Know! there are those who deliver Torah lessons from the bottom up. [The lesson] at the bottom is very broad, since at the bottom they broaden and expand it greatly. But further up it is katzar (narrow), getting narrower the higher it goes; until all the way up it is extremely narrow, for at the top nothing remains of it other than a very little bit, since there is certainly some holy spark there.
However, there are those who are the opposite, who deliver Torah lessons from the top down. There, Above, it is extremely broad. But the more [the lesson] comes down, the narrower it gets, until below it is very narrow. At the bottom it is just a very little bit, while at the top it is very broad.
The same is true of awakening from below. It is necessary that below it be narrow, in the aspect of “and my mouth spoke in my tzar (distress)” (Psalms 66:14). [This is] the aspect of a shofar, which is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, near the mouth. And this is the aspect of “and my mouth spoke in my TZaR”—i.e., the thin, kaTZaR side was towards me, near my mouth, in the aspect of a shofar, as explained above.
As we find of David, that [he recited] the beginning of each of his prayers from narrow straits and constriction due to the great pressure he was under, as for example when he was beset by suffering from Avshalom, or from Naval, and the like. Yet afterwards, in the same prayer, he entered a state of Divine inspiration.
דַּע, שֶׁיֵּשׁ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים תּוֹרָה מִלְּמַטָּה לְמַעְלָה, וְהִיא מִלְּמַטָּה רְחָבָה מְאֹד, שֶׁלְּמַטָּה מַרְחִיבִין הַדָּבָר וּמַגְדִּילִין אוֹתוֹ מְאֹד, וּלְמַעְלָה הוּא קָצָר, וְהוֹלֵךְ וּמְקַצֵּר וְעוֹלֶה, עַד שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מַעְלָה הוּא קָצָר מְאֹד מְאֹד, כִּי לְמַעְלָה לֹא נִשְׁאָר מִמֶּנָּה כְּלוּם, רַק מְעַט מְעַט, כִּי בְּוַדַּאי יֵשׁ שָׁם אֵיזֶה נִיצוֹץ הַקָּדוֹשׁ.
Know! there are those who deliver Torah lessons from the bottom up. [The lesson] at the bottom is very broad, since at the bottom they broaden and expand it greatly. But further up it is katzar (narrow), getting narrower the higher it goes; until all the way up it is extremely narrow, for at the top nothing remains of it other than a very little bit, since there is certainly some holy spark there.
אֲבָל יֵשׁ לְהֵפֶךְ, שֶׁאוֹמְרִים תּוֹרָה מִלְּמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה, וְשָׁם לְמַעְלָה הִיא רְחָבָה מְאֹד מְאֹד, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁיּוֹרֶדֶת לְמַטָּה מִתְקַצֶּרֶת וְיוֹרֶדֶת, עַד שֶׁלְּמַטָּה הִיא קְצָרָה מְאֹד, וְהִיא רַק מְעַט מְעַט לְמַטָּה, אֲבָל לְמַעְלָה הִיא רְחָבָה מְאֹד.
However, there are those who are the opposite, who deliver Torah lessons from the top down. There, Above, it is extremely broad. But the more [the lesson] comes down, the narrower it gets, until below it is very narrow. At the bottom it is just a very little bit, while at the top it is very broad.
וְכֵן בְּהִתְעוֹרְרוּת מִלְּמַטָּה, צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִלְּמַטָּה קָצָר, בִּבְחִינוֹת (תהילים ס״ו:י״ד): וְדִבֶּר פִּי בַּצַּר לִי, בִּבְחִינַת שׁוֹפָר, שֶׁהָרָחָב הוּא לְמַעְלָה וְהַקָּצָר הוּא לְמַטָּה אֵצֶל הַפֶּה. וְזֶה בְּחִינוֹת: וְדִבֶּר פִּי בַּצַּר לִי, הַיְנוּ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַצַּד הַצַּר וְהַקָּצָר אֵלַי, אֵצֶל פִּי, בִּבְחִינוֹת שׁוֹפָר כַּנַּ"ל,
The same is true of awakening from below. It is necessary that below it be narrow, in the aspect of “and my mouth spoke in my tzar (distress)” (Psalms 66:14). [This is] the aspect of a shofar, which is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, near the mouth. And this is the aspect of “and my mouth spoke in my TZaR”—i.e., the thin, kaTZaR side was towards me, near my mouth, in the aspect of a shofar, as explained above.
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ אֵצֶל דָּוִד בְּכָל תְּפִלּוֹתָיו, שֶׁהַהַתְחָלָה הָיָה מִן הַמֵּצַר וְהַדֹּחַק, שֶׁהָיָה צַר לוֹ מְאֹד, כְּגוֹן מֵחֲמַת שֶׁנָּפַל עָלָיו צָרוֹת אַבְשָׁלוֹם אוֹ צָרַת נָבָל וְכַדּוֹמֶה, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ בָּא בְּאוֹתוֹ תְּפִלָּה לְתוֹךְ רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ:
As we find of David, that [he recited] the beginning of each of his prayers from narrow straits and constriction due to the great pressure he was under, as for example when he was beset by suffering from Avshalom, or from Naval, and the like. Yet afterwards, in the same prayer, he entered a state of Divine inspiration.