah (turbulent)”—God is strict with the tzaddikim to a chut < haS’ARah> (a hairsbreadth) (Yevamot 121b). And when they blemish [even] a hairsbreadth worth, then they lack the ability to draw these laws, as explained.

34The seventh rectification: Lips, which are red like a rose and free of hair — This is the creation of angels, as above, as in (Psalms 33:6), “By the breath of His mouth all their hosts.” “Red like a rose,” as in (Psalms 104:4), “… flaming-red fire His attendants.”

35The eighth rectification: Small hairs re st ing on the throat and covering the back of the neck — In other words, to receive the power from Edom to subdue the <forces of evil> which turn their back.

36“Small” is synonymous with the power of Edom, corresponding to (Obadiah 1:2), “Small have I made you amongst the nations.” “Resting on the throat” is synonymous with the sword mentioned above, corresponding to (Psalms 149:6), “The lofty praises of God are in their throats, and a double-edged sword….”

37The ninth rectification: Long and short hairs which end together — This is the concept of the Land of Israel. It is divided into tribes, which correspond to (Psalms 104:25), “small creatures and great ones.”

38With these, he is found to be <mighty and st rong> — In other words, when he comes to the concept of the Land of Israel, then he is called <“mighty and strong.”> For before he achieves the concept of the Land of Israel, then, “Let him that girds [his sword] not boast like he that takes it off” (1 Kings 20:11). But afterwards, when he is victorious, then he is called “a man of war.” <Ponder this well.>

39This lesson was taught on Rosh HaShanah, on the verse (Psalms 89:16), “Happy is the people that knows the bla st of the shofar.” But we were not worthy of receiving from what his holy hand had written, the explanation of this verse according to the lesson. Also, prior to his delivering this lesson, some time before that he told an amazing st ory. He had a vision, either awake or asleep, and he said that the lesson “Nine Rectifications” explains this amazing vision which he related. God willing, the time will come to explain these things, elsewhere, with His help.