A chick — This is an eFRoaCh, the concept of tzaddik: <“A tzaddik, like a date palm, yiFRaCh (will flourish)” (Psalms 92:13) ; and as in,> “In his days, the tzaddik yiFRaCh” (Psalms 72:7).
[The Wise Men of Athens] asked him: The tzaddik who kills himself and sacrifices his soul in prayer and entreaties, in which place in the prayer does he especially have to sacrifice his soul?
Through where it entered — Namely, wherever he has to elevate the sparks of holiness. In other words, wherever external thoughts enter into him <he has to elevate them. This is because the external thoughts are actually the fallen sparks of holiness,> and he has to elevate them, as is known. That is where he has to sacrifice his soul. A chick that dies - a chick that perishes inside its shell:
לְשׁוֹן רַבֵּנוּ זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה רְצִיצָא דְּמָיֵת בְּבֵיעוּתֵהּ, הֵיכָא נָפֵק רוּחָא. וְאָמַר לְהוֹ: בְּהַיְנוּ דְּעָל:
“A Retzitza (chick) that dies in its shell, through where does the spirit-of-life exit ?” He said to them, “Through where it entered” (Bekhorot 8b).
רְצִיצָא, זֶה אֶפְרוֹחַ. זֶה בְּחִינַת צַדִּיק, בְּחִינַת (תהילים ע״ב:ז׳): יִפְרַח בְּיָמָיו צַדִּיק.
A chick — This is an eFRoaCh, the concept of tzaddik: <“A tzaddik, like a date palm, yiFRaCh (will flourish)” (Psalms 92:13) ; and as in,> “In his days, the tzaddik yiFRaCh” (Psalms 72:7).
שֶׁשָּׁאֲלוּ אוֹתוֹ: הַצַּדִּיק שֶׁמֵּמִית אֶת עַצְמוֹ, וּמוֹסֵר אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ בִּצְלוֹתֵהּ וּבָעוּתֵהּ – בְּאֵיזֶה מִן הַמְּקוֹמוֹת מִן הַתְּפִלָּה, צָרִיךְ לוֹ לִמְסֹר אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ בְּיוֹתֵר.
[The Wise Men of Athens] asked him: The tzaddik who kills himself and sacrifices his soul in prayer and entreaties, in which place in the prayer does he especially have to sacrifice his soul?
וְהֵשִׁיב לָהֶם:
And [Rabbi Yehoshua] answered them:
הֵיכָא דְּעָל. הַיְנוּ אֵיךְ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ לְהַעֲלוֹת נִיצוֹצֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, הַיְנוּ אֵיךְ שֶׁנִּכְנָסִים בּוֹ מַחֲשָׁבוֹת זָרוֹת, וְצָרִיךְ לְהַעֲלוֹתָם כַּיָּדוּעַ, שָׁם צָרִיךְ לוֹ לִמְסֹר נַפְשׁוֹ:
Through where it entered — Namely, wherever he has to elevate the sparks of holiness. In other words, wherever external thoughts enter into him <he has to elevate them. This is because the external thoughts are actually the fallen sparks of holiness,> and he has to elevate them, as is known. That is where he has to sacrifice his soul. A chick that dies - a chick that perishes inside its shell: