כי תצא למלחמה על אויביך ונתנו ה׳ אלהיך…

1“When you go out to war against your enemies, and Havayah your G‑d delivers him into your hand, and you take his captives captive,” etc. Now, it is stated in the Zohar: “The time of prayer is the time of battle.” And it is written, “which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow,” and Targum Onkelos renders: “with my prayer and with my supplication.”

2To understand what the battle in prayer is, and also why we pray every day: our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The prayers were instituted to correspond to the daily offerings (temidin).”

The explanation is as it is written, “My offering, My bread for My fires”: in the time of the Holy Temple they would offer the sacrifice as a burnt-offering upon the altar, from a species of animal, so that fire would descend from heaven and consume the burnt-offering.

For the life-force of the animal soul has its basis in the element of fire. For the four levels of inanimate, vegetative, animal and speaking correspond to the four elements of fire, air, water and earth: fire is the level of the soul of the animal (nefesh hachai), and air (ruach) is the level of the speaking [being],

as it is written, “And man became a living soul,” and Targum Onkelos renders it “a speaking spirit.” And when fire would descend from heaven, the fire below would be absorbed into the fire above. And the fire above is also of the level of the domestic animal and the wild beast (behemah vechayah), whose root is in the supernal Chariot: “the face of a lion, the face of an ox,” etc.

3This is [the meaning of] “the lion that consumes the offerings,” etc. And from the time the Holy Temple was destroyed, the Men of the Great Assembly instituted prayer, so that each person would offer his animal soul, to raise it up and bind it to its root,

for it too is from the element of fire, and the source from which it was hewn and its foundation are “in the holy mountains”: the supernal Chariot, “the face of a lion, the face of an ox,” etc.

Only, after the descent, the chaining down and the enclothing in the seventy princes, the dregs of the Ofanim, there issued the pleasures of this world and the power of desire, which is also a kind of heat of fire; and the evil inclination, too, is a strange fire burning.

So one must raise the animal soul to its root, the fire above, and [for it] to be absorbed into the supernal Chariot, the level of “fire that consumes fire,” to consume and burn up the power of desire and the fire below in the pleasures of people in this world, so as not to pursue them

except with coolness; and to turn [it] from one extreme to its opposite, so that the power of desire become fiery flashes of flame, to cleave to the living G‑d. (See what is written about this in the discourse beginning “In the portion of the libations,” in Parshas Shelach.)

Now, every day a person’s inclination overpowers him, and so every day one must draw down the fire above.

For it is written, “Days were fashioned”: there is a number and a fixed measure to the years of a person’s life, “The days of our years are seventy years,” etc.

And they were not given for the G‑dly soul within him, for the soul (neshamah) needs no rectification for itself, since it is eternal and is not clothed in time;

rather, it is united with the source from which it was hewn, in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, as it is written (I Chronicles, chapter 4, [verse] 23), “With the King, in His work, they dwelt there”; and see [Midrash] Rabbah on Bereishis, section 8, and Midrash Ruth, chapter 2;

for it was not taken from the level of the face of a lion and an ox, etc., like the animal soul in a person, but from the level of “and upon the likeness of the throne, a likeness like the appearance of a man,” etc.

And “the spirit of man is that which goes upward,” etc., “and the spirit of the beast goes down below to the earth,” for it is from the level of the supernal earth, as it is written, “and the earth is My footstool”

(see what is written in the discourse beginning “And you shall count for yourselves,” on the subject of the Omer of barley, which is animal food; and see [Midrash] Rabbah at the end of Parshas Ha’azinu, and on Bereishis, section 14),

whereas the spirit of man is of the level of “higher and higher,” and “one higher than the high,” etc. And see what is written on the subject of “and the spirit shall return” in the discourse beginning “Give ear, O heavens.”

Rather, the number of a person’s [days of] life is given for his animal soul to be clothed in it, and his years are allotted to him by a number that His wisdom, blessed be He, has measured,

according to what he is able to bear in his soul, to raise up from it so many powers and sparks that fell there in the breaking of the vessels; and each day a new spark and power is raised up. (See what is written about this in Parshas Bechukosai, in the discourse beginning “It is explained in Etz Chaim.”)

42. Now, in order that the fire above descend and be drawn down, “it is a mitzvah to bring [fire] from an ordinary [source],” through an arousal from below;

that is, through contemplating the source from which it was hewn and its root in the supernal Chariot, from which the power of desire in his animal soul was taken, as mentioned above:

how they are nullified, as a chariot and a throne, before the likeness of a man that is upon the throne, and they quake and tremble with the trembling of the throne, and are aflame and ablaze with flame and blaze of fiery flashes, to be nullified and absorbed into the light of G‑d that flows

upon them. And as a matter of course, the light of love will shine also upon the power of desire in his animal soul, which was taken from there, to arouse his heart to be torn away from the physical pleasures in which he is sunk, and to be drawn after its root, to be nullified and absorbed into the light of G‑d.

Therefore the Men of the Great Assembly instituted the blessings of the Shema, two before it: the blessing Yotzer Or, where the order of the angels, Seraphim and Chayos is stated and repeated at length, how they are nullified there to His light, blessed be He: “And He forms ministering [angels],” and “whose ministers,” etc.

“He forms ministering [angels]”: many thousands and myriads of myriads are created every day, and through the intensity of their love, like a burning fire, they expire and are burned up, and are renewed again. “And whose ministers”: [those] from the six days of creation, many thousands and myriads of myriads in a single troop, and to His troops there is no number,

as it is written, “Is there any number to His troops?”, as the Gemara resolves it. And all of them “extol and sanctify,” etc., because of their comprehension: they know and comprehend that their life-force and existence, drawn to them from Him, blessed be He, is from the level of His Name alone,

just as, by way of analogy, a person’s name is not at all part of his essence, but only some glimmer and extension from him,

so that another can call him by his name. And it is called “the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He,” meaning only a glimmer from Him, like the light and radiance that spreads from the sun, as explained elsewhere. And they say “Holy,” meaning that He is separate from them and is not clothed in them in a revealed way. For

behold, it is written, “Your kingship is a kingship over all worlds”: all the life-force that spreads from the Infinite Light, blessed be He, to give life to all created beings, to be [the light that] fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), is not like the soul that gives life to and fills the whole body,

for [the soul] is clothed within it and is affected by what befalls the body. This is not so with Him, blessed be He: “I, Havayah, have not changed,” it is written; and “You are He before the world was created, and You are He,” etc.

Rather, all the worlds receive their life-force, their flow and their existence only from the level of His sovereignty (Malchus), which is the level of an extension and glimmer from Him outward.

5And as in the analogy of “From my flesh I behold G‑d”: even in man below, the intellect and the emotive attributes (middos) are his essence and being, while the quality of self-elevation in him is

only from him outward: it does not touch his essence, but [serves only] to raise himself above another, and it is the last level and rank in him. So too,

the extension of the level of His sovereignty, blessed be He, is only a radiance and glimmer from Him, blessed be He, to the created beings; and “there is no king without a people.”

6This is [the meaning of] “Creator of holy beings; may Your Name be praised forever (la’ad), our King.” The meaning is that all the praise and acclaim that comes from some comprehension is

only [of] the level of “Your Name,” for His Name is called upon the created beings; and it is in the mode of “la’ad,” for it is not clothed and revealed in them, but they stand at a distance.

As it is written, “For He commanded and they were created, and He established them forever (la’ad), for all time.” And the meaning of “He commanded and they were created” is: as if they had been created of themselves, as a matter of course, from nothing to something, through His command; for His life-force, blessed be He, which gives them life and brings them into being from nothing to something, does not spread and become clothed within them in a revealed way.

For what is written, “and by the breath of His mouth all their host,” does not mean that the power of the Actor is actually clothed in what is acted upon, but that it is a power that only flows upon them. (See what is written in the discourse beginning “The voice of my Beloved,” and in the discourse beginning “Who can count the dust of Jacob,” on the explanation of “and the Sea was upon them, above.”)

This is also [the meaning of] “by the breath of His mouth”: by way of analogy, the breath that goes out from the mouth outward; even though it goes out from within him, from his inwardness, it seems as if it is a thing separate from his inside, a thing in its own right; and it is not clothed in them,

but [is only] the level of “our King,” to be a King whose Name is called upon them. And it is this that we ask be praised (yishtabach), that is, that in this level there be praise and increase in the intensity of light and revelation.

(See what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “On the eighth day he sent the people away.”) But the Holy One, blessed be He, in His own Self and His glory, is holy and separate, etc., as mentioned above.

73. Now the angels, because of the great intensity of their comprehension that their flow and life-force are drawn from the level of His Name alone, for He is holy and separate,

are therefore in a state of “running and returning” (ratzo vashov): running, in fiery flashes of blazing flame, to be absorbed into His light, blessed be He; and returning, in awe, for out of awe they draw back and recoil

backward, as it is said, “And the people saw, and they trembled and stood at a distance.” And they say, “Blessed be the glory of Havayah from His place,” that it be blessed and drawn down below as well, in a revealed way,

as it is above. From this the thoughtful person will contemplate, so as also to be in a state of running and returning: with love, longing and desire, to be drawn after his root, to be absorbed into the light of G‑d, who is holy and separate, etc.;

and returning, with awe, to accept the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven below, as it is written, “You shall surely set a king over yourself,” and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “If your heart runs, return to the One”; so that he make a resting-place for His dwelling, and that “Havayah is One” rest below

as above. Along these lines they also instituted Pesukei deZimra (the Verses of Praise), where it is said, “Give thanks to Havayah, call upon His Name,” etc., “His majesty is over earth and heaven,” etc.,

“Yours, Havayah, is the greatness,” etc., “and the host of heaven bow down to You.” Only, this is in the levels and ranks of the lower worlds, the levels of the inanimate and the vegetative; and there too there is running and returning.

8Therefore there are verses that speak of the love of Him, blessed be He, and some of the awe of Him; and from the two of them the attribute of compassion is born, for there are verses that speak of this, such as “And He, being compassionate,” etc.;

“You, Havayah, will not withhold Your compassion,” etc. These three levels are the levels of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and this level of compassion is the attribute of Jacob.

9This is [the meaning of] what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The prayers were instituted by the Patriarchs.” And from this he will come and reach the level, rank and degree of a self-nullification (bittul) greater than this, in the Shema: to be absorbed into the level of the man upon the throne, the inner level.

This is “Hear, O Israel”: “hear” means understanding. For Havayah, which is the level of His essence and being, so to speak, the level of “and upon the likeness of the throne, a likeness like the appearance of a man,” etc.,

is our G‑d (Elokeinu), which is the level of “One” (Echad): alef-ches and dalet, and the large dalet, which is the level of “the word of G‑d,” the general life-force of all the worlds.

For “the world was created with ten utterances,” yet it “could have been created with one utterance,” and that is the level of one thought, as it is written in the Zohar: “With one thought He created the world,” in the manner of what is written, “He looks and gazes to the end of all the generations,” and “He calls the generations from the beginning,” etc.,

as is explained elsewhere. And the level of thought is the level of speech, since it is the source of the revelation of the worlds. Just as, by way of analogy, in a person there are many thoughts that he thinks that do not come to the point of being revealed in speech, and these are called thoughts;

and there are thoughts that he thinks and ponders, how to bring the words out of his mouth, and this thought is actually included in the level of speech. So too, it is written, “Your thoughts are very deep,” which are the level of “hidden thoughts,” etc.

10(See what is written about this in the discourse beginning “I have come into My garden.”) But the thought that is the source and root of the revealed world (alma de’isgalya) is called by, and counted under, the name of speech and revelation; and this is the level of the large dalet of Echad,

which is the one utterance in which all ten utterances are included, the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that is drawn down and spreads into the ten utterances to bring all created beings into being from nothing to something. And because there is not yet any multiplicity and division into ten utterances there,

it is called “one thought.” And through this he will reach the levels of “You shall love … with all your heart,” “with both your inclinations,” so that the evil inclination and the power of desire in his soul too will be absorbed into its root, and be transformed from darkness to light.

11This is [the meaning of] “When you go out to war against (al) your enemies.” The meaning is: when you go out to this war, to conquer the power of desire in one’s soul, to cool it toward the physical pleasures of this world and to transform it into love of G‑d, be in the mode of “al oyvecha,” above your enemies;

that is, at the level of their root above. For “no evil descends from above,” and their root is good, for it is from the level of the supernal Chariot, which is of holiness. (See what is written in the discourse beginning “And I will give you places to walk.”)

Only, after the descent and chaining down of the levels, the dregs of the Ofanim came into being, and from there the seventy princes issued, from whom all the pleasures of this world and the power of desire issued, as mentioned above. And when it is raised up and absorbed into its root, it is transformed from evil to good.

124. But it is impossible for the nature of one’s trait to be transformed, to change it entirely, without G‑dly help and assistance, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Were it not that the Holy One, blessed be He, helps him,” etc.

That is, his soul alone has no power to rise and be absorbed into its root, except after a glimmer from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, is drawn down upon his soul.

And this is the glimmer of the light of the Torah and the mitzvos, from the level of the likeness of a man that is upon the throne: the 248 limbs of the King, and the 365 sinews, which are the passage for the blood, which is the soul and the life-force that spreads to all the limbs, through the fulfilling and keeping of the prohibitive commandments. And through this, he gives power to the fire above,

which is at the level of the throne, to draw down and descend below, to consume and burn up the power of the desiring animal soul and to raise it to its root, as mentioned above.

And then the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, will shine in him, and not the natural traits of his soul. (See what is written about this on the verse “When you kindle [the lamps],” on the explanation of “that runs down over the edge of his garments (al pi midosav).”)

This is [the meaning of] “and Havayah your G‑d (Elokecha) delivers him into your hand.” Havayah is the level of the Torah, which is His will and wisdom, blessed be He, and “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one”; and “Elokecha” is the level of the mitzvos, “the 248 commandments, the 248 limbs of the King.” And the root of these two levels is: “their beginning is wedged in their end, and their end in their beginning.”

For the level of the Torah is the level of a king, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The Mishnah is a queen”; for the Mishnah is, by way of analogy, like a king who decrees and says: if Reuven claims thus, etc.,

the ruling will be such and such; and likewise in the laws of the forbidden and the permitted. And the level of the mitzvos is the level of a servant, to obey His voice, as it is written, “For the children of Israel are servants to Me.”

13Now, the kingship of the Torah, “through which kings reign,” is because whoever occupies himself with the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and studies opposite him.

As it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth,” and “Jacob is the cord of His inheritance”: as in the analogy of a person who shakes a cord below, and it moves above as well, at the top of the cord. And for this reason the Torah is likened to water, which descends from a high place to a low place.

And this is “their beginning is wedged in their end.” And the level of the mitzvos is “their end in their beginning,” for “last in deed, first in thought.” (See what is written on the verse “The heavens are My throne, and the earth,” etc.; and on the verse “Spring up, O well,” on the explanation of “a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters”; and at the end of the discourse beginning “The voice of my Beloved,” regarding “leaping … skipping.”)

Therefore, at one time our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Study is great, for it leads to deed,” which shows that deed is superior; and at another time they said, “And the study of Torah is equal to them all.” For both are true: in the respect of “their beginning is wedged in their end,” the study of Torah is greater;

and in the respect of “their end in their beginning,” deed is greater. And both must be present in a person. For the drawing-down that a person draws through the Torah is to bring about the state of “running” (ratzo), through contemplating their beginning and their root,

for “the Torah issues from Chochmah,” and “He and His wisdom are all one,” and when one occupies himself with it, the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and studies, etc.

And “if your heart runs, return to the One”: that is, through the performance of the mitzvos, whose end is in their beginning; and it rises and is absorbed into their root, higher and higher, up to the loftiest heights, the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He. And through this, the power of the fire above, in the supernal Chariot, will be drawn and spread below, and reach as far as the animal soul.

For the Chayos carry and are carried along with the throne: the Rider upon the throne carries those who carry Him. And this is the level of Adam (“man”), whose numerical value is Mah (45), which is the level of Chochmah, koach mah (“the power of ‘what’”), the level of self-nullification (bittul), etc.,

as mentioned elsewhere. For since His revelation, blessed be He, in the worlds is through the attributes (middos), and the first of them is the level of Chesed (kindness), as it is written, “For I said, the world is built with kindness,”

therefore it is impossible to transform the attributes in the worlds except through drawing down supernal Chochmah, which is the source of the Torah and the mitzvos, as mentioned above. (See what is written about this in Parshas Vayeshev, in the discourse beginning “On the twenty-fifth of Kislev,” on the subject of the Menorah, etc.)

And afterwards, “and you take his captives captive”: that is, what was held captive by the power of desire, because he drew himself after the evils of this world and its pleasures,

behold, “he swallowed wealth, and he will vomit it up,” so that it rise and be absorbed into holiness too. (See what is written in the discourse beginning “As an eagle stirs up its nest.”) And along these lines they instituted in the prayers of the Shemoneh Esreh, “Forgive us, for we have sinned”: for until he had an arousal from below, he was in the state of “fools, because of the way of their transgression,” etc.,

as is explained elsewhere on the verse “When you kindle the lamps.” And now that he sees that he has sinned, he must restore the sparks that fell in the breaking, through his sins; and for this they instituted the words, “and bring us back in complete teshuvah before You.”

The meaning is that it be in the state of “before You,” as they are in their root: that their life-force be absorbed and united in the source from which they were hewn, in the Infinite Light, blessed be He; and from there a new flow and a new glimmer will be bestowed.

14This is the meaning of all the blessings in the Shemoneh Esreh, “Blessed are You”: that a new drawing-down and glimmer be blessed and drawn down from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, to the level of knowledge, teshuvah, forgiveness, etc.

And this is the meaning of what is said, “My pleasing aroma” (rei’ach nichochi), an expression of “descending a level” (nechos darga). And the meaning is that through offering “My bread for My fires,” it ascends as an aroma,

so that there be satisfaction (nachas ruach) before Him, blessed be He, like one who smells a fragrance; and then it will be in the state of “nichochi,” that is, to descend a level, downward, to bestow the flow of His goodness and His light, as mentioned above.

And this is “nichochi”: [that is,] “My” nichoach, as if one draws Him Himself, so to speak, down below, to dwell and be revealed among the lower beings in a revealed way, etc.

(With this we can also understand what is written, “A man (adam), when he brings of you an offering,” etc.; for it should have said, “A man of you, when he brings,” etc., as is explained elsewhere. But the meaning is that “adam” refers to the Torah: the 248 positive commandments are the 248 limbs, etc.;

and through this, “when he brings of you, from the animals,” etc.: that through this the power is drawn down to refine the animal soul. For adam is the level of the Torah, the Name Mah (45), which refines Ban (52), the level of the animal, etc.,

as above, on the explanation of “and Havayah your G‑d delivers him into your hand”; and see what is written in Parshas Yisro, in the discourse beginning “In the third month.” And therefore all the offerings were specifically in the Tabernacle or the Temple, in which the Infinite Light rests: the Name Mah refining Ban, etc.)