Likutei Moharan 22:12/ליקוטי מוהר"ן כ״ב:י״ב

112. {“Rabbi Yehudah ben Teima says: ‘Be bold as a leopard….’ He would say, ‘The brazen-faced person [is de st ined] for Gehennom, whereas a shamefaced person [is de st ined] for the Garden of Eden. May it be Your will God our Lord that You con st ruct Your city speedily in our lifetime, and grant us our share in Your Torah’” (Avot 5:23, 4).} This is the explanation of the Mishnah: “Rabbi Yehudah ben Teima says: ‘Be bold as a leopard….’” We can conclude from this that he was alerting to [the importance of] holy boldness. A person must be “bold as a leopard” in the face of all those who stand up against him to prevent him from his service, God forbid. He then promptly and immediately explains there [in the Mishnah] the seriousness of the blemish and the prohibition of brazenness of the Other Side. As it is written there: “He would say: ‘A brazen-faced person [is destined] for Gehennom (hell).’”

2If so, it is possible to err, God forbid. It is certainly necessary to possess boldness for the sake of holiness, as explained. This is because it is impossible to truly draw closer to holiness except through boldness. As he himself said: “Be bold as a leopard.” Yet, on the other hand, brazenness is very evil. This is someone who is bold not for the sake of holiness {and all the more so when he is brazen against holiness, acting brazenly towards those who fear God, and the like}. Such brazenness is very evil, for “a brazen-faced person [is destined] for hell.”

3And if so, [it is like] “a bouquet of medicinal herbs that fell in a pit” (Shabbat 66b) —for it is not clear how we should conduct ourselves [with this quality]. Regarding this, the Sage [Rabbi Yehudah ben Teima] requested: “May it be Your will that You construct Your city speedily in our lifetime.” {On the face of it, this is a great wonder and everyone is puzzled by this. What relationship does this prayer have to what preceded it? In addition, it is not the style of the Mishnah to offer a prayer and a request in the middle of its text. Yet, now, it is very clear.}

4In other words, he prayed that he merit knowing how to conduct himself in the matter of boldness. That is, [he asked] that he not have any brazenness of the Other Side, but instead merit to possess holy boldness through which Jerusalem “a faithful city” is constructed. As explained earlier, one merits faith through this boldness. For it is impossible to draw closer to the true tzaddikim—who are the embodiment of the Seven Shepherds, the embodiment of holiness, for the principal faith is drawn through them—except by means of boldness, as above. And thus, “May it be Your will that You construct Your city speedily in our lifetime.” In other words, that the boldness be holy boldness, from which Jerusalem “a faithful city” is constructed.

5Yet, this is [only] achieved through: “Grant us our share in Your Torah.” That is, by attaining the concept of “we will do and we will hear”—making the “we will hear” into “we will do”—”the Torah of God” becomes “his Torah.” In other words, he merits comprehending the Torah of God, as above.

6And thus, “Grant us our share in Your Torah.” “Our share,” which is our portion in the Torah—i.e., the concept of “his Torah,” corresponding to “we will do”—should become “in Your Torah”—i.e., the Torah of God itself. That is, he should merit being encompassed in nothingness, as explained. He should merit comprehending the “Torah of God”/”we will hear” through which one merits joy. Through this one merits holy boldness, corresponding to, “For the delight in God is your boldness.”

7And this is: “A shamefaced person [is destined] for the Garden of Eden.” This is because the truth is that holy boldness stems from embarrassment. For holy boldness is merited through joy and delight, corresponding to, “For the delight in God is your boldness.” And one merits to “delight in God” through the concept of “we will do and we will hear,” as explained.

8Now, the principal completeness of joy is through fear/”we will hear”/prayer. And fear is embarrassment— yarei boshet. Thus, this holy boldness stems from embarrassment. Hence, “A shamefaced person [is destined] for the Garden of Eden.” For this boldness of holiness, which is synonymous with embarrassment, corresponds to Eden—Upper Eden, which corresponds to “we will hear”/fear/prayer.

9So, in order to come to this boldness, he prayed: “May it be Your will that You construct Your city speedily in our lifetime,” as above.