תקעו בחדש שופר כו׳

1“Blow the shofar at the New Moon,” etc. The meaning of “at the New Moon” (bachodesh): the time of the renewal of the moon, which is renewed on Rosh Chodesh. This is Rosh HaShanah, for then is the renewal of the work of creation: “This day is the beginning of Your works,” etc.

Now, the world was created on the twenty-fifth of Elul, and Rosh HaShanah is the sixth day of the world’s creation, the day of the creation of Adam, the first man. And we need to understand why Rosh HaShanah is not made at the time of the actual renewal of the world, which is the first day of the work of creation.

However, it is written, “In the beginning Elokim created”: Elokim is the attribute of tzimtzum (contraction), for at first it arose in [His] thought to create with the attribute of judgment; He saw that the world would not endure, [and] He joined the attribute of mercy with it. The meaning is that at first there was

the attribute of judgment, the attribute of tzimtzum, to contract and conceal the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, who, as His name is, so is He: He has no end, etc.,

so that the world be revealed as a yesh (something), a thing by itself, revealed and seen by physical eyes of flesh. And this is the matter of “In the beginning … created”: the word bara (created) applies to a thing that is created something from nothing (yesh me’ayin). Yet seemingly this is not understood,

for, on the contrary, “all before Him is as nothing,” and whatever is lower down is all the more considered by Him as actual nothing (ayin), and whatever is higher up is all the more considered a yesh, as it is written, “to bequeath yesh (substance) to those who love Me.” And why is the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) called by the name beriah (creation), something from nothing?

2The explanation is as it is written, “For a sun and a shield is Havayah Elokim”: Havayah is the level of the luminary of the sun itself, and Elokim is the level of a shield and a shelter,

which serves to conceal and hide the luminary of the sun’s body, so that it not be seen except as radiance and illumination. For if there were no shield and shelter, the sun would not shine as radiance;

rather, the sun’s radiance would be nullified to its source in the body of the sun’s luminary. And this is the matter of “the sun from its sheath,” of which our Sages, of blessed memory, said that in the Time to Come the Holy One, blessed be He, will take the sun out of its sheath,

which is the revelation of Havayah, that is, of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, Himself, without a shield and shelter that conceals and hides, as it is written, “And the glory of Havayah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see.” This seeing is an intellectual seeing, in the comprehension of G‑dliness,

for the wise are called “the eyes of the congregation”; and it is written, “For eye to eye they shall see, when Havayah returns,” etc.: there will no longer be the concealment and hiding of physical matter, which covers and hides the spirituality, the light of G‑d and His holiness, and these are the physical heavens and earth and all that is in them,

but only “the new heavens and the new earth which I make.” And this is the creation of heaven and earth truly from nothing to something:

that is, that the revelation of the radiance is something from nothing and utter naught, [relative to] when it was in its source, for then it was nullified and included in the source of the luminary and was not called by the name “light” and “radiance” at all.

(That is to say, even the drawing down of the revelation of the radiance that gives life to heaven and earth and is enclothed in them is likewise something from nothing and utter naught, for when it was included in its source, it was then nullified and included in its source, which is the luminary, and was not called by the name “light” and “radiance” at all;

and that the radiance be seen by itself as a yesh (something) and a thing is through the sheath and the shield. If so, it is a matter of something from nothing, as it is written, “And Chochmah is found from nothing (me’ayin),” for the coming into being of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah) is also called something from nothing. And this is [the meaning of] “Is Havayah in our midst (ha-yesh), or not (im ayin)?” That is: whether

the Name Havayah shines in us through the shield and sheath, and then this illumination is called something from nothing; “or ayin” means that it shines in us from above the level of a shield, that is, akin to “He takes the sun out of its sheath,” for this level is called ayin. And this is the matter of “In the beginning Elokim created.”

Elokim, that is, the level of the radiance drawn down through the shield, etc., is called creation (beriah), something from nothing; except that it is a matter of the Beriah that is within the World of Atzilus (Emanation), that is, the level of “And Chochmah is found from nothing.” And in Etz Chaim it is stated that even the level of Adam Kadmon, which is Keser (the Crown), is called Beriah, “the Adam of Beriah,” etc.

And the level of Beriah is something from nothing, as is explained in the discourse beginning “Va’eschanan,” on the meaning of “And Chochmah is found from nothing”: that Chochmah is the level of reishis (beginning), and it is found from nothing, as an innovation, in that a new thing comes about, which was not in the power of the source that brings it forth, etc.;

see there. And in Chochmah there is light and vessel: the power of Chochmah itself is what is called the vessel, and the light and life-force that flows into it from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is called the light of Chochmah.

Now, Chochmah itself, which is the vessel, is certainly called something from nothing, that is, a new thing comes about, which was not in the power of the source that brings it forth; for He, may He be blessed, is high and exalted beyond the bounds of the level of Chochmah, so much so that the level of Chochmah is considered before Him like physical action.

Therefore, the coming into being of the level of the power of Chochmah is an innovation and a new thing, like the innovation of bodily action. But the coming into being of the light of Chochmah is also called something from nothing,

for the light is, by way of analogy, the radiance of the sun that is drawn from the sun; and of this it was explained here that the drawing down of the radiance is also something from nothing, for the reason mentioned above, that when it was included in its source, etc., as mentioned above.) And thus were included

all the worlds and created beings in their Emanator, blessed be He, in a state of concealment; and their emergence from concealment into revelation, so that the worlds and created beings are revealed as a yesh and a thing by itself, is as radiance and illumination alone, as it is written, “His splendor is upon earth and heaven,” etc.: truly something from nothing.

(The meaning of [the statement] that the worlds were included is as is known from the explanation of “For My thoughts are not your thoughts”: in man, thought accomplishes nothing at all, but Above, when it arose in His thought and will to bring into being and to emanate, then it was actually emanated and brought into being through this thought, as is written in Pardes, Gate 11, chapter 3, and as is written about this in the explanation on “My dove.”

In this way the worlds and created beings were included in the level of the Supernal Thought (machshavah ila’ah) when it arose in His will to create the world. But it is certainly not at all applicable to say that the world as it is was included in the Thought at the time it arose in His will; rather, by way of analogy, its power and its spirituality [were included];

that is, just as there is physical Asiyah (action), so there is an Asiyah within Atzilus, which is the root and source of physical Asiyah; as, for example, the sweetness of an apple is from the mazal that strikes it, and “One higher than the high watches over [it]”; in this way, the root of Asiyah is above, in Atzilus,

just as with physical light: its root in spirituality is Chochmah, which is called light, for “the fool walks in darkness.” And this is the meaning of [the statement] that the created beings were included in the Supernal Thought when it arose in His will, etc.,

for “My thoughts are not your thoughts,” and with one thought they came into being in spirituality, something from nothing. And that actual physical Asiyah should be drawn forth even from the level of what is included in the Thought is certainly also something from nothing, for as for the coming into being of physicality from spirituality, there is no greater something from nothing than this.

And this is [the meaning of] “Blessed is He who spoke, and the world came to be”: that is, what came into being in one thought, for “He spoke and it came to be”; and this too is something from nothing, in the manner of “And Chochmah is found from nothing,” for the coming into being of the Chochmah of Atzilus is also called something from nothing, except that this is something from nothing in spirituality.

And afterwards, “Blessed is He who says and does”: that the coming into being be drawn into actuality, from spirituality to physicality; this too is truly something from nothing, for the coming into being of physicality from spirituality, like physical light from Chochmah, which is spirituality, is certainly something from nothing; and so with all created beings.

Along these lines it was explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “Then Moshe sang,” regarding the revealed world (alma de’isgalya) and the concealed world (alma de’iskasya): the revealed world is where the levels are seen as separate, in revelation, and the concealed world is where they are nullified in their existence within their source, etc.

And see there, in the discourse beginning “And Israel saw the hand,” that the root of the two kinds of coming into being mentioned above is drawn from two [levels of the] Name Havayah. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “My dove,” regarding what is said, “The soul that You have placed within me is pure,” and afterwards one says, “You created it,” etc.; and in the discourse beginning “Listen, O heavens,” regarding “until Your people pass over, Havayah.”)

32. Now, from this the matter of the descent and the chain of descent (hishtalshelus) of the worlds is understood: it is an exceedingly great descent, from the level of actual nullification (bittul) and inclusion

in the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, until it descended wondrously, to be enclothed and to chain down from cause to cause, to the end of all the lowest levels, in physical and bodily Asiyah (action): the making of heaven and earth and all that He made, the material and the physical.

But to understand why there was such a great descent before Him, may He be blessed: it is known that this descent is for the sake of an ascent, namely, “the advantage of light out of darkness” specifically, that into the place of physical darkness, which is a complete and separate yesh (something), there be drawn the light and radiance from above,

which is the level of nullification and inclusion in the Infinite One, blessed be He, so that there be a nullification of the yesh to the level of ayin (nothing) drawn within it. And of this our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place among the lower realms.” The meaning of “among the lower realms”: although before Him, may He be blessed, there is no above and below,

rather, “the lower realms” is the name for the place of the yesh, and He desired to have a dwelling and an indwelling there, that is, that there be there a drawing down of the ayin, so that the yesh be nullified to the ayin; and this nullification is drawn from world

to world, level after level, until this nullification is drawn below as well, so that there be a nullification of the yesh in physical Asiyah too. And the general and collective expression (klalus) of this drawing down is on the day of Rosh HaShanah, on which is the song of the sixth day, “Havayah reigns; He is clothed in majesty.”

The explanation is that the level of His sovereignty (malchus), may He be blessed, is called only a garment: He enclothed Himself in the attribute of majesty so that His Name be called “King,”

as it is stated in the Midrash, “With ten garments the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world,” etc. For the creation of the worlds, so that there be a revelation of something from nothing, is through the attribute of judgment and tzimtzum (contraction), as mentioned above;

and this is the level of a garment, “like this kamtza, whose garment is of itself and within itself”; and the final tzimtzum is the revelation of the level of His sovereignty, may He be blessed: “There is no king without a people.”

4Now, it is called His sovereignty when they accept His sovereignty willingly, as it is written, “You shall surely set a king over yourself”; for without willingness it is called dominion: “and Your dominion is in every generation.”

Therefore the song of the sixth day is “Havayah reigns,” for on the day Adam, the first man, was created, he took upon himself, willingly, the yoke of His sovereignty, may He be blessed; whereas in the six days of creation there was only the level of dominion, and there was no revelation of His sovereignty.

5Now, the acceptance of His sovereignty, may He be blessed, willingly is a matter of the nullification of the yesh (something), like “and the host of heaven bow down to You”; for bowing is the level of nullification (bittul).

Therefore Rosh HaShanah is made on the sixth day, the day Adam, the first man, was created, for then was the beginning of the revelation of His sovereignty, may He be blessed, so that the yesh be nullified to the ayin (nothing); whereas the first five days of creation were

only the order of the chain of descent (hishtalshelus) from nothing to something, “Let there be light,” “Let there be a firmament,” “Let the earth sprout,” etc., which is through the attribute of judgment and tzimtzum (contraction): “In the beginning Elokim created.”

But the drawing down of nullification, so that the yesh be nullified to the ayin, is called “He joined the attribute of mercy with it,” and it is the union of Havayah [and] Elokim.

And this, in general, is through Torah and mitzvos (and this is [the meaning of] “Havayah reigns; He is clothed in majesty; Havayah is clothed in strength,” etc., and “strength” means nothing but Torah, as it is written, “Havayah will give strength to His people”; and see the Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Va’eira, chapter 8, and the Zohar, Part II, at the end of Parshas Yisro),

“Who has sanctified us with His commandments”: for the mitzvos have their foundation in the supernal mountains of holiness, and they were drawn down below to be enclothed in physical matters, charity, terumah and tithes, so that the yesh be nullified to the ayin, etc.;

for the main thing in the mitzvos is to do them in the manner of “Nullify your will,” “Turn away from evil and do good”: to bend one’s physical heart and subdue it under the hand of holiness. And likewise the mitzvos themselves are in physical matters,

such as tzitzis of wool, etc., and supernal holiness is drawn into them, so that those physical matters too rise and are included in holiness through that mitzvah.

6Therefore, with every mitzvah one says, “For the sake of the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah.” “The Holy One, blessed be He” is the name for that which is holy and set apart from the bounds of the worlds, which “no thought can grasp,” and the nullification of comprehension.

And “His Shechinah” is the Shechinah (indwelling) of His strength and His sovereignty, which is enclothed in the worlds to give them life and to bring them into being from nothing to something. This union is brought about through the mitzvah, which is in physical action, the level of yesh (something), and into which supernal holiness is drawn, so that the yesh be nullified to the ayin (nothing).

And thus they are included and united in a complete and true union; that is, through the person who does them with the nullification of his will, above his nature and his habit, turning his heart from

one extreme to the other: whatever his heart is naturally inclined to do, he does not do, and whatever his heart is inclined not to do, he does. Through this he draws down the level of the supernal nullification, the union of Havayah and Elokim.

7And this is [the meaning of] “Mitzvos require intention”: the mitzvos themselves are the level of a body, and the intention is the level of a soul. The mitzvos themselves

are the fulfillment of the King’s command, and they are the level of vessels and “limbs of the King”; and the intention is what one wishes to draw down through this mitzvah, the supernal union and the nullification of the yesh (something), so that there be the union of Havayah and Elokim;

and this is the level of the soul that gives life to the limbs, for the main thing is the life-force and the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, drawn down through the mitzvah, so that the yesh be nullified to the ayin (nothing).

Only, that this drawing down come from potential into actuality, from concealment into revelation, is through the actual performance of the mitzvos, for they are the very vessels in which the light and life-force from the Infinite Light, blessed be He, are drawn down, as is known.

And of this it is said, “And you shall love Havayah your G‑d,” for first it is said, “Hear, O Israel, Havayah is our G‑d,” in a general way.

8And afterwards, in particular: that Havayah be “your G‑d” (Elokecha) for each and every individual, in the second person, “according to what he conceives in his heart,” in a revealed way; and that the love and the will be such that the level of “He was, He is and He will be,” in the manner of the nullification of the yesh (something), shall be at the level of “your G‑d.”

And also, it shall be “with all your heart,” with both your inclinations, with the good inclination and with the evil inclination; that is to say, because of the evil inclination, which is what hinders and obstructs, the love shall be greater than this, as when there is something that hinders and obstructs the flow of rushing water:

then the water grows stronger in its flow and its rush, with greater force. And all this love and longing is that Havayah be at the level of “your G‑d” in revelation, and the nullification of the yesh to the ayin (nothing), “with all your heart,” etc.

And this is the purpose of all the Torah and the mitzvos, in general, throughout all the days of a person’s life: to draw [this] down through occupation with the Torah and the mitzvos that he performs with the nullification of the will, above the level of his nature and his will in his animal soul, etc.

93. However, a general drawing down is drawn on each Rosh HaShanah for the whole year, so that the drawing down of nullification take place in particulars, in the occupation with Torah and mitzvos of the whole year. That is why it is called Rosh HaShanah [the “head” of the year], for it is

like the head and the brain, from which the outflows and drawings down of life go out to all the limbs of the body; so on Rosh HaShanah life-force is drawn down for all the days of the year.

10Now, by way of analogy: when one stands above and one stands below and they wish to unite, the higher one must descend several steps below his level, and the lower one must rise from his level.

So, too, in order to draw down a supernal drawing down from the level of nullification to the yesh (something), so that the yesh be nullified to the ayin (nothing), the lower one too must rise, that is, his animal soul and spirit, as it is written, “If he sets his heart toward Him,”

for “spirit brings spirit and draws down spirit”: that is, that his soul yearn with longing and thirst for this union and nullification. And this [comes about] when a person is one of the “masters of reckoning,” [reflecting on] how he has descended wondrously from the place of His glory, may He be blessed,

for his soul (neshamah) and his nefesh were included in its Emanator, blessed be He, and it descended wondrously through many and mighty contractions (tzimtzumim) until it became exceedingly physical. And one who reflects will understand how many steps and levels there are between physicality and spirituality,

and also how many levels there are within spirituality, one higher than the other, up to the loftiest heights, and [all of them] bear no comparison to the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He. If so, how far he is from the light of His countenance, may He be blessed! And through this he will arouse great compassion, and his soul will weep sorely.

11Therefore it is stated in the writings of the Arizal, of blessed memory, that whoever does not weep on Rosh HaShanah, his soul is not whole. Seemingly, what does weeping have to do with Rosh HaShanah? But according to the above it will be understood: the weeping is specifically for his soul, which descended from the place of its glory and became physical.

12And this is [the meaning of] “The lower waters weep: ‘We want to be before the King,’” as it is stated in the Midrash: when the Holy One, blessed be He, separated between the waters and the waters, the lower waters were called by the name “weeping waters,” for they weep over their descent to the level of lower waters and cry out, “We want to be before the King.”

13And this is the matter of the blowing of the shofar, TaShRaT (tekiah, shevarim, teruah, tekiah). The tekiah, a simple sound, is the level of longing, with the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba); and shevarim and teruah, the Gemara says, are a matter of “groaning” and “wailing,”

which is the matter of the weeping mentioned above. And they are called shevarim (breakings) and teruah because through them one weakens and breaks the power of the kelipos and the sitra achra (the other side); and teruah is from the term “You shall break them (teroem) with a rod of iron.”

And teruah is also from the term re’usa deliba (the desire of the heart), as it is written, “and the teruah of the King is in him.” For because of this weeping and compassion below, one arouses above the supernal will, through the arousal of the supernal great mercies from the source of mercy, which are the Thirteen supernal Attributes of Mercy, of which it is said, “And Havayah passed before him,” etc.

That is: “passed” is like a person who passes from place to place; so “Havayah passed” from a very lofty level, to be revealed upon “panav” (His face). “Face” (panim) is the level of garments that cover, hide and contract the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, in His very essence and glory,

for the panim are the ten Names that may not be erased; since they are the level of names, the level of letters, they are therefore garments that cover and hide the Infinite One, blessed be He, in His very essence and glory.

But through the arousal of the Thirteen supernal Attributes of Mercy, of which it is said, “And Havayah passed before him (al panav),” and it is written, “May Havayah make His face (panav) shine,” the face shines, so that they do not conceal and hide His glory; as it will be in the Time to Come: “And there shall be revealed

the glory of Havayah,” and the Holy One, blessed be He, takes the sun out of its sheath, except that in the Time to Come this will be in actual physicality, and [that is] the receiving of reward, which is “tomorrow, to receive their reward”;

but “today, to do them,” in spirituality. And the order of service fixed in a person’s soul, so that this revelation be in spirituality in his soul, in wholehearted service, is through the arousal of compassion, with weeping, “groaning” and “wailing,” etc.

And of this it is said, “Blow the shofar at the New Moon”: for this arousal of compassion requires specifically the sound of a shofar, and not the sound of a person himself,

for at the creation of man it is said, “Behind and before You have formed me”; “behind,” after the work of creation, etc.; and he does not arouse so greatly the supernal levels of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy

as does the sound of the shofar of an animal, whose root is far above the levels of man, except that it fell far below the level of man, as is known.

And from this is drawn “at the covering, for our festival day.” That is: from the level of “covering” (keseh), which is a term for the covering and concealment of the Infinite One, blessed be He, through being enclothed far below, in physical Asiyah (action) and the physical world, it is drawn to become “for our festival day” (chageinu); chageinu is from the term “show it to him with the mechog (pointer),”

which is a matter of revelation, to the point that one points to it with a finger, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will make a dance (machol) for the righteous, and they will point to Him with the finger and say,

‘Behold, this is our G‑d; we hoped for Him,’” etc.: that there be a revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, in the world, and the world will not conceal, etc.

144. “For it is a statute (chok) for Israel.” Chok is from the expression “She gives food (teref) to her household and a portion (chok) to her maidens,” and likewise “Feed me (hatrifeini) my allotted bread (lechem chuki)”: it is a term for sustenance, that is to say, an influx and drawing down to Israel. That is: in order that there be the level of “Yisrael: li rosh (to Me, a head),”

just as the foot is nullified to the head, and whatever the head wants the foot does, without any hindrance or obstruction whatsoever, for it has no other will apart from it. So Israel are called “children of the Omnipresent,” “a son is his father’s leg,” the level of nullification (bittul).

15And the meaning of “a judgment for the G‑d of Yaakov” is this: Israel is called the level of a son, “My son, My firstborn,” and Yaakov is called the level of a servant. The explanation is that the level of a son, “a son is his father’s leg,”

is in a state of actual nullification, like the foot in relation to the head; and servants are those who have another will, like a servant, who is foreign and separate, except that he nevertheless fulfills his master’s command,

but he is in a state of battle: there is something that hinders and obstructs him, only he overcomes and subdues himself, in the manner of iskafya (subjugation); whereas Israel are in the manner of actual is’hapcha (transformation). And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov.”

16Now, a person is judged on Rosh HaShanah concerning the drawing down of G‑dliness within him, whether he is worthy that there be a revelation of G‑dliness in his soul; and this is according to his deeds in the past year.

And this is “a judgment for the G‑d of Yaakov”: in the level of Yaakov, in which there is battle, one must overcome what hinders, and sometimes he is the victor and sometimes he is the vanquished, for “one nation shall be stronger than the other nation.”

Therefore in this there is a judgment for the G‑dliness within him; whereas in the level of “Yisrael: li rosh,” which is the level of a son, “a son is his father’s leg,” there it is a statute (chok) and sustenance.

But judgment is mercy. Therefore the Ten Days of Teshuvah and Yom Kippur were instituted, to arouse great mercy, and the requests of “Forgive us,” so that there be a revelation of the will

of the Most High in his soul, like a person who asks his fellow to pardon and forgive him for what he sinned against him: the essence of this request is to raise his heart and his will toward him, for at the time of the sin his face was turned away from him,

and his heart and his will were not with him, and forgiveness is the return of the will. So too, we ask “Forgive us”: the request is not about fear of punishment,

but about the revelation of the will, that there be no concealment and hiding of the face, and that the physicality of the world not conceal, etc.

And this arousal of compassion is also in the manner of “And Havayah passed before him and proclaimed: Havayah, Havayah,” which is written twice, with a pause in the cantillation between them, because the first Havayah is the level of the supernal nullification, in the level of the higher Havayah in its source, and the second Havayah

is the drawing down of nullification into the place of the yesh (something), so that the yesh be nullified to the ayin (nothing). And this is “for the G‑d (Elokei) of Yaakov”: Elokei is a term for drawing down, as in “the G‑d of Avraham, the G‑d of Yitzchak, and the G‑d of Yaakov,” and regarding Yaakov it is written with an added vav, ve’Elokei (“and the G‑d of”),

for the vav is a drawing down; and it is drawn down so far that on Yom Kippur, “before Havayah you shall be purified,” above the level of Havayah; for since it is written, “you shall be purified,” it follows that he was not pure at first. And so one must arouse

above the level mentioned above. Although it is written, “The mikveh of Israel is Havayah,” that is, that the level of Havayah is also a mikveh to purify, as mentioned above, nevertheless everything depends on the thing that needs purification: there is a light thing

which is purified by the level mentioned above, and there is a thing that is not purified by this level, but one must arouse far above the level of Havayah, which is “before Havayah,” and from there “you shall be purified.” And this suffices for one who understands.