א. לְפִי הַחִדּוּשׁ שֶׁאָדָם מְחַדֵּשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה, כֵּן נִמְשָׁךְ לוֹ הֶאָרָה מִקְּדֻשַּׁת אֶרֶץ־יִשְׂרָאֵל. The radiance that a person receives from the holiness of the Land of Israel is commensurate with the insights he originates in the Torah.
ב. עַל־יְדֵי אַסְמַכְתּוֹת נִשְׁפָּע פַּרְנָסָה גְּדוֹלָה לָעוֹלָם. וָזֶה כִּי יֵשׁ כַּמָּה דְּבָרִים, שֶׁלּא מָצִינוּ לוֹ מִקְרָא מִן הַתּוֹרָה, וְטָרְחוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ, זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, לִמְצא לָהֶם אַסְמַכְתָּא בְּעָלְמָא. Supportive proofs from the Torah for Rabbinical enactments bring abundant prosperity to the world. This is because there are a number of things for which we find no explicit verse in the Torah on which to base them, and the Sages labored to find some supportive reference [as proof for their enactment].
ג. עַל־יְדֵי חִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא נִתְגַּלֶּה הַשְׁגָּחַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ יוֹתֵר לִבְנֵי־אָדָם. Original Torah insights increase the revelation of Divine providence in the world.
ד. כְּשֶׁאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל נִתְפָּס בִּתְפִיסָה, עַל־יְדֵי זֶה לְפִי בְּחִינָתוֹ נִסְתְּמוּ מַעַיְנוֹת הַחָכְמָה מֵחַכְמֵי הַדּוֹר, וּלְהֵפֶךְ כְּשֶׁיוֹצֵא מֵהַתְּפִיסָה. When a Jew is taken captive, his aspect of the wellsprings of wisdom becomes sealed from the sages of the generation. The reverse happens when a person is freed from captivity.
ה. עַל־יְדֵי חִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא נִתְוַּסֵּף גֵּרִים. Original Torah insights bring an increase of converts.
ו. כְּשֶׁאָדָם רוֹצֶה לְהַשִּׂיג אֵיזֶהוּ הַשָּׂגֶָה בַּתּוֹרָה, אֲזַי נִתְעוֹרֵר עָלָיו קִטְרוּג גָּדוֹל, וְאָז הוּא בְּסַכָּנָה גְּדוֹלָה וְצָרִיךְ לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ אֶת עַצְמוֹ בִּקְלַסְתֵּר פָּנִים שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם וְאָז נִצּוֹל מֵהַקִּטְרוּג. When a person wants to gain deeper insight into the Torah, great opposition is aroused against him and he is in grave danger. He must clothe himself in the image of the patriarch Abraham [the exemplar of lovingkindness], and so will be saved from the opposition.
ז. מְחַדְּשֵׁי אוֹרַיְתָא צְרִיכִים לִלְמד קדֶם הַחִדּוּשׁ פּוֹסְקִים וְגַם אַחַר־כָּךְ. וְהַלִּמּוּד פּוֹסְקִים הוּא הַשְּׁמִירָה שֶׁל הַחִדּוּשִׁין, שֶׁלּא יִגַּע בָּהֶן זָר. גַּם כְּשֶׁרוֹצֶה לַעֲשֹוֹת צְדָקָה צָרִיךְ לַעֲשֹוֹת כֵּן כְּמוֹ בְּחִדּוּשִׁין. Those who would reveal original Torah insights must study the Codifiers beforehand and then again afterwards. This study of Torah law will protect their insights from foreign influences. This same procedure should also be followed when a person wants to perform some act of charity.
ח. הַחִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא וְהַצְּדָקָה, כָּל אֶחָד מְעוֹרֵר אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ. Originating Torah insights arouses the giving of charity, and vice versa.
ט. לְפִי הַחִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא כֵּן נִתְחַדֵּשׁ חִדּוּשִׁין בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית. Insights are gained into the mysteries of Creation in proportion to the insights into the Torah that are originated.
י. לָאו כָּל הַחִדּוּשִׁין שֶׁאָדָם מְחַדֵּשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה מֻתָּר לוֹ לִכְתּב, כִּי יֵשׁ שֶׁלּא נִתָּן לִכְתּב אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁנִּתְּנוּ לִדְרשׁ. וּמִי שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ אֵיזֶהוּ לִכְתּב וְאֵיזֶהוּ לא, הוּא יוֹדֵעַ וּמַכִּיר יְהוּדִי אֶחָד בֵּין אֶלֶף [אֲלָפִים] מִן הָאֻמּוֹת. Not all the Torah insights that a person originates may be written down. There are certain insights that are meant to be given over only verbally. One who knows which insights are to be written down and which are not also has the ability to detect the lone Jew from among a thousand gentiles.
יא. צָרִיךְ אָדָם לִשְׁמר מִלּוֹמַר דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה בְּעֵת וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵינָם נִשְׁמָעִים, וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּעֵת וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁנִּשְׁמָעִים, צָרִיךְ לִשְׁקל אוֹתָם כַּמָּה יאמַר, שֶׁלּא יִהְיֶה בִּבְחִינַת "כָּל רוּחוֹ יוֹצִיא כְּסִיל". כִּי עַל־יְדֵי זֶה מֵבִיא חוֹלַאַת שֶׁקּוֹרִין "גֶישְׁוִוילִיכְץ", כִּי הַחוֹלַאַת הַזּאת בָּא עַל־יְדֵי הִתְגַּבְּרוּת הַמַּיִם שֶׁבַּדָּם, וְזֶה "לַעֲשֹוֹת לְרוּחַ מִשְׁקָל וּמַיִם תִּכֵּן בְּמִדָּה". A person should refrain from teaching Torah at a time or in a place where it will not be appreciated. And even at a time or in a place that his words will draw the proper attention, he must be careful to say only as much as is appropriate—unlike “The fool [who] speaks everything” (Proverbs 29:11). When one says everything on his mind, his body becomes swollen with an excess of liquid in the blood. [The need for restraint can be derived from the verse,] “He makes a weight for the wind and weighs the waters by measure” (Job 28:25).
יב. עַל־יְדֵי חִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא זוֹכֶה לְטַלִּית נָאָה. Through his Torah insights a person merits having a beautiful talit.
יג. הַצַּדִּיק מִתְיַגֵּעַ אֶל אֵיזֶהוּ חֵפֶץ אוֹ עַל אֵיזֶהוּ דְּבַר תּוֹרָה לְהַשִּׂיגָהּ, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ בָּא זֶה הַדָּבָר לְאָדָם פָּחוּת בְּלִי יְגִיעָה וְעָמָל, וְכָל זֶה כִּי כְּבָר הַפֶּתַח פָּתוּחַ. There are times when the Tzaddik strives to achieve something, or struggles to comprehend a certain aspect of the Torah, only to later find that it has come to someone less righteous than himself, without that person having to work to achieve it. This is only because the door had already been opened [through the Tzaddik’s efforts].
יד. כְּשֶׁאֵיזֶהוּ רָשָׁע נִתְגַּדֵּל, אֲזַי קָשֶׁה לְחַדֵּשׁ אֵיזֶהוּ סְבָרָא בַּפּוֹסְקִים. גַּם דִּבְרֵי הַדַּיָּנִים אֵינָם נִשְׁמָעִים בְּאָזְנֵי הַבַּעֲלֵי־דִינִים. Whenever a wicked person prospers, it becomes difficult to develop new logical arguments in disputed matters of Halakhah. Judges’ verdicts also become unacceptable to the litigants.
טו. כְּשֶׁמְּגַלֶּה אֵיזֶהוּ טַעַם מִטַּעֲמֵי הַתּוֹרָה, עַל־יְדֵי זֶה רוּחַ הַבְּרִיּוֹת נוֹחָה הֵימֶנּוּ. People approve of a person who has satisfactorily revealed some aspect of the Torah’s reasoning.
טז. קְטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה – קָשֶׁה לָהֶם לְהַשִּׂיג חִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא. A person of little faith finds it difficult to attain Torah insights.