וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות וגו׳ איש כי…

1“And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes,” etc.; “When a man vows a vow,” etc. And in the Gemara [our Sages] said: “until he vows by a thing that is vowed”—for example, that he says, “This meat is [forbidden] to me like a burnt-offering and peace-offerings,” or that he says, “Konam: this meat [is forbidden] to me,” for konam is a term for korban (an offering).

2And on this foundation the whole Tractate Nedarim is founded, in [its] explanation of “a thing that is vowed.” And [we need] to understand this matter: why must one attach [the vow] specifically to a thing that is vowed?

And also [we need] to understand why this section was said specifically to the heads of the tribes. Now, we learned in [Pirkei] Avos: “Vows are a fence for abstinence.”

Now, they said: “Abstinence leads to holiness, holiness leads to humility, and humility leads to fear of sin.”

3And we need to understand why fear of sin comes after humility and holiness, etc. Is it not written, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Havayah”? [Although it was explained elsewhere, on the verse “And He spoke” of the Ten Commandments, regarding [the teaching] “If there is no wisdom there is no fear; if there is no fear there is no wisdom,”

that there are two levels of fear—yet this is not enough to resolve why fear of sin comes specifically after humility and holiness, etc.]

But the explanation is that the essence of holiness is as the saying, “Who has sanctified us with His commandments”: for the mitzvos are the essence and the purpose, as it is written, “The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear G‑d and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man.” And it is through the mitzvos that He “has sanctified us.”

4And the explanation of this matter: “holy” (kadosh) means “set apart,” etc. And what the holiness of the mitzvos is, is alluded to in the wording of the blessing, “Blessed are You, Havayah, our G‑d, King of the world.” The meaning is:

“King of the world” is in the sense of “Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds”: the life-force of all the worlds, higher and lower, and their coming into being from nothing into something, is through the primordial thought that arose in His will, blessed be He, “I will reign,” etc. Whereas before the world was created, there was He and His Name alone.

5Now, it is written, “I, Havayah, have not changed”: that even after the world was created there is no change at all before Him, G‑d forbid; rather, “You are He before the world was created, and You are He after,” etc.

And as it is written, “I am first and I am last, and besides Me there is no Elokim” (in Isaiah, chapter 44:6). That is: “I am first”—before the world was created; “and I am last”—after the days of Mashiach and the life of the World to Come have come to an end, for then there will be He and His Name alone, as there was before the world was created.

And also “besides Me” means “in the middle,” between what was and what will be—that is, what is in the state of the present, at the time and period of the world’s creation, its life-force and its existence, from the six days of Creation, “six thousand years,” etc.,

6and the days of Mashiach and the Resurrection of the Dead: all is before Him, blessed be He, as though there were He and His Name alone, and there is no Elokim and concealment, etc. And as the saying goes, “And besides You we have no King but You”: for this is only in the aspect of “King,” for “King” is the world,

and the world is not a thing separate [and] outside of Him, G‑d forbid. And “Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds,” which extends upward without end and downward without limit, and to the four directions—“He is King, He was King, and He will be King”—and it is nothing

but a radiance and illumination from the attribute of His Malchus (sovereignty), blessed be He, which extends and clothes itself in the higher and lower worlds, to bring them into being from nothing into something, to give them life and to sustain them.

(And see on the subject of “I am first,” etc., in [Midrash] Rabbah, Vayishlach, section 81) (folio 90d): “What is truth (emes)?” etc. And so it is in Parshas Devarim (folio 286b),

and in Shir HaShirim [Rabbah], on the verse “To My mare among the chariots” (folio 10c). And see what is written on the meaning of “And the truth of Havayah is forever” in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day, an assembly,” and in the explanation on the verse “These are the journeys.”

Further on the subject of “I am first,” etc.: in [Midrash] Rabbah, Toldos (section 63, folio 69d); Parshas Bo, beginning of section 15, on the verse “It shall be the first for you” (folio 129c);

Kedoshim (end of section 24); Zohar II, Terumah (158, end of side a); the end of Parshas Metzora (folio 56a); Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 5 (folio 16a);

the end of Tikkun 19 (folio 41b); Tikkun 69 (folio 108). And see what is written above in the explanation on “I” in the section of tzitzis. And this is [the meaning of] “Havayah reigns; He has clothed Himself in majesty”: that it is nothing

but in the level of a garment. And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “My dove, in the clefts.” And it is called “the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence)”: that is, that which dwells and clothes itself in the higher and lower worlds, to be the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin)—this is nothing

other than through a radiance and illumination alone. And this radiance and this illumination is drawn from the attribute of His Malchus, blessed be He—from the thought “I will reign.”

But in His own Self and His glory, blessed be He, “no thought can grasp Him at all”; [He is] “the most hidden of all hidden,” and of Him it is said, “He made darkness His hiding place”: for the higher and lower worlds cannot receive a radiance and illumination from Him, blessed be He, from His very essence and being, as it were,

for He is holy and set apart, etc., and “We cannot compare His holiness to Him,” and “There is no comparison to You,” etc. [And see what is written about this in Parshas Va’eira, on the verse

“Therefore, say to the children of Israel,” etc., and in Parshas Beshalach, on the verse “Then Moshe sang,” on the meaning of “We cannot compare His holiness to Him.”]

72. But nevertheless, “Havayah is G‑d, and He has given us light”: a great and mighty illumination from this supernal holiness, wondrous and hidden, through the mitzvos that He gave us. For

of the Torah and mitzvos it is said, “Come, eat of My bread.” Now, “eat” is explained by the fact that the Torah is bread and nourishment for the soul,

just as physical bread is nourishment for the body, etc. But nevertheless, “My bread” needs explanation: is it, then, [a matter] of eating and drinking, etc.?

8And the explanation of the matter is along the lines of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “My beloved” (rayasi) [means] “My provider” (parnasasi); “Israel provide,” etc. And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “My dove,” mentioned above.

And the matter is this: food, which is inanimate, vegetative and animal, gives life to man, who is a speaking being, who is on a higher level than the food. How, then, does the food give him life?

But of this it is said, “For by everything that comes forth from the mouth of Havayah does man live”: “that which comes forth from the mouth of Havayah” is the life-force of the food, and these are the Ten Utterances by which the world was created—for by the utterance

“Let the earth sprout” the vegetation was created, and by the utterance “Let the earth bring forth living creatures” the animals were created; and the power and life-force of that utterance is always clothed in it, to give it life and to sustain it, and it is this that gives life to man. But man, too, was created by an utterance: “Let us make man.”

9And he too has in him “that which comes forth from the mouth of Havayah”; why, then, does he need food to give him life? But the matter is this: it is written, “Behind and before You formed me”—“behind” [last] in the work of Creation, etc. For man is indeed last in the work of Creation in time,

and also in rank, with respect to his body and his animal soul, as the saying goes, “A gnat preceded you.” For all the things that are inanimate, vegetative and animal, even though they descended very, very low into the physical World of Asiyah (Action), to be a yesh (a separate existence) and a physical thing, nevertheless are not a completely separate thing,

as is man, who can be completely separate, G‑d forbid, and transgress His will, blessed be He, “defying His glorious eyes”—see Sefer Shel Beinonim [the Tanya], chapter 24. Only by virtue of the eminence of his neshamah and his G‑dly soul alone is he “before,” with a surpassing superiority over all created beings.

And also with respect to his body and his vital soul he has a surpassing superiority over the inanimate, vegetative and animal, through the spirit of life within him, which is the speaking and intellectual soul. And the order of the utterances runs from below upward: first, “Let the earth sprout,”

which is for the vegetation to come into being; afterwards, “Let the waters swarm”—fish, which are not included in [the category of] meat; afterwards, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures,” and cattle; and afterwards, “Let us make man.”

10Now, all this is in terms of the descent of the levels and the coming into being of their chain of descent (hishtalshelus) from nothing into something. But in their source and root, far above the order of the chain of descending worlds,

it is the reverse: the level of the G‑dly soul in man is the level of “behind” relative to the source and life-force of the body and the animal soul, which were taken from very lofty and high levels,

except that they fell in the breaking of the vessels, as is known. And there is the life-force of the inanimate, vegetative and animal, high and exalted with a surpassing superiority, except that they fell lower, into a very contracted life-force,

such as the inanimate and vegetative, etc.—like the analogy of a falling wall, whose uppermost [part] falls lower, at a greater distance, as is known.

11Therefore food, which is from the inanimate, vegetative and animal, gives life to man, and it has an advantage of superiority over man: for man needs the food to supply “sufficient for his need, that which he lacks,” without bread and food; whereas the food does not need man.

And this is [the meaning of] “For by everything that comes forth (motza) from the mouth of Havayah”: for motza has two meanings. Motza [is] that which has already come forth from the mouth of Havayah—the extension of the life-force from the breath of His mouth in the Ten Utterances by which the world was created. And motza [is] a term for source, and the Life of all life,

as in motza mayim (a spring of water), which is the welling source, the fountain—namely, the source from which the Ten Utterances came forth, in whose source and root the inanimate, vegetative and animal are very exalted; and they are drawn down, descend link by link, and come down upon them from higher levels. And therefore “does man live.”

123. Now, in accordance with all these words and all this analogy of the life-force of physical bread, which gives life to the body of physical man,

so, in the same way, it is written, “For by everything that comes forth from the mouth of Havayah does man live”—the Man above; that is, what is written, “And upon the likeness of the throne, a likeness like the appearance of a man.”

For it is called adam (man) from the expression “I will be like (adameh) the Most High.” For just as in man below there are 248 limbs, etc., in which and through which the life-force within him is divided—the eye sees, etc.—

so too above, the extension of the life-force is in the multiplicity of the divisions of the created beings, angels and souls, in many kinds of levels, of different levels, as it is written, “The eyes of Havayah,” etc., “The ears of Havayah,” etc.,

for there are angels and souls that are called thus. And the extension of the life-force of each and every one according to its level, its temperament and its character is called by the name adam, which is the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin).

And therefore it is written, “like the appearance of a man,” and not the level of the actual Man himself. [And see what is written further about this in Parshas Mishpatim, 122a, and see what is written in the discourse beginning “And they saw,” etc., “and beneath His feet,” etc.; see there.]

13Now, the life-force that is drawn to this level and rank—to be the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) and “to revive the spirit of the lowly”—is from the level of “that which comes forth from the mouth of Havayah,” which is the supernal source and “the beginning of all,” the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), and is called the Supernal Will.

For “there is will and there is will.” And “Supernal Will” means that it is supernal over all the worlds, that it cannot clothe itself within the worlds at all,

for it is “the most hidden of all hidden,” and “no thought can grasp Him at all”; while the lower will is that which clothes itself within the worlds, etc. Now, the Supernal Will is the source of the Torah and the mitzvos.

And therefore it is called “My bread,” and “My beloved—My provider”: for through an arousal from below [comes] an arousal from above, to draw down life-force from the Source and the Life of all life, from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds to the level of the light that fills all worlds. And this arousal from below is through the deed of the mitzvos specifically, in physical action,

and also through the speech of Torah, for “the movement of the lips is [considered] an action”; whereas “thought is not like speech,” and “thought does nothing.” For the power of action and speech is taken

from the power of the eating that he eats, through which his strength to speak and to act is reinforced. And the power of eating, in its root and source, is higher and more exalted than what his soul can bear according to the source from which it was hewn, as mentioned above.

14And so, through this there can be an arousal from above from the very highest, from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). And likewise the deed of the mitzvos themselves, such as esrog and lulav, etc.:

for the esrog is a food in itself, and the lulav, too, is at any rate a plant; and they have a surpassing superiority, in that in them and through them an arousal from above will be drawn down from a very supernal and lofty level.

15And likewise the wool of the tzitzis and the coins of charity, etc. Whereas reflection and thought (machshavah) is the level of “chashav Mah,” which is the level of Adam himself, and this arousal does not have the power to draw down supernal life to such an extent.

And this is [the meaning of] “One hour of teshuvah (return) and good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come.” For the World to Come is that “they delight in the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence),” which is an abundant radiance and illumination, and an increase

in the delight of the souls, in revelation, in the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is called by the name Shechinah, for it dwells and clothes itself in the worlds. And the power and life-force drawn to the level of the light that fills all worlds from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) is brought about through teshuvah and good deeds, as mentioned above.

It follows that they are what make the radiance and the delight of Gan Eden. And therefore their superiority is greater than all the life of the World to Come, for they are the very ones that draw down the life of the World to Come, as mentioned above.

16Now, because the Torah and the mitzvos are the level of the Supernal Will, they therefore have the power to draw down to the soul of man, too, the level of the Supernal Will.

For in the soul of man below, too, “there is will and there is will.” There is [the case] where one arouses the will and the natural love hidden in his soul, to bring it out from concealment into revelation, to cleave to Him, blessed be He, through contemplating His greatness, blessed be He, who gives life to the living,

which is the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), as much as his soul can bear, “each one according to his own measure”; and this is the level of “and with all your soul.”

But there is a will that is higher than it—and “those who seek Havayah understand all”—that at times the soul will be kindled and set ablaze with an abundant love (ahavah rabbah), strong and mighty, in the level of “and with all your might (me’odecha)”: very much (me’od) more than the measure of the soul in its comprehension of the light of G‑d’s countenance,

but rather because of the nullification of its comprehension, for “no thought can grasp Him,” “the most hidden of all hidden.” And this is the level of the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba), which no thought can grasp,

and this is the level of ahavah rabbah, which is far above the worlds, which cannot clothe itself within the worlds; rather, as it is written, “Whom do I have in heaven? And with You I desire nothing on earth.”

Whereas the love that comes from contemplation and comprehension of His greatness, blessed be He, is called ahavas olam (“an everlasting love”), as is known. And this ahavah rabbah, which is the level of the desire of the heart, comes from above through the Torah and the mitzvos,

which are themselves the Supernal Will—His will and His wisdom, blessed be He. [As is also written about this above, on the verse “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov,” and on the verse “And now, let it be great, I pray.”]

17And this is the level of the bread and the nourishment that is made for the soul of man through the Torah and the mitzvos: that by “that which comes forth from the mouth of Havayah,” which is the source of the Torah and the mitzvos, “does man live,” and his soul will live in the Source and Life of all life, blessed be He, whom “no thought can grasp,” etc.

And this desire of the heart does not come specifically through contemplating how the Torah gives life and how the life-force is drawn down; rather,

just as food gives life to man physically even if he does not understand how the food is digested and turned into blood, and how it becomes flesh like his flesh, and how the power that expels the waste [works], etc.,

but rather man lives as a matter of course—so this level of the desire of the heart is drawn down of itself and as a matter of course, through the fulfillment of the Torah and the mitzvos.

18And this is [the meaning of] “Who has sanctified us with His commandments”: that through the mitzvos a supernal holiness is drawn down from the level of “holy and set apart”—that is, that which cannot clothe itself within the worlds, which is the level of

the Supernal Will, as mentioned above—to sanctify him, too: that the revelation of this illumination be drawn down to the soul of man, into his soul, so that there be the love and the supernal will in the soul, which is the level of the desire of the heart and ahavah rabbah mentioned above.

And this is [the meaning of] “And you shall do all My commandments and be holy to your G‑d”: that through the mitzvos the very supernal holiness will rest upon you, so that this holiness be equal to your G‑d.

(And see what is written on the meaning of the term “holiness” on the verse “gathering wood” in Parshas Shelach.) And this is the matter of the blessing: “Blessed” (baruch) is a drawing down, so that there be Havayah, which brings all existences into being,

that is, the root and source of all coming-into-being: that it be the level of “our G‑d,” that He unite with us in a single unity, “to be one with one,” through “Who” (asher),

which is the level of the supernal delight, from which it is drawn down to be “has sanctified us” with His very holiness, through “His commandments” (mitzvos-yud-vav), in the supernal holiness (kodesh), which is far above the level of the worlds; from which the desire of the heart is drawn down to the soul.

And then the soul of man itself is called the level of “behind” relative to the desire of the heart that is drawn down to him, which is the level of “before,” from the Primordial One of the world.

19Summary. The meaning of “Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us”: the life-force of all the worlds is only from the level of His Malchus (sovereignty), blessed be He, but in His being and essence, blessed be He, “no thought can grasp”; and this is the meaning of “holy”: set apart.

And through the Torah and mitzvos there is a drawing down from this very holiness. For it is written, “Come, eat of My bread”; and the meaning of “My bread” is: just as man receives life-force from bread because its root is from the level of “that which comes forth (motza) from the mouth of Havayah”—motza meaning source—

so [with] the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is called “like the appearance of a man”: life-force is drawn to this level from the level of the Supernal Will, the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); and this is through the Torah and mitzvos, which have been clothed in action, in which and through which the Supernal Will is drawn down. And this is the meaning of “My beloved—My provider” and “My bread.”

And from this drawing down, the level of the Supernal Will is drawn to the soul of man, too, to come to the level of “and with all your might”: ahavah rabbah. And this is [the meaning of] “Who has sanctified us with His commandments” and “You shall be holy.”

204. Now, this holiness leads to humility, which is a person’s lowliness with regard to his nefesh and his neshamah, since there is no life-force and flow for his soul from the Source, “that which comes forth from the mouth of Havayah,” except through lowly things, actually physical,

such as the esrog, the wool of the tzitzis and the parchment of the tefillin, and likewise all the practical mitzvos; or through speech about them, which is Torah study, etc. And this humility leads to fear of sin.

(In Reishis Chochmah, Shaar HaAnavah [the Gate of Humility], chapter 1, he cites that humility is the higher Shechinah (Divine Presence). Now, the meaning and matter of the higher Shechinah was explained in the discourse beginning “The Song of Songs”: that it is the matter of the self-nullification (bittul) of the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah).

And according to this it can be said that the meaning of humility is that he regards himself as actually nothing, as he is before Him, blessed be He, for “all before Him is considered as nothing.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “I have become small from all the kindnesses.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “A land of mountains and valleys,” regarding the “sunken seal”: the self-nullification of humility, which is higher than love.

And according to this, what is written in the books on the subject of humility—that it is self-nullification and submission to the Holy One, blessed be He—is well understood. For at first glance it is not understood: does one need to say this, that man, a lowly and dark creature, should make himself small relative to the Creator, blessed be He?

But according to what was said above it is well understood: the meaning and matter of this humility that applies from man toward the Holy One, blessed be He, is that he should not occupy any place at all, but be actually considered as nothing. And in this way it is said of Moshe, “And the man Moshe was very humble,” for of Moshe it is said, “And what (mah) are we?” And see in the Gemara)

(end of chapter 6 of Chullin, folio 89a): “Greater is what was said of Moshe,” etc.: that the self-nullification of Moshe was above the level of the self-nullification of “And I am dust and ashes,” for he was actually mah (“what”); and this is “very humble.” And see Parshas Shelach (163, end of side b).

Now, the higher Shechinah is Binah (understanding); and according to this, “and humility leads to fear of sin” is the level of Chochmah (wisdom), which is the higher fear.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who holds that “humility is greatest of all”: it can be said that this is as is written in Reishis Chochmah there: “And further, humility is found even in Keser (the Crown), etc., and it is called Ayin (Nothing) because it regards itself as nothing before the Emanator.” End of quote.

21And see what is written in the explanation on the verse “Who has counted,” on the matter of “black (ukam) is kedem (before),” etc.; and this is the matter of “He made darkness His hiding place.”

And see what is written on the subject of humility at the end of the discourse beginning “I will greatly rejoice.” For “G‑d made this opposite that”: just as in holiness, the doing of the mitzvos raises a person up

to draw down supernal life from the level of the Supernal Will, so too, conversely, regarding a transgression it is written, “That soul shall be cut off from before Me; I am Havayah.” The meaning of “I am Havayah” is that which

brings all existences into being, to give life to all the worlds and all the created beings; and “from before Me” means higher than this level and rank: there the blemish and the punishment of the transgression reach, so that “it shall be utterly cut off” in the root of all roots. And a person must have fear of sin.

That is, fear because of the sin and the lack and the blemish that is caused above to such an extent. And chet (sin) is a term for lack and blemish, for the term chet applies even to neglecting a positive commandment and the fine points of the Scribes, in which there is at any rate a lack and blemish; whereas avon (iniquity) applies to prohibitions, etc.

22Now, fear of sin in this sense comes specifically after humility and holiness—that is, after he is sanctified with the supernal holiness that comes from above through the mitzvos, and comes to the level of humility, recognizing the lowliness of his soul;

then he will also recognize and feel, through this—“this opposite that”—how great is the punishment of the sin and the blemish that reaches above, and he will have great fear because of the sin and the blemish. (And see what is written further on the meaning and matter of fear of sin in the discourse beginning “These are the journeys.”)

But this holiness and humility come only after the levels of abstinence, which is to separate the evil in the animal soul from the kelipos (husks) of nogah, and “Sanctify yourself in what is permitted to you”;

and this is the level of lower teshuvah (return), as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “teshuvah and good deeds,” etc.: for without teshuvah first, the deeds are not “good” and shining—from the expression “the light, that it was good,” etc.

23And with all the above, what is written, “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes (matos),” will be understood. Matos is in the sense of “He inclines (mateh) toward kindness,”

which is the matter of inclining and turning over the emotive attributes (middos) in the soul, so that they be toward kindness, and “you shall love Havayah,” “to cleave to Him.” And those who incline and turn [them] over are the level of the “heads,”

which are the level of the desire of the heart, which is drawn from the level of Moshe, which is the level of the supernal Daas (knowledge) and the supernal holiness (kodesh), far above the level of the worlds. And the level of Moshe is the leader

(for vayedaber, “and he spoke,” is from the expression “He subdues (yadber) peoples under us,” a term of leadership), and he draws this level down to be the desire of the heart. (And see further on the subject of “heads” in Parshas Pinchas) (folio 253b), on the verse “Lift up your heads, O gates.” Also,

because Moshe is the level of “And we are Mah,” the level of “very humble”; and therefore, “And Moshe spoke,” etc. And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Moshe would speak,” and at the end of the discourse beginning “Their appearance and their works.”

24Summary: The matter of “holiness leads to humility, and humility leads to fear of sin”; and the matter of “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes.”)

255. “Saying: This is the thing,” etc. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that all the prophets prophesied with “Thus” (koh); Moshe surpassed them, in that he prophesied with “This” (zeh), etc.

And the matter is: it is written, “Let us make man in Our image, as Our likeness.” “As Our likeness” is the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), for the kaf of comparison [means] like the likeness, etc.;

whereas “in Our image” is the level of the revelation of His very essence, blessed be He, as it were. (And see about this below, in the discourse beginning “These are the journeys,” mentioned above, and in the discourse beginning “For on this day He shall atone.”)

Now, through the desire of the heart, which is above the level of the power of the soul, there is brought about through this an arousal from above: a revelation of the level of His essence, blessed be He, above the level of the worlds, that which cannot clothe itself within the worlds. As it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth”—My very words.

26And this is [the meaning of] “Saying: This is the thing,” etc.: that is, when each and every one says a section of the Torah, or of the Prophets and the Writings, laws and aggados, it will be this very thing that was said long ago, of old.

As it is written, “And these words that I command you today shall be,” etc., “and you shall speak of them,” etc.: that these very words

that Moshe said on that day shall be with you, and “you shall speak of them,” of these very [words]. For through the level of the desire of the heart, a level is drawn down of that which is above the level of the worlds, and there it is above time.

(And see what is written on the verse “The voice of my beloved! Behold, this one comes,” and at the end of the discourse beginning “And you shall tell your son,” on the subject of “because of this,” and at the end of the discourse beginning “In the third month,” etc., “on this day.”) And there was the level of Moshe’s prophecy, for he was the level of the supernal holiness (kodesh), above the level of the worlds.

And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said that he was separated from [his] wife, which was not so with all the prophets, etc. (And see about this in Parshas Vayeitzei) (folio 152b), and in the Mikdash Melech there, and in Parshas Bereishis (22a);

and the Ramaz explained it, Parshas Va’eschanan (folio 260, end of side b), regarding “Enough for you,” etc. And see Parshas Balak (187b).

And from all this it will be understood how his prophecy was from a level that is above the bounds of time; for the level of time has relevance only in the attribute of His Malchus (sovereignty), blessed be He—the level of “as Our likeness,” the level of the “world of the Nukva (the feminine),” etc.,

that is, when it becomes the source for [the worlds of] Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action). And see Parshas Vayechi (folio 246, end of side a, and side b), and see what is written in the discourse beginning “My dove, in the clefts of the rock,” on the meaning of “Arise, my beloved.”

And from there will be understood, with additional explanation, what was written: that it is specifically through the desire of the heart that it is brought about that the occupation with Torah is in the manner of “Saying: This is the thing,” etc.

“When a man vows a vow,” etc.: “until he vows by a thing that is vowed.” The matter is this: “Vows are a fence for abstinence.”

27Now, abstinence is to be [in the manner of] “Sanctify yourself in what is permitted to you.” And for this level to be planted and fixed in his heart in absolute truth, he must devise counsels in his soul, in the manner explained above regarding humility, which leads to fear of sin:

namely, that he humble himself [by considering] how the thing from which he wishes to abstain—for example, one who vows [to abstain] from meat, etc.: that meat and the like is higher than he in rank in its root, for its root is very high, exalted above the level and the ranks of man,

except that in the breaking of the vessels they fell far, far below man, into the inanimate, vegetative and animal. But nevertheless, it has an advantage and superiority, in that it gives life to man, and man needs it,

while the food does not need man. And therefore it is not fitting to bring it down so far into physicality, to benefit from it to fill the desires of his body and to be among “the gluttons of meat and the guzzlers of wine,” but rather to broaden his mind for G‑d.

And so the way of those who vow for the sake of Heaven is because they see their descent [caused] by the thing from which they vow: that thing causes them a descent and a turning away from following G‑d. That is, after they bring that thing down into physicality, as a matter of course it draws and brings down the body of the man, too, after it.

(And see what is written in the discourse beginning “When you light the lamps,” on the subject of “an unlearned person is forbidden to eat meat.” And although here we are speaking of a Torah scholar, nevertheless, granted that it is not forbidden, nevertheless it is relevant that he fear lest he descend from his level, etc.) But in truth he must look into its root, how its root is very high and exalted.

And through this he separates from it. And therefore the one who vows must say, “This is like a burnt-offering” and “like an offering,” which are holy—a thing that is vowed and set apart in its high root above. And as it is written,

“When he shall pronounce (yafli) a vow”: a term of [something] wondrous (mufla) and covered, as though he vows by the life of the King, whose root is the supernal life, from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).

(And see on the subject of a vow in Zohar II, Yisro, 91b; Mishpatim, 115b; Pinchas, folio 205a–b; and in the Pardes, the entry Neder (vow); and in Me’orei Or, the letter Nun, 69; [Midrash] Rabbah, Vayeitzei, beginning of section 70;

Ki Sisa, section 43; Naso, section 10, on the verse “When he shall pronounce”; in Eichah, on the verse “They sit on the ground, they are silent”; and in Bachya, Parshas Yisro.) And from there all the levels of the encompassing lights (oros makifim) in the higher worlds descended link by link,

and also below, in the lower man, in the level of the breath and speech that issue from the mouth, as is known to those versed in the hidden wisdom. (And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “And I will betroth you to Me.”)

And this is [the meaning of] “a thing that is vowed”: that he consecrates the offering and says, “This is a burnt-offering” or “peace-offerings,” to draw down with his mouth supernal holiness from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds, the source of all holinesses. And also the vows that are konamos are hekdesh (consecrated property),

as is stated in the Gemara. (And this is like the matter explained in the discourse beginning “Thus shall you bless,” in Parshas Naso, on the meaning of “And the man gave names,” etc.—to elevate them through this and to sanctify them in their source, etc.; see there. And similar to this is the matter of konamos: that he attaches it to a thing that is vowed and holy, and through this he draws holiness into it, until they are hekdesh.

And this power in the mouth of man is actually like the above-mentioned matter of “And the man gave names,” etc. And it seems one may further say that this power is a semblance and an example of the power of “Saying: This is the thing,” mentioned above, which is drawn from the level of “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes,” etc.

And this is the connection of the matter of “And Moshe spoke,” etc., “saying: This is the thing,” to the section of vows. And therefore now, when hearts have diminished, one must say “without a vow,” as is written elsewhere.)