Internal Disputatiousness and Dispute Among People / Transforming One’s Blood into Holy Speech / Raising the “Feminine Waters” and Attaining Peace God created the world with His speech, and He also created vessels to hold that speech. But He caused those vessels to break. As a result, the holy letters fell and scattered as “sparks.” Generally speaking, these sparks do not combine with each other, but remain fragmented and “disputatious.” Within an individual, fallen sparks that remain unbonded are on the level of one’s blood and soul — in particular, they are associated with the blood with which a person has not yet served God. This person then possesses the trait of disputatiousness. This may take the form of internal dispute. His heart is divided so that he does not understand something, and he thinks that it is self-contradictory. Alternatively, it may take the form of dispute against other people, particularly against righteous people. To rectify this, he must serve God by speaking words of Torah and praying until all of his blood is transformed into holy speech. His words of Torah and prayer elevate an energy called “feminine waters.” As these “feminine waters” rise, they blend the sparks and letters in his words of Torah and prayer, and thus bring about peace. As a result, this person experiences a love and yearning for God and true Tzaddikim, and these feelings make him capable of clinging to them. In addition, he can bring a feeling of love into the hearts of other individuals, so that they will come to be at peace with each other. Peace, Torah and Prayer Master of the world, help me attain the trait of peace. May I love peace and pursue peace always, as in the verse, “Turn aside from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.”
Prevent me from being domineering and argumentative, traits that are associated with the Side of Evil and that derive from the blood in a person’s body with which he has not yet served You.
From now on, help me engage in a great deal of Torah learning and prayer each day, until I bring all of the drops of my blood into the holy words of Torah and prayer. May all of these drops become words of Torah and prayer, and not a single drop that has not served You remain. May I serve You all of the days of my life with all of the drops of blood within me, engaging in a great deal of Torah learning and prayer until my body is given over entirely to holiness.
Raising All Sparks of Holiness to God Help me attain a constant and perfect fear of You. May I always stand before You with contrition and awe until my body is as absolutely nothing. In particular, when I learn Torah and pray, may I be aware only of the words of Torah and prayer so that I do not even notice my body.
May I then gather, raise and refine all of the letters and sparks that had fallen to the “shards of the vessels” as a result of my sins — whether they occurred in this or previous incarnations — which brought about dispute, doubt, confusion and other impediments to serving You, and which have been the source of all of my this-worldly desires.
Grant me the strength to raise all of the fallen sparks to You, a process that is also called elevating the “feminine waters.” May this lead to a unification of God and His Divine Presence, so that as a result, wondrous peace will be drawn into all worlds, above and below.
May every sort of arrogance, jealousy, hatred, incitement and dispute — all of which are associated with the Side of Evil — no longer affect me, the Jewish people and all human beings.
Instead, may only love and peace exist among Your entire nation, the Jewish people, and among the inhabitants of all the worlds that You created, formed and made.
Pour forth great blessing upon me, all the Jewish people, and all worlds. Quickly redeem us. Raise us from our descents. Lift up and establish all of reality that, due to our sins, has fallen like “feet that have descended.”
In keeping with that, do not abandon me, but raise my feet upon the rock and establish my steps. May the verse soon be realized, “On that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.”
But You investigate our “hearts and inner being,” so that everything that is hidden in our hearts is revealed to You. You know that in the core of our hearts, we are yearning at every moment to find the doorway of hope to come close to You.
[עַל־פִּי תּוֹרָה ע"ה - יְבָרְכֵנוּ אֱלֹקִים]
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, זַכֵּנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים לְמִדַּת הַשָּׁלוֹם, וְאֶזְכֶּה לִהְיוֹת אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם תָּמִיד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב, סוּר מֵרָע וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם וְרָדְפֵהוּ.
Internal Disputatiousness and Dispute Among People / Transforming One’s Blood into Holy Speech / Raising the “Feminine Waters” and Attaining Peace
God created the world with His speech, and He also created vessels to hold that speech. But He caused those vessels to break. As a result, the holy letters fell and scattered as “sparks.”
Generally speaking, these sparks do not combine with each other, but remain fragmented and “disputatious.” Within an individual, fallen sparks that remain unbonded are on the level of one’s blood and soul — in particular, they are associated with the blood with which a person has not yet served God. This person then possesses the trait of disputatiousness. This may take the form of internal dispute. His heart is divided so that he does not understand something, and he thinks that it is self-contradictory. Alternatively, it may take the form of dispute against other people, particularly against righteous people. To rectify this, he must serve God by speaking words of Torah and praying until all of his blood is transformed into holy speech.
His words of Torah and prayer elevate an energy called “feminine waters.” As these “feminine waters” rise, they blend the sparks and letters in his words of Torah and prayer, and thus bring about peace. As a result, this person experiences a love and yearning for God and true Tzaddikim, and these feelings make him capable of clinging to them. In addition, he can bring a feeling of love into the hearts of other individuals, so that they will come to be at peace with each other.
Peace, Torah and Prayer
Master of the world, help me attain the trait of peace. May I love peace and pursue peace always, as in the verse, “Turn aside from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.”
וְאֶזְכֶּה בְּכָל־עֵת לַעֲשׂוֹת שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ וּבֵין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ.
May I constantly bring about peace between people — particularly between husband and wife.
וְתִשְׁמְרֵנִי וְתַצִּילֵנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים, מִמִּדַּת הַנִּצָחוֹן וּמַחֲלֹקֶת דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא, שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה בְּלִבִּי שׁוּם נִצָּחוֹן וּמַחֲלֹקֶת דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא הַנִּמְשָׁכִין מֵהַדָּמִים שֶׁל הַגּוּף, שֶׁעֲדַיִן לֹא עָבְדוּ בָּהֶם אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ,
Prevent me from being domineering and argumentative, traits that are associated with the Side of Evil and that derive from the blood in a person’s body with which he has not yet served You.
וּתְרַחֵם עָלַי וְתוֹשִׁיעֵנִי וּתְזַכֵּנִי מֵעַתָּה לַעֲסֹק הַרְבֵּה בְּתוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה, שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה לְדַבֵּר הַרְבֵּה בְּתוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה בְּכָל יוֹם תָּמִיד, עַד שֶׁאַכְנִיס כָּל טִפֵּי הַדָּמִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בִּי בְּתוֹךְ הַדִּבּוּרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים שֶׁל תּוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה, וְיִהְיוּ נַעֲשִׂין מִכָּל הַטִּפֵּי דָמִים שֶׁבְּקִרְבִּי דִּבּוּרִים קְדוֹשִׁים שֶׁל תּוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה נִשְׁאַר בִּי שׁוּם טִפָּה דָּם שֶׁלֹּא עָבְדָה אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, רַק אֶזְכֶּה לַעֲבֹד אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, בְּכָל כֹּחִי כָּל יְמֵי חַיַּי בְּכָל טִפֵּי הַדָּמִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בִּי. וְאֶזְכֶּה לְדַבֵּר הַרְבֵּה בְּתוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה, עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַגּוּף בָּטֵל לְגַמְרֵי כְּאַין וְאֶפֶס מַמָּשׁ.
From now on, help me engage in a great deal of Torah learning and prayer each day, until I bring all of the drops of my blood into the holy words of Torah and prayer. May all of these drops become words of Torah and prayer, and not a single drop that has not served You remain. May I serve You all of the days of my life with all of the drops of blood within me, engaging in a great deal of Torah learning and prayer until my body is given over entirely to holiness.
וּתְזַכֵּנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים, לְיִרְאָה שְׁלֵמָה מִפָּנֶיךָ תָמִיד. וְתַמְשִׁיךְ וְתַשְׁפִּיעַ בְּלִבִּי יִרְאָה וּבוּשָׁה וָפַחַד וְאֵימָה גְּדוֹלָה מִפָּנֶיךָ תָמִיד, עַד אֲשֶׁר יִתְבַּטֵּל הַגּוּף לְגַמְרֵי כְּאַין וְאֶפֶס הַמֻּחְלָט עַל־יְדֵי עֹצֶם הַיִּרְאָה הַגְּדוֹלָה שֶׁתַּשְׁפִּיעַ בְּלִבִּי, וּבִפְרָט בְּעֵת עוֹסְקִי בְּדִבּוּרֵי תוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה שֶׁלֹּא אֶשְׁמַע אָז אֶת הַגּוּף כְּלָל, רַק אֶת הַדִּבּוּרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים שֶׁל תּוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה, וְיִתְבַּטֵּל הַגּוּף לְגַמְרֵי לְגַבֵּי הַדִבּוּרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים שֶׁל תּוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה,
Raising All Sparks of Holiness to God
Help me attain a constant and perfect fear of You. May I always stand before You with contrition and awe until my body is as absolutely nothing. In particular, when I learn Torah and pray, may I be aware only of the words of Torah and prayer so that I do not even notice my body.
וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה אֶזְכֶּה לְבָרֵר וּלְלַקֵּט וּלְהַעֲלוֹת וּלְצָרֵף כָּל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת וְהַנִּיצוֹצוֹת שֶׁנָּפְלוּ לְמַטָּה בִּבְחִינַת שִׁבְרֵי כֵּלִים, עַל־יְדֵי עֲוֹנוֹתַי וַחֲטָאַי וּפְשָׁעַי הָעֲצוּמִים בְּגִלְגּוּל זֶה וּבְגִלְגּוּל אַחֵר, אֲשֶׁר הֵם גּוֹרְמִים מַחֲלֹקֶת וְקֻשְׁיוֹת וּבִלְבּוּלִים וּמְנִיעוֹת מֵעֲבוֹדָתְךָ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, וּמֵהֶם בָּאִים כָּל הַתַּאֲווֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם,
May I then gather, raise and refine all of the letters and sparks that had fallen to the “shards of the vessels” as a result of my sins — whether they occurred in this or previous incarnations — which brought about dispute, doubt, confusion and other impediments to serving You, and which have been the source of all of my this-worldly desires.
וְהַכֹּל אֶזְכֶּה לְבָרֵר וּלְהַעֲלוֹת לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ, וּלְצָרְפָם וּלְחַבְּרָם וְלִבְנוֹת מֵהֶם בִּנְיָנִים וְעוֹלָמוֹת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה.
May I raise these sparks to Your great and holy Name, refine them, blend them and use them to build holy structures and worlds.
וְתִתֶּן לִי כֹחַ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים, לְהַעֲלוֹת אֶת כָּל הַנִּיצוֹצִין הַנְּפוּלִין אֵלֶיךָ בִּבְחִינַת הַעֲלָאַת מַנ (מַיִין נוּקְבִין). וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יִהְיֶה נַעֲשָׂה יִחוּד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יִהְיֶה נִמְשָׁךְ שָׁלוֹם גָּדוֹל וְנִפְלָא לְמַעְלָה וּלְמַטָּה בְּכָל הָעוֹלָמוֹת כֻּלָּם,
Grant me the strength to raise all of the fallen sparks to You, a process that is also called elevating the “feminine waters.” May this lead to a unification of God and His Divine Presence, so that as a result, wondrous peace will be drawn into all worlds, above and below.
וְיִתְבַּטֵּל כָּל מִינֵי נִצָּחוֹן דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא וְקִנְאָה וְשִׂנְאָה וְקִנְטוּר וּמַחֲלֹקֶת מִמֶּנִּי וּמִכָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִכָּל בְּנֵי עוֹלָם,
May every sort of arrogance, jealousy, hatred, incitement and dispute — all of which are associated with the Side of Evil — no longer affect me, the Jewish people and all human beings.
רַק יִהְיֶה אַהֲבָה וְשָׁלוֹם גָּדוֹל בֵּין כָּל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבֵין כָּל הַנִּבְרָאִים וְהַנּוֹצָרִים וְהַנַּעֲשִׂים שֶׁבְּכָל הָעוֹלָמוֹת כֻּלָּם,
Instead, may only love and peace exist among Your entire nation, the Jewish people, and among the inhabitants of all the worlds that You created, formed and made.
וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה תַּמְשִׁיךְ וְתַשְׁפִּיעַ בְּרָכָה גְּדוֹלָה לָנוּ וּלְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְכָל הָעוֹלָמוֹת כֻּלָּם. וּתְמַהֵר וְתָחִישׁ לְגָאֳלֵינוּ וְתָקִים אוֹתָנוּ מִנְּפִלָּתֵנוּ, וְתַעֲלֶה וְתָקִים אֶת כָּל בְּחִינַת הָרַגְלִין אֲשֶׁר יָרְדוּ לְמַטָּה בַּעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ,
Pour forth great blessing upon me, all the Jewish people, and all worlds. Quickly redeem us. Raise us from our descents. Lift up and establish all of reality that, due to our sins, has fallen like “feet that have descended.”
עָזֹב תַּעֲזֹב וְהָקֵם תָּקִים. הָקֵם עַל סֶלַע רַגְלָי וּתְכוֹנֵן אֲשׁוּרָי. וִיקֻיַּם מְהֵרָה מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב, וְעָמְדוּ רַגְלָיו בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל הַר הַזֵּיתִים.
In keeping with that, do not abandon me, but raise my feet upon the rock and establish my steps. May the verse soon be realized, “On that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.”
וְתוֹלִיכֵנוּ מְהֵרָה קוֹמְמִיּוּת לְאַרְצֵנוּ, וְתִבְנֶה בֵּית קָדְשֵׁנוּ וְתִפְאַרְתֵּנוּ, וְשָׁם נַעֲבָדְךָ בְּיִרְאָה כִּימֵי עוֹלָם וּכְשָׁנִים קַדְמוֹנִיּוֹת:
Quickly lead us upright to our Land. Build our holy and beautiful Temple, where we will serve You in awe as in the earliest days and years.
מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, מַלֵּא מִשְׁאֲלוֹתֵינוּ לְטוֹבָה בְּרַחֲמִים, כִּי צְרָכֵינוּ מְרֻבִּים מְאֹד מְאֹד וְדַעְתֵּנוּ קְצָרָה לְבָאֵר,
We Are Always Yearning
Our needs are so many that our limited minds cannot categorize them.
וְאַתָּה בּוֹחֵן לִבּוֹת וּכְלָיוֹת, וּלְפָנֶיךָ נִגְלוּ כָּל תַּעֲלוּמוֹת לֵב, וְאַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁבִּפְנִימִיּוּת לִבֵּנוּ אָנוּ מִשְׁתּוֹקְקִים מְאֹד לָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, וְאָנוּ מִתְגַּעְגְּעִים וּמְצַפִּים בְּכָל־עֵת לִמְצֹא פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה לָשׁוּב וּלְהִתְקָרֵב אֵלֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת.
But You investigate our “hearts and inner being,” so that everything that is hidden in our hearts is revealed to You. You know that in the core of our hearts, we are yearning at every moment to find the doorway of hope to come close to You.
עָזְרֵנוּ לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ, זַכֵּנוּ לְכָל מַה שֶּׁבִּקַּשְׁנוּ מִלְּפָנֶיךָ.
For the sake of Your Name, help us attain everything that we have sought from You.
יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי־פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה צוּרִי וְגוֹאֲלִי.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, HaShem, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא בְּרַחֲמָיו יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן:
“May He Who makes peace in His heights, in His compassion make peace upon us and upon all Israel, and say, ‘Amen.’”