“On the day of the first fruits, when you bring an offering of new-meal to God on your Shavuot Festival, you shall observe an occasion proclaimed sacred; you shall not do any mundane work.” (Numbers 28:26)

“V ’et HaOrvim Tziviti LeChalkelekha (And I Have Commanded the Ravens to Feed You)” (1 Kings 17:4)—this alludes to charity. Initially, when a person begins donating charity, he has to break his heartlessness and turn it into compassion. This is the essential devotion of charity. When someone naturally compassionate gives charity purely out of his compassionate instinct, it is not an act of devotion—there are also animals that are compassionate by nature. Rather, the essential devotion is transforming cruelty into compassion.

This is the meaning of “And I have commanded the ravens to feed you.” The raven, cruel by nature, turned compassionate in order to feed Eliyahu. It must be the same with charity. And even those who are benevolent—all who are generous must first undergo this process of “And the ravens.” In other words, in order to donate charity they first have to break their heartlessness—their initial tendency to be cruel—and turn it into compassion.

2. Beginning the devotion of charity is very difficult and demanding. All devotions and all acts of repentance—whatever act one wants to carry out in service of God—must be preceded by many cries of “Oy vavoy!” and many groans, genuflections and gesticulations {i.e., the contortions which the God-fearing make during their devotions}. This is mainly at the beginning, for it is very difficult then, because all beginnings are difficult (Mekhilta: Bachodesh 2). One needs many cries and sighs, etc., before giving birth to any act.

Afterwards as well, after the beginning, service of God does not come easily. As mentioned above, it takes much effort and many contortions, before one can do something in an exemplary manner. Nevertheless, the beginning is extremely difficult. The reason is that good deeds are the primary progeny of the righteous (Midrash Tanchuma, Noach 2). It follows that mitzvot, good deeds and all devotions to God signify a birth. Before the birth, how many times does a woman cry out, how many labor-pangs and contractions does she have until she bears the progeny!

This is especially so for a first-time birth, because a woman’s first delivery is very difficult for her, as it is written, “in anguish, like she that gives birth for the first time” (Jeremiah 4:31). This is a beginning, which is very difficult, as in, “all beginnings are difficult.”

And charity is always a beginning, as in (Deuteronomy 15:8), “open, you shall open [your hand to him].” Even where an opening and a beginning already exist, charity opens more and more, widening the opening further. When a person wants to embark upon a particular path and devotion in worshipping God, he needs to make an opening in order to enter that path. This is as in “all beginnings are difficult,” because at the beginning one must break through and open a new entrance. It is therefore very difficult. Yet the remarkable power of charity is that it can widen and open the opening more and more. When we make an opening in some devotion and give charity, the charity opens and widens the opening more and more. This is because charity is the beginning of all beginnings, for it opens and widens all the entrances.

And in charity itself there is also a beginning. This is when one begins to give charity, which is “And I have commanded the ravens.” Beginning the devotion of charity is therefore very difficult and demanding, for it is the beginning of all beginnings.

3. Nevertheless, the benefit of giving charity is extremely great, as charity helps always. The body’s needs are numerous. Even the essentials—such as eating, drinking, clothing and shelter—are numerous and vast. One can spend all one’s days and years on the necessities alone, and they considerably hinder a person’s service of the Creator.

This is so even though [all our efforts in pursuit of these needs] are themselves the service of God. They are the concept of an arousal from below, for through an act below there is an arousal on high. Whatever labors and works people engage in awaken the supernal form of that work in the Act of Creation. It also brings vitality and illumination to the supernal form of that work associated with the Act of Creation on high, which parallels that labor and work a person engages in below, in this world.

The labors and works that we engage in create “the Tabernacle.” All works are included in the thirty-nine-works, namely, the primary works. “Primary” implies that there are “derivatives” (Bava Kama 2a). All the types of work and labor that people engage in are included in the thirty-nine-works. These [thirty-nine] are the primary ones; the rest are derivatives.

And the thirty-nine-works correspond to the works of the Tabernacle, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: What do the forty-less-one primary works parallel? They parallel the works of the Tabernacle (Shabbat 49b), for the forms of the Tabernacle resembled the forms of the Act of Creation (see Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction, p.13a). A nd [they parallel] the human who does the work, for the form of the [human] body resembles the form of the Tabernacle (ibid.). It follows that by a person engaging in work and labor, a Tabernacle is created. When he performs the work and labor fittingly, the way he should, he gives vitality to the Act of Creation and illuminates it, and [his labor] is the world’s mainstay. It follows that this, too, is the service of God.

Even so, if He were to pour His lovingkindness upon us, we would have no need for all this. For how did God create the entire world out of the absolute nothingness, when there was no existent through which to effect an arousal from below? Yet He created worlds such as these, and did so entirely by means of His lovingkindness, without any arousal from below whatsoever, as in “The world is built on lovingkindness” (Psalms 89:3).

Considering that God could have created worlds such as these solely by means of His lovingkindness, without any arousal from below, He can certainly sustain and perpetuate the worlds solely by means of His lovingkindness. Then we would not have had to engage in any labor or work whatsoever, as even the [work for one’s] necessities would be done by others, as it is written (Isaiah 61:5-6), “Foreigners will stand and pasture your flocks, and the sons of the stranger will be your ploughmen and your vineyard workers. And you will be called ‘priests of God.’” Specifically “priests of God,” which is the concept of lovingkindness, as in “The world is built on lovingkindness.” In other words, they will be called “priests of God”/God’s lovingkindness, for they will not have to engage in any labor or work. The world will sustain itself solely by His lovingkindness. But when the lovingkindness is held back with God, God forbid, so that He does not bestow His lovingkindness upon us, it is necessary to act to effect an arousal from below.

This is the meaning of “Yours, O God, is lovingkindness, for You pay each man commensurate with his deeds” (Psalms 62:13). When the lovingkindness is held back with God, that is, “Yours, O God, is lovingkindness,” for the lovingkindness is held back with God and He does not bestow it upon us—then “for You pay each man commensurate with his deeds,” i.e., God repays him commensurate with his actions and labors. His actions must be specifically in order to effect an arousal, because the lovingkindness is held back with God and He does not bestow it upon us. If, however, He would bestow the lovingkindness upon us, we would not have to act at all. Then, “for You pay each man as if his deeds” would be fulfilled—it would be as if he acts, for we do not have to do anything when He bestows His lovingkindness.

4. However, one has to take in the lovingkindness gradually. This is because it is impossible to receive lovingkindness in abundance, as this would cause one to cease to exist—[as in:] They cannot bear an abundance of good (Taanit 23a). One has to create a container and a conduit through which to receive the lovingkindness. This is accomplished through fear of Heaven, which makes a ChaKiKah (engraving) and a conduit through which to take in the lovingkindness, as in “and a m’ChoKeK (lawgiver) from between his feet” (Genesis 49:10). “Feet” alludes to fear of Heaven, which signifies the end, as it is written “In the end, all things having been considered: Fear the Lord” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). In other words, fear of Heaven, which corresponds to the feet, creates an engraving and conduit in order to receive the lovingkindness.

This is the meaning of “and behold! the staff of Aharon of the house of Levi had blossomed” (Numbers 17:23). The lovingkindness, Aharon’s trait, has to be received by the container, which conceptually is fear of Heaven, the side of Levi, as in “with the saving strengths of His right arm” (Psalms 20:7).

5. Fear of Heaven comes about mainly through the revelation of Ratzon (Divine Will), as in “Divine Will creates the God-fearing” (Psalms 145:19)—the revelation of Divine Will creates fear of Heaven. In other words, fear of Heaven is produced by revealing that everything is governed through the Will of God—that God created everything through His Will, without any obligation to do so, and He gives life and sustains everything through His Will, without any determinism at all. For then there is reward and punishment, and fearing Heaven applies, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: “Yaakov was filled with fear”—he said: “Perhaps the sin has caused [me to lose my protection]” (Berakhot 4a).

But when Divine Will is concealed and people presume that there is determinism, God forbid—as if everything is governed by the laws of nature, God forbid—fear of Heaven has no application. This is because there is no reward and punishment, God forbid, since everything is determined by nature’s dictates, God forbid. It follows that fear of Heaven is mainly the result of the revelation of Divine Will—that everything is governed solely by God’s Will.

6. Now, revelation of Ratzon is through the festivals. Each festival announces, proclaims and reveals Divine Will—that everything is governed solely by His Will—as in “an occasion proclaimed sacred” (Leviticus 23:7). The festival calls out and proclaims Divine Will. On each festival God performed awesome miraculous signs on our behalf; contradictions of nature that reveal Divine Will—that everything takes place through His Will and there is no determinism at all.

Pesach recalls the exodus from Egypt; that God took us out through awesome miraculous signs.

Shavuot recalls the giving of the Torah; that He gave us the Torah through awesome miraculous signs.

Sukkot recalls the envelopment in the Clouds of Glory. Thus each festival announces and proclaims Divine Will, as in “an occasion proclaimed sacred.” The festivals are therefore called “regel ,” which signifies fear of Heaven. Through the festivals, which reveal Divine Will, fear of Heaven is created.

However, we do not always hear the festival’s proclamation, through which Divine Will is revealed. This can be sensed in the joy of the festival. Each person experiences the joy of the festival commensurate with the degree that he feels and hears the festival’s proclamation calling out and proclaiming Divine Will.

When Ratzon—that everything takes place through God’s Will—is revealed, then people know that God will take revenge against the nations for all the servitude and exile and all the adversities we suffered at their hands, and He will redeem us from their hands.

But if we think that everything is determined by the laws of nature, God forbid, revenge against them has no application, since everything is governed solely by the dictates of nature, God forbid. {“The righteous one will rejoice when he sees revenge, he will bathe p’amav (his feet) in the blood of the wicked one. Men will say, ‘There is, indeed, reward for the righteous; there is, indeed, a God Who judges the land” (Psalms 58:11-12) .}

This is as in “The righteous one will rejoice when he sees revenge, he will bathe p’amav (his feet) in the blood of the wicked one.” Specifically P’ AMav—i.e., by means of “three P’AMim (times) in the year” (Deuteronomy 16:16). This refers to the festivals through which Divine Will is revealed. As a result, “The righteous one will rejoice when he sees revenge.”

This is also as it is written, “Men will say: There is, indeed, reward for the righteous; there is, indeed, a God Who judges the land.” When it is revealed that there is a God who judges as He wills, and that there is “reward for the righteous” and He will take revenge against [those that afflicted] them, then “The righteous one will rejoice.” This is the joy of the festivals—i.e., the revelation of Divine Will, revealed on the festival through the proclamation, for the festival announces and proclaims Divine Will.

However, not everyone hears the festival’s proclamation, on account of the wild animals that claw at and tear apart their prey. These are the deterministic scientists who demonstrate through their erroneous ideologies that everything is caused by the laws of nature, as if there is no Divine Will whatsoever, God forbid. Even the awesome miraculous signs that God has performed on our behalf, they associate with nature. These scientists are like wild animals; they prey upon many of our fellow Jews, who mistakenly follow them and think like them, as if [it were true that] everything is determined by the dictates of nature, God forbid. And when they grow strong, the roaring sound of those wild animals drowns out the festival’s proclamation, which proclaims Divine Will. As a result, the joy of the festival ceases, God forbid, because the main joy of the festival comes about through the revelation of Divine Will.

This is the meaning of “Your enemies roared inside Mo’ADekha (Your meeting place), they made their signs for signs” (Psalms 74:4). The roar of the enemies—i.e., the sound of the wild animals, i.e., the deterministic scientists—literally penetrates the Mo ’ED (festival), namely their proclamation, which announces and proclaims Divine Will. The roar of the enemies literally enters them, so that they roar loudly and demonstrate that everything is determined solely by the laws of nature, God forbid, according to the order of the heavenly signs. This is “they made their signs for signs”—they turn the heavenly signs into signs, saying that everything is caused by the heavenly signs as determined by nature, God forbid. This is the reason that not everyone is able to hear the festival’s proclamation.

7. Overcoming these wild animals, the deterministic scientists, is through a great and holy sage. He is able to bind all wills to the root of Divine Will, which conceptually is the level at which Moshe passed away, as is known (Zohar II, p.88b). This is the Brow of Ratzon, as in “and it shall be on his brow always to bring them ratzon” (Exodus 28:38). He must bind all the wills of this world to the root of Divine Will. This strengthens and empowers the lower will by means of the root of Divine Will, and it overcomes and refutes the ideology of the deterministic scientists who heretically deny Divine Will.

However, opposing [the Brow of Ratzon] is the Serpent’s Brow, which is the root of determinism. For everything has its root, and the root of determinism is MeTZaCh haNaChaSh (the Serpent’s Brow). This is alluded to in what was said of Goliath: “[He had] MiTZChat NeChoShet (greaves of copper) on his legs” (1 Samuel 17:6)—i.e., the aforementioned concept of the Serpent’s Brow. Goliath was a heretic. He wanted to demonstrate that all causality is dictated by nature, God forbid, this being the concept of the Serpent’s Brow.

“His legs” alludes to causes, as it is written (Genesis 30:30), “God blessed you at my feet”— because of me. For that is the explanation there: Yaakov told Lavan that God had caused [Lavan] to be blessed through and because of him. It follows that the foot/leg alludes to causes. Whereas Yaakov attributed all causes to God, as discussed above, Goliath would attribute all his causes to Metzach haNachash (Serpent’s Brow)—i.e., the dictates of nature, “a mitzchat nechoshet on his legs,” as discussed above.

Now, there are times when the influence of the Serpent’s Brow becomes the more dominant. Some individual draws his wisdom from the Serpent’s Brow, the root of determinism, and demonstrates through his wisdom that everything is due to natural causality, God forbid. Occasionally, the Serpent’s Brow, the root of determinism, enters [the mind of] the holy sage. This wisdom of the Serpent’s Brow begins to engage him in the analysis of one deep issue after another, until he enters into a particularly subtle analysis such that it threatens to blemish the root of Divine Will, God forbid, and introduce heresy there, God forbid, as if there is no Divine Will at all, God forbid.

8. And know! the Serpent’s Brow is nourished by the generation’s elders, when those of the generation with length-of-days lack wholeness. This [lack] sustains the Serpent’s Brow, because “an elder is one who has acquired wisdom” (Kiddushin 32b). The older a person gets, with each additional day of his life that passes he must ensure that he gains additional light of holiness and daat (unitive knowledge and awareness of God). This is as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: Elderly Torah sages—the older they get, the more settled their mind becomes (Kinnim 3:6). With each passing day we have to increase our holiness and daat, as it is written “and the Lord called the light ‘Day’” (Genesis 1:5)—that each day has to radiate more.

But when the generation’s elders, those with length-of-days, spoil their days by not gaining additional light of holiness and daat each day, this sustains the Serpent’s Brow, the root of determinism. {This is because the Serpent’s Brow/determinism feeds off the fallen days of the elders whose minds are not becoming more settled.} Determinism, the denial of Divine Will, grows more influential, God forbid, due to the fallen daat and days of unworthy elders, those with length-of-days, as discussed above.

And this is the meaning of “short-lived and sated with vexation” (Job 14:1)—i.e., the previous two concepts. “Short-lived” alludes to the unworthy elders who do not gain additional holiness and daat each day, which is the essence of old age and length-of-days. Thus when the elders spoil their days without extending them through holiness and daat, that is “short-lived.” From this the Serpent’s Brow, the antithesis of the Brow of Divine Will, draws sustenance. This is “sated with vexation”—the antithesis of Ratzon.

However, when the elders are worthy, as in “an elder is one who has acquired wisdom,” the revelation of Divine Will increases. This is as in “the elder and the man of esteem” (Isaiah 9:14)—through the holy elder, Ratzon, which is esteem, grows more influential. Esteem signifies Ratzon (Divine Favor), as in Elisha’s remark to Yehoram: “Were it not for the presence of Yehoshafat… whom I esteem, I would not look at you or notice you!” (2 Kings 3:14). Elisha did not want to show Yehoram any favor. It was only his esteem for Yehoshafat that caused him to be favorably inclined toward [Yehoram]. It follows therefore that esteem signifies Ratzon, as in “an elder and a man of esteem.”

9. Charity is beneficial in this regard. Giving charity rectifies and reverses the harm caused by the fallen days and daat of elders, those with length-of-days who are unworthy. The Serpent’s Brow feeds off this [lack of wholeness]. This is as in “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it” (Ecclesiastes 11:1)—the power of charity is found “after many days,” namely, with those who have length-of-days. Giving charity reverses and rectifies the blemish they engender.

This is the meaning of “Cast your bread upon the waters”—i.e., give charity. The verse guarantees that the money you lose by giving liberally to charity, you will regain and find “after many days”—in those with length-of-days. This is because giving charity reverses the blemish of the fallen daat of those with length-of-days, from which the Serpent’s Brow feeds. We remove all sustenance and vitality from the Serpent’s Brow/determinism, and so the Brow of Divine Will grows stronger.

As discussed above, the essential devotion of charity is “And I have commanded the ravens [to feed you],” i.e., the initial need to break cruelty and transform it into compassion. From this itself Divine Will grows more influential, for from the very forest itself comes the ax (Sanhedrin 39b). By overcoming one’s instinctive heartlessness and turning it into compassion, vexation is turned into favor.

And then, once the Serpent’s Brow is overcome and the Brow of Divine Will is revealed, the sound of the wild animals is quieted and the festival’s proclamation, the revelation of Divine Will, is heard, as discussed above. The revelation of Divine Will then leads to the fear of Heaven, as discussed above. Fear of Heaven makes it possible to receive lovingkindness, as discussed above. And when lovingkindness descends, we will not have to engage in any labor or work. “Foreigners will stand and pasture your flocks… And you will be called ‘priests of God’” will then be fulfilled, as discussed above. All this is achieved by giving charity. It follows, that the benefit of giving charity is very great.

10. And this is why, when Yaakov wanted to gain Esav’s favor, he said: “accept this offering from my hand; for I have seen your face as one might see the face of a Divine being, and you were favorably inclined toward me” (Genesis 33:10).

Even what we give to non-Jews is considered charity, as it is written (Isaiah 60:17) : “and [God will make] your taskmasters charity” (Bava Basra 9a). And giving charity creates favor. Thus [Yaakov] said to him, “then accept this offering from my hand”—i.e., charity, as in “presenters of an offering of charity” (Malachi 3:3).

“For I have seen your face as one might see the face of a Divine being”—i.e., like seeing the face of God, as in “three times each year, all your males shall thus appear before the face of God” (Deuteronomy 16:16). This refers to the festivals, through which Ratzon is revealed {primarily by means of charity}. Similarly, [Yaakov] would gain his ratzon through charity, this being: “you were favorably inclined toward me.” {This is because the offering and the gift which he gave to Esav was literally considered charity, as in “your taskmasters charity,” it follows that Divine Will on high, which is revealed through charity, is revealed. And from there Ratzon devolves below and also creates favor in Esav.}

11A. This relates as well to the battle between David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

Goliath wanted to use his wisdom to demonstrate that everything transpires according to the laws of nature. He drew sustenance from Metzach haNachash , as in “a mitzchat nechoshet on his legs,” so that he attributed all causes to the inevitability of nature, which corresponds to the Serpent’s Brow, as discussed above. Thus, “he has defied the maARKhot (battalions) of the Living God” (ibid. v.26). [Goliath] wanted to demonstrate that everything takes place according to the maAReKhet (alignment of) the heavens, as dictated by the laws of nature, God forbid.

But David was a man of valor and stood up to him, saying that he had once had an incident like this: {“David said to Saul, ‘ Your servant was a shepherd for his father’s flocks, and when the lion and the bear came and carried away a sheep from ha’eider (the flock), I went after it, and struck it, and rescued [the sheep] from its mouth. Then it attacked me, and I grabbed it by the zakan (beard) and struck it down and killed it. Your servant has slain both lion and bear; and that uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the battalions of the Living God! …[David] took out a stone and slung it. It struck the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into his brow, and he fell face down upon the ground” (1 Samuel 17:34-36, 49) .}

and when the lion and the bear came— This refers to the wild animals that claw and tear apart their prey. These are the deterministic scientists, as discussed above.

and carried it away from ha’ eider— That is, from the absolute he’eder (nothingness); he carried away and removed it from the absolute nothingness. In other words, he denied that, following the absolute nothingness, God created everything through His Will, [claiming] instead that everything takes place according to the dictates of nature, God forbid.

I went after it, and st ruck it— I would overpower him; I overcame and humbled him.

Then it attacked me— Afterwards, he again came against me.

and I grabbed it by the zakan— That is, I understood that all his strength and sustenance stems from the Serpent’s Brow, which feeds off the unworthy ZiKNei (elders of) the generation, as discussed above. This is why “I would grab it by the ZaKaN”—I grabbed hold of and seized the source of his sustenance, the elders of the generation.

and st ruck it down and killed it— I defeated and humbled the deterministic scientists/wild animals by grabbing hold of their zakan, the source of their sustenance.

Therefore, and that Philistine shall be like one of them— For he, too, is exactly like this. All his strength is from Metzach haNachash, as in “mitzchat nechoshet….” He is therefore like them, and so I am able to defeat and humble him.

This is as it is written: the st one sunk into his brow— This alludes to the Serpent’s Brow, which he humbled by means of Ratzon, as in “a perfect stone is His ratzon” (Proverbs 11:1)—i.e., the root of ratzon, the Brow of Divine Will.

And this is what Yishai warned David as he headed for there: “and redeem their ARuBah (pledges)” (1 Samuel 17:18). This alludes to the OReV (raven), charity. The essential devotion of charity is to be like the raven, as in “And I have commanded the ravens….” By giving charity he takes away the vitality of the Serpent’s Brow, which feeds off the elders of the generation.

And know! even after a person has successfully defeated and refuted the ideologies of the deterministic scientists and has humbled them, if the revelation of Divine Will is not powerful and firm—if any doubt remains about Divine Will such that it is not decisively clear that everything is governed solely by God’s Divine Will—then even though the determinism has been defeated, nonetheless, since Divine Will is not yet [sufficiently] influential, there is the possibility, God forbid, that the Serpent’s Brow/determinism will reawaken and return to its original strength. This, too, requires the power of charity, because charity is always beneficial and always counters the Serpent’s Brow.

11B. This is the explanation of: Rav Yehudah the Ethiopian related: Once we were traveling by sefinta (ship), and [in the water] we saw a precious stone that was being circled by a sea serpent. A bar-amorai (diver) descended to bring it. The sea serpent approached, wanting to swallow the ship. A Pushkantza bird came and chopped off its head. The water turned blood red. Another sea serpent came, took [the precious stone] and hung it on [the dead sea serpent] and returned it to life. It again came wanting to swallow the ship. Again the { Pushkantza } bird came and chopped off its head. [The diver then] took the precious stone and threw it intothe ship. We had with us m’lichei (salted) birds [for eating. When the diver] put the stone on top of them, [the birds returned to life,] took the stone and parchu (flew off) with it (Bava Batra 74b).

Once we were traveling by sefinta— This alludes to the root of Divine Will. That is where Moshe, who passed away in the root of Divine Will, is buried, as discussed above. This is the significance of SeFiNta, as in “for there the lawgiver’s plot is SaFuN (hidden)” (Deuteronomy 33:21).

we saw a precious st one— This is as in “a perfect stone is His ratzon,” alluding to the aforementioned Divine Will.

that was being circled by a sea serpent— This refers to the Serpent’s Brow, which envelops and overpowers Divine Will, as discussed above.

A bar-AMoRai descended to bring it— This alludes to the holy sage, as in “EMoR (Say) to wisdom: You are my sister” (Proverbs 7:4). The holy sage wants to increase his efforts and elevate will, to bind it to its root.

The sea serpent approached, wanting to swallow the ship— In other words, the Serpent’s Brow, the root of determinism, came and wanted to swallow the sefinta, the root of Divine Will, as in “for there the lawgiver’s plot is safun.” The Serpent’s Brow wanted to also overpower the root of Divine Will and inject blemish and heresy there, God forbid.

A Pushkantza came— This refers to a raven.

and chopped off its head— The explanation is: The raven—which conceptually alludes to charity, since the essential devotion of charity is to be like the raven, as in “And I have commanded the ravens…”—comes to transform the instinct of cruelty into compassion. Through this we triumph over the Serpent’s Brow/deterministic ideology, because from the very forest itself comes the [handle of] the ax, as discussed above.

This is the meaning of “A Pushkantza came”—i.e., a raven/charity—“and chopped of its head.” It cut off and defeated the head of the serpent. This refers to the Serpent’s Brow, which it defeated and killed by means of charity.

The water turned blood red— In other words, overcoming the Serpent’s Brow, the root of determinism, defeats and quiets the roaring of the wild animals that prey upon many of our fellow Jews. Then, the festival’s proclamation, which is the revelation of Divine Will, is heard. And then, “The righteous one will rejoice when he sees revenge…,” as discussed above.

“The water turned” alludes to the roaring of the wild animals, as in “my roaring pours forth like water” (Job 3:23). “Blood red”—this is as in “The righteous one will rejoice when he sees revenge, he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked one.” By quieting the roar of the enemies/wild animals, “The righteous one will rejoice when he sees revenge…,” for the festival’s proclamation is heard, as discussed above.

Another sea serpent came, took it and hung it on [the dead sea serpent] and returned it to life— The Serpent’s Brow came and “took it,” the precious stone. It took the precious stone, as in “a perfect stone is His ratzon.” “And hung it”—i.e., it raised doubt about it. This is “and hung it,” as when something hangs in doubt. It raised doubt about Ratzon, the “perfect stone.” Through this it “returned it to life”—determinism/the Serpent’s Brow was revived. Determinism returned and gained influence on account of the doubt raised about Divine Will, as discussed above.

And this is: It again came wanting to swallow the ship— The sea serpent/Serpent’s Brow again came “to swallow the ship”—i.e., to blemish the root of Divine Will, God forbid.

Again the Pushkantza bird came and chopped off its head— In other words, the raven/charity came back “and chopped off its head.” It killed the Serpent’s Brow and defeated it, because charity always defeats the Serpent’s Brow, as discussed above.

He took the precious stone and threw it into the ship— After completely subduing the Serpent’s Brow/determinism, he took the precious stone/Divine Will—“a perfect stone is His ratzon.” “And threw it into the ship”—he threw it into the root of Divine Will, in which all the wills are bound.

We had with us m’lichei birds. [When the driver] put the st one on top of them, [the birds returned to life,] took [the st one] and parchu (flew off) with it— The explanation is: “We had with us m ’lichei birds”—this alludes to the souls of Israel, our fellow Jews who mistakenly followed after the deterministic scientists, those wild animals that prey upon many of our fellow Jews, as discussed above.

This is the meaning of “m’lichei birds,” for they are “as birds trapped in a snare” (Ecclesiastes 9:12). M’LiChei (salted) connotes meMuLaCh, i.e., confused. They, too, were confused by the aforementioned wild animals and mistakenly followed after them. However, now “they flew off” and emerged safely as a result of the precious stone—i.e., Divine Will that has now been revealed through charity, as discussed above.

And when Divine Will is revealed, it leads to fear of Heaven, through which we are able to receive lovingkindness, as discussed above. PaRChu (flew off) alludes to this as well, as in “and behold! the staff of Aharon the Levite PaRaCh (had blossomed).” This refers to the bestowal of lovingkindness produced by the fear of Heaven when Divine Will is revealed.

12. This also relates to healing because it is a cure for all wounds. This is because all these concepts signify healing.

Charity is healing, as in “charity, with healing in its wings” (Malachi 3:20). “An elder is one who has acquired wisdom” alludes to healing, as in “the tongue of the wise heals” (Proverbs 12:18). Ratzon signifies healing, as it is written “God… has sent me to bind up the wounded of heart…. To proclaim a year of ratzon (favor)” (Isaiah 61:1-2). The work of the Act of Creation is healing, as it is written “the repair work went well in their hands” (2 Chronicles 24:13).

Healing a wound entails a number of steps. To begin with, the mouth of the wound has to be opened. Then a purgative must be [applied] in order to draw out and remove the pus and infected blood from inside the wound. After that, all the blood has to be cleansed until no infections or impurities are left, so that the blood can flow and circulate, coursing regularly without any obstruction. For when the blood that flows and circulates through the body’s arteries reaches an area that is dysfunctional, i.e., the location of the wound, its flow is retarded there, and all the impurities and infections in the blood collect at that spot. That is what generally happens: all the different kinds of impurities and infections in the blood collect at the point of dysfunction, so that the blood is retarded there and cannot circulate in the manner which it ordinarily flows. For the blood courses in a regular manner, circulating through the body so many times an hour, and the like. But when there are impurities in the blood, it is blocked at the point of dysfunction, and is unable to circulate normally. It is therefore necessary to cleanse and purify [the blood]. Finally, we have to close the mouth of the wound.

Each of these steps of healing—i.e., firstly, opening the mouth of the wound, then purging it of the pus, then purifying and cleansing the infected blood, and finally sealing the mouth of the wound—is accomplished by means of the concepts discussed above [in the lesson].

Giving charity causes the wound to open, as in “open, you shall open.”

“An elder is one who has acquired wisdom” is the purgative, as in “the drawing of wisdom [is more precious] mePeNiNiM (than pearls)” (Job 28:18)— meliPhNai u’meliPhNiM (from the innermost recesses). {As our Sages, of blessed memory, taught on the verse “She is more precious than peninim”— meliphnai v’liphnim (see Yerushalmi, Shabbat 69b on Proverbs 3:15) .} Wisdom purges the dysfunction from the innermost recesses, from all the deepest places.

The festival is the revelation of Ratzon, through which the blood is cleansed and purified so that it can circulate regularly. This is the significance of ReGeL (festival), as in “the Spring of RoGeL” (1 Kings 1:9), which Rashi there interprets as “the Spring of Cleansing.” In other words, through the regel and holiday, which reveals Divine Will, the blood is cleansed and purified and can then circulate regularly. This is why the festival is called ChaG, which connotes circulation, as it is written “It is He Who sits above the ChuG (circumference) of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22)—above the circling of the earth, because cleansing and purifying the blood causes it to circulate regularly.

The Act of Creation—as in “The world is built on lovingkindness.”

Through the aforementioned concepts we merit the bestowal of lovingkindness; His lovingkindness sustains the world, as in “And you will be called ‘priests of God,’” as discussed above. Through the concept of priest, [the embodiment of] lovingkindness, the mouth of the wound is closed, as in “and the priest shall close up the wound” (Leviticus 13:4). Through lovingkindness/the priest, the wound is entirely closed and completely healed.

13. This is the explanation [of the opening verse]: {“On the day of the Bikkurim (first fruits), when you bring an offering of new-meal to God on your Shavuot Festival, you shall observe an occasion proclaimed sacred; you shall not do any mundane work.”}

On the day of the BiKkuRim— This is the concept of beginning, as in “in anguish, like maVKiRah (she that gives birth for the first time).” Which beginning is this?…

when you bring an offering of new-meal to God— This alludes to charity’s beginning, when one begins to give charity anew. This is the meaning of “an offering of new-meal”—it alludes to new charity, beginning charity, because “an offering” signifies charity, as it is written “presenters of an offering of charity.” And charity rectifies the concept of elder, as discussed above. This is:

on your Shavuot Fe st ival— This is the concept of Elder, for at Sinai God appeared to them as an elder (Rashi, Exodus 20:2). Through the new-meal offering, the beginning of charity, the concept of an elder/Shavuot is rectified. This ends the Serpent’s Brow feeding off the unworthy elders of the generation. Then the festival’s proclamation revealing Divine Will is heard, as discussed above. And this is:

you shall observe an occasion proclaimed sacred— This alludes to the festival’s proclamation, the revelation of Divine Will, which is “an occasion proclaimed sacred.” It is heard now because the roar of the enemies, the wild animals sustained by the Serpent’s Brow, has been defeated through charity, which defeats the Serpent’s Brow/determinism. This brings to the revelation of Divine Will.

And revealing Divine Will produces fear of Heaven, through which it is possible to receive lovingkindness, so that the world is sustained through His lovingkindness, as in “The world is built on lovingkindness.” As a result, we have no need to engage in any labor or work. “Foreigners will stand and pasture your flocks…. And you will be called ‘priests of God’” will be fulfilled. And this is:

you shall not do any mundane work— We do not have to engage in any work and labor whatsoever, because the world is sustained through His lovingkindness, as in “And you will be called ‘priests of God.’”

14. There is a difference between the wild animals and the Serpent’s Brow. The deterministic scientists likened to wild animals are those scholars who adhere to determinism for personal benefit. It is the pleasure they get from this [ideology] that causes them to hold fast to their point of view and falsehood and the like. But the scholar who is likened to the Serpent’s Brow is wicked and heretical without any personal benefit. He gets no pleasure from his wisdom. On the contrary, he is {a “devout” villain, because he is} wicked and heretical without any ulterior motive.

15. All the concepts of this lesson are one and entirely interconnected. Any act of charity is very difficult at the beginning; nevertheless, the benefit of charity is extremely great. Giving charity means not having to engage in any work or labor, because the world is then sustained through His lovingkindness. For charity keeps the Serpent’s Brow from drawing sustenance from the elders of the generation, and, as a result, the festival’s proclamation that reveals Divine Will is heard. This, in turn, reveals fear of Heaven, which essentially comes about through the revelation of Divine Will. Fear of Heaven then creates a container and conduit for receiving the bestowal of lovingkindness. Without this container and conduit it is impossible to receive the lovingkindness. Only through fear of Heaven, the conduit and container, can the lovingkindness be received, so that the world is then sustained through His lovingkindness. And then, we have no need to engage in any work, because “Foreigners will stand and pasture your flocks…” will be fulfilled, as discussed above.