Avodat Yisrael

Sefaria · Chasidut > Other Chasidut Works · 21 sections

Sefer Bereshit.Lech Lecha.5
I will sustain My covenant between Me and you: It is known that the right is called the trait that impacts, and it is called the trait of kindness, as it is written (Psalms 89:3), "The world is built by love." For the world was created with the trait of kindness. Whereas the left is called the trait of power which restricts and limits the impact. So the world was created according to both of them. Well-known are the words of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, that there was an expansion of creation with no end, until the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked [it], and said, "Enough!" And that is the limiting force. And behold that between the trait of the right and the trait of the left, there is a middle trait which is the determinant, and it is called the righteous one, foundation of the world. It receives from them and regulates the impact in proper order. And that is called the establishment of the covenant (brit), as is well-known. And behold each source of impact must have a corresponding receiver. For without that, it cannot impact. So it is certainly fitting that the receiver should be in the form of the source of impact, meaning right, left and the middle trait. And this is [the meaning of] that which is written, "I will sustain My covenant between Me and you." And that is the secret of, "it is a sign between Me and the Children of Israel." And the enlightened one will understand. And alongside, I will explain that which the Ari, may his memory be blessed, wrote about the intention in the eighteen blessings (of the daily prayer) with the last letters of, "Your name is great, and You are fitting to praise (lecha naeh lehodot)," which is the [Godly] name, kaf, hey, tav, see there: It appears that the reason is because the last three last [blessings] is where the unification is made. And there must be protection that the impact not be lost, but received. That is why he wrote to have intention for this name, which is good for pregnancy. As this name is the limiting force, and it comes out from the last letters of, "behold you are pregnant and will give birth (hinach harah veyoladet)" (Genesis 16:11), see regarding this in another place. And behold that the Ari, may his memory be blessed, wrote that in the blessing, "Place peace" (the last of the eighteen blessings), one should have the intention for the name of the Lord (the Tetragrammaton), together with the name, God (Elohim) interspersed. That is alef, yod, lamed, hey, hey, vav, yod, hey, mem, see there. And this is with the secret of the unification that includes the source of impact with the receiver, and likewise the name of the Lord with the name, God. And the order of joining the beginning of the name with its end is alef-mem (spelling, em, mother), such that the receiver should form the impact in the form of an embryo. So it is called, em; which leaves the letters,yod, lamed, hey, which has a numerical count of mem, hey (a mystical name of God), through which unification is done. And their other letters, hey, vav, yod, hey, together with yod, lamed, hey is 71, corresponding to [the members of ] the Sanhedrin, which sat in a circular half threshing floor. And the one who understands will understand.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.1
In the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim: It is customary to take wheat and distribute it to the poor. Let us see the deeper meaning of this custom: Chitah (חטה, wheat) has the numerical value of 22, corresponding to the 22 letters of the Torah. With this wheat, we make preparation so that [the poor] will be able to sanctify the 22 letters of the Torah through Torah study and prayer. For this reason, this holy festival is called Pesach, which can be read as peh sach (פה סח)—"the mouth speaks"—meaning that one should sanctify one's speech through songs and praises. And sach (סח) has the numerical value of chayyim (חיים, life), for "life and death are in the hand of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). Therefore, one must "choose life"—that is, holy speech. Moreover, the words themselves must be "alive," meaning [uttered] with complete intention (kavanah), for prayer without intention is like a body without a soul. Therefore, one must ensure that one's prayer is "alive"—that is, with intention. "And distribute them to the poor"—this means: the "poor" are those who cannot sanctify the 22 letters on their own. One must share with them from one's portion and channel holiness to them so that they too can sanctify [their speech]. For if one does not sanctify one's speech, then when one stands to pray afterward, one's words do not enter into holiness. This is the meaning of the verse: "And the passersby did not say: 'The blessing of the Lord be upon you'" (Psalms 129:8)—meaning, those who transgress His will could not say "the blessing of the Lord" because their words do not enter into holiness. Further there [in the Shulchan Aruch]: Nowadays, [regarding one who has resided here] for thirty days—and similarly a poor person who has dwelt here for thirty days—we are obligated to give to him. The deeper meaning is that one must learn Torah and teach, and make preparation for this holy festival. However, [the poor] themselves must also attach themselves to the tzaddik and strengthen themselves toward holiness. Then certainly the tzaddik can assist them. For without this, the tzaddik cannot channel so much to them, because [the recipient] himself pushes it away. And one who has not dwelt here for thirty days—in any case, we are obligated to give him matzah. The deeper meaning is: Certainly there are supremely holy individuals who, when Passover arrives, are already purified and ready, and all their prayer is with complete intention, without any improper thought. Therefore, for one who is not at such a level that he can purify himself completely, one must give him the spiritual level of matzah—from the language of matzah u-merivah (contention and strife), as explained in the holy Zohar. This means: the tzaddik must channel to him at least [the capacity] that if the evil inclination comes to make him fall into evil thoughts during this holy festival, he should fight with contention and strife against it and overcome it.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.3
In the gemara at ohr to the 14th we search for chametz I already explained that the chametz is the yetzer hara [inclination to selfishness] as the Rambam explained that chametz comes from the expression for stealing, from the verse (Isaiah 1:17) 'aid the wronged', and therefore chametz alludes to the yetzer hara, since whoever goes according to the advice of the yetzer hara steals from their [soul] root. Therefore one needs to burn the chametz on erev Pesach and to make preparations so that the great holiness that is revealed in night of Pesach will infused itself upon oneself, since Pesach comes from the expression leaped and skipped because in all festivals holiness does not come to a person in one moment, a person needs to continue the holiness with the prayers of Night, Morning and Afternoon. But on Pesach, the holiness comes to a person in one moment, like the expression to skip, as we explained, and therefore there is the need for preparations, since even though the shining light comes, even though it does come, a person needs to cleanse oneself so as to be able to receive the shining light. For example,the sun, even though it shines strongly, the windows need to be open, because if they are closed the sun cannot shine within the house. And in all festivals one needs to continue the holiness on oneself, through the prayers, as the verse says 'that you will call them in their time, a holy convocation' (Leviticus 23:2) - that is one needs to call [to convocate] the holiness. But on Pesach the shining light needs to come in one moment, because 'in haste you came out of Egypt'(Deuteronomy 16:3) Chipazon [haste] its letters are chet"peh [and] zayin"nun, that is to say all the holidays the holiness comes from the Holy One as male [zayin] and female [nun], groom and bride; that is, the more the bride (the people of Israel) adorns herself all the more the groom (the Holy One) comes closer and closer to her. But on Pesach, because Israel needed to get out from Egypt, because were they to stay there for yet another moment they would not have been able to get out of there, and this is why the redemption needed to be in haste [chipazon] that is to say covered [from chupah] from the way of the male [zayin] to the female [nun], so the shining light comes in a skip and a leap but regardless [that fact] obviously a person needs to prepare oneself, as explained above in the simile of the sun and the windows.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.4
Or one may say - at evening [ohr] of the 14th we check for chametz by the light [ohr] of a candle. It is explained that the essence of chametz is the yetzer hara, as explained above, and as explained in the gemarah "who prevents? The yeast in the dough". And behold the essence of the chametz is the yetzer hara, which comes because the building-block of humans is desire and pleasure of sex, as David Hamelech peace be upon him, says: " Indeed I was born with iniquity; with sin my mother conceived me" (Psalms 51:7), therefore a person needs to sanctify oneself at the moment of sex since the more one sanctifies oneself the more one gives to the fetus a holy soul, since from the holiness of sex a yetzer tov comes to the fetus. And from desire and lust comes the yetzer hara, therefore one should diminish one's desire so as to diminish the yetzer hara of the fetus, and the yetzer hatov can conquer with ease the yetzer hara. And regarding this it is written "at evening [ohr] of the 14th we search for chametz by the light [ohr] of a candle - that is to say, by the light of one's soul, since "the candle of Hashem is the soul of a person", since candle [ner] is the acronym of "neshamah, ruach" and "nefesh, ruach", which is appropriate for searching and burning the chametz completely.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.5
In the Gemara (Pesachim 42a), Rava expounded: "One may only knead [matzah dough] with mayim shelanu [water that has rested overnight]." The next day, everyone brought their pitchers to him [to get water that had rested at his house]. At first glance, this is difficult: why did Rava need to expound using language that could be misunderstood [since shelanu can mean both "that rested overnight" and "that is ours"]? It appears to me that Rava was hinting through his holy words that people should unify the Name of Havayah (Y-H-V-H), blessed be He, through the performance of mitzvot. For matzah (מצה) corresponds to the letters Y-H-H (יה"ה) through the At-Bash cipher — but the Vav of the Name Havayah is not present in it. Therefore Rava taught the world through his holy words that they could draw down the Vav into the matzah, making the Name complete. This is why he expounded in this particular language: "One may only knead with mayim shelanu" — the word shelanu (שלנו) equals, through gematria including the kolel, the Name Nagad Yakhash (נג"ד יכ"ש), whose meaning relates to "the glory of Heaven is set before me" (negdi kevod shamayim). And this Name corresponds to the Vav of the Name Havayah, for the first Name [of the 72-letter Name] — Alef-Bet-Gimel Yod-Tav-Tzadi (אב"ג ית"צ) — corresponds to the Yod, the second corresponds to the Heh, and this third Name corresponds to the Vav. For the Vav represents hamshakhah (drawing down of divine influence), and it is directed precisely toward this Name, because one must draw [divine flow] upon it until the glory of Heaven stands before him. This is why Rava expounded using the word shelanu — to hint that one must draw down the Vav into matzah (מצה), so that the Name will be made complete. And for this reason, on the eve of Pesach one must make the matzot for the sake of the mitzvah (le-shem mitzvah) — that is, with this same intention: to draw the Vav into matzah (מצה), transforming it into mitzvah (מצוה), so that the Name will be made complete, as explained above. "And the next day, everyone brought their pitchers to him" — meaning, the empty vessels, that is, those who were not able to draw the Vav into matzah through their own holiness — they came to Rava so that he would bestow upon them from the abundance of his holiness, enabling them too to draw the Vav into matzah, making the Name complete. Amen....
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.6
In the Shulchan Aruch
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.7
"One may only search for chametz by the light of a candle" (Pesachim 2a). Ner (נר, "candle") contains the letters of neshamah (נ) and ruach (ר) [i.e., the initials of two levels of the soul]. And specifically with a wax candle — sha'avah (שעוה, "wax") contains the letters shin-ayin (שע) and vav-heh (וה). Shin-ayin (שע) is from the language of the verse "but to Cain and his offering He did not turn (sha'ah)" (Genesis 4:5) — meaning that one must unify and turn toward the Name Y-H (י"ה) with V-H (ו"ה) in every mitzvah a person performs, just as we say before every mitzvah: le-shem yichud Kudsha Berikh Hu u-Shekhinteih — "to unify the Name Y-H with V-H." But the verbal recitation is not the essential thing, for "it is the intention of the heart that is the essence of the matter" — the main thing is that one directs one's heart toward Heaven. And for this reason, specifically a wax candle is required — to hint at all of the above.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.8
"It is customary to place pieces of chametz in a place where the searchers will find them, etc. However, if one did not place them, it does not invalidate [the search], since a person's intention is to destroy [chametz] if he finds any."It appears that they established this holy custom because the essential purpose of destroying chametz is [the destruction of] the yetzer ha-ra, as I wrote above. Therefore they instituted placing chametz [before the search] — to demonstrate that there certainly still remains sin within a person, and chametz represents the yetzer ha-ra. For "there is no righteous person on earth who does only good and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7:20).For a person who considers himself to have rectified everything has certainly not even begun to serve God, as I wrote elsewhere in my interpretation of the verse regarding the red heifer: "that has no blemish, upon which no yoke has been laid" (Numbers 19:2) — meaning, one who believes that there is no blemish in him has certainly never yet taken upon himself the yoke of Heaven.And as the wise author of Chovot Ha-Levavot said: if I were to say in my heart "I have not sinned," that itself would certainly be the greatest sin — for pride is the greatest sin of all.Therefore it is customary to place pieces of chametz — to demonstrate, as explained above, that one has certainly not rectified everything.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.9
"And if the head of the household wishes, members of his household may stand near him at the time he recites the blessing, and then disperse, each one relying on the blessing that the head of the household recited, to search each person in their designated place." It appears that the hint contained in this is that the head of the household must bestow holiness and purity upon all the members of his household. And one who is a greater tzaddik must bestow holiness and purity upon all the people of his town. And one who is an even greater tzaddik must bestow upon the entire world — so that all may be able to return in complete teshuvah.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.10
All places where one does bring chametz in, need to be searched meaning, one needs to search every place where their yetzer harah, which is the chametz, usually resides. And this place is different for each and everyone: the one whose yetzer resides on finding fault on others, God forbid, or whose eyes are always turned to that that should not be seen, God forbid, they need to search, and destroy, and completely return from that path so they won’t do it anymore, and if they return from what did in the past in a complete return (teshuvah) obviously the Holy One of Blessing will forgive them. And in places where one does not put chametz in, there is no need to search ~ and it appears to me that this is a remez, hint: there are those who do not notice their own behavior, but only the behavior of other people. And the warning of our mishnah is regarding this: and in places where one does not put … there is no need to search, meaning, one should not investigate other people’s behavior, but should investigate their own, and fix their own behavior.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.11
Those (holes) that are too tall for the hand to reach, and those that are lower than nine inches do not need to be searched here we read it as a remez, hint: one should never say ‘I won’t be able to check all my misdeeds and sins, because I don’t remember them all!’ To this is the reference Holes that are too tall for the hand to reach – if you don’t remember them, there is no need to search there. Yet regarding those one does remember, one needs to search, to fix and to return. And those one does not remember immediately will be cancelled, since the Holy One of Blessing will say ‘if s/he had remembered their earlier misdeeds and sins, obviously s/he would regret them and turn from them, just as s/he regrets and returns from those s/he remembers.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.12
Every person has to sweep his rooms before checking for chametz this is a hint: every person needs to clear their thoughts on the 13th of Nisan, and get ready on the 13th so they can begin the search at night. This is because if one does not clear their thoughts beforehand, and wants to search suddenly, out of the blue, obviously they won’t see in themselves any chametz, and they will say “I am perfectly righteous!” One only needs to clear their thoughts beforehand, and obviously they will find chametz there.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.13
" Matzah whose surface has turned white is chametz." And the Magen Avraham wrote: "But the world is not careful about this." By way of deeper meaning, this alludes to the following: There are people who say sharp, witty words to their friends and whiten their faces (i.e., humiliate them) in public—"the red departs and the white comes" (Bava Metzia 58b). This is the meaning of "whose face has turned white"—this is certainly complete chametz, meaning the counsel of the evil inclination. And about this, the world is not careful—for they say, "I was only joking!" But certainly, one who wishes to be God-fearing should be careful about this chametz and eradicate it completely.
Sefer Vayikra.Shabbat HaGadol.14
"Vessels whose use is with hot [food] must be purged with hot [water]; [those used] with cold, one rinses with cold. And an earthenware vessel has no remedy except through breaking." This can be understood by way of deeper meaning: Even though people sin, they do not commit the transgression with a whole heart and a willing soul, but only under compulsion. [The evil inclination] recounts the praise of the sin through the stratagems of the yetzer hara—but in truth, [the person] does not want at all to do that which is against His holy will, blessed be He. This person is one "whose use is with cold"—meaning, not with desire and craving, but like one who was coerced. Such a person certainly does not need mortifications (sigufim); rather, he need only accept upon himself in truth that he will no longer commit the transgression, even if the yetzer hara entices him. This is "rinse with cold"—meaning, without mortifications and without great heat of heart; rather, the teshuvah need only correspond to how he sinned. But one "whose use is with hot"—meaning, one who heats himself up for the matter of transgression and does it with a willing soul—this one must do teshuvah likewise with heat of heart. "And an earthenware vessel... has no remedy"—this means: those who have sinned greatly, like an earthenware vessel that never releases what it has absorbed—they have no remedy except through brokenness of heart and bitterness over the sins they committed against the will of the Creator, blessed and exalted be He. And certainly, "the Lord is near to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34:19), and He will accept them.
Sefer Bamidbar.Beha'alotcha.1
"When you kindle the lamps" (Bamidbar 8:2). In Midrash Rabbah, the verse "For You will light my lamp" (Ps. 18:29) is expounded thus: Israel said before the Holy Blessed One: "Master of the Universe, You tell us to give light before You? You are the light of the world, light dwells with You, as it is written, 'and light dwells with Him' (Dan. 2:22) — yet You say 'opposite the face of the Menorah'?! Thus: 'For You will light my lamp.'" The Holy Blessed One replied: "Not that I need you, but so that you may give light to Me, just as I gave light to you — in order to elevate you before the nations of idolatry, so they will say: See how Israel gives light to the One who gives light to all!" The explanation of this matter rests on a principle we have already stated and written at length in the glosses to the Tikkunei Zohar: the Creator, blessed be He, illuminates all His creatures with His great kindness and bestows an abundance of all that is needed. However, so that the Chitzonim (outer forces) should not seize hold of the flow of blessing on its way to Israel — for the world was created principally for Israel, as the Midrash on Bereishit states — it is therefore necessary for there to be a boundary and a tzimtzum, so that governance should operate measure for measure: to reward those who do His will and to punish those who transgress it. And even though there is no measure or likeness in Him, He descends through His levels to clothe Himself according to the attributes through which He is served, and the entire matter depends on deed. This is the secret of all the commandments: the Holy Blessed One has no need of His creatures in any way — the commandments are simply royal decrees — yet when Israel does His will, He then pours down upon them alone all goodness, and no other shares in it. Now, when Israel performs the commandments, they make a pathway and a channel for the Creator's flow of blessing, a measure and a tzimtzum. And this is the meaning of the Midrash: the Holy Blessed One said, "Not that I need you — for I shine with My great kindness and bestow upon you all good — but that you should give light to Me," that is, to set a boundary for the flow, so that the Chitzonim should not seize hold of it. And this is what "elevates you before all the nations of idolatry, so that they themselves will say: See how Israel gives light to the One who gives light to all" — for Israel, in doing so, creates a boundary and a vessel for His light. This is illustrated through the seven lamps of the Menorah, which alludes to the Malkhut (sovereignty), through which they enthrone the Creator by means of His attributes. In truth, all is according to His simple will and there is no change in Him in any way. The further details are explained elsewhere in the glosses to Gevurot Hashem and to Tikkunei Zohar, and in the commentary on the Likutim of Rav Hai Gaon — see there.
Sefer Bamidbar.Beha'alotcha.2
"Speak to Aaron" etc., "When you kindle" — in the Midrash: The verse "Fear the Lord, His holy ones" (Ps. 34:10) is expounded. You find that above, eleven tribes brought offerings, and the tribe of Ephraim brought [its offering]... but Aaron did not bring [an offering]... The Holy Blessed One said to him: "For something greater than this you are destined..." "But the lamps — forever, opposite the face of the Menorah they shall shine," and all the blessings are never annulled. (For since Ephraim also brought an offering, the twelve tribes corresponding to the legs of the Merkavah were now complete — and Aaron is called shoshbina d'Matronita, the companion of the Matron. And our sages taught concerning the firstborn and the tithe.) We have already written above that the lower Chokhmah is a vessel for the upper Chokhmah, and Aaron — the root of his soul is from the aspect of Abba — and he is the one who establishes the Community of Israel before Him, blessed be He. The Holy Blessed One commanded him that when he kindles the lamps — which is the Community of Israel before Him — he should raise her up as she was in the root of [divine] thought. This is why the flame should ascend of its own accord (me'eilehah) — reading this as mi-ma'al Yah, "from above, from Yah" — for ayin and alef are interchangeable, as we have written. The secret of the flame is like the bathing in hot water on Shabbat eve; her essential elevation and reception comes from Him, blessed be He, through the central pillar — that is, "opposite the face of the Menorah the seven lamps shall shine." For through the outer edges it is impossible to receive without the Chitzonim, God forbid, seizing hold, unlike the future time when the worlds will be in their correction, as it is written: "For you shall spread out to the right and to the left" (Is. 54:3), and there will be no fear from Esau and Ishmael, "for your seed shall inherit nations." This is what the Midrash means: the sacrifices belong to the time of the Temple, but the lamps are never annulled — which is puzzling at first glance, for where are the lamps in the present time? And if the intent is upon the Hanukkah lights, as some commentators explain — in the Babylonian exile there was not yet even the commandment of Hanukkah! But according to what I have written, it will be understood: this preparation was specifically for the days of destruction until the worlds will be in their repair, because the soul of Aaron is the vessel for this. And this is what they meant: "And all the blessings are never annulled," for the priestly blessing operates through the aspect of Abba, and for this reason the priestly blessing spoken by Aaron's mouth requires the one who blesses to be a merkavah, a vehicle for the mouth of Aaron. And the verse says: "And Aaron did so" — for there are righteous ones who inflame the souls of Israel for His service at the start, but afterward those individuals sometimes fail to maintain constancy in the service of God, God forbid. Not so Aaron, the holy one of God — he did not deviate from upholding the Community of Israel, which is the holy Matronita, before Him, all his days, being a vessel for the supreme thought, to illuminate them from the hidden light. This is what the Midrash says: "Great is the light of the Holy Blessed One — the sun and the moon illuminate the world, but from where do they receive their light? From sparks of fire above they draw, as it is said: 'By the light of Your arrows they go' (Hab. 3:11)." For ḥetz (arrow) has the numerical value of YHVH plus Chesed — and from there they receive the light. The word itself likewise points to this: ḥet is Chokhmah (Wisdom) flowing to Binah; tzadi is yod-nun, flowing to nun through the yod, and from there the flow comes to Israel through the Tzaddik — this is the yod of ḥitzeikha ("Your arrows"). At its root it is "the lightning flash of Your spear" (ibid.), which is like a flash — and understand this well. And it further states: "Greater still is the light from above, which was not given to creatures except in a measure of one in a hundred, as it is said: 'He knows what is in the darkness' (Dan. 2:22)" — for the name Mah (in full spelling with alef's) is related to the word for meah (hundred), and wherever you find this teaching, it means: the aspect of Mah is joined at its root to the root of all roots, called Efisah (nothingness), which the Kabbalists call by the name darkness — owing to its great hiddenness — and from there the sun and moon that are known receive their light. And it continues: "Opposite the face of the Menorah" — Rabbi Yehoshua bar Nehemiah said: Joy was withheld from the wicked and given to the righteous — meaning, by withholding joy from the wicked, that is, the outer forces, so they do not seize hold, God forbid, it is given to Israel. For the Holy Blessed One, as it were, had need of dwelling among flesh and blood by means of a lamp (ner), since the central pillar is called ben adam (mortal) on account of the 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments, as is known. Ner (lamp) is the union that ascends to the value of ner (250+5). And as it were, through the perfecting of their deeds, He, may His Name be blessed, clothes Himself in the aspect of Tiferet Yisrael and unites with them through three unifications that together rise to the value of ner.
Sefer Bamidbar.Beha'alotcha.3
"When you kindle the lamps." In the Midrash: "How so? Three facing east and three facing west, and one in the middle — so all of them faced the middle one. From here Rabbi Kehana said: The middle one is the most praised." The hint here is that all the acts of service and all matters aim at cleaving to the body of the King, which is the central pillar. This is "opposite the face of the Menorah shall the seven lamps shine" — and it does not say six lamps, because all seven needed to be raised up toward the central pillar, and the middle one is the most praised.
Sefer Devarim.Nitzavim.2
You stand: In the Yalkut (Yalkut Shimoni 940:11) - Moshe said to them, "Do you want to stand [firm] in the world? Occupy yourselves with Torah." What is written above? "So you are to take care regarding the words of this covenant" (Deuteronomy 29:8). And afterwards, "You stand." To here are its [words]. As behold we always read this section before Rosh Hashanah, since it hints to all of the Jewish people [that] you stand and are prepared and positioned before the Lord, your God, from the great to the small, such that each person of Israel must ready himself before the great and awesome day of judgement. And this is, as has become the custom, to arise at the [last] watch [of the night] to say penitential prayers the week before Rosh Hashanah. That is that when Rosh Hashanah comes out on Thursday, it is sufficient to [begin] on the Sunday before it. But if it comes out on Tuesday, we then precede to arise from Sunday of the past week. And behold the Magen Avraham forced himself to give a reason and wrote that there needs to be four days before Rosh Hashanah so that there be ten days of fasting. To here [are his words]. But one can also say [another] reason. It is because the world was created on the twenty-fifth of Elul. For Adam, the first man, was created [on the first of] Tishrei and he was [then] judged. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Behold this is a sign for your children, etc.," as if found in Midrash. And even though we say on Rosh Hashanah, "Today is the creation of (harat) the world," and the Ari, may his memory be blessed, wrote that charat is an expression of pregnancy (hirayon) - and, if so, it is possible that it implies that the creation of the world was [only] in a hidden thought, just like the pregnancy of one's mother - nevertheless, the truth is like its simple meaning, that the world was created in Tishrei, and like the words of the Midrash mentioned above. It is only that the aspect of Kingship (Malkhut) was in an aspect of pregnancy and hidden thought. So His Lordship and Kingship was not recognizable until the Jewish people went out of Egypt in Nissan. And that is the 'beginning of the year for kings,' meaning the time though which it was revealed that God is the only King over the whole world. But the truth of the matter is that the world was created in Tishrei, but its beginning was on the twenty-fifth of Elul. Hence the Sages, may their memory be blessed, ordained to arise at the [last] watch [of the night] to say penitential prayers in order to sanctify the days of the creation up until the sixth day [of creation], which was the day sanctified [with] the creation of man - Rosh Hashanah. For everything is aroused in its time. And we have already prefaced earlier that the angels that said, 'What is man that You should remember him,' were prosecuting angels that are aroused every year on Rosh Hashanah, since the Jewish people did not fix their ways or their misdeeds towards God. 'And, if so, should You not act measure for measure and - God forbid - not be called the God of Israel?' So behold the Children of Israel below fast and sound the alarm below with the sound of the shofar and accept upon themselves the yoke of the kingdom of God through repentance and good deeds, until the kindness of God, may He be blessed, is aroused to bring out their righteousness like the light. So He [then] shows their merit in front of the angels above and justifies them in the trial. That is until they all concede that He is our God, and we are His people, Israel. And so is it fit to be always. So they all agree about all the goodnesses, salvations and redemptions. And all of it comes to us because of our faith, since we trust in His great mercy, and His great kindness. So we bathe and cut our hair in honor of the day of judgement. And they 'rejoice in trembling' and in the arousal of repentance in joy. And the words of our master, our teacher and rabbi, the Gaon, the Master, the Rabbi Dov Ber (of Mezeritch) are well-known - that the explanation of the writing for life in the book is that it is etched into the thought of a person. For the wicked one, when he remembers his iniquities, he becomes afraid and trembles and he is not in control of his heart to repent to God - 'this one is inscribed immediately for death.' This is a sign for the matter that [these] thoughts confuse him and weaken his heart with fear of death. But this is not the case with the righteous - even though they squirm and tremble from the fear of God, may He blessed, there are certain of His salvation and His kindness. So they strengthen themselves and repent to God, and 'they are immediately inscribed for life.' So the inscription for the good is etched into their hearts. And even though some thoughts come to [the righteous] that remind him of his iniquities that signal to the prosecution above, [righteous people] nevertheless steer their minds to the greatness of repentance and the abandonment of sin from that day onwards, and about the acceptance of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to have faith in His great kindness; and they focus on [God's] name [made of letters, the numerical count of which is] 72, which indicates the kindness of the Creator, may His name be blessed. To here are his [words]. And behold we draw forth the great kindness that is called Long (Arikh) to the aspect of the God of Israel, which works with us measure for measure. That is why the trumpet blasts in the Temple would be short and the shofar blasts would be long (ma'arikh). As the trumpets (chatzotzerot) hint to the expression of half forms (chatzi tzurot), as I have written in another place - meaning either the whiteness or the redness. As the full form is called that which is made up of whiteness and redness, as it is written (Song of Songs 5:10), "My beloved is clear-skinned and ruddy. "And we do not want half forms on Rosh Hashanah, as I wrote above, but rather the appearance of a man that includes everything and the aspect of the God of Israel, and to draw forth the aspect of Arikh with the shofar. And the Yalkut hints to this also - Moshe said to them, "Do you want to stand, etc? Occupy yourselves with Torah." For the root of the Torah is the twenty-two letters, which hint to the number of the name [of God], tet-dalet heh-dalet (the numerical count of these four letters being twenty-two). As tet-dalet hints to the thirteen words of mercy. For the numerical count of tet-dalet is thirteen. And also since the understanding of ted (the word formed by the letters, tet-dalet) is an expression of modesty, as was written by the Tosafot Yom Tov in Tractate Middot 1:3, see there. And the number of heh-dalet is nine, which hints to the nine attributes of the Small Face (Zeir Anpin). And hed (the word formed by the letters, heh-dalet) is an expression of revelation and and uplifting, from the usage, heidad (an uplifting shout). But they need to be connected though occupation with the Torah of twenty-two letters. And when they are connected, they form the name tet-dalet heh-dalet mentioned above, which is the name [of God] that precedes the essential name [of God] in the letters of the alphabet (the letter tet precedes the letter yod, the letter dalet precedes the letter heh and so forth). And that is why the Yalkut placed this statement adjacent to the verse, "You stand before the Lord." Meaning to say, "If you want to stand before the Lord" - meaning before the essential name, and that would be the name, tet-dalet heh-dalet - "occupy yourselves with Torah," which is based on twenty-two letters. And that is why we say the thirteen attributes [of mercy] in the penitential prayers. And one should focus on 'and His throne shall be established upon kindness and He shall sit upon it in truth (emet).' This hints to the exact image, man (adam), for he is the tithe of Him (the numerical count of adam without the alef is a tenth (tithe) of the count of emet without the alef), as it is written in the Tikkunim. And also because emet contains the twenty-two letters: Alef is at the head and tav is at the end of the letters, and mem is in the middle. But the essence of the matter is to repent and to draw down the thirteen words of mercy into oneself. That is as the Sages, may their memory be blessed, said, "'And you shall walk in His ways' (Deuteronomy 28:9) - just like He is merciful, you too should be merciful, etc." And this is hinted to in that which was written by the Magen Avraham in the name of the Levush, "One must wrap oneself at the time that we say the thirteen attributes, etc." That is that he must truly wrap himself and make himself similar to God, may He be blessed, to be merciful and gracious and that which is similar to them. And he must distribute charity to the poor, so that he arouses charity and kindness Above to all of Israel. And the repentance must be joyful and trusting of the kindness of the Creator, may He be blessed. 'For the Lord will not forsake His people. Hence it is possible to give a reason for that which one does not need to lower the head (in supplications) on the eve of Rosh Hashanah - it is to show that there is no need to lower the head, but rather to stand with love and joy before the Omnipresent. And behold, that which is written in the Shulchan Arukh (Orach Chaim 582:9), to pray out loud on the Days of Awe, the intention is not like people are accustomed to doing, to yell out during the prayer of the 'eighteen benedictions' (shmoneh esreh). About this it has been said, 'She raised her voice against Me.' Rather the essence is that the heart should cry to God out loud and that one should raise his heart to God. And [the Shulchan Arukh] said [further], "and we are not concerned about causing himself to err" - meaning that he will certainly not cause himself to err in the thing - "since they have a machzor (prayer book) in their hand." That is to say that everyone brings themselves back (machzirim) to God and prays. The essence is that He comes back to being the King over all of the world and that His mercy appear in the world, so that His name be known throughout the world. And through that, He will impact with the holy bounty of children, life, sustenance and all that is good upon us and upon all who seek refuge in Him. Amen.
Pirkei Avot.Chapter 2.9.2
Rabbi Eliezer said a 'good eye': According to the simple understanding, this means that his eyes will look with gladness on what his friend possesses and will not be mean. This (meanness) comes from a certain level of denial (of G-d) because if a man considers that everything comes from G-d, he will not be jealous of anything that belongs to his friend. If G-d gave his friend something, it is definitely proper that he should have it. If on the other hand he doesn't think that, and that really he should have what his friend possesses he denies the lot that G-d has given him. this is the meaning of a 'good eye'.
Pirkei Avot.Chapter 4.7.2
And one whose heart is presumptuous in giving a judicial decision, is foolish, wicked and arrogant (Avot 4:7). And one could understand this as it the verse 'You shall appoint judges and officers for your tribes.' And there are seven gates to the soul. And a person needs to judge themselves, such as the eyes should be turned to see only what is appropriate to be seen; and the ears should only listen to words of Torah and mitzvot, and the mouth should only speak words of Torah and prayer. And an individual is [also] called 'city', as it is written in Kohelet "a small city with a few men in it" (Ecclesiastes 9:14-15), and so one needs to judge and direct oneself towards the good path that they should take, particularly in the times of the counting of the Omer, and even more in the sixth week, when one has to fix the aspect of Yesod, which is symbolized by the verse "Yours, Ad-nai, are greatness, might, splendor, triumph, and majesty—yes, all that is in heaven and on earth; to You, Ad-nai, belong kingship and preeminence above all." (I Chronicles 29:11). And its targum [explanation, Zohar Bereshit 35:339] is "only One in heaven and earth", since Yesod hints that the Holy One of Blessing is the Yesod [basis] and the essence of all the worlds, and this is "only One in heaven and earth", and this is "And one whose heart is presumptuous in giving a judicial decision" is that they are presumptuous in thinking that they do not need to judge themselves, and that they think that do not impair themselves when they see inappropriate things, it is just seeing. And the truth is also found in the simple meaning: when one becomes arrogant and presumptuous, immediately a spirit of foolishness enters in one's heart.
Pirkei Avot.Chapter 5.5.1
And it is written in the Talmud, even if a snake is wound around his foot, he should not cease. And this is because

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