ביום השמיני עצרת תהיה לכם

1“On the eighth day, there shall be an atzeres (assembly) for you.” Now, it is written, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.” [We need] to understand what “under my head” means.

Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “One hour of teshuvah (return) and good deeds in this world is finer than all the life of the World to Come.” This has already been explained many times elsewhere.

2And now it will be understood by first introducing the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “Study is great, for it leads to action.” The well-known question is: since the main reason study is great is that it leads to action, then, on the contrary, for this very reason action is greater.

However, one needs to understand the essential nature of action, for “the 248 commandments are the 248 limbs of the King,” and one needs

to understand what is meant by the term “limbs”: surely He has no bodily form, etc.! And it is written, “For My thoughts are not [your thoughts], etc., nor are your ways [My ways], etc.

… so are My thoughts higher, etc.” But the explanation is that it is written, “You will give truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.”

And [we need] to understand what this truth is, for which the prophet gives praise, that the attribute of truth was given to Yaakov. (See also what is written on this in Iggeres HaKodesh, in the discourse beginning “And one who sows charity, a reward of truth.”)

Now, it is written, “For G‑d is a G‑d of knowledges (de’os),” meaning that He includes two [kinds of] knowledge. For from below to above, according to what

is seen by eyes of flesh, the physical world appears as something existing and real (yesh), while the spiritual realm above is the level of ayin (nothing), and what is higher still is even more the level of ayin, because it is even less graspable.

3As it is written, “And wisdom (Chochmah) comes from ayin (nothing).” All this is relative to us, who dwell below. But in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, before whom everything

is considered as nothing, it is the reverse: from above to below is the level of ayin, and whatever evolves and descends lower and lower is all the more the level of ayin, and truly considered as nothing, etc.

4And this is why [the Sages] instituted that at the beginning of Pesukei deZimrah we say, “Give thanks (hodu) to G‑d, etc.,” and likewise at the end of the Shemoneh Esreh we say, “We give thanks (modim) to You”;

for the term hodaah (acknowledgment) is, by way of analogy, like a person who concedes to his fellow: at first he disagreed with him and held another view, and afterwards he concedes that the truth is with his fellow.

5So too, when a person contemplates that the truth is that “before Him everything is considered as nothing,” and that the world’s appearing as something existing and real is only relative to us, who are clothed in a physical body and see with physical eyes of flesh, but the truth is the opposite of what appears to eyes of flesh, then he will concede (yodeh) to the truth.

And this is what is said in Hallel, “And the truth of G‑d is le’olam (forever)”: olam is from the term he’elem (concealment) and tzimtzum (contraction), such that to eyes of flesh there appear east and west, etc.;

and every time at which [the Sages] instituted the saying of Hallel is a time of the revelation of the truth of G‑d [as seen] from above to below, which is that what is below is called ayin and what is above is called the level of yesh (something). As it is written, “To cause those who love Me to inherit yesh.”

(For the two levels of knowledge mentioned above are the level of the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah), which is the Name Havayah, and the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah), which comes from the level of the Names Elokim and Adnus (Ado-nai), which contract and separate so as to bring into being the level of yesh; as is written at the end of the discourse beginning “If you will listen to the voice.” Now, Hallel is to draw down and shine [light] into Malchus, which is the Name Adnus, as the Ramaz writes on Parshas Emor)

(beginning of folio 96). And this illumination is the drawing down and revelation of the Name Havayah, the level of the higher unity; as is written on this at the end of the discourse beginning “On the twenty-fifth of Kislev.”

It is also like the matter of “And now, let the power of Ado-nai be great.” See also Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Rosh Chodesh, chapter 2. And therefore, through this there is drawn down the revelation of “And the truth of G‑d is le’olam.”

And therefore we say afterwards, “Give thanks to G‑d”: the level of acknowledgment to Him, may He be blessed, [that the truth is] not as it appears to our eyes of flesh. And this is “You will give truth to Yaakov,” for Yaakov is the level of yud-akev (yud [and] heel):

that is, the yud is the level of tzimtzum, which descended and spread into the heel (akev) and end of the levels, which have become physical; and nevertheless the Holy One, blessed be He, gives truth, that there too the truth of G‑d be revealed, etc., as mentioned above.

(See also what is written on the matter of “You will give truth to Yaakov” in the explanation on the verse “These are the journeys,” regarding “And Moshe wrote.”) And from this is drawn down [the level of] “kindness to Avraham,” etc.

Meaning: kindness is the drawing down of the mitzvos, whose general and collective expression is charity and kindness; and the level of the truth of G‑d is drawn down and clothed in the performance of the mitzvos, so that they have the strength and power for the arousal from above to depend on the arousal from below: that through the deed of charity and lower kindness, the power of the supernal kindness is aroused;

and so too, in the same way, with all the mitzvos. (For truth is Torah, and this is “For by the light of Your countenance You gave us a Torah of life,” for the level of the shining of the countenance is truth, as is written in the Idra Rabba) (folio 33b).

And the Torah is what gives the power for there to be, through the arousal from below by means of the mitzvos, an arousal from above, as will be written below. Thus, from the level of “You will give truth to Yaakov” is drawn down the level of “and kindness to Avraham”; and this is the meaning of “kindness of truth,” chesed dikshot (true kindness); see there in the Idra Rabba.

And this is “All the paths of G‑d are kindness and truth”; see there (folio 129a). See also what is written in the discourse beginning “And I pleaded,” regarding “You have begun,” and on the subject of the blessing over the mitzvos; see there.

62. But [we need] to understand: from where does this power come, for the arousal from above to depend on the arousal from below? And how does a created being have any relation or connection,

being brought into being anew from nothing to something, to arouse the supernal kindness of the Creator, blessed be His Name? Surely there is no comparison to Him, and no thought can grasp Him at all!

Now, the verse explains this afterwards, as it is written, “As You swore to our fathers.” Meaning: “our fathers” is the natural love hidden in the heart of each and every Jew, in potential,

and also truly in actuality, in self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh) for the sanctification of G‑d’s Name. This love is called by the name “father,” for from it comes the offspring: the doing of mitzvos and good deeds;

for all the mitzvos are in order to cleave to Him, may He be blessed. And this love is also an inheritance to us from our fathers.

7And through this love there is drawn down to us the strength and power for the arousal from above to depend on the arousal from below; and through this the power is given to draw down [light] through the performance of the mitzvos: that through practical mitzvos,

such as tzitzis of wool below, one arouses the supernal tzitzis, and likewise through tefillin below one arouses the supernal tefillin.

This is not so with an idolater: even if he wraps himself in tzitzis and puts on tefillin, he will draw down nothing and arouse nothing. (See also what is written on this in the discourse beginning “Habaim yashresh” [“In days to come, he will take root”].)

For each and every Jew has this natural love in his soul, even those liable to kares (excision), of whom it is written, “That soul shall be cut off from before Me; I am G‑d,” etc.:

[meaning] that that soul has been cut off from its root, and this natural love is not revealed in his soul; nevertheless, in its root above the level of natural love remains in it, only it does not rest and become revealed in their souls below, for “it shall surely be cut off,” etc.

Rather, it is hidden within him, and he has the level of “our fathers,” and “the merit of the fathers has not ended”; for “even though he does not see, his mazal sees.” Meaning: his mazal is the root of his soul above, the level of ayin, which is the mazal of Israel (ayin mazal l’Yisrael), etc., as is written elsewhere on the verse “Listen, O heavens.”

8And of this the verse says, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but G‑d will gather me in.” That is to say: even one from whom the level of father and mother within him has been lost,

that is, who has become liable to kares, and the level of natural love within him has been lost from resting and being revealed in his soul, nevertheless “G‑d will gather me in”: through the level of his root above, the level of “our fathers” will fall upon him too.

But how are strength and power drawn to this natural love, to arouse the supernal love? The verse explains: “As You swore (nishbata) to our fathers.” Nishbata is in the passive (nif’al) form,

and likewise every term of oath is expressed in the passive form, meaning that one has bound oneself by an oath, as it is written, “Or swears an oath,” etc.

The explanation: one needs to understand this oath, what its nature is, why the Holy One, blessed be He, needed to swear, and how the term “oath” applies to Him, may He be blessed.

Rather, the explanation is, by way of analogy, like a person who swears to his fellow: this is so that he will not change even if something should come about that would require him to change; for if it were revealed and known before him that nothing would cause a change, he would not need his oath.

So it is, by way of analogy, with the oath of the Holy One, blessed be He, to Avraham at the Covenant between the Parts, “To your seed I have given the land,” etc.:

that is, even if sin should cause [it], it will not hold [it] back; though according to reason and wisdom it would not be attained that the land be given to them, nevertheless, because of the oath, He acts against His wisdom and will, as it were. (See also what is written on this on the verse “You are standing … to pass into the covenant,” etc.)

And this itself is the essence of the oath: that He promised against His wisdom and will; that is, that it not be according to the order of the chain of descending levels (hishtalshelus), the descent from level to level according to the level of will and wisdom,

but rather that the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in His very Self and glory, spread forth and shine in great revelation, above will and wisdom. And this illumination and drawing down was drawn from “the days of old,” [from] the Primordial One of the world:

that is, from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), above the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is the level of hishtalshelus and the descent of the levels. And this is the level of “When it arose in His will,” etc., “Be silent! So it arose in thought,” etc., which is the level of the primordial thought, etc.

And since this illumination and drawing down was drawn to our fathers from the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in His very Self and glory, therefore they have strength and power for the arousal from above to depend on the arousal from below. (See Zohar, vol. 3)

(folio 134b) on the subject of “As You swore,” etc., (and folio 130a) on the subject of “By Myself I have sworn,” and in Parshas Acharei (folio 66b), and in the Ramaz at the beginning of Parshas Shemini.

And in the Midrash Rabbah (Parshas Emor, section 29): “Another explanation: ‘In the seventh month.’ Rabbi Berachiah would call it ‘the month of His oath,’ for in it the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to Avraham our father, as it is written, ‘And He said: By Myself I have sworn, says G‑d.’ Why did He need an oath?” etc. See there for the answer; it is along the lines that have been explained.

Now, in the seventh month, Tishrei, there shines the seventh of the thirteen tikkunim (adornments) of the beard, which is the tikkun “and truth,” from which come oaths of truth. See Zohar, vol. 1 (Mikeitz, folio 204b; Vayeira, 112b).

And in the Raaya Meheimna (Parshas Yisro, folio 91b). And the meaning of “asher nishbata” (as You swore) can be explained along the lines of what is written below on the meaning of “asher kiddeshanu” (who has sanctified us), etc.

Now, “the days of old” can also be explained as the seven tikkunim of the Gulgalta (the Skull). See also what is written on the subject of “If your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow, etc., … they shall be as wool,” and what is written on the verse “He gives snow like wool,” and see also what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Zion shall be redeemed with justice.”

93. And this is [the meaning of] “asher kiddeshanu bemitzvosav” (who has sanctified us with His commandments), etc. Meaning: asher is from the term “be’oshri” (in my happiness), “for the daughters have called me happy (ishruni),” etc., “Ashrei (happy are) those who dwell,” etc.,

which is a term of praise and acclaim; that is to say, there is something so good and very beautiful that one praises and acclaims that goodness, which has no end or limit.

And this is the level of the supernal delight, in the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in His very Self and glory, through His mitzvos, which are the level of the supernal will.

As in “From my flesh I shall perceive”: the soul is seven middos (emotive attributes) and three intellectual [faculties], and above them is the higher will, which directs its Chochmah, Binah and Daas; so too the mitzvos are called the supernal will, which is above Chochmah.

And this is the level of Keser: the 620 pillars of light; for the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven of the Rabbis are 620. And they are, by way of analogy,

like pillars, one end of which is on the roof and the other on the ground, and in them and through them the roof is joined with the ground and they become one.

So, by way of analogy, the mitzvos are the inner dimension of the supernal will, which is above the level of Chochmah; and the level of Chochmah, too, is “wise,

but not with a known wisdom,” and the supernal will is loftier still, for it is drawn from the level of asher, which is the supernal delight. (See also what is written on this in the discourse beginning “And behold, a menorah of gold.”)

And it spreads and descends in the hiddenness of the levels, from level to level, until it is clothed in the performance of the physical mitzvos, in the deeds of the lower beings: mitzvos and good deeds.

And this is “vetzivanu” (and has commanded us), a term of connection and companionship (tzavta): “to wrap ourselves in tzitzis,” that is to say, in the supernal tzitzis. And so too, in the same way, all the mitzvos: that the arousal from above depend on our arousal from below; which is not so with star-worshippers, etc.,

as mentioned above. And this is because of the revelation of the supernal delight and the supernal joy, like the analogy of the king who, on the day of his rejoicing, reveals himself to every eye.

So, as it were, through the supernal delight and the supernal joy, the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is revealed and spreads down below, to give this power to the lower beings, which a person would not have been able [to have] otherwise.

(See also what is written on this in the discourse beginning “To My mare among Pharaoh’s chariots,” regarding “For over all the glory there shall be a canopy,” “like a bridegroom coming out of his canopy”; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “I will greatly rejoice” on this matter: how, through the revelation of the supernal delight and the joy drawn from it, it causes [light] to be

drawn from the level of sovev kol almin to the level of memalei kol almin; and there the reason is explained, that joy is what brings about humility and lowliness, which is the matter of this drawing down, etc.; see there.) And this is “One hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world is finer than all the life of the World to Come.”

For the matter of the World to Come is known: there is a higher Gan Eden and a lower Gan Eden. The level of the lower Gan Eden is that the souls take pleasure in the radiance and spreading forth of the illumination, blessed be He; and although it is a delight without end and exceedingly wondrous,

which is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Gemara concerning Elisha Acher, “Better that he be judged and come to the World to Come,” for all the sufferings of Gehinnom are worthwhile to save his soul, so that it may delight in the radiance of the glory of G‑d, since the delight is wondrous without end, etc.,

and afterwards, through the river of fire (nehar dinur), they ascend from elevation to elevation without end or limit, etc., nevertheless all this is through the level of tzimtzum: “with the yud the World to Come was created,” etc., according to the measure of the created beings’ comprehension, etc.

This is not so through good deeds, which are the mitzvos: through them is drawn the supernal delight, which is the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in His very Self and glory, which is not according to the measure of the created beings’ comprehension; and created beings cannot receive this great delight.

Rather, the delight is before Him, may He be blessed, as it were: the delights of the King in His very essence. (See what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “To My mare among Pharaoh’s chariots,” mentioned above, and in the discourse beginning “A menorah of gold.”) And this is more than all the life of the World to Come, where the delight is given for human beings, the souls of created beings, to take pleasure in.

And with this the matter of Shabbos will be understood, as it is written, “And you shall call the Shabbos a delight”: that is to say, that you draw down the level of the supernal delight to rest and be revealed on the day of Shabbos. Then “you will delight upon G‑d (al Havayah),” above

the level of Havayah, whose yud is the tzimtzum with which the World to Come, the delight of the souls, was created, as mentioned above. And all this is the matter of mitzvos and good deeds, which are better than all the life of the World to Come.

104. And in order to understand the matter of teshuvah, which is finer than all the life of the World to Come, for concerning both of them it says, “One hour of teshuvah and good deeds,” etc.: by way of analogy, there are two kinds of delight before the king. The first is in the carrying out of his commands.

11And the second is when he sees his son who has come from a distant land, whom he has not seen for a long time; and when the king sees the son, he is filled with joy and delight.

So too in the analogue: although a person has become distant through his sins, nevertheless, through teshuvah he is brought near to his source and root. And even concerning those liable to kares it is written,

“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but G‑d will gather me in,” which is through the level of the root of his soul above, the level of mazal, etc., as mentioned above; and through teshuvah with self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh) he reaches as high as the level of the mazal, ayin, as mentioned above and as is written elsewhere.

And this is “Peace, peace, to the far and to the near”: there are two levels in peace. One is the revelation of the supernal delight “to the far,” that is, the baal teshuvah, when he comes from a distant land,

[as in] “From afar G‑d appeared to me,” etc. And the second is “to the near,” through the king’s commands, etc., as mentioned above. (See on the matter of “to the far” in Zohar, vol. 1) (folio 6a): “‘To the far,’ as it is said, ‘From afar G‑d appeared to me,’” etc.;

and see there in the Mikdash Melech and in the Ramaz. See also what is written in the discourse beginning “Arm from among yourselves” on the matter of peace in the household above and in the household below; and this is the matter of the two levels of peace, “to the far and to the near.”

And this is also the matter of the two levels of peace in the verse, “Or let him take hold of My strength, [that] he may make peace with Me; peace he shall make with Me” (Isaiah, chapter 27, [verse] 5).

And see on this in the Midrash Rabbah, Naso, section 13, regarding “and for the peace-offering” in the offering of Nesanel ben Tzuar: two [kinds of] peace, peace above and peace below. And in Zohar, vol. 3 (Bamidbar, folio 118a).

And in Parshas Vayikra (folio 20, end of side b), on the verse “For behold, I will save you from afar” (and folios 21a, 54a, 76b, 109a).

And the explanation is: it is written, “I will become wise, but it is far from me”; and see on this in the Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Chukas. And through teshuvah the revelation of this level is drawn down.

And this is the matter of “peace to the far,” that it become near. See also what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “For this commandment,” on the matter of “It is not far”; and see what is written below, at the end of the discourse beginning “On the day of Shemini Atzeres,” regarding “This has come from G‑d.”

And this is the matter of “In the place where baalei teshuvah stand, perfect tzaddikim cannot stand”: for there are two levels of “place,” namely, the level of the household above and the household below mentioned above; these are the two levels of place.

And this is what is written in Zohar, vol. 2 (Vayakhel, folio 207a), on the matter of “Blessed be the glory of G‑d from His place,” and it is written, “Behold, there is a place with Me”: a place that is not revealed.

And this level is through teshuvah; for regarding “Behold, there is a place with Me,” the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy were said, which are the level of teshuvah, etc.

And this is the level of Yom Kippur: for throughout the Ten Days of Teshuvah one is like someone drawing near before the King and departing from a distant land,

that is, from his thoughts of the whole year, when he was drawn after this world and its pleasures. And in the Ten Days of Teshuvah we say “Avinu Malkeinu” (our Father, our King), for we want to draw near to Him, may He be blessed,

until on Yom Kippur, “before G‑d you shall be purified”: above the level of Havayah and the yud with which the World to Come was created, because of the great delight, as it were, the delight of the King who has seen his son come to him from a distant land.

And so it is written, “And in far places they will remember Me,” etc. (Zechariah 10:9). And this is “His left hand is under my head.” Meaning: through the “left [hand] that pushes away” during all the Ten Days of Teshuvah, that is, he would push himself away, being in his own eyes very far from G‑d.

And for this all the confessions were instituted, “We have sinned, we have been guilty,” etc.; and all that the mouth can speak and tell to one’s discredit they say about themselves. This is what brings about the drawing near through teshuvah, because of the bitterness of his soul, as it is written, “And they cried out to G‑d in their distress,” etc.

And this is “From all your sins, before G‑d you shall be purified”: through teshuvah the supernal delight is revealed, which is the level of “my head.”

And therefore on Yom Kippur there is no eating or drinking, etc. (Now, the two levels of delight mentioned above are like direct light and returning light (or yashar and or chozer), the levels of Avraham and Yitzchak, that is, Chesed and Gevurah within delight. See also what is written on the verse “Spring up, O well,” on the matter of “a fountain of gardens” and the matter of “a well of living waters.”

And it will be understood further along the lines of what was explained in the discourse beginning “I will greatly rejoice,” mentioned above, on the matter of the shofar, which is the revelation of the inner dimension of the supernal delight, which is above the level of the supernal delight that is drawn down all year through Torah and mitzvos, [of which] He said, “And My will was done.” And the revelation of that inner dimension of the supernal delight

is drawn down specifically through weeping and the arousal of compassion, which is the matter of the blasts, “groaning, groaning, wailing, wailing,” etc. See there at length, where the reason is explained: that through the weeping one draws down the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are themselves the inner dimension of the supernal delight. And according to what has been written [here], the reason will be understood further, for

weeping and the arousal of compassion are the level of teshuvah, “Out of the depths I have called You”; and teshuvah is the matter of the far becoming near. And the delight from this above is, by way of analogy, the delight of the king when his son comes to him from a very distant land,

which is the level of the inner dimension of delight, more than the delight in the king’s commands, [in] that He said, “And His will was done.” See also what is written in the discourse beginning “You are standing,” on the matter of “and weighed the mountains with a scale and the hills with a balance.”

And this delight, it can be said, is the level of “asher nishbata (as You swore) to our fathers”; for asher is the level of delight, as mentioned above regarding “asher kiddeshanu bemitzvosav.” But “asher kiddeshanu bemitzvosav” is the delight drawn down through the mitzvos, while the level of “asher nishbata” is in the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy of Micah,

which is what is drawn down through teshuvah, and it is the inner dimension of delight, as mentioned above. And this is “His left hand is under my head”: “my head” is the inner dimension of delight. It is like the matter of “When Israel respond, ‘Amen, yehei shmei rabba mevarach,’ the Holy One, blessed be He,

nods His head”: this is a drawing down from the level of “shmei rabba,” His great Name. See also what is written on this in the discourse beginning “I am G‑d your G‑d who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Also, lerashi (under my head) has the letters of “Yisrael,” [and reads] li rosh (a head for Me). See also what is written on the saying of the Zohar, vol. 3, Korach)

(folio 178b) on the matter of “And the Levite shall perform [the service]”: “Were it not for judgment, [perfection] would not be found in the world,” etc.; see there on the matter of “His left hand.”

(See further on the matter of “His left hand is under my head” in Zohar, vol. 2, 138b, 154b; vol. 3, 148b; and further in vol. 1, 112a, 136a; vol. 2, folio 30b, 114a, 238b; vol. 3, 54b, 55a, 118b, 119b, 120b.)

Now, the level of the revelation of this delight is the level of joy, “G‑d will rejoice in His works” and “Israel will rejoice in its Maker”; for joy is the revelation of delight. And this is the level of Sukkos, “the season of our rejoicing.”

And then the supernal delight is revealed, the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, to hover over us all the days of Sukkos. And this is the level of “and his right hand embraces me,” like the analogy of one who embraces his fellow from behind; so too “and his right hand embraces me”: that even the level of the back,

which is the level of a person’s outer dimension (chitzoniyus), which is drawn after this world and is called “the back” and the level of “the nape,” as it is written, “For they have turned to Me the nape,” etc.,

nevertheless He encompasses and surrounds him, so as to turn darkness into light, etc., and to nullify his will before the will of G‑d. And this is because

the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, is the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in His very Self and glory; it is what gives strength and power for there to be, through the arousal from below, an arousal from above. As it is written, “And Israel saw the great hand,” etc.

(See also what is written on the matter of “the great hand,” etc., in the discourse beginning “In the section of the libations,” and what is written on the verse “Your hand is on the nape of your enemies.” And this is also “And I have given you one shechem (portion)”: to make, from the level of shechem, which means shoulder and back,

as in “upon the shoulder (shechem) of both of them,” [that it be] turned into the level of one, as in “to serve Him with one shoulder (shechem echad),” as is written elsewhere.) But this revelation upon us is in the manner of an encompassing light (makif), far above the level of the comprehension of created beings.

And this is “G‑d is your shade upon your right hand”: in the manner of shade and an encompassing light; and it is far above, “upon your right hand.” Meaning: “your right hand”

is the natural love in a person; and the supernal love rests upon this natural love in the manner of an encompassing light, for it cannot be clothed within this natural love of the person, since the natural love cannot contain it.

Nevertheless, the effect of the encompassing light is to give strength and power to the natural love in a person’s soul (see also what is written on this in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day he sent away”),

so that the arousal from above will depend on the arousal from below throughout the year. And this is the effect of the festival of Sukkos on the entire year as a whole.

125. And in a particular way, each day, this is the matter of Torah study; and of this they said, “Study is great, for it leads to action.”

The explanation: it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth, and in the shade of My hand I have covered you”: from the Torah is made the level of a sukkah, the level of shade; for from the breath of speech an encompassing light (makif) is made for the soul. And this is the level of “what comes out of the mouth of G‑d”;

for “not by bread alone,” which is the level of the Torah itself, “does man live, but by everything that comes out of the mouth of G‑d,” which is through uttering them with the breath of the mouth, from which an encompassing light is made for the soul. (See also what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And I will betroth you to Me,” and in Zohar, vol. 1)

(Bereishis, folio 4b), on the verse “And I have put My words in your mouth,” and in the commentary of the Ramaz there. And this is what gives strength and power to the arousal from below in the performance of the mitzvos, so that the arousal from above will depend on it.

And this is “Study is great, for it leads to action.” Meaning: the study that one studies with the breath of the mouth, even when one studies a subject that is not needed for practice,

such as the order of Kodashim, [the laws of] sacrifices and meal-offerings; and even in matters relevant to practice, there are several things that one need not study within the Gemara,

13especially since now there is a summary of the laws in the Shulchan Aruch, which is also a revelation of the supernal will relevant to practice; nevertheless one must study the Gemara,

for the point is not that it is relevant to practice, but that one utters words of Torah with the mouth, from which an encompassing light is made for the soul, so that the supernal delight is drawn down.

And this is in the level of the Torah, as it is written, “And I was [His] delight day [by] day.” Meaning: “day [by] day” is the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, which are the level of delights before Him, may He be blessed, which is the level of the supernal delight; and this delight is drawn down below, as it is written, “And My delights are with the children of men.”

(And this is the meaning of “that leads to action”: that is to say, that it gives strength and power in the performance of the mitzvos and the arousal from below, so that through it an arousal from above will be drawn down; for the power for this is drawn from the level of the supernal delight, as mentioned above, which is the level of the Torah, of which it is said, “And I was [His] delight,” etc.

And also, the two levels of peace mentioned above, “to the far and to the near,” are also drawn down through engaging in Torah, as in the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory) (Sanhedrin, folio 99b): “Whoever engages in Torah makes peace in the household above and in the household

below, as it is said, ‘Or let him take hold of My strength, [that] he may make peace with Me; peace he shall make with Me’”; and as [cited] above also in the name of the Midrash Rabbah, Naso, section 13. And it has already been explained that the two levels of peace, of the household above and [the household] below, are the matter of “Peace, peace, to the far and to the near.”

And this will be understood further with what is written on the verse “This is the statute (chukas) of the Torah”: it is the matter of the engraved letters (chakikah), which are higher still than the level of the Written Torah; and of this it is said, “I said, I will become wise, but it is far from me,” for it is in the level of the hidden wisdom (Chochmah Stima’ah).

14And from there one draws down the light into the Written Torah and the Oral Torah; this too is in the level of “peace to the far,” for one draws down from the level of “but it is far,”

that is, that it is the supernal delight, the level of “And I was [His] delight”; and from there one draws down that there be “And My delights are with the children of men,” and this is through “peace … and to the near.”

15Now, in the Gemara at the end of the first chapter of Kiddushin, there is one who says that action is greater; this is because action is a person’s arousal from below, in which he exerts himself in substantial action. This is not so with Torah, which is the level of speech, and it is the level of an arousal from above, which is higher than an arousal from below, as is written in the discourse beginning “And I pleaded.”

And since action is the work of a person’s hands, his own doing and his own arousal from below, then, by way of analogy, a person takes pride in what is his own, even in the level of the foot in him; whereas in what belongs to others he does not take pride, even in a hand,

which is more important, since it is not his. And in this proportion, action is truly an arousal from below, whereas the Torah is essentially a gift from above. And see Zohar, vol. 2 (Terumah, 128a),

that therefore concerning engaging in Torah it is said, “Come, buy and eat, etc., without money and without price, wine and milk,” whereas in engaging in the mitzvos it must be specifically “for full payment”; see there. Therefore he said, “Action is greater.”

And nevertheless there is one who says that study is greater, that is, even in its own right; since, on the contrary, it is an arousal from above, from a level which the arousal from below of performing the mitzvos does not reach. And further,

because it is also a level of engagement of a person’s thought and speech, and also “the moving of his lips is an action,” only it is not substantial action like actual action; see the Gemara, chapter 7 of Bava Metzia (folio 90, end of side b),

and the Chiddushei HaRashba (beginning of chapter 3 of Shevuos, folio 21a), and see the Tosafos there. And there they took a vote and concluded that study is greater, for it leads to action; that is, that even the power in the performance of the mitzvos to arouse an arousal from above is drawn through engaging in Torah, as mentioned above.

And this is “On the eighth day, there shall be an atzeres for you.” Meaning: “on the eighth day” is the eighth level from below upward, the level of Binah, that is, through the level of contemplation;

just as from above to below, whatever is below is the level of ayin and considered as nothing in relation to what is above, so from below to above one will be as nothing and naught; and this is the level of understanding one thing from another. (See what is written in the discourse beginning “The heavens are My throne.”)

And likewise “Binah is the heart”: it is the level of the joy of the heart, “the season of our rejoicing,” when the two joys come close together, “G‑d will rejoice in His works” and “Israel will rejoice in its Maker”;

and this is through the Torah; for this is why it is called Simchas Torah, for the Torah is supernal delight and lower delight, as mentioned above.

And then “there shall be an atzeres for you,” as the Targum renders it, “kenishin tehei lechon” (there shall be a gathering for you). Meaning: that the level of the encompassing light, which spreads and hovers

from above in the manner of without end or limit, is gathered and collected together, to be contained within the souls of Israel and to be in the manner of an inner [light], so that afterwards there will be the level of the mitzvos, [such that] through the arousal from below [there is] an arousal from above, etc.,

as mentioned above. (See on the matter of “On the eighth day, an atzeres” in the Midrash Rabbah on Koheles, on the verse “Give a portion to seven and also to eight,” and on the verse “On the day of good, be in good”; and on Shir HaShirim, on the verse “How beautiful are your steps in sandals”; and on Parshas Naso, section 10, regarding “And Manoach said,” etc., “Let us detain (ne’etzrah) you.”

And at the end of Parshas Pinchas. See also what is written in the discourse beginning “For the conductor, on the Sheminis,” and what is written elsewhere on the matter of “sevenfold, like the light of the seven days.” And see Zohar, vol. 3, Balak) (185b), on the matter of “Who shall stand,” and in the commentary of the Ramaz there.

16Summary

17(1) The meaning of “You will give truth to Yaakov” is [as in] “For G‑d is a G‑d of knowledges,” which includes two [kinds of] knowledge; and that the revelation be below

as it is above: this is “And the truth of G‑d is le’olam,” and of this it is said, “You will give truth to Yaakov.” And see on the matter of truth in the Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Vayishlach, section 81.

And from this is drawn [the level of] “kindness to Avraham,” that is, that through the arousal from below an arousal from above is drawn down; this is “the charity and kindness that G‑d has done with us.” See also what is written

on the verse “I am G‑d your G‑d” in the section of tzitzis, on the meaning of “the kindnesses of G‑d” in the plural, two levels of kindness; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “When you light the lamps,” on the matter of the level of Avraham and the level of Aharon.

18(2) And the power for the arousal from above to depend on the arousal from below is “as You swore to our fathers,” that is, what He promised against the order of the chain of descending levels (hishtalshelus).

And this is “from the days of old,” [from] the Primordial One of the world: what is above the level of “the days of the world,” which are in the order of hishtalshelus. (See Midrash Rabbah, Emor, section 29; Zohar, vol. 3, Parshas Acharei, 66b; Naso, 130a, 134b.)

19(3) And this is “asher kiddeshanu bemitzvosav” (who has sanctified us with His commandments): asher is the supernal delight, from which is drawn “vetzivanu” (and has commanded us), companionship and connection, so that an arousal from above be drawn down through an arousal from below.

And therefore “One hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world,” etc. (4) And the matter of teshuvah: by way of analogy, there are two kinds of delight before the king. The first is in the carrying out of his commands,

as in “It is a satisfaction before Me that I spoke and My will was done.” See what is written in the discourse beginning “Command the children of Israel and say to them, My offering.”

And the second is when he sees his son coming from afar. And this is “Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” and this is also the level of “he may make peace with Me; peace he shall make with Me,”

that is, the union of yud-hei and the union of vav-hei. See what is written on the verse “These are the accounts of the Mishkan” and on the verse “And the number of the children of Israel shall be.” And this is the matter of “His left hand is under my head”: from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur,

which is the level of the far becoming near, the level of teshuvah. And through this, correspondingly above, there is drawn down the level of the supernal encompassing light, which is above hishtalshelus: the level of “the days of old,” which is above “the days of the world,”

as in the saying, “Who is exalted from the days of the world”; [so that it] shine closely, in the manner of “the days of the world.” And this is “Seek G‑d when He can be found,” when He is near. And the revelation of this delight is the level of “the season of our rejoicing,” “G‑d will rejoice

in His works” and “Israel will rejoice in its Maker.” And the effect of this supernal delight, although it is in the manner of an encompassing light, is to give strength and power to the natural love in the soul, so that the arousal from above will depend on the arousal from below.

And this is “as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.” And this is the matter of the seven days of the festival of Sukkos: that “G‑d is your shade.” (5) And in a particular way, each day, it is the level of Torah, as it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth, and in the shade of My hand I have covered you.”

And it is also said of it, “She has hewn out her seven pillars,” as is written in the Midrash Rabbah at the beginning of Parshas Shemini. And therefore, “Study is great, for it leads to action,”

for it is from the level of supernal delight, “delights day [by] day”; therefore it is what leads to action, for it gives strength and power to the performance of the mitzvos, so that the arousal from above be drawn down in them and through them. And this is “Or let him take hold of My strength (ma’uzi),” for it is called oz (might), which is power.

20And now, “on the eighth day”: the eighth level from below upward, the level at which the revelation can be below as it is above, the level of “And the truth of G‑d is le’olam.”

And this is Simchas Torah, and there the two joys are joined, “G‑d will rejoice in His works” and “Israel will rejoice in its Maker”; and this is through the Torah, which before Him, may He be blessed, is “delights,” and “My delights are with the children of men.” Therefore it is called Simchas Torah.

And then “there shall be an atzeres for you”: that the encompassing light be gathered and collected together, to be in the manner of an inner light (pnimiyus), like “Let the waters be gathered to one place”; and in the same way it is said, “The mikveh (hope) of Israel is G‑d.”

(See Zohar, Bereishis, 18a, 33a.) And therefore on Shemini Atzeres we say “He causes the rain to fall,” so that through this there will be, in the level of the mitzvos, through the arousal from below, an arousal from above.