The
Meaning
of
Truth
and
Faith
Article
No.
3,
1985
Truth
and
faith
are
two
contradicting
things.
We
see
that
in
our
prayer,
which
was
established
by
the
members
of
the
Great
Assembly,
we
also
have
two
things
that
contradict
one
another.
On
the
one
hand,
they
have
arranged
for
us
the
procession
of
the
prayer,
and
prayer
should
be
said
specifically
when
a
person
is
deficient.
Moreover,
our
sages
said,
“A
prayer
should
be
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart,”
meaning
that
the
prayer
that
we
pray
to
the
Creator
should
be
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart,
meaning
that
we
will
feel
the
deficiency
throughout
the
heart.
This
means
that
within
the
heart
there
should
be
no
place
that
is
whole,
but
rather
only
deficiencies.
And
the
greater
the
deficiency,
the
more
the
prayer
is
accepted
compared
to
other
prayers.
It
is
written
in
The
Zohar
about
the
verse,
“A
prayer
for
the
poor
when
he
is
weak
and
pours
out
his
words
before
the
Lord”
(Balak,
items
187-88):
“But
there
are
three
that
are
called
a
‘prayer’:
a
prayer
for
Moses,
man
of
God—there
is
none
like
this
prayer
in
another
man.
A
prayer
for
David—there
is
none
like
it
in
another
king.
A
prayer
for
the
poor.
Of
the
three
prayers,
which
is
the
most
important?
It
is
a
prayer
for
the
poor.
This
prayer
comes
before
the
prayer
of
Moses,
before
the
prayer
of
David,
and
before
all
other
prayers
in
the
world.
What
is
the
reason?
The
poor
is
brokenhearted.
It
is
written,
‘The
Lord
is
near
to
the
brokenhearted.’
And
the
poor
always
quarrels
with
the
Creator,
and
the
Creator
listens
and
hears
his
words.”
Thus
far
its
words.
It
turns
out,
according
to
the
words
of
the
holy
Zohar,
that
the
prayer
is
precisely
when
a
person
is
broken,
when
he
has
nothing
with
which
to
revive
his
soul.
Then
it
is
called
a
“prayer
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart.”
This
prayer
is
more
important
than
all
the
prayers
in
the
world
because
he
has
no
merit
with
which
to
say,
“I
am
not
like
my
friends
because
I
have
some
merit
that
my
friends
do
not
have.”
It
turns
out
that
he
is
full
of
deficiencies,
and
then
there
is
room
for
an
honest
prayer
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart.
That
is,
the
bigger
the
deficiency,
the
more
important
is
the
prayer.
And
corresponding
to
the
prayer
that
they
have
arranged
for
us
in
the
order
of
the
prayers,
they
have
arranged
for
us
an
order
of
praise
and
gratitude.
This
contradicts
the
prayer
in
litany
that
exists
in
the
order
of
the
prayers,
since
normally,
when
one
does
something
good
to
another,
he
is
grateful
for
it.
But
the
measure
of
the
gratitude
is
always
according
to
the
measure
of
the
benefit
that
he
does
for
him.
This
is
how
he
expresses
the
gratitude
to
the
receiver
of
the
benefit.
For
example,
if
one
person
helps
another
for
half
his
sustenance,
meaning
that
if
he
has
obtained
through
him
provision
that
suffices
to
provide
only
half
his
household
needs,
the
gratitude
he
gives
him
is
incomplete.
But
if
he
has
tried
to
find
someone
full
provision,
and
even
with
luxuries,
meaning
that
he
has
no
deficiency
that
he
did
not
fulfill,
he
certainly
thanks
and
praises
such
a
person
with
his
heart
and
soul.
It
therefore
turns
out
that
when
a
person
thanks
and
praises
the
Creator,
and
wants
to
praise
and
thank
the
Creator
from
the
bottom
of
his
heart,
he
should
see
that
the
Creator
has
given
him
all
of
his
wishes
and
he
is
not
lacking
anything.
Otherwise,
his
gratitude
cannot
be
complete.
Therefore,
a
person
should
try
to
see
that
he
is
not
lacking
anything,
but
the
Creator
complimented
all
of
his
deficiencies,
and
he
is
left
with
no
deficiencies.
Only
then
can
he
give
thanks
to
the
Creator,
and
this
is
the
meaning
of
the
songs
and
praises
which
they
have
arranged
for
us
in
the
prayer.
For
this
reason,
they,
meaning
the
prayer
and
litany,
and
songs
and
praises,
are
opposites,
since
if
he
has
no
completeness
during
the
prayer
and
litany,
and
he
is
full
of
deficiencies,
his
prayer
is
complete.
But
with
songs
and
praises
it
is
the
opposite:
if
he
has
no
place
of
deficiency
that
is
not
completely
filled,
specifically
then
he
can
give
true
thanks.
We
should
understand
why
they
have
arranged
for
us
those
two
opposites,
for
what
purpose,
and
what
this
order
gives
to
us.
Also,
we
should
understand
how
it
is
possible
to
maintain
those
two
opposites,
since
they
contradict
one
another.
The
holy
Ari
says
(Talmud
Esser
Sefirot,
p
788,
item
83),
“There
should
be
two
doors
in
a
woman,
so
as
to
close
them
and
hold
the
fetus
inside,
so
it
does
not
come
out
until
it
is
completely
fashioned.
There
should
also
be
in
her
a
force
that
fashions
the
shape
of
the
fetus.”
It
explains
there
the
reason:
“As
in
corporeality,
if
there
is
a
malfunction
in
the
mother’s
abdomen,
the
mother
has
a
miscarriage.
That
is,
if
the
fetus
comes
out
of
the
mother’s
abdomen
before
the
shape
of
the
fetus
has
been
sufficiently
fashioned
in
the
degree
of
Ibur
[impregnation],
that
birth
is
not
regarded
as
birth
because
the
Ibur
cannot
exist
in
the
world.
Rather,
it
is
called
a
“miscarriage,”
meaning
that
it
was
not
born,
but
fell
out
of
the
mother’s
abdomen
and
cannot
live.”
Likewise,
in
spirituality,
there
are
two
discernments
in
the
Ibur:
1.
The
shape
of
the
Ibur,
which
is
the
degree
of
Katnut
[smallness/infancy],
which
is
its
real
shape.
However,
since
it
only
has
Katnut,
it
is
regarded
as
a
deficiency,
and
wherever
there
is
a
deficiency
in
holiness,
there
is
a
grip
to
the
Klipot
[shells/peels].
At
that
time
the
Klipot
can
cause
a
miscarriage—for
the
spiritual
fetus
to
fall
out
before
its
stage
of
Ibur
has
been
completed.
For
this
reason,
there
should
be
a
detaining
element,
which
is
that
it
is
given
wholeness,
meaning
Gadlut
[adulthood/greatness].
2.
However,
we
should
understand
how
the
newborn
can
be
given
Gadlut
while
it
is
still
unfit
to
receive
even
Katnut
sufficiently,
since
it
still
does
not
have
the
Kelim
[vessels]
in
which
to
receive
them
in
order
to
bestow.
To
that
there
is
an
answer
there:
Our
sages
said,
“An
embryo
in
its
mother’s
abdomen
eats
what
its
mother
eats.”
He
also
said,
“A
fetus
is
its
mother’s
thigh.”
This
means
that
since
a
fetus
is
its
mother’s
thigh,
the
Ibur
does
not
merit
its
own
name.
For
this
reason,
the
fetus
eats
what
its
mother
eats.
That
is,
the
fetus
receives
everything
that
it
receives
in
the
mother’s
Kelim.
For
this
reason,
although
the
fetus
has
no
Kelim
that
are
fit
to
receive
Gadlut,
but
in
the
Kelim
of
the
upper
one,
which
is
its
mother,
it
can
receive
because
it
is
completely
annulled
before
the
mother
and
has
no
authority
of
its
own.
This
is
called
Ibur,
when
it
is
completely
annulled
before
the
Upper
One.
Then,
when
it
receives
Gadlut,
it
is
in
wholeness.
This
is
why
there
is
no
grip
to
the
Klipot
there,
and
this
is
why
it
is
called
the
“detaining
force.”
This
keeps
the
fetus
from
falling
in
spirituality,
like
a
miscarriage
in
a
corporeal
fetus,
from
where
the
mother
must
watch
over
her
fetus
so
there
will
not
be
any
malfunction
there.
It
is
likewise
in
spirituality.
It
turns
out
from
all
of
the
above
that
we
should
discern
two
states
in
man’s
work:
1.
One’s
true
state,
meaning
one’s
Katnut,
when
everything
he
does
and
thinks
is
Katnut.
The
sensation
of
Katnut
begins
when
it
wants
to
walk
on
the
path
of
truth,
which
is
to
work
in
order
to
bestow.
At
that
time
he
begins
to
see
his
Katnut,
how
remote
he
is
from
matters
of
bestowal,
and
he
cannot
do
anything
in
order
to
bestow.
This
is
called
“truth,”
meaning
his
true
state.
Then,
because
it
is
Katnut,
there
can
be
a
grip
to
the
Sitra
Achra,
and
he
can
come
to
despair.
It
turns
out
that
his
entering
the
work
is
regarded
as
Ibur,
and
he
can
come
into
a
miscarriage,
meaning
to
fall
from
his
degree,
similar
to
the
corporeal
fetus
that
falls
out
from
the
mother’s
abdomen
and
cannot
stay
alive.
Likewise,
in
spirituality,
he
falls
from
his
degree
and
needs
a
new
Ibur.
That
is,
he
needs
to
start
his
work
anew
as
though
he
never
served
the
Creator.
For
this
reason,
there
should
be
a
detaining
force
so
that
the
fetus
will
not
fall
out.
This
means
that
at
that
time
he
should
be
in
wholeness,
meaning
to
feel
that
he
is
not
lacking
anything
in
the
work,
but
that
now
he
is
close
to
the
Creator
in
complete
Dvekut
[adhesion],
and
no
one
can
tell
him,
“But
you
see
that
you
have
no
progress
in
the
work
of
the
Creator.
Therefore,
you’re
exerting
in
vain,
and
you
are
unfit
to
serve
in
holiness.
Therefore,
you
need
to
be
like
everyone
else.
Why
are
you
making
such
a
noise
that
you
want
to
be
at
a
higher
degree
than
everyone
else,
although
you
derive
no
satisfaction
from
the
work
of
the
general
public?
This
is
what
gave
you
the
push
so
as
to
be
able
to
have
thoughts
and
desires
that
you
must
come
out
of
the
work
of
ordinary
people,
and
go
further
ahead
toward
the
truth.
It
is
true
that
this
is
the
truth,
but
you
see
that
although
you
want
to
walk
on
the
path
of
truth,
you
are
unfit
for
it,
either
because
you
lack
talent
or
because
you
lack
the
strength
to
overcome,
as
you
are
unable
to
overcome
the
nature
of
self-love
with
which
you
were
born.
Therefore,
drop
this
work,
dwell
in
lowliness
like
the
rest
of
the
people,
and
do
not
raise
your
heart
above
your
brother,
to
be
haughty.
Rather,
it
is
better
for
you
to
retire
from
this
path.”
For
this
reason,
in
order
not
to
fall
into
such
thoughts,
he
needs
the
detaining
force.
That
is,
he
must
believe
above
reason
that
the
grip
he
has
on
the
path
of
truth
is
great
and
very
important,
and
he
cannot
even
appreciate
the
importance
of
touching
the
path
of
truth
for
this
is
the
entire
Kli
in
which
the
Light
of
the
Creator
will
be.
However,
this
is
in
the
Kelim
of
the
upper
one.
That
is,
the
Creator
knows
when
a
person
should
feel
his
Dvekut
with
the
Creator.
In
his
own
Kelim
he
feels
the
opposite—that
now
he
is
worse
than
when
he
walked
on
the
path
of
the
general
public,
where
he
felt
that
each
day
he
was
adding
good
deeds
and
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
But
now,
since
he
has
started
walking
on
the
path
of
the
individual,
to
always
keep
the
intention
how
much
he
can
work
in
order
to
bestow
and
how
much
he
can
relinquish
self-love,
at
that
time
he
usually
sees
how
much
he
is
nearing
the
truth.
At
that
time,
he
always
sees
more
of
the
truth,
that
he
is
unable
to
exit
self-love.
Still,
in
the
Kelim
of
the
upper
one,
meaning
above
reason,
he
can
raise
himself
and
say,
“I
don’t
care
how
I
am
bestowing
upon
the
Creator.
I
want
the
Creator
to
bring
me
closer
to
Him,
and
the
Creator
certainly
knows
when
the
time
will
come
when
I
feel
that
the
Creator
has
brought
me
closer
to
Him.
In
the
meantime,
I
believe
that
the
Creator
knows
what
is
best
for
me,
and
this
is
why
He
makes
me
feel
the
feelings
that
I
am
feeling.
But
what
is
the
reason
that
the
Creator
wants
to
guide
me
on
this
path,
meaning
that
I
must
believe
in
the
path
of
faith
that
He
is
behaving
with
me
benevolently?
And
if
I
believe
it,
He
has
given
me
a
sign:
the
amount
of
joy
I
have,
the
amount
of
gratitude
that
I
can
give
to
Him
for
this,
and
how
much
I
can
thank
and
praise
His
name.
Surely,
we
must
say
that
it
is
to
our
benefit,
that
specifically
through
faith
we
can
achieve
the
goal,
which
is
called
“receiving
in
order
to
bestow.”
Otherwise,
the
Creator
could
certainly
lead
us
by
the
path
of
knowledge
and
not
by
the
path
of
faith.
By
that
you
will
understand
what
we
asked,
“Why
we
need
two
things
that
deny
one
another?”
That
is,
on
the
one
hand,
we
should
walk
by
the
path
of
truth,
meaning
to
feel
our
situation,
that
we
feel
that
we
are
moving
farther
from
self-love
and
toward
love
of
others,
and
how
much
we
would
like
the
world
to
be
in,
“May
His
blessed
name
grow
and
be
sanctified.”
And
when
we
see
that
spirituality
is
still
not
important,
we
feel
ourselves
in
great
deficiency,
and
also
to
see
how
much
we
regret
it,
and
how
it
pains
us
that
we
are
removed
from
Him.
This
is
called
“truth,”
meaning
the
state
we
feel
in
our
Kelim
according
to
our
sensation.
Also,
we
were
given
the
path
of
faith,
which
is
above
reason,
namely
not
to
take
our
sensations
and
reason
into
account,
but
say,
as
it
is
written,
“They
have
eyes
and
see
not.
They
have
ears
and
hear
not.”
Rather,
we
should
believe
that
the
Creator
is
certainly
the
Overseer,
and
He
knows
what
is
good
for
me
and
what
is
not
good
for
me.
Therefore,
He
wants
me
to
feel
my
state
as
I
do,
and
for
myself,
I
do
not
care
how
I
feel
myself
because
I
want
to
work
in
order
to
bestow.
Therefore,
the
main
thing
is
that
I
need
to
work
for
the
Creator.
And
although
I
feel
that
there
is
no
wholeness
in
my
work,
still,
in
the
Kelim
of
the
upper
one,
meaning
from
the
perspective
of
the
upper
one,
I
am
utterly
complete,
as
it
is
written,
“The
outcast
will
not
be
cast
out
from
Him.”
Hence,
I
am
satisfied
with
my
work—that
I
have
the
privilege
of
serving
the
King
even
at
the
lowest
degree.
That,
too,
I
regard
as
a
great
privilege
that
the
Creator
has
allowed
me
to
come
closer
to
Him
at
least
to
some
degree.
This
gives
us
two
things:
1)
With
respect
to
the
truth,
he
sees
his
true
state—that
he
has
room
for
prayer,
and
then
he
has
room
for
deficiency.
At
that
time
he
can
pray
that
the
Creator
will
complement
his
deficiency,
and
then
he
can
rise
by
the
degrees
of
holiness.
2)
The
path
of
faith,
which
is
wholeness—that
from
here
he
can
praise
and
thank
the
Creator,
and
then
he
can
be
in
joy.