Likutei Moharan 49:12/ליקוטי מוהר"ן מ״ט:י״ב

112. {I also heard these additional points, which are applicable to this lesson:}

2Someone who wants to pour a wine libation on the altar should fill the throats of Torah scholars with wine (Yoma 71a).

3In the main, Godliness is in the heart, as in “tzur of my heart.” [And] it is written (1 Samuel 2:2), “There is no tzur like our God”—there is no tzayar like our God (Berakhot 10a). This is because the heart—i.e., the Chokhmah in the heart—is the designer of the attributes. As explained above, before the creation the Light of the Holy One was ein sof, etc. Study there well.

4We see then that when the heart is in the aspect of “and my heart is hollowed within me,” in the aspect of “tzur of my heart,” this corresponds to the creation of the world. Conversely, when the heart is clogged up, in the aspect of a foreskinned heart, he spoils the creation, as explained above. See there.

5Hence the tzaddik, because his heart is open with Chokhmah —in the aspect of “and my heart is hollowed within me,” the aspect of “tzur of my heart”—he can therefore renew the works of creation and perform miracles and wonders in the world. As it is written, “With His goodness, He renews daily, always, the work of creation” (Morning Liturgy). “With His goodness”—this is the tzaddik, who is called “good,” as it is written (Isaiah 3:10), “Say of the tzaddik: He is good.” For the heart of the tzaddik is the aspect of the creation of the world, as explained above.

6This is also an explanation of what our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: “The roundness of your thighs are like engravings, the handiwork of a craftsman” (Song of Songs 7:2) —these are the pits [below the altar], which are cavernous and hollow all the way down to the Deep (Sukkah 49a). This is the aspect of “and my heart is hollowed within me,” for the Deep is the heart, as is brought in the Zohar (III, 227b).

7And this is “engravings, the handiwork of a craftsman”—the craftsmanship of the Holy One (Sukkah, ibid.). In other words, the aspect of engravings—which are hollow all the way down to the Deep, corresponding to “and my heart is hollowed within me”—is the aspect of the creation of the world, as explained above.

8And this is “the handiwork of a craftsman”—the craftsmanship of the Holy One. For the aspect of “and my heart is hollowed…,” the aspect of hollow engravings, is literally the craftsmanship of the Holy One, because this is the aspect of the creation of the world. Through this, he is capable of performing miracles in the world, as explained above.

9This is the meaning of “which are hollow all the way down to the TeHoM (Deep)”—i.e., the aspect of miracles, as it is written (Ruth 1:19), “the entire city TeiHoMe (was amazed).” When something is miraculous, everyone is amazed.

10This is also the meaning of “Someone who wants to pour a wine libation… should fill the throats….” “Throats,” the aspect of pits that are hollow all the way down the Deep, refers to the windpipe and heart. {By means of the wine, the hollow of the heart is opened, in the aspect of “and my heart is hollowed within me.” This is because “wine and fragrances make one wise” (Sanhedrin 70a, Yoma 76b).} Therefore, when someone fills the throats of Torah scholars, it is as if he pours a wine libation onto the pits, which are cavernous and hollow all the way down to the Deep, as explained above. {Some material is missing here. It was not written down at the time, so that some of it was forgotten.}