April 15, 1955, London
To the students:
I received the letter of … and it is good that he interprets its details as much as he can. As for the rest of the matters that he informed me, I hope to sort everything out soon.
The Mishnah says, “Everyone is incumbent in seeing,” meaning that each and every one must be seen at the Temple, as it is said, “All your males shall be seen.” One who is regarded as a male, meaning a giver, must feel that the Creator sees him and watches over him.
Our sages said, “One who is blind in one of his eyes is exempted from seeing, as it is said, ‘Will see, will see.’ As one comes to see, one comes to be seen. As one comes to see with both eyes, one comes to be seen with both eyes” (Hagigah 4).
“Eyes” mean Anochi (I) and “You shall not have.” Anochi is regarded as love, which is considered Hassadim (mercies), namely faith. “You shall not have” is regarded as a woman, considered left. Only then is one rewarded with greeting the face of the Shechina (Divinity).
“They shall not see My face empty handed, but rather each man with a gift according to his ability,” meaning to the extent that he had an awakening from below, to the extent of the blessing of the Creator, and as much as the Creator illuminated for him during his work so he could persevere during his work. By this one can be rewarded with greeting the face of the Shechina.
In the Gemarah (p 4), it is written about what is written in the Mishnah, “Except for the deaf, the fool, and the little one. In the Tanya: “Who is a fool? He who loses what he is given.” He is exempted from seeing, meaning that he cannot be granted any clothing of Kedusha (holiness).
By this I have interpreted the words of our sages, “Rabbi Yohanan said, ‘Who is a wise disciple who is returned a loss by impression? He who is meticulous with his garment, to turn it inside out” (Shabbat, 114). We need to understand the greatness about this.
In our way, it is simple: “His garment” is the clothing over the soul, meaning that he is meticulous with turning the will to receive to be in order to bestow. It is a rule that everyone is rewarded with an awakening from above at one time. But why does this awakening depart from him? It is because one sins only if a spirit of folly has permeated him.
This means that there is a wise one and there is a fool. The wise one is called the “Creator.” A “wise disciple” means that one has learned the quality of the Creator—to be a giver. A “fool” is the opposite of the Creator—one who wishes to be a receiver for oneself. By the awakening of the vessels of reception, the awakening promptly leaves him.
But when he is meticulous about turning his garment inside out, meaning in order to bestow, his loss is promptly returned to him by impression, meaning that he is rewarded with eyes of Kedusha, with Anochi and “You shall not have.”
However, we should know that there is a Mitzva (commandment) and there is Torah, as it is written, “a candle is a Mitzva and the light is Torah.”
The holy Zohar explains the reason why he offered an offering of grain on Passover. The Omer was of grain because the moon was imperfect, meaning that there was circumcision without removal (and only on the first night it was as an awakening from above). Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, which is the casting off of the will to receive.
By this one is rewarded with a Mitzva, faith, called the “hand Tefillin, of the weaker hand.” This discernment is called the “kingdom of heaven,” regarded as a beast in Gematria, the name BON. Also, by the correction through the Omer count during the seven weeks, one is rewarded with receiving the Torah, which is heaven, Zeir Anpin, which is “man” (Adam) in Gematria. For this reason, on the eighth day of the assembly, two loafs were offered from the grain, which is food for man.
By this we will understand the Mishnah, “On Passover one is sentenced for the produce of the grain, and on the eight days of the assembly for the fruit of the tree. Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Akiva, ‘Why did the Torah say, ‘Bring harvest before me on Passover so that your produce in the field will be blessed.’ And why did the Torah say, ‘Bring two loafs of bread before me on the eight day of the assembly? It is because the assembly is the time of the fruit of the tree.’ The Creator said, ‘Bring two loafs of bread before Me so that the fruit of the tree will be blessed’” (Rosh Hashanah, 16).
We need to understand the connection between food for beasts and the produce of the fields, and the connection between food for man, which is grain, with the fruit of the tree. In our way, it is simple: Omer means food for beast, which is faith, Mitzva, fear of heaven, for Malchut is called “beast.” The two loafs of bread are man’s food, as RASHI interpreted, “According to Rabbi Yehuda, the tree that the first man ate was wheat, for man is called ‘the tree of the field,’ and the Torah is called a ‘tree,’ as it is written, ‘She is a tree of life.’ And when rewarded with Torah, it is called “being sentenced for the tree on the eighth day of the assembly.”
I was not lengthy in this letter; I have no news and let us hope that all will be well.
Your friend