In this lesson R. Elimelekh offers what a classical Hasidic teaching. He takes the instructions to Noah out of their narrative context and applies them to the lives of his contemporaries (and us). He surely sets a special standard for the Tzaddik, as the one whose words are transformative and redemptive. The Tzaddik alone "walks always in supernal worlds", which is to say he cleaves to God in his consciousness at all times, and so has the power to bring blessing to all those associated with him. But, this focus on the work of the Tzaddik, however, does not mean that these verses to not apply to every one of his students as well. There is an arc to our lives, from childhood to old age, and spiritual practice can help us to repair the mistakes of the past as we age and gain wisdom (and, if we wake up, perhaps even before!).

The identification of teivah with the spoken word is one of the Baal Shem Tov's classical teaching. It appears in Tzava'at HaRIVa"Sh, #75. He emphasizes the importance of concentrated focus on each letter of every word of Torah or prayer as a way of finding and cleaving to God:

"Make a light for the teivah (ark)". This means that the teivah (word) should shine. Every letter contains "worlds, souls and Divinity." These ascend and become bound up and united with one another, with Divinity. The letters then unite and become bound together to form a word [teivah], becoming truly unified in Divinity. Man, therefore, must include his soul in each of these aspects. All worlds will then be unified as one and ascend, and this effects immeasurably great joy and delight.

This is the meaning of "[make it with] bottom, second and third [decks]" (ibid.), [in which He is concealed]" (Zohar III 159a). With every word you must hear what you say, because it is the Shechinah [Herself], the "World of Speech," who speaks, provided that [the word] has a "light," i.e., that it emerges with brightness and to bring gratification to your Maker.

The play-on-words of Tzohar/Tzarah is characteristic of classical kabbalah, having its roots in Sefer Yetzirah. This particular pairing is found, for example, in the 14th-15th c. kabbalistic work Sefer Peliah (Sefer Hakaneh; attributed to R. Nehuniah ben haKaneh of the mishnah, but most likely the work of R. Avigdor Kara of Prague), s.v. "They asked in the heavenly academy why the Torah begins with bet etc.":

The full power of the divine name Elohim derives from each letter spelled out (e.g. aleph-lamed-peh, he-h etc.), these invisible letters equal ReTze"H (i.e. 295), signifying "love, acceptance", and its opposite is TzaRa"H, constriction. In other words: "Accept your people Israel, YHVH our God, and attend to their prayers; turn and see that their feet are straight (like angels), and so accept their prayers" so that all negative forces might turn to shine (letzaher) in the world. If not, then TzoHa"R may be transformed to TzaRa"H, allowing the oppressor who oppresses (hatzar hatzorer, cf. Num. 10:9) to arise - that is, the power of Haman and Sama'el and its forces.

As always, the preference is for the welcoming, loving aspect of the divine to shine in the world, but that is dependent on human behavior, and the risk always is present that the positive will turn negative, as they are intimately connected.

The symbolism of three decks as R. Elimelekh presents it, echoes the teaching in Rosh Hashanah 16b, where three books are open on Rosh Hashanah: one for the completely righteous, one for the completely wicked and one for the middling. The former are either given their reward or punishment immediately; the outcome for the last hangs, dependent on their behavior. It is interesting to note, however, that with regard to the quality of each deck R. Elimelekh chose to quote Rashi who identifies the middle deck as the place for habitation (mador), where the actual source in Sanhedrin 108b teaches: "'Make it with bottom, second and third decks': A Tanna taught: The bottom deck was for the dung; the middle for the animals; and the top for man". Perhaps he meant to communicate that while the middling ones are not sinning, they are not quite animals - yet their life is mere living, devoid of the truly spiritual. Indeed, hidden in this reading may be a reference to the work of the Tzaddik, who remains connected to his people, even though he walks in the divine realms always. Gen.R. 31:11 teaches that "the bottom deck was for garbage, the second for (Noah) himself and his family and the clean animals, and the third for the unclean ones". While he would not have intended to place the "unclean" animals in the divine realm, the presence of Noah with his family and the clean animals together in the middle deck would reassure his listeners that the Tzaddik is with them, even in the midst of the chaos surrounding them, always concerned with their wellbeing, with their nurturance.

The concluding teaching seems to be directed to all of us, not only the Tzaddik. All of us have the capacity to become a Tzaddik, or at least to be on the path. This is seen in another teaching in No'am Elimelekh which focuses on the three levels in the ark (s.v. o yomar uphetach hateivah betzidah tasim):

This teaches that the Tzaddik must focus her devotions on three worlds, which are symbolized by the human body. First is the head which functions as a throne and chariot [for the divine]. This is hinted at in the verse "[Above the expanse over their heads was the semblance of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and on top,] upon this semblance of a throne, there was the semblance of a human form" (Ezek. 1:26). This refers to the complete Tzaddik who is a throne and chariot, like this supernal throne. Understand. This is the significance of Rashi assigning the top deck to "humans", so that they should be a chariot and throne. "The middle deck for habitation and the bottom deck for dung": we must behave, when eating, with intention, that at the very least we remove the holy sparks from within the food, and to expel the waste. This is the significance of the "middle" deck: the middle of the body, which receives the food to remove the holy sparks from within. "The lower deck for dung": this signifies excretion.

All of us can, at least, focus our attention when eating on raising up the holy sparks in the food (instead of on our desire for the food), and thereby liberate our thoughts to become a throne and chariot for the Holy One.