אתם נצבים היום כלכם וגו׳

1“You are standing this day, all of you,” etc. Now, this portion is always read before Rosh HaShanah, and [this] is alluded to in the word “this day” (hayom), which refers to Rosh HaShanah, for “This day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day.”

For all the sparks of souls stand and are raised up into their original source on this day, until [they are] “before Havayah.” “Your heads, your tribes,” etc.,

“from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water”: the verse enumerates ten levels. For just as there are ten levels in the soul of man, namely three [faculties of] intellect and seven emotive attributes (middos), so

all Israel are one complete stature, and their souls as a whole are called the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael), which is divided into ten levels. And on Rosh HaShanah all the levels are raised up, even “from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water,”

which are the lower aspects and levels. (And see on the subject of “You are standing” in [Midrash] Rabbah on Bo, section 15; these are its words: “Of the angels it is said, ‘Seraphim stand above Him,’

and of the souls it is said, ‘You are standing this day.’” And see what is written on the subject of “Seraphim stand above Him” in the explanation on the verse “And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel”; and along these lines the meaning of “You are standing this day before Havayah” will be understood.

2And see further on the subject of “You are standing” in Rabbah on Eichah, at the end of the section “I am the man” and at the end of the section “A bear lying in wait,” and on Koheles, on the verse “I, Koheles,” and in the Zohar, Parshas Yisro, page 82a), so that all of them are raised up on high, into the source from which they were hewn.

And this is [the meaning of] “And He was King in Yeshurun, when the heads of the people gathered, the tribes of Israel together” (see Zohar, Shemos, page 16b): that is, they all gather together to become one, as one.

For this is a great principle: everything that comes from the side of holiness is at the level of “their end is embedded in their beginning,” which has no aspect of head and end;

and this is the level of the circles (iggulim), which is drawn from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). (And see what is written on this in the explanation on the verse “And there was a voice from above the firmament.”)

Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Be lowly of spirit before every man”: because in each and every one there are aspects and levels that his fellow does not have, and they all need one another.

It follows that there is an advantage and superiority in the capacity of each and every one, in which he is higher than his fellow, and his fellow needs him. This is like the analogy of a man, who has a stature with a head and feet: for although the feet

are the end of the scale, down below, and the head is the uppermost and superior to them, nevertheless, in one respect the feet have an advantage and superiority, for he needs to walk with them; and also, they hold up the body and the head.

Also, when heaviness befalls the head, blood is let from the feet and it is healed, and it receives its life-force from them. It follows that the head has no completeness without the feet. So, too, all Israel are one complete stature.

3It follows that even one who reckons in his mind that he is the level of a head relative to his fellow has no completeness without his fellow, and he will find a lack in his soul that his fellow completes. And through this he will be nullified

and lowly of spirit relative to his fellow, so that no person is found [to be] head or end. And through this self-nullification (bittul) they will be united, for the indwelling of His unity, may He be blessed; for [what is] from the side of holiness is without head and end. Whereas one who reckons in his mind

[that he is] separate in his superiority relative to his fellow, and makes the head and the end separate, falls into the world of separation, which is from the sitra achra (the other side). Now, on Rosh HaShanah there is the level of teshuvah (return): that the souls of Israel as a whole return to their source and root.

4And this is [the meaning of] “when the heads of the people gathered”: the head is the level of thought, and “the heads of the people” are the aspects of the thoughts of Israel as a whole, which gather from the world of separation, where their thoughts had fallen, so that this one turns this way, and so on; and they become a private domain (reshus hayachid) for His unity, may He be blessed.

(And along these lines is the meaning of “Hear, O Israel”: shema is a term of gathering, from the expression “And Shaul assembled (vayeshama)”; as is explained elsewhere. And see Pri Etz Chaim, Gate of Rosh HaShanah, chapter 3.) This is [the matter] in general.

52. But in particular: how does the unity come about, what is the meaning of teshuvah, and why specifically on Rosh HaShanah?

The verse explains [this] afterwards: “That you may pass into the covenant.” The matter is like, for example, two friends who make a covenant between them that their love should not cease. For if the thing on which the love depends were to endure forever,

they would not need to make a covenant between them. Rather, [they make it] because they fear that perhaps the thing will cease and the love will be nullified, or that perhaps some hindrance from outside will cause [this].

6And through making the covenant, their love will be an eternal love that “shall not be moved for ever and ever,” and no hindrance, from within or from without, will separate them.

That is, because they make between them a firm and strong bond, that they be united and bound in their love with a wondrous bond, beyond reason

and knowledge: so that even though, according to reason and knowledge, the love ought to cease or some hatred ought to be brought about, nevertheless, because of the making of the covenant, their love must of necessity endure forever.

And this love and this firm bond “will cover over all transgressions,” because they have entered into a covenant and a bond, as though they had become one flesh.

7And just as one cannot cease to love himself, so he will not cease [to love] his fellow. Therefore it is called by the term “cutting a covenant,” as it is written, “who cut the calf and passed between its parts”: that is to say, that both of them pass within one body, to become one.

8Now, just like this whole analogy, Havayah our G‑d has done for us, as it is written, “Behold, I make a covenant; before all your people I will do wonders (niflaos)”: that is, beyond reason and knowledge; as David said to Yehonasan, “Your love was wondrous (niflasah),” etc.

For through the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, drew down, there came about, as it were, the making of a covenant and a bond of the Holy One, blessed be He, with Israel, to arouse the love, “and pardon,” etc., so that “your iniquities” will not be “separating,” etc., “for the portion of Havayah is His people.”

93. Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Say before Me Malchuyos (Kingship), so that you make Me King over you; Zichronos (Remembrances), so that your remembrance rises before Me for good. And through what? Through the shofar.”

For Rosh HaShanah is [the day of] “This day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day,” on which Adam, the first man, was created, on Rosh HaShanah; and he said, “Havayah reigns; He has clothed Himself in majesty,” etc.,

because then His Kingship, may He be blessed, was revealed. And this was through an arousal from above alone. But now there must be a “remembrance of the first day” through an arousal from below, to arouse the revelation of His Kingship, may He be blessed, over us, through the remembrance of the covenant and the bond between G‑d and us.

That is, through the shofar, which is the level of higher teshuvah (teshuvah ila’ah), the level of the cry of the voice from the depths of the heart, from the point of the inner dimension of the heart, to the point that the organs of speech cannot contain it, because it is voice alone.

Therefore “there is no utterance and there are no words”; rather, [there is] the level of tekiah, a simple voice. And shevarim, too, is nothing but voice, except that in the voice itself there are several aspects and movements, “moaning groans,” etc.

10The explanation of the matter: it is written, “To You my heart has said, ‘Seek my face (panai),’” etc. “My face” means the inner dimension of the heart.

For in the cry of the heart there are two levels: an inner level and also an outer level. The outer dimension of the heart is drawn from knowledge and from contemplation of the greatness of G‑d and the spreading forth of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof),

blessed be He, over the created beings, to bring into being, from nothing into something, all the host of the higher heavens, and the earth and all that is in it; and “in His goodness He renews each day, continually, the work of creation,” and “You give life to them all,” etc.;

so that when a person broadens his mind in these matters and the like, there is drawn forth in him the level of the cry of the heart: his heart cries out to G‑d and is drawn after Him, to cleave to Him, may He be blessed, with longing and thirst, etc.

11And this is [the meaning of] “After Havayah they shall walk; like a lion He shall roar”: for there is the level of roaring in the outer dimension of the heart, which is the level of “After Havayah they shall walk, like a lion”: [the lion] in the supernal Chariot, “the face of a lion on the right,” etc.

And these are the whole camp of Michael, whose service and roaring are to the right, the level of love, and the greatness of their love and longing to be nullified and included in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which brings them into being and gives them life, [which comes] from their comprehension of their coming into being

from nothing into something, and of their life-force, their existence, and the flow that is drawn to them at every moment. All this is called the outer dimension of the heart, which is taken from the level of the spreading forth of His radiance and light, may He be blessed, over the created beings, to which the comprehension of the created beings rises, each one according to its measure; and this is nothing

but radiance. (And see what is written in Parshas Re’eh, in the discourse beginning “After Havayah your G‑d you shall walk,” and in the discourse beginning “If you will listen to the voice,” on the subject of the outer keys and the inner keys.) But the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and His essence, is exalted and uplifted, etc.,

as it is written, “For His Name alone is exalted”: that even the level of His Name is at the level of “alone,” for no thought can grasp Him. And it is written, “I, Havayah, have not changed”: as before the world was created, He and His Name alone [existed], etc., as is explained elsewhere.

12And as the saying [goes], “The King who alone is exalted from of old, who is praised,” etc. That is, “from of old”: before the world was created there was the level of “the King,” which is the level of His Name, at the level of “alone” and set apart, etc.

And also now, when there are “days of the world,” He is nevertheless praised, glorified and uplifted above them, for He does not spread forth and become enclothed within them in a revealed manner.

As it is written, “For Havayah your G‑d is a consuming fire”: that is, by way of analogy, like the nature of fire, which withdraws upward and does not descend and spread out.

(And see Zohar, Terumah, page 132b.) For every flow and drawing down from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, into the worlds is a descent and a chaining-down (hishtalshelus) from a high place to a low place, the quality of water; and this applies

only after many kinds of contractions (tzimtzumim) and the enclothing of the light in different levels and many screens, to conceal and hide the revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, in His essence and His glory, so that the worlds not be nullified and become as though they had never been, returning to naught and nothingness as they were.

But in the revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, in His essence and His glory, no flow at all is applicable, neither in the category of filling (memalei) nor in the category of encompassing (sovev). Therefore He is called “G‑d Most High (El Elyon),” that is, He is exalted and uplifted and very high.

(And see the Pardes, in Erchei HaKinuyim, on the meaning of “El Elyon,” which explains that it is at the level of Keser, which is supreme (elyon) over all of Atzilus. And see what is written in Shir HaShirim, in the discourse beginning “To My mare,” on the meaning of “as the appearance of a man,” “I will be like (adameh) the Most High (Elyon)”; whereas Elyon in the true sense is the level of “for He is not a man”; see there.)

And from there it is drawn down that a person has the level of a cry in the inner dimension of the heart, above knowledge, not to be separated from His unity and oneness, may He be blessed, and that his heart burns like flashes of fire, a flame that rises of itself

and on its own, without reason and knowledge, for his soul to pour itself out into the bosom of its Father, and to give over his soul in [the word] “One”; “for the portion of Havayah is His people,” and Israel arose in thought at the inner level, etc., as is explained elsewhere.

13And this is [the meaning of] “To You my heart has said, ‘Seek my face’”: the inner dimension of the heart; that is, through “Your face, Havayah, I will seek.” For from the level of “After Havayah they shall walk,” the level of “after” being radiance and light, from this is drawn forth [the state of] “like a lion He shall roar,”

which is the cry of the outer dimension of the heart. And [the coming to be of] “Seek my face,” the cry from the inner dimension of the heart, is what is drawn from the level of “Your face, Havayah, I will seek,” which is the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and His essence, as mentioned above.

And this is the level of “and with all your might (me’odecha).” And this is [the meaning of] “From the depths I have called You, Havayah”: from the depths of the heart. (Therefore this psalm is said during the Ten Days of Teshuvah.)

For through higher teshuvah, from the depths of the heart, because “evil and bitter” [it is that] “they have forsaken Havayah,” and [because of] his distance from the light of His countenance, may He be blessed, which reaches the very soul, “in the inward part of a man, and a deep heart”:

through this he also arouses above, that there be “I have called You, Havayah,” from concealment into revelation, so that the level of the inner dimension of His Kingship, may He be blessed, be revealed

(see the discourse beginning “I will greatly rejoice,” at [the passage] “And this is [the meaning of] ‘My soul shall exult in my G‑d,’” etc.: that “the glorious splendor of His Kingship” be revealed, the level of Malchus of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), etc., and from there it is drawn into Malchus of Atzilus; for from the Malchus that is in Keser comes to be the Keser that is in Malchus, as is explained in the discourse beginning “The festival day of Rosh HaShanah that falls on Shabbos”; see there)

upon us; as it is written, “From afar Havayah appeared to me.” (And see what is written in the explanation on the verse “For this commandment,” on the meaning of “nor is it far off”; and see Zohar, Vayikra, page 20b at the end, and Parshas Tzav, page 35b at the end.)

And this is the meaning of Zichronos (Remembrances): for the term “remembrance” applies to a thing that is far off. Therefore we say, “You remember the deeds of the world,” etc.,

for they are far from the light of His countenance, may He be blessed; and we arouse the remembrance of the inner love, from His essence and being, may He be blessed, through the shofar, which is a voice that issues from the inner dimension of the heart, as mentioned above.

144. And this is [the meaning of] “Praise Yah! Praise G‑d (El) in His holiness; praise Him in the firmament of His strength. Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness. Praise Him with the blast of the shofar.”

“In His holiness” means: in the supernal holiness, which is exalted and holy, set apart at the level of “alone” from every level and category of flow. (And also, the meaning of “in His holiness” is like what is written in the discourse beginning “For as the earth brings forth its growth,” on the subject of “the holy King”: “My holiness is above your holiness,” etc.; and this is [why it says] “in His holiness,” precisely.)

This is the level of “a consuming fire.” And from the aforementioned “El Elyon” the light and life-force flow through “the firmament of His strength,” which are the many screens that conceal and hide the revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, in concealment after concealment.

(See what is written in the explanation on the verse “Hear, O Israel,” on the subject of “Let there be a firmament,” etc., [and] “And G‑d made the firmament,” etc.; and see further Zohar, Bereishis, page 32b, and Parshas Vayigash, page 211a.)

And “for His mighty acts (gevuros)”: these are the contractions (tzimtzumim), whereby, after the concealment and the enclothing of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in many kinds of garments and different levels,

then the light and life-force flow “line by line, a little here, a little there,” so that all the worlds, higher and lower, can receive their life-force, etc.

And “according to the abundance of His greatness”: that is, after the screens and contractions, there came into being, were emanated and were created a multitude of myriads of worlds without end or limit, as it is written, “and worlds (alamos) without number”; and in each world its troops are without number, and in one troop there are a thousand thousands, etc.

(Therefore it is written “according to the abundance (rov) of His greatness,” and not “according to the greatness of His greatness”; for the term rov indicates that there are many kinds of multiplicity of division in the greatness of the spreading forth of the life-force into many kinds of worlds; and as is explained in the discourse beginning “The matter of the recital of Shema,” in Parshas Va’eschanan.)

And all this, “Praise Him,” is in order to draw down with “the blast of the shofar,” which is the level of higher teshuvah, the level of the inner dimension of the point of the heart, a simple voice, a tekiah, etc., without division into letters so as to be the level of speech, as mentioned above.

Whereas through the outer dimension of the heart, which is a cry that comes from the level of reason and knowledge, it comes into the realm of speech and the division of letters; for the letters were hewn from the power of the intellect, for “Abba (the Father) founded the daughter,” as is stated in the Zohar.

(And see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “Blow the shofar at the New Moon.” And it may be said that corresponding to these two levels of cry our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “He did not cease to cherish her until he called her ‘my daughter,’” etc., “until he called her ‘my mother.’”

For the level of “my daughter” is “Abba founded the daughter,” which is the cry that comes from the level of reason and knowledge. But the cry from the inner dimension of the heart is called “my mother,” which is above the intellect that is drawn into the emotive attributes. And see Zohar, Shemos (page 20a), and the Pardes, under the entry “Cry.”)

155. But the thing that brings about the drawing down from the level of “a consuming fire,” the level of “His holiness” and the level of “El Elyon,” and [that brings it about] that “Israel arose in thought” and “the portion of Havayah is His people,” so that they are able to arouse the revelation of the inner dimension of His Kingship, may He be blessed, from His essence and being, as mentioned above, is [the principle] that “there is no king without a people.”

(And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Return, O Israel, unto,” at [the passage] “Now, the ultimate intent is what is written,” etc., “that You may be feared,” etc.; see there.)

That is, they are called, in rank, “his people,” for they are people like him and relate to him in some measure, only they are the lowest in rank and he is high above them; therefore he is called king over them.

Whereas in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, in His essence and His glory, there is no comparison to Him; it is like the analogy of saying that someone is king over trees and stones, which are not of the kind and category to which the name “king” could relate and apply, so that his kingship would be called over them.

But it is the covenant that Havayah made with us, as in the analogy mentioned above, where one acts on account of the covenant and the bond by which he compelled himself to be a faithful friend to the other, even though according to the intellect he is not worthy of him.

So, too, Havayah has done for us: He compelled Himself, as it were, to bind our souls to Him, may He be blessed, so that “Israel arose in thought,” and so that the light of the inner dimension of His Kingship be revealed upon us.

And this is [the meaning of] “That you may pass into the covenant,” along the lines of what is written, “until Your people pass over, Havayah”: that is, to pass from level to level, from below to above, from the love that is below knowledge to the supernal love that is above knowledge,

which is only the level of the covenant that Havayah made, “in order to raise you up this day as a people to Him.” That is, “there is no king without a people,”

and the making of a covenant is needed to raise you up and exalt you, so that you be at the level of “a people,” so that Israel rise up to the level of the supernal thought;

and He, may He be blessed, lowered Himself, as it were, “to be your G‑d.” And in this respect is the bond and the unity between Him, may He be blessed, and Israel, “the people near to Him.”

(And see what is written on this in the explanation on the verse “For as the earth brings forth its growth”; see there. And see what is written on the verse “The Song of Songs,” on the meaning of “which is Shlomo’s,” and what is written at the end of Parshas Bereishis, in the discourse beginning “Go forth and see,” on the meaning of “King Shlomo.”)

But it is written, “a judgment of the G‑d of Yaakov”: for there is judgment above [as to] who will merit to be at this level, that the revelation of His G‑dliness be upon him and that his soul be bound to G‑d with a firm and strong bond.

Therefore one must arouse this on Rosh HaShanah, “the beginning of Your works,” and then it is the level of “And He was King in Yeshurun.” (And as is explained elsewhere, the level of Yeshurun is the level of “very high”; and see Zohar, Shemos,

page 16b, and Parshas Acharei, page 61b at the end.) And also, Yeshurun is from the word shir (song), which is from the level of the circles (iggulim), which is drawn from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); and it may be that this is the level of the souls as they arose in thought, etc.

And this is [the meaning of] “Say before Me Malchuyos, so that you make Me King over you”: that you be able to make Him King from the inner dimension of His Kingship, may He be blessed and exalted; and “your remembrance rises before Him for good”: that He remember and arouse the level of the covenant and the bond, that Israel arose in thought, even though now He has become distant from us through our iniquities, and “your iniquities separate,” etc.

Nevertheless, through an arousal from below [there comes] an arousal from above. “And through what? Through the shofar”: that is, through the inner dimension of the heart, as mentioned above, to arouse [oneself] from the depths of the heart to regret, with an uprooting of the will from the true point in the heart, etc.; and then there will be revealed, etc., as mentioned above.

166. And this is [the meaning of] “And He weighed the mountains with a steelyard (peles), and the hills in a balance.” For mountains and hills are levels and grades of love; for there are two levels, mountains and hills. Hills are, in their level, below the level of mountains,

for “hills are the Mothers,” who receive from the mountains. And this is the level of love in the outer dimension of the heart, which is taken from reason and knowledge and from contemplation of the greatness of G‑d,

how great He is. Now, in order to refine one’s soul, to illuminate it with the light of this love, one must draw upon oneself the light of Torah and mitzvos.

For “the 248 commandments are the 248 limbs of the King,” and they are the level of the outer limbs, while the Torah is at the level of the inner organs.

Therefore “the study of Torah is equal to them all,” for the life of the soul depends more on the inner organs, whose perforation [is fatal] at the slightest amount. And they are like the analogy of the pans of a scale: one weighs in this pan and places a weight in the second pan to tip [the balance]; so, through the weight of the Torah and the mitzvos, one tips the pan of love, to shine upon one’s soul.

(And as is explained elsewhere, this is the meaning of the half-shekel, and of what the Raaya Mehemna says about it: “A stone to weigh with: this is the yud.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “The heavens are My throne,” on the subject of “and the earth is My footstool”; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Sing and rejoice,” on the meaning of “scales of righteousness.”)

But the levels and grades of mountains are the level of “the high mountains,” which is the level of the love that is above reason and knowledge,

which is above the level of Torah and mitzvos, for “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah”; and it is impossible to reach it through Torah and mitzvos, but only through teshuvah from the depths of the heart, which is above knowledge, because of one’s distance from the light of His countenance, may He be blessed; for then, precisely “from afar,” “Havayah appeared to me,” as mentioned above.

And this is the meaning of peles: it is the weighing instrument made of a long [beam of] wood, with straps hanging from its head (which is called a bezmen), on which one weighs the thing that is placed on it; and the length and the heaviness of the wood, and its distance, is what tips it.

So too, through the bitterness in one’s soul over one’s distance from G‑d, from Whom he has become utterly distant, and through uprooting the will from what was embedded in it at first, one arouses the great supernal love (ahavah rabbah) that is above knowledge.

(And in the Zohar the subject of “And He weighed with a steelyard,” etc., is mentioned at the end of Terumah, page 175b, at the end.) And in Me’orei Or, peles is explained as Binah, as cited in the book Erchei HaKinuyim; and this may be aligned

with what is written [here], according to what is stated in the Pardes, Gate 8, chapter 1, that Binah is called teshuvah, for there forgiveness and atonement chiefly depend, by the power of the supernal Keser that flows upon it.

And see Zohar, Vayikra, page 16a. And see what is written in Parshas Pinchas, in the discourse beginning “Command the children of Israel,” on the subject of teshuvah, at [the passage] “And by the power of teshuvah, which is an illumination from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin),” etc.;

see there; and this drawing down is through the bitterness over the distance. And see the discourse beginning “For this commandment,” at [the passage] “And this is [the meaning of] ‘I, I am He,’” etc., [and] “And this power that is in teshuvah,” etc.; see there.

17From all this the subject of the steelyard (peles) will be understood: the bitterness over the distance is the level of “their end is embedded in their beginning,” and through this one draws down the great supernal love.

And this is [the meaning of] “The high mountains are for the wild goats (ye’elim)”: that is, the level of the high mountains is drawn down below through the ye’elim, which is the level of the voice of the shofar; for “the shofar of Rosh HaShanah is of a wild goat (ya’el), straight,” which is the level of teshuvah from the depth of the heart, as mentioned above.

18And the word ya’el is from the term aliyah (ascent), for it raises a person to the level and grade of the love that is above knowledge. And “straight” (pashut): for “whatever extends (pashit) one’s heart more is better,”

that is, to strip (lifshot) the love of its enclothing in the body, so that his heart cries out within him, to give over his soul to G‑d and to be included in the One.

19And this is [the meaning of] “and as He swore to your fathers, to Avraham, to Yitzchak and to Yaakov,” who are the level of “the high mountains”; for “your fathers dwelt beyond the river.”

And the river is the one that “goes forth from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides,” etc., which is the level of the drawing down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, so that the comprehension of the created beings may be there, etc., as is explained elsewhere.

But beyond the river is above knowledge, the level of the high mountains; there is the root of the levels and grades

of the Fathers. And from there came the oath and the making of the covenant “to be your G‑d,” at the inner level, as mentioned above. (And see what is written in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day, a solemn assembly,” on the meaning of “which You swore to our fathers from days of old.”)

20Summary. (a) The meaning of “standing, all of you” is along the lines of “when [the heads of the people] gathered,” etc., “together,” etc.: to become one, without any person being found [to be] head or end. (b) And this is in order “that you may pass into the covenant.”

That is, as though they had become one; and along these lines it is said, “for the portion of Havayah is His people”; and of this it is said, “Behold, I make a covenant,” etc.

(c) And this is the meaning of Malchuyos and Zichronos on Rosh HaShanah: to arouse the revelation of His Kingship, may He be blessed, upon us, through the remembrance of the covenant. “And through what? Through the shofar.”

This is the level of higher teshuvah, “Seek my face,” the inner dimension of the heart. And it is drawn forth through “Your face, Havayah, I will seek.”

For from the level of “After Havayah they shall walk,” the level of radiance and light, there comes to be, like the lion in the Chariot, “He shall roar,” which is still called a cry from the outer dimension of the heart.

But the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and His essence, is exalted and uplifted above the days of the world. And this is the meaning of “He is a consuming fire.” And this is the meaning of “Your face, Havayah.”

And from this is drawn forth the cry from the inner dimension of the heart. And through this one arouses above the revelation of the inner dimension of His Kingship, may He be blessed, upon us. And this is the meaning of Zichronos: the remembrance of the inner love, from His essence and being, may He be blessed.

(d) And this is the meaning of “Praise G‑d (El) in His holiness,” etc., up to “with the blast of the shofar.” (e) And all this is “in order to raise you up this day as a people to Him,”

for “there is no king without a people.” And in this respect is the bond, the unity and the covenant that Havayah made with us.

But it is written, “a judgment of the G‑d of Yaakov”; and one must arouse this on Rosh HaShanah. And this is the meaning of “Say before Me Malchuyos, Zichronos and Shofaros.”

(f) And this is the meaning of “and as He swore to your fathers”: for “beyond the river” that goes forth from Eden “your fathers dwelt”; and this is the level of “that you may pass into the covenant,” “until Your people pass over,” etc.

And they are called “the high mountains, for the wild goats”; and along these lines, “the shofar of Rosh HaShanah is of a wild goat, straight.” And of this it is said, “And He weighed the mountains with a steelyard,” etc.