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Likkutei Torah · Parshas Bamidbar · Maamar 6

והיה מספר בנ״י כחול הים אשר לא ימד…

“And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea…”

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The big idea

The soul, called “earth,” yearns endlessly for G‑d. Now it depends on the “water” of the mitzvos and the “spirit” of the Torah drawn from above, but in the Time to Come its own fiery longing, the arousal from below, will rise higher than any influence from above, and through teshuvah the counted “number” of the mitzvos will become a number “which cannot be counted.”

The maamar in brief

The maamar explains Hosea 2:1 together with Koheles 3:11, “He has set the world in their heart.” Man is a small world: the four elements of the world are in his soul, and by rectifying them he rectifies the world. The source of the souls is Knesses Yisrael, G‑d’s Malchus, called “earth” because it is the lowest level, where a separate people exists, and because eretz suggests ratzo and ratzon, running and will. The earth is never sated with “water,” the influence from above. Below, the body and the world conceal (olam from he’elem), so G‑d “visits” the earth through the mitzvos, upper waters that awaken a matching love, and through prayer, which brings hidden love and awe to birth and “divides” Elokim into Mi and Eleh. The Torah, “the spirit of Havayah,” is higher still. Now the influence from above surpasses the ascent from below; in the future the arousal from below will rise of itself: earth above water, the female encompassing the male. The mitzvos given in number will become uncountable through teshuvah, which is above hishtalshelus, and the very place of “not My people” will be called “children of the living G‑d.”

Outline

  1. Man as a small world; Malchus is “earth”The four elements of the world are in man’s soul. The souls come from Malchus, the lowest level, called “earth,” which runs and yearns toward G‑d and is never sated with the “water” of influence from above; the soul below, contemplating G‑d, burns with the same thirst.¶1–5
  2. Visiting the earth: mitzvos, prayer and TorahBecause the body and the world conceal, G‑d “visits” the earth through the mitzvos, upper waters from Atzilus, and through prayer, in which hidden love and awe are born and Elokim “divides” into Mi and Eleh. The Torah, the “spirit” that rests on one who speaks its words, is higher than “water.”¶6–8
  3. The Time to Come: the uncountable numberNow the influence from above is higher, but in the future the arousal from below will rise of itself. The mitzvos, given in number, become uncountable through teshuvah, which is above hishtalshelus; “not My people” become “children of the living G‑d,” and Yehudah and Israel are gathered under one head on the great “day of Yizre’el.”¶9–13

Key concepts

Earth (Malchus)ארץ
G‑d’s Malchus and the souls that come from it: the lowest level, where a separate people can exist, and therefore full of running (ratzo) and will (ratzon) toward G‑d.
Waterמים
The influence from above, chiefly the mitzvos, “upper waters” from Atzilus, which awaken a matching love in the soul, “as water reflects face to face.”
Spirit (ruach)רוח
The drawing down through Torah study, the “speaking spirit”; it is higher than “water” and rests upon a person from above.
The stream (division) of Elokimפלג אלקים
The division of the Name Elokim into Mi and Eleh: the revealed world coming out of concealment, love and awe revealed in the heart.
The four elementsד׳ יסודות
Fire, air, water and earth in the soul, which correspond to the four letters of Havayah and to the higher and lower unities.
Arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
The soul’s own longing. Now it depends on the arousal from above; in the Time to Come it will be greater than it in its own right.
Teshuvahתשובה
Return to G‑d from the depth of the heart, which comes from above number and hishtalshelus; it makes the counted mitzvos uncountable and turns “not My people” into “children of the living G‑d.”

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Man as a small world; Malchus is “earth” ¶1–5

1והיה מספר בנ״י כחול הים אשר לא ימד ולא יספר והיה במקום אשר יאמר להם לא עמי אתם יאמר להם בני אל חי.

“And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor counted; and it shall be that in the place where it is said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living G‑d.’”

Explanation

The maamar opens with Hosea 2:1, the first verse of the haftarah of Parshas Bamidbar. The verse speaks of a “number” that nonetheless cannot be measured or counted, and of a people once told “You are not My people” who will be called “children of the living G‑d”; the maamar will explain each of these phrases.

הנה האדם הוא עולם קטן. כמ״ש באדר״נ פל״א וכמו שיש בעולם ד׳ יסודות אש רוח מים עפר כך יש בנפש האדם ד׳ יסודות.

Now, man is a small world, as it is written in Avos deRabbi Nosson, chapter 31. And just as in the world there are four elements, fire, air (ruach), water and earth, so in the soul of man there are four elements.

Explanation

The Sages teach that man is a “small world”: everything G‑d created in the world He also formed in man. The Alter Rebbe applies this to the four elements from which, in the classical view, everything physical is made: just as the world has fire, air, water and earth, the human soul has four corresponding elements.

(ועיין בע״ח שמ״א פ״ג שד׳ יסודות הם ד׳ אותיות הוי׳ וכ״כ במא״א אות ד׳ סכ״ד ושהם ג״כ ד׳ עולמות אבי״ע).

(And see Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 41, chapter 3, that the four elements are the four letters of [the Name] Havayah; and so it is written in Me’orei Or, letter Dalet, section 24, and that they are also the four worlds, Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.)

Explanation

The parenthesis adds that in the Arizal’s Etz Chaim the four elements correspond to the four letters of the Name Havayah, and that Me’orei Or, a Kabbalistic work arranged by the letters of the alphabet, says the same and links them also to the four worlds of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. The maamar uses this correspondence later, when it pairs the soul’s elements with the letters of Havayah.

וכמ״ש גם את העולם נתן בלבם מבלי אשר לא ימצא האדם את המעשה אשר עשה האלהים מראש ועד סוף (בקהלת סי׳ ג׳ י״א) פי׳ שהעולם הוא נתן בלבם של בני האדם

And as it is written, “He has also set the world in their heart, so that man will not find the work that G‑d has done from beginning to end” (in Koheles, chapter 3, [verse] 11). That is, He has set the world in the heart of human beings,

Explanation

Koheles says that G‑d “set the world in their heart.” The Alter Rebbe reads this literally: the world itself has been placed within the heart of man. The puzzling end of the verse, “so that man will not find…,” is taken up later in the maamar.

דהיינו ד׳ יסודות שלו וכל העולם תלוי באדם כשיתקן ד׳ יסודות שלו בזה הוא מתקן את כל העולם כולו

that is, its four elements. And the whole world depends on man: when he rectifies his four elements, by this he rectifies the entire world, all of it.

Explanation

What is placed in man’s heart is the world’s four elements, so the state of the world depends on him. When a person rectifies the four elements within himself, he thereby rectifies the entire world.

(ועיין בזהר פ׳ מקץ דקצ״ה ע״ב). ולהבין זה וגם להבין פי׳ דקרא מבלי אשר לא ימצא האדם וגו׳.

(And see the Zohar, Parshas Mikeitz, folio 195b.) To understand this, and also to understand the meaning of the verse “so that man will not find,” etc.:

Explanation

The Zohar on Parshas Mikeitz expounds this same verse: the world and its deeds follow the will of man’s heart. The Alter Rebbe now sets out to explain how this works, and what the end of the verse means.

הנה מקור הנשמות היא כנסת ישראל נק׳ בשם ארץ. וכמ״ש והארץ הדום רגלי והוא בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ שהיא מקור וחיות כל העולמות.

Now, the source of the souls is the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael), [which] is called by the name “earth,” as it is written, “and the earth is My footstool.” This is the level of His Malchus (sovereignty), may He be blessed, which is the source and life-force of all the worlds.

Explanation

The explanation begins from the source of the souls, Knesses Yisrael, the collective root of all Jewish souls, which Scripture calls “earth” (“and the earth is My footstool”). This is G‑d’s Malchus (sovereignty), the source and life-force of all the worlds; the next paragraphs explain why creation comes specifically from Malchus and why it is called “earth.”

Paragraph 1 in brief

The maamar opens with Hosea’s verse, introduces the idea that man is a small world whose four elements mirror the four elements of the world, and begins its explanation with the source of the souls, Knesses Yisrael, called “earth,” which is G‑d’s Malchus, the source of all worlds.

Deeper

The correspondence of the four elements to the four letters of Havayah and to the four worlds, noted in the parenthesis, returns later in the maamar, where the soul’s water and earth are linked to the letters vav and hei, and its air and fire to yud and hei. The Kehot note on the opening words records that this maamar also exists in a transcript by the Mitteler Rebbe, printed in Sefer HaMaamarim 5565.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    והי׳ מספר בנ״י · הנחת כ״ק אדמו״ר האמצעי בסה״מ תקס״ה ח״ב ע׳ תקעט. קטעים מהמאמר דסה״מ תקס״ה נדפסו ג״כ באוה״ת במדבר ע׳ נח בכותרת: הגהות לד״ה והי׳ מספר בנ״י. ובאוה״ת במדבר-ה ע׳ א׳תקנח כעין קיצור. חלק מהמאמר נעתק באוה״ת פ׳ בלק ע׳ תתקא ואילך. ושם יש קיצורים. וכן בדרושים לר״ה ע׳ א׳שכא נעתק תוכן סעי׳ א. בהוספות לסה״מ תקס״ה שם ע׳ א׳כז נדפס מאמר זה מכ״ק אדמו״ר האמצעי באריכות הביאור, ובמאמרי אדה״א במדבר-א ע׳ ד. מאמר זה נדפס ג״כ בלי ההגהות בס׳ תורה אור — לעמבערג (תרי״א) י, ב. ראה גם ד״ה זה דש״פ במדבר תשמ״ג.
  2. 2
    והי׳ מספר בנ״י · Hosea 2:1
  3. 3
    האדם הוא עולם קטן · Kohelet Rabbah 1:8
  4. 4
    האדם הוא עולם קטן · Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 3:3–4
  5. 5
    האדם הוא עולם קטן · Avot DeRabbi Natan 31:3
  6. 6
    וכמו שיש בעולם ד׳ יסודות · ראה רמב״ם הל׳ יסוה״ת פ״ג ה״י. ראה בארוכה בתו״א ל, ג. ואילך. ובאוה״ת בראשית כרך ד דף תתקעא, א ואילך עם הגהות.
  7. 7
    גם את העולם נתן בלבם · Zohar, Miketz 4:50–57
  8. 8
    Ecclesiastes 3:11
  9. 9
    בזה הוא מתקן את כל העולם כולו · ראה לקו״ש חל״ט ע׳ 123 הערה 20.
  10. 10
    והארץ הדום רגלי · Isaiah 66:1
  11. 11
    והוא בחי׳ מלכותו · מובא באוה״ת ר״ה ע׳ א׳שסט.

2וכמ״ש מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים. כי בא״ס ב״ה בעצמו ובכבודו כביכול אתמר אנת חכים ולא בחכמה ידיעא ולית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל ולא היו העולמות יכולים להתהוות יש מאין בבחינה זו

As it is written, “Your kingship is a kingship of all worlds.” For of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, in His own self and glory, as it were, it is said, “You are wise, but not with a known wisdom,” and “No thought can grasp Him at all”; and the worlds could not have come into being as something from nothing from this level;

Explanation

The verse “Your kingship is a kingship of all worlds” shows that the worlds come from G‑d’s kingship. Of G‑d as He is in Himself, the Tikkunei Zohar says “You are wise, but not with a known wisdom” and “No thought can grasp Him at all”; from that level nothing separate could come into being as “something from nothing.”

אלא הרי הוא לבדו כמו קודם שנברא העולם רק מה שהעולמות חיים וקיימים שנתהוו מאין ליש

rather, He is alone, as before the world was created. Only, [the fact] that the worlds live and endure, having come into being from nothing into something,

Explanation

At the level of His own being G‑d is alone, exactly as before the world was created, with nothing existing beside Him. That the worlds nonetheless live and endure as created beings is due to a particular attribute, named in the next part.

היינו בבחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ שאין מלך בלא עם שלהיות עם בבחי׳ נפרד הוא מבחי׳ מלך משא״כ בשאר מדותיו ית׳ כמו חכים ולא כו׳ שהרי הוא לבדו כמו קודם שנברא העולם ואחר שנברא.

is through the level of His Malchus, may He be blessed, for there is no king without a people: for there to be a people, at the level of something separate, comes from the level of “king.” This is not so with His other attributes, may He be blessed, such as “wise, but not,” etc., for [there] He is alone, the same before the world was created as after it was created.

Explanation

That attribute is Malchus, kingship, because “there is no king without a people,” and a people is by definition separate from the king. With G‑d’s other attributes, such as His wisdom, nothing separate is required, and He remains alone both before and after the creation of the world.

Paragraph 2 in brief

The paragraph explains why the source of the worlds is G‑d’s Malchus: in His own being He is beyond every grasp and alone, and only kingship, which by its nature requires a people separate from the king, allows separate worlds to come into being.

Deeper

The point turns on the nature of kingship: a person can be wise alone, but cannot be a king without others who stand apart from him. The separate existence of the created worlds, “something from nothing,” is therefore attributed to Malchus and not to Chochmah or the other attributes.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים · Psalms 145:13
  2. 2
    חכים ולא בחכ׳ ידיעה · ת״ז בהקדמה (פתח אלי׳).
  3. 3
    אנת חכים ולא בחכמה ידיעא · Tikkunei Zohar 17b:3–4
  4. 4
    ולית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:10–12
  5. 5
    אין מלך בלא עם · ס׳ החיים פ׳ גאולה פ״ה. בחיי וישב לח, ל. עמה״מ שער שעשועי המלך רפ״א.
  6. 6
    שאין מלך בלא עם · Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 38:30

3והנה בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ הוא בחינה ומדרגה התחתונה להחיות ולהוות מאין ליש והוא בחי׳ עלמא דאתגליא ונק׳ עולם הדבור

Now, the level of His Malchus, may He be blessed, is the lowest level and degree, [serving] to give life and to bring into being from nothing into something. It is the level of the revealed world (alma de’isgalya), and is called the world of speech,

Explanation

Malchus is the lowest of G‑d’s attributes, and its role is to give life to the created worlds and bring them into being from nothing. It is called “the revealed world” and “the world of speech,” because, like speech, it brings outward what was hidden.

כי דבר מלך שלטון שהנהגת המלך הוא ע״פ דבורו שהוא הנראה והנגלה לזולתו. משא״כ המחשבה סתומה.

for “the word of a king is dominion”: the king’s rule is through his speech, which is what is seen and revealed to another. Thought, by contrast, is hidden.

Explanation

Koheles says “the word of a king is dominion”: a king rules through his spoken word, which others can hear and obey. Thought stays hidden within the thinker and cannot direct others, so Malchus is linked with speech.

ודבור מלשון ידבר עמים שע״י הדבור הוא מנהיג ולכן נקרא בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ בשם ארץ שהיא המדרגה התחתונה להיות עם

And dibbur (speech) is from the same root as “yadber amim” (He shall govern peoples), for through speech he leads. Therefore the level of His Malchus, may He be blessed, is called by the name “earth,” for it is the lowest level, [needed] for there to be a people.

Explanation

The Alter Rebbe connects dibbur (speech) with yadber in “yadber amim,” understood as governing peoples: a king leads through speech. Malchus is called “earth” because, like the earth at the bottom of creation, it is the lowest level, the one at which a “people” separate from the King can exist.

(עמ״ש בפ׳ מקץ ד״ה ענין חנוכה כארץ הלזו השפלה כו׳, ועמ״ש בד״ה אחרי ה׳ אלקיכם תלכו בפי׳ וענין שהבריאה היא מאין ליש דהיינו מבחינה שהיא כאין ואפס ע״ש).

(See what is written in Parshas Mikeitz, in the discourse beginning “The matter of Chanukah,” [on] “like this lowly earth,” etc.; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “After Havayah your G‑d shall you walk,” on the meaning and concept that creation is from nothing into something, that is, from a level that is as nothing and naught; see there.)

Explanation

Two cross-references: a Chanukah discourse in Torah Ohr that speaks of Malchus as “this lowly earth,” and a discourse in Likkutei Torah on “After Havayah your G‑d shall you walk.” The latter explains that creation “from nothing” means from a level that is itself as nothing before G‑d.

וממנה נמשכים הנשמות כמארז״ל במשנה ספי״ד דשבת ר״ש אומר כל ישראל כו׳ וכתיב ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים (וממלכת הוא לשון פועל יוצא כלומר שממשיכין בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ בגילוי למטה במה שמקבלים עליהם עול מלכות שמים)

And from it the souls are drawn, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Mishnah, at the end of chapter 14 of [Tractate] Shabbos: “Rabbi Shimon says: All Israel,” etc. And it is written, “And you shall be to Me a kingdom (mamleches) of priests.” (And mamleches is a transitive verb form; that is to say, they draw down the level of His Malchus, may He be blessed, in revelation below, by accepting upon themselves the yoke of the kingship of Heaven.)

Explanation

From Malchus the souls are drawn, as the Mishnah’s teaching that “all Israel are children of kings” shows, and as the verse calling Israel “a kingdom of priests” shows. The parenthesis reads mamleches as an active form, “making king”: by accepting the yoke of Heaven’s kingship, Jews bring G‑d’s kingship into open revelation below.

ובמא״א אות מ״ם סס״ב פי׳ ממלכת כהנים הם מל׳ דאו״א (ועיין בזח״ג פ׳ צו דל״ד ע״ב קדושים פ״א א׳, וברבות פקודי פנ״א קס״ג ב׳ משפטים פ״ל קמ״ו ג׳ כי תשא ר״פ מ״ה קנ״ט ב׳).

And in Me’orei Or, letter Mem, section 62, [it] explains [that] “a kingdom of priests” is the Malchus of Abba and Imma. (And see the Zohar, Part III, Parshas Tzav, folio 34b, [and] Kedoshim, [folio] 81a; and in [Midrash] Rabbah, Pekudei, chapter 51, [folio] 163b, Mishpatim, chapter 30, [folio] 146c, [and] Ki Sisa, at the beginning of chapter 45, [folio] 159b.)

Explanation

Me’orei Or explains “a kingdom of priests” as the Malchus of Abba and Imma, the kingship aspect of the higher configurations of Chochmah and Binah. The parenthesis lists passages in the Zohar and in Midrash Rabbah that also discuss this verse.

שהם מבחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ ובחי׳ דבור וכמ״ש ויהי האדם לנפש חיה ות״א לרוח ממללא הגם שישר אל עלו במחשבה

For they are from the level of His Malchus, may He be blessed, and the level of speech, as it is written, “And man became a living soul,” and Targum Onkelos [renders it] “a speaking spirit.” And although Israel arose in thought,

Explanation

The souls come from Malchus, the level of speech: where the Torah says man “became a living soul,” Targum Onkelos renders “a speaking spirit,” defining the human soul by speech. The Alter Rebbe then raises a difficulty: the Sages say Israel “arose in thought” before creation, which is higher than speech.

היינו בשרשן ומקורן שסוף מעשה במחשבה תחלה ה׳ בחכמה יסד ארץ שיסוד ושורש ארץ היא בבחי׳ חכמה וסוף מעשה היא בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳,

that is in their root and source, for “the end of the deed is first in thought”: “Havayah founded the earth with wisdom,” for the foundation and root of the earth is in the level of Chochmah (wisdom), while the end of the deed is the level of His Malchus, may He be blessed.

Explanation

The answer is that “thought” refers to the souls’ ultimate root. As the saying goes, “the end of the deed is first in thought”: “Havayah founded the earth with wisdom” means that the root of “earth” lies in Chochmah, while “earth” itself, the end of the process, is Malchus.

(וזהו מ״ש בזח״ב פקודי דרכ״ה ע״ב ת״ח נשמות איהו קדש כו׳ עד ואית ליה לבר קדש אחרא ועיין בפי׳ הרמ״ז שם).

(And this is what is written in the Zohar, Part II, Pekudei, folio 225b: “Come and see: the souls, that is ‘Holy’ (Kodesh),” etc., until “and outside it has another ‘Holy’”; and see the commentary of the Ramaz there.)

Explanation

The Zohar on Pekudei speaks of a “holy” (Kodesh) that stands above all levels and beyond number, which has below and outside it another “holy” that does stand in number and count. The Alter Rebbe sees in it the two levels of the souls, their root above and their source in Malchus, and refers to the Ramaz’s commentary there.

והנה ארז״ל למה נק׳ שמה ארץ שרצתה לעשות רצון קונה ברבות פ׳ בראשית ספ״ה שארץ מלשון רצוא.

Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Why is it called by the name eretz (earth)? Because it ran (ratzsah) to do the will of its Maker (in [Midrash] Rabbah, Parshas Bereishis, end of chapter 5). For eretz is related to ratzo (running),

Explanation

The Midrash says the earth (eretz) is so called because it ratzsah, “ran” or “wanted,” to do its Maker’s will. The Alter Rebbe first links eretz with ratzo, running: the eager upward rush of the soul toward G‑d.

וכמ״ש כי בכה ארוץ גדוד וגם מלשון רצון כלומר שרוצה לעשות רצון קונה, ולהיות לה רצון ותשוקה ממטה למעלה והכל א׳ שבחי׳ כללות נש״י במקורן ושרשן יש בהם בחי׳ רצוא ברצון ותשוקה לדבקה בו בא״ס ב״ה

as it is written, “For with You I run (arutz) against a troop”; and it is also related to ratzon (will), that is to say, that it wants to do the will of its Maker, and to have a will and yearning from below upward. And it is all one: for the souls of Israel as a whole (klalus), in their source and root, have the level of ratzo (running), with will and yearning to cleave to Him, to the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He.

Explanation

The verse “with You I run (arutz)” shows the sense of running, and eretz also suggests ratzon, will: the wish to do G‑d’s will and to rise from below upward. The two meanings are one: the souls of Israel as a whole, in their source, run toward G‑d with will and yearning to cleave to Him.

(ועמ״ש מזה בפ׳ בראשית בד״ה כי כאשר השמים החדשים והארץ החדשה כו׳) וכמ״ש ואל אישך תשוקתך (עמ״ש בד״ה והיה לכם לציצת ובד״ה בפ׳ נסכים),

(And see what is written about this in Parshas Bereishis, in the discourse beginning “For as the new heavens and the new earth,” etc.) As it is written, “And your yearning shall be to your husband” (see what is written in the discourse beginning “And it shall be to you for tzitzis,” and in the discourse on the passage of the libations),

Explanation

The verse “your yearning shall be to your husband” expresses this yearning of Knesses Yisrael for G‑d. The parentheses refer to other discourses that discuss this yearning and the meaning of eretz.

והיינו מפני השגתה בהיותה בבחי׳ ארץ שהיא בחי׳ המדרגה התחתונה להיות עם ודבר נפרד אשר על כן תכלה אליו ית׳ בבחי׳ צמאון, וכמ״ש צמאה

and this is because of its perception, being at the level of “earth,” which is the level of the lowest degree, [where there is] to be a people and a separate thing; therefore it pines for Him, may He be blessed, with thirst, as it is written, “Thirsting

Explanation

The yearning comes from Malchus perceiving its own place: as “earth” it is the lowest level, where there is a people and separate existence. Feeling that distance, it pines for G‑d with thirst, as the psalm goes on to say.

לך נפשי כמה לך בשרי לדבקה בו ית׳ ליבטל וליכלל באור א״ס ב״ה חיי החיים ב״ה ממש כמו שהיתה קודם ירידתה מאור פניו ית׳.

for You is my soul; my flesh longs for You”: to cleave to Him, may He be blessed, to be nullified and included in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, the Life of life, blessed be He, just as it was before its descent from the light of His countenance, may He be blessed.

Explanation

Its thirst is to cleave to G‑d, to be nullified and included in the Infinite Light, the Life of all life, as it was before it descended from His presence. The psalm’s words “My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You” express that longing.

וע״ז נאמר שלש הנה לא תשבענה כו׳ ארץ לא שבעה מים (במשלי סי׳ ל׳ ט״ז) פי׳ מים נקרא בחי׳ השפעה מלמעלה למטה המחדש בטובו כו׳

Of this it is said, “There are three that are never sated,” etc., “the earth, which is not sated with water” (in Proverbs, chapter 30, [verse] 16). That is, “water” is the name for the level of influence from above to below, “Who renews in His goodness,” etc.

Explanation

This thirst is why Proverbs counts “the earth, which is not sated with water” among the things never satisfied. “Water” here is G‑d’s flow of influence from above to below, the power by which, as the morning blessing says, He “renews in His goodness” the work of creation.

(וזהו כענין מ״ש ויבוא כגשם לנו ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה האזינו השמים בפי׳ יערוף כמטר לקחי. ומ״ש מענין גשם בד״ה תורה צוה.

(And this is like the matter of what is written, “And He will come to us like the rain”; and see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Give ear, O heavens,” on the meaning of “My teaching shall drop like the rain”; and what is written on the matter of rain in the discourse beginning “The Torah [Moshe] commanded.”

Explanation

Rain, like water, is an image for influence descending from above: “He will come to us like the rain,” and “My teaching shall drop like the rain.” The parenthesis refers to two discourses in Likkutei Torah, on Haazinu and on Vezos HaBerachah, that develop the theme of rain.

וזהו שארז״ל ברבות פ׳ עקב דרצ״ב ג׳ רבנן אמרי כל הנסים שעשה הקב״ה לישראל לא עשאן אלא על המים כו׳ ע״ש.

And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said in [Midrash] Rabbah, Parshas Eikev, folio 292c: “The Rabbis say: All the miracles that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed for Israel, He performed only through water,” etc.; see there.

Explanation

The Midrash says that all the miracles G‑d performed for Israel were done through water. This fits the reading of water as the channel of divine influence from above.

ועד״ז יש לפרש ענין יקוו המים אל מקום אחד ופי׳ אחד היינו מה שהוא אחד בשבעה רקיעים ובארץ ובד׳ רוחות העולם דהיינו המשכת אלקותו ית׳ במדות עליונות משא״כ לגבי הקב״ה מצד

In the same way one can explain the matter of “Let the waters be gathered to one place.” The meaning of “one” is His being One in the seven firmaments and on the earth and in the four directions of the world, that is, the drawing down of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, into the supernal emotive attributes (middos); whereas with regard to the Holy One, blessed be He, from the standpoint of

Explanation

The same reading explains “Let the waters be gathered to one place.” The word echad (“one”) alludes to G‑d’s oneness in the seven firmaments and the earth (ches, eight) and the four directions (daled, four), that is, His G‑dliness drawn into the supernal emotive attributes.

עצמותו ומהותו ית׳ לא שייך עליו מדת אחד כלל שהרי הוא יחיד ומיוחד כו׳ כמ״ש במ״א והמשכה זו אל מקום אחד נק׳ יקוו המים מים יורדים מגבוה כו׳ ועמ״ש בד״ה וכל העם רואים את הקולות)

His essence and being, may He be blessed, the attribute of “one” does not apply to Him at all, for He is singular and unique, etc., as is explained elsewhere. And this drawing down to “one place” is called “Let the waters be gathered,” [for] water descends from a high place, etc.; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “And all the people saw the sounds.”)

Explanation

G‑d’s essence is beyond even the attribute of “one,” for He is singular and unique, beyond any number. The drawing down of His oneness into the attributes is called “let the waters be gathered,” because water flows from a high place to a low one, as divine influence descends.

(וע׳ בזח״א בראשית די״ח א׳ ודל״ג א׳) ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה ששת ימים תאכל מצות ומ״ש בבה״ז פ׳ בשלח בד״ה עוד י״ל מאמר הנ״ל באופן אחר

(And see the Zohar, Part I, Bereishis, folio 18a and folio 33a.) And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Six days you shall eat matzos,” and what is written in Biurei HaZohar, Parshas Beshalach, in the discourse beginning “The aforementioned teaching can also be explained in another way”:

Explanation

Further references: the Zohar on Bereishis, which discusses “to one place”; a discourse on “Six days you shall eat matzos”; and Biurei HaZohar on Beshalach, which explains the matter in another way, summarized in the next part.

דבחי׳ ים ובחי׳ ארץ הוא עלמא דאתכסיא ועלמא דאתגליא שבבחי׳ עלמא דאתגליא הנברא יש ודבר נפרד מאין ליש כנ״ל משא״כ בעלמא דאתכסיא הם כלולים שם בבחינת ביטול כו׳

that the level of “sea” and the level of “earth” are the hidden world (alma de’iskasya) and the revealed world (alma de’isgalya). In the revealed world the created being is a something and a separate thing, from nothing into something, as mentioned above; whereas in the hidden world they are included there in a state of self-nullification (bittul), etc.

Explanation

There “sea” is the hidden world and “earth” (dry land) the revealed world. In the revealed world a created being exists as a separate “something”; in the hidden world created things remain included in their source in a state of self-nullification.

ע״ש באריכות, ונזכר ג״כ בת״א פ׳ בשלח בד״ה אז ישיר משה שזה ענין מ״ש במשה

See there at length. And it is also mentioned in Torah Ohr, Parshas Beshalach, in the discourse beginning “Then Moshe sang,” that this is the meaning of what is written of Moshe,

Explanation

Torah Ohr on Beshalach, in the discourse “Then Moshe sang,” applies this theme of sea and land to Moshe. The verse it cites follows in the next part.

כי מן המים משיתיהו כו׳ ע״ש וע״כ ארץ היא צמאה למים ולא שבעה מים כו׳.

“for I drew him out of the water,” etc.; see there. Therefore the earth thirsts for water and is not sated with water, etc.

Explanation

Moshe was named for being “drawn out of the water”; the discourse in Torah Ohr gives the details. The paragraph concludes that because “earth” is the level of separate existence, it thirsts for the “water” of divine influence and is never sated.

Paragraph 3 in brief

The paragraph explains why Malchus, the source of the souls, is called “earth”: it is the lowest level, the level of speech and of a people separate from the King, and from that distance it runs and yearns toward G‑d with a thirst that the “water” of divine influence from above never fully satisfies.

Deeper

The two derivations of eretz, ratzo (running) and ratzon (will), describe a single movement of the souls toward their source. The Zohar on Pekudei distinguishes a “holy” beyond number from another “holy” that stands in number; the maamar returns to that passage when it explains how the counted “number of the children of Israel” becomes a number “which cannot be counted.”

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    דבר מלך שלטון · Ecclesiastes 8:4
  2. 2
    ידבר עמים · Psalms 47:4
  3. 3
    שע״י הדבור הוא מנהיג · ראה תו״א נו, א.
  4. 4
    ד״ה ענין חנוכה · תו״א לב, ג ”כארץ הלזו השפלה שירדה ממקום כבודה להיות מלך שמו נקרא”.
  5. 5
    Deuteronomy 13:5
  6. 6
    Mishnah Shabbat 14:4
  7. 7
    ואתם תהיו לי · Exodus 19:6
  8. 8
    וממלכת · בכת״י 1824: וממלכת כהנים.
  9. 9
    ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים · Zohar, Tzav 24:166–25:178
  10. 10
    ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים · Zohar, Kedoshim 3:13–23
  11. 11
    ממלכת כהנים · Shemot Rabbah 51:4
  12. 12
    ממלכת כהנים · Shemot Rabbah 30:13
  13. 13
    ממלכת כהנים · Shemot Rabbah 45:1
  14. 14
    (וממלכת . . עול מלכות שמים) · הג״ה זו נמצא כבר בכת״י ישנים ולכן אפשר שהוא מאדה״ז. וכ״ה בסה״מ תקס״ה בע׳ תקפ.
  15. 15
    ויהי האדם לנפש חי׳ · Genesis 2:7
  16. 16
    לרוח ממללא · Onkelos Genesis 2:7
  17. 17
    שישראל עלו במחשבה · Bereshit Rabbah 1:4
  18. 18
    שסוף מעשה במחשבה תחלה · פיוט לכה דודי.
  19. 19
    ה׳ בחכמה יסד ארץ · Proverbs 3:19
  20. 20
    ואית ליה לבר קדש אחרא · Zohar, Pekudei 14:88–96
  21. 21
    ארץ שרצתה לעשות רצון קונה · נתבאר במאמרי אדה״א במדבר-א ע׳ צה. וראה גם בספר שער האמונה לאדה״א נד, א ואילך.
  22. 22
    למה נק׳ שמה ארץ שרצתה לעשות רצון קונה · Bereshit Rabbah 5:8
  23. 23
    כי בכה ארוץ גדוד · II Samuel 22:30
  24. 24
    בד״ה כי כאשר השמים · הלשון (בשינוים קלים) מתי׳ והנה ארז״ל [שבשו״ה קדש] עד תי׳ עם ודבר נפרד [שבשו״ה המדרגה] נמצא בתו״א א, ד. וראה גם סה״מ תקס״ה-ב ע׳ תשיב ובארוכה באוה״ת בראשית-ג דף תפא ב ואילך.
  25. 25
    ואל אישך תשוקתך · Genesis 3:16
  26. 26
    ובד״ה בפ׳ נסכים · לקמן שלח מ, א ואילך.
  27. 27
    צמאה לך נפשי · Psalms 63:2
  28. 28
    Proverbs 30:15
  29. 29
    שלש הנה לא תשבענה כו׳ ארץ לא שבעה מים · Proverbs 30:15–16
  30. 30
    המחדש בטובו · ברכת יוצר.
  31. 31
    ויבא כגשם לנו · Hosea 6:3
  32. 32
    בד״ה האזינו השמים · לקו״ת האזינו עג, א.
  33. 33
    יערוף כמטר לקחי · Deuteronomy 32:2
  34. 34
    בד״ה תורה צוה · לקו״ת ברכה צו, א.
  35. 35
    רבנן אמרי כל הנסים שעשה הקב״ה לישראל לא עשאן אלא על המים · Devarim Rabbah 3:8
  36. 36
    יקוו המים אל מקום אחד · Genesis 1:9
  37. 37
    יקוו המים אל מקום אחד · Zohar, Bereshit 6:60–7:70
  38. 38
    יקוו המים אל מקום אחד · Zohar, Bereshit 39:373–384
  39. 39
    כי מן המים משיתיהו · Exodus 2:10
  40. 40
    בד״ה אחרי ה׳ אלקיכם · לקו״ת ראה יט, ג.

4ותמיד בחי׳ זו היא בצמאון למעלה למקורה ושרשה כי נשגב שמו לבדו רק הודו וזיוו של שמו על ארץ הארה בעלמא

And this level is always in thirst upward, for its source and root, for “His Name alone is exalted”; only “His splendor” and the radiance of His Name are “upon the earth,” a mere glimmer.

Explanation

This level, “earth,” always thirsts upward toward its source, because G‑d’s own Name is exalted beyond it. As the psalm says, only “His splendor” is “upon the earth”: what reaches the earth is a mere glimmer of His radiance.

והיא לא שבעה רק תמיד היא בבחי׳ צמאון זה (וכמ״ש ע״פ אתם נצבים בפי׳ למען ספות הרוה את הצמאה) וכמ״ש לע״ל ילכו מחיל אל חיל

And it is not sated; rather, it is always in this state of thirst (as is explained on [the verse] “You are standing,” on the meaning of “so as to add the watered to the thirsty”); and as it is written of the Time to Come, “They shall go from strength to strength.”

Explanation

Since it receives only a glimmer, it is never sated and its thirst never ends. The parenthesis points to a discourse on “You are standing” that explains “to add the watered to the thirsty,” and the verse “They shall go from strength to strength,” said of the Time to Come, shows that even then the ascent continues.

כי בא״ס ב״ה כשמו כן הוא אין לו סוף ואין לו תכלה לא שייך שביעה ותמיד כלתה אליו ית׳ לדבקה בו ממש כי הוא חיי החיים ב״ה ומקורא דכולא,

For with the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, Who is as His Name, having no end and no limit, satiety does not apply; and it always pines for Him, may He be blessed, to cleave to Him in very truth, for He is the Life of life, blessed be He, and the source of all (mekora dechola).

Explanation

The reason is that G‑d is Ein Sof, “without end,” just as His Name says. Since He has no end, there can be no point of satiety in cleaving to Him, and the soul always pines for Him, the Life of all life and the source of all.

(ועמ״ש ע״פ אני ישנה בפי׳ יונתי ע״ד עיניך יונים שזהו ענין מ״ש עיני האדם לא תשבענה כו׳ בכל יום יהיו בעיניך כחדשים שלא שבעתן העין ועמ״ש ע״פ בשברי לכם כו׳ בפי׳ ולא תשבעו).

(And see what is written on [the verse] “I am asleep,” on the meaning of “My dove,” in the manner of “Your eyes are doves”: that this is the matter of what is written, “The eyes of man are never sated,” etc.; “every day they shall be in your eyes as new,” [things] of which the eye has not had its fill. And see what is written on [the verse] “When I break for you,” etc., on the meaning of “and you shall not be sated.”)

Explanation

The parenthesis refers to two discourses: one on “I am asleep,” which links the dove’s eyes with “the eyes of man are never sated” and with the teaching that the Torah should be new in one’s eyes every day; and one on “When I break for you,” on the words “and you shall not be sated.”

וכן הוא ג״כ בנפש האדם למטה המשכלת ומתבוננת בה׳ אחד איך שהוא ית׳ המחדש בטובו כו׳

And so it is also with the soul of man below, which reflects and contemplates the One G‑d: how He, may He be blessed, is the One “Who renews in His goodness,” etc.,

Explanation

What was said of Knesses Yisrael applies also to the individual soul below. Its thirst is awakened when a person reflects on how the One G‑d continually renews creation in His goodness.

ומהווה כל העולמות מאין ליש ממש אשר ע״כ היא ג״כ בחי׳ ארץ בבחי׳ רצוא ורצון בחי׳ צמאון שמיסוד האש כשלהבת העולה מאליה לדבקה בו ית׳ ולאהבה את הוי׳

and brings all the worlds into being, truly from nothing into something. Therefore it, too, is the level of “earth,” in the state of ratzo (running) and ratzon (will), the level of thirst that comes from the element of fire, like a flame that rises of itself, to cleave to Him, may He be blessed, and “to love Havayah,

Explanation

Contemplating that G‑d creates all the worlds from nothing makes the soul “earth,” running and yearning toward Him. This thirst comes from the element of fire within the soul, which, like a flame, rises upward by its nature, to cleave to G‑d and to love Him.

כי הוא חייך ולכן לא שבעה בחי׳ מים הנ״ל וזהו וגם הנפש לא תמלא (בקהלת סי׳ ו׳).

for He is your life.” Therefore it is not sated by the level of “water” mentioned above. And this is [the meaning of] “And also the soul is not filled” (in Koheles, chapter 6).

Explanation

To love G‑d is to love one’s very life, “for He is your life,” and so the soul is never sated by the “water” of influence from above. Koheles says the same: “the soul is not filled.”

וכמ״ש ברבות שם על פסוק זה וז״ל שהנפש יודעת כל מה שהיא עמלה לעצמה היא עמלה לכך אינה שבעה לא תורה ולא מעשים טובים כו׳

As is written in [Midrash] Rabbah there, on this verse, and these are its words: “For the soul knows that whatever it toils, it toils for itself; therefore it is not sated, neither with Torah nor with good deeds,” etc.

Explanation

The Midrash on that verse explains that the soul knows that all its toil is for itself, and so it is never satisfied, whether with Torah or with good deeds. Its longing for G‑d always wants more.

וכ״ה ברבות (פ׳ ויקרא פ׳ ד׳ ע״ש) ובקהלת רבה ע״פ כל הנחלים הולכים אל הים והים איננו מלא:

And so it is in [Midrash] Rabbah (Parshas Vayikra, chapter 4; see there), and in Koheles Rabbah on the verse “All the rivers go to the sea, yet the sea is not full.”

Explanation

The same teaching appears in Vayikra Rabbah and in Koheles Rabbah. There “All the rivers go to the sea, yet the sea is not full” is read as the heart and the soul, which are never filled.

Paragraph 4 in brief

The thirst of “earth” for its source never ends, because what reaches it is only a glimmer and G‑d is without end; the same is true of each soul that contemplates G‑d’s creation, whose fiery love is never sated, as Koheles and the Midrash say of the soul.

Deeper

Vayikra Rabbah counts the earth and the soul together among those never satisfied, citing both “the earth, which is not sated with water” and “the soul is not filled”: the same pairing of earth and soul that the maamar draws. In the maamar the soul’s yearning belongs to the element of fire, while the influence from above is “water.”

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    Psalms 148:13
  2. 2
    למען ספות הרוה את הצמאה · Deuteronomy 29:18
  3. 3
    ילכו מחיל אל חיל · Psalms 84:8
  4. 4
    עיני האדם לא תשבענה · Proverbs 27:20
  5. 5
    בשברי לכם כו׳ בפי׳ ולא תשבעו · Leviticus 26:26
  6. 6
    ולאהבה את הוי׳ כי הוא חייך · Deuteronomy 30:20
  7. 7
    Ecclesiastes 6:7
  8. 8
    וגם הנפש לא תמלא · Vayikra Rabbah 4:2
  9. 9
    שהנפש יודעת כל מה שהיא עמלה לעצמה היא עמלה לכך אינה שבעה לא תורה ולא מעשים טובים · Kohelet Rabbah 6:6:1
  10. 10
    Ecclesiastes 1:7
  11. 11
    Kohelet Rabbah 1:7:4
  12. 12
    כל הנחלים הולכים אל הים והים איננו מלא · Kohelet Rabbah 1:7:5

5קיצור. ענין שהאדם הוא עולם קטן גם את העולם נתן בלבם. ד״י ארץ בחי׳ אחרונה וע״כ היא בבחי׳ רצוא ורצון. ארץ לא שבעה מים. ויבא כגשם לנו:

Summary. The concept that man is a small world: “He has also set the world in their heart.” The four elements: “earth” is the last level, and therefore it is in the state of ratzo (running) and ratzon (will). “The earth, which is not sated with water.” “And He will come to us like the rain.”

Explanation

The summary restates the first section in brief: man as a small world, with the world set in his heart; “earth,” the last of the four elements, which therefore runs and yearns upward; and the earth that is never sated with “water,” the influence from above, which comes like rain.

Paragraph 5 in brief

A brief summary of the maamar’s first section.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    Ecclesiastes 3:11
  2. 2
    ארץ לא שבעה מים · Proverbs 30:16
  3. 3
    Hosea 6:3

Visiting the earth: mitzvos, prayer and Torah ¶6–8

6ב אך בהיות הנשמה מלובשת בלבוש הגוף הגשמי ונמשך אחר ענינים גשמיים שבעוה״ז. הנה הגוף והעולם הם המעלימים ומסתירים על קדושת נפשו

2. However, when the soul is enclothed in the garment of the physical body and is drawn after the physical matters of this world, the body and the world conceal and hide the holiness of his soul,

Explanation

The second section begins. When the soul is enclothed in a physical body and drawn after the matters of this world, the body and the world hide its holiness.

כי עולם מלשון העלם שלא יתפעל ולא יתלהט בנפשו להיות בחי׳ רצון וצמאון ותשוקה מורגשת בנפש שוקקה,

for olam (world) is related to he’elem (concealment), so that he is not stirred and does not become aflame in his soul to be at the level of a will, thirst and yearning that is felt, in “a yearning soul.”

Explanation

The word olam (world) is related to he’elem (concealment): the world conceals G‑dliness. As a result a person is not stirred and does not burn with a felt longing for G‑d, the “yearning soul” described above.

(וזהו ג״כ פי׳ גם את העלם נתן בלבם שפירשו ברבות בקהלת על פסוק זה שהוא לשון העלם כמ״ש זה שמי לעלם כו׳ ע״ש).

(And this is also the meaning of “He has also set ha’olam in their heart”: [the Sages] explained in [Midrash] Rabbah on Koheles, on this verse, that it is an expression of he’elem (concealment), as it is written, “This is My Name forever (le’olam),” etc.; see there.)

Explanation

This gives a second reading of “He has set ha’olam in their heart”: the Midrash reads ha’olam, written in the verse without a vav, as he’elem, concealment. It compares “This is My Name le’olam,” which is also written without a vav and so can be read “to conceal.”

והנה ע״ז נאמר פקדת הארץ ותשוקקיה (בתלים סי׳ ס״ה יו״ד) להיות נפש שוקקה וכמ״ש אני לדודי ועלי תשוקתו.

Now, of this it is said, “You visited (pakadta) the earth and made it yearn (vateshokekeha)” (in Tehillim, chapter 65, [verse] 10): that it become “a yearning soul,” as it is written, “I am my Beloved’s, and His yearning is for me.”

Explanation

The remedy is in the verse “You visited the earth and made it yearn”: the Alter Rebbe reads vateshokekeha as “made it yearn,” that it become a yearning soul. The yearning of Knesses Yisrael for G‑d is also expressed in “I am my Beloved’s, and His yearning is for me.”

וארז״ל בשה״ש רבה על פסוק זה ואין תשוקתן של ישראל אלא לאביהם שבשמים. והיינו ע״י פקדת ארץ היינו המצות שהם פקודי ה׳

And our Sages, of blessed memory, said in Shir HaShirim Rabbah on this verse: “And the yearning of Israel is only for their Father in Heaven.” And this is through “You visited (pakadta) the earth,” that is, the mitzvos, which are “the precepts (pikudei) of Havayah,”

Explanation

The Midrash on that verse says that Israel’s yearning is only for their Father in Heaven. The “visiting” (pekidah) of the earth is the mitzvos, called “the precepts (pikudei) of Havayah,” from the same root as pakadta.

כי המצות הן נמשכות מרצון העליון רעוא דכל רעוין ושורש המצות הוא בחי׳ חסד ואהבת ה׳ אלינו וכמ״ש אהבתי אתכם אמר ה׳ (ועמ״ש סד״ה ולא אבה בפ׳ תצא גבי כי אהבך ה׳ אלקיך)

for the mitzvos are drawn from the supernal Will, the “Will of all wills,” and the root of the mitzvos is the level of Chesed (kindness) and G‑d’s love for us, as it is written, “I have loved you, says Havayah” (and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “But He would not,” in Parshas Teitzei, regarding “for Havayah your G‑d loved you”),

Explanation

The mitzvos come from G‑d’s supernal will, the “Will of all wills,” and their root is His Chesed and His love for us, as the prophet says, “I have loved you, says Havayah.”

אשר על כן ציונו המצות האלה להיות וימינו תחבקני וזהו כמים הפנים לפנים שע״י קיום המצות שהם מבחי׳ מים עליונים ולמעלה מבחי׳ הים

which is why He commanded us these mitzvos, so that there be “and His right hand embraces me.” And this is “As water [reflects] face to face”: for through fulfilling the mitzvos, which are of the level of the upper waters and higher than the level of “sea”:

Explanation

That love is why He commanded the mitzvos: so that His “right hand,” Chesed, should embrace us. “As water reflects face to face”: G‑d’s love, expressed in the mitzvos, evokes a matching love in the person, because the mitzvos are “upper waters,” higher than the “sea.”

שהרי הים הוא מבחי׳ מים תחתונים שמתחת לרקיע דאע״ג שהוא עלמא דאתכסיא הנה ידוע מענין יוצר אור ובורא חשך שבחי׳ בריאה נק׳ העלם ועלמא דאתכסיא

for the sea is of the level of the lower waters, which are beneath the firmament: although it is the hidden world (alma de’iskasya), it is known from the matter of “Who forms light and creates darkness” that the level of Beriah (Creation) is called concealment and the hidden world,

Explanation

The “sea,” called the hidden world in the first section, belongs to the lower waters beneath the firmament. The phrase “Who forms light and creates darkness” shows that Beriah, the world of creation, is the “concealment,” the hidden world.

כמו בחי׳ מחשבה ויצירה נק׳ עלמא דאתגליא בחי׳ דיבור כמ״ש בד״ה מי מנה עפר יעקב וכ״ז הוא מתחת לרקיע ופרסא שבין אצילות לבריאה

like the level of thought, while Yetzirah (Formation) is called the revealed world (alma de’isgalya), the level of speech, as is explained in the discourse beginning “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov”; and all this is beneath the firmament and the partition (parsa) between Atzilus and Beriah.

Explanation

Beriah is hidden like thought, while Yetzirah is the revealed world, like speech. Both lie beneath the “firmament,” the partition (parsa) that separates Atzilus from the worlds below it.

אבל המצות שהן מבחי׳ אצילות הן מים עליונים שמעל לרקיע וזהו יערוף כמטר לקחי ועי״ז מתעורר ג״כ בנפש האדם רצון העליון שבנפש לאהבת ה׳

But the mitzvos, which are of the level of Atzilus, are the upper waters above the firmament; and this is “My teaching shall drop like the rain.” And through this there is aroused in the soul of man, too, the supernal will that is in the soul, for the love of G‑d.

Explanation

The mitzvos come from Atzilus, above that partition: they are the “upper waters,” the rain of “My teaching shall drop like the rain.” Through them the supernal will hidden in a person’s soul is awakened as love of G‑d.

(וכמ״ש ענין זה במ״א ע״פ וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות ובד״ה אחרי הוי׳ אלקיכם תלכו גבי ואת מצותי תשמרו וע״פ כי תצא).

(As this matter is explained elsewhere, on [the verse] “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes,” and in the discourse beginning “After Havayah your G‑d shall you walk,” regarding “and My commandments you shall keep,” and on [the verse] “When you go out.”)

Explanation

The parenthesis lists other discourses where this idea is developed: on “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes,” on “After Havayah your G‑d shall you walk,” and on “When you go out.”

גם פקדת לשון פקידת עקרה. וכמ״ש וה׳ פקד את שרה כמארז״ל (פ״ק דתענית ד״ח ע״ב).

Pakadta is also an expression of the remembering (pekidah) of a barren woman, as it is written, “And Havayah remembered (pakad) Sarah,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (the first chapter of Taanis, folio 8b).

Explanation

A second meaning: pakad also means remembering a barren woman so that she conceives, as in “Havayah remembered Sarah.” The Talmud makes the same comparison, using the word for both a woman and the rain.

כי בזמן שאין בהמ״ק קיים נקרא כנס״י בשם עקרה לא ילדה דהיינו שאין לה בחי׳ לידה והתגלות האהבה לה׳ רק שהאהבה היא מסותרת בבחי׳ עיבור והעלם

For at a time when the Holy Temple does not stand, Knesses Yisrael is called “barren, who did not give birth”: that is, it has no level of birth and revelation of love for G‑d; rather, the love is hidden, in a state of gestation (ibbur) and concealment.

Explanation

In exile, when the Holy Temple does not stand, Knesses Yisrael is called “barren”: her love for G‑d does not come to birth and revelation. It stays hidden, like a child still in the womb.

וזהו בחי׳ עקרה (ועמ״ש בפ׳ משפטים ע״פ לא תהיה משכלה ועקרה ובפ׳ תזריע ד״ה שוש תשיש ותגל העקרה).

And this is the level of “barren.” (And see what is written in Parshas Mishpatim on [the verse] “There shall be none who miscarries or is barren,” and in Parshas Tazria, the discourse beginning “Rejoice, rejoice and exult, O barren one.”)

Explanation

This hidden state of love is what “barren” means here. The parenthesis refers to discourses on “none who miscarries or is barren” and on “Rejoice, O barren one.”

אך ע״י המצות פקדת להיות גילוי האהבה (ועמ״ש ע״פ אני ישנה בפי׳ קול דודי דופק פתחי לי וע״פ אלה פקודי המשכן), ועד״ז

But through the mitzvos, “You visited (pakadta),” so that there be a revelation of the love (and see what is written on [the verse] “I am asleep,” on the meaning of “The voice of my Beloved knocks: Open for me,” and on [the verse] “These are the accounts (pekudei) of the Mishkan”). And in the same way

Explanation

Through the mitzvos G‑d “visits” her, and the hidden love comes to revelation. The same pattern underlies the institution of prayer, as the next part explains.

נתקן ענין התפלה וקודם התפלה ממשיכים עליו מצות ה׳ בטלית ותפילין שכל תפלה היא בחי׳ לידת המוחין וחבלי לידה הם הוידויים סלח לנו.

the matter of prayer was instituted; and before prayer one draws upon oneself the commandments of G‑d, with tallis and tefillin. For every prayer is the level of the birth of the intellect (mochin), and the birth pangs are the confessions, “Forgive us.”

Explanation

Before praying one puts on tallis and tefillin, drawing G‑d’s mitzvos upon oneself. Prayer itself is a “birth” of the mochin, and its birth pangs are the confessions, such as “Forgive us.”

ויענך ע׳ קלין דיולדה כו׳ (עמ״ש בפ׳ וארא בד״ה לכן אמור) והמוחין הם אהבה ויראה היינו להיות אהוי״ר מתגלה בנפש האדם ע״י היגיעה בתפלה בכל אדם לפי בחינתו ומדרגתו

And “May He answer you”: the seventy cries of a woman giving birth, etc. (see what is written in Parshas Vaera, in the discourse beginning “Therefore say”). And the mochin are love and awe; that is, that love and awe be revealed in the soul of man through toil in prayer, in each person according to his level and rung.

Explanation

The psalm “May He answer you,” said in prayer, is likened to the seventy cries of a woman in labor. The mochin born in prayer are love and awe, which through toil in prayer become revealed in each person according to his level.

וזהו ותשוקקיה שעי״ז נעשה בחי׳ נפש שוקקה ממטה למעלה בתפלה כי פקדת ממעלה למטה ותשוקקיה ממטה למעלה ועי״ז רבת תעשרנה פלג אלקים מלא מים

And this is “and made it yearn (vateshokekeha)”: through this there comes to be a yearning soul, from below upward, in prayer. For “You visited (pakadta)” is from above to below, and “made it yearn” is from below upward. And through this, “You greatly enrich it; the stream (peleg) of Elokim is full of water.”

Explanation

This is vateshokekeha: through prayer the soul becomes a “yearning soul,” rising from below. “You visited” is G‑d’s movement from above to below, “made it yearn” is man’s from below upward, and together they bring “You greatly enrich it; the stream of Elokim is full of water.”

(ע׳ מענין פלג פ״ק דתענית שם וברבות בראשית פרשה ד׳ ובערוך ערך קבה ובמא״א אות פ׳ ססעי׳ י״א ובלק״ת מהאריז״ל בתלים ע״פ זה).

(See on the matter of peleg the first chapter of Taanis, there; and [Midrash] Rabbah, Bereishis, section 4; and the Aruch, entry Kubah; and Me’orei Or, letter Peh, end of section 11; and the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, on Tehillim, on this verse.)

Explanation

The parenthesis gives sources for the word peleg: the Talmud, which speaks of a kind of vault in the heavens from which rain comes, the Midrash on G‑d’s ever-full spring, the Aruch, Me’orei Or, and the Arizal’s Likkutei Torah on Tehillim.

והענין כי אלקים הוא בחי׳ הצמצום והסתר פנים דהיינו בזמן שהמוחין שהם אהוי״ר הם בעלמא דאתכסיא.

The explanation is: Elokim is the level of tzimtzum (contraction) and the hiding of the face, that is, at a time when the mochin, which are love and awe, are in the hidden world (alma de’iskasya).

Explanation

The Name Elokim denotes tzimtzum and the hiding of G‑d’s face. That is the state in which love and awe remain in the hidden world, not felt in the heart.

אך ע״י שפקדת הארץ ותשוקקיה נעשה פלג אלקים כי שם אלהים מתחלק ונעשה מ״י אל״ה שבחי׳ עלמא

But through “You visited the earth and made it yearn,” there comes to be peleg Elokim: for the Name Elokim divides and becomes Mi Eleh, so that the level of the world

Explanation

When the earth is “visited” and made to yearn, Elokim is “divided” (peleg). The Zohar reads the Name Elokim as made of Mi (“Who”) and Eleh (“these”), and here those two parts separate.

דאתגליא הנקרא בשם אלה אינה מסתתרת ומתעלמת ונכללת במקורה בתוך עלמא דאתכסיא הנק׳ בשם מ״י והוא פי׳ שם אלהים כנודע מזוה״ק (בהקדמה דף ב׳ ע״א)

that is revealed (alma de’isgalya), called by the name Eleh, is not hidden and concealed and included in its source within the hidden world, called by the name Mi, this being the meaning of the Name Elokim, as is known from the holy Zohar (in the Introduction, folio 2a),

Explanation

Eleh, “these,” is the revealed world of things one can point to; Mi, “Who,” is the hidden world beyond grasp. When Eleh remains hidden within Mi, the two together form the Name Elokim, as the Zohar explains in its introduction.

אלא יצא ממקורה מהעלם אל הגילוי להיות בחי׳ עלמא דאתגליא ונתחלק שם מ״י משם אל״ה הן ששה קצוות אשר כל אחד ואחד כלול מכולם כו׳

but has gone out from its source, from concealment into revelation, to be the level of the revealed world; and the name Mi has divided from the name Eleh, these being the six extremities (ketzavos), each one of which includes them all, etc.,

Explanation

Through the mitzvos and prayer, Eleh comes out of its source into revelation and separates from Mi. Eleh stands for the six extremities, the six emotive attributes, each of which includes all the others.

כמ״ש בד״ה אלה פקודי המשכן והיינו להיות התגלות אהבה ויראה בגילוי הלב ונעשה מלא מים.

as is explained in the discourse beginning “These are the accounts of the Mishkan.” That is, that there be a revelation of love and awe, revealed in the heart, and it becomes “full of water.”

Explanation

In the soul this means that love and awe become revealed in the heart instead of staying hidden. That is the meaning of “full of water.”

(והוא ענין המשכת וגילוי החסדים מהעלמם וכיסויים ביסוד אימא הנק׳ פלג וזהו ענין וימינך מקרב חוקך כלה חיקך קרי כמ״ש במ״א ע״פ ואהיה אצלו אמון וזהו נהר פלגיו ישמחו עיר אלקים)

(This is the matter of the drawing down and revelation of the chasadim (kindnesses) from their concealment and covering in Yesod of Imma, which is called peleg (stream). And this is the matter of “and Your right hand, from within Your bosom (chok’cha), consume,” read cheik’cha, as is explained elsewhere on [the verse] “And I was with Him as a nursling (amon)”; and this is “A river whose streams (pelagav) gladden the city of G‑d”)

Explanation

In Kabbalistic terms this is the revelation of the chasadim (kindnesses) hidden in Yesod of Imma, which is called peleg, the stream. The Alter Rebbe connects it with “Your right hand… from within Your bosom” and with “A river whose streams gladden the city of G‑d.”

(בתלים סי׳ מ״ו ה׳) ועיין מזה בזח״ב משפטים צ״ח ב׳ הם המשכת והשפעת המצות שהם אורות עליונים אשר ירדו ונתגשמו בענינים גשמיים כמו ציצית של צמר ותפילין על הקלף

(in Tehillim, chapter 46, [verse] 5); and see on this the Zohar, Part II, Mishpatim, [folio] 98b. [The waters] are the drawing down and flow of the mitzvos, which are supernal lights that descended and became embodied in physical things, such as tzitzis of wool and tefillin on parchment,

Explanation

The waters are the flow of the mitzvos: supernal lights that descended and became embodied in physical objects, such as tzitzis of wool and tefillin of parchment. The Zohar on Mishpatim is cited on the river and its streams.

כמו מים שיורדים ממקום גבוה לנמוך והמים הם שמצמיחים כל מיני תענוג, כך המצות הם מצמיחים האהבה והיראה שבנפש להיות לה רצון וצמאון ונפש שוקקה

like water, which descends from a high place to a low one; and it is water that makes all kinds of delights grow. So the mitzvos make the love and awe in the soul grow, so that it have will and thirst and be “a yearning soul.”

Explanation

Like water, which flows from a high place to a low one and makes all kinds of delights grow, the mitzvos make the love and awe in the soul grow. The soul then has will and thirst, and becomes a “yearning soul.”

(ופי׳ רבת תעשרנה פי׳ ברבות בחקותי ס״פ ל״ה אחד לעשרה כו׳ ובשה״ש רבה בפסוק אני לדודי ועלי תשוקתו פי׳ לשון עשירות והיינו כמ״ש ברע״מ ר״פ תשא העשיר דא עמודא דאמצעיתא מפני שתפארת עולה עד הכתר בחי׳ והבריח התיכון כו׳

(As for the meaning of “You greatly enrich it” (rabbas te’ashrenah): [Midrash] Rabbah, Bechukosai, at the end of chapter 35, explains it as one in ten, etc.; and Shir HaShirim Rabbah, on the verse “I am my Beloved’s, and His yearning is for me,” explains it as an expression of wealth. This is as is written in the Raaya Mehemna, at the beginning of Parshas Tisa: “‘The rich’: this is the middle pillar,” because Tiferes (beauty) rises up to Keser (the Crown), the level of “and the middle bar,” etc.;

Explanation

Two readings of te’ashrenah: the Midrash reads it as eser, “one in ten,” and as osher, wealth. The Raaya Mehemna calls the middle pillar, Tiferes, “the rich one,” because it rises up to Keser, like the middle bar of the Mishkan that ran from end to end.

ומשם יומשך כח הצמיחה ותוספת האור ברבוי והגדלת המדות אהבה ויראה ושיהיו כלולים זה מזה כמ״ש בד״ה וידעת היום והשבות ועמ״ש ע״פ כי כארץ תוציא צמחה כו׳ ובד״ה בשלח פרעה בענין פי׳ ראשית תבואתו ומ״ש ע״פ עשר אעשרנו לך.

and from there will be drawn the power of growth and the increase of light, in the multiplying and enlarging of the emotive attributes (middos), love and awe, and [the power] that they be included one in the other, as is explained in the discourse beginning “Know this day and take to heart.” And see what is written on [the verse] “For as the earth brings forth her growth,” etc., and in the discourse beginning “When Pharaoh sent,” on the meaning of “the first of His crop,” and what is written on [the verse] “I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Explanation

From Keser comes the power of growth, which increases love and awe and makes each include the other. The parenthesis refers to several discourses that develop this, among them those on “For as the earth brings forth her growth” and “I will surely give a tenth to You.”

עוי״ל ע״ד מ״ש בזח״א ויחי דרמ״ו א׳ שיש לחם עני ולחם פנג ע״ש ובפ׳ בראשית דל״ג א׳ פי׳ דלחם עני זהו בחי׳ יבשה לשון יבישות

One may further explain [it] along the lines of what is written in the Zohar, Part I, Vayechi, folio 246a, that there is “poor bread” (lechem oni) and “bread of pannag” (see there); and in Parshas Bereishis, folio 33a, it explains that “poor bread” is the level of “dry land” (yabashah), an expression of dryness;

Explanation

Another explanation uses the Zohar’s contrast between “poor bread” and “bread of pannag,” a delicacy. Elsewhere the Zohar identifies “poor bread” with the “dry land” (yabashah), which stays dry until it is filled with water.

ממילא מובן דע״י שנתמלא מים זהו בחינת רבת תעשרנה וז״ש ארץ אשר לא במסכנות כו׳ ע׳ בזהר ויחי דרמ״ט ע״ב, וב׳ מדרגות אלו בעבודה היינו בחי׳ אתכפיא ואתהפכא.

it follows that when it is filled with water, this is the level of “You greatly enrich it.” And this is what is written, “A land in which, without scarcity,” etc. (see the Zohar, Vayechi, folio 249b). And these two levels in divine service are the levels of iskafya (subjugation) and is’hapcha (transformation).

Explanation

When the dry land is filled with water it becomes rich: “You greatly enrich it,” “a land … without scarcity.” In divine service these two levels are iskafya, subduing the evil inclination, and is’hapcha, transforming it into good.

וז״ש שלחייך פרדס כו׳ שגם בהיותה בחי׳ בית השלחין ארץ יבשה לחם עוני בחי׳ אתכפיא גדלה מעלתה כו׳ ונמשך עי״ז נרד וכרכם כו׳ כענין ריח ניחוח שמשיב את הנפש כו׳ ועמ״ש בפ׳ויקהל בד״ה קחו מאתכם).

And this is what is written, “Your shoots (shelachayich) are an orchard,” etc.: that even when it is at the level of an irrigated field (beis hashelachin), dry land, poor bread, the level of iskafya, its virtue is great, etc., and through this are drawn “nard and saffron,” etc., like the matter of “a pleasing fragrance,” which restores the soul, etc.; and see what is written in Parshas Vayakhel, in the discourse beginning “Take from among you.”)

Explanation

The Song of Songs praises even the dry “irrigated field” (beis hashelachin): the service of iskafya, “poor bread,” has great virtue, and from it come “nard and saffron,” a pleasing fragrance. The parenthesis refers to a discourse on “Take from among you.”

אך תכלית הצמאון הזה הוא כדי לדבקה בחי׳ רוחא ברוחא מחשבה במחשבה והיינו ע״י התורה וכמ״ש ואשים דברי בפיך דברי ממש דבור בדבור מחשבה במחשבה כו׳.

But the purpose of this thirst is to cleave [to Him], the level of “spirit with spirit,” thought with thought; and this is through the Torah, as it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth”: My very words, speech with speech, thought with thought, etc.

Explanation

Yet thirst is not the goal. Its purpose is to cleave to G‑d, “spirit with spirit,” thought with thought, and this is achieved through the Torah, of which G‑d says “I have put My words in your mouth”: G‑d’s own words in a person’s speech.

ועז״נ ונחה עליו רוח ה׳ כי בחי׳ הדבור נק׳ רוח ממללא ובחי׳ זו תהיה נחה עליו מלמעלה.

Of this it is said, “And the spirit of Havayah shall rest upon him”: for the level of speech is called “a speaking spirit,” and this level will rest upon him from above.

Explanation

Of this Isaiah says “the spirit of Havayah shall rest upon him.” Speech is called “a speaking spirit,” and when a person speaks words of Torah, the divine spirit rests upon him from above.

וכמארז״ל כל היושב ושונה הקב״ה שונה כנגדו (והמשכה של בחי׳ רוח גבוה מבחי׳ ההמשכה הנק׳ מים וכמ״ש ורוח אלקים מרחפת על פני המים וכמ״ש מזה סד״ה והניף ידו על הנהר בעים רוחו).

As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Whoever sits and studies, the Holy One, blessed be He, studies opposite him. (And the drawing down of the level of “spirit” is higher than the level of the drawing down called “water,” as it is written, “And the spirit of G‑d hovered over the face of the water”; and as is explained about this at the end of the discourse beginning “And He shall wave His hand over the river with His mighty wind (ruach).”)

Explanation

As the Sages say, when one sits and studies, G‑d studies opposite him. The parenthesis adds that the drawing down called “spirit” is higher than the one called “water,” as “the spirit of G‑d hovered over the face of the water.”

והנה בחי׳ רוח זה הוא ממעלה למטה וכמ״ש עד יערה עלינו רוח ממרום שהרוח הוא יורד ממקום עליון וגבוה מאד נעלה בחי׳ אויר אור יו״ד דאורייתא מחכמה נפקת והחכמה מאין תמצא כנודע.

Now, this level of “spirit” is from above to below, as it is written, “Until a spirit is poured upon us from on high”: for the spirit descends from a supernal place, very high and exalted, the level of avir (air), [which is] or (light) [with a] yud, for the Torah “comes forth from Chochmah,” “and Chochmah is found from ayin (nothing),” as is known.

Explanation

This “spirit” descends from a very high place, the level of avir (air), whose letters are or (light) with an added yud. The yud alludes to Chochmah, from which the Torah comes, and Chochmah itself is found from ayin, the “nothing” above it.

(ועמ״ש מענין אויר אור יו״ד שהאויר הוא מקור האור בפ׳ מקץ סד״ה נר חנוכה מצוה כו׳ מזוזה מימין כו׳ וע׳ בזח״ג נשא דק״ל ע״ב רוחא דנפיק כו׳ ע״ש ובפ׳ ויחי) (דרל״ה א׳)

(And see what is written on the matter of avir as or [with a] yud, that avir is the source of light, in Parshas Mikeitz, at the end of the discourse beginning “The Chanukah lamp, it is a mitzvah,” etc., [on] “the mezuzah on the right,” etc.; and see the Zohar, Part III, Naso, folio 130b, “The spirit that goes forth,” etc., see there; and in Parshas Vayechi) (folio 235a).

Explanation

The parenthesis refers to a Chanukah discourse on avir as the source of light, and to the Zohar on “the spirit that goes forth” from the supernal nostrils, and on Vayechi.

והנה לפי משנ״ת לעיל ד׳ יסודות שבנפש הן ד׳ אותיות הוי׳, והנה ענין מלא מים זהו יחוד ו״ה בחי׳ מים

Now, according to what was explained above, the four elements in the soul are the four letters of [the Name] Havayah. And so the matter of “full of water” is the union of vav and hei, the level of water

Explanation

Returning to the four elements: they correspond to the four letters of Havayah. “Full of water” is the union of vav and hei, the elements of water and earth.

ועפר וענין רוח ואש זהו יחוד י״ה וזהו כענין יחו״ת ויחו״ע וכמ״ש במ״א ע״פ פקודי המשכן משכן העדות כו׳ ומשם תדרשנו.

and earth; and the matter of air (ruach) and fire is the union of yud and hei. This is like the matter of the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah) and the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah), as is explained elsewhere on [the verse] “The accounts of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony,” etc.; and seek it out from there.

Explanation

Air and fire are the union of yud and hei, the higher pair. The two unions correspond to the lower unity and the higher unity, as explained in the discourse on “The accounts of the Mishkan.”

Paragraph 6 in brief

The second section explains how the soul, hidden by the body and the world, is awakened: through the mitzvos, “upper waters” from Atzilus, and through prayer, which brings hidden love and awe to birth and “divides” Elokim so that the revealed world comes out of concealment. The final purpose is cleaving to G‑d through the Torah, the “spirit” that rests upon a person from above and is higher than “water.”

Deeper

The paragraph pairs the four elements with the letters of Havayah: water and earth with vav and hei, the lower unity, brought about by the mitzvos that bring down “water”; air and fire with yud and hei, the higher unity, brought about by the “spirit” of Torah and the soul’s fiery longing. The reading of Elokim as Mi and Eleh comes from the Zohar’s introduction, where Eleh joins Mi to complete the Name Elokim; the Kehot note traces the idea that every prayer is a birth of mochin to Pri Etz Chaim.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    אך בהיות · סעיף זה נעתק באוה״ת בלק ע׳ תתקמד בשינויים.
  2. 2
    עולם מלשון העלם . . ברבות קהלת · ג, יא. ראה לקמן פ׳ שלח לז, ד. עקב יג, ג וש״נ. ובכ״מ.
  3. 3
    Ecclesiastes 3:11
  4. 4
    גם את העלם נתן בלבם · Kohelet Rabbah 3:11:3
  5. 5
    זה שמי לעלם · Exodus 3:15
  6. 6
    Shir HaShirim Rabbah 7:11:1
  7. 7
    אני לדודי ועלי תשוקתו · Song of Songs 7:11
  8. 8
    וארז״ל בשה״ש . . לאביהם שבשמים · ראה יהל אור ע״פ פקדת הארץ ע׳ רכו.
  9. 9
    פקודי ה׳ · Psalms 19:9
  10. 10
    רעוא דכל רעוין · Zohar III, 129a
  11. 11
    אהבתי אתכם אמר ה׳ · Malachi 1:2
  12. 12
    וימינו תחבקני · Song of Songs 2:6
  13. 13
    כמים הפנים לפנים · Proverbs 27:19
  14. 14
    יוצר אור ובורא חושך · Isaiah 45:7
  15. 15
    יערוף כמטר לקחי · Deuteronomy 32:2
  16. 16
    פקדת לשון פקידת עקרה · ראה לעיל בפ׳ פקודי ד, סע״ג ואילך. יהל אור שם ע׳ רכה ”ורש״י פי׳ פקד הוא ההריון ויעש הלידה, וא״כ גם כאן י״ל כן פקדת הארץ מה שמתעברת ע״י הגשמים ואח״כ והולידה. והרמב״ן מפרש שם בע״א הפקידה הזכירה של הדבר כו׳ וכן בזהר שם”.
  17. 17
    וה׳ פקד את שרה · Genesis 21:1
  18. 18
    עקרה לא ילדה · Isaiah 54:1
  19. 19
    Song of Songs 5:2
  20. 20
    Exodus 38:21
  21. 21
    שכל תפלה היא בחי׳ לידת המוחין · במאמרי אדה״א במדבר-א ע׳ קג מביא זה בשם הפע״ח. וראה שם בשער התפלה פ״ז. ובמאמרי אדה״א מבאר ”דפי׳ לידת המוחין היינו בחי׳ המוחין דאוי״ר שמכוסי׳ בעומק ההתבוננות שנק׳ עיבור והעלם, ובשעת התפלה יוצאים מן ההעלם לגילוי” ע״ש. וביהל אור ע׳ עו כ׳ דכאן ”מבואר שכדי להיות לידה וגילוי הוא ע״י קיום המצות וזהו פקדת הארץ ותשוקקי׳”.
  22. 22
    רבת תעשרנה · Vayikra Rabbah 35:12
  23. 23
    רבת תעשרנה פלג · Psalms 65:10
  24. 24
    Taanit 8b:3
  25. 25
    פלג אלקים מלא מים · Bereshit Rabbah 4:4
  26. 26
    פ״ק דתענית · ח, ב.
  27. 27
    וברבות בראשית פרשה ד׳ · ”מעיינו של הקב״ה כו׳ פלג אלקים כו׳ גם לשון פלגא מה שחילק מים עליונים למעלה מהרקיע ומים תחתונים למטה באוקיינוס כו׳” — מובא ביהל אור עה״פ.
  28. 28
    ובערוך ערך קבה · ”וכן בערוך ערך קבה הביא בשם התרגום פלג אלקים קובתא דאלהא. עוד הביא שם ממנחות פ״ג ל״א ב׳ שלא יעשנה כקובה ופרש״י כאהל רחב מלמטה וקצר מלמעלה וכן פרק לפני אידיהן י״ח א׳ לישב בקובה...” יהל אור שם ע׳ רכה.
  29. 29
    וימינך מקרב חיקך כלה · Psalms 74:11
  30. 30
    נהר פלגיו ישמחו עיר אלקים · Psalms 46:5
  31. 31
    נהר פלגיו ישמחו עיר אלקים · Zohar, Mishpatim 3:85–94
  32. 32
    ובשה״ש . . פי׳ לשון עשירות · אין תשוקתן של ישראל אלא לאביהם שבשמים כו׳ תשוקתן של גשמים כו׳ זכיתם תעשירנה לא זכיתם תעשרנה שתעשה לכם אחד מעשרה כו׳” — יהל אור שם ע׳ רכו.
  33. 33
    הבריח התיכון · Exodus 26:28
  34. 34
    שיש לחם עני ולחם פנג · Zohar, Vayechi 72:752–73:761
  35. 35
    דלחם עני זהו בחי׳ יבשה · Zohar, Bereshit 39:373–384
  36. 36
    ארץ אשר לא במסכנות · Deuteronomy 8:9
  37. 37
    שלחייך פרדס · Song of Songs 4:13
  38. 38
    בית השלחין · Moed Katan 20a:4
  39. 39
    נרד וכרכם · Song of Songs 4:14
  40. 40
    Isaiah 51:16
  41. 41
    Isaiah 11:2
  42. 42
    רוח ממללא · Onkelos Genesis 2:7
  43. 43
    Genesis 1:2
  44. 44
    Isaiah 32:15
  45. 45
    דאורייתא מחכמה נפקת · Zohar, Mishpatim 20:500–502
  46. 46
    והחכמה מאין תמצא · Job 28:12
  47. 47
    רוחא דנפיק · Zohar, Idra Rabba 9:63–10:73
  48. 48
    שם אלקים מתחלק ונעשה מ״י אל״ה · Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 20
  49. 49
    ע״פ ואהי׳ אצלו אמון · לקמן יח, ד.
  50. 50
    Song of Songs 4:13
  51. 51
    Zohar, Introduction 4:12–5:21
  52. 52
    Zohar, Vayechi 81:824–82:836

7ומשם יובן יתרון מעלת ההמשכה מבחי׳ רוח על ההמשכה שמבחינת מים כו׳ וזהו גם את העלם נתן בלבם ופי׳ ברבות

From there the superiority of the drawing down from the level of “spirit” over the drawing down from the level of “water,” etc., will be understood. And this is “He has also set ha’olam in their heart,” which [Midrash] Rabbah explains

Explanation

From this the superiority of “spirit” over “water,” that is, of the Torah’s drawing down over that of the mitzvos, becomes clear. It also gives a further meaning to “He has also set ha’olam in their heart,” as the Midrash explains it.

דהיינו מ״ש זה שמי לעלם היינו שם הוי׳ שעכשיו הוא בבחי׳ העלם וכמארז״ל לא כמו שאני נכתב אני נקרא כו׳

as [referring to] what is written, “This is My Name forever (le’olam)”: that is, the Name Havayah, which now is in a state of concealment, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Not as I am written am I pronounced,” etc.

Explanation

The Midrash connects ha’olam with “This is My Name le’olam,” read as “to conceal”: the Name Havayah is hidden in this world. As the Sages say, the Name is not pronounced as it is written; it is written with yud and hei but read with alef and daled.

וניתן להם הכח להמשיכו מההעלם אל הגילוי בלבם כמ״ש בד״ה וארא אל אברהם ועי״ז יומשך הגילוי בעולם ג״כ:

And they were given the power to draw it from concealment into revelation in their heart, as is explained in the discourse beginning “And I appeared to Avraham”; and through this the revelation will be drawn into the world as well.

Explanation

That hidden Name has been “set in their heart”: Jews were given the power to draw it out of concealment into revelation in their own hearts. Through this the revelation is drawn into the world as well.

Paragraph 7 in brief

The paragraph concludes that “spirit” is higher than “water,” and gives a new reading of “He has set ha’olam in their heart”: the hidden Name Havayah is placed in the heart of Israel, with the power to reveal it there and, through that, in the world.

Deeper

The Talmud there contrasts this world with the World to Come: now the Name is written with yud and hei and read with alef and daled, but in the World to Come it will be read as it is written. The word “now” in the text points to that future change, which the next section takes up.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    גם את העלם נתן בלבם · Ecclesiastes 3:11
  2. 2
    גם את העלם נתן בלבם · Kohelet Rabbah 3:11:3
  3. 3
    זה שמי לעלם · Exodus 3:15
  4. 4
    לא כמו שאני נכתב אני נקרא · Pesachim 50a:21–22

8קיצור. שצ״ל פקדת ארץ. ועי״ז כמים הפנים לפנים. גם לשון פקידת עקרה ועי״ז ותשוקקיה וזהו פלג אלקים שנתחלק שם אלקים להיות מי ברא אלה.

Summary. That there must be “You visited the earth,” and through this, “As water [reflects] face to face.” Also an expression of the remembering of a barren woman, and through this, “and made it yearn”; and this is “the stream (peleg) of Elokim”: that the Name Elokim is divided, to be “Who created these.”

Explanation

The summary of the second section: the mitzvos are “You visited the earth,” and they awaken a matching love, “as water reflects face to face”; pekidah also means remembering the barren, so that hidden love is born, “and made it yearn.” This is “the stream (division) of Elokim”: the Name divides into Mi and Eleh, “Who created these.”

ועי״ז רבת תעשרנה. והתשוקה יסוד האש ומזה נמשך ונחה עליו רוח הוי׳ ע״י הדבור בד״ת רוח ממללא:

And through this, “You greatly enrich it.” And the yearning is the element of fire, and from it is drawn “And the spirit of Havayah shall rest upon him,” through speech in words of Torah, “a speaking spirit.”

Explanation

Then comes “You greatly enrich it.” The soul’s yearning belongs to the element of fire, and from it comes the higher level, “the spirit of Havayah shall rest upon him,” through speaking words of Torah, the “speaking spirit.”

Paragraph 8 in brief

A brief summary of the maamar’s second section.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    כמים הפנים לפנים · Proverbs 27:19
  2. 2
    מי ברא אלה · Isaiah 40:26
  3. 3
    רבת תעשרנה · Psalms 65:10
  4. 4
    ונחה עליו רוח הוי׳ · Isaiah 11:2
  5. 5
    רוח ממללא · Onkelos Genesis 2:7

The Time to Come: the uncountable number ¶9–13

9ג והנה כל זה הוא עכשיו בהיות העולם מעלים והתלבשות הנשמה במאסר הגוף והעולם הגשמי שאז צריך להיות

3. Now, all this is now, while the world conceals and the soul is enclothed in the prison of the body and the physical world: then there must be

Explanation

The third section begins. Everything described so far belongs to the present, while the world conceals G‑dliness and the soul is imprisoned in the body and the physical world.

פקדת הארץ ותשוקקיה מלמעלה למטה ולהיות נחה עליו רוח ה׳ לרוות הצמאון שמיסוד האש שיסוד הרוח גבהה מעלתו ממעלת ובחי׳ האש שמלמטה,

“You visited the earth and made it yearn” from above to below, and [there must be] “the spirit of Havayah resting upon him,” to quench the thirst that comes from the element of fire; for the element of air (ruach) is higher in virtue than the virtue and level of the fire that is from below.

Explanation

In this state the “earth” must be “visited” from above, and “the spirit of Havayah” must rest upon a person to quench the thirst of the soul’s fire. For now the element of air, the spirit drawn from above, is higher than the fire that rises from below.

וכן בחי׳ מים של המצות גדלה מעלתם מבחי׳ ארץ שבהם ועל ידם נעשה הארץ שוקקה באתערותא דלתתא בתפלה ועכשיו תמיד היא שוקקה ולא שבעה מים

And likewise the level of the water of the mitzvos is greater in virtue than the level of “earth,” for by them and through them the earth becomes yearning, with an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), in prayer. And now it is always yearning and is not sated with water,

Explanation

Likewise the “water” of the mitzvos is now higher than the “earth,” since only through them does the earth come to yearn, as an arousal from below in prayer. At present the earth always yearns and is never sated.

כי הרי אחר התפלה חוזרת ומתלבשת בעניני הגוף כל אחד ואחד לפי מדרגתו ובחינתו והמאכל מגשם את האדם ומסתיר ממנו אור ה׳ וקדושתו שלא יבא לידי גילוי בלב

for after prayer it again becomes enclothed in the matters of the body, each person according to his rung and level; and food makes a person coarse and hides from him the light of G‑d and His holiness, so that it does not come to revelation in the heart.

Explanation

The reason is that after prayer the soul returns to the concerns of the body, each person on his own level. Food in particular coarsens a person and hides G‑d’s light, so that it does not stay revealed in the heart.

ולכן צריך להתפלל בכל יום עד עת קץ עד בא אמרת ה׳ לעתיד לבא ואת רוח הטומאה אעביר מן הארץ וגו׳

Therefore one must pray every day, until the time of the end, until the word of Havayah comes in the Time to Come: “And the spirit of impurity I will remove from the land,” etc.

Explanation

Therefore one must pray anew every day, until the end of days, when G‑d says, “The spirit of impurity I will remove from the land.”

ואזי תהי׳ מעלת אתערותא דלתתא גדולה וגבוה לאין קץ מצד עצמה שלא תצטרך לאתעדל״ע מים ורוח

And then the virtue of the arousal from below will be great and infinitely high in its own right, so that it will not need the arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila), water and spirit,

Explanation

Then the arousal from below will be infinitely great in its own right. It will no longer need the arousal from above, the “water” and “spirit” that come down to it.

כי בחי׳ ארץ רצוא וצמאון שמיסוד האש שלמטה תהא עולה למעלה מעלה ונכללת באור א״ס ב״ה מאליה ומעצמה

for the level of “earth,” the running and thirst that come from the element of fire below, will rise higher and higher and be included in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, of itself and on its own.

Explanation

The “earth,” the soul’s running and thirst from the element of fire, will then rise ever higher and be included in the Infinite Light by its own power.

(והוא כענין כמעלת הזהב על הכסף המבואר בתניא פרק חמשים וע״ש מ״ש בשם האריז״ל ע״פ והכהנים הלוים כו׳ והוא בלק״ת ביחזקאל, וע׳ ברע״מ פ׳ תרומה דקנ״ח א׳ מסט׳ דעלמא דאתי כו׳ אחע״ב ב״ן יתעלה בס״ג שלמעלה ממ״ה.

(This is like the matter of the superiority of gold over silver, explained in the Tanya, chapter fifty; and see there what is said in the name of the Arizal on [the verse] “And the priests, the Levites,” etc., which is in the Likkutei Torah [of the Arizal] on Yechezkel. And see the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Terumah, folio 158a, “From the side of the World to Come,” etc.: “A woman of valor is the crown of her husband”; [that is,] Ban will be elevated into Sag, which is higher than Mah.

Explanation

This is like the Tanya’s teaching that gold is superior to silver: a fiery love, like “flashes of fire,” is higher than the love that comes from the side of kindness; the Tanya there cites the Arizal on the Levites and the priests. The Raaya Mehemna adds that from the side of the World to Come “a woman of valor is the crown of her husband”: Malchus (the Name Ban) will rise to Sag, above Z’eir Anpin (the Name Mah).

ועוד יובן ענין זה ע״פ מ״ש בד״ה יהודה אתה בענין פי׳ ביום ההוא תקראי אישי כו׳ ע״ש).

And this matter will be further understood according to what is explained in the discourse beginning “Yehudah, you,” on the meaning of “On that day you shall call [Me] ‘my Husband,’” etc.; see there.)

Explanation

A further explanation is in the discourse on “Yehudah, you,” on the verse “On that day you shall call Me ‘my Husband’.” The verse speaks of the future, when Israel will call G‑d “my Husband” and no longer “my Master.”

וזהו והיה מספר בנ״י מספר היינו בחי׳ מצות שניתנו במספר תרי״ג מצות דאורייתא וז׳ מצות דרבנן הם מספר תר״ך למספר בני ישראל המתחלק לששים

And this is “And the number of the children of Israel shall be”: “number” is the level of the mitzvos, which were given in a number: the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven mitzvos of the Rabbis, which are the number 620, corresponding to the number of the children of Israel, which divides into sixty

Explanation

The maamar now returns to its opening verse. The “number” of the children of Israel is the mitzvos, given in a number: 613 from the Torah and seven from the Rabbis, 620 in all, corresponding to the souls of Israel.

רבוא ניצוצות נשמות בבחי׳ גלגלתם שכדי שיומשכו למטה בנש״י הוצרכו להיות בבחי׳ התחלקות לחלקים ולבא במספר ובמפקד (וע׳ באגה״ק ד״ה אשרינו מה טוב חלקנו כו׳).

myriad sparks of souls, in the manner of “by their heads.” For in order that they be drawn down below into the souls of Israel, they had to be divided into parts and to come in a number and a census. (And see Iggeres HaKodesh, the letter beginning “Fortunate are we, how good is our portion,” etc.)

Explanation

The souls divide into 600,000 sparks, counted “by their heads.” To be drawn down into the souls below, the mitzvos had to be divided into parts and come in a fixed number, like a census.

וזהו ג״כ פי׳ פקדת הארץ לשון מנין כמו פקוד כל בכור זכר והיינו לפי שירדו ממעלה למטה וירידתם צורך עלייה היא להעלות הנפשות ולקשרם בה׳ אחד בבחי׳ רצוא וצמאון ולכך כשיוגמר עליות הנפש

And this is also the meaning of pakadta ha’aretz: an expression of counting, as in “Count (pekod) every firstborn male.” That is because they descended from above to below, and their descent is for the sake of ascent: to raise up the souls and bind them to the One G‑d, with running and thirst. Therefore, when the ascents of the soul are complete,

Explanation

This is a third meaning of pakadta: counting, as in “Count every firstborn male.” The souls are counted because they descended, and their descent is for the sake of ascent: to raise the souls and bind them to G‑d with running and thirst.

אזי תהיה בחי׳ רצוא וצמאון שלהם כרשפי אש העולה למעלה עד אין קץ ויהי׳ מספר הזה בבחי׳ אשר לא ימד ולא יספר והוא בחי׳ תשובה

then their running and thirst will be like flashes of fire rising upward without end, and this number will be at the level of “which can be neither measured nor counted.” This is the level of teshuvah (return).

Explanation

When the soul’s ascents are complete, its running and thirst will be like flashes of fire rising without end. Then the “number” will become one “which can be neither measured nor counted”: this is teshuvah.

וכמאמר רז״ל אם ישראל עושין תשובה נגאלין כי תשובה מיסוד האש והצמאון ויצעקו אל ה׳ בחילא יתיר ותשובה עילאה בינה לבא

As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: If Israel do teshuvah, they are redeemed. For teshuvah is from the element of fire and the thirst, “and they cried out to Havayah,” with exceeding strength; and the higher teshuvah is “Binah, the heart,”

Explanation

The Sages say that redemption depends on teshuvah. Teshuvah comes from the soul’s fire and thirst, crying out to G‑d with great force; the higher teshuvah is associated with Binah, which the Tikkunei Zohar calls “the heart.”

וכתיב לתבונתו אין מספר למעלה מבחי׳ מספר (ע׳ מ״ש לעיל בפ׳ אחרי סד״ה כי ביום הזה יכפר בענין ושמתיך בנקרת הצור וע׳ בזח״ב דרכ״ה ב׳ הנ״ל).

and it is written, “His understanding has no number”: above the level of number. (See what is written above in Parshas Acharei, at the end of the discourse beginning “For on this day He shall atone,” on the matter of “And I will place you in the cleft of the rock”; and see the Zohar, Part II, folio 225b, mentioned above.)

Explanation

Of Binah, the source of the higher teshuvah, it says “His understanding has no number”: it is beyond number. The parenthesis refers back to the discourse on Yom Kippur in Acharei and to the Zohar passage on the “holy” that stands beyond number.

דהיינו למעלה מסדר ההשתלשלות כי ההשתלשלות נקרא מה שהוא נמשך כסדר והדרגה מעילה לעלול כו׳ כשלשלת הארה והארה דהארה כו׳.

That is, above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus): for hishtalshelus is the name for what is drawn down in order and gradation, from cause to effect, etc., like a chain (shalsheles): a glimmer, and a glimmer of a glimmer, etc.

Explanation

“Beyond number” means beyond hishtalshelus, the ordered chain of cause and effect. Each level there is only a glimmer of the one above it, like the links of a chain.

וכך הם המשכות המצות במספר ושנק׳ רמ״ח אברים דמלכא ז״א היינו בחי׳ ט״ס טפ״ט כו׳ וגם נקראו מצות המלך ועמ״ש בד״ה

And so are the drawings down of the mitzvos: in number; and they are called “the 248 limbs of the King,” Z’eir Anpin, that is, the level of the nine Sefiros, nine times nine, etc.; and they are also called “the commandments of the King.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning

Explanation

The mitzvos belong to that order: they come in a number, as “the 248 limbs of the King,” Z’eir Anpin, whose nine Sefiros each include nine. They are also called “the commandments of the King.”

כי ביום הזה יכפר א״כ הוא נק׳ סדר ההשתלשלות משא״כ תשובה באה שלא כסדר והדרגה רק למעלה מסדר ההשתלשלות ועמ״ש סד״ה כי ההרים ימושו,

“For on this day He shall atone.” If so, this is called the order of hishtalshelus; whereas teshuvah comes not in order and gradation, but from above the order of hishtalshelus. And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “For the mountains shall depart.”

Explanation

So the mitzvos belong to the order of hishtalshelus, while teshuvah comes without order or gradation, from above it. The discourse on “For the mountains shall depart” explains this further.

וזהו כחול הים שהחול הוא למעלה מן הים וכמ״ש אשר שמתי חול גבול לים וכתיב יורדי הים כך תהיה בחי׳ ארץ למעלה מהמים וכתיב לרוקע הארץ על המים ובחי׳ אש תהיה למעלה מבחי׳ הרוח

And this is “as the sand of the sea”: the sand is above the sea, as it is written, “I Who placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,” and it is written, “those who go down to the sea.” So the level of “earth” will be above the water, and it is written, “Who spread out the earth over the water”; and the level of fire will be above the level of air (ruach).

Explanation

This explains “as the sand of the sea”: sand is above the sea and is its boundary. In the future “earth” will be above “water,” and fire, the soul’s longing, above air, the spirit drawn from above.

(ועמ״ש בפ׳ בראשית ד״ה כאשר השמים החדשים בענין פי׳ שמים וארץ חדשים שיהי׳ לע״ל וז״ש בירמיה) (סי׳ ל״א) כי ברא ה׳ חדשה בארץ נקבה תסובב גבר.

(And see what is written in Parshas Bereishis, the discourse beginning “As the new heavens,” on the meaning of the new heavens and earth that will be in the Time to Come; and this is what is written in Yirmeyahu) (chapter 31): “For Havayah has created a new thing in the earth: a female shall encompass a male.”

Explanation

The new heavens and new earth of the Time to Come are explained in a discourse in Torah Ohr. Jeremiah’s “a female shall encompass a male” expresses the same reversal.

היינו שיהי׳ התחדשות בחי׳ חדשה בארץ כי עכשיו כאשר ירד הגשם מן השמים והרוה את הארץ אזי דייקא והולידה והצמיחה

That is, there will be a renewal, the level of “a new thing in the earth.” For now, when “the rain comes down from the heavens” and “waters the earth,” then precisely “it makes it give birth and sprout”;

Explanation

Now the earth gives birth and sprouts only when rain comes down from heaven and waters it. It depends on what it receives.

אבל לע״ל תהיה בחי׳ ארץ למעלה מבחי׳ מים ולא תצטרך לקבל מבחי׳ מים וזהו נקבה תסובב כו׳.

but in the Time to Come the level of “earth” will be above the level of water and will not need to receive from the level of water. And this is “a female shall encompass,” etc.

Explanation

In the Time to Come the “earth” will be above the “water” and will not need to receive from it. That is the meaning of “a female shall encompass a male”: the receiver will surround and surpass the giver.

ועד״ז בחי׳ אש תהי׳ למעלה מבחי׳ רוח וע׳ בע״ח שער א״א פ״ב וז״ש ואני אהיה לה נאום ה׳ חומת אש כו׳

In the same way, the level of fire will be above the level of air (ruach); and see Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Arich Anpin, chapter 2. And this is what is written, “And I will be for her, says Havayah, a wall of fire,” etc.

Explanation

In the same way, fire will be above air. G‑d’s promise “I will be for her a wall of fire” alludes to this.

ועיין מענין והיה מספר כו׳ אשר לא יספר כו׳ (בגמרא רפ״ב דיומא דכ״ב ע״ב ורפ״ח דפסחים).

And see on the matter of “And the number shall be,” etc., “which cannot be counted,” etc. (in the Gemara, at the beginning of chapter 2 of Yoma, folio 22b, and at the beginning of chapter 8 of Pesachim).

Explanation

The Talmud also discusses the contradiction in the verse: a “number,” yet one that “cannot be counted.” It explains that the verse describes two states, depending on whether Israel do G‑d’s will.

ולכן כתיב והיה במקום אשר יאמר להם לא עמי אתם יאמר להם בני אל חי פי׳ במקום ממש כי ע״י תשובה זדונות נעשו כזכיות ואתהפכא מרירו למיתקא

Therefore it is written, “And it shall be that in the place where it is said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living G‑d’”: meaning, in the very place; for through teshuvah willful sins become like merits, and bitterness is transformed into sweetness (is’hapcha meriru lemitka).

Explanation

Hence “in the place where it is said to them ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living G‑d’”: in that very place. Through teshuvah, willful sins become like merits and bitterness turns to sweetness.

(והענין דהנה כתיב ואשים דברי בפיך כו׳ ולאמר לציון עמי אתה והיינו כי פי׳ עמי מבואר בד״ה אתם נצבים גבי לעברך בברית כו׳ להיות לו לעם.

(The explanation is: it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth,” etc., “and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” For the meaning of “My people” is explained in the discourse beginning “You are standing,” regarding “that you may enter into the covenant,” etc., “to be a people to Him.”

Explanation

The parenthesis explains “My people” through the verse in Isaiah that ends “and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” The meaning of “My people,” a people bound to G‑d by covenant, is explained in the discourse on “You are standing.”

כי אין מלך בלא עם פי׳ שהם נקראים במדרגת עמו שהם אנשים כמותו ומתייחסים אליו בערך מה כו׳ כי הנשמות עלו במחשבה כו׳ ע״ש וזהו עמי אשר נקרא שמי עליהם) (בד״ה ב׳ סי׳ ז׳).

For there is no king without a people: that is, they are called by the rank of “His people,” for they are men like him and relate to him in some measure, etc., for the souls arose in thought, etc.; see there. And this is “My people, upon whom My Name is called”) (in II Chronicles, chapter 7).

Explanation

As “there is no king without a people,” the people must be of the king’s kind and in some proportion to him; the souls of Israel arose in G‑d’s thought, so they can be called “His people.” Chronicles likewise speaks of “My people, upon whom My Name is called.”

וע״ד מ״ש בזח״א ה׳ א׳ ע״פ ולאמר לציון עמי אתה אל תקרי עמי אלא עמי כו׳ (ועיין ת״ז תקון י״ח דף ל״ה ב׳).

And [it is] along the lines of what is written in the Zohar, Part I, [folio] 5a, on the verse “And to say to Zion, ‘You are My people’”: do not read ami (“My people”) but imi (“with Me”), etc. (And see Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 18, folio 35b.)

Explanation

The Zohar reads ami (“My people”) as imi (“with Me”): Israel become G‑d’s partners. As He made heaven and earth with His word, so do they, through their words of Torah.

וזהו ולאמר לציון דוקא עמי אתה והיינו כמשארז״ל בירושלמי פ״ד דתענית סוף ה״ב חזרנו על כל המקרא ולא מצינו שנקראו ישראל ציון אלא זה שנאמר ולאמר לציון עמי אתה.

And this is “and to say to Zion,” specifically, “You are My people.” This is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Jerusalem Talmud, chapter 4 of Taanis, at the end of halachah 2: “We have gone over all of Scripture and have not found that Israel are called Zion except in this, as it is said, ‘and to say to Zion, You are My people.’”

Explanation

Why “Zion” specifically? The Jerusalem Talmud notes that Israel are called Zion only in this verse.

והמכוון כדפי׳ הקה״ע שם שע״י קיום מצות המרומזים בפסוק זה ואשים דברי בפיך זו תורה ובצל ידי כסיתיך זו גמילת חסדים כו׳

And the intent, as the Korban HaEdah explains there, is that through fulfilling the mitzvos alluded to in this verse, “And I have put My words in your mouth”: this is Torah; “and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you”: this is acts of kindness (gemilus chassadim), etc.;

Explanation

The Korban HaEdah, commenting there, explains that the verse alludes to mitzvos: “My words in your mouth” is Torah, and “the shadow of My hand” is acts of kindness.

לנטוע שמים וליסוד ארץ זהו עבודת הקרבנות אזי נק׳ ציון שהם מצויינים בעולם והיינו כמ״ש בת״א פ׳ מקץ בד״ה רני ושמחי דס״ב סע״ב

“to plant the heavens and to lay the foundation of the earth”: this is the service of the offerings, then they are called Zion, for they are distinguished (metzuyanim) in the world. This is as is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Mikeitz, in the discourse beginning “Sing and rejoice,” folio 62, end of side b:

Explanation

“To plant the heavens and lay the foundation of the earth” is the service of the offerings. By fulfilling these, Israel are called Zion, from metzuyanim, “distinguished,” in the world; Torah Ohr explains this further.

וביאור ענין ציון כו׳ בצלמנו כדמותנו הן רמ״ח פקודין רמ״ח אברין דמלכא והיינו רוחניות המצות ורוחניות התורה כמו שהן למעלה באור א״ס ב״ה שהן הן בצלמנו ממש

“And the explanation of the matter of Zion,” etc.: “in our image, after our likeness” are the 248 commandments, the 248 limbs of the King; that is, the spirituality of the mitzvos and the spirituality of the Torah as they are above, in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which are truly “in our image.”

Explanation

Torah Ohr explains that the spirituality of the Torah and the mitzvos, as they are in the Infinite Light, is truly “in our image”: the 248 mitzvos are the 248 limbs of the King.

אך גשמיות המצות כו׳ הם רק בחינת ציון מלשון סימן כו׳ אזי נקראת כנס״י ציון כו׳

But the physical aspect of the mitzvos, etc., is only the level of tziyun (Zion), in the sense of a sign (siman), etc.; then Knesses Yisrael is called Zion, etc.

Explanation

Their physical performance is only tziyun, a sign or marker of that higher reality. Through it Knesses Yisrael is called Zion.

והיינו שאז כנס״י מקבלת כל האורות שלמעלה ממש הנמשכים בז״א בבחי׳ י סוד שלה הנק׳ נקודת ציון

That is, then Knesses Yisrael receives all the lights that are truly above, which are drawn into Z’eir Anpin, in the level of her Yesod (foundation), which is called “the point of Zion.”

Explanation

Knesses Yisrael then receives all the supernal lights drawn into Z’eir Anpin, in her Yesod, which is called “the point of Zion.”

וזהו ולאמר לציון עמי אתה שאזי דוקא כשנקרא ציון ע״י קיום תורה ועבודה וגמ״ח. אזי הם בחי׳ עמי.

And this is “and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people’”: for then specifically, when they are called Zion through fulfilling Torah, divine service and acts of kindness, then they are at the level of “My people.”

Explanation

So “You are My people” is said to Israel specifically when they are called Zion, through Torah, divine service and acts of kindness. Then they are at the level of “My people.”

Paragraph 9 in brief

The third section contrasts the present, when the soul needs the “water” and “spirit” drawn from above, with the Time to Come, when the soul’s own fiery longing, the arousal from below, will rise above them. This is how the counted “number,” the mitzvos given in number, becomes one “that cannot be counted”: through teshuvah, which is beyond hishtalshelus. The maamar then begins to explain the second half of its verse, “My people” and “Zion.”

Deeper

The reversals of the Time to Come, earth above water, the female encompassing the male, Ban (Malchus) rising to Sag above Mah (Z’eir Anpin), all express one idea: the receiver will surpass the giver, and the arousal from below will surpass the arousal from above. The Kehot notes point to the Tzemach Tzedek’s Biurei HaZohar, which discusses how air can be called higher than fire although Etz Chaim says fire is higher, and to Pardes Rimonim for the count of 620.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    ונחה עליו רוח ה׳ · שם יא, ב.
  2. 2
    ואת רוח הטומאה אעביר · Zechariah 13:2
  3. 3
    כמעלת הזהב על הכסף · Tanya, Likkutei Amarim 50:2–3
  4. 4
    והוא בלק״ת ביחזקאל · Song of Songs 8:3
  5. 5
    מסט׳ דעלמא דאתי · Zohar, Terumah 54:575–585
  6. 6
    ב״ן יתעלה בס״ג שלמעלה ממ״ה · וע״ל רד״ה אם בחקותי הב׳ [מז, ג]. [כ].
  7. 7
    בד״ה יהודה אתה · תו״א מה, ב.
  8. 8
    ביום ההוא תקראי אישי · Hosea 2:18
  9. 9
    תרי״ג מצות · מכות בסופה.
  10. 10
    תרי״ג מצות דאורייתא · Makkot 23b
  11. 11
    וז׳ מצות דרבנן · ראה לקוטי שיחות חכ״א ע׳ 401.
  12. 12
    תרי״ג . . תר״ך · פרדס ש״ח, פ״ג.
  13. 13
    פקוד כל בכור זכר · Numbers 3:40
  14. 14
    כרשפי אש · Song of Songs 8:6
  15. 15
    Yoma 22b:5
  16. 16
    אם ישראל עושין תשובה נגאלין · Sanhedrin 97b:14–15
  17. 17
    ויצעקו אל ה׳ · Psalms 107:6
  18. 18
    בינה ליבא · ת״ז בהקדמה (פתח אלי׳).
  19. 19
    בינה לבא · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:17–19
  20. 20
    ולתבונתו אין מספר · Psalms 147:5
  21. 21
    רמ״ח אברים דמלכא · ראה ת״ז ת״ל.
  22. 22
    ט״ס טפ״ט · #ERROR!
  23. 23
    סד״ה כי ההרים ימושו · לקו״ת תצא מא, ב. דשם מבאר דבע״ת ע״י שמעורר רחמים גדולים הוא מבחי׳ י״ג ת״ד דא״א שהוא אורות שלמעלה מהכלים ומשם נמשך האור שלא כסדר ההשתלשלות ע״ש.
  24. 24
    שהחול הוא למעלה מן הים · ראה אוה״ת ויקרא-א ע׳ קכט.
  25. 25
    אשר שמתי חול · Jeremiah 5:22
  26. 26
    יורדי הים · Psalms 107:23
  27. 27
    לרוקע הארץ על המים · שם קלו, ו.
  28. 28
    לרוקע הארץ על המים · Psalms 136:6
  29. 29
    סי׳ ל״א · פסוק כא.
  30. 30
    כי ברא ה׳ חדשה בארץ נקבה תסובב גבר · Jeremiah 31:22
  31. 31
    כאשר ירד הגשם · Isaiah 55:10
  32. 32
    והי׳ במקום אשר יאמר · Hosea 2:1
  33. 33
    Pesachim 87b:8
  34. 34
    זדונות נעשו כזכיות · Yoma 86b:3
  35. 35
    ואתהפכא מרירו למתקא · Zohar I, 4a
  36. 36
    ואשים דברי בפיך · Isaiah 51:16
  37. 37
    בד״ה ואתם נצבים · לקו״ת נצבים מד סע״ד. באוה״ת דברים-ו ע׳ ב׳ת.
  38. 38
    אין מלך בלא עם · ס׳ החיים פ׳ גאולה פ״ב. בחיי וישב לח, ל. עמק המלך ש׳ שעשועי המלך רפ״א. פדר״א (פ״ג). [כ].
  39. 39
    כי אין מלך בלא עם · Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 38:30
  40. 40
    עלו במחשבה · Bereshit Rabbah 1:4
  41. 41
    עמי אשר נקרא שמי עליהם · II Chronicles 7:14
  42. 42
    ולאמר לציון עמי אתה אל תקרי עמי אלא עמי · Zohar, Introduction 11:64–12:74
  43. 43
    Jerusalem Talmud Taanit 4:2:15
  44. 44
    בצלמנו כדמותנו · Genesis 1:26
  45. 45
    רוח ממללא · Genesis 2:7
  46. 46
    כל היושב ושונה · ראה תדא״ר רפי״ח. יל״ש איכה רמז תתרלד.
  47. 47
    ורוח אלקים מרחפת · Genesis 1:2
  48. 48
    סד״ה והניף ידו · לעיל צו יז, א.
  49. 49
    עד יערה עלינו רוח ממרום · Isaiah 32:15
  50. 50
    שהרוח יורד ממקום עליון וגבוה מאד · ראה ביאה״ז להצ״צ-ב ע׳ תתקמ שלכאורה הוא נגד מ״ש בע״ח בסופו דאש גבוה מרוח ע״ש.
  51. 51
    דאורייתא מחכמה נפקת · Zohar II, 85a
  52. 52
    והחכמה מאין תמצא · Job 28:12
  53. 53
    בפ׳ מקץ סד״ה מזוזה מימין · תו״א מג, ב. בביאה״ז להצ״צ שם מציין גם לתו״א זה ומוסיף ”ועמ״ש בביאור דמזוזה מימין בסגנון אחר דאף שרוח למטה מאש מ״מ שרשו גבוה יותר ולכן האויר דק יותר מהאש כו׳” ע״ש.
  54. 54
    ע״פ פקודי המשכן · לעיל פ׳ פקודי ג, ג ואילך.
  55. 55
    גם את העולם נתן · Ecclesiastes 3:11
  56. 56
    זה שמי לעלם · Exodus 3:15
  57. 57
    לא כמו שאני נכתב · Pesachim 50a:21–22
  58. 58
    וזהו יהי׳ . . היינו בחי׳ מצות... · ראה אוה״ת נ״ך-א ע׳ תכז.
  59. 59
    וגם נק׳ מצות המלך · ראה הערת כ״ק אדמו״ר בסה״מ ת״ש, ע׳ 48.
  60. 60
    ואני אהי׳ לה נאום ה׳ · Zechariah 2:9

10והיינו אנשים כמותו שהרי הם מצויינים ברמ״ח איברין דמלכא ממש. משא״כ כשפוגמים בביטול מ״ע וכ״ש בעברם על ל״ת נאמר לא עמי אתם.

That is, “men like him,” for they are marked out (metzuyanim) in the very 248 limbs of the King. Whereas when they cause a blemish by neglecting positive commandments, and all the more so when they transgress prohibitions, it is said, “You are not My people,”

Explanation

Through the mitzvos Israel are marked out in the very 248 limbs of the King, and so they are “men like him,” His people. When they blemish this by neglecting positive commandments, and still more by transgressing prohibitions, the verse says “You are not My people.”

מטעם הנ״ל כי פי׳ עמי שהם אנשים כמותו כו׳ וזה אינו רק ע״י קיום המצות שהם בחי׳ בצלמנו כדמותנו כנ״ל וכשעובר ח״ו על המצוה נקרא לא עמי כו׳

for the reason mentioned above: the meaning of “My people” is that they are men like him, etc., and this is only through fulfilling the mitzvos, which are the level of “in our image, after our likeness,” as mentioned above; and when one transgresses a mitzvah, G‑d forbid, he is called “not My people,” etc.,

Explanation

The reason is the one given above: to be “His people” is to be in some measure like the King. This comes only through the mitzvos, the “image and likeness,” so one who transgresses is called “not My people.”

ח״ו. אך ע״י התשובה נעשו בבחי׳ בני אל חי. שהוא יותר גבוה ממדרגת עמי כו׳.

G‑d forbid. But through teshuvah (return) they become the level of “children of the living G‑d,” which is higher than the rank of “My people,” etc.

Explanation

Teshuvah, however, raises them to the level of “children of the living G‑d.” That level is higher than the level of “My people.”

ועמ״ש בפי׳ אל חי בד״ה וארשתיך לי כי במקום שבעלי תשובה עומדים כו׳ וזהו במקום אשר כו׳.

And see what is written on the meaning of “the living G‑d” in the discourse beginning “And I will betroth you to Me.” For “in the place where baalei teshuvah stand,” etc.; and this is “in the place where,” etc.

Explanation

The meaning of “the living G‑d” is explained in the discourse on “And I will betroth you to Me.” The Sages’ saying that the completely righteous cannot stand “in the place where baalei teshuvah stand” explains why the verse says “in the place.”

(ועיין מענין והיה במקום כו׳ בגמרא קדושין דל״ו ע״א ובפרש״י שם ובמדרש שמות רבה מפסוק זה ויקהל ס״פ מ״ח. וארא ר״פ י״ג כי תשא פל״ט. במדבר רבה פ׳ ב׳ וס״פ בלק).

(And see on the matter of “And it shall be that in the place,” etc., the Gemara, Kiddushin, folio 36a, and Rashi’s commentary there; and the Midrash, Shemos Rabbah, on this verse: Vayakhel, end of chapter 48; Va’era, beginning of chapter 13; Ki Sisa, chapter 39; [and] Bamidbar Rabbah, chapter 2, and the end of Balak.)

Explanation

The parenthesis lists Talmudic and Midrashic discussions of this verse, among them the Gemara in Kiddushin, where Rabbi Meir teaches that Israel are called G‑d’s children in every state.

וזהו מבלי אשר לא ימצא כו׳ מראש ועד סוף שלא יהיה ראש וסוף כי למעלה ולמטה יהיה שוה כחשכה כאורה

And this is “so that [man] will not find,” etc., “from beginning to end”: that there will be no beginning and end, for above and below will be equal, “darkness is as light,”

Explanation

This also explains the end of the verse in Koheles, “so that man will not find … from beginning to end”: in the future there will be no “beginning” and “end,” no higher and lower. As the psalm says, “darkness is as light.”

כי בבחי׳ א״ס ואין מספר לא שייך מעלה ומטה כי הוא למעלה מעלה מבחינת השתלשלות ממדרגה למדרגה.

for at the level of the Infinite (Ein Sof) and “no number,” above and below do not apply, for it is far above the level of hishtalshelus (the chain of descending worlds), from rung to rung.

Explanation

At the level of the Infinite, which is beyond number, the distinction between above and below does not apply. That level is far above hishtalshelus, the descent from rung to rung.

Paragraph 10 in brief

The paragraph explains the two names in the verse: Israel are “My people” through the mitzvos, lose that name through sin, and through teshuvah become “children of the living G‑d,” a higher level. It then explains the end of the verse in Koheles, “from beginning to end,” as the future equality of above and below.

Deeper

This answers the question raised at the opening of the maamar about “so that man will not find … from beginning to end”: the infinite level reached through teshuvah has no “beginning” or “end,” no rungs of higher and lower.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    Kiddushin 36a:12
  2. 2
    לא עמי אתם · Hosea 2:1
  3. 3
    בצלמנו כדמותנו · Genesis 1:26
  4. 4
    בד״ה וארשתיך לי · לקמן ח, ג.
  5. 5
    מבלי אשר לא ימצא · Ecclesiastes 3:11
  6. 6
    כחשכה כאורה · Psalms 139:12
  7. 7
    במקום שבע״ת עומדים · Berakhot 34b:22–23
  8. 8
    Bamidbar Rabbah 2:12

11וזהו איש מזריע תחלה יולדת נקבה דהיינו שמה שצריך להיות ע״י אתערותא דלעילא תחלה בזמן שאין בהמ״ק קיים ע״י זה צריך להיות בחי׳ מספר וצמצום בחי׳ נקבה ודין.

And this is “When the man sows seed first, [the woman] gives birth to a female”: that is, because at a time when the Holy Temple does not stand there must first be an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila), through this there must be the level of number and contraction (tzimtzum), the level of female and judgment.

Explanation

The Talmud says that when the man “sows seed first,” a female is born. Applied here: when the movement must begin from above, as in the time without the Temple, the result is the “female” level of number, contraction and judgment.

וזהו שארז״ל בת קול שמנהמת כיונה ואומרת אוי לבנים כו׳ כנזכר בגמרא רפ״ק דברכות.

And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: a heavenly voice (bas kol) coos like a dove and says, “Woe to the children,” etc., as mentioned in the Gemara at the beginning of the first chapter of Berachos.

Explanation

This is why the Sages describe the heavenly voice in the ruins as “cooing like a dove” and lamenting, “Woe to the children.” The voice that comes in that time carries the quality of judgment.

Paragraph 11 in brief

The paragraph introduces a new image for the present: when the arousal comes first from above, the outcome is “female,” the level of number and judgment.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    איש מזריע תחלה · Berakhot 60a:14
  2. 2
    בת קול שמנהמת כיונה ואומרת אוי לבנים · Berakhot 3a:14
  3. 3
    רפ״ק דברכות · ג, א.

12ופ״ב דחגיגה יצתה בת קול ואמרה שובו בנים שובבים. וזהו מ״ש בזהר ענין הכרוזין שמלמעלה והם נמשכים מבחי׳ יג״מ הרחמים לעורר בתשובה. ועמ״ש ע״פ אדם כי יקריב מכם.

And in chapter 2 of Chagigah: “A heavenly voice went forth and said, ‘Return, O wayward children.’” And this is what is written in the Zohar about the proclamations from above, which are drawn from the level of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, to arouse [people] to teshuvah. And see what is written on [the verse] “When a man of you brings an offering.”

Explanation

The Talmud tells of a heavenly voice calling “Return, O wayward children,” and the Zohar speaks of proclamations from above that come from the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy to arouse people to teshuvah. The discourse on “When a man of you brings an offering” explains this further.

אך לפי שהתעוררות זו נמשך מבחי׳ אתעדל״ע לבד איש מזריע תחלה ע״כ יולדת נקבה היינו בחינה הנק׳ בת קול שהוא התולדה מבחי׳ קול העליון.

But because this arousal is drawn from the level of an arousal from above alone, “the man sows seed first,” therefore “she gives birth to a female”: that is, the level called bas kol (“daughter of a voice”), which is the offspring of the level of the supernal voice.

Explanation

Since this awakening comes from above alone, “the man sows first,” and the result is “female”: the bas kol, literally “daughter of a voice,” the offspring of the supernal voice.

והוא בבחי׳ גבורות וע״כ נקרא בת. ועיין בעה״כ בפרדס ערך בת (ועיין בתוספות פ״ק דסנהדרין די״א ע״א ד״ה בת קול. ובתוי״ט פרק בתרא דיבמות מ״ו ד״ה בת קול. וברש״י פ״ז דסוטה דל״ג ע״א)

And it is of the level of gevuros (severities), and therefore it is called bas (daughter). And see Erchei HaKinuyim in the Pardes, entry Bas. (And see Tosafos, first chapter of Sanhedrin, folio 11a, the passage beginning “Bas kol”; and Tosafos Yom Tov, last chapter of Yevamos, Mishnah 6, the passage beginning “Bas kol”; and Rashi, chapter 7 of Sotah, folio 33a.)

Explanation

It is of the level of gevuros, the severities, and so it is called “daughter.” The parenthesis refers to Kabbalistic and Talmudic discussions of the bas kol.

ולכן דינים שולטים בזמן שאין בהמ״ק קיים, אבל לעתיד לבא אשה מזרעת תחלה מלמטה למעלה בלא אתערותא דלעילא ולכן יולדת זכר בחי׳ חסדים להיות זכר חסדו וכו׳.

Therefore judgments (dinim) prevail at a time when the Holy Temple does not stand. But in the Time to Come “the woman sows seed first,” from below upward, without an arousal from above, and therefore “she gives birth to a male,” the level of chasadim (kindnesses), so that there be “He has remembered (zachar) His kindness,” etc.

Explanation

Therefore judgments prevail while the Temple does not stand. In the future the arousal will come first from below, “the woman sows first,” and the result will be “male,” the chasadim, as in “He has remembered (zachar) His kindness.”

(עוי״ל במעלת ומדרגת התשובה כנודע דבתשובה נאמר לפני הוי׳ תטהרו שנמשך מלמעלה מבחי׳ שם הוי׳. והענין כי שם הוי׳ זהו נמשך ע״י ד״י שבנפש רוח אש מים עפר כנ״ל.

(One may further explain [this] by the virtue and level of teshuvah, as is known: of teshuvah it is said, “Before Havayah you shall be purified,” which is drawn from above the level of the Name Havayah. The explanation is: the Name Havayah is drawn through the four elements in the soul, air (ruach), fire, water and earth, as mentioned above.

Explanation

Another explanation, from the greatness of teshuvah: of Yom Kippur it is said “before Havayah you shall be purified,” from a level above the Name Havayah. The Name Havayah itself is drawn down through the four elements of the soul.

אך לפני הוי׳ למעלה מד״י זהו מ״ש בע״ח שמ״א פ״ג ענין הבחי׳ שלמעלה מד״י הכולל ד״י בכח ולא בפועל כו׳ והוא מקורן ושרשן ולכן ע״י התשובה נשלם הפגמים שבד״י כו׳.

But “before Havayah,” above the four elements, is what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 41, chapter 3, on the level above the four elements, which includes the four elements potentially but not actually, etc., and is their source and root. Therefore through teshuvah the blemishes in the four elements are made whole, etc.

Explanation

“Before Havayah” is above the four elements: Etz Chaim describes a level that contains the four elements in potential, as their source and root. That is why teshuvah can repair the blemishes in the four elements.

וזהו ממש בחי׳ אשר לא יספר כי בתורה ומצות נאמר את מספר ימיך אמלא ע״ד ואברהם זקן בא בימים כו׳ כמשנ״ת בפ׳ משפטים,

And this is truly the level of “which cannot be counted.” For of Torah and mitzvos it is said, “The number of your days I will fulfill,” in the manner of “And Avraham was old, advanced in days,” etc., as was explained in Parshas Mishpatim;

Explanation

This is the level “which cannot be counted.” Torah and mitzvos are measured in time, “the number of your days I will fulfill,” as with Avraham, who was “advanced in days.”

אבל בע״ת אפלו בשעתא חדא ביומא חדא ברגעא חדא כו׳ קריבין לגבי קוב״ה מה דלא הוה הכי אפילו לצדיקים גמורים כמ״ש בזהר פרשה חיי שרה דקכ״ט ובגמרא יש קונה עולמו בשעה אחת כו׳

but baalei teshuvah, even in one hour, in one day, in one moment, etc., draw near to the Holy One, blessed be He, which is not so even for the completely righteous, as is written in the Zohar, Parshas Chayei Sarah, folio 129; and in the Gemara: “There is one who acquires his world in a single hour,” etc.

Explanation

Baalei teshuvah, by contrast, can draw near to G‑d in a single moment, which even the completely righteous do not, as the Zohar says. The Talmud likewise says that one may acquire his world in a single hour.

והיינו מפני שממשיך מבחי׳ שלמעלה מגדר מספר כנ״ל, וזהו ג״כ פי׳ את העלם נתן בלבם זה שמי לעלם כו׳ כי

This is because he draws from the level that is above the bounds of number, as mentioned above. And this is also the meaning of “He has set ha’olam in their heart”: “This is My Name le’olam,” etc. For

Explanation

This is because teshuvah draws from the level above number. It also explains “He has set ha’olam in their heart,” connected with “This is My Name le’olam.”

הנה גבי יג״מ הרחמים כתיב ויקרא הוי׳ הוי׳ ופסיק טעמא בגווייהו ועמ״ש בת״א פרשה בשלח בד״ה וירא ישראל כו׳ ובחי׳ שם הוי׳ שלמעלה מהשתלשלות זהו ענין זה שמי לעלם שהוא בבחי׳ העלם

regarding the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy it is written, “And He called: Havayah, Havayah,” and the accent divides between them (and see what is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Beshalach, in the discourse beginning “And Israel saw,” etc.); and the level of the Name Havayah that is above hishtalshelus is the matter of “This is My Name le’olam,” which is in a state of concealment (he’elem).

Explanation

In the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy the verse says “Havayah, Havayah,” with a pause between the two Names, showing two levels of the Name. The level of Havayah above hishtalshelus is “This is My Name le’olam,” the hidden Name.

וגם את ההעלם הזה נתן בלבם הכח להמשיכו מההעלם אל הגילוי ע״י התשובה והיינו ע״י כי בהלב יש ג״כ בחי׳ תעלומות לב שהוא פנימית נקודת הלב שלמעלה מהשכל כמ״ש בד״ה ביום השמיני שלח.

And also this concealment He set in their heart: the power to draw it from concealment into revelation through teshuvah. That is, through [the fact] that in the heart there is also the level of “the hidden places of the heart” (ta’alumos lev), which is the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the point of the heart, above intellect, as is explained in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day he sent.”

Explanation

This hidden Name is also “set in their heart”: Jews have the power to reveal it through teshuvah. That power lies in the “hidden places of the heart,” the innermost point of the heart, which is above intellect.

וזהו ענין התשובה ממעמקים קראתיך מעומקא דליבא וע״י גילוי תעלומות לב ממשיכים גילוי בחי׳ זה שמי לעלם כו׳ להיות שמיה רבא מברך לעלם ולעלמי עלמיא).

And this is the matter of teshuvah, “From the depths I have called You”: from the depth of the heart. And through revealing the hidden places of the heart, one draws down the revelation of the level of “This is My Name le’olam,” etc., so that there be “May His great Name be blessed forever (le’alam) and to all eternity.”)

Explanation

Hence teshuvah is “from the depths I have called You,” from the depth of the heart. Revealing those hidden places draws down the hidden Name, so that “His great Name be blessed le’alam,” openly.

ואזי ונקבצו בני יהודה ובני ישראל יחדיו פי׳ יהודה מלשון הפעם אודה שהוא בחי׳ ממטה

And then, “And the children of Yehudah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together.” The meaning: Yehudah is from the expression “This time I will thank (odeh),” which is the level from below

Explanation

Then “the children of Yehudah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together.” Yehudah, from “This time I will thank,” stands for the movement from below upward.

למעלה וישראל בחי׳ שמלמעלה למטה ונקבצו יחדיו שיהיה הכל ביחד ושמו להם ראש אחד שעכשיו הם שני בחי׳ יחוד יחודא עילאה ויחודא תתאה.

upward, and Israel is the level from above to below; “shall be gathered together”: that all will be together, “and they shall appoint for themselves one head.” For now they are two levels of unity, the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah) and the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah),

Explanation

Israel stands for the movement from above to below. Now these are two separate unities, the higher and the lower; in the future they will be gathered together under “one head.”

וכענין שנאמר כי לא מחשבותי מחשבותיכם שמלמעלה למטה כל מה שלמטה מטה הוא כאין ואפס לגבי העליון ממנו וממטה למעלה הוא בהיפך משא״כ לעת״ל יהיה ראש אחד

as in what is said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts”: from above to below, whatever is lower is as nothing and naught relative to what is higher than it, and from below upward it is the reverse; whereas in the Time to Come there will be “one head,”

Explanation

From above, each lower level is as nothing before the one above it, and from below it is the reverse, as “My thoughts are not your thoughts.” In the Time to Come there will be “one head.”

דהיינו למהוי אחד באחד (ועמ״ש ע״פ ויגש אליו יהודה) כי גדול יום יזרעאל פי׳ יזרעאל זריעת אל

that is, to be “one with One” (and see what is written on [the verse] “And Yehudah approached him”), “for great is the day of Yizre’el.” The meaning of Yizre’el is the sowing (zeri’ah) of Kel,

Explanation

Then they will be “one with One.” “Great is the day of Yizre’el”: Yizre’el is read as zeri’as Kel, “the sowing of Kel.”

כי חסד נקרא בשם אל והיינו הצדקה וחסד שעושין למטה שנזרע בארץ שמטמינים אותו בעפר.

for Chesed (kindness) is called by the name Kel; that is, the charity and kindness that are done below, which is sown in the earth, in that one hides it in the soil.

Explanation

Kel is the Name associated with Chesed, so “the sowing of Kel” is the charity and kindness done below. Like seed buried in the soil, they are hidden for now.

וכך כל המצות הם נזרעו ונתלבשו בלבושים גשמיים ולעתיד לבוא הארץ תוציא צמחה יהי׳ מצמיח ישועות

And so all the mitzvos were sown and enclothed in physical garments; and in the Time to Come “the earth will bring forth her growth”: there will be “He causes salvations to sprout,”

Explanation

All the mitzvos are like seeds sown in physical garments. In the Time to Come “the earth will bring forth her growth,” and G‑d “causes salvations to sprout” from them.

כי קרובה ישועתי לבוא ועי״ז נעשה הכל בחי׳ יום שלא יהיה ב׳ בחי׳ אור וחשך רק לעת ערב יהי׳ אור. וזהו כי גדול יום מאחר שנעשה הכל בחי׳ יום וכו׳:

for “My salvation is near to come.” And through this everything becomes the level of “day,” so that there will not be two levels, light and darkness, but “at evening time there shall be light.” And this is “for great is the day”: since everything has become the level of “day,” etc.

Explanation

Then all will be “day,” with no division between light and darkness: “at evening time there shall be light.” This is “great is the day of Yizre’el.”

Paragraph 12 in brief

The paragraph contrasts the heavenly voice of exile, which comes from above alone and is “female,” judgment, with the future arousal from below that brings “male,” kindness. It explains how teshuvah reaches above number and reveals the hidden Name, and concludes with the verse’s promise: Yehudah and Israel united under one head, and the seeds of the mitzvos sprouting on the great “day of Yizre’el.”

Deeper

The two directions of service, from below upward (Yehudah, thanksgiving) and from above downward (Israel), correspond to the lower and higher unities discussed earlier. The Kehot note quotes the Mitteler Rebbe’s explanation that “the sowing of Kel” is the sowing of the supernal chasadim of Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus in Malchus, the souls of Israel.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    ופ״ב דחגיגה · טו, א.
  2. 2
    Chagigah 15a:6
  3. 3
    ע״פ אדם כי יקריב · לקו״ת ויקרא ב, ג.
  4. 4
    זכר חסדו · Psalms 98:3
  5. 5
    את מספר ימיך אמלא · Exodus 23:26
  6. 6
    ואברהם זקן בא בימים · Genesis 24:1
  7. 7
    בשעתא חדא ביומא חדא ברגעא חדא · Zohar, Chayei Sara 15:114–16:121
  8. 8
    יש קונה עולמו · Avodah Zarah 10b:15–16
  9. 9
    ויקרא ה׳ ה׳ · Exodus 34:6
  10. 10
    הוי׳ הוי׳ ופסיק טעמא · זח״ג (קלח, א. רפט, ב). [כ].
  11. 11
    תעלומות לב · Psalms 44:22
  12. 12
    ממעמקים קראתיך · Psalms 130:1
  13. 13
    שמי׳ רבא מברך · Berakhot 3a:6
  14. 14
    ונקבצו בני יהודא · Hosea 2:2
  15. 15
    הפעם אודה · Genesis 29:35
  16. 16
    שהוא בחי׳ ממטה למעלה · נתבאר בד״ה ויגש אליו יהודה — תשכ״ה (נ׳ בקונטרס ה׳ טבת תשנ״א).
  17. 17
    כי לא מחשבותי מחשבותיכם · Isaiah 55:8
  18. 18
    למהוי אחד באחד · Zohar II, 135a
  19. 19
    ע״פ ויגש אליו יהודה · תו״א מד, ב.
  20. 20
    כי גדול יום יזרעאל · Hosea 2:2
  21. 21
    פי׳ יזרעאל זריעת א-ל כי חסד נקרא בשם א-ל · ומבאר כ״ק אדה״א במדבר-א ע׳ קיז ”דחסדים עליונים שהוא א-ל מאלקי׳ . . . שנזרעו חסדים עליונים דז״א דאצי׳ במל׳ שהן בנ״י למעלה ולמטה והוא בחי׳ זריעת אור דנש״י בבטן המל׳”.
  22. 22
    שמטמינים אותו בעפר · ”שמצמיח ויעשה פרי למעלה בתוס׳ ברכה מרובה” — מאמרי אדה״א במדבר ע׳ קיח. ובסה״מ תקס״ה-ב ע׳ תקפח מוסיף ”(כענין ברכת יצחק במאה שערים כו׳)”.
  23. 23
    הארץ תוציא צמחה · Isaiah 61:11
  24. 24
    מצמיח ישועות · ברכת יוצר.
  25. 25
    כי קרובה ישועתי · Isaiah 56:1
  26. 26
    לעת ערב יהי׳ אור · Zechariah 14:7
  27. 27
    לפני ה׳ תטהרו · Leviticus 16:30

13קיצור. שכל זה עכשיו ההמשכות מים ורוח גבוה מההעלאה דארץ ואש. אבל לע״ל תהיה מעלת האתעדל״ת גבוה מצד עצמה והיה אור הלבנה כאור החמה שוין בקומתן.

Summary. That all this is now: the drawings down of water and spirit are higher than the ascent of earth and fire. But in the Time to Come the virtue of the arousal from below (isarusa dilesata) will be high in its own right, and “the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun,” equal in their stature.

Explanation

The summary of the third section: now the “water” and “spirit” drawn from above are higher than the ascent of “earth” and “fire” from below, but in the future the arousal from below will be great in its own right. Then “the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun,” the two equal in stature, as the Talmud says they were at creation.

ובחינת מספר בני ישראל המצות יהיה בבחי׳ אשר לא יספר ע״ד ולתבונתו אין מספר. והיינו על ידי התשובה.

And the level of “the number of the children of Israel,” the mitzvos, will be at the level of “which cannot be counted,” in the manner of “His understanding has no number.” And this is through teshuvah (return).

Explanation

The counted “number of the children of Israel,” the mitzvos, will become uncountable, like “His understanding has no number.” This comes about through teshuvah.

וזהו והיה במקום כו׳. וזהו מבלי אשר כו׳ אשה מזרעת תחלה אתעדל״ת ונקבצו כו׳ כי גדול יום כו׳:

And this is “And it shall be that in the place,” etc. And this is “so that … not,” etc.; “the woman sows seed first,” the arousal from below; “and [they] shall be gathered,” etc., “for great is the day,” etc.

Explanation

This explains “in the place where it is said…,” the end of the verse in Koheles, “so that man will not find…,” “the woman sows seed first,” and “they shall be gathered together … for great is the day of Yizre’el.”

Paragraph 13 in brief

A brief summary of the maamar’s third section.

Marei mekomos

  1. 1
    והי׳ אור הלבנה כאור החמה · Isaiah 30:26
  2. 2
    שוין בקומתן · Chullin 60b
  3. 3
    אשר לא יספר · Hosea 2:1
  4. 4
    ולתבונתו אין מספר · Psalms 147:5
  5. 5
    אשה מזרעת תחלה · Berakhot 60a:14
  6. 6
    כי גדול יום · Hosea 2:2

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In one’s avodah

The maamar draws its lesson in the second and third sections: since the body and the world hide the soul’s yearning, a person must draw G‑d’s “visiting” upon himself through the mitzvos, put on tallis and tefillin before prayer, and toil in prayer every day so that hidden love and awe are born and revealed in the heart; and he must speak words of Torah so that “the spirit of Havayah” rests upon him. Teshuvah from the depth of the heart reaches above all number and can turn the very place of distance into closeness.

Questions for discussion

  1. Why is Malchus, of all the divine attributes, the source of the worlds and of the souls, and why is it called “earth”?
  2. How do the mitzvos (“water”) and the Torah (“spirit”) differ in what they draw down into the soul?
  3. What does it mean that every prayer is a “birth” of love and awe, and why are the mitzvos of tallis and tefillin put on before it?
  4. Why will the arousal from below be higher than the arousal from above in the Time to Come, and how do the sand above the sea and “a female shall encompass a male” express this?
  5. How can teshuvah turn a counted “number” into one that “cannot be counted,” and “not My people” into “children of the living G‑d” in the very same place?

Key terms in this maamar

The Name Havayahהוי׳
The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
The highest world, still one with G‑d. ×2
The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
The first world of separate existence. ×3
The World of Yetzirah (Formation)יצירה
The world of the angels and emotions. ×1
The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
The lowest world, including our physical one.
Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×2
Life-forceחיות
The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×2
The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
G‑d's own boundless essence.
Accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol)קבלת עול
Submission to G‑d's will beyond understanding.
Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah)אבא ואמא
The intellectual configurations.
Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
The first flash of insight. ×5
The general and collective expression (klalus)כללות
That which encompasses the particulars as one: their general and collective expression (the klal, as against the prat). Never “sum”, “sum total”, “totality” or “general principle”, as if the particulars were added up (וכללותן היא מצות הצדקה is “their general and collective expression is the mitzvah of charity”). Render by sense: “their general and collective expression”, “that which encompasses them all”, “X in general”, “X as a whole”. Keep התכללות as “inclusion” / “inter-inclusion”. ×1
The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×2
Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×2
Chesed (kindness)חסד
Expansive giving. ×3
The intellect (mochin)מוחין
Chochmah, Binah and Daas as a whole. ×3
Love and aweאהבה ויראה
The two 'wings' of divine service. ×3
The Name Elokimאלקים
G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×7
Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×2
Tiferes (beauty)תפארת
Harmony of kindness and restraint; associated with compassion. ×1
Keser (the Crown)כתר
The level above intellect: divine will and delight. ×1
The higher unity (yichuda ila'ah)יחודא עילאה
The world is nothing next to G‑d. ×1
The lower unity (yichuda tata'ah)יחודא תתאה
G‑d is present within the world's existence. ×1
An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
Human initiative that draws down a divine response. ×2
Teshuvah (return)תשובה
Returning to G‑d; not only repentance. ×15
Binah (understanding)בינה
Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×1
The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×6
The Sefirosספירות
The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation.
Yesod (foundation)יסוד
The channel that connects and transmits. ×9
An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
Divine initiative, unprompted by us. ×2
The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
The innermost core of a level.
Willרצון
Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×11

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Contents

Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה

Parshas Bamidbarבמדבר

  1. 1וידבר ה׳ אל משה במדבר סיני…“Havayah spoke to Moshe in the Wilderness of Sinai”
  2. 2ביאור הדברים הנה אית רצון ואית…Explanation of the matters: “There is will and there is will”
  3. 3מבן עשריםFrom Twenty Years Old
  4. 4וידבר ה׳ אל משה במדבר סיני…“And Havayah spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai”
  5. 5להבין ביאור הדברים הנ״ל בענין במדבר…To understand the explanation of the matters above concerning “in the Wilderness of Sinai”
  6. 6והיה מספר בנ״י כחול הים אשר…“And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea…”
    1. Man as a small world; Malchus is “earth” ¶1–5
    2. Visiting the earth: mitzvos, prayer and Torah ¶6–8
    3. The Time to Come: the uncountable number ¶9–13
    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. 3
    4. 4
    5. 5
    6. 6
    7. 7
    8. 8
    9. 9
    10. 10
    11. 11
    12. 12
    13. 13
  7. 7ביאור הדברים ע״פ והיה מספר בני…Explanation of the words on “And the number of the children of Israel shall be”
  8. 8ביאור מעט ע״פ כי גדול יום…A brief explanation on “For great is the day of Yizre’el”
  9. 9וארשתיך לי לעולםAnd I Will Betroth You to Me Forever
  10. 10ביאור מעט ע״פ וארשתיך ליA brief explanation of “And I will betroth you to Me”
  11. 11וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת וגו׳ תספרו…“And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbos”
  12. 12בישעיה סי׳ י״א ז׳“And the lion, like the ox, shall eat straw” (Isaiah 11:7)
  13. 13ביאור על הדרוש וספרתם לכם דחג…An explanation of the discourse “And you shall count for yourselves” of the Festival of Shavuos
  14. 14בשעה שהקדימו ישראל נעשה לנשמע יצתה…
  15. 15ביאור על בשעה שהקדימוAn explanation of “At the time when they put ‘we will do’ first”
  16. 16ענין שניתנה התורה על הר סיני…The Torah Was Given on Mount Sinai
  17. 17וידבר אלקים את כל הדברים האלה…And G‑d Spoke All These Words
  18. 18ביאור על הדברים הנ״לAn explanation of the matters mentioned above
  19. 19דרוש לשבועותA discourse for Shavuos: “And I was with Him a nurturer”
  20. 20ביאור ע״פ ואהיה אצלו אמוןAn explanation of “And I was with Him as a nursling (amon)”
  21. 21וענין ממושבותיכם תביאו לחם תנופה שתיםThe meaning of “From your dwellings you shall bring bread of waving, two [loaves]”