Know! by means of the Torah’s renewal rivers are formed. For when a person begins to originate in Torah, a spring begins to flow, in the aspect of “a spring comes forth from the House of God” (Joel 4:18)—which is the intellect, as it is written (Proverbs 24:3), “A house is built with wisdom.”
Now in the beginning, this spring is narrow and small. Yet afterwards, it widens and spreads further and further, until it turns into rivers. Everyone then comes to drink from these rivers.
Therefore, someone who wants to originate Torah insights of value must first cry. This is because when the aforementioned rivers are made and everyone comes to drink from them, the forces of evil and the Other Side come as well to drink from there, God forbid. A person therefore has to cry first, so that rivers are formed from the crying, in the aspect of “He prepared rivers from the crying” (Rashi on Job 28:11). By crying, he prepares <and establishes> the rivers, and all the evil forces and the Other Side drink their fill from there. Thus afterwards, when he forms rivers from the Torah insights he later originates, he is then able to draw them into only appropriate places, so that no stranger drinks from them.
This is why a work of halakhah and original insights is called a MaSeKheTa. This corresponds to “MaSaKhTi (I mixed) my drink with tears” (Psalms 102:10) ; it is necessary to mix the drink with tears—for it is necessary to cry first, as explained above.
This is also the aspect of “By the rivers of Babylon, there YaShaVnu (we sat down) and also wept” (Psalms 137:1). <“Babylon”> is the aspect of the Babylonian Talmud that was made in the YeShiVas, from which rivers are formed, as explained above. And this is “and also wept”—because it is necessary to first cry, in the aspect of “I mixed my drink with tears,” as explained above.
דַּע, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי הִתְחַדְּשׁוּת הַתּוֹרָה נַעֲשֶׂה נְהָרוֹת, כִּי כְּשֶׁמַּתְחִיל לְחַדֵּשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה, אֲזַי מַתְחִיל לִנְבֹּעַ מַעְיָן, בִּבְחִינַת (יואל ד): וּמַעְיָן מִבֵּית ה' יֵצֵא, שֶׁהוּא הַשֵּׂכֶל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (משלי כד): בְּחָכְמָה יִבָּנֶה בָּיִת.
Know! by means of the Torah’s renewal rivers are formed. For when a person begins to originate in Torah, a spring begins to flow, in the aspect of “a spring comes forth from the House of God” (Joel 4:18)—which is the intellect, as it is written (Proverbs 24:3), “A house is built with wisdom.”
וְזֶה הַמַּעְיָן בַּתְּחִלָּה הוּא צַר וְקָטָן, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ מִתְרַחֵב וּמִתְפַּשֵּׁט יוֹתֵר וְיוֹתֵר, עַד שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה מִמֶּנּוּ נְהָרוֹת, וְהַכֹּל בָּאִים לִשְׁתּוֹת מֵאֵלּוּ הַנְּהָרוֹת.
Now in the beginning, this spring is narrow and small. Yet afterwards, it widens and spreads further and further, until it turns into rivers. Everyone then comes to drink from these rivers.
עַל כֵּן מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לְחַדֵּשׁ חִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶן מַמָּשׁ, הוּא צָרִיךְ לִבְכּוֹת מִקֹּדֶם, כִּי כְּשֶׁנַּעֲשִׂין נְהָרוֹת הַנַּ"ל וְהַכֹּל בָּאִים לִשְׁתּוֹת מֵהֶם, אֲזַי יָבוֹאוּ גַּם־כֵּן קְלִפּוֹת וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, לִשְׁתּוֹת גַּם־כֵּן מִשָּׁם, עַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ לִבְכּוֹת מִקֹּדֶם, וַאֲזַי עוֹשֶׂה עַל־יְדֵי הַבְּכִי נְהָרוֹת, בִּבְחִינַת (איוב כ״ח:י״א, עיין רש"י שם): מִבְּכִי נְהָרוֹת חִבֵּשׁ; שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי הַבְּכִי מְתַקֵּן נְהָרוֹת, וּמִשָּׁם שׁוֹתִין דֵּי סִפּוּקָם כָּל הַקְּלִפּוֹת וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא. וְאַחַר־כָּךְ, כְּשֶׁעוֹשֶׂה נְהָרוֹת מֵחִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא שֶׁמְּחַדֵּשׁ אַחַר־כָּךְ, אֲזַי יָכוֹל לְהַמְשִׁיכָם רַק לִמְקוֹמוֹת שֶׁצָּרִיךְ, שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁתּוּ מִמֶּנּוּ זָרִים.
Therefore, someone who wants to originate Torah insights of value must first cry. This is because when the aforementioned rivers are made and everyone comes to drink from them, the forces of evil and the Other Side come as well to drink from there, God forbid. A person therefore has to cry first, so that rivers are formed from the crying, in the aspect of “He prepared rivers from the crying” (Rashi on Job 28:11). By crying, he prepares <and establishes> the rivers, and all the evil forces and the Other Side drink their fill from there. Thus afterwards, when he forms rivers from the Torah insights he later originates, he is then able to draw them into only appropriate places, so that no stranger drinks from them.
וְעַל־כֵּן חִבּוּר הַהֲלָכוֹת וְהַחִדּוּשִׁין נִקְרָא מַסֶּכֶת, זֶה בְּחִינַת (תהילים ק״ב:י׳): וְשִׁקֻּוַי בִּבְכִי מָסָכְתִּי; שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִמְסֹךְ הַמַּשְׁקֶה בִּבְכִי, כִּי צָרִיךְ לִבְכּוֹת מִקֹּדֶם כַּנַּ"ל.
This is why a work of halakhah and original insights is called a MaSeKheTa. This corresponds to “MaSaKhTi (I mixed) my drink with tears” (Psalms 102:10) ; it is necessary to mix the drink with tears—for it is necessary to cry first, as explained above.
וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (תהילים קל״ז:א׳): עַל נַהֲרוֹת בָּבֶל, שָׁם יָשַׁבְנוּ גַּם בָּכִינוּ – זֶה בְּחִינַת תַּלְמוּד בַּבְלִי, שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה אֵצֶל הַיְשִׁיבוֹת, שֶׁמֵּהֶם נַעֲשִׂין נְהָרוֹת כַּנַּ"ל. וְזֶהוּ: גַּם בָּכִינוּ – כִּי צָרִיךְ לִבְכּוֹת מִקֹּדֶם, בִּבְחִינַת: וְשִׁקֻּוַי בִּבְכִי מָסָכְתִּי, כַּנַּ"ל:
This is also the aspect of “By the rivers of Babylon, there YaShaVnu (we sat down) and also wept” (Psalms 137:1). <“Babylon”> is the aspect of the Babylonian Talmud that was made in the YeShiVas, from which rivers are formed, as explained above. And this is “and also wept”—because it is necessary to first cry, in the aspect of “I mixed my drink with tears,” as explained above.