The Meaning of Purity / Free Will / Making Everything One / Truth and Falsehood When creation was in potential, everything was one. Everything was true, good and holy (i.e., a complete unity). Even the word “pure” did not exist. Purity was created only when God brought potentiality into actuality, since now there were two realities: the original oneness and creation. “Pure” exists only in relation to “impure.” It is an intermediary between the holy and the unholy. Thus purity is the intermediary point of our free will. If a person makes a wrong decision, purity can descend into evil and impurity — into falsehood, which is removed from oneness. But because impurity devolves from purity, it can be rectified and purified. Through God’s providence — even after creation — all things are one with Him. And God’s providence rests on a person through truth. But through falsehood — which is evil — a person removes God’s providence from himself. Therefore, a person who wants everything to be one (as it was before creation) should guard himself from falsehood. As a result, God’s providence will rest upon him, and everything will be one. Falsehood comes about through distance from oneness. Truth is “one” insofar as there is only one true description of a quality — e.g., an object is composed of gold. Falsehood, however, can be multitudinous. The composition of this same object can be falsely described as silver, tin, bronze, and so on. Falsehood damages a person’s eyes in that it removes the providence of God’s “eyes.” Without that providence, oneness is damaged, and there is a gap between “after creation” and “before creation.” But through truth, a person draws down God’s providence so that all is one. Then “after creation” is absorbed into “before creation.” Falsehood can be said to damage a person’s eyes in another way as well. The essence of speech is a person’s spirit, which is associated with the blood. When a person tells a lie, he pollutes his blood. That polluted blood makes its way into his bile. An excess of bile is said to create tears. These tears weaken the eyes. Tears indicate sadness. But when there is only oneness, there are no antagonisms, no opposition. In messianic times, when everything returns to oneness, opposition, evil and tears will be eliminated. Then the lion will dwell with the lamb, “HaShem will be one and His Name will be one,” and God will wipe away the spirit of pollution from the earth. HaShem, God of truth, in Your vast compassion, rescue me from falsehood. Be with me always. Guard me so that I will never speak a lie, whether accidentally or on purpose, against my will or willingly.
[HaShem, my God and the God of my fathers, rescue me from all sorts of impurity of the blood, bile and excess bile, which come about as a result of speaking falsehood.
Guide me so that I will purify every type of blood, so that my blood will be clear, pure and holy, and I will be able to speak words of truth without even a trace of falsehood.]
Have pity on me and raise me from uncleanness to cleanness, from the mundane to the holy. Truly sanctify me in Your supernal holiness. “Save me, HaShem, from an evil man; protect me from a man of violence.” “All Your commandments are faithful. When falsehood pursues me, help me, HaShem!” “Rescue my spirit from the lip of falsehood, from a lying tongue.” “Remove the way of falsehood from me and grant me Your Torah.” “May the person who engages in falsehood not sit within my house; may the person who lies not be established before my eyes.”
Be gracious to me. Answer me and redeem my humble spirit from evil, uncleanness and falsehood. Give me truth and kindness as an outright and undeserved gift. Grant me an abundance of holiness, purity, truth and goodness.
Inspire me to return to You in full repentance. From this moment on, may I emerge quickly from evil to good, from uncleanness to purity, from falsehood to truth. May I reach the essence of ultimate truth and draw Your full providence onto me. Gaze upon me with an eye of love and graciousness, until I am truly absorbed into You, so that “after creation” is united with and incorporated into “before creation” by means of Your perfect providence.
Instead, may I be absorbed into truth, into every good and holy matter. May I possess a true and undivided love, in a simple sense, for all truly decent people, for all the true Tzaddikim, and for all the good within the entirety of Your nation, the holy Jewish people, until — as one of them — I will be absorbed into You, HaShem, our God and the God of our fathers.
Sanctified Sight Rescue me from blemished gazing. Sanctify my eyes always. May I no longer look at anything that impairs my vision, but instead look only at Your Torah, at Your true Tzaddikim and at everything that sanctifies my eyes, until they will always be truly holy and pure.
May I quickly rectify all the blemishes that I caused with my eyes. Help me in Your compassion and guard me from blemished sight. May the light of my eyes never grow dim. “Even in old age and white hair, do not abandon me.”
Guard the light of my eyes always, so that I will meditate in Your Torah day and night. Chase sleep away from my eyes and may I not suffer, as a result, any damage or sensitivity to my eyes, but may they shine like the sun and the moon.
“A Lip of Truth” God, You Who are unique and one, bring me truly close to You. Remove and eliminate falsehood, evil and uncleanness from the world. May the verse be quickly realized, “I shall remove the spirit of uncleanness from the earth.”
Purify me and sanctify me in every way. May the verse be realized in me, “I will sprinkle pure waters upon you and purify You; of all Your contaminations and all your idols, I will purify you.”
Reveal truth in the world quickly, and in our days, bring about the realization of the verses, “A lip of truth shall be established forever, but a tongue of falsehood is merely for a moment.”
“Who is a God like You, Who forgives sin and passes over the iniquity of the remnant of His inheritance, Who does not hold on to His anger forever, for He desires lovingkindness. He will again have compassion. He will overcome our sins and cast our sins into the depths of the sea. You give truth to Jacob, lovingkindness to Abraham. As You have promised our fathers from ancient days.”
[עַל־פִּי תּוֹרָה נ"א - אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא]
יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת, עָזְרֵנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים וְהַצִּילֵנִי מִן הַשֶּׁקֶר וֶהֱיֵה עִמִּי תָמִיד, וְשָׁמְרֵנִי שֶׁלֹּא יֵצֵא שׁוּם דְּבַר שֶׁקֶר מִפִּי לְעוֹלָם, בֵּין בְּשׁוֹגֵג בֵּין בְּמֵזִיד בֵּין בְּאֹנֶס בֵּין בְּרָצוֹן.
The Meaning of Purity / Free Will / Making Everything One / Truth and Falsehood
When creation was in potential, everything was one. Everything was true, good and holy (i.e., a complete unity). Even the word “pure” did not exist. Purity was created only when God brought potentiality into actuality, since now there were two realities: the original oneness and creation.
“Pure” exists only in relation to “impure.” It is an intermediary between the holy and the unholy. Thus purity is the intermediary point of our free will. If a person makes a wrong decision, purity can descend into evil and impurity — into falsehood, which is removed from oneness. But because impurity devolves from purity, it can be rectified and purified.
Through God’s providence — even after creation — all things are one with Him. And God’s providence rests on a person through truth. But through falsehood — which is evil — a person removes God’s providence from himself. Therefore, a person who wants everything to be one (as it was before creation) should guard himself from falsehood. As a result, God’s providence will rest upon him, and everything will be one.
Falsehood comes about through distance from oneness. Truth is “one” insofar as there is only one true description of a quality — e.g., an object is composed of gold. Falsehood, however, can be multitudinous. The composition of this same object can be falsely described as silver, tin, bronze, and so on.
Falsehood damages a person’s eyes in that it removes the providence of God’s “eyes.” Without that providence, oneness is damaged, and there is a gap between “after creation” and “before creation.” But through truth, a person draws down God’s providence so that all is one. Then “after creation” is absorbed into “before creation.”
Falsehood can be said to damage a person’s eyes in another way as well. The essence of speech is a person’s spirit, which is associated with the blood. When a person tells a lie, he pollutes his blood. That polluted blood makes its way into his bile. An excess of bile is said to create tears. These tears weaken the eyes.
Tears indicate sadness. But when there is only oneness, there are no antagonisms, no opposition. In messianic times, when everything returns to oneness, opposition, evil and tears will be eliminated. Then the lion will dwell with the lamb, “HaShem will be one and His Name will be one,” and God will wipe away the spirit of pollution from the earth.
HaShem, God of truth, in Your vast compassion, rescue me from falsehood. Be with me always. Guard me so that I will never speak a lie, whether accidentally or on purpose, against my will or willingly.
וְתַעַזְרֵנִי שֶׁלֹּא אֶהְיֶה נִכְשָׁל בְּשׁוּם דְּבַר שֶׁקֶר אֲפִלּוּ בְּטָעוּת, זַכֵּנִי לֶאֱמֶת בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הַגְּדוֹלִים.
Help me so that I will never express a falsehood, even by mistake. In Your great compassion, bring me to truth.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתַּצִּילֵנִי מִכָּל מִינֵי עֲכִירַת הַדָּמִים וּמִמָּרָה שְׁחוֹרָה וּמִמּוֹתָרוֹת הַמָּרָה־שְׁחוֹרָה הַבָּאִים עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמְּדַבְּרִים דִּבּוּרֵי־שֶקֶר.
[HaShem, my God and the God of my fathers, rescue me from all sorts of impurity of the blood, bile and excess bile, which come about as a result of speaking falsehood.
וּתְזַכֵּנִי לְזַכֵּךְ אֶת כָּל הַדָּמִים שֶׁלִּי, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כֻּלָּם זַכִּים וְצַחִים טְהוֹרִים וּקְדוֹשִׁים, עַד שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה לְדַבֵּר דִבּּוּרֵי־אֱמֶת וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בָּהֶם שׁוּם אֲחִיזַת־הַשֶּׁקֶר כְּלָל.
Guide me so that I will purify every type of blood, so that my blood will be clear, pure and holy, and I will be able to speak words of truth without even a trace of falsehood.]
חוּס וַחֲמֹל עָלַי וְהַעֲלֵנִי מִטֻּמְאָה לְטָהֳרָה מֵחֹל לְקֹדֶשׁ, קַדְּשֵׁנִי בִּקְדֻשָּׁתְךָ הָעֶלְיוֹנָה בֶּאֱמֶת, חַלְּצֵנִי יְהֹוָה מֵאָדָם רָע מֵאִישׁ חֲמָסִים תִּנְצְרֵנִי. כָּל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֱמוּנָה שֶׁקֶר רְדָפוּנִי עָזְרֵנִי. יְהֹוָה הַצִּילָה נַפְשִׁי מִשְׂפַת שֶׁקֶר מִלָּשׁוֹן רְמִיָּה. דֶּרֶךְ שֶׁקֶר הָסֵר מִמֶּנִּי וְתוֹרָתְךָ חָנֵּנִי. לֹא יֵשֵׁב בְּקֶרֶב בֵּיתִי עֹשֵׂה רְמִיָּה דּוֹבֵר שְׁקָרִים לֹא יִכּוֹן לְנֶגֶד עֵינָי.
Have pity on me and raise me from uncleanness to cleanness, from the mundane to the holy. Truly sanctify me in Your supernal holiness. “Save me, HaShem, from an evil man; protect me from a man of violence.” “All Your commandments are faithful. When falsehood pursues me, help me, HaShem!” “Rescue my spirit from the lip of falsehood, from a lying tongue.” “Remove the way of falsehood from me and grant me Your Torah.” “May the person who engages in falsehood not sit within my house; may the person who lies not be established before my eyes.”
חָנֵּנִי וַעֲנֵנִי וּפְדֵה נַפְשִׁי הָאֻמְלָלָה מִן הָרַע וּמִן הַטֻּמְאָה וּמִן הַשֶּׁקֶר, וְתֵן לִי בְּמַתְּנַת חִנָּם אֱמֶת וָחֶסֶד, וְתַשְׁפִּיעַ עָלַי מֵאִתְּךָ קְדֻשָּׁה וְטָהֳרָה אֱמֶת וָטוֹב.
Be gracious to me. Answer me and redeem my humble spirit from evil, uncleanness and falsehood. Give me truth and kindness as an outright and undeserved gift. Grant me an abundance of holiness, purity, truth and goodness.
הַחֲזִירֵנִי בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה לְפָנֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, וְזַכֵּנִי מֵעַתָּה לָצֵאת מְהֵרָה מֵרַע לְטוֹב, מִטֻּמְאָה לְטָהֳרָה, מִשֶּׁקֶר לֶאֱמֶת, וְאֶזְכֶּה לְעֶצֶם הָאֱמֶת לַאֲמִתּוֹ. וְתַמְשִׁיךְ הַשְׁגָּחָתְךָ הַשְּׁלֵמָה עָלֵינוּ, וְתַשְׁגִּיחַ עָלֵינוּ בִּשְׁלֵמוּת בְּעֵין הַחֶמְלָה וְהַחֲנִינָה עַד שֶׁנִזְכֶּה לְהִכָּלֵל בְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, וְיִתְאַחֲדוּ וְיֻכְלְלוּ אַחַר הַבְּרִיאָה בְּקֹדֶם הַבְּרִיאָה עַל־יְדֵי הַשְׁגָּחָתְךָ הַשְּׁלֵמָה,
Inspire me to return to You in full repentance. From this moment on, may I emerge quickly from evil to good, from uncleanness to purity, from falsehood to truth. May I reach the essence of ultimate truth and draw Your full providence onto me. Gaze upon me with an eye of love and graciousness, until I am truly absorbed into You, so that “after creation” is united with and incorporated into “before creation” by means of Your perfect providence.
וְיִהְיֶה כֻּלּוֹ אֶחָד כֻּלּוֹ טוֹב כֻּלּוֹ קֹדֶשׁ כֻּלּוֹ אֱמֶת:
May it all be one — all good, all holy, all true.
וְתַצִּילֵנִי מִכָּל מִינֵי הִתְנַגְּדוּת, שֶׁלֹּא יִמָּצֵא בִּי שׁוּם צַד הִתְנַגְּדוּת חַס וְשָׁלוֹם לְשׁוּם דָּבָר שֶׁבִּקְדֻשָּׁה וְלֹא לְשׁוּם אָדָם כָּשֵׁר שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם,
A Love for Decent People
Guide me so that there will be no opposition within me, Heaven forbid, to any holiness or to any decent person in the world.
רַק אֶהְיֶה נִכְלָל בֶּאֱמֶת בְּכָל הַדְּבָרִים הַטּוֹבִים וְהַקְּדוֹשִׁים, וְיִהְיֶה לִי אַהֲבָה אֲמִתִּית וְאַחְדּוּת פָּשׁוּט עִם כָּל הַכְּשֵׁרִים אֲמִתִּיִּים שֶׁבַּדּוֹר, וְעִם כָּל הַצַּדִּיקִים הָאֲמִתִּיִּים, וְעִם כָּל הַטּוֹב שֶׁיֵּשׁ בִּכְלָלִיּוּת עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקָּדוֹשׁ, עַד שֶׁבִּכְלָלָם אֶהְיֶה נִכְלָל בְּךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ,
Instead, may I be absorbed into truth, into every good and holy matter. May I possess a true and undivided love, in a simple sense, for all truly decent people, for all the true Tzaddikim, and for all the good within the entirety of Your nation, the holy Jewish people, until — as one of them — I will be absorbed into You, HaShem, our God and the God of our fathers.
וְאֶזְכֶּה לְהִתְדַּבֵּק בְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת וּלְהִכָּלֵל בְּאַחְדּוּתְךָ תָמִיד מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם לְעוֹלְמֵי עַד וּלְנֵצַח נְצָחִים:
May I cling to You in truth and be absorbed into Your oneness always, from now and forever.
וְתַצִּילֵנִי מִפְּגַם הָרְאוּת, וּתְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת עֵינַי תָּמִיד, וְלֹא אֶסְתַּכֵּל עוֹד בְּשׁוּם דָּבָר הַפּוֹגֵם אֶת הָרְאוּת, רַק אֶזְכֶּה לְהִסְתַּכֵּל בְּעֵינַי בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ, וּלְהִסְתַּכֵּל עַל צַדִּיקֶיךָ הָאֲמִתִּיִּים, וְעַל כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הַמְקַדְּשִׁין אֶת הָעֵינַיִם, עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ עֵינַי קְדוֹשִׁים וּטְהוֹרִים תָּמִיד בֶּאֱמֶת לַאֲמִתּוֹ,
Sanctified Sight
Rescue me from blemished gazing. Sanctify my eyes always. May I no longer look at anything that impairs my vision, but instead look only at Your Torah, at Your true Tzaddikim and at everything that sanctifies my eyes, until they will always be truly holy and pure.
וְאֶזְכֶּה לְתַקֵּן מְהֵרָה אֶת כָּל הַפְּגָמִים שֶׁפָּגַמְתִּי בְּעֵינַי. וְתַעַזְרֵנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ וְתִשְׁמְרֵנִי מִקִּלְקוּל חוּשׁ הָרְאוּת חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְלֹא יִכְהוּ מְאוֹר עֵינַי לְעוֹלָם, וְגַם עַד זִקְנָה וְשֵׂיבָה, אַל תַּעַזְבֵנִי,
May I quickly rectify all the blemishes that I caused with my eyes. Help me in Your compassion and guard me from blemished sight. May the light of my eyes never grow dim. “Even in old age and white hair, do not abandon me.”
וְתִשְׁמֹר אֶת אוֹר עֵינַי תָּמִיד, לְמַעַן אֶזְכֶּה לַהֲגוֹת בְּתוֹרָתְךָ יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה, וּלְנַדֵּד שֵׁנָה מֵעֵינַי, וְלֹא יַגִּיעַ לִי עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה שׁוּם הֶזֵּק ומֵחוֹשׁ לְעֵינַי, וְיִהְיוּ עֵינַי מְאִירוֹת כַּשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְכַיָּרֵחַ.
Guard the light of my eyes always, so that I will meditate in Your Torah day and night. Chase sleep away from my eyes and may I not suffer, as a result, any damage or sensitivity to my eyes, but may they shine like the sun and the moon.
יָחִיד וּמְיֻחָד, קָרְבֵנוּ אֵלֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, וְתִדְחֶה וְתַעֲבִיר וּתְבַטֵּל הַשֶּׁקֶר וְהָרַע וְהַטֻּמְאָה מִן הָעוֹלָם, וּתְקַיֵּם מְהֵרָה מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב, וְאֶת רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה אַעֲבִיר מִן הָאָרֶץ.
“A Lip of Truth”
God, You Who are unique and one, bring me truly close to You. Remove and eliminate falsehood, evil and uncleanness from the world. May the verse be quickly realized, “I shall remove the spirit of uncleanness from the earth.”
וּתְטַהֲרֵנוּ וּתְקַדְּשֵׁנוּ בְּכָל מִינֵי טָהֳרוֹת וּקְדֻשּׁוֹת. וּתְקַיֵּם בָּנוּ מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב, וְזָרַקְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם מַיִם טְהוֹרִים וּטְהַרְתֶּם מִכֹּל טֻמְאוֹתֵיכֶם וּמִכָּל גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם אֲטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם.
Purify me and sanctify me in every way. May the verse be realized in me, “I will sprinkle pure waters upon you and purify You; of all Your contaminations and all your idols, I will purify you.”
וּתְגַלֶּה הָאֱמֶת בָּעוֹלָם חִישׁ קַל מְהֵרָה וּתְקַיֵּם בְּיָמֵינוּ שְׂפַת אֱמֶת תִּכּוֹן לָעַד וְִעַד אַרְגִּיעָה לְשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר.
Reveal truth in the world quickly, and in our days, bring about the realization of the verses, “A lip of truth shall be established forever, but a tongue of falsehood is merely for a moment.”
אֱמֶת מֵאֶרֶץ תִּצְמָח וְצֶדֶק מִשָּׁמַיִם נִשְׁקָף.
“Truth will sprout from the earth and righteousness will gaze down from Heaven.”
חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת נִפְגָּשׁוּ צֶדֶק וְשָׁלוֹם נָשָׁקוּ.
“Love and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed.”
הַדְרִיכֵנִי בַאֲמִתֶּךָ וְלַמְּדֵנִי כִּי אַתָּה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעִי אוֹתְךָ קִוִּיתִי כָּל הַיּוֹם.
“Guide me in Your truth and teach me that You are the God of my salvation. I have hoped for You all the day.”
הוֹרֵנִי יְהֹוָה דַּרְכֶּךָ אַהַלֵּךְ בַּאֲמִתֶּךָ יַחֵד לְבָבִי לְיִרְאָה שְׁמֶךָ.
“Teach me, HaShem, Your path; I will walk in Your truth. Make my heart one to fear Your Name.”
שְׁלַח אוֹרְךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ הֵמָּה יַנְחוּנִי יְבִיאוּנִי אֶל הַר קָדְשְׁךָ וְאֶל מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֶיךָ.
“Send Your light and Your truth to guide me. Bring me to Your holy mountain and Your dwelling place.”
מִי אֵל כָּמוֹךָ נוֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וְעוֹבֵר עַל פֶּשַׁע לִשְׁאֵרִית נַחֲלָתוֹ לֹא הֶחֱזִיק לָעַד אַפּוֹ כִּי חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא. יָשׁוּב יְרַחֲמֵנוּ יִכְבֹּשׁ עֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ וְתַשְׁלִיךְ בִּמְצֻלוֹת יָם כָּל חַטֹּאתָם. תִּתֵּן אֱמֶת לְיַעֲקֹב חֶסֶד לְאַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִימֵי קֶדֶם.
“Who is a God like You, Who forgives sin and passes over the iniquity of the remnant of His inheritance, Who does not hold on to His anger forever, for He desires lovingkindness. He will again have compassion. He will overcome our sins and cast our sins into the depths of the sea. You give truth to Jacob, lovingkindness to Abraham. As You have promised our fathers from ancient days.”
הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יְהֹוָה אֵלֶיךָ וְנָשׁוּבָה חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם. אָמֵן וְאָמֵן:
“Bring us back to You, HaShem, and we will return. Renew our days as of old.” Amen, amen.