שמעתי בשם מורי איך יתפלל על שונאו, והתועלת הוא זה, כי (משלי כ״ד:ט״ז) שבע יפול צדיק וקם, רצה לומר בזיי"ן ספירות נתגלגל נר"ן שלו, דהיינו נפש הם עבדים והבהמות שלו, ורוח היא אשתו, והדיבור הוא גם כן זווג שבפה נקרא אשתו, שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל (יבמות דס"ג ע"א) זכה עזר לא זכה כנגדו, דהיינו כשפגם בדיבורו כמו לשון הרע וכיוצא, מזה נעשו אנשים שונאיו המדברים עליו, הנשמה ממוח והם בניו, ופגם שבמוח במחשבה, גורם שיש לו צער מבניו, ובנפש גם כן, אם פגם במעשיו ובעובדא, גורם לו צער מעבדיו ובהמתו. ובכל הספירות יכול להעלות נר"ן, מה שאין כן בספירה שביעית הוא במלכות, ומשם יונקים הקליפות נגה, קשה לו להעלות נר"ן משם, נמצא שונאיו שבאו על ידי פגם הדיבור, צריך לתקנם להעלותם על ידי דיבורי התפלה, ובאם לאו שדוחה אותן, נעשו יותר שונאים על ידי עבייות וחומרייות, לכך (משלי י״ז:כ״ו) גם ענוש לצדיק לא טוב כי הוא רוחו של צדיק עצמו, לכך צריך להתפלל על שונאיו לתקנם ולהעלותם, ועל ידי התפלה נמתק בשורשה, ומוציא מהם רוחו, ומה שנשאר בהם הם כלים מאליהם, ישמע חכם ויוסיף לקח, ודפח"ח .
I heard from my Master (the Baal Shem Tov) how to pray for one’s enemies, and the benefit that comes from doing so. It is written: “A Tzaddik falls seven times and rises” (Proverbs 24:16). Meaning, the nefesh, ruach and neshama of the Tzaddik are incarnated in the seven [lower] Sefiros.89Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchus. That is, his nefesh is his servants and livestock.89The nefesh is the lowest of the souls, corresponding to the world of Asiyah – Action, and is manifest as the basic life energy. This is personified by one’s servants and animals. Furthermore, the Divine Name that corresponds to the nefesh is B’an (ב”ן), which has the same numerical value as the word “beast” (behemah). Although the Baal Shem Tov has just stated that the Tzaddik’s soul is incarnated in the Sefiros, he apparently means physical objects that correspond to the Sefiros above, as he subsequently explains. This reflects a cardinal teaching of the Baal Shem Tov that a person’s soul is not merely located in his body, but extends outward to be found in everything he possesses. His ruach is his wife. Speech, too, is a union in the mouth, and is also referred to as his wife. Thus, the Sages said: “If he is worthy, she is a helper. If he is unworthy, she is against him.”89Yevamot 63a, on Genesis 2:18: “And G‑d said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper against him’” (ezer-kenegdo). That is, if he blemishes his power of speech, such as by speaking gossip and slander, he creates enemies who will speak against him. The neshama, which is in the mind, is his children, so that by blemishing one’s thoughts, he suffers from his children. The same, too, of his nefesh. If he ruins his deeds, he will suffer from his servants and livestock. It is possible to elevate the nefesh, ruach, and neshama in all the Sefiros, except for the seventh Sefirah, which is Malchus. For the kelipat nogah leeches onto there, making it is difficult to uplift the parts of the soul from there. Therefore, a person’s enemies that come from a blemish in speech must be fixed and uplifted through words of prayer, for if he pushes them away, they will hate him more due to their denseness and physicality.89That is, the only way to defeat one’s enemies is by realizing that they are a part of one’s own soul, haven been created by one’s own misdeeds. By uplifting them, they are repaired. But if a person pushes his enemies away, he only casts them deeper into corporeality and further from spirituality, and so they will hate him even more. Therefore, “for a Tzaddik to punish is not good”89This is a Chasidic interpretation of the verse. The literal meaning is: “even punishment for the Tzaddik is not good” – i.e. it is not good for a Tzaddik to receive punishment. (Proverbs 17:26), for a Tzaddik’s enemies are his very spirit. Rather, one must pray for one’s enemies, to fix and uplift them. And through means of prayer, they are sweetened in their root, he removes their spirit from them, and what remains vanishes by itself. “May a wise man hear, and add understanding!” (Proverbs 1:5).
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וזהו ענין מעלת משה רבינו עליו השלום שהעלה ותיקן דיבורו, ותחלה היו צאן שהיה רועה אותן, ואחר כך בגלגול נעשו תלמידיו, שנתן להם התורה, ולמד עמהן וכו' ודפח"ח: (בן פורת יוסף בסופו דקכ"ו ע"ד)
This was the greatness of Moses, who uplifted and rectified his speech. At first, they were the flocks that he tended,89Apparently, the Baal Shem Tov is now speaking about Moses’ nefesh-soul, which was first incarnated in his flock, and later, in his students. and then they were reincarnated as his students, to whom he gave the Torah and studied with. Ben Poras Yosef, p. 126d
שמעתי בשם מורי איך יתפלל על שונאו, והתועלת הוא זה, כי (משלי כ״ד:ט״ז) שבע יפול צדיק וקם, רצה לומר בזיי"ן ספירות נתגלגל נר"ן שלו, דהיינו נפש הם עבדים והבהמות שלו, ורוח היא אשתו, והדיבור הוא גם כן זווג שבפה נקרא אשתו, שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל (יבמות דס"ג ע"א) זכה עזר לא זכה כנגדו, דהיינו כשפגם בדיבורו כמו לשון הרע וכיוצא, מזה נעשו אנשים שונאיו המדברים עליו, הנשמה ממוח והם בניו, ופגם שבמוח במחשבה, גורם שיש לו צער מבניו, ובנפש גם כן, אם פגם במעשיו ובעובדא, גורם לו צער מעבדיו ובהמתו. ובכל הספירות יכול להעלות נר"ן, מה שאין כן בספירה שביעית הוא במלכות, ומשם יונקים הקליפות נגה, קשה לו להעלות נר"ן משם, נמצא שונאיו שבאו על ידי פגם הדיבור, צריך לתקנם להעלותם על ידי דיבורי התפלה, ובאם לאו שדוחה אותן, נעשו יותר שונאים על ידי עבייות וחומרייות, לכך (משלי י״ז:כ״ו) גם ענוש לצדיק לא טוב כי הוא רוחו של צדיק עצמו, לכך צריך להתפלל על שונאיו לתקנם ולהעלותם, ועל ידי התפלה נמתק בשורשה, ומוציא מהם רוחו, ומה שנשאר בהם הם כלים מאליהם, ישמע חכם ויוסיף לקח, ודפח"ח .
I heard from my Master (the Baal Shem Tov) how to pray for one’s enemies, and the benefit that comes from doing so. It is written: “A Tzaddik falls seven times and rises” (Proverbs 24:16). Meaning, the nefesh, ruach and neshama of the Tzaddik are incarnated in the seven [lower] Sefiros.89Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchus. That is, his nefesh is his servants and livestock.89The nefesh is the lowest of the souls, corresponding to the world of Asiyah – Action, and is manifest as the basic life energy. This is personified by one’s servants and animals. Furthermore, the Divine Name that corresponds to the nefesh is B’an (ב”ן), which has the same numerical value as the word “beast” (behemah).
Although the Baal Shem Tov has just stated that the Tzaddik’s soul is incarnated in the Sefiros, he apparently means physical objects that correspond to the Sefiros above, as he subsequently explains. This reflects a cardinal teaching of the Baal Shem Tov that a person’s soul is not merely located in his body, but extends outward to be found in everything he possesses. His ruach is his wife. Speech, too, is a union in the mouth, and is also referred to as his wife. Thus, the Sages said: “If he is worthy, she is a helper. If he is unworthy, she is against him.”89Yevamot 63a, on Genesis 2:18: “And G‑d said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper against him’” (ezer-kenegdo). That is, if he blemishes his power of speech, such as by speaking gossip and slander, he creates enemies who will speak against him.
The neshama, which is in the mind, is his children, so that by blemishing one’s thoughts, he suffers from his children. The same, too, of his nefesh. If he ruins his deeds, he will suffer from his servants and livestock.
It is possible to elevate the nefesh, ruach, and neshama in all the Sefiros, except for the seventh Sefirah, which is Malchus. For the kelipat nogah leeches onto there, making it is difficult to uplift the parts of the soul from there. Therefore, a person’s enemies that come from a blemish in speech must be fixed and uplifted through words of prayer, for if he pushes them away, they will hate him more due to their denseness and physicality.89That is, the only way to defeat one’s enemies is by realizing that they are a part of one’s own soul, haven been created by one’s own misdeeds. By uplifting them, they are repaired. But if a person pushes his enemies away, he only casts them deeper into corporeality and further from spirituality, and so they will hate him even more. Therefore, “for a Tzaddik to punish is not good”89This is a Chasidic interpretation of the verse. The literal meaning is: “even punishment for the Tzaddik is not good” – i.e. it is not good for a Tzaddik to receive punishment. (Proverbs 17:26), for a Tzaddik’s enemies are his very spirit. Rather, one must pray for one’s enemies, to fix and uplift them. And through means of prayer, they are sweetened in their root, he removes their spirit from them, and what remains vanishes by itself. “May a wise man hear, and add understanding!” (Proverbs 1:5).
וזהו ענין מעלת משה רבינו עליו השלום שהעלה ותיקן דיבורו, ותחלה היו צאן שהיה רועה אותן, ואחר כך בגלגול נעשו תלמידיו, שנתן להם התורה, ולמד עמהן וכו' ודפח"ח:
(בן פורת יוסף בסופו דקכ"ו ע"ד)
This was the greatness of Moses, who uplifted and rectified his speech. At first, they were the flocks that he tended,89Apparently, the Baal Shem Tov is now speaking about Moses’ nefesh-soul, which was first incarnated in his flock, and later, in his students. and then they were reincarnated as his students, to whom he gave the Torah and studied with.
Ben Poras Yosef, p. 126d