אגרת הקדש, פרק ל׳

א[מ: כג חשון] [פ: כד חשון] מוּדַעַת זֹאת מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״כָּל הָרָגִיל לָבֹא לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת וְיוֹם אֶחָד לֹא בָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא שׁוֹאֵל עָלָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מִי בָכֶם יְרֵא ה׳ וְכוּ׳״.

1THIRTY. It is known that our Sages, of blessed memory, said¹: “Whoever is accustomed to come to the synagogue and one day did not come, the Holy One, blessed is He, makes inquiry about him, for it is said,² ‘who among you fears the L–rd….’”

בוְכֵן בְּכָל הַמִּצְוֹת, וּבִפְרָט מִצְוַת הַצְּדָקָה שֶׁשְּׁקוּלָה כְּנֶגֶד כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת. הֲגַם שֶׁהִיא בְּלִי נֶדֶר חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן, כָּל הַחַיִל אֲשֶׁר נָגַע יִרְאַת ה׳ בְּלִבָּם לֹא יָאֲתָה לְנַפְשָׁם הָאֱלֹקִית לָתֵת מִגְרָעוֹת בַּקֹּדֶשׁ, מֵאֲשֶׁר כְּבָר הוּרְגְּלוּ מִדֵּי שָׁנָה לְהַפְרִישׁ מִמְּאוֹדָם, לְהַחֲיוֹת רוּחַ שְׁפָלִים וְנִדְכָּאִים דְּלֵית לְהוֹן מִגַּרְמֵיהוֹן, הִיא בְּחִינַת ״סוּכַּת דָּוִד הַנּוֹפֶלֶת״ וְכוּ׳, לְקוֹמֵם וּלְרוֹמֵם וְכוּ׳, ״לְמֶהֱוֵי אֶחָד בְּאֶחָד״ וְכוּ׳.

2The same applies to all the commandments, and especially the precept of charity, “which is balanced against all the commandments.”³ Though it is without a vow,⁴ Heaven forfend, nevertheless, it is not becoming to the divine soul of all the men of valor whose hearts the fear of the L–rd has touched⁵ to make a diminution in what is holy, relative to what they were accustomed to set aside, annually, from their wealth, to revive the spirit of the humble and downcast⁶ who have nothing of their own. It is “the Hut of David that is fallen…,”⁷ to raise and to exalt… “that it be united in the One….”⁸

גוְ״הַכֹּל לְפִי רוֹב הַמַּעֲשֶׂה״ וְכוּ׳, וּלְפִי הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן, כְּמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״כָּל פְּרוּטָה וּפְרוּטָה מִצְטָרֶפֶת לְחֶשְׁבּוֹן גָּדוֹל וְכוּ׳״, עַל דֶּרֶךְ מַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: אֵימָתַי ״גָּדוֹל הַוָיָ׳״? – כְּשֶׁהוּא ״בְּעִיר אֱלֹהֵינוּ״ וְכוּ׳, הִיא בְּחִינַת וּמְקוֹם הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״עֵינַיִךְ בְּרֵכוֹת בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן״.

3And everything is according to the preponderance of [good] deeds…,⁹ and according to the amount (cheshbon). Thus our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Each and every coin adds up to a great amount (cheshbon),”¹⁰ and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory:¹¹ “When is the L–rd great? When He is in the city of our G–d….”¹² It is the aspect and place of the cheshbon,¹³ as it is written: “Your eyes are wells in cheshbon.”¹⁴

דוְהַמְכֻוָּון, כַּנּוֹדָע, כִּי בְּ״אִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְתַתָּא״ – הַמְשָׁכַת חַיִּים חֵן וָחֶסֶד בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה בְּרָצוֹן הַטּוֹב וְסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת – ״אִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְעֵילָּא״, יָאֵר הַוָיָ׳ פָּנָיו, הוּא הֶאָרַת וְהַמְשָׁכַת חֵן וָחֶסֶד וְרָצוֹן עֶלְיוֹן מֵחַיֵּי הַחַיִּים אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא אֲשֶׁר לִגְדוּלָּתוֹ אֵין חֵקֶר וְהַשָּׂגָה כְּלָל אֶל בְּחִינַת ״מַלְכוּתְךָ מַלְכוּת כָּל עוֹלָמִים״, עָלְמָא דְאִתְגַּלְיָא, הַמְחַיֶּה כָּל הַבְּרוּאִים שֶׁבְּכָל הַהֵיכָלוֹת עֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים, שֶׁהֵן בִּבְחִינַת מִסְפָּר וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״אֶלֶף אֲלָפִים יְשַׁמְּשׁוּנֵיהּ״.

4The meaning is that, as known, an arousal from below [the issuance of life, grace, and kindness by an act of charity out of a good will and a friendly countenance¹⁵] elicits an arousal from above:¹⁶ “The L–rd will make His Countenance shine,”¹⁷ i.e., a radiation and issue of grace, chesed, and Supreme favor¹⁸ from the Fountainhead of life,¹⁹ the En Sof, blessed is He, [to whose greatness²⁰ there is no searching and apprehension whatsoever], to the aspect of “Your malchut is the malchut of all worlds,”²¹ the “world of manifestation” (alma deitgalya).²² It²³ animates all the creatures [that are in all the upper and lower hechalot²⁴] which are in a category of number and amount (cheshbon), as it is written: “A thousand thousands minister unto Him.”²⁵

הוְזֶהוּ ״חֶשְׁבּוֹן גָּדוֹל״, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי רוֹב ״מַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה שָׁלוֹם״, כִּי פֵּירוּשׁ ״שָׁלוֹם״ הוּא דָּבָר הַמְחַבֵּר וּמְתַוֵּוךְ ב׳ קְצָווֹת הָפְכִיִּים, שֶׁהֵן קְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם לְעֵילָּא, בְּחִינַת ״וְלִגְדוּלָּתוֹ אֵין חֵקֶר״, וּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם לְתַתָּא, הַמִּתְלַבֵּשׁ בִּבְרִיאָה־יְצִירָה־עֲשִׂיָּה, בְּחִינַת גְּבוּל וּמִסְפָּר, וְדַי לַמֵּבִין:

5This is the meaning of the “great amount,” because the quantitative act of charity brings about peace.²⁶ The meaning of “peace” is to join and conciliate two opposite extremes. (In our context) these are the extremity of the superior heaven, the aspect of “And to His greatness there is no searching”²⁷ and the extremity of the inferior heaven²⁸—which vests itself in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, (that is, in) a category of limitation and number, and suffice this for the initiated.

61 Berachot 6b.

72 Isaiah 50:10.

83 Jerusalem Talmud, Peah 1:1.

94 See Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 203; cf. Likkutei Torah, Matot 82b.

105 Par. I Samuel 10:26.

116 Par. Isaiah 57:15.

127 Amos 9:11, referring to the Shechinah (see above, Epistle 9, note 29). The poor are the aspect of the Fallen Hut—the Shechinah, the sefirah of malchut which “has nothing of its own.” See above, Epistle 21, note 24.

138 Zohar II:135a. By giving charity one raises and reinstates the Fallen “Hut,” thereby effecting the ultimate goal of the unity of the Holy One, blessed is He, and His Shechinah. See also Zohar III:113b. Cf. Likkutei Amarim, Part I, end of ch. 50; Maamarei Admur Hazaken—Ketuvim, vol. 2, p. 161.

149 Avot 3:15. See above, Epistle 21.

1510 Bava Batra 9b.

1611 Zohar II:235a; III:5a; Zohar Chadash 44a.

1712 Psalms 48:2.—“In the city” may also be read “[when He is] with the city.” The “city of G–d” signifies malchut. The ultimate goal, the “greatness of the L–rd,” will thus be achieved when this unity is effected; see Zohar III:5a and Zohar Chadash 51d.

1813 The “city of our G–d” is the aspect and place of Cheshbon. Cheshbon, too, signifies malchut; see Zohar III:220b and Likkutei Torah, Chukat 66d ff.

1914 Song of Songs 7:5.

2015 See Jerusalem Talmud, Peah 8:9; Vayikra Rabbah 34:1; Avot d’R. Nattan, ch. 13; cf Bava Batra 9b. See also below, Epistle 32.

2116 Above, Epistle 4, note 45.

2217 Numbers 6:25.

2318 Signified by Countenance (panim); see above, Epistle 22, note 31.

2419 Lit.: the Life of life (see above, Epistle 17, note 4).

2520 The aspect of chesed; see above, Epistle 13, note 30.

2621 Psalms 145:13; see above, Epistle 8, note 44.

2722 See above, Epistle 20, and note 53, ad loc.

2823 Malchut.

2924 Shrines; realms.

3025 Daniel 7:10.

3126 Cf. above, end of Epistles 4 and 12.

3227 Great is the L–rd and highly to be praised, and to His greatness there is no searching; Psalms 145:3.

3328 The Shechinah; malchut.

Kehot Publication Society (English Translation)