English translation — ש״פ שופטים, ב׳ אלול

and officers",

that through this his conduct will be according to the Torah.

And it will be sweetened more according to what is explained in the books¹¹ that "in all your gates"

("your gates" singular form,

the gates of each and every Jew)

refers

(also)

On the gates of the human body,

Seven gates,

Two eyes, two ears, etc.,

In which and upon which we must appoint and place the "judges and officers" who will supervise the entry and exit at these gates

(Through which the connection and relationship of man with the surrounding world is made)

That they be according to the instructions of the Torah.

And this is the connection to the service of the month of Elul" — the month of accounting,

In which the concept of "Judges and officers shall you place in all your gates... and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment" is most emphasized,

to make a just accounting in his soul and to judge himself³* how his service was in the matter of 'Judges and officers you shall appoint for yourself in all your gates' during the past year,

and to correct and complete what requires correction and completion,

including also the preparation for the service of 'Judges

and officers you shall appoint for yourself in all your gates' in the coming year.

and the conclusion of the portion

(in the lesson of the day of Shabbat Kodesh)

in the commandment of the beheaded heifer — 'When a corpse is found in the land, etc., fallen in the field, etc., atone for Your people Israel, etc., and it will be atoned for them, the myrtle.':

The matter of 'Judges and officers you shall appoint in all your gates' is to ensure that initially there should be no place and possibility for an undesirable matter;

But,

it is possible to have a situation where there was an actual undesirable matter — 'if a corpse is found in the land etc. fallen in the field'

.

Specifically 'in the field,'

outside of 'your gates')

which refers to the entirety of the matter of sin through which bloodshed occurs and the vitality of holiness in a person of holiness is taken by the 'person of the husk' (of evil),

And at first glance it appears that perhaps there is a connection to those who are like "your gates" — i.e., the nearest city,

therefore,

"your elders and judges shall go out and measure to the cities around the corpse, and it shall be that the city nearest to the corpse, etc."¹.

And in this comes the innovation at the end of the portion — that even in such a situation, the truth is that "our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it,"

i.e.,

that this is an event that occurred "in the field,"

and is not connected to them,

and moreover,

But,

that they effect atonement also regarding the matter that was done "in the field",

"Forgive Your people Israel etc. and forgive

Sefer HaSichos - 5749

"their blood",

and even to complete atonement,

"to atone before G‑d to be a satisfaction to his Maker",

"that it be pleasing before G‑d and accepted and beloved before Him, may He be blessed, as before the sin etc., and so forth."

And this is the connection to the service of the month of Elul — the month of teshuvah,

that even if there were undesirable matters,

behold,

through the service of teshuvah of the month of Elul, the correction and atonement are made,

and it is fulfilled, "And I will forgive them,"

up to the complete atonement of Yom Kippur,

"a time of teshuvah for all.

End of forgiveness and pardon for Israel"²⁰,

At the conclusion and seal of the forty days that Moses was on the mountain, which began on Rosh Chodesh Elul²¹,

That is to say,

That the completeness of the atonement of Yom Kippur is hinted at in the verse 'And it shall be atoned for them' in the Book of Judges, which is read at the beginning of the month of Elul.

And it will be sweetened more according to the explanation in Likkutei Torah²² concerning the concept of the month of Elul based on the parable of 'The King in the Field',

That 'they receive his face in the field,

And then anyone who wishes is permitted and able²³ to go out to greet him,

And he receives them all with a pleasant countenance and shows a smiling face to everyone',

In this it is hinted that even when one is "in the field",

where the concept of "falling in the field" is possible,

even then "they are permitted and able.

to greet him,

and he receives them all with a pleasant countenance etc.,

and surely the matter of atonement is also accomplished

("and it shall be atoned for them")

through the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy²⁴ in the month of Elul.

And the explanation of the matter:

A Jew, from his own essence, has absolutely no connection to undesirable matters that can occur in this lowly world.

"Falls in the field" — since his existence is "literally a part of G-d above"²⁵,

and,

regarding an essence, when you grasp a part of it, you grasp the whole of it²⁰,

"Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are one"².

And in the language of the verse — both in our parshah²⁰ and in the parshah that we begin reading in the Minchah prayer*² — "When you go out to war against your enemy,"

that a Jew's war in his service in this world is in a manner of "when you go out to war,"

that he must go out from his place and his lofty level and descend downward,

and since, from his own perspective, he is completely above this world,

and certainly he is completely above "your enemy,"

so,

even after his descent into this world to fight with "your enemy," it is in a manner of "upon your enemy,"

that is,

that this is not a war between two equals,

but 'upon your enemy,'

above 'oyfen,'

and therefore,

"Do not fear them etc."

(as the continuation of the verse in our portion)

and certainly 'And Hashem your G-d will give them into your hand and you will take its captives'

(as the conclusion of the verse in the portion that one begins to read in the Minchah prayer)

The only reason that a Jew is in this lowest world, below which there is no lower,

is,

because the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him there,

and asked him and pleaded with him⁵ to fulfill his mission,

to descend from the most elevated place,

in the aspect of

Parshas Shoftim,

2 Elul

"She is pure",

to My house "

(You)

appeared

(You)

You formed

(You)

was blown into me,

to clothe in the physical body of MoH"Z the material.

the lowest in degree, that there is no lower below it in the manner of concealment of His light, may He be blessed,

as it was after the chain of descent of the circles of the creation of the world of Tohu,

that fled

(\"_דין ^ _ה1*ן לי׳\"³²)

and the creation of the world of Tikkun,

Accusation and the diminution of the moon,

from which the sin of the Tree of Knowledge descended,

the root of all sins".

Therefore,

when the descent below causes an undesirable matter, G-d forbid — behold,

in truth,

this is not his fault,

but rather,

Because the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him there,

And in the language of the verse, regarding one who kills a soul inadvertently, who must flee to a city of refuge³ — "God caused it to come into his hand,"

And therefore,

from his perspective, it is "our hands did not shed [blood] etc.

(and beyond this)

and our eyes did not see\",

that the undesirable species does not belong to him,

but rather,

that makes an undesirable accident that occurred "in the field" as a result of the shattering of the world of Tohu,

the diminution of the moon, etc.,

and also in the undesirable matter itself — atonement,

and even to the extent of "and the blood shall be atoned for them."

And more deeply:

The descent into matter is a necessity for ascent,

that is,

That the intent of the soul's descent from above to below to perform its service in this lowest world, than which there is no lower,

to make for Him, blessed be He, a dwelling place in the lower realms,

it is,

so that through this the soul will be elevated to an even higher level,

more than it was before its descent below.

And this is also the intent of Torah and mitzvos — that through involvement in them there will be added an even greater elevation for Yisrael,

namely,

that also the Torah and mitzvos are for the sake of Israel,

As is obvious from our Sages, of blessed memory: "Two things preceded the world,"

Torah and Israel.

When He says, "Command the children of Israel, speak to the children of Israel," I know that Israel preceded.

And in the language of the Mishnah:

(which is recited on summer Shabbosos after Pirkei Avos)

"The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to bestow merit upon Israel; therefore He multiplied for them Torah and mitzvos."

That is,

that the intention of Torah and mitzvos is to "merit the Jewish people".

And since the intention of Torah and mitzvos is for the elevation of Bnei Yisrael,

therefore,

even when there is a defect or deficiency, G-d forbid, in the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos,

it is impossible that because of the reality of Torah and mitzvos there could be a state of decline for Bnei Yisrael,

since Yisrael are above the Torah.

In another style: the Torah itself "concedes",

as it were,

on the blemish and deficiency that was made thus

(through the sin)

for the perfection of Israel that is above the Torah, and the Torah is for them.

Sefer HaSichos - 5749

And accordingly, the precision of "atone for Your people Israel" is also understood — since it speaks about "Your people Israel",

Your people,

until 'Yisrael and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one',\

above the Torah,

therefore,

even if there is some flaw or deficiency in the Torah,

it does not, G‑d forbid, harm the essential connection of Yisrael with the Holy One, blessed be He, which is above the Torah.

And this is accomplished through the work of teshuvah,

which comes about through the arousal of the essential self that is above Torah,

as indeed,

openly,

The Torah is above Yisrael,

And through teshuvah, the essence and inwardness of Yisrael, which are above the Torah, are revealed,

For from their perspective, nothing is impaired in the essential connection of Yisrael with the Holy One, blessed be He".

Moreover:

Even when the flaw and lack in the Torah does not harm the connection of Yisrael with the Holy One, blessed be He — there is still lacking the elevation that could have been added through the observance of this particular matter in the Torah,

as understood from the statement, "The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to merit Yisrael; therefore, He increased for them Torah and mitzvos,"

that each and every matter of Torah and mitzvos brings about an additional and unique merit and refinement.⁴,

Consequently,

The purpose of the descent below for the sake of the ascent that will be achieved through the fulfillment of all the Torah and mitzvot in perfection is not completed.

And it must be said,

that the inner intention in the defect and deficiency in the Torah itself

(that 'G-d caused it to happen' that he should come to such a state)

is — to come to

an even greater ascent,

the superiority of the service of teshuvah

("Kappar")

through which the lack and flaw in matters of Torah and mitzvos are filled as well,

for,

teshuvah is above the Torah,

because it stems from the essential bond of Yisrael with the Holy One, blessed be He, which is above the Torah,

and therefore,

Through her, all the flaws that were made in matters of Torah and commandments²⁴ are filled.

("and it shall be forgiven them")

until after all, the elevation that comes through Torah and commandments is also made for him,

And on the contrary,

in a more elevated manner,

like the merit of penitents over the righteous⁴².

And one should connect this with the daily lesson in the Rambam

(as is the custom that has spread to study three chapters a day)

— the end of the Laws of Wounding and Damaging in the Book of Damages:

The Rambam concludes and seals the Laws of Wounding and Damaging with the word "and He saved them,"

which,

the concept of "salvation" is the complete opposite of "wounding and damaging"!

And the commentators wrote⁴³ that the conclusion of the Laws of Wounding and Damaging with the matter of salvation,

is,

In order to end well,

And regarding the word that belongs to the order of Nezikin,

which is called "Yeshuos",

as our Sages expounded⁴⁴ on the verse⁴⁵ "And it shall be faith in your times, strength, salvations, etc.,"

"Yeshuos" refers to the order of Nezikin.

The simple reason that the order of Nezikin is called "Yeshuos",

is,

because it saves them,

warns to distance from damage and from monetary obligation"⁴⁶,

or

ש״פ Shometim,

2 Elul

therefore,

that we ask for mercy to save us and to deliver us from them*⁴⁷/ that is,

that the “salvations” are the caution and deliverance from “damages,”

the negation of “damages”.

And furthermore,

from the expression,

salvations that this is the order of Nezikif,

implying,

that the "Order of Damages" itself and its study are a matter of,

salvations".

And the explanation of this — based on what was said above — is that the inner intent in the matter of the defect and deficiency,

A person who injures and damages"

it is,

that an even greater elevation will be added through the work of teshuvah,

and even to an elevation that is infinite,

which is in the category of,

salvations"

as known*⁴ regarding the matter,

a helmet of salvation on his head"⁴,

Shin,

"Yeshua" teaches about,

the descent of the light and influence of Sh"a Nehora'in",

a revelation that is above the order of the chain of descent.

And one should add and explain the content of the general principle of the last law of the Laws of Wounding and Damaging

(which concludes with the word,

and saved them")

— in which is hinted the superiority of Israel over the Torah:

In the last law the Rambam writes:

A ship that was about to break from the weight of the cargo,

and one of them stood up and lightened its load and threw [cargo] into the sea — he is exempt,

for the cargo in it was like a pursuer after them to kill them,

and he performed a great mitzvah in that he threw [the cargo] and saved them."

And in explaining the matter in a manner,

"to correct the views"⁵⁰ — one should say:

Regarding theft, it is written about them: 'The righteous are delivered; the deliverance of the righteous is their stronghold in time of trouble.'

"Ship" — indicates the soul as it descended and became clothed in the body,

as it is brought in the Zohar⁵.

"Jonah⁵² who descended into the ship, that is the soul of man⁵³ that descends into this world to be in the body of a human being,"

and in the language of the verse⁵⁴

(in the psalm, "We are obligated to give thanks," which is recited at the Minchah service of Erev Shabbat³³)

Those who go down to the sea in ships, etc., in many waters",

which,

Because of the danger from the ה״מים רבים",

the multitude of troubles and confusions of worldly matters³⁰,

this is a descent,

those who go down to the sea",

but,

that this descent is a need for ascent,

because,

when the soul reaches its desired destination in completeness,

through its service in fulfilling the Torah and mitzvos³,

then there is added a greater elevation relative to the state and condition of the soul before its descent into the soul.

And in this itself there are different levels according to the value of the state and condition of,

sea"

which,

Despite that it always contains,

many waters"

behold,

there are times when the sea is calm,

and there are times when the sea is stormy,

when the danger of going down to the sea is great.

And in general — this is the difference between the time when the Beis HaMikdash existed and the time of exile,

that the time of exile is analogous to a stormy sea,

Sefer HaSichos -

5749

As the verse states, "And there was a great storm in the sea"⁵,

"The sea is going and storming"⁵⁹,

To such an extent,

That there can be a situation that "the 'I' thought to break,"

Because,

Due to the intensification of the darkness of the world,

"Darkness will cover the land, etc."⁶⁰,

Becomes a partnership in fulfilling the Torah and mitzvos that protect and save the ship

(as our sages said: "Torah protects and saves")

And one could say,

that this idea is alluded to in the words of the Rambam: "A ship that was about to break from the weight of its load,

and lightened its load and threw [it] into the sea":

“Burden” — refers

(also)

to the burden of the 613 commandments,

in the language of our Sages, “like an ox to the yoke and like a donkey to the burden”,

And since from the darkness of exile the Jewish people do not have the strength to fulfill all the multitude of the 613 commandments⁶,

like a ship that is unable to hold the “weight of the burden” in a stormy sea — “lighten its load and cast into the sea”,

That is,

that during the time of exile, the Holy One, blessed be He, lightened above the burden of the 613 commandments,

since,

there are many matters of Torah and mitzvos that are time-dependent and it is impossible to fulfill them in actual practice,⁴*

such as,

the laws of sacrifices,

the laws of impurity and purity

(many laws, and among the most stringent⁶⁵)

and so forth,

that the mitzvos

these 'cast into the sea' — 'sea' [denotes] superiority,

in the manner of 'as waters cover the sea'⁶⁷,

that is,

that these mitzvos returned and were elevated to their root and source,

in the aspect of concealment that is above revelation.

And in this we see the greatness of the Jewish people's level above the Torah⁶ — that for the benefit of Israel,

to save the 'ship'

(Bnei Yisrael)

that thought to be broken by the weight of the burden",

"Lighter its burden and cast into the sea" etc. matters of Torah and Mitzvos⁶,

Since the Torah is for

Shabbos Parshas Shoftim,

2 Elul

Israel⁷⁰,

And even more.

to merit Israel\

behold,

when the abundance of Torah endangers Israel,

its burden chases after them to kill them,

and a great mitzvah⁷¹ did [that he cast and saved them"⁷²,

since,

the Torah is for Israel,

And if there is no Israel, why Torah⁷³!

And one should add precisely that.

"cast into the sea" specifically,

And not.

the messenger simply⁷⁴ — to hint that the matters of the Tumim that were cast into the sea remained in their completeness:

When one casts precious stones and pearls into the sea,

they remain in their existence in the depths of the sea,

And there is a possibility to descend into the depths of the sea and bring them up from there,

As we see tangibly that there are people who descend into the depths of the sea using special tools to bring up precious stones

and pearls that are found in the depths of the sea by their natural creation,

or precious stones and pearls that were thrown from the land into the sea.

And its parallel in the allegory — as mentioned above that "sea" as a superlative indicates,

"As waters cover the sea",

that this revelation will be in the future

[as it is written⁶⁷,

By Me the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea",

in a manner elevated above the beginning of creation which was,

the entire world was water in water"⁷⁵,

since at the beginning of creation this was because the earth was not yet visible,

but not so in the future to come,

that the reality of the earth becomes filled with,

knowledge of the Lord" in a manner of,

"as waters cover the sea"⁷⁶]

And behold, in the future to come all matters of the Torah and mitzvos will return and be revealed⁷⁷,

And moreover,

in a more elevated manner than they were previously

(before they were cast into the sea)

and until,

as the commandment of Your will"⁷.

That is,

it is not enough to forgo matters of Torah and Mitzvos for the salvation of Israel,

but the true perfection of their good of Israel,

is,

that they receive all the elevations that come through Torah and Mitzvos,

even those that were needed,

to forgo" them temporarily for their salvation and deliverance — as stated above

That in addition to the fact that the defect and lack in matters of Torah and mitzvos through sin does not harm the essential connection with Hashem that is above the Torah,

behold,

the true perfection is when there is also the elevation of all matters of Torah and mitzvos that is brought about by the work of repentance.

Sefer HaSichos - 5749

And according to the above, that in the work of repentance of the month of Elul, the superiority of Yisrael⁷⁹ which is above the Torah is emphasized,

it is understood,

In the month of Elul there should be greater emphasis

(In addition to his own service also)

on service with one's fellow and all of Israel,

even when one must temporarily give up his own completeness for the benefit of his fellow⁸⁰,

and especially since ultimately nothing will be lacking from his completeness,

and on the contrary,

through his activity with his fellow, his mind and heart become clear a thousand times over⁸.

And more particularly — that together with the increase in all matters of his service, one must increase in the month of Elul also in public affairs,

They are for the benefit of the entire Jewish people,

and they are for the benefit of every single individual Jew

(including that there should be added to him in all matters of the service of the month of Elul)

And in general — the accounting of the totality of the service during the past year and of the preparation for the coming year, may it be good,

including also regarding the observance of the special customs of the month of Elul,

starting from the custom of sounding the shofar²¹,

the custom of reciting the psalm "LeDavid Hashem Ori Veyishi"

(Until after Hoshana Rabbah)

And similarly the custom of reciting three chapters of Tehillim from the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur,

And on Yom Kippur, 36 chapters

(27 in addition to the daily portion)

And so forth among the other customs of Israel,

"Nahara nahara

And to note,

that the effort for the welfare of every individual

and individual of Israel is emphasized also in the conclusion and seal of the daily lesson in the Rambam⁸⁵ — "Whoever sustains one soul of Israel, it is as if*⁸ he has sustained the entire world"⁸.

And one should add,

that action with others is emphasized also in the weekly portion,

at its beginning and end:

At the beginning of the portion,

"Judges and officers you shall appoint for yourself in all your gates" — that the commandment "Judges and officers you shall appoint for yourself in all your gates" literally,

Regarding the entire Jewish people,

it is said in the singular

("You shall give to you")

— to teach you,

that every individual from Israel must act

(not only regarding himself,

but also)

regarding the other,

And until it effects the matter of "Judges and officers, etc., in all your gates" in the entire Jewish people.

And at the conclusion of the portion,

In the commandment of the broken-necked heifer — in which the mutual responsibility of all Jews is emphasized,

As is known⁸⁸ that the heifer does not come to atone for the sinner⁸,

but rather,

"to remove the accusations from all of Israel,

for all Jews are responsible for one another,

and through the heifer they are absolved of the sin that lies upon the entire Jewish people due to the mutual responsibility."

Parshas Shoftim,

2 Elul

And may it be His will that the beginning of the service of the month of Elul,

during three days,

together with the good resolutions to add even more,

both regarding oneself and regarding others — hasten and speed and bring immediately the complete atonement for all undesirable matters

("our sins")

because of which the destruction and exile occurred,

and when the cause is nullified, the effect is immediately nullified,

and we merit immediately

(at the beginning of the forty days that end on Yom Kippur, at the conclusion of which we already said last year 'Next year in Jerusalem')

to the true and complete redemption hinted by the initials of Elul,

"I will sing"⁹ to Hashem and they said to say”

(or ‘To Hashem and they said to say I will sing’²)

And until the conclusion of the song — "Hashem will reign forever and ever"³

(as the conclusion and seal of Tractate Avot which is concluded on this Shabbat)

includes also the completeness of the future song,

the tenth song⁴.

And additionally, and this is the main point — that due to the great virtue of Israel, surely Hashem fulfills the request, prayer, and demand of all Israel for the redemption,

and especially that "Your nation are all righteous"⁵,

and "a righteous person decrees and Hashem fulfills"⁶,

And accordingly after "all the deadlines have passed"¹⁰,

And as testified by my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, the leader of our generation, that they have already completed all matters of the service

(even the polishing of the buttons")

and they stand ready

("stand ready

all of you"¹⁰)

for the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach.

And simply — that in the midst of the holy Shabbat of Parshat Shoftim in the year 5749 of the sixth millennium, we already merit to fulfill the command "Judges and officers you shall appoint for yourself in all your gates" in actual practice",

since the prophecy will be fulfilled¹ "And I will restore your judges as at first, etc.",

in all the gates of the Land of Israel,

and certainly in "your gates, Jerusalem"<sup>3>,

"Gates³ of Zion"¹⁰⁴,

up to the gates of the Holy Temple,

(the Great Sanhedrin of)

the Chamber of Hewn Stone.

And when Rosh Hashanah 5750 falls on Shabbat — they will blow the shofar also on Shabbat day,

And furthermore, before this,

On this Shabbat of parashat Shoftim — the request 'Sound the great shofar for our freedom' will already be fulfilled,

And especially after they have already blown the shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul,¹⁰³

And behold, the blowing of the shofar is in the manner of 'From the straits I called upon G‑d; He answered me with a broad expanse of G‑d.'¹⁰⁶

And even to the manner of 'Before they call, I will answer.'¹⁰³

That 'He did not delay them even for the blink of an eye.'¹⁰

Immediately and instantly, literally.

Sefer HaSichos - 5749

In the verse "When you go out to war against your enemy, and Hashem your G-d delivers him into your hand, and you take captive his captivity," at the beginning of our parshah — we must understand:

Why does it say "When you go out to war against your enemy,"

and not "with your enemy" or "against your enemy"²

What is "and you take captive his captivity,"

At first glance,

it should have said "and its captivity³" simply?

Moreover — these precise points

("upon your enemy,"

"and its captivity")

contradict each other,

because:

"Upon your enemy" emphasizes the "superiority" regarding "your enemy,"

That is,

Although there is the reality of "your enemy" and there is a need for war to defeat the enemy,

Nevertheless,

This is not a war between two equal sides,

Rather, Yisrael are "above your enemy",

above your enemy⁴.

And there is room to add further precision: that the state of "above your enemy"

(above your enemy,

But,

they have value and relevance to "your enemy")

is only after the leaving

("you shall go out")

from their place and level⁵,

But from the perspective of Israel themselves, who are

"literally a part of G-d from above") and until "Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one",

they have no value at all with your enemy,

Even not in the manner of "on your enemy",

They have no connection at all to "your enemy".

On the other hand,

"And you shall take captive its captives" indicates the strength of "your enemy".

And one should note from the verse "and he fought against Israel and took a captive from them",

That is,

That there is an enemy so strong that he actually took a captive from Israel.

And further note in our por- tion,

That even after defeating the enemy and taking captives from him,

this is called 'his captives,'

that it is discernible in the captive that he was of your enemy!

Similarly, one can be precise regarding the connection and relevance of the beginning of the portion and its end — which seemingly contradict each other:

At the beginning of the portion, the strength of Israel is emphasized — that even in a situation of war like this,

it is 'upon your enemy,'

and also that surely 'the Lord your God will deliver him into your hand, and you shall take his captives.'"

And at the conclusion of the portion,

"Remember what