Vihi no'am Adonai Eloheinu aleinu uma'aseh yadeinu konenah aleinu uma'aseh yadeinu konenehu (May the favor of the Lord our God be upon us). Da'at Utvunah (Knowledge and understanding), and we're on daf tav-kuf samech-heh. Vera'ui atah leva'er mah inyan gilgulim (reincarnation) elu (It is appropriate to explain the matter of these reincarnations). Yesterday we talked about the idea that many people come back as gilgulim.
Hineh nitba'er etzleinu ki chol ha'olamot kulam nivre'u miberurei otam hashiv'ah melachim shemalchu be'eretz Edom asher metu (It has been explained to us that all the worlds were created from the refinement of those seven kings who ruled in the land of Edom and died). We know that we had the seven kings early on, in Vayishlach (And he sent). There, it speaks about the shevirat hakelim (breaking of the vessels), and those are the kings who died in the land of Edom. Vehayoter zach nivra be'olam ha'Atzilut (Emanation) (The most refined part was created in the world of Atzilut). From the shevirat hakelim, the worlds were created. So the most refined of the worlds is Atzilut. Ve'acharav nivra letzorech olam haBeri'ah, ve'acharav liYetzirah, ve'acharav laAsiyah (After it, the world of Beri'ah was created, then Yetzirah, and then Asiyah). Those are the four worlds. Vehayoter zach shebaAsiyah hu ha'adam (The most refined thing in Asiyah is the human being).
In Asiyah, the choice of that world is the human being. Venivra techilah (He was selected first). After Adam come the animals, bilti medaber (speaking being), and after them the plants, tzome'ach (vegetative), and then domem—the rocks, the inanimate, we should say.
Ve'omnam hatzaddik (righteous person), through his actions and through the mitzvot (commandments) he does in his eating and the like, has the power to refine more of the portion of domem and elevate it to tzome'ach (vegetative). So he is able to lift the creation up, mamash, just as the Mesilat Yesharim (Path of the Upright) tells us at the beginning of the sefer: the tzaddik who does the retzon Hashem (will of God) is able to lift himself up, and all of creation with him, to different levels, ve'el hachai (living creature) ve'el ha'adam (to the animal and to the human being). Eventually, he can lift it up to the animal kingdom, and then he can lift it up to himself. Kimevo'ar etzleinu bish'ar hamitzvot (As is explained to us regarding the other commandments).
Ve'omnam harasha (wicked person) is the opposite. Through his actions, he causes the opposite: they bring the world down rather than up; it's called degeneration. Sometimes a person's avonot (sin) cause part of the human being to descend to the level of domem. Sometimes it descends to tzome'ach, and sometimes to hachai bilti medaber (the non-speaking animal).
Therefore, corresponding to this, there is a rasha who, after he dies, mitgalgel (comes back) as a domem, a rock. That means, based on his sins and what he did in this world, according to how far he reached, when the person goes into a gilgul, he goes back to that level. When he comes back, he comes back as a rock. Another rasha comes back as a plant, and another comes back as an animal. Ki al yedei avono avonotam nimshal kibehemot nidmu (Through their sins, they became like animals). Uvema'alah achat hem omdim venidmim zeh lazeh (They stand and resemble one another at one level).
What does that mean? Uvema'alah achat hem omdim venidmim zeh lazeh. I guess it means that, from an animal to a human being, he just needs to elevate himself one level.
Vehineh elu hamitgalgelim begilgulim elu (These people who enter these reincarnations) yoshvim sham zman kavu'a (remain there for a fixed amount of time), until the avon is cleared—the avon that caused him to be reincarnated there as tzome'ach. When that time is finished, he rises and comes back as an animal. He's got to get all the way back to Adam. So he goes to tzome'ach, and once he finishes that, he moves up one notch, to the animals. When his time is finished, he rises and comes back as a human being. Wow, so he needs to go through basically all the different levels to get back to Adam.
Ve'omnam inyan zeh hagilgul shemitgalgel be'adam (The matter of this reincarnation in which someone comes back as a human being) is echad mishnei panim (one of two ways). The first is the matter of the neshamot (soul) of the wicked, after they die and do not merit to enter Gehinnom (Gehenna). They don't even have the merit to go to Gehinnom; instead, they enter the bodies of human beings who are alive in this world. Umedabrim umesaprim kol hakorot otam sham kanoda (They speak and tell all that has happened to them there, as is known). Rachamana litzlan.
So what's that? They basically take over the bodies of people who are living in this world, and speak through them? It's like spirits. We spoke about it a few months ago, about Rabbi Shani. “Right, Rabbi Shani, right?” “Yeah. When he spoke about it, he said that when he was a kid, his grandfather used to send him to the rabbi in Jaffa.” Jaffa is south of Tel Aviv. “Yeah, all the tzaddikim are there, the hidden tzaddikim.” And all of a sudden he heard the cat—if you Google it, you'll—“The cat?” “She was talking.” “Wow.” “It's a woman whose gilgul—” “Oh, she went back into the cat?” “She wasn't—what? She wasn't tzeni'ah?” “Wasn't tzeni'ah, exactly. And she came back as a cat. I don't know why as a cat, but a cat is very tzeni'ut, you know. The cat's very tzeni'ut.” “Oh, okay. Sure. Wow. Okay, Google it. It's amazing.” “It's—yep, that's what he's saying.”
“Yeah, he's a wiggy guy, this Rabbi Mizrachi. You ever see him?” “Is that the one the rabbi showed us?” “Yeah, he's a wiggy guy. He has guys going up to the—” “He's in Israel now, but he used to live here in Boro Park. I saw him once. He was Yemenite, I think.” “Yeah, he has guys going up to the worlds, coming down.”
So he says over here, u-medabrim u-mesaprim kol ha-korot otam she-gam ken hoda'ah (They speak and tell all that has happened to them, which is also made known). Veha-sheni hu ki mit'abrim be'adam be-sod ibur (The second way is that they enter a person through the secret of ibur [spiritual impregnation]). So, in the first case, they're not coming into the guy; they're just coming to him, as if in a dream, it sounds like, and telling him what's going on. The second one is ibur. They actually go into the guy. Kanizkar le'el ba-drushim she-kadmu, u-medabkim bo be-hester gadol (As mentioned above in the earlier discourses, they attach themselves to him in great concealment). They're inside of him, you know, be-hester. It's not the—right.
Ve'az im ha'adam hahu yechta (If that person sins), the nefesh (soul) that has entered him becomes more pronounced, and it causes him to commit more sins and leads him on a bad path. So you have to be very careful. A person makes a sin, and we don't know how much that can affect him. If he has a rasha inside of him, it's like averah goreret averah (One transgression leads to another); it's going to push him over.
Ve'al derech mah she-nitba'er etzlenu ba-drushim ha-kodmim, she-ka'asher nishmat ha-tzaddik mit'aberet be'adam (As was explained to us in the earlier discourses, when the soul of a tzaddik enters a person), it helps him. It's like a bonus. U-mesay'o le-hetiv, kach nefesh ha-rasha mesito le-rish'ah (It helps him do good; in the same way, the soul of the wicked person leads him toward wickedness). Wow, so if a person gets a wicked soul, it can actually cause him to do wicked things.
U-chvar nitba'er etzlenu inyan zeh, ki lif'amim ha-mit'aber be'adam hu le-to'elet atzmo (This matter has already been explained to us: sometimes the one who enters a person does so for his own benefit), kedei le-taken ha-mit'aber be'atzmo (so that the one who enters can be rectified himself). That's the mit'aber, the one that's going in. He needs to be fixed. “Correct, so he goes in, gets a little merit, and leaves.” Ve-lif'amim hu le-to'elet ha'adam (Sometimes he goes in for the person's benefit), kedei sheha-nefesh hahi tesay'ehu le-hetiv (so that that soul will help him do good). As we said, the ibur neshamah helps the person it enters to go on the right path.
U-shtei vchinot elu yeshnam gam be-nefesh ha-rasha (These two possibilities also exist with the soul of a wicked person). Sometimes a rasha goes in to fix himself, and sometimes he goes in and is going to hurt the person. O yiheyeh le-to'elet ha-nefesh hahi ha-mit'aberet lefi sheha'adam ha-zeh hu tzaddik (Or it may be for the benefit of the soul that enters, because this person is a tzaddik). Then the person is a rasha, and that soul enters him to strengthen him in his wickedness, until they are destroyed from the world, God forbid.
Wow, so what did he just say here? The two possibilities also exist when the soul of the rasha enters a person: it can be for the benefit of the soul that enters, because the person is a tzaddik. So then it's only for the benefit of the soul that enters, not for the person, because the person himself is a tzaddik. The wicked soul goes inside him to fix itself, not—right, to get the benefit of the tzaddik. Or maybe sometimes a rasha goes into a rasha, and the soul enters him to strengthen his wickedness, until they are destroyed from the world, God forbid. Wow, there's much more than meets the eye when a person sins. We don't know where it's coming from.
Ve-hinei ha-nefesh ha-mitgalgelet be'adam be'echad mi-shnei fanim ha-nizkarim (The soul that is reincarnated in a person in one of the two ways mentioned), after the allotted time that it must remain there is complete and its sins have been atoned for, can then come afterward into this world in a complete gilgul. Ve-yivaled, or ve-yitlabesh be-guf (It is born, or clothed in a body), in this world like the rest of mankind. Wow, so the ibur gilgul is a prerequisite to the real gilgul.
Ve-nachzor la-inyan, ki shoresh ra'ui she-teda, ki lo be-chol zman yesh ko'ach ela ba-megulgalim ha-nizkarim be-domem tzome'ach la'alot mi-sham u-letaken (Let's return to the matter: it is important for you to know that the power for these reincarnated souls in domem and tzome'ach to rise from there and be rectified does not exist at all times). You cannot make this tikkun (rectification) at all times, ki le-chol zman ve'et le-chol chefetz (For everything there is a time and season).
U-mnam zeh zman aliyatam, da, ki mi she-mitgalgel be-domem (This is the time for their elevation: for someone reincarnated in domem), let's say the person is in domem, and a fixed number of years was decreed for him. Hinei ka'asher yagi'a zman aliyat min ha-domem le-hitgalgel ba-tzome'ach (When the time comes for him to rise from domem and be reincarnated in tzome'ach), he rises only during four middle months of the twelve months of the year. Those are Av, Elul, Tishrei, and Cheshvan.
So that's what's happening now, rabotai. Now we're having the elevation from domem to tzome'ach. Those are the four months of the year. Ve'im zman ha-katzuv lahem la'alot nishlam be-arba'ah chodashim elu, oleh (If the allotted time for them to rise is completed during these four months, he rises). If they were able to complete their tikkun within those months, then the elevator goes up. Ve'im lav tzarich le-hamtin, ad shanah acheret, be'arba'ah chodashim hamesayi'im, hanezkarim asher ba, vezman aliyatam min hatzome'ach el hachai (If not, he has to wait until the following year, during the four months mentioned, which are the time for their elevation from tzome'ach to hachai).
Wow, that makes sense. That's why we make Birkat Ha'ilanot (Blessing over the trees) in Nisan. He says that tzome'ach goes to hachai during the first four months, which are Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, and Tamuz.
Now, if you look in our siddur—we have our siddur, Moshe?—during the month of Nisan, we have a special tefilah (prayer) that we say every single day. Now we understand this tefilah. How about we look? Somebody could put one over here for—
Over there, we actually pray that all the nitzotzot (sparks) or the neshamot that are in tzome'ach should be able to elevate themselves and go to the next level. Now we see why we have that tefilah in Nisan: that's the month, that's when it starts. It's basically spring and the beginning of the summer.
Vezman aliyatam min hachai el ha'adam (The time for their elevation from the animal to the human being) is during the last four months: Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, and Adar. So that's the last months of the year when we have the elevation.
So, that famous Gemara, right, where they say to stay away from a certain type of ram? “The bull.” “Oh, the bull, right, yeah. At that time of year.” “Chodesh Tishrei, Chodesh Nisan. Shor beNisan, Satan bein karnav (An ox in Nisan, Satan between its horns), maybe.” “Right. They're going to go after you.”
Open the siddur. If you look at Chodesh Nisan, the tefilot. So we have the Chodesh Nisan tefilot here. Lechodesh Nisan, it's on page 821, 820. Yeah, that starts over there, but then the great Tefilah Le'ilui Neshamot (prayer for the elevation of souls)—go to page 830. During Nisan, we say the tefilah for le'ilui neshamot every day.
Look at page 831: ve'otam shemetu kodem zmanam velo nimseru leDumah, ve'otam hatmunim ba'aretz, veyatzitzu me'ir ke'esev ha'aretz (Those who died before their time and were not delivered to Dumah, and those buried in the earth, who will sprout like the grass of the earth). That means they're in the grass. Shelo atzru cho'ach adayin lavo limnuchatam (They have not yet gathered strength to come to their rest). Atah ila me'ila, Av malei berachamim, ha'er panecha vechaseh al avonot, pisham, vetum'atam (You, exalted above all, Father full of mercy, shine Your face and cover their sins, transgressions, and impurity). Umalachei chemlah aleihem ya'amdu, uvish'at dinam yiten Hashem tzel umenuchah (May the angels of compassion stand over them, and at the time of their judgment may Hashem give them shade and rest). Verucham tishkav betach, uvetzel Shadai yitlonanu, umadregah lemadregah, uma'alah lema'alah, yakumu veya'alu (May they lie down in peace and lodge in the shadow of the Almighty; from level to level, and from one height to a higher one, may they rise and ascend).
So here we're praying for the tzome'ach, that they should be elevated umimadregah lemadregah, uma'alah lema'alah (from level to level, and from one height to a higher one), in order that they should reach their ultimate tikkun. “That's meaning even if they don't have merits?” “Well, we're trying to get them out, just to—to do chesed (kindness).” “To do chesed, but they should be able to elevate themselves to the different levels.”
That's why we make Birkat Ha'ilanot also. If you look at Birkat Ha'ilanot, page 821, like was mentioned, we say over here in the leshem yichud (for the sake of unification). There are a lot of pesukim (verses) there. On page 822, toward the bottom, it says: vehirbeiti peri ha'etz, lema'an asher lo yikchu od cherpat ra'av bagoyim, ve'al hanachal ya'aleh al sfato mizeh umizeh (I will increase the fruit of the tree, so that they will no longer suffer the disgrace of hunger among the nations, and on the riverbank it will rise on both its sides). So that's basically the kavanah (intention) as well. You're trying to extract the neshamot that are in the trees, so let them go to the next level.
Okay, very nice. So these are seasonal items. Ve'omnam af al pi sheseder aliyatam hu al derech hanezkar, min hadomem el hatzome'ach, umin hatzome'ach lachai, umin hachai lamdaber (Although their order of ascent is as mentioned—from domem to tzome'ach, from tzome'ach to hachai, and from hachai to medaber [speaking being]), sometimes the reincarnated soul will rise two levels at once.
Kmo mi shemitgalgel techilah bedomem, shehu afar, vetavo eizeh behemah vetochal esev (For example, someone who is first reincarnated in domem, which is dirt, and some animal comes and eats grass). So what happens? How do you get elevated? The animal comes, and the person is in a piece of lettuce. The problem is, the grass or lettuce had some dirt on it. So the dirt went onto the lettuce, and the lettuce was eaten by the animal. Now he's inside the animal, so he jumped from dirt to—
Kmo mi shemitgalgel techilah bedomem, shehu afar, vetavo eizeh behemah vetochal esev, uvo me'orav me'at afar asher bo hayah megulgal nefesh hahi (For example, someone first reincarnated in domem, which is dirt; an animal comes and eats grass, and a little of the dirt in which that soul was reincarnated is mixed into it).
Everything is calculated. When you go into the field and see some dirt on the lettuce, don't be so quick to judge. There's something going on here. For that animal eating that piece of lettuce, specifically, it was the dirt that the soul needed to eat. That dirt goes into the animal, and all of a sudden it is elevated. Atah nefesh zo nitgalgelah maher ve'altah shtei madreigot yachad (That soul was reincarnated quickly and rose two levels at once): from domem to the animals.
O be'ofen acher ki im yihyeh megulgal betzome'ach (Or, in another way, if he is reincarnated in tzome'ach), let's give a different case. Let's say the person was already in tzome'ach, in vegetables and the fruits of the tree. He's in a tree, whatever it is—the apple—and a human being eats it. Okay, now the human being eats it. So he skipped a step. Instead of the animal eating the lettuce, the human being came and ate the head of lettuce. That's it, he went to the human being. Hineh nimtza chen shenitgalgel ve'alah min hatzome'ach el ha'adam (It is found, then, that he was reincarnated and rose from tzome'ach to the human being), and he went up two levels at once.
Velif'amim ya'aleh hamegulgal kol hamadreigot befa'am achat shehu min hadomem la'adam (Sometimes the reincarnated soul will rise all the levels at once, from domem to the human being). For example, a person ate a little dirt that got mixed into the stew. The lentils weren't cleaned well, whatever it was, and he was eating, tasted a piece of dirt, and swallowed it. Uvoto afar hayah megulgal echad (In that dirt, one soul was reincarnated). Nothing is for nothing. A person comes along and accidentally eats some dirt. The dirt now became part of him. Nimtza she'alah min hadomem la'adam (It is found that the soul rose from domem to the human being).
So you don't yell at your wife when she accidentally put some dirt in the yabrah. There's a reason. Stay religious. “Sure, she's trying to save the guy a trip. She's trying to save him a couple of levels.”
Veda ki hamegulgal bemayim uvemelach, einam nikra'im domem rak tzome'ach (Know that one reincarnated in water or salt is not called domem, but tzome'ach). So what do you consider that? Salt and water. That's interesting. Vehata'am lefi shehamayim hem chayim, venigrarim venov'im (The reason is that water is alive, and flows and moves). It flows; it's not stationary like dirt. Vechen hamelach na'asah min hamayim (And salt is made from water), velachen nikra gam hu tzome'ach (and therefore it, too, is called tzome'ach).
That's interesting. Vezeh she'amru Masechet Shabbat hanotel melach min hamachtzev, when you take salt from the quarry on Shabbat, chayav mishum kotzer (he is liable on account of reaping). How could he be liable on account of reaping? Kotzer is only for something that is tzome'ach. You see that salt is considered tzome'ach. That's why, when you quarry salt on Shabbat, you're liable on account of reaping.
Vehineh inyan elu hamegulgalim nitba'er inyanam bimkomot rabim (The matter of these reincarnated souls has been explained in many places), vehizkarnu pasuk hatzilah mecherev nafshi miyad kelev yechidati (and we mentioned the verse, “Save my soul from the sword, my only one from the power of the dog”). Gam ramzu raboteinu ve'amru reish tora bedikla (Our rabbis also alluded to this and said, “The head of the ox is in the basket”). That's the Gemara you were talking about, Nathan: reish tora bedikla. When you see the head of the ox in the basket, jump—salik le'igra (go up to the roof), because it means he's angry.
“Right.” “Yep, Berachot, I think.” Ki haro'eh shor shachor bimei Nisan (One who sees a black ox in the days of Nisan) should flee from it and go up to the roof, because Satan dances between its horns.
Ve'inyano ki hashor shehu dina kashya (The reason is that the ox, which represents strict judgment), is more prepared to have a soul reincarnated in it than other animals. Usually, the reincarnated souls would enter an ox more than any other animal. Velachen yivrach mimenu (Therefore, flee from it). Be careful. The reason this is not so regarding other animals is that, as we said, the time for the elevation of the reincarnated soul in tzome'ach to the animal is from Nisan onward.
That's why you have to be careful of these animals: it could be that they are now receiving neshamot that are entering them, because this is the time they get upgraded. This is the time that the transition from tzome'ach to the animal takes place. So if you see a wild animal in Nisan, it could be that a soul has just been reincarnated in it, and therefore beware.
Velachen bimei Nisan she'az nichnas bo hamegulgal harasha (Therefore, in the days of Nisan, when the wicked reincarnated soul enters it), dehahu ula al yedei tosefet ha'ibur hahu hara yazik lemi sheyifga bo (that ox, through that additional ibur, will harm whoever encounters it). Right, those are the bulls in Spain, in the—what do you call them? The bullfights. Aval achar shehurgal bo eino mazik (But after he has become accustomed to it, he does no harm). After the rasha gets accustomed to where he is, that's it; he gets used to it. Velachen ein kpeida, only in the first month, which is Chodesh Nisan, and only in the first month of his ascent, which is Nisan.
Wow, what a beautiful explanation of a Gemara al pi hasod (according to the mystical tradition). Shehashor be'ochlo ha'esev hatzome'ach nitgalgel bo harasha hahu (The ox, by eating the vegetative grass, had that wicked soul reincarnated in it). How did the rasha get into the animal? When the animal ate the grass, which was originally tzome'ach.
Vehineh bish'ar hapesukim be'inyan benei Bil'am (Balaam) harasha she'asu et ha'egel beChodesh Tamuz (And concerning the other verses about the wicked descendants of Bil'am, who made the calf in the month of Tamuz). Ah, so they made it in the month of Tamuz; that's when the calf has its power. Ve'alav ne'emar betavnit shor ochel esev (And it says about it, “In the form of an ox that eats grass”). Why do they have to say “the form of an ox that eats grass”? Some say it comes to hint at the day they made the calf. Esev is the initials of shiv'ah asar beTamuz. That's the day the calf was made.
But according to what we're saying now, betavnit shor ochel esev means that the ox eats the grass and therefore has the gilgul in it, and then starts to go wild.
Ve'inyan hamitgalgel bedomem nitba'er be'inyan Naval haCarmeli (Nabal the Carmelite), shekatuv vayamot libo bekirbo vehu hayah le'aven (about whom it says, “His heart died within him, and he became like a stone”). Naval, the antagonist of David HaMelech (King David), turns into a rock. The verse says he died and became a rock. Simply, that means he was dead; he became like a dead rock. But no, they're saying he literally became a rock, because he went down into the rock.
Uvesod ha'inyan yuvan mah shekatvu lanu zichronam livrachah ki Lavan (Laban)—here are the gilgulim—nitgalgel beVil'am (was reincarnated in Bil'am). Okay, that's a chiddush (new insight) already. Lavan was in Bil'am. Ve'achar kach beNaval, Naval otiot Lavan (Afterward, he was in Naval; the letters of Naval are Lavan). So that's the flight pattern for Lavan. Lavan started; he didn't get any better. The truth is, he keeps going into a worse guy. Lavan goes into Bil'am, and then he finds himself in Naval haCarmeli.
Vehineh Bil'am hayah holech likrat nechashim (Bil'am used to practice divination). Ve'ein kocho ela befiv (His power was in his mouth): to curse, lekalel benei adam (to curse people). Uchesheneherag Bil'am nitgalgel be'even tachat shehu bechinat domem (When Bil'am was killed, he was reincarnated in a stone, which is the level of domem). Why? Because domem can't speak. Lekhaper nechishato befiv (To atone for his divination with his mouth). Therefore, he is silent.
Ucheshenitgalgel achar kach beNaval haCarmeli, she'az hayetah techilat bi'ato ba'olam hazeh letaken (When he was later reincarnated in Naval haCarmeli, that was the beginning of his coming into this world to be rectified), then he actually came into a person. First he got into an inanimate object, and eventually he elevated himself. Now all of a sudden, he finally shows up as Naval haCarmeli, aka Bil'am.
Vehineh keshe'era oto ma'aseh shecheref et David HaMelech (When that incident occurred in which he disgraced David HaMelech), he cursed David HaMelech. That's it, he blew it. He used his mouth again, as Bil'am did in the first gilgul. He did it to curse. Alav ne'emar va'amar mi David umi ven Yishai (It says about him, “And he said, ‘Who is David, and who is the son of Yishai?’”). He said, “Ah, who's David? Who's ben Yishai?”
Veratzah David HaMelech lehorgo ya'an ki ba letaken dibur hara shel Bil'am (David HaMelech wanted to kill him because he had come to rectify Bil'am's evil speech), and of course, this guy was supposed to come and fix Bil'am's evil speech, and he didn't. Not only didn't he fix it, vehosif pesha (he added transgression). Vehosif pesha al zeh vechata bedibur lekalel David melech Yisrael (He added transgression to this and sinned with his speech by cursing David, king of Israel).
Ve'az zachar Naval veyada ki battechilah nitgalgel be'even letaken dibur hara shel Bil'am (Then Naval remembered and knew that he had first been reincarnated in a stone to rectify Bil'am's evil speech). Then he remembered. He says, “Oh, I used to be a rock, and then I came to fix Bil'am, ve'atah chazar lekalkelo (and now I returned to ruin it).” Lachen vayamot libo bekirbo (Therefore, his heart died within him): he remembers, “I blew it. I came back to make this tikkun, and here was my test, and I failed.” Zichro ki hu hayah le'aven battechilah (He remembered that he had originally been a stone), and therefore it caused him tza'ar (distress). Velachen lo ketiv vayehi ela vehu hayah le'aven (Therefore, it does not say “and he became,” but “he was like a stone”). He remembered right then that he had been a stone.
Vehineh Naval hayah adam gadol (Naval was a great man). Ve'ein temah eich yada zeh (It is not surprising how he knew this). Somebody will say, “How could Naval know? Was he a mekubal (Kabbalist)? He knew that he was Bil'am; he knew he was a rock? How did he know all these things?” He knew. Gam efshar shehigido eizeh navi (It is also possible that some prophet told him). Right, likely, possibly, maybe a navi came and told him these chiddushim, what had happened. Gam efshar devamazlei chaza af al gav de'ihu lo chaza (It is also possible that his mazal saw, even though he himself did not see). That's a general rule that we say. Sometimes the mazal of the person knows it, even though he himself might not have come to know it.
In Tanya, right? “Huh? In Tanya, when it's talking about Megillah, right?” “Right, right, right. It says, ‘Let him jump four steps forward,’ and they said, ‘What's he scared of? He doesn't see anything.’ No, even though he doesn't see it, ihu lo chaza mazlei hu dechaza (he himself did not see it, but his mazal saw it).”
Gam inyan hagilgul bedomem nirmaz etzlenu bapasuk ki even mikir tiz'ak (The matter of reincarnation in domem is also alluded to for us in the verse, “For a stone from the wall will cry out”). It says, “The rock will scream from the wall.” Like you said, the cat is screaming, so the rocks are screaming. Ki yesh megulgalim be'even shebakir (There are souls reincarnated in the stones in the wall). Sometimes a person is reincarnated in rocks, which is domem, or a chafis (piece) from a tree, because that is tzome'ach. Umesham tzo'akim merov ha'onesh sheyesh lahem sham (From there they cry out because of the great punishment they have there). That's amazing.
Ve'od yitba'aru ketzat pesukim acherim atah bezeh to'ar (A few other verses will now be explained in this way). It's an amazing thing. I told you it was an amazing thing.
One summer in Deal, I never sit in my front yard; I always sit on the porch. One summer, like two or three years ago, I decided, “You know what? We've got a beautiful tree in the front. You know what, son? Go set me up a table over there, with a chair and my sefarim, and in the afternoons I would go and learn at that table under this tree.” I had never seen this tree. I neglected it for ten—I never looked at that part of the house, that spot. It's the front of the house, whatever it is. Anyway, I sat there the whole summer and learned. Mamash, at the end of the summer, the tree uprooted and fell. I wasn't there; it fell right onto the table and broke it. That's it! The tree had been there for—I've been in the house for 15 years, and I never even noticed the tree. It's almost as if the limud haTorah (Torah learning)—and that's it, the tikkun of the tree was made, and that's that. We looked at, “What happened to this tree over here?” Not that we didn't know it existed, to give it an opinion on it. All of a sudden, it became the whole talk of the summer. “What happened to—” And that was the summer that we learned under the tree. So there's definitely something that takes place.
So he says, vehineh neva'er atah ketzat minei megulgalim (Now a few kinds of reincarnated souls will be explained). Da, ki hamedaber lashon hara (evil speech) (Know that someone who speaks evil speech), vechaytza bo mitgalgel be'even domem (and sins in this way, is reincarnated in an inanimate stone). That's the whole world—yeah, a lot of rocks. Kemo shebi'arnu be'inyan Naval shekatuv bo vayehi le'even (As we explained regarding Naval, about whom it says, “He became like a stone”). Ki temurat hadibur (As a replacement for speech), because he spoke, he now becomes inanimate and can't speak.
Vehamachil nevelot (prohibited carcasses) leYisrael (Someone who feeds prohibited carcasses to Israel)—ah, that's a butcher who feeds nevelot to Israel, or a caterer who gives non-kosher food to Israel—mitgalgel be'alei ha'ilan (is reincarnated in the leaves of a tree). He's a plant. Ve'onsho sheharu'ach makeh ba'aleh hahu umachzirato lechan ulechan ve'ein lo menuchah (His punishment is that the wind strikes that leaf and moves it back and forth, and it has no rest). All day long, the wind comes and blows the leaf back and forth, beli menuchah (without rest); the person is blown around.
Ucheshenishlam zeman haktzuv ne'ekeret ha'aleh min ha'ilan (When his allotted time is complete, the leaf is torn from the tree). Amazing. When is his gilgul over? The leaf will fall. Now we have fall! Every time you see a leaf falling from the tree, it's quite possible. Why is that leaf falling now? How come the other leaf is still connected to the tree? Why does a certain wind cause certain leaves to fall and other leaves not to? Hey, because it didn't finish its tikkun yet!
Venoflot venoflot la'aretz (They fall to the ground), and they decay and fall. Vezeh kidugmat mitah mamash (This is literally like death). What happens when a leaf dries up? That's it, it dies. It dries up, shrivels up, and then there you have it. It says shenichrat vene'ekar min ha'olam (that it is cut off and uprooted from the world). Wow. So therefore, you're seeing leaves dying every single day: death in front of you. When you see the leaf come down, the next day you see it's all brown; then you'll see it shrivels up, and it's finished.
Vezeh sod pasuk vehe'aleh navel (This is the secret of the verse, “And the leaf withered”). Vehe'aleh navel—navelet comes from the word nevelot, because he fed the people nevelot. Ki mi shema'achil nevelot Yisrael mitgalgel ba'alim hanovelot la'aretz (Someone who feeds prohibited carcasses to Israel is reincarnated in the leaves that fall to the earth). Vegam zeh sod ki tiheyeh ke'elah novelet aleha (This is also the secret of the verse, “It will be like an oak whose leaf withers”).
Velif'amim ki achar sheha'aleh hazot novelet chozeret umitgalgel ba'aleh acheret (Sometimes, after this leaf withers, it returns and is reincarnated in another leaf). Wow! The leaf goes into another leaf! It, too, withers, as many times as necessary, according to the punishment appropriate for it. It's like a person who is reincarnated in this world many times. Wow, there are a lot of butchers on these trees who might have been unscrupulous and fed people non-kosher food.
Veyesh mi shemitgalgelim bemayim (Some people are reincarnated in water), and they are also called tzome'ach, as we said. Vehem elu mi sheshafach damim ba'olam hazeh (These are those who shed blood in this world): the murderer. Vesimanoch al ha'aretz tishpechenu kamayim (And its sign is, “You shall pour it on the ground like water”). That's the blood, right? Al ha'aretz tishpechenu kamayim. Vene'emar shofech dam ha'adam ba'adam damo yishafech (And it says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed”).
Ve'onsho hu she'omed bekiluch hamayim (His punishment is that he stands where the water pours down). Ah, so he's part of the stream. Vesham hamayim nikla'im alav tamid (There the water is constantly falling on him). So therefore he's like at the bottom of Niagara Falls. The water just keeps on falling on his head. Vehu rotzeh lakum la'amod (He wants to get up and stand), but the water keeps on falling on his head. Vehamayim mapilim oto bechol rega ve'ein lo menuchah kelal vetamid hu mitgalgel saviv bimkom kiluch hamayim (The water knocks him down at every moment, he has no rest at all, and he is constantly turned around in the place where the water pours down). I guess a whirlpool, or he's in a certain area where the water just keeps getting pounded.
Gam nirmaz bazeh pasuk ki mot namut vechamayim hanigarim artzah (This is also alluded to in the verse, “For we must surely die, and are like water poured on the ground”). Gam kol mi shemitato bechenek (Also, anyone whose death is by strangulation), God forbid, if he is not punished by the earthly court, is reincarnated in water. Vesham nechnak bechol rega (There he is strangled at every moment), and every second he feels like he's choking.
Vehineh haba al eshet ish, asher mitato bechenek, mitgalgel berechayim (Someone who has relations with a married woman, for whom death is by strangulation, is reincarnated in a millstone). He comes into a millstone in which they put wheat and grind it with water. It's a water mill, and the water turns the stone. Hamigalgelim et harechayim, vesham nidonim ha'ish veha'ishah hahi (The millstones turn, and there the man and that woman are judged). So they put them both into the item, besod titchan le'acher ishti (in the secret of “You will grind for another wife”). Okay, so it doesn't sound like a comfortable place to be when he ends up as part of this water that's moving the millstone.
Gam hamezalzel binetilat yadayim (ritual handwashing) (Also, someone who is careless about ritual handwashing) is reincarnated in water, as it says in the verse. Like it says in the verse, azai avar al nafshenu hamayim hazeidonim (Then the waters would have overwhelmed us). Baruch Hashem shelo netananu teref leshineihem (Blessed is Hashem, who did not give us as prey to their teeth). So he says: the initials are shenatal. Ah, which means if you perform netilat yadayim, you won't be taken into that water. Ki al yedei shenatalnu yadeinu, lo netananu teref leshineihem, shel hamayim hazeidonim (Because when we washed our hands, we were not given as prey to the teeth of those arrogant waters). Velachen Baruch Hashem shelo asanu kemo harsha'im she'einam notlim yedeihem (Therefore, blessed is Hashem, who did not make us like the wicked, who do not wash their hands). Well, they're going to be stuck.
Vegam mi she'eino mevarech birkat hanehenin (Also, someone who does not recite blessings over what he enjoys) is a robber of his father and mother, as the Gemara Berachot says, chaver hu le'ish mashchit (he is a companion to a destructive man), and he too is reincarnated in water. Okay, so there's a lot going on in the water.
Veyesh shemitgalgelim beva'alei chayim (Some are reincarnated in animals). Vehineh haparnas hamitga'eh al hatzibur (A leader of the congregation who is arrogant toward the congregation) yitgalgel bidvorim (is reincarnated in bees). Dvorim means what—bees? Uchemo she'amar Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, lo ya'eh yehiluta lenashei (As Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said, “It is not fitting for women to be arrogant”). Sometimes you have an arrogant woman. So it says about one woman, chada shemah karkushta, vechada shemah Ziburta (one was called Karkushta, and one was called Ziburta). Are these the names of the women? Devorah the prophetess and Chuldah the prophetess. So the rabbis said, “Look at the names they got.” Devorah is a bee, and Chuldah is a weasel. Those were their names.
Vehem Devorah hanevi'ah shenitga'atah al Barak (This refers to Devorah the prophetess, who was arrogant toward Barak). Right, she said, ad shekamti Devorah, veshalchah acharav likrato (until I, Devorah, arose, and she sent for him to come to her). She didn't want to go to him, so that was considered arrogance. Gam Chuldah hanevi'ah bizzatah leTzidkiyah hamelech, ve'amrah, imru la'ish hazeh asher shalach etchem elai (Chuldah the prophetess also showed contempt for King Tzidkiyah, saying, “Tell this man who sent you to me”), as our rabbis said.
Vehineh hem betoch divreihem ramzu ki devorah hi ba'alat ga'avah, velachen einah osah melachah (In their words, they alluded to Devorah being arrogant, and therefore not doing work). Aha, so the bee is arrogant, and it doesn't work, I guess. The bee doesn't work? Vegam hi dabranit (And it is also talkative), because it buzzes and doesn't stop. Ki bechol sha'ah lo tishkot piha (At every moment its mouth is not silent).
Velachen parnas hamitga'eh al hatzibur, vechen mi shemedaber devarim shelo chehogen, shneihem mitgalgelim bidvorah, sheyesh bah shtei midot elu (Therefore, a leader who is arrogant toward the congregation, and someone who speaks improper things, are both reincarnated in a bee, which has these two traits). It's arrogant, lazy, and makes noise.
Veda she'ein lecha shum echad min hamitgalgelim hanizkarim, o shum neshamah shena'anshet beveit din shel ma'alah, she'ein lifaneha karoz echad, shemachriz onsho va'avonotav tamid bechol hazman hahu shehu mitgalgel (Know that there is no one among the reincarnated souls mentioned, or any soul sentenced in the heavenly court, before whom there is not an announcer who continually proclaims his punishment and sins for the entire time he is reincarnated). Wow, there's always an announcement: “So-and-so is getting a punishment because he did such-and-such,” and that's why he's in this gilgul. Sham, o ne'enash sham kanizkar, ve'eino zaz me'etzlo (There, he is punished as mentioned, and the announcer does not leave him). So he hears the announcement all day long.
Gam yesh imo shoter echad (He also has an officer with him). Wow, there's an enforcer, shema'anish oto be'oto onesh hara'ui lo (who punishes him with the punishment appropriate for him), o shemegalgelo be'oto gilgul hara'ui lo (or reincarnates him in the gilgul appropriate for him). For example, someone reincarnated in water: hineh hashoter hahu omed alav tamid (that officer stands over him constantly). Every time he tries to get out of the water, he throws him back in and pushes him into the water at every moment, until the allotted time is over. Scary.
Gam rov hamitgalgelim o hane'enashim kanizkar yesh lifneihem beit din (Also, most of the reincarnated or punished souls mentioned have a court before them), shedanim oto be'et gilgulo ve'onsho (which judges him at the time of his gilgul and punishment). Umeshanim et onsham me'et le'et (They change their punishment from time to time). They can change his sentence, from one punishment to another, according to the law and the judgment.
Amar Shemuel, od matzati likutim kerovim lemah shenizkar (Shemuel said, “I also found collections related to what was mentioned”). Ve'af al pi shemitoch divrei harav nir'eh she'einam mipi morenu zal, hamagiah Moharar Gedalyah zal, ka'asher katav odotam, im kol zeh lo nimnati melehatzig (Although from the words of the Rav it appears they are not from our teacher, of blessed memory, the editor Moharar Gedalyah, of blessed memory, wrote them, nevertheless I did not refrain from presenting them).
Vezeh leshono, vezeh matzati bekuntres ha-Rav ha-Levi (This is his wording, and this is what I found in the booklet of Rav HaLevi), he's a student. Ve'omnam da'ati beli safek, she'eino mimori (Nevertheless, my opinion is certain that it is not from my teacher).
Haba al habehemah, ya charam, yitgalgel ba'atalef (Someone who has relations with an animal, God forbid, is reincarnated in a bat). What's atalef, Bat? Haba al hanidah, wow, God forbid a person has relations with a woman who is nidah, yitgalgel begoyah (he is reincarnated as a non-Jewish woman). Haba al eshet ish yitgalgel bachamor (Someone who has relations with a married woman is reincarnated as a donkey). Haba al imo yitgalgel be'aton nekevah (Someone who has relations with his mother is reincarnated as a female donkey).
Haba al ha-zachar, guys—homosexuality—yitgalgel be-shafan (he is reincarnated as a hyrax), o be-arnevet (or a rabbit), kefi mah she-chata, o bo'el o niv'al (according to how he sinned, whether he was the active or passive partner). Haba al kallato (Someone who has relations with his daughter-in-law) yitgalgel be-faredah (is reincarnated as a mule). Haba al eshet achiv (Someone who has relations with his brother's wife) yitgalgel be-fered zachar (is reincarnated as a male mule). Haba al achoto, bat aviv o vat imo (Someone who has relations with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother) yitgalgel ba-chasidah (is reincarnated as a bird), ve-yaharaguha (and it will be killed by its companions), raboteha (its friends), as our rabbis said.
Vezeh sod ve-ish ki yikkach et achoto bat aviv o vat imo chesed hu (This is the secret of the verse, “If a man takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, it is a disgraceful thing”). Chesed, ya'ani chasidah (Chesed, meaning a stork): he will come back as that bird called chasidah. That's what it says in the verse. Wow, man.
Ve-chen ha-ba al chamoto, ha-shochev im behemah chayah va-of yitgalgel be-orev (Likewise, someone who has relations with his mother-in-law, or lies with a wild animal or a bird, is reincarnated as a raven). Ha-mistakel tamid ba-arayot u-mabbit bahem (Someone who constantly looks at forbidden sexual relations and gazes at them) comes back as the animal or bird called da'ah. Da'ah, she-ro'eh le-merachok yoter mi-kol ha-ofot (It sees from farther away than all other birds). Ve-chol zeh im lo asah teshuvah (All of this applies if he has not done teshuvah [repentance]). Okay, there you have it. It's great stuff.
Amar ha-ma'atik (The copyist said), let's continue. Mah she-katav Rabbenu z''l ve-chol zeh im lo asah teshuvah (What our teacher, of blessed memory, wrote, “All of this applies if he has not repented”), hainu ha-kavanah tzarich la'asot teshuvah (means the intention is that one must repent). Like we said, you have to fast 387 days, and you have to—whatever—she-yit'aneh sach ta'aniyot (that he fast many fasts); there are all kinds of avonot.
That's a big question today. Do we really have to go through all these tikkunim the Ari z''l said? He says if you get angry one time, you have to fast a hundred and who knows how many fasts. Ve-im asah ta'aniyot ellu az nitzal mi-din Geihinnom u-me-ha-gilgulim ha-ellu (If he performs these fasts, he is saved from the judgment of Gehinnom and from these reincarnations). Ve-chen katav be-Sefer Ha-Kavvanot (And so he wrote in Sefer Ha-Kavvanot).
Ve-af al pi she-kvar nitba'er tikkuno be-Sefer Ha-Kavvanot klomar tikkun ha-motzi shichvat zera, hu tikkun ha-meyu'ad le-nakot kol ha-avonot she-lo yikanes le-Geihinnom (Although his tikkun has already been explained in Sefer Ha-Kavvanot—that is, the tikkun for one who emits semen—which is the tikkun intended to cleanse all the sins so he will not enter Gehinnom). So the tikkun for zera levattalah (wasted seed) is 84 fasts. So we try to do these tikkunim during Shovavim (Shovavim period), to make up for all the fasts one would have to fast. They do a different sort of prayers to try to—because we can't fast. How are you going to fast for every avon, 84 fasts? “Each time?” “Each time, it seems.” “It seems.”
So I think the person's fasting his whole life; he ain't ever going to eat. But they say three-day fasts are considered like a thousand, and six days are considered like 42,000, because it becomes exponential.
U-ve-inyan arba kittot she-einam mekablim penei Shechinah (Divine Presence), the four groups that don't see the Shechinah, she-hem kat leitzim (mockery)—that's the wise guys, the leitzim, like we saw in Sotah mem bet—the group of flatterers, the group of liars, and the group of those who speak lashon hara (evil speech). Like it says in the Gemara, Rabbenu z''l wrote that they told Agrippas, “Achinu attah, achinu attah” (“You are our brother, you are our brother”). Rabbenu z''l wrote in Sha'ar Ma'amarei Chazal, and this is his wording: da ki be-olam ha'Atzilut yesh chamishah partzufim (Know that in the world of Atzilut there are five configurations). What are they? Arich Anpin (Long Countenance), Abba ve-Imma (Father and Mother), Ze'eir Anpin (Small Countenance), and Nukba (female configuration).
Vehineh kat leitzim pogem be-Arich (The group of scoffers damages Arich), a high place. Ve-chat chenefim be-Abba ve-chat meshakerim be-Imma ve-chat mesaprei lashon ha-ra, so they are in Ze'eir Anpin. Velachen kol kat me-ellu ha-arba kittot ha-pogmot be-arba'ah partzufim ha-nizkarim ein ro'eh penei Shechinah (Therefore, each of these four groups, which damage the four configurations mentioned, does not see the face of the Shechinah). Which is what? The Nukba, she-hi ha-partzuf ha-chamishi (which is the fifth configuration), Nukba de-Z'eir Anpin. Ki hem al yedei chet'am pagmu be-ellu arba'ah partzufim elyonim (Through their sins, they damaged these four upper configurations). So therefore, since they broke the pipes, they cannot see what's beneath them, which is the Shechinah, ve-lo nimshach eleha ha-shefa ha-tzarich lah (and the flow she needs is not drawn to her).
Ve-da ki avon ha-leitzim kal mi-kullam (Know that the sin of the scoffers is the lightest of them all). Oh wow, I thought it was the worst; I made a mistake. He's saying no, because you're only getting rid of the first pipe, but the other three pipes beneath it are still intact. He says, ki avon ha-leitzim kal mi-kullam, velachen eino gorem rak silluk he'arat Arich Anpin le-ha'ir ba-tachtonim (The sin of the scoffers is the lightest of them all, and therefore it causes only the removal of the illumination of Arich Anpin from shining into the lower worlds).
Avon ha-chanifut chamur mimmenu ki gorem le-salek gam he'arat Abba (The sin of flattery is more severe, because it also causes the illumination of Abba to withdraw). Gam is the key. So you're losing the first two levels. She-hi yoter geru'ah ve-einah me'irah ba-tachtonim (It is more deficient and does not shine in the lower worlds). Ve-avon ha-sheker chamur mimmenu ki gorem le-salek min ha-tachtonim gam he'arat Imma (The sin of lying is more severe, because it also causes the illumination of Imma to withdraw from the lower worlds).
Ve-avon mesaprei lashon ha-ra chamur mi-kullam (The sin of speaking lashon hara is more severe than all of them). Look how big lashon hara is, she-gorem le-salek min ha-tachtonim afilu he'arah ha-tachtonah shel Ze'eir Anpin (because it causes even the lowest illumination of Ze'eir Anpin to withdraw from the lower worlds). Vehineh avon haleitzim kal mikulam, lefi she'eino oseh shum ma'aseh klal (The sin of scoffing is the lightest of all, since it does not involve any action at all). He's just making fun. It's words, dibur kal (light speech).
Uvifrat bemah she'amru ki yoshev batel me'asok batorah (Especially what they said about someone who sits idle instead of engaging in Torah). Even if a person sits and doesn't learn Torah, he's called a leitz. You don't have to be doing something negative; just by not doing the positive, a person is called a leitz. Mah shekatuv be-Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), Rabbi Chananya ben Teradyon omer, shenayim sheyoshvim ve'ein beineihem divrei Torah (Rabbi Chananya ben Teradyon says, “If two people sit together and there are no words of Torah between them”), harei zeh moshav leitzim (A gathering of scoffers).
Umikol makom shehu kal me'od velachen eino mesalek rak he'arat Arich Anpin ha'elyonah mikulam (Nevertheless, it is very light, and therefore it removes only the highest illumination of Arich Anpin). Something small, kal, removes it. Vehineh mah shegorem haleitz hu mevo'ar etzleinu be-Sha'ar Ru'ach Hakodesh, betikun avon haleitz, ve'ayen sham eich ba'achorayim shel Atzilut yesh kach tzirufim shel Elokim (What the scoffer causes is explained for us in Sha'ar Ru'ach Hakodesh, in the tikkun for the sin of scoffing; see there how in the back side of Atzilut there are so many letter combinations of Elokim).
There are 120 different configurations of the Shem Elokim. We see them on Motza'ei Shabbat when we say Eliyahu Hanavi zachur latov (Elijah the prophet, may he be remembered for good). You see the 120 different ways of Eliyahu Hanavi. You ever see that in the siddur? “No, the last ten we just repeat Eliyahu ten times.” Open up Motza'ei Shabbat and you'll see it. It's just a nice thing to see. Do you have the siddur over there? Open it up. Page 732? Okay, 730, 731, 730.
So you see over there Eliyahu, Eliyahu; every Eliyahu is a different configuration, and it goes all the way to 120. Then from 121 to 130, it's just saying Eliyahu ten times. It's the same. That's another ten, but it's 120 calculations for Eliyahu Hanavi. And it's the same concept. There are five letters: one, two, three, four, five. Elokim is five letters too. Anytime you have five letters, you can make 120 different calculations. This is the secret over here on Motza'ei Shabbat: to say all the tzirufim (combinations) of Eliyahu Hanavi. That's why sometimes you see people on Motza'ei Shabbat counting, but our siddur is better, because it gives you the configurations. When you're counting it, you don't know what you're thinking. How could you think of these configurations? You have to be a gaon (great Torah scholar) to figure—
Okay, so then he says again: ba'achorayim shel Atzilut yesh kach tzirufim shel Elokim keminyan leitz (In the back side of Atzilut there are so many configurations of Elokim, corresponding to the numerical value of leitz). Ah, leitz is 120. Oh wow, so that can explain Eliyahu Hanavi.
Eliyahu Hanavi also, when he said, “Aneni Hashem, aneni” (“Answer me, Hashem, answer me”), he said, “Aneni, that You should send fire from heaven, and aneni, so they won't say it's an act of sorcery.” He was worried about the leitzanim who were going to come and say that his miracle was a sketch. It's the same tziruf. His name has the tziruf of 120, and leitz is 120. “What are you saying about Eliyahu?” “Right. ‘Maybe your god is sleeping, maybe he's in the bathroom.’”
Ki haleitzanut (mockery), that's leitzanut de'avodah zarah (idolatry), which is permitted. Ki haleitzanut gorem lehagbir ko'ach elu hadinim shel kach Elokim (Mockery causes those judgments of Elokim to grow stronger). Wow. Leitzanut arouses judgments. The verse says, “Leitz takeh” (“Strike the scoffer”). That means the only way the scoffer is going to learn his lesson is that you have to hit him over the head. Uma'aleh otam keneged Arich Anpin (It raises them corresponding to Arich Anpin). Wow, the judgments of the achorayim of Atzilut come onto Arich, ve'az mesalek he'arato (and then its illumination withdraws). Ve'im eino mitlotzeitz moridam lematah (If he does not scoff, it brings them down below). If he's not mitlotzeitz, then the he'arah goes all the way down to Beri'ah.
Ve'avon hachanufah chamur yoter (The sin of flattery is more severe). What's chanufah? False flattery. You go to the rasha and say, “Oh, you're unbelievable. You're a great guy,” like politicians who falsely flatter people all day long. They butter the guy up; they say things that aren't true about him. Lefi shehaleitzanim dovrim emet (Because the scoffers speak the truth), ela shehu bederech latzon (but they do it by way of mockery). Aval hachanefim omrim shkarim lehachnif et chaveireihem (But the flatterers tell lies in order to flatter their friends). Velachen gormim ki gam Abba yesalek he'arato (Therefore, they cause even Abba to withdraw its illumination).
Vezehu ta'am sheshama'ti mimori zal ki chanefim begimatriya kapach, 188 (This is the reason I heard from my teacher, of blessed memory: chanefim has the numerical value of 188). As we learned, Shem achorayim de-Abba. Remember we learned this in Pote'ach et yadecha? Shem achorayim de-Havayah deyudin. Right, we said the achorayim of yudin is yud, yud heh, yud heh vav, yud heh vav heh, which is 184. With the four letters, it's 188. So chanifah is 188, which is the achorayim of Abba. That's why it removes the illumination of Abba.
Ve'avon hashkarim is worse. Ki elu bashkarim eino medaber bemi she'eino mazik bediburo (These lies are not about someone who speaks without causing harm through his speech). Ve'omnam hu inyan bemi shemedaber shekarim asher aleihem nimshech hezek (Rather, it concerns someone who tells lies that cause damage), where you're causing a lot of people to lose money, vechesron mamon lezulato (and causing another person financial loss). Velachen gorem lesalek gam he'arat Imma (Therefore, this causes even the illumination of Imma to withdraw).
Vehineh sheshamati ki shekarim gimatriya taran (I heard that shekarim has the numerical value of taran). Shekarim is the numerical value of 650, which is two times Shechah. That's judgments, which are in Imma and Malchut: 325 and 325, twice 325 is 650. Ushneihem kelulim lema'alah be'Imma (Both are included above in Imma), velachen pogem be'Imma, ki gorem yitgavru kol eilu hadinim (and therefore it damages Imma, because it causes all these judgments to become stronger).
Ve'avon mesaper lashon hara chamur mikulam, kemo she'amru raboteinu shehu chamur me'avodah zarah vegilui arayot (forbidden sexual relations) ushefichut damim (bloodshed) (The sin of speaking lashon hara is more severe than all of them, as our rabbis said that it is more severe than idolatry, forbidden sexual relations, and bloodshed). Listen, man, if people only knew how bad lashon hara is. It's worse than avodah zarah, gilui arayot, and shefichut damim. Lefi shegorem lishpoch dam chavero (Because it causes one's fellow's blood to be spilled), right? Because you're saying bad things; you cause people to kill each other.
Velachen pogem afilu biZe'eir Anpin (Therefore, it damages even Ze'eir Anpin). It can reach even Ze'eir Anpin, which is by us, umesalek he'arato batachtonim (and it removes its illumination from the lower worlds). Veneishe'eret haShechinah beli shum he'arah klal (The Shechinah is left without any illumination at all). That's why speaking lashon hara is more severe than all of them.
Venoda ki Ze'eir Anpin hu ot vav shel Havayah (It is known that Ze'eir Anpin is the letter vav of Havayah). The yud is chochmah and/or Abba, the heh is Imma, and the vav is Za, vehu nikra lashon limudim. That's the vav; it's called lashon limudim, and limud is like a stick, and therefore it damages Ze'eir Anpin. Lashon, besod leshon hamishkal hamachria bein shtei hakapot (The tongue is the balance beam that determines between the two pans). That's like the crossbar on the scales; that's like the letter vav, too. That part of the scale is called the lashon, and it looks like a vav, between the two pans.
Ad kan leshono zal (Thus far is his wording, of blessed memory). Okay, rabotai, what a chapter that is. Ad kan raza deyichuda (Thus far is the secret of unification). Baruch Adonai le'olam amen ve'amen (Blessed is the Lord forever, amen and amen).