"But he "who sows tzedakah has a reward of truth." (Proverbs XI) This means that the attribute of truth is the reward for the sowing of tzedakah.

It is also written: "You give truth unto Jacob,"— and the prophet engages in extolling the Holy One, blessed is He, as mentioned in the sacred Zohar. This means that it is the Holy One, blessed is He, who gives the attribute of truth unto Jacob. Now this needs to be understood. Is there then no truth in Jacob, Heaven forfend, until the Holy One, blessed is He, gives it to him from above? However, it is well-known that the attribute of Jacob is the attribute of rachamim (compassion). And the service of G‑d in a mode of compassion derives from arousing in the heart of man a great compassion for the Divine spark in his soul, which is removed from the light of G‑d's Countenance when (man) goes about in the darkness of the vanities of the world. And this arousal of compassion itself derives from the contemplation on, and cognition of the greatness of G‑d: how even the most infinitely sublime worlds are esteemed as truly naught before Him. For all their bounty and vitality is but from a gleam and reflection of a single letter of His blessed Name, as it is stated: "The world-to-come was created by the yud. ..."

Now, it is in this radiation and reflection [which is an extension of vivification from His blessed Name to animate the upper and lower beings]— that there is a distinction and difference with respect to upper and lower beings. For "This world was created by the hai ...." Also, all the differences in the details in every world are according to the differences in the combinations of the letters. The differences in the temporal dimensions of past, present and future, and the differences in all the events throughout the differing times, all of these, too, came about from the variations in the combinations of the letters. For (the letters) are the conduits of the vivification from His attributes, His Name be blessed ( as explained in Likutei Amarim, part II: ch. II u).

But as for His blessed Being and Essence, it is written: "I, the Lord, I have not changed;" neither in terms of changes of the development from the uppermost of levels to the nethermost [for just as He, blessed be He, is found in the upper worlds, so He is in precisely that measure in the nether worlds ( and as explained in Likutei Amarim, part I: ch. 51)], nor in terms of temporal changes [for just as He was alone, one and unique, befofe the six days of creation, so He is now after the creation]. This is so because everything is absolutely as nothing and naught in relation to His being and essence, just as, metaphorically speaking [to appease the ear, while in fact "There is no comparison unto You," it is written ], a single letter of the speech, or even of the thought of man is in relation to the general being and essence of the rational soul; and as explained elsewhere ( in Likutei Amarim, part II: ch. 9), see there.

That is why we say "The King Who is exalted, alone from aforetime." This means, just as aforetime, before the creation, He was alone, so now, too, "He is exalted ... and elevated beyond the days of the world;" that is, He is exalted and elevated, transcending the dimension of time— which is referred to as "the days of the world" This is so because the life-force of all the days derives solely from the aspect of "the King ...", as explained elsewhere.

It follows then that the compassion for the spark that dwells in the dark and gloomy body— the "hide of the snake," is overwhelming. For it is liable to contract impurity and to become defiled by all the lusts, the Merciful save us, were it not for G‑d being a shield unto it, and giving it strength and might to wage war with, and triumph over the body and its passions. And this is the meaning of "Lord of our strength .. .. shield of our salvation..."

Now it is well-known that there are two types of awe and love (respectively). The first ones are born from the contemplation on, and cognition of the greatness of G‑d, and those matters that lead to a love of G‑d and the fear of Him. The latter ones are those that come afterwards, from above, as a gift, [as explained elsewhere in comment on the verse "I will make your priesthood a rewarding service"— that it refers to the attribute of (the supreme) love; and it is likewise in regard to awe]. Now there is surely no comparison between the first ones— which are the products of the created intellect, and the latter ones— which are from the Creator, blessed be His Name. That is why these (the latter) are referred to as "truth," for the seal of the Holy One, blessed is He, is truth, for He is the true Truth, and all the truth among the creatures is esteemed as nothing before Him.

But which is the way whereby man merits the "truth of G‑d" ? It is by arousing, before G‑d, great compassion for the spark in his soul. And this is the attribute of Jacob— who "Bolts from one end to the other end," that is, from the uppermost of all levels to the nethermost, to cause the "truth of G‑d" to issue to this lowly dark world, and as it is written: "When I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light unto me." And this is the meaning of "For His chesed has prevailed over us.... "

However, the arousal of great compassion before G‑d also needs to be in truth. But even when it is true in mortal terms, how can one arouse [through (relative) truth] the supernal compassion from the truth of G‑d? The advice for this is the trait of charity— which is the attribute of compassion for one who has nothing of his own, to "Revive the spirit of the humble .. ." And the arousal from below elicits an arousal from above: the Lord arouses the sleeping and awakens the unconscious, that is, the concealed, great compassion and Supernal graces, to emerge from concealment into manifestation and a great illumination, to radiate with the light of life— "The truth of G‑d into the world."

And this is the meaning of the idiom of "sowing" related to charity: to make sprout the Supreme truth of G‑d, especially through the charity and the true kindness performed with the Holy Land [may it be built and established speedily in our days, amen] to realise the verse: "Truth shall sprout forth from the land" — from the sowing of charity in it. And the kindness and great compassion that are gathered and gleaned into it, they arouse— correspondingly — the Supreme graces that are hidden and concealed, as it is written: "Which You have hidden .. .." to establish it and to set it up firmly. Of this it is written: "Through tzedakah shall you be established."