Likutei Moharan, Part II 7:6/ליקוטי מוהר"ן·תנינא ז׳:ו׳

16. Speaking with friends to instill them with daat and fear of Heaven and to produce disciples brings to the internalization of the lights of the makifim (transcendent perceptions). In other words, one becomes worthy of understanding and knowing what initially one neither understood nor knew. That which a person understands and grasps with his intellect is immanent, for that perception penetrates his intellect. But that which cannot penetrate his intellect—i.e., which is impossible for him to understand—is transcendent. It surrounds his intellect and he cannot internalize it because, for him, it is transcendent, since he is incapable of understanding it.

2But as a result of his engaging in speaking with people and instilling his daat into them, his mind becomes emptied of his previous perceptions and daat, and through this the transcendent perception penetrates. This is because emptying his mind by instilling his daat into his friend brings to the internalization of that which was transcendent, and he merits understanding the transcendent perception—i.e., he understands that which originally he could not.

3Now, there are many levels of makifim. This is because what for one person is transcendent, for his friend on a higher level is immanent. And so on, higher and higher. It can also be that a perception which for one person is transcendent, for another person is even less than immanent, because the latter is on a much greater level than he. Thus, when a person speaks with his friend about the fear of Heaven and instills his daat into him , his own makif becomes internalized. And so on, higher and higher; commensurate with his aspect and level, each person’s transcendent perception becomes immanent when he speaks with his colleague or disciple and instills his own daat into him.

4This is the meaning of “For it is something exceedingly close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it” (Deuteronomy 30:14).

5For it is something exceedingly close to you— In other words, so as to bring close to you that thing which is “exceeding”—the concept of the makifim, which are hidden and exceedingly distant from a person. Bringing them closer to you and making them immanent depends on “in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.”

6in your mouth and in your heart— This is as in “My mouth will speak wisdom and the meditation of my heart will be understanding.” In other words, he should reveal his wisdom and understanding to his disciples, as discussed above. This is:

7to do it— This is “as if he made him,” as mentioned above. Through this he is able to internalize the transcendent perceptions and bring them close; making that which is “exceeding,” immanent.

8Highest of all are the makifim of the generation’s leading sage, who is its teacher. When this teacher-sage of the generation speaks with his disciples and instills his daat in them, his own transcendent perceptions become internalized. His makifim are the concept of length-of-days and -years. This is because his makifim correspond to the World to Come, which, being beyond time, is a day that is eternally long (Kiddushin 39b).

9For all the time of this entire world, past and future, is absolutely naught in comparison with a single day, and even a single moment, of the World to Come, which is a day that is eternally long. Time is non-existent there because [the World to Come] is beyond time. Rather, the continuum of experience there is ordered in correspondence with attaining the makifim. Some maKiFim are associated with days, while other maKiFim are associated with years, as in “teKuFot (cycles) of days” (1 Samuel 1:20) and teKuFot of years (see Exodus 34:22 and 2 Chronicles 24:23). Thus, it is these makifim which are the order of time there. Attaining these transcendent perceptions are the main pleasure and delight of the World to Come. Happy is he who merits attaining them.

10And this is the culmination of knowledge. For the culmination of all knowledge is when one realizes that one knows nothing. This is because attaining these makifim, the delight of the World to Come, is the concept of “How abundant is Your good that You have stored away for those who fear You” (Psalms 31:20). They are the abundant good that is stored away, concealed and hidden from all eyes. This is the meaning of “Mah (How) abundant is Your good”—specifically mah. For these [perceptions] are the concept of mah, as in “Mah (What) did you see? Mah did your investigating achieve?” This is: The culmination of all knowledge is when one realizes that one knows nothing.

11It is also synonymous with the influx of Keter, because KeTeR signifies encircling, as in “KiTRu (They encircled) the Benjaminites…” (Judges 20:43).