תורה 159

Know! there is an intermediary. This is the Shekhinah (the Divine Presence), which is a mediator between man and God, so to speak.

It is known that there are different categories of Torah study—not everyone’s study is the same. When one merits studying < LiShMaH (for its own sake)—i.e., L’SheM Hashem (for God’s Name), which is the aspect of the Shekhinah, as is known>—then the Shekhinah receives study and elevates it to God . From this is drawn an influx of bounty, namely spiritual bounty and material bounty.

This is because Torah contains fire and water. So when the Divine Presence, which is an aspect of intermediary, receives the Torah, the power of fire then rises Above, and from it an influx of bounty is drawn Above to all the worlds and all the angels and seraphim etc. This is spiritual bounty. Then the power of water turns this into material bounty and it descends to this world.

Now this is the aspect of right and left which is in the Torah. That is (Proverbs 3:16), “Length of days in her right hand, and in her left hand are riches and glory.” For “length of days” refers to the world which is eternally long, as our Sages teach (Kiddushin 39b). And this is the aspect of spiritual bounty, the aspect of the right, for this influx of bounty is in the world which is eternally long, the upper worlds. But “riches and glory,” material bounty, is the aspect of the left.

However, not every person merits to this, to have his study rise up to the Shekhinah. To achieve this, he must be an esteemed individual, and his study should be only for the Divine Presence—i.e., to pick the Shekhinah off the ground. Not every person merits to this study. And even if he studies with the fear of God, and also if he recites —nevertheless, who knows if he is deserving of this, of having his study be for the Shekhinah.

When his study does not rise up to the Shekhinah, then, although the Torah goes out, it is incapable of rising up to the place of its dwelling—though its nature is to raise itself up and ascend. In the meantime it becomes night, when all the “commanders of law” emerge, as explained in the Holy Zohar (I, 203b). They strike [his Torah study] and it falls below, scattering below to the entire world.

All the people of the world draw from the air, and they also draw from the Torah that has been scattered below into the air, either while awake or asleep. And, in accordance with the nature of the person to whom this Torah reaches, that is what happens to it. A virtuous and God-fearing person of even limited prominence, or a great person and a tzaddik, when they receive from these Torah [studies] which have been scattered, [the Torah] is transformed for them into the “dew of Torah” (Ketuvot 111b). They receive from this a new arousal for the Torah.

It all depends upon the level of the receiver. For some, these Torah [studies] are turned into new Torah insights. This is because when a person receives several Torah [studies] of a number of people, he transforms them into new combinations, and from this he is able to attain deep perceptions as well as new Torah insights.

As for lesser individuals, who are unable to perceive deeply and originate, they receive from this a new arousal and a keen aspiration for the Torah. This is also an aspect of new insight, because aspiration and arousal are renewed for him. All this happens when it reaches virtuous and worthy people.

However, when it reaches people who are not virtuous, then the reverse happens: in his possession these Torah [studies] are transformed into the thirty-nine works. He receives a keen aspiration and a new arousal and the endeavors of this world. This is literally the reverse of the TaL (dew) of Torah—i.e., Lamed Tet (thirty-nine) works, corresponding to (Genesis 3:19), “By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread.”

This is the aspect of right and left in the Torah, as mentioned. In other words, when it reaches a virtuous person it is transformed into TaL of Torah—i.e., the aspect of the right; whereas conversely, it becomes L-T works—that is, the aspect of the left. For the Torah study which rises up to the Shekhinah is made from right and left, fire and water, spiritual bounty and material bounty. But in that study which is incapable of rising up to the Shekhinah and is scattered into the air, there is a transformation of right and left, fire and water, into either TaL or L-T works—depending upon the nature of the receiver, as above.

This matter is actually clarified from the physical. When a person studies, vapors and mists come out of his mouth. And occasionally, even when he says nothing, during the time he sits studying the book, vapors and mists nonetheless emerge . They contain warmth and moisture, as is known from nature.

Now, these vapors and mists that come out are an aspect of fire and water. When they are incapable of rising up to where they should, then, at night they are struck by the aforementioned [forces]—i.e., the “commanders of law” which come out at night, as above—and are scattered into the air. People draw from the air, and so each one draws from these Torah forces which have been scattered into the air.

And so, in truth, physical dew also has two forces: good and evil, for death and for life. These, too, are made from the mists that rise up from the ground. There is a coolness at night, and the cold air strikes them from above so that they fall below. The [mists] are thus transformed into dew. This is the life-force of all the grasses, and the animals that eat grow fat.

Yet there are species that are greatly harmed by the dew. People who eat from the dew are also harmed, as this leads to plague and different types of disease, God forbid.

We find therefore that there are two forces in the dew: for death and for life, as mentioned. The same happens to the aforementioned Torah [studies] as a result of the concepts discussed, for they literally correspond to physical dew. They are transformed into tal, and “the righteous go in them…” (Hoshea 14:10), as above. {After Rebbe Nachman delivered this lesson, he made the following remark: “But I did not find a verse or some discourse of our Sages in which this teaching can be found. Perhaps there will be someone who is able to find these teachings in some verse or discourse of our Sages.” He then mentioned that which Rabbi Yehoshua said (Sotah 27b): Who will remove the dust from your eyes, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, that you would say: “There will yet come a time… for it has no corroborating verse in the Torah”? For certainly, Rabbi Akiva your student has found a verse for it in the Torah.}