Likutei Moharan 34:7/ליקוטי מוהר"ן ל״ד:ז׳

17. Now when the heart, which corresponds to the vav, the Tablets, is immersed in evil loves—i.e., disgrace and humiliation, which are called “the foreskin of the heart” (cf. Deuteronomy 10:16) —it is then an aspect of the shattered Tablets. And disgrace corresponds to the foreskin, as in (Genesis 34:14), “We cannot… give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for that is a disgrace to us.”

2It is also an aspect of fallen and shattered love. For it is known that the evil inclination and the forces of evil exist due to the shattering of vessels. As is brought in Etz Chaim (Nekudim, Shaar Shvirat HaKeilim 3): The shatterings of the vessel of Chesed fell to Binah of the World of Beriyah. This is: Binah is the heart. But the light of Chesed remained in Yesod of the World of Atzilut. This is the aspect of “the tzaddik is the yesod (foundation) of the world” (Proverbs 10:25).

3We see, therefore, that evil loves come from the shattering of the vessel of Lovingkindness. Hence Onkelos renders “because it would be a disgrace for us”: because it would be a ChiSuDa for us. This is because disgrace—i.e., the foreskin of the heart/evil loves—stems from the shattering of the vessel of CheSeD.

4For this is something we see empirically, that “love covers up all faults” (Proverbs 10:12). Even if a person sins against his friend, [the latter] does not disgrace him, because the love [between them] covers all faults. But when the bond of love between them goes bad—i.e., an aspect of the shattering of the vessel of Lovingkindness—then he disgraces him, because disgrace comes from the shattering of the vessel of Chesed.

5And when the heart is immersed in <evil loves>/disgrace/foreskin of the heart—corresponding to the shattered Tablets, i.e., “Disgrace has shattered my heart”—and a person binds the heart/ vav to the yod / nekudah —corresponding to the tzaddik, which is where the light of holy love resides because the light of Chesed remained in Yesod of the World of Atzilut —then the evil loves/disgrace/foreskin of the heart is eliminated. This is because the tzaddik/ nekudah, which is where the light of holy love resides, shines into the vav /heart and eliminates the disgrace/<evil loves>/foreskin of the heart. For “love covers up all faults,” because that is where holy love resides.

6This is what our Sages taught (Nedarim 32b): The Holy One intended to have the priesthood emerge from Shem, but because he blessed Avraham before blessing the Omnipresent One, it was taken from Shem and given to Avraham. As it is said (Psalms 110:4), “You will be a priest forever, because of the words of Malkitzedek.”

7And this is what the Holy One said when he bestowed the priesthood on Pinchas: “Behold, I am giving him My covenant of peace” (Numbers 25:12). The priesthood is an aspect of love, which is Avraham, residing in the place of the covenant of peace—i.e., “the tzaddik is the yesod of the world.”