Torah Ohr · Parshas Bereishis · Maamar 5
לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לו עזר כנגדו
It is not good that the man be alone; I will make him a helper opposite him
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The big idea
The concealment of the Name Elokim, which seems to oppose G‑d’s revealed light, is itself the “helper”: like the silver backing of a mirror, it turns the light back upward as reflected light that rises even higher than its source.
The maamar in brief
The maamar opens with “For a sun and a shield is Havayah Elokim.” Havayah is the light that brings all into being; revealed as it is, creatures would be utterly nullified. Elokim is its shield, concealing the light so that separate beings — a “people” for the King — can exist, and this concealing power is the Shechinah, G‑d’s presence within creation. The purpose is that the created “something” then nullify itself; when divine light sustains powers that never do, that is the exile of the Shechinah. Scripture calls the Shechinah a mirror: a thin silver coating blocks sight and produces reflected light that shows what direct sight cannot. So Elokim’s concealment produces a reflected light rising above Havayah, as “a woman of valor is the crown of her husband.” Hence “the man alone” is unhindered revelation, and “a helper opposite him” is the concealment — body and animal soul — from which the higher light comes. After the sin the covering became coarse, “garments of skin,” kelipas nogah; serving G‑d is like tanning hides. The wedding blessings express the same pattern.
Outline
- Havayah and its shield, ElokimHavayah is the creative light; unveiled, it would nullify creation. Elokim conceals it so that separate beings can exist, making possible G‑d’s kingship and His dwelling (Shechinah) within creation.¶1–2
- The purpose of descent and the exile of the ShechinahThe light descends into separate beings so that they will nullify themselves; this is G‑d’s gratification. When it sustains the seventy princes, who remain independent, it is the exile of the Shechinah.¶3–4
- The mirror and reflected lightA mirror’s thin silver coating blocks sight and reflects it back. Likewise Elokim’s concealment produces reflected light that rises above the source of Havayah, as the wife becomes her husband’s crown and the soul descends for the sake of ascent.¶5–6
- The helper opposite him“The man alone” is total revelation and nullification; the “helper opposite him” is the concealment that forms body and animal soul, from which higher light comes — the source of the future laughter and delight beyond Havayah.¶7–8
- Garments of skin and the service of refinementAfter the sin the covering became coarse: kelipas nogah, the “garments of skin” through which the external forces feed. Serving G‑d is like tanning hides; Chanoch made shoes from the refined skin.¶9–11
- The partition before and after the sinEven before the sin there was a helper opposite him: elevating what is below the partition present in every world. After the sin it is refining kelipas nogah, which is still thin enough to yield reflected light.¶12–14
- Groom and brideThe wedding blessings move from “groom and bride” to “the groom with the bride”: the bride, Malchus, first receives, then adds light and becomes her husband’s crown.¶15
Key concepts
- Havayah and Elokimהוי״ה ואלקים
- Havayah is the light that brings all into being; Elokim is the shield that conceals it, making separate existence possible.
- Reflected lightאור חוזר
- Light that returns upward when blocked, like light off a mirror’s silver; it rises higher than the direct light’s source.
- Exile of the Shechinahגלות השכינה
- When divine light sustains powers that do not nullify themselves before G‑d, contrary to the purpose of creation.
- Helper opposite himעזר כנגדו
- The concealment that seems to oppose revelation, which through its refinement becomes the source of a greater light.
- Garments of skinכתנות עור
- The coarse concealment after the sin, kelipas nogah; man’s service is to “tan” it, transforming darkness into light.
- Kelipas nogahקליפת נוגה
- The “glowing husk” of mixed good and evil that gives life to permitted things, whose good can be elevated.
- The partitionפרסא
- The divide present in every world, like the diaphragm in the body and the boundary between Atzilus and Beriah, below which lies what must be elevated.
For children · ages 9–13
The mirror that sends light higher
The big idea
What seems to hide G‑d’s light, like our body and the world around us, is really a helper: through it the light shines back even higher.
The maamar begins with the verse, “It is not good that the man be alone; I will make him a helper opposite him,” and another verse, “For a sun and a shield is G‑d.” G‑d’s light is like the sun, which brings everything into being. If that light were fully revealed, nothing could exist as a separate thing, just as no one can look straight at the sun. So G‑d made a shield, a covering that hides the light, and this is the meaning of the Name Elokim. Because of it there can be a world, and a people who choose to make G‑d their King. The purpose is that we, who feel separate, choose to give ourselves over to G‑d. Then something wonderful happens: the light that was hidden shines back upward, even higher than before. That is the “helper opposite him.” Our body and the everyday things of this world can seem to stand in the way of serving G‑d. But when we use them for good, they help us reach a light higher than we could reach without them. A soul comes down into a body for the sake of going up.
The mashal
A mirror is glass with a thin coat of silver behind it. The silver blocks our sight, and because it blocks it, the light turns back, and we can see what is behind us, which we could never see without it. If the coating were thick and dark, we would see nothing; it must be thin and fine.
Questions for the Shabbos table
- How can something that hides G‑d’s light end up helping it shine even higher?
- What does the silver behind a mirror teach us about the things in our life that seem to get in the way?
- What is one ordinary thing, like food or a toy, that you can use this week to serve G‑d?
Explanation © likuteitorah.com, CC BY-NC 4.0: retold for children from our translation and explanation, with AI assistance; not yet reviewed by a human editor.
Havayah and its shield, Elokim ¶1–2
The maamar opens with G‑d’s words before creating Chavah (Genesis 2:18) and pairs them with Psalms 84:12, “For a sun and a shield is Havayah Elokim.” The two Names will be likened to the sun and its protective shield.
פי׳ הוי״ה הוא גילוי והמשכת ההארה להיות מקור להתהוות העולמות כי הוי״ה מלשון התהוות4 כנודע.
Meaning: Havayah is the revelation and drawing forth of the illumination to be the source for the coming into being of the worlds, for Havayah is from the expression “bringing into being,” as is known.
Havayah, the Tetragrammaton, is linked to hava’ah, “bringing into being”: it is the divine light that is the source of all existence.
אך אם היה הארה זו מתגלית ונמשכת להיות חיות לנבראים כמו שהיא בעצמותה לא היו הנבראים כלל על אופן שהם עתה כי לא היה יכול להיות מציאות יש ונפרד
But if this illumination were revealed and drawn forth to be life-force for the creatures as it is in its essence, the creatures would not exist at all in the manner they are now, for there could not be an existence that is “something” and separate
If that creative light were revealed as it truly is, creatures could not exist as independent-seeming, separate beings (“something,” yesh).
כמו שהוא עתה מאחר שאור וחיות המהוה היה מאיר עליו בגילוי אלא היו בבחי׳ ביטול המציאות מכל וכל כמו שהוא קמי׳ ית׳ דכולא כלא חשיבי.5
as it is now, since the light and life-force that brings it into being would shine upon it openly; rather, they would be in a state of utter nullification of existence, as it is before Him, blessed be He, before whom “all is considered as nothing.”
Exposed to the light that creates them, they would be utterly nullified, just as before G‑d Himself “all is considered as nothing.”
Havayah is the creative light; unveiled, it would dissolve creation, which raises the question of how a separate world can exist at all.
Tanya, Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah ch. 4, develops the same verse: Elokim is a sheath for the “sun” of Havayah so that creatures can bear it, and the Name Havayah means that He brings everything into being from nothing at every moment.
Marei mekomos
- 1לא טוב היות האדם לבדו · המאמר הוא משנת תקע״א. ב׳ הנחות אחרות במאמרי אדה״ז פרשיות ע׳ מד, בשינוים קלים ממה שנדפס כאן עם איזה הגהות מהצ״צ. ונוסחא שני׳ שם ע׳ מז באריכות. ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. המאמר עם הגהות באוה״ת בראשית כרך ו תתרנה, א (מלקו״ת לג׳ פרשיות כו, א). סיום המאמר נזכר בלקו״ת שמע״צ צב, סע״ב.
- 2לא טוב היות האדם לבדו · Genesis 2:18
- 3כי שמש ומגן הוי״ה אלקים · Psalms 84:12
- 4הוי׳ מלשון התהוות · Tanya, Sha’ar HaYichud 4:1
- 5דכולא כלא חשיבי · Zohar, Introduction 20:188–22:199
Therefore G‑d, blessed be He, made a shield and a sheath for the Name Havayah, and this is the level of the Name Elokim, which conceals and hides the intensity of the illumination,
So G‑d made a “shield” or sheath for Havayah — the Name Elokim — which conceals the intensity of the light, as a sheath shades the sun.
והיינו ע״י גבורות וצמצומים ואז יכול להיות התהוות היש ונפרד וזהו פי׳ שם אלקים לשון שררה כי אין מלך בלא עם.23
namely, through severities and contractions; and then the coming into being of the “something” and the separate can take place. And this is the meaning of the Name Elokim, an expression of rulership, for “there is no king without a people.”
Elokim works through severities (gevuros) and contractions (tzimtzumim), making room for separate beings. That is why Elokim connotes rulership: a king needs a people, subjects who are distinct from him.
ובחי׳ זו הוא הנק׳ ג״כ בשם שכינה כי שכינה הוא מלשון ושכנתי בתוכם4 שע״י מדה זו הוא מתלבש בנבראים
And this level is also called by the name Shechinah, for Shechinah is from the expression “And I will dwell in their midst,” for through this attribute He is vested in the creatures;
This same concealing power is the Shechinah, from “I will dwell (veshachanti) in their midst” (Exodus 25:8): through it G‑d dwells within, and is clothed in, created things.
משא״כ אם היה ההארה מתגלית כמו שהיא בעצמותה לא היו הנבראים יכולים להכיל אותה כלל וכנ״ל.
whereas if the illumination were revealed as it is in its essence, the creatures could not contain it at all, as said above.
Without it, creatures could not hold the light at all.
The Name Elokim conceals the light of Havayah, making separate existence — and with it G‑d’s kingship and His indwelling Presence — possible.
The Tzemach Tzedek (glosses quoted in the Kehot notes) adds that the purpose of making a separate “people” is not that it remain separate but that it come to nullify itself; this prepares the maamar’s next step.
Marei mekomos
- 1שם אלקים מלשון שררה · ראה רש״י בראשית ל, ב.
- 2כי אין מלך בלא עם · Tanya, Sha’ar HaYichud 6:7–8
- 3כי אין מלך בלא עם · Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 38:30
- 4ושכנתי בתוכם · Exodus 25:8
The purpose of descent and the exile of the Shechinah ¶3–4
Now, the matter of the exile of the Shechinah is mentioned in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, as they said: “They were exiled to Edom — the Shechinah was with them; they were exiled to Babylon…,” etc.
The Sages speak of the “exile of the Shechinah”: wherever Israel was exiled, to Babylon or to Edom (Rome), the Divine Presence went with them.
וענין גלות זה הוא כך בהיות כי תכלית ירידת והמשכת אור אלקותו ית׳ שנמשך להתלבש בנבראים ולהחיותן ע״י צמצום דשם אלקים כנ״ל עד שיהיו מתהוים באופן שהם בחי׳ יש ונפרד.
And the matter of this exile is as follows: the purpose of the descent and drawing forth of the light of His G‑dliness, blessed be He, which is drawn down to be vested in the creatures and give them life through the contraction of the Name Elokim, as said above, until they come into being in such a way that they are “something” and separate —
To explain it: G‑d’s light descends and is clothed in creatures through the contraction of Elokim, so that they come to exist as separate beings.
הוא בשביל שאח״כ יתבטל היש לאין ע״ד מ״ש וצבא השמים2 לך משתחוים שכל המלאכים צבא מעלה מיכאל וגבריאל כו׳ עם שהם בחי׳ יש ודבר3 אבל הם בטלים אל האין.
is so that afterward the “something” be nullified to the “nothing,” in the manner of what is written, “And the host of heaven bow down to You”: all the angels, the host above, Michael and Gavriel, etc., although they are “something” and an entity, are nullified to the “nothing.”
The goal of that descent is that this “something” then nullify itself to the “nothing,” its divine source, just as the angels, though they are real entities, bow down to G‑d (Nehemiah 9:6).
The descent of G‑d’s light into separate beings has a purpose: that those beings in turn nullify themselves before Him.
Marei mekomos
- 1גלו לאדום שכינה עמהם, גלו לבבל כו׳ · Megillah 29a:4
- 2וצבא השמים · Nehemiah 9:6
- 3שו״ה בחי׳ — יש ודבר · בפרשיות ע׳ מה: ”יש ודבר נבדל [בכמה כת״י — נפרד] מאלקותו ית׳”.
4וזהו נח״ר לפניו ית׳ שיהיה יש ושיתבטל ובזאת דוקא הוא חפץ. ובשביל זה היה ירידת הארת אלקותו ע״י העלמים והסתרים עד שיהיה התהוות היש כנ״ל וכדכתיב כל הנקרא בשמי1 ולכבודי בראתיו וגו׳.
And this is the gratification before Him, blessed be He: that there be a “something” and that it be nullified; and in this specifically He desires. And for this reason there was the descent of the illumination of His G‑dliness through concealments and hidings, until the “something” comes into being, as said above; and as it is written, “Everyone that is called by My Name, and for My glory I created him….”
G‑d’s “gratification” is precisely this: that there be a “something” that nullifies itself. For that, His light descended through concealments, as “for My glory I created him” (Isaiah 43:7).
אבל בחי׳ גלות השכינה הוא כשנמשך הארת אלקותו ית׳ הנק׳ בשם שכינה ומתלבשת בע׳ שרים להחיותן והם יש ודבר בפ״ע לי יאורי2 כו׳
But the exile of the Shechinah is when the illumination of His G‑dliness, blessed be He, which is called by the name Shechinah, is drawn down and vested in the seventy princes to give them life, and they are “something” and an entity in their own right — “My river is mine…,” etc. —
The exile of the Shechinah is when the divine light is drawn into the “seventy princes” — the spiritual patrons of the seventy nations — giving them life, while they consider themselves independent, like Pharaoh boasting, “My river is mine” (Ezekiel 29:3).
רק דקרו ליה אלקא דאלקיא.3 אשר זהו בחי׳ גלות ממש מאחר שלא נעשה בחי׳ ביטול אח״כ מירידה זו.
only they call Him “the G‑d of gods.” This is actual exile, since no nullification came about afterward from this descent.
They acknowledge G‑d only as “the G‑d of gods” (Menachos 110a), a supreme power above their own, not as the One before whom they are nothing. Since this descent produces no nullification, it is true exile.
וזהו הפך הכוונה כנ״ל והוא סוד גלות השכינה שהארת אלקות מקור חי העולמים נשפלת ונגלית עד תחתית המדרגות שהם מדור הקליפות והיכלות החיצונים וכנודע:
And this is the opposite of the intention, as said above; and it is the mystery of the exile of the Shechinah: that the illumination of G‑dliness, the source of the life of the worlds, is lowered and revealed down to the lowest of levels, which are the abode of the kelipos and the outer chambers, as is known.
It defeats the purpose of creation: the light that is the source of all life sinks to the lowest levels, the domain of the kelipos, the forces of concealment, and their “outer chambers.”
Creation’s aim is self-nullification; the exile of the Shechinah is divine light sustaining powers that never nullify themselves.
Marei mekomos
- 1כל הנקרא בשמי · Isaiah 43:7
- 2לי יאורי · Ezekiel 29:3
- 3דקרו לי׳ אלקא דאלקיא · Menachot 110a:5–6
The mirror and reflected light ¶5–6
5והנה השכינה נקראת בכתוב בשם מראה. כמ״ש במראה אליו אתודע.1 והענין שהוא עד״מ כמו המראה הגשמית שפעולתה להראות לאדם מה שמלאחוריו
Now the Shechinah is called in Scripture by the name “mirror,” as it is written, “In a vision (mar’ah) I make Myself known to him.” The matter is, by way of analogy, like a physical mirror, whose function is to show a person what is behind him.
Scripture calls the Shechinah a “mirror”: “In a vision (mar’ah, which also means ‘mirror’) I make Myself known to him” (Numbers 12:6). A mirror shows a person what is behind him.
והיינו ע״י שהזכוכית מצופה בצפוי כסף שהוא מכסה ומסתיר על הזכוכית ומונע את הראות בלתי תוכל להתפשט עוד להלאה.
This is because the glass is coated with a silver coating, which covers and conceals the glass and blocks the sight, so that it cannot extend any farther.
It works because the glass is backed with silver, which blocks the line of sight from continuing through.
ומחמת העכוב והמניעה נעשה אור חוזר עד שתפול הראות גם לאחוריו (והוא מכח הזכוכית והצפוי) מה שלא היה יכול לראות אם לא היה צפוי זה.
And because of the obstruction and blocking, reflected light is produced, until the sight falls even behind him (and this is by the power of the glass and the coating) — what he could not have seen were it not for this coating.
Blocked, the light is reflected back, letting one see what lies behind — something impossible without the coating.
אך מ״מ היינו דוקא כשהיא מצופה ומכוסה בכסוי דק וקלוש כמו הכסף אבל כשהיא מכוסה בכיסוי עב וחשוך לא יראה בה כלום.
However, this is specifically when it is coated and covered with a thin, fine covering such as silver; but when it is covered with a thick and dark covering, nothing will be seen in it.
But the coating must be thin, like silver; a thick, dark covering reflects nothing.
The mirror analogy: a thin concealing layer produces reflected light that reveals what direct sight cannot, while a thick one blocks everything.
Marei mekomos
- 1במראה אליו אתודע · Numbers 12:6
6וכך יובן הנמשל. והוא כי הנה שם הוי״ה הוא בבחי׳ המשכה מלמעלה למטה כנ״ל ובחי׳ מל׳ ית׳
And so is the analogue to be understood. The Name Havayah is the level of drawing down from above to below, as said above; and the level of His Malchus, blessed be He,
Applied: Havayah is the light flowing downward, while Malchus, G‑d’s sovereignty, holds it back.
שהוא הנק׳ בשם אלקים היינו בחי׳ צמצום והסתר שבה מסתתר׳ ומתעלמת ההארה בלתי תתפשט ותתגלה עוד כנ״ל.
which is called by the Name Elokim, is the level of contraction and concealment, in which the illumination is hidden and concealed, so that it does not extend and become revealed any further, as said above.
Malchus is called Elokim, and it is the concealing “coating” that stops the light from spreading further.
ומחמת צמצום והעלם זה נעשה אור חוזר שהוא חוזר ועולה למעלה מעלה יותר מכפי ערך כח מקור ההארה המתפשטת דשם הוי״ה
And because of this contraction and concealment, reflected light is produced, which returns and ascends far higher than the measure of the power of the source of the extending illumination of the Name Havayah;
Because of that concealment, “reflected light” (or chozer) arises — a light that rises back upward, reaching even higher than the source of the direct light of Havayah.
וכמ״ש אשת חיל עט״ב1 וכתיב והיה אור הלבנה2 כאור החמה כו׳. והיינו כמשל המראה שע״י הכיסוי המסתיר ומונע התפשטות ההארה נעשה או״ח עד למרחק וד״ל.
as it is written, “A woman of valor is the crown of her husband,” and it is written, “And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun…,” etc. This is like the analogy of the mirror: through the covering that conceals and blocks the extension of the illumination, reflected light is produced, reaching far; and this suffices for the discerning.
Hence “a woman of valor is her husband’s crown” (Proverbs 12:4), and in the future “the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun” (Isaiah 30:26): the receiving, concealing aspect — Malchus, the “wife,” the “moon” — will rise to and above the giver.
And this is what is written, “The burnt-offering of Shabbos on its Shabbos.” And likewise what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Kesubos 61) on “a husband’s wife”: “she rises with the rising of her husband,” etc.
So too “the burnt-offering (olas, from ‘ascent’) of Shabbos” (Numbers 28:10), and the Sages’ reading of be’ulas ba’al (“a husband’s wife”) as “she rises with her husband’s rising” (Kesubos 61a).
ועמ״ש ע״פ הראיני את מראיך67 כו׳ שזהו ג״כ ענין ירידת הנשמה בגוף המסתיר שהוא צורך עליה לחזור ממטה למעלה להתכלל באור ה׳ כו׳.
And see what is written on the verse “Show me your appearance…,” that this too is the matter of the descent of the soul into the body that conceals, which is for the sake of an ascent, to return from below to above and be included in the light of G‑d, etc.
The Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse on “Show me your appearance” (Song of Songs 2:14): the soul’s descent into a concealing body is likewise for the sake of a greater ascent back into G‑d’s light.
Elokim, like a mirror’s silver, conceals the light of Havayah, and this very concealment generates a reflected light that ascends beyond the original source.
In Kabbalah, direct light (or yashar) descends from the giver, while reflected light (or chozer) rises from the recipient; here the reflected light is the higher of the two, as Malchus becomes the “crown” of her husband.
Marei mekomos
- 1אשת חיל עט״ב · Proverbs 12:4
- 2והי׳ אור הלבנה · Isaiah 30:26
- 3עולת שבת בשבתו · Numbers 28:10
- 4בעולת בעל · Genesis 20:3
- 5
- 6ע״פ הראיני את מראיך · ראה לקו״ת שה״ש יז, ג. בלקו״ת שמע״צ צב, סע״ב מציין לכאן.
- 7הראיני את מראיך · Song of Songs 2:14
The helper opposite him ¶7–8
7והוא ג״כ מ״ש ויעש ה׳ אלקים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור1 וילבשם שהוא בחי׳ לבוש המכסה ומעלים וע״י לבוש והעלם זה נעשה אח״כ הכאת האור חוזר כנ״ל.
And this is also what is written, “And Havayah Elokim made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and clothed them”: this is the level of a garment that covers and conceals, and through this garment and concealment there is afterward produced the striking of the reflected light, as said above.
The same idea appears in “Havayah Elokim made for Adam and his wife garments of skin” (Genesis 3:21): a garment covers and conceals, and through it the reflected light “strikes” back upward.
וזהו לא טוב היות האדם לבדו.2 פי׳ וענין היות האדם לבדו היינו להיות הכל המשכה בבחי׳ גילוי מלמעלה שז״ס אדם העליון שם מ״ה על הכסא דמות כמראה אדם3 כו׳
And this is “It is not good that the man be alone.” Meaning: the matter of “the man being alone” is that everything would be a drawing forth in a revealed manner from above — which is the mystery of the supernal Adam, the Name Mah, “upon the throne, a likeness as the appearance of a man…,” etc. —
Now the opening verse: “the man alone” would mean all divine light flowing down openly. That light is the “supernal Adam,” the Name Mah, which Ezekiel saw as “the likeness of the appearance of a man” upon the throne (Ezekiel 1:26).
שיהיה בבחי׳ גילוי מאליו ומעצמו למטה שאז היה הכל בבחי׳ ביטול כמו שהוא למעלה בבחי׳ יחו״ע4 דכולא כלא חשיבי כאין ואפס וזהו היות האדם לבדו ר״ל שהי׳ הכל בביטול אליו ית׳.5
that it would be revealed below of itself and by itself; for then everything would be in a state of nullification, as it is above, on the level of the higher unity, where “all is considered as nothing,” as naught and nil. And this is “the man being alone”: that is, that all would be in nullification to Him, blessed be He.
In that state the light would be revealed below by itself. Then all would be nullified, as in the “higher unity,” where everything is as nothing before G‑d. That is “the man alone”: only G‑d, with nothing else felt to exist.
אעשה לו עזר כנגדו שיהיה עזר וסיוע מבחי׳ כנגדו6 דוקא דהיינו מבחי׳ הצמצום וההסתר המנגד להתפשטות ההארה כנ״ל שמחמת זה מתהווה הגוף ונפש הבהמית
“I will make him a helper opposite him”: that there be help and assistance specifically from the level of “opposite him,” that is, from the level of the contraction and concealment that opposes the extension of the illumination, as said above, because of which the body and the animal soul come into being,
“I will make him a helper opposite him”: the help comes precisely from what opposes — the contraction and concealment that resists the spread of light, which is what brings about the body and the animal soul.
שהם בחי׳ יש ונפרדים כנ״ל ומזה דוקא יהיה העזר כי מהעלם זה נעשה אח״כ או״ח למעלה מעלה.
which are “something” and separate, as said above; and specifically from this will come the help, for from this concealment there is afterward produced reflected light, far above.
The body and the animal soul are separate “somethings.” From this very concealment comes reflected light that rises higher still; this is the “help.”
The opening verse is interpreted: ‘the man alone’ is unhindered revelation with total nullification; the ‘helper opposite him’ is concealment — the body and animal soul — which generates a higher reflected light.
The Tzemach Tzedek (glosses quoted in the Kehot notes) links the “garments of skin” (עור, with Ayin) to “garments of light” (אור, with Alef), and reads “alone” (levado) as “there is none else besides Him.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ויעש ה׳ אלקים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור · Genesis 3:21
- 2לא טוב היות האדם לבדו · Genesis 2:18
- 3על הכסא דמות כמראה אדם · Ezekiel 1:26
- 4פי׳ וענין היות האדם לבדו . . למעלה בבחי׳ יחו״ע · ראה לקו״ש ח״ה ע׳ 22.
- 5שו״ה בביטול — אליו ית׳ · במאמרי אדה״ז פרשיות ע׳ מו הגה״ה מהצ״צ: ”שזהו פי׳ לבדו שיהי׳ בחי׳ ביטול כמו שבאמת אין עוד מלבדו”.
- 6שיהי׳ עזר וסיוע מבחי׳ כנגדו · ראה פרדס ערך מערב. ובאוה״ת פ׳ מסעי ע׳ א׳שצז.
And as it is written, “Elokim has made laughter for me”: the essence of the laughter and delight in the Time to Come — “G‑d will rejoice in His works” — is drawn from the Name Elokim,
Sarah’s words at Yitzchak’s birth, “Elokim has made laughter for me” (Genesis 21:6), show that the ultimate laughter and delight of the future — when “G‑d will rejoice in His works” (Psalms 104:31) — come through the Name Elokim, the power of concealment.
כמ״ש במ״א שעי״ז יהיה אח״כ הגילוי מבחי׳ שלמעלה משם הוי״ה כמ״ש עד יעבור עמך2 הוי״ה והוא בחי׳ אשר לא ישב אדם שם3 כמ״ש ע״פ בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו45 כו׳.67
as explained elsewhere, that through this there will afterward be the revelation from the level that is above the Name Havayah, as it is written, “Until Your people pass over, Havayah”; and this is the level “where no man has dwelt,” as explained on the verse “With the crown with which his mother crowned him,” etc.
Through the concealment of Elokim will come a revelation from beyond even Havayah: “until Your people pass over, Havayah” (Exodus 15:16) is read as passing beyond Havayah, to a level “where no man (adam) has dwelt” (Jeremiah 2:6), beyond even the “supernal Adam.”
The concealment of Elokim is the source of the ultimate future delight, a revelation from above Havayah itself.
Torah Ohr, Toldos (18a), cited in the Kehot notes, explains that Yitzchak (“he will laugh”) is named for this future delight, which is revealed when the refinements are complete and darkness has been transformed into light.
Marei mekomos
- 1צחוק עשה לי אלקים · Genesis 21:6
- 2עד יעבור עמך ה׳ · Exodus 15:16
- 3לא ישב אדם שם · Jeremiah 2:6
- 4כמ״ש ע״פ בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו · אולי הכוונה ללקו״ת במדבר ד, ג. שה״ש כב, ב. הענין מובא בכ״מ בדא״ח.
- 5בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו · Song of Songs 3:11
- 6ישמח ה׳ במעשיו . . כמ״ש במ״א · ראה לקמן יח, א. לקו״ת שמע״צ פד, א ואילך. פח, ד ואילך.
- 7ישמח ה׳ במעשיו · Psalms 104:31
Garments of skin and the service of refinement ¶9–11
9והנה אחר חטא אדה״ר1 כתיב כתנות עור בעי״ן. כי מקודם החטא היהה כסוי וההעלם דק ביותר2 דהכתיב ויניחהו בג״ע3 כו׳
Now after the sin of Adam, the first man, it is written “garments of skin,” with an Ayin. For before the sin the covering and concealment was exceedingly fine, as it is written, “And He placed him in the Garden of Eden…,”
After the sin, Adam’s garments are called “skin” (עור, with an Ayin). Before the sin the concealing layer was very fine, suited to the Garden of Eden in which G‑d placed him (Genesis 2:15).
אבל אחר החטא הוא בחי׳ הכנגדו ביותר שהוא בחי׳ קליפת נוגה וזהו ענין כתנות עור.
but after the sin it is the level of “opposite him” to the greatest degree, which is the level of kelipas nogah; and this is the matter of the “garments of skin.”
After the sin the “opposition” became much coarser: kelipas nogah, the “glowing husk” that mixes good and evil. That is the “garments of skin.”
כי הנה עיקר4 ענין יניקת החיצונים הוא ע״י העור כי יניקתם הוא מבחי׳ השערות כמ״ש כרחל לפני גוזזיה נאלמה5 (עמ״ש פ׳ פנחס ע״פ צו את קרבני6 כו׳)
For the main nurture of the external forces is through the skin, since their nurture is from the level of the hairs, as it is written, “Like a ewe that is dumb before her shearers” (and see what is written in Parshas Pinchas on the verse “Command… My offering…”),
Skin is where the “external forces” (the kelipos) draw nourishment, since they feed from the level of “hairs,” as in “like a ewe that is dumb before her shearers” (Isaiah 53:7); the Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse in Pinchas.
ועיקר צמיחת השערות הוא ע״י העור שיש בו גומות שמהם השערות צומחות כו׳ כמ״ש גבי פרה אדומה7 היו בה שתי שערות בתוך גומא8 א׳ פסולה כו׳
and the main growth of the hairs is through the skin, which has follicles from which the hairs grow, etc., as it is said regarding the red heifer: “If it had two hairs in one follicle, it is invalid,” etc.;
Hair grows from follicles in the skin; halachah recognizes this, for a red heifer with two hairs from one follicle is invalid (Mishnah Parah 2:5).
and in the chapter “Ha’or Veharotev”: “a hole over which the ink does not pass,” etc. Therefore the service is, by way of analogy, the tanning of hides.
The Talmud likewise notes that a hide has perforations through which hairs grow (ruling that a perforation the ink passes over is not considered a hole). Hence divine service is compared to tanning hides — working the coarse “skin” until it is usable.
After the sin, the concealing ‘garment’ became coarse — kelipas nogah — and man’s service is compared to tanning hides, refining that coarseness.
In Likkutei Torah, Pinchas (cited in the Kehot notes), the skin is the interruption between flesh and wool: the “hairs,” letter-combinations that bring separate worlds into being, grow only through such a separating screen. The Tzemach Tzedek adds that both are true: through the skin the waste is expelled while the inner part remains, so the skin is also the place of refinement.
Marei mekomos
- 1והנה אחר חטא אדה״ר · ראה גם סה״מ אדה״ז כתובים כרך א ע׳ קכט. ספר החקירה סח, ב.
- 2הי׳ הכסוי וההעלם דק ביותר · בספר החקירה סח, ב ובאוה״ת בראשית תלח, ב מציין כ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ ע״ז ”ע״ד הפרסא שבין אצילות לבריאה שהי׳ מבחי׳ חשמל” ע״ש. ראה במאמרי אדה״ז כתובים-א ע׳ קכט.
- 3ויניחהו בג״ע · Genesis 2:15
- 4כי הנה עיקר יניקת החיצונים · בסה״מ תקע״א ע׳ נו מובא קטע מכאן. ראה אוה״ת נ״ך ע׳ א׳שלא. בספר החקירה ובאוה״ת שם: ”ולעיל נת׳ שע״י העור הוא הבירור וי״ל שניהם אמת היינו שע״י העור יוצא הפסולת לחוץ והפנימית נשאר בפנים”. עכ״ל שם.
- 5כרחל לפני גוזזי׳ נאלמה · Isaiah 53:7
- 6צו את קרבני · Numbers 28:2
- 7כמ״ש גבי פרה אדומה · פרה ב, ה.
- 8היו בה שתי שערות בתוך גומא א׳ פסולה · Mishnah Parah 2:5
- 9ובפרק העור והרוטב · Chullin 119b
- 10צו . . את קרבני · לקו״ת פנחס עח, ג. וראה גם באוה״ת משפטים ע׳ א׳רכא.
And this is called “one who serves Elokim”: one who rectifies the concealment of the level of the skin mentioned above, which is drawn from the Name Elokim, so that there be “the transformation of darkness into light,” etc.
Such a person is called an “oved Elokim” — one who serves, and in the sense of the previous paragraph “works” like a tanner, the Name Elokim: he refines the concealment of “skin” that stems from Elokim, turning darkness into light.
ולכן נאמר ויעש ה׳ אלקים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור2 שני שמות כו׳. וגם הפי׳ דשני שמות קאי לאדם ולאשתו לאדם עשה שם הוי״ה ולאשתו שם אלקים.
Therefore it is said, “And Havayah Elokim made for Adam and his wife garments of skin” — two Names, etc. And the interpretation is also that the two Names refer to “Adam and his wife”: for Adam, the Name Havayah made [them], and for his wife, the Name Elokim.
That is why the verse says “Havayah Elokim made… garments of skin,” with both Names. Alternatively, the two Names match “Adam and his wife”: Havayah made Adam’s garment and Elokim his wife’s.
Divine service is ‘working’ the skin of Elokim’s concealment, transforming darkness into light.
Marei mekomos
- 1עובד אלקים · Malachi 3:18
- 2ויעש ה׳ אלקים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור · Genesis 3:21
11וחנוך היה תופר מנעלים1 פי׳ לאחר שנתקן בחי׳ עור הנ״ל ע״י כתנות עור דאדם וחוה תפר מהם חנוך מנעלים כמ״ש ענין זה ע״פ מה יפו פעמיך בנעלים23 כו׳ ע״ש.
“And Chanoch was a stitcher of shoes”: meaning, after the level of skin mentioned above was rectified through the garments of skin of Adam and Chavah, Chanoch stitched shoes from them, as this matter is explained on the verse “How beautiful are your steps in sandals…,” etc.; see there.
A tradition says that Chanoch (Enoch) was a stitcher of shoes. Once the “skin” was refined through the garments of Adam and Chavah, Chanoch made shoes from it; see the discourse on “How beautiful are your steps in sandals” (Song of Songs 7:2).
ומ״מ גם אילו לא חטא אדה״ר ולא היה קליפת נוגה מ״מ היה שייך עזר מבחי׳ כנגדו רק שהיה בחי׳ הכנגדו בדקות יותר.
Nevertheless, even had Adam, the first man, not sinned, and had there been no kelipas nogah, a help from the level of “opposite him” would still have been relevant; only, the level of “opposite him” would have been more refined.
Even without the sin, and without kelipas nogah, there would have been a role for the “helper opposite him,” only in a subtler form.
The refining of the ‘skin’ continues through Chanoch’s shoes; and even before the sin, a refined ‘opposition’ existed to serve as help.
The Tzemach Tzedek (Or HaTorah, cited in the Kehot notes) connects the name Chanoch with chinuch, “education,” and explains its connection specifically to the shoe.
Marei mekomos
- 1וחנוך הי׳ תופר מנעלים · ראה עמק המלך שער קרית ארבע פצ״ד בשם מדרש. בענין שם ”חנוך” ראה באוה״ת בראשית כרך ב דרושים לחנוכה שב, ב שהוא מלשון ”חינוך” והשייכות דוקא לנעל.
- 2ע״פ מה יפו פעמיך בנעלים · לקו״ת שה״ש מג, ג ואילך.
- 3מה יפו פעמיך בנעלים · Song of Songs 7:2
The partition before and after the sin ¶12–14
12והוא שהיתה העבודה להעלות מתחת הפרס׳ כי יש בחי׳ פרסא בכל העולמות שמה שתחת הפרסא אינו ממהות שלמעלה מן הפרסא
That is, the service would have been to elevate from beneath the partition; for there is a level of partition in all the worlds, such that what is beneath the partition is not of the essence of what is above the partition;
Before the sin, man’s service would have been to elevate what lies “beneath the partition” (parsa). Every world has such a partition, and what lies beneath it is of a different nature from what lies above.
כמו באדם יש בחי׳ פרסא שהוא חצר הכבד המפסיק ומבדיל והרי כל בחי׳ האדם המוח והלב וכל החושים הן למעלה מן הפרסא.
as in man there is a partition, which is the diaphragm, which interrupts and separates; and indeed all the [chief] aspects of man — the brain and the heart and all the senses — are above the partition.
In the human body the diaphragm is that partition: the brain, the heart and the senses — the higher faculties — are above it.
Before the sin, the ‘helper opposite him’ was the task of elevating what lies below the ‘partition’ that exists in every world.
13ומה שלמטה מן הפרסא אינו ע״ד מהות הכחות המעולים שלמעלה מהפרסא. ועד״ז יובן למעלה בענין בחינת פרסא שיש בעולמות דקדושה עצמן בין אצי׳ לבריאה כו׳.
What is below the partition is of a lesser nature than the higher faculties above it. Similarly above, even within holiness, a partition separates Atzilus (divine emanation) from Beriah (created existence).
לכן היה שייך להעלות מתחת הפרסא אף גם בבחי׳ היותו קודם החטא וזה היה ענין העזר כנגדו בכוונת הבריאה. אבל אחר החטא הוא עזר כנגדו ענין בירור קליפת נוגה.
Therefore it was relevant to elevate from beneath the partition even in the state before the sin, and this was the matter of the “helper opposite him” in the intention of creation. But after the sin, the “helper opposite him” is the matter of the refinement of kelipas nogah.
So even before the sin there was work to raise what lies below the partition; that was the “helper opposite him” built into the plan of creation. After the sin, the “helper opposite him” became the refinement of kelipas nogah.
Before the sin the ‘opposition’ was the partition within holiness itself; after it, kelipas nogah, which must be refined.
The Tzemach Tzedek (Sefer HaChakirah, cited in the Kehot notes) compares the fine covering before the sin to the partition between Atzilus and Beriah, which is of the level of chashmal.
And this is the matter of “And He drove out the man…,” etc. Nevertheless, this level too is likened to a thin and fine coating, from which reflected light can come.
The expulsion from Eden (Genesis 3:24) reflects this coarser state. Yet even kelipas nogah counts as a “thin coating,” like a mirror’s silver, from which reflected light can arise.
כי ק״נ היא כלולה מטו״ר והוא חיות כל דברים המותרים כו׳ שנק׳ היתר שאינו אסור וקשור בידי החיצו׳ ויוכל להעלות הטוב בבחי׳ אור חוזר כו׳.
For kelipas nogah is composed of good and evil, and it is the life-force of all permitted things, etc., which are called “heter” (released), for it is not forbidden and bound in the hands of the external forces, and one can elevate the good as reflected light, etc.
Kelipas nogah mixes good and evil and gives life to all permitted things. They are called heter, “released,” because they are not “bound” (assur, “forbidden”) in the hands of the external forces, so their good can be elevated as reflected light.
Kelipas nogah, the source of permitted things, is still thin enough to be refined and to produce reflected light.
Tanya ch. 7 likewise explains that permitted things are called heter because they are not bound to the kelipos and can be elevated to holiness.
Marei mekomos
- 1ויגרש את האדם · Genesis 3:24
Groom and bride ¶15
15ובכ״ז יובן מה שאומרים בברכת חתנים בברכת שמח תשמח משמח חתן וכלה1 ובברכה אחרונה שהיא אשר ברא אומרים משמח חתן עם הכלה
And with all this will be understood what is said in the wedding blessings: in the blessing “Grant abundant joy” [we say] “who gladdens groom and bride,” and in the last blessing, which is “Who created,” we say “who gladdens the groom with the bride.”
This explains a detail of the wedding blessings: the sixth blessing ends “who gladdens groom and bride,” while the last ends “who gladdens the groom with the bride.”
פי׳ כי הכלה היא בחי׳ מל׳. תחלה היא מקבלת האור מהחתן שנמשך מעלמא דדכורא בעלמא דנוקבא. וזהו חתן וכלה.
Meaning: the bride is the level of Malchus. First she receives the light from the groom, drawn from the world of the masculine into the world of the feminine; and this is “groom and bride.”
The bride represents Malchus. First she receives light from the groom, flowing from the “world of the masculine” to the “world of the feminine” — “groom and bride,” each in their role.
אמנם אח״כ הוא משמח חתן עם הכלה שע״י הכלה הוא משמח את החתן שהרי נעשה לו עזר ממש ותוספת אור מבחי׳ כנגדו כנ״ל. וזהו שנעשית עטרה לבעלה:2
However, afterward it is “who gladdens the groom with the bride”: through the bride He gladdens the groom, for she becomes for him an actual help and an addition of light from the level of “opposite him,” as said above. And this is how she becomes “the crown of her husband.”
Afterward, “the groom with the bride”: through her the groom is gladdened, since she becomes a true “helper opposite him,” adding light by reflection. Thus she becomes “the crown of her husband.”
The wedding blessings mirror the maamar’s theme: the receiver first receives, then through her ‘opposition’ adds a higher light and becomes the giver’s crown.
Marei mekomos
- 1משמח חתן וכלה · Ketubot 8a:5–6
- 2עטרה לבעלה · Proverbs 12:4
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
A person should not see the body, the animal soul and the permitted things of this world only as obstacles: they are the “helper opposite him.” By serving G‑d through them — “tanning the hide,” refining kelipas nogah and elevating its good — one transforms darkness into light and brings about a reflected light that rises higher than revelation alone; so too the soul’s descent into a concealing body is for the sake of a greater ascent.
Questions for discussion
- Why would the unveiled light of Havayah make a separate world impossible, and how does Elokim make it possible?
- What distinguishes the intended descent of divine light from the “exile of the Shechinah”?
- How does the mirror analogy explain that concealment can produce a light higher than its source, and why must the coating be thin?
- In what sense is the body and animal soul a “helper opposite” the G-dly soul?
- How do the two endings of the wedding blessings express the relationship between giver and receiver described in the maamar?
Key terms in this maamar
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×12
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×3
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×8
- Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
- The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×4
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×4
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds.
- The higher unity (yichuda ila'ah)יחודא עילאה
- The world is nothing next to G‑d.
- The animal soulנפש הבהמית
- The soul that animates the body and its drives. ×1
- Delightתענוג
- Pleasure; the inner root of will. ×1
- Kelipah (the husk)קליפה
- The forces of concealment that oppose holiness.
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d.
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence. ×2
- Nukva (the feminine / Malchus)נוקבא
- Malchus as the receiving configuration. ×1