President of the children of Manasseh, Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur
To the students, may the Lord be upon them:
...I shall reply to both of you together, as it all stems from the same desire. The holiday is approaching, and as you know, I tend to keep to myself at such times and not waste time.
Although I don’t have many expenses on basic needs for the holiday because I’ve already obtained the Matzot and the wine, I am preoccupied with receiving the newborn child from all that has happened to me during the months of conception since Tishrey [approx. September]. The child is very dear to me, a child of entertainment, and so my heart goes out to him and to all his needs.
You must have noted to write in the previous letters that you will prepare yourselves to long for the Creator and for His goodness in these days, prior to my coming to you, for the time is suitable for it, if you wish, since time and place do not part between us whatsoever concerning the needs of the Creator and the lot of the Creator. And the box of corporeality? Put it behind you, and we are one.
Our sages have already wondered, “Ester from the Torah, where from?” They said, “I will surely hide.” The thing is that from Lo Lishma [not for the Torah] one comes to Lishma [for the Torah], that the light in it would reform them. Therefore, they were right to ask, “How can there be concealment to any person?” Even if you say that he is wicked, that he engages in Torah and Mitzvot Lo Lishma, still, the light in it has to reform him.
They answered that there are two concealments, as in “I will surely hide” [Heb: Haster Astir]. One concealment is due to the diminution of the moon, as it is written, “Lights,” with deficient writing since the Vav is missing from the Ohr [light] in it, Ohr without the [letter] Vav. The second concealment is due to the sin of Adam HaRishon, considered that he threw filth at her, and he was diminished in the first one, too, creating Mar [bitter] instead of Maor [illumination]. In the work of creation, He brought the medicine before the blow, as it is said in the verse about light, “Let there be light, and “And there was light,” to be sufficient for both concealments.
The second light was blemished by the inciting serpent, and Vav- Reish remained of it. The Vav was already missing in the first light, living a storm over the head of the serpent and his company, “Arur [cursed] are you than all beast,” etc. From the first, Aleph- Reish remained, and from the second, Vav- Reish remained.
This is why its legs were cut off and he walks on his belly, and I have no time to elaborate further. This is the meaning of using the seven days of creation, which were concealed for the righteous at the end of correction.
However, all the corrections are in the receivers of the light. Since they are unfit to receive the Upper Light, they are rebellious against the light because the light is bestowal, and when it is received, it is called “illumination,” which is the internality that reforms him, that which clothes in the vessels of reception. The Upper Light dresses in the letters of all the prayers, and He is one and His name is “One,” which is the meaning of our fathers being immersed in mire and bricks, from the idols of Egypt on the forty-nine gates of impurity. Then the King of all Kings, the Creator, appeared to them and redeemed them.
The reason is that they had to discover all the letters of the prayer, so the Creator waited for them. However, when the prayers ended, He rushed to them and redeemed them, “And His divorce and His hand come as one.”
When Righteous Mordechai brought Hadassah, he was rewarded with her because she was the daughter of his uncle, Avichail. And although “The vision of the glory of the Lord’s fire is as consuming fire at the mountain top,” she had a good pasture and oil with him, as it is written, “On his right was a fiery law unto them.” He understood by the light of his righteousness and extended on her a thread of grace. By that extension he extended the quality of “line” into holiness for fourteen days (for the quality of “line” is Hesed [mercy]), due to the two abovementioned diminutions, as in “And her father indeed spat in her face.” Finally he was rewarded with, “And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her,” even the actual nations of the world.
First, she corrected in Achoraim, meaning she stands from the bosom of Ahasuerus, dips, and sits in the bosom of Righteous Mordechai, which is purity, as in “Interpreted as pure myrrh” (This is why they explained that Mordechai is the translation of the Torah [into Aramaic]), meaning the “bitter” from the serpent. He cast filth in her (which is the meaning of “To most of his brothers,” and not “To all his brothers”), and the Aleph from “He and I cannot dwell in the world” fled from the illumination in her, for a man cannot dwell in the same place with a serpent. He was rewarded and purified for her because he extended to her his champion, his acquaintant. And yet, the illumination is still written with a deficiency, meaning the Vav, due to the diminution of the moon.
However, in return for it he was later rewarded with “Royal apparel” and a great crown of gold, as it is written, “The two great lights.” Then “Mordechai from the Torah,” as it is written, “flowing myrrh,” meaning freedom from the angel of death, in the actual holy language.
It is so because the whole purification is in the Achoraim—the translation—and complete freedom is in the holy language. The forty-nine pure faces and the forty-nine impure faces are from the diminution of the moon. This is why the first correction is the coming out of the vessels in purity, and the second correction is a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will determine, “Her name is HaVaYaH [the Lord],” and “In every place, offerings are presented unto My name.”
I have elaborated thus far to give you a taste of the bitterness of Mitzva, should you wish, for the meaning of “And made their lives bitter, without the two Alephs of Tohu. Although the filth of the serpent was only in the first light, he attributed the corruption to the upper one—that the lack of the Vav due to the diminution of the moon proved that the Aleph was also missing there, God forbid. He dressed them as light [Ohr] and Kli, the oil for the illumination and the light, taking the Aleph of “illumination” from the “illumination” and from Ohr (for the Vav was already missing), and the Aleph of Ohr, assembling them in one another. Thus, he made Maror [bitter], meaning the angel of death, where the two Reish became Tav.
When rewarded with “flowing myrrh,” then the Creator came and slaughtered the angel of death, who becomes a holy angel once again. There aren’t forty-nine and forty-nine here, a scale of merit and a scale of fault, which are twenty-two letters. Rather, “He is one and His name is ‘One,’” for “The enemy will not deceive him, and the son of wickedness will not afflict him,” “The wicked are overthrown and are gone.”
Therefore, first, the gods of Egypt must be stopped, on the tenth of the month, to be hung in the Torah, “that he cannot prefer ... but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated one, by giving him a double portion.” This is the meaning of the preparation for the plague of the firstborn, the son of the hated one.
By chaining the gods of Egypt to the legs of the bed, they drew upon them great lights in the cut off place. Yaccir [recognize] is like Yakir [cherish] and there is no “visiting,” but there is “preferring” because there is no flaw, as it was said, “My darling son, Ephraim, a child of entertainment,” for he “folded his hands,” and put his right hand on the head of Ephraim.
This is the meaning of “a lamb for the fathers’ house,” from “the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob.” And on the four days of the first-fruit, it was slaughtered on the fourteenth and the mouth that forbade (which is the meaning of twice, Yaccir [recognize] and Yakir [cherish]). It is the mouth that permitted, and in the light of “The Lord is to me, and the night will be as light.”
Then, “a lamb for the house,” and “In that very day, all the hosts of the Lord come forth,” etc., “I and not a messenger,” etc., “And you will dip in the blood that is on the doorstep,” at the bottom of the legs of the bed. “And you will touch the post, and the two Mezuzot,” meaning the Tikkun [correction] that fills the abovementioned two diminutions, which is two Mezuzot, from the words “from this” and “this,” as in “the faith of the craftsman,” and the faith of a faithful one.” The daughter that was trained is really his mother in the faithful one, as I have already interpreted for you. Then, “You will touch the post,” etc., for it is literally bloods, and I have no time to elaborate, and the bright ones will understand.
How I long to hear from you the enunciation of redemption and the blessing of redemption, “Who redeemed us,” etc., for “On Nissan [Hebrew month, spring] they were redeemed, and on Nissan they will be redeemed.” That is, the past and the present join as one because he sees his back as he does his face.
This should not be surprising to you. After all, a box of pests [bad reputation] is hanging behind each one, and how can you equalize with the one ahead of you?
However, this is only in the present, for eternity is present, making the future equal to the present and the past, meaning to the ones rewarded with the light of truth, clothed in only one and unified desire. Anything more than one desire, it was said about it, “Any excess is deemed gone,” which is in the unification of the true Dvekut, from the recognition of his heart that is full of the light of HaVaYaH to the brim.
Even when he directs his heart to heaven, one should be very careful with the unity of the desire, to be unified in true unity, internal recognition in the extent of the Dvekut on the height of the Lord’s palace ... for His hand will not be short, as it is written, “Indeed, I live, and the glory of the Lord shall fill the whole earth.”
This is the meaning of Israel’s redemption as in “I am the Lord, I and not a messenger, nor an angel or a seraph.”
One who has many desires, the Creator has many messengers and many degrees. The Kabbalists write that there are 125 degrees even in Nefesh deAssiya. But one who has only one heart and one desire does not have all the calculations, all the degrees that are made by seraphim [angels] and animals, and holy ofanim [another type of angels]. Rather, “And I was trusted by him,” a child of entertainment, for a servant of the Creator has contentment with his servitude. This is a clear sign that the Creator has contentment with his loyal servant, and conversely, it is God forbid to the contrary.
Thus, all we need is to aim the heart to entertain with Him, for the entertainment is for Him alone, and not to cause sadness whatsoever. Also, a wise son always looks at his father’s face, whether he is happy with him, as he has one intention—to delight the father, and nothing else.
This is the meaning of, “Now it shall be said to Jacob and to Israel, ‘What has God worked?’” Our sages interpreted that angels and seraphim learn the knowledge of the Creator from Israel. This is the meaning of “‘And it was very good,’ this is SAM,” as he blossoms in one, but when that power for holiness is taken from him, then “And in all your might” comes true in us. This is the meaning of being rewarded with revealing Elijah from the time of the revival of the dead. He flees in four, and then that force to work and to be encouraged is established in us in one, meaning very good, which we hope for soon in our days, Amen.
I have been brief in this letter due to lack of time. But God willing, it will suffice for you to prepare yourselves and be rewarded with all the abovementioned prior to my coming to you. Then, where there are vegetables on the table, there will be meat and fish, for after all the abovementioned meriting you will begin to be ready to receive His light through me, as is the Creator’s will in advance.
Although it may be a wonder in your eyes, in your minds, you should still believe me that I do not mean to boast, God forbid, for the Creator’s benefit is your benefit. If you are small in your own eyes, look at your Maker, the one who made you—a wonderful craftsman does not do low and lowly things. This folly is the flaw from the serpent, who casts filth in her, to consider himself low and lowly and not feel that the Creator is by his side, even, and only at the bottom of his lowliness. And what I see, I shall say, perhaps the Creator will be to your liking soon in our days.
Yehuda Leib
I did find one correction on the first page of the preface, second column, where instead of “except,” which I wrote, it was written, “but” or “only.” It must be from ... may his candle burn, who already argued with me about this word, and then I kept silent about his argument. But now I noticed and I found it interpreted in Kings 12, “There was none that followed the house of David, except for the tribe of Judah,” as well as in Kings 2, 24, “None remained, except for the poorest sort of the people of the land.” And he interpreted the Fortress of Zion and replied to me.
And concerning remission of the many debts that some of you ask in letters, I ask, Why should you not pay me my debt to write me a letter each week as I have asked you? Indeed, all debts stem from the same Mitzva.
The same