Likutei Moharan, Part II
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
צָרִיךְ לִזָּהֵר מְאֹד, שֶׁלֹּא לֶאֱכֹל פְּרִי שֶׁלֹּא נִתְבַּשְּׁלָה כָּל צָרְכָּהּ. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָסוּר לָקֹץ אִילָן בְּלֹא זְמַנּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ב"ב כו), כֵּן אָסוּר לִתְלֹשׁ פְּרִי קֹדֶם בִּשּׁוּלָהּ, וְכֵן אָסוּר לְאָכְלָהּ. וְהָאוֹכֵל פְּרִי קֹדֶם גְּמַר בִּשּׁוּלָהּ, יְכוֹלָה לְהַזִּיק לוֹ מְאֹד לְנִשְׁמָתוֹ, כִּי יוּכַל לְאַבֵּד נַפְשׁוֹ עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה.
One must be very careful to never eat fruit which has not fully ripened. Just as it is forbidden to cut down a tree before its time, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught (Bava Batra 26a), it is likewise forbidden to pick or eat a fruit before it ripens. Eating a fruit before it is fully ripe can be very damaging to a person’s soul. He might lose his soul because of this.
כִּי הַפְּרִי כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהִיא צְרִיכָה לְהִתְגַּדֵּל, יֵשׁ לָהּ כֹּחַ הַמּוֹשֵׁךְ, כִּי הִיא צְרִיכָה חִיּוּת לְהִתְגַּדֵּל, וְעַל־כֵּן בְּוַדַּאי יֵשׁ לָהּ כֹּחַ הַמּוֹשֵׁךְ, שֶׁמּוֹשֶׁכֶת יְנִיקָתָהּ וְחִיּוּתָהּ; וּכְשֶׁתּוֹלְשִׁין אוֹתָהּ קֹדֶם זְמַנָּהּ, קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּתְבַּשְּׁלָה עֲדַיִן כָּל צָרְכָּהּ, עֲדַיִן יֵשׁ לָהּ כֹּחַ הַמּוֹשֵׁךְ, כִּי כְּשֶׁמִּתְבַּשֶּׁלֶת כָּל צָרְכָּהּ, שׁוּב פָּסַק מִמֶּנָּה כֹּחַ הַמּוֹשֵׁךְ, כִּי אֵינָהּ צְרִיכָה עוֹד לִמְשֹׁךְ חִיּוּת, אֲבָל כְּשֶׁצְּרִיכָה לְהִתְבַּשֵּׁל עוֹד, עֲדַיִן יֵשׁ לָהּ הַכֹּחַ הַמּוֹשֵׁךְ. וְעַל־כֵּן זֶה הָאוֹכְלָהּ קֹדֶם גְּמַר בִּשּׁוּלָהּ, תּוּכַל הַפְּרִי לִמְשֹׁךְ לְעַצְמָהּ חִיּוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ שֶׁל זֶה הָאָדָם, מֵאַחַר שֶׁעֲדַיִן יֵשׁ לְהַפְּרִי כֹּחַ הַמּוֹשֵׁךְ כַּנַּ"ל, עַל־כֵּן תּוּכַל הַפְּרִי לִמְשֹׁךְ לְעַצְמָהּ חִיּוּת נַפְשׁוֹ, וְיוּכַל לְאַבֵּד נַפְשׁוֹ.
This is because so long as the fruit still needs to grow, it has a pulling power. It needs vitality in order to grow, and so it definitely has a pulling power which draws its nourishment and vitality. When one picks it prematurely, before it has as yet ripened sufficiently, it still has the pulling power. For when it ripens sufficiently, the pulling power terminates, because it no longer needs to draw in vitality. But when it has to ripen more, it still has the pulling power. Therefore, the one who eats it before it ripens fully enables the fruit to draw to itself his life-force. Since the fruit still has a pulling power it can draw his life-force to itself and he can lose his life.
וְעִם כָּל זֶה, אִם מְבָרֵךְ הַבְּרָכָה שֶׁל הַפְּרִי בְּכַוָּנָה וּבְיִרְאַת־שָׁמַיִם, אֲזַי יוּכַל לְהִנָּצֵל מִזֶּה, וְגַם אִם הוּא חָזָק בְּיוֹתֵר בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה', יוּכַל גַם־כֵּן לְהוֹצִיא עוֹד חִיּוּת מֵהַפְּרִי, וְלִמְצֹא שָׁם אֲבֵדוֹת.
Nevertheless, by making the blessing over the fruit with concentration and fear of Heaven, one can be saved from this. Furthermore, if he is exceptionally strong in his service of God, he can even take out more vitality from the fruit and find lost things there.
כִּי יֵשׁ דְּבָרִים אֲבוּדִים, וְיֵשׁ בָּזֶה דְּבָרִים נִפְלָאִים, סוֹדוֹת נִסְתָּרִים וְנוֹרָאִים מְאֹד, רָזִין עִלָּאִין. וְהָעִקָּר, שֶׁהָאָדָם צָרִיךְ לִזָּהֵר מִזֶּה מְאֹד, הַיְנוּ שֶׁלֹּא לֶאֱכֹל פְּרִי קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּתְבַּשְּׁלָה כָּל צָרְכָּהּ.
For there are things which have been lost. This involves wondrous matters, hidden and very awesome mysteries; exalted secrets. The main thing is that a person has to be very careful of this, not to eat fruit before it has ripened sufficiently.
וְדַע, כִּי גַּם כֶּשֶׁמְּבַשְּׁלִין הַפֵּרוֹת בְּבֵיתוֹ אֵינוֹ מוֹעִיל לָזֶה, אֲבָל אִם הַפֵּרוֹת שֶׁלֹּא נִתְבַּשְּׁלוּ כָּל צָרְכָּן עַל הָאִילָן הֵם מֻנָּחִים אֵיזֶה זְמַן עַד שֶׁנַּעֲשִׂין מְבֻשָּׁלִין מֵאֲלֵיהֶן בְּתָלוּשׁ, זֶה מוֹעִיל, וּמֻתָּר לְאָכְלָן. וְזֶה דּוֹמֶה כְּמוֹ הָאָדָם שֶׁהוּא יָגֵע, וְהוּא מְרַחֵף רְחִיפוֹת הַרְבֵּה בְּפִיו (שֶׁקּוֹרִין סָאפֶּין), עַד אֲשֶׁר יָנוּחַ, כְּמוֹ־כֵן אֵלּוּ הַפֵּרוֹת שֶׁנִּתְלְשׁוּ, קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּתְבַּשְּׁלוּ כָּל צָרְכָּן, צָרִיךְ לְהַמְתִּין עַד שֶׁיָּנוּחוּ מֵרְחִיפָתָן, וְאָז יֵשׁ הֶתֵּר לְאָכְלָן. וְהַדְּבָרִים סְתוּמִים:
And know! Even cooking the fruit in one’s home does not help for this. However, if the fruits which have not ripened sufficiently on the tree are set aside for a while, until they ripen on their own after being picked—this does help, and it is permitted to eat them. This is like a person who is overexerted and so gasps a great deal until he calms down. The same is true of these fruits which were picked before they ripened sufficiently. One has to wait until they settle down from their gasping. Then one has permission to eat them. The matter is inscrutable.
וְדַע, שֶׁיֵּשׁ מַלְאָךְ, וְתַחְתָּיו כַּמָּה מְמֻנִּים, וְכֻלָּם אוֹחֲזִים בְּיָדָם שׁוֹפָרוֹת וְהֵם עוֹמְדִים וְחוֹפְרִים תָּמִיד, וּמְחַפְּשִׂים תָּמִיד אַחַר אֲבֵדוֹת, וְהֵם תּוֹקְעִים תְּקִיעָה תְּרוּעָה, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ חוֹזְרִים וְתוֹקְעִים תְּקִיעָה, וּכְשֶׁהֵם מוֹצְאִים אֵיזֶה אֲבֵדָה, נַעֲשֶׂה רַעַשׁ וְשִׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה.
2. Know, too, there is an angel with many deputies, all of them holding shofars. Standing and digging constantly, always searching for lost things, they blow a tekiah, a teruah, and then again blow a tekiah. And when they find something which was lost, it creates great tumult and joy.
כִּי יֵשׁ כַּמָּה דְּבָרִים אֲבוּדִים, הַיְנוּ מַה שֶּׁאוֹבְדִים אֲבֵדוֹת הַרְבֵּה עַל־יְדֵי הַתַּאֲווֹת, בִּבְחִינַת (תהילים קי״ב:י׳): תַּאֲוַת רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד.
For there are many lost things—i.e., the many things which people lose as a result of desires, as in “The desire of the wicked shall be loss” (Psalms 112:10).
וַאֲפִלּוּ מִי שֶׁהוּא צַדִּיק הוּא אוֹבֵד גַּם־כֵּן לִפְעָמִים, בִּבְחִינַת (קהלת ז׳:ט״ו): יֵשׁ צַדִּיק אֹבֵד בְּצִדְקוֹ. וַאֲפִלּוּ הַצַּדִּיקִים הַחוֹפְרִין וּמְבַקְּשִׁים אַחַר אֲבֵדוֹת, הֵם אוֹבְדִים גַּם־כֵּן לִפְעָמִים, בִּבְחִינַת (תהלים פ"ג): יַחְפְּרוּ וְיֹאבֵדוּ – שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ הַחוֹפְרִים אַחַר אֲבֵדוֹת חוֹזְרִים וְאוֹבְדִים לִפְעָמִים, וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (קהלת ג): עֵת לְאַבֵּד.
Even someone who is a tzaddik also occasionally loses, as in “There is a tzaddik who loses through his righteousness” (Ecclesiastes 7:15). And even the tzaddikim who search for and seek out lost things also occasionally lose, as in “they will search and lose” (Psalms 83:18) that even those who search for lost things occasionally lose in turn, this being the concept of “a time to lose” (Ecclesiastes 3:6).
וְזֶה: תַּאֲוַת רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד – רָאשֵׁי תֵבוֹת: תְּקִיעָה, תְּרוּעָה, תְּקִיעָה, כִּי הַמַּלְאָכִים הַמְחַפְּשִׂים אַחַר הָאֲבֵדוֹת, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת תַּאֲוַת רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד, הֵם אוֹחֲזִים בְּיָדָם שׁוֹפָרוֹת וְתוֹקְעִים תַּרַ"ת כַּנַּ"ל.
And this is “Taavat Resha’im Toveid (The desire of the wicked shall be loss),” the initial letters of which stand for Tekiah teRuah Tekiah. The angels who look for lost things—they being the concept of Taavat Resha’im Toveid—hold shofars in their hands and blow TaRaT (tekiah teruah tekiah), as mentioned above.
וְגַם הִזְכִּיר אָז, שֶׁקָּשֶׁה מְאֹד מְאֹד לִהְיוֹת מְקַבֵּל. וְגַם הִזְכִּיר אָז קִנְאַת סוֹפְרִים תַּרְבֶּה חָכְמָה (ב"ב כא). וְלֹא בֵּאֵר כָּל זֶה, כִּי הֵם דְּבָרִים סְתוּמִים וַחֲתוּמִים. גַּם נִשְׁכַּח קְצָת, כִּי לֹא כְּתַבְתִּים בִּזְמַנּוֹ כִּי־אִם בְּדֶרֶךְ רֶמֶז (כַּאֲשֶׁר נִדְפַּס כְּבָר בְּהַדְפָּסָה רִאשׁוֹנָה).
He also mentioned then that it is extremely difficult to be a receiver. And he also mentioned then that jealousy between scholars increases wisdom (Bava Batra 21a). Yet he did not clarify any of this, for they are inscrutable and sealed matters. Moreover, some of it has been forgotten, because I did not record them at the time, except as brief notes (as printed in the first edition).
וְאָמַר, שֶׁכָּל הַנַּ"ל, דְּהַיְנוּ עִנְיַן כַּוָּנַת אֱלוּל, שֶׁהֵם תִּקּוּן לִפְגַם הַבְּרִית, וְעִנְיַן הַפֵּרוֹת הַנַּ"ל, וְעִנְיָן זֶה שֶׁל הַמַּלְאָךְ וְכוּ' כַּנַּ"ל – הַכֹּל אֶחָד, וְיֵשׁ בָּזֶה רָזִין גְּדוֹלִים:
And he said that all the aforementioned—i.e., the Kabbalistic meditations for Elul, which are a rectification for a blemish of the brit—and the above teaching concerning the fruit, and this teaching about the angel, etc.—are all one [idea]. This involves deep mysteries.