Likkutei Torah · Parshas Bechukosai · Maamar 4
אלה החוקים והמשפטים והתורות אשר נתן ה׳ בינו…
These are the statutes, the ordinances and the teachings
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The big idea
The blessings and curses of Bechukosai belong to the commandments themselves: the blessings reveal G‑dliness to Israel and the curses remove the forces that hide it. They are given “between Himself and the children of Israel” because the curses deal with a screen that sin has already made.
The maamar in brief
The maamar asks why the blessings and curses of Bechukosai are called “statutes, ordinances and teachings,” though they command nothing, and why they were given “between Himself and the children of Israel.” It turns to the parshah’s opening verse: walking, keeping and doing are thought, speech and action. Walking is contemplation of G‑d’s greatness, rising level after level and lifting the world along; the careful study of halachos is such a going. Keeping is the spoken study of Mishnah and halachah, which fixes faith in G‑d’s oneness even within one who cannot climb, for the Shechinah stays with every Jew even in his lowest exile. Doing is action, which alone draws down the light that encompasses all worlds, as a gesture conveys more than words; charity brings the peace that holds every blessing. The blessings are revealed closeness to G‑d, while the curses fall on the external forces, never on Israel’s essence. This explains why Yitzchak wished to bless Esav, why the blessings went to Yaakov, and Yaakov’s “Rise, please, sit and eat” as the path from contemplation to revelation. Blessings and curses both flow from the commandments; only the curses deal with a screen that sin has made.
Outline
- The questions; walking as thoughtWhy the blessings and curses are called statutes, and why “between Himself”; “walking” is the contemplation of G‑d’s greatness, rising level after level with the world, and the careful study of halachos is its path.¶1–3
- Keeping as speechEven one who cannot climb keeps faith in G‑d’s oneness fixed within him by speaking and repeating halachah, for the Shechinah is with him even in exile and even when he sins.¶4–5
- Doing as actionAction alone draws down the light that encompasses all worlds, like a hint to the wise; the act of charity brings the peace that holds every blessing.¶6–7
- The blessings and the cursesThe blessings are revealed closeness to G‑d; the curses fall on the external forces, and even “the stranger in your midst” is read as the Shechinah rising within while the body sinks.¶8–10
- Yitzchak, Esav and YaakovYitzchak meant to subdue Esav through the blessings, but Esav is wholly evil; the blessings went to Yaakov, and “Rise, please, sit and eat” describes how evil is subdued and revelation drawn down.¶11–12
- The answerBlessings and curses flow from the commandments themselves; they are “between Himself and Israel” because the curses remove a screen that sin has made.¶13
Key concepts
- Thought, speech and actionמחשבה דיבור ומעשה
- The three verbs of “If you walk in My statutes, keep My commandments and do them”: contemplation that rises, Torah study spoken aloud that keeps, and the deed of a mitzvah that draws down.
- The light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)סובב כל עלמין
- Divine light beyond all thought and speech, drawn down only through action, the way a gesture conveys what words cannot.
- My pledge (mashkona)משכונא דילי
- The Zohar’s reading of “My Sanctuary in your midst”: the G‑dliness G‑d leaves within every Jew, which stays with him even in exile and even while he sins.
- The stranger in your midstהגר אשר בקרבך
- Read as the Shechinah, source of the hidden love in every Jewish heart: a stranger in the body that rises through contemplation of G‑d’s greatness while the body and the external forces sink.
- From his side (mitzido)מצדו
- Foreign thoughts in prayer: a person’s own past thoughts, neither wholly against his will nor fully willed, drawn after him as he rises, like mud on the hem of a long garment.
- The chariot (merkavah)מרכבה
- The Patriarchs, wholly nullified to G‑d’s unity, who needed no revelation drawn down below; so Yitzchak saw no need to bless Yaakov.
The questions; walking as thought ¶1–3
1אלה החוקים1 והמשפטים2 והתורות אשר נתן ה׳ בינו ובין בני ישראל. הנה לכאורה לא שייך לומר חוקים ומשפטים ותורות על הברכות וקללות הכתובים למעלה בפ׳ זו שאין בהם ציווי דבר חוק ומשפט.34
“These are the statutes, the ordinances and the teachings which Havayah gave between Himself and the children of Israel.” Now, at first glance it is not fitting to say “statutes, ordinances and teachings” about the blessings and curses written above in this parshah, since they contain no command of any matter of statute or ordinance.
The maamar opens with the verse that closes the blessings and curses of Parshas Bechukosai. It raises a difficulty: “statutes, ordinances and teachings” are words for commandments, yet the blessings and curses just listed command nothing; they only promise reward and warn of punishment.
The maamar opens with its first question: why does the Torah call the blessings and curses “statutes, ordinances and teachings,” when they contain no commands?
According to the Kehot notes, the Alter Rebbe said this maamar in 5557 and again in 5569; the Tzemach Tzedek recalled that his grandfather said it on Shabbos Parshas Behar-Bechukosai 5569. The Rebbe Rayatz adds that the reshimos discuss at length both its content and the reason why, unlike the other maamarim of Likkutei Torah, it carries no glosses, citations or sources.
Marei mekomos
- 1אלה החוקים · נאמרה בשנת תקנ״ז — ראה רשימת המאמרים שבסו״ס מאמרים קצרים ע׳ תריח הערה 90. ובשנת תקס״ט — ראה אגרות קודש דכ״ק אדמו״ר מוהריי״צ נ״ע ח״ד ע׳ רמד. כ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ סיפר: שבת פ׳ בהו״ב שנת תקס״ט האָט דער זיידע — רבנו הזקן — געזאָגט דעם מאמר אלה החוקים והמשפטים והתורות, הנדפס בלקוטי תורה. — בהרשימות — כותב כ״ק אדמו״ר (מהוריי״צ) נ״ע — יש אריכות גדולה בתוכן מאמר זה, ובטעם הדבר מדוע אין עליו הגהות וציונים ומראה מקומות, כמו שישנם על שארי המאמרים בלקוטי תורה, כפי שסיפר דבר זה הוד כ״ק אאזמו״ר הרה״ק מוהר״ש לבנו כ״ק אאמו״ר הרה״ק בשם הוד כ״ק אביו אאזמו״ר הרה״ק צמח צדק זצוקללה״ה (ספר המאמרים קונטרסים, תו, א).
- 2אלה החוקים והמשפטים · Leviticus 26:46
- 3הנחת כ״ק אדמו״ר האמצעי נדפס במאמרי אדה״ז — פרשיות בחקותי ע׳ תקצט (ומתחיל · לה״ע אם בחוקותי תלכו). וראה להלן בהוספות להערות וציונים השוואות לד״ה זה.
- 4
2וגם להבין מהו בינו ובין בני ישראל1 והל״ל אל בני ישראל וכו׳. אך הענין דהנה בפ׳ שלמעלה כתיב אם בחקותי תלכו ואת מצותי תשמרו ועשיתם2
Also, [we need] to understand what “between Himself and the children of Israel” means; it should have said “to the children of Israel,” etc. But the explanation is this: in the parshah above it is written, “If you walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do
A second question: the verse says the Torah was given “between Himself and the children of Israel,” as though speaking of two sides with something between them, rather than simply “to the children of Israel.” To answer both questions, the Alter Rebbe turns to the opening verse of the parshah: “If you walk in My statutes, keep My commandments and do them.”
אותם וג׳ בחי׳ אלו תלכו תשמרו ועשיתם אותם הם כנגד מחשבה דיבור ומעשה, בחקותי תלכו הוא ענין המחשבה בעיון והשגת גדולתו ית׳ שיש בה כמה מדרגות זו למעלה מזו
them.” These three levels, “walk,” “keep” and “do them,” correspond to thought, speech and action. “Walk in My statutes” is the matter of thought, in contemplating and comprehending His greatness, may He be blessed, in which there are many levels, one above the other;
The three verbs match a person’s three faculties of service: walking is thought, keeping is speech, doing is action. Thought is called “walking” because contemplating G‑d’s greatness has many rungs, each above the last, and the mind moves from one to the next.
ולכן נק׳ בשם הליכה כמ״ש ילכו מחיל אל חיל3 והוא ענין מ״ש הליכות עולם לו4 פי׳ שהולך ונעתק מזה העולם לו לבדו ליבטל אליו ליחודו ית׳ בהשגתו בגדולתו מדרגה אחר מדרגה
and therefore it is called by the name “walking,” as it is written, “They go from strength to strength.” And this is the meaning of what is written, “The goings of the world are to Him (halichos olam lo)”: that is, one goes and moves away from this world to Him alone, to be nullified to Him, to His unity, may He be blessed, through his comprehension of His greatness, level after level;
The Psalm describes those who “go from strength to strength,” rising without rest. The Alter Rebbe reads Habakkuk’s halichos olam lo as “the goings of the world are to Him”: in contemplation a person leaves the frame of this world and goes toward G‑d alone, nullified to His unity, rung after rung.
וגם הליכות העולם עצמו לו שגם העולם עצמו הולך ומתעלה עם האדם ליחודו ית׳ מאחר שהאדם הוא בתוכו5 ונק׳ הליכות לשון רבים כמארז״ל אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות.6
and also the goings of the world itself are “to Him,” for the world itself also goes and rises with the person to His unity, may He be blessed, since the person is within it. And it is called halichos, in the plural, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Do not read halichos (goings), but halachos (laws).”
The world itself also rises: a person lives within the world, so when he ascends, the world ascends with him. The plural halichos leads to the Gemara’s reading, “do not read halichos but halachos,” which the next paragraph develops.
The three verbs of “If you walk in My statutes” correspond to thought, speech and action; “walking” is the contemplation of G‑d’s greatness, in which a person, and the world with him, rises level after level toward His unity.
Marei mekomos
- 1
- 2
- 3ילכו מחיל אל חיל · Psalms 84:8
- 4הליכות עולם לו · Habakkuk 3:6
- 5פי׳ שהולך ונעתק . . מאחר והאדם הוא בתוכו · מובא באוה״ת ויקרא-ב ע׳ תרפ.
- 6א״ת הליכות אלא הלכות · Megillah 28b:17
3וכמ״ש ועלמות אין מספר12 ודרשו רז״ל אלו הלכות3 שלכן נקראו בשם הלכות שע״י העיון בהם להשיגו היטב על בוריו
And as it is written, “and maidens (alamos) without number,” and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: “These are the halachos.” This is why they are called by the name halachos: because through contemplating them, so as to grasp it well and thoroughly,
The Tikkunei Zohar reads “maidens (alamos) without number” in the Song of Songs as the halachos, which have no number. The Alter Rebbe explains why laws are called halachos, a word of “going”: studying them closely, until each one is understood clearly, is itself a way of rising.
זוכה האדם לילך ממדרגה למדרגה בהשגת גדולת א״ס ב״ה וקרבתו אם קרבת אלקים יחפץ באמת ויבקשנה ככסף4 כו׳ ויגעתי ומצאתי5 כו׳ ולאפוקי מי שאינו כו׳.
a person merits to go from level to level in grasping the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, and closeness to Him, if he truly desires closeness to G‑d “and seeks it like silver,” etc., “I have toiled and I have found,” etc.; which excludes one who does not, etc.
Through such study a person climbs from level to level in grasping the greatness of the Infinite One and comes close to Him. This holds only if he truly wants closeness to G‑d and searches for it as one searches for silver; “I toiled and I found” teaches that finding comes through toil, which excludes one who does not search in this way.
The halachos are named for “going” because their careful study carries a person from level to level in grasping G‑d’s greatness, provided he truly seeks closeness to Him and toils for it.
Marei mekomos
- 1ועלמות אין מספר · Song of Songs 6:8
- 2
- 3אלו הלכות · ת״ז (ת״ו) קמד, ב — ד׳ זיטאמיר. [כ].
- 4ויבקשנה ככסף · Proverbs 2:4
- 5ויגעתי ומצאתי · Megillah 6b:3–4
Keeping as speech ¶4–5
4ואת מצותי תשמרו הוא ענין הדבור כמארז״ל שמור זו משנה123 שהוא הדבור בד״ת מלשון ושננתם לבניך.4 והענין כי אף מי שמוחו קטן להשיג בגדולת ה׳ ולילך בה ממדרגה למדרגה.
“And keep My commandments” is the matter of speech, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “‘Keep’: this is Mishnah,” which is speech in words of Torah, from the language of “and you shall teach them diligently (veshinantam) to your children.” And the explanation is: even one whose mind is too small to grasp G‑d’s greatness and to go in it from level to level,
The second verb, “keep My commandments,” is speech: the Sages read “keep” as the study of Mishnah, which is learned by saying it over and over, and the word Mishnah is related to veshinantam, “teach them diligently.” The Alter Rebbe introduces this way of serving for one whose mind is too small to climb in contemplation from level to level.
הנה אעפ״כ יש בכל א׳ ואחד מישראל בחי׳ אלקות ודבר ה׳ השוכן בתוכו וכמ״ש ונתתי משכני בתוככם5 ופי׳ בזהר6 משכונא דילי7 והוא עד״מ כאדם שנותן משכון לחבירו שהמשכון אינו מרצונו הטוב כך כביכול
even so, in each and every one of Israel there is the level of G‑dliness and the word of G‑d dwelling within him, as it is written, “And I will place My Sanctuary (mishkani) in your midst,” which the Zohar explains as “My pledge (mashkona).” And this is, by way of analogy, like a person who gives a pledge to his fellow, where the pledge is not of his own good will; so too, as it were,
Even such a person has within him a G‑dly level, the word of G‑d dwelling inside him. The Zohar reads mishkani, “My Sanctuary,” as mashkona, “My pledge”: a pledge is handed over out of obligation rather than as a free gift, and so too, as it were, G‑d’s Presence stays with Israel even when their conduct does not call for it.
הנה ארז״ל גלו לאדום שכינה עמהם89 פי׳ אף כי ידע אינש בנפשו איה מקומו שהוא בתחתית המדריגה בגלות אדום וישמעאל כו׳
our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “They were exiled to Edom: the Shechinah (Divine Presence) is with them.” That is: even though a person knows within himself where his place is, that he is at the very bottom level, in the exile of Edom and Yishmael, etc.,
The Sifrei teaches that wherever Israel were exiled, to Edom as well, the Shechinah went with them. Applied to the inner life, a person may know in himself that he stands at the lowest rung, in the exile of “Edom and Yishmael.”
שהם המה מדות הרעות תאוות וכעס ודומיהן מכל מקום לא יפול לבו בקרבו לאמר אבדה תקותי
which are the evil traits, lusts and anger and the like, nevertheless, let his heart not fall within him, saying, “My hope is lost.”
The Alter Rebbe reads these exiles inwardly as the evil traits: lusts, anger and the like. Even one who finds himself there must not lose heart and say that his hope is gone.
כי האמת אינו כן שאפילו בגלות שכינה עמהם הנותנת לו חיות אלקות אפי׳ בעודו עובר על
For the truth is not so: even in exile the Shechinah is with them, giving him G‑dly life-force even while he is transgressing
Despair is mistaken, because the Shechinah is with Israel even in exile, and it keeps giving a person G‑dly life-force even at the very moment he is transgressing G‑d’s will.
רצונו ית׳ שיוכל לקבוע במוחו ומחשבתו ענין אמונת אחדותו ית׳ האמיתי כי בשמים ממעל10 ועל הארץ מתחת אין עוד וכולא קמי׳ כלא חשיב.11
His will, may He be blessed, so that he is able to fix in his mind and thought the faith in His true oneness, may He be blessed: that “in the heavens above and on the earth below there is nothing else,” and “all before Him is accounted as nothing.”
Because that life-force is always present, a person is always able to fix in his mind true faith in G‑d’s oneness: that in the heavens above and on the earth below there is nothing else, and that, in the Zohar’s words, all before Him is accounted as nothing.
“Keep My commandments” is speech, the spoken study of Mishnah, offered to one who cannot climb in contemplation; it rests on the G‑dliness within every Jew, which stays with him even in his lowest inner exile, so that true faith in G‑d’s oneness always remains within his reach.
In the Zohar’s parable behind “My pledge” (Zohar III, 114a), a man who wished to live with his friend left his treasured possessions with him as a pledge that he would never part from him; so the Holy One, blessed be He, left His pledge with Israel, and even in exile it remains with them.
Marei mekomos
- 1שמור זו משנה · Deuteronomy 4:6
- 2שמור זו משנה · Sifrei Devarim 59
- 3שמור זו משנה · Rashi on Deuteronomy 4:6
- 4ושננתם לבניך · Deuteronomy 6:7
- 5ונתתי משכני בתוככם · Leviticus 26:11
- 6ופי׳ בזהר · זח״ג (קיד, א). [כ].
- 7ונתתי משכני בתוככם ופי׳ בזהר משכונא דילי · Zohar, Bechukotai 7:26–9:36
- 8גלו לאדום שכינה עמהם · ספרי מסעי לה, ד. על״ק כי תצא הב׳ פ״ב [לה, ד]. וש״נ. [כ].
- 9גלו לאדום שכינה עמהם · Sifrei Bamidbar 161:5
- 10בשמים ממעל · Deuteronomy 4:39
- 11וכולא קמי׳ כלא חשיב · Zohar I, 11b
5וזהו אני ה׳ אלקיכם כי הוי׳ הוא בחי׳ היה הוה ויהי׳ ואני הוי׳ לא שניתי1 הוא יכול להיות שורה וקבוע במוחו להיות לנו בבחי׳ אלקיכם וכמ״ש במ״א.
And this is [the meaning of] “I am Havayah your G‑d.” For Havayah is the level of “was, is and will be,” and “I, Havayah, have not changed”; [yet] He can rest and be fixed in his mind, to be for us at the level of “your G‑d” (Elokeichem), as is explained elsewhere.
The verse’s words “I am Havayah your G‑d” express this. Havayah is G‑d beyond time, “was, is and will be” as one, Who never changes; yet this very level can rest and be fixed in a person’s mind, so that He becomes “your G‑d” (Elokeichem), G‑d as He relates to each of us.
אך צריך שתהי׳ בחי׳ זו שמורה וקבועה בו בתוכו ממש שלא יהי׳ רק כמו שעומד
But this level must be kept and fixed in him, truly within him, so that it is not merely as though it stands
But this faith must be kept and fixed truly inside a person, not left merely hovering over him.
על שכלו מלמעלה ואינו נתאמת ונתפס בשכלו היטב כמ״ש ונתתי משכני בתוככם דייקא והשמירה לזה ארז״ל שמור זו משנה שהוא הדיבור והשינ ון בד״ת
over his intellect from above, and is not verified and well grasped in his intellect; as it is written, “And I will place My Sanctuary in your midst,” specifically. And the keeping of this is [what] our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “‘Keep’: this is Mishnah,” which is the speaking and repetition (shinun) of words of Torah;
Faith that only stands above the intellect is never confirmed and grasped by it; the verse says “in your midst” precisely, within the person. Its keeping is “‘keep’: this is Mishnah,” the speaking and repeating of words of Torah.
for “‘The word of Havayah’: this is halachah,” and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Whoever studies (shoneh) halachos.” This is only the level of keeping: that what has already been given to him be kept within him; even
The Gemara reads “the word of Havayah” as halachah, so speaking halachah brings G‑d’s own word into a person’s mouth, and the Sages praise “whoever studies halachos.” This mode is only “keeping”: it does not climb, but it guards within a person what he has already been given.
שאינו יכול לילך ולהתעלות מעלה מעלה בהשגת גדולתו וקרבתו ית׳ מ״מ ע״י המשכת עולם הדבור בתוכו כמ״ש ותורתך בתוך מעי4 וכתיב ואשים דברי בפיך5 כו׳
though he cannot go and rise higher and higher in grasping His greatness and closeness to Him, may He be blessed, nevertheless, through drawing the world of speech within him, as it is written, “And Your Torah is within my innards,” and it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth,” etc.,
Even one who cannot rise ever higher in grasping G‑d’s greatness can draw the “world of speech,” the divine word of the Torah, into himself as he says it. The verses “Your Torah is within my innards” and “I have put My words in your mouth” describe the Torah’s words entering a person.
נתפס ונתאמת אצלו ענין אמונת אחדותו ית׳ באמת לאמיתו ולא בדמיונות שוא כמארז״ל אין הגליות מתכנסות
the faith in His oneness, may He be blessed, is grasped and verified for him in absolute truth, and not in empty imaginings. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The exiles are not gathered in
By this, faith in G‑d’s oneness becomes grasped and confirmed for him as the real truth, not as an empty fantasy. The Midrash on the ingathering of the exiles is brought in support.
אלא בזכות המשניות6 שהוא בחי׳ הדבור בת״ת שנאמר גם כי יתנו בגוים7 עתה אקבצם פי׳ שאע״פ שהם בבחי׳ גלות שכינה עמהם וזהו שארז״ל על פסוק על מה אבדה הארץ8 על ביטול תורה910
except by the merit of the Mishnayos,” which is the level of speech in Torah study, “as it is said, ‘Even though they study (yisnu) among the nations, now I will gather them.’” That is: although they are in a state of exile, the Shechinah (Divine Presence) is with them. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said on the verse “For what is the land lost?”: “For the neglect of Torah.”
The Midrash reads Hosea’s yisnu as “they study”: by the merit of Mishnah studied in exile, G‑d will gather Israel in, since the Shechinah is with them there. The Sages also answer Jeremiah’s question, why the land was lost, with the neglect of Torah.
כי ע״י ביטול תורה שהוא בחי׳ דבר ה׳ אבדה האמונה11 שהיא בחי׳ הארץ הדום רגלי שאינו נתפס במוחו אמונת יחודו ית׳.1213
For through the neglect of Torah, which is the level of “the word of Havayah,” “faith is lost,” which is the level of “the earth, My footstool”: meaning that the faith in His unity, may He be blessed, is not grasped in his mind.
The Alter Rebbe identifies “the land” with faith, which is the level of “the earth, My footstool.” When Torah, the word of G‑d, is neglected, faith in His unity is no longer grasped in the mind, and so, in Jeremiah’s words, “faith is lost.”
“I am Havayah your G‑d” means that the timeless G‑d can dwell in a person’s mind; speaking and repeating halachah keeps that faith firmly inside him, while the neglect of Torah lets it be lost.
Marei mekomos
- 1אני ה׳ לא שניתי · Malachi 3:6
- 2דבר ה׳ זו הלכה · Shabbat 138b:11–12
- 3וכמארז״ל השונה הלכות · Megillah 28b:16–18
- 4ותורתך בתוך מעי · Psalms 40:9
- 5ואשים דברי בפיך · Isaiah 51:16
- 6אין הגליות מתכנסות אלא בזכות המשניות · Vayikra Rabbah 7:3
- 7גם כי יתנו בגוים · Hosea 8:10
- 8על מה אבדה הארץ · Jeremiah 9:11
- 9על ביטול תורה · פתיחא לאיכה רבתי. ב״מ (פה, סע״א). [כ].
- 10על מה אבדה הארץ על ביטול תורה · Bava Metzia 85a:22–23
- 11אבדה האמונה · Jeremiah 7:28
- 12אני ה׳ אלקיכם · Leviticus 26:13
- 13הארץ תדום רגלי · Isaiah 66:1
Doing as action ¶6–7
6ועשיתם אותם זה המעשה שהוא ענין המשכת אלהותו ית׳ מבחי׳ סוכ״ע ע״י המעשה כמארז״ל לא המדרש הוא העיקר1 אלא המעשה2 וארז״ל גדול תלמוד שמביא לידי מעשה3 מכלל שהמעשה הוא עיקר התכלית
“And do them”: this is action, which is the drawing down of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), through action; as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Not study is the main thing, but action”; and our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Great is study, for it leads to action,” which implies that action is the main purpose.
The third verb, “and do them,” is action, and action reaches higher than thought or speech: it draws down G‑dliness from the light that encompasses all worlds, the light too great to enter them. The Sages’ sayings that action is the main thing, and that study is great because it leads to action, show that action is the goal.
והיינו כי א״א להמשיך גילוי אלהותו ית׳ מבחי׳ סוכ״ע ע״י שום השגה וכח המחשבה ודיבור דלית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל4 ואפילו השגות עליונים כו׳6
That is: it is impossible to draw down the revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds through any comprehension, or the power of thought and speech, for “no thought can grasp Him at all,” not even the comprehension of the supernal beings, etc.,
This encompassing light cannot be drawn down by any comprehension, thought or speech, for, as the Tikkunei Zohar says, no thought can grasp Him at all, not even the understanding of the highest beings.
רק ע״י בחי׳ המעשה וקיום המצות כענין לחכימא ברמיזא,5 והוא כמשל האדם שאינו יכול לדבר ולהסביר כל לבו לפני חבירו האיך יעשה רק ע״י שרומז לו בתנועה כל שהוא.
but only through the level of action and the fulfillment of the mitzvos, like the matter of “to the wise, by a hint.” And this is like the analogy of a person who cannot speak and explain all his heart before his fellow, how he should act, except by hinting to him with some slight movement.
It is drawn down only through deeds, the fulfillment of the mitzvos, which work like a hint to the wise. A person who cannot put all that is in his heart into words can still show his friend what to do by the slightest gesture; a gesture conveys what speech cannot.
כך כביכול הנה באתעדל״ת צריך להיות אתעדל״ע יש מהן דתליא בעובדא וע״י מעשה המצות וקיומן נרמז ונמשך מלמעלה מעלה מאד וממקום גבוה יותר כעין רמז ולמשל
So too, as it were: with an arousal from below there must come an arousal from above; some of them depend on action, and through the doing of the mitzvos and their fulfillment it is hinted and drawn down from very, very high above, and from a higher place, in the manner of a hint. And for example,
So too, as it were, an arousal from above follows an arousal from below, and some of these depend specifically on action. The physical act of a mitzvah is like that gesture: it hints to a very high place and draws a flow from there, higher than thought or speech can reach.
כמו מעשה הצדקה שע״י שמשפיע חיות לזולתו רומז למעלה למקום מקור כל ההשפעות להשפיע חיים וחסד לכל העולמות.
like the act of charity: by imparting life-force to another, one hints above, to the place of the source of all flows of influence, to bestow life and kindness on all the worlds.
Charity is the example: by giving life to another person, one signals above, to the source of all giving, to give life and kindness to all the worlds. The act below is the hint that calls forth its counterpart above.
“Do them” is action, which alone draws down G‑dliness from the light that encompasses all worlds: that light is beyond all thought and speech and is reached only by deeds, as a gesture conveys more than words.
Marei mekomos
- 1לא המדרש הוא העיקר · אבות א, יז.
- 2לא המדרש הוא העיקר אלא המעשה · Pirkei Avot 1:17
- 3גדול תלמוד שמביא לידי מעשה · Kiddushin 40b:8–9
- 4דלית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:10–12
- 5לחכימא ברמיזא · Zohar I, 26b
- 6דלית מח׳ תפיסא בי׳ כלל · ת״ז בהקדמה.
And so it is with all the mitzvos, even the mitzvah of Torah study, which is in speech, for “the moving of his lips counts as an action.” And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “And the act of charity shall be peace,”
This holds for every mitzvah, even Torah study done through speech, since halachah counts the moving of one’s lips as an action. Isaiah’s “the act of charity shall be peace” leads to the next point.
כי ענין השלום הוא שמחבר שני הפכים ועושה שלום ביניהם,5 כך א״א לעולמות לקבל שפע וחיות מן הבורא ית׳ שהוא מובדל מהם מהקצה כו׳
for the nature of peace is that it joins two opposites and makes peace between them. So too, it is impossible for the worlds to receive abundance and life-force from the Creator, may He be blessed, Who is separated from them from one extreme [to the other], etc.,
Peace joins two opposites and lets them coexist. The worlds and their Creator are such opposites: He is utterly removed from them, so the worlds could not receive His abundance and life-force on their own.
except through the level of peace. And this is [the meaning of] “And I will give peace in the land”: for “Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds,” and all of them are the level of “land” relative to the Holy One, blessed be He.
They can receive it only through “peace,” a bond that joins the opposites. Thus “I will give peace in the land” refers to all the worlds, for G‑d’s kingship is over all worlds, and all of them, compared to Him, are only “land.”
וזהו לא מצא הקב״ה כלי8 מחזיק ברכה לישראל אלא השלום9 כי השלום הוא המחזיק ברכה והמשכות חיות אלקות בהתגלות למטה:
And this is [the meaning of] “The Holy One, blessed be He, found no vessel that holds blessing for Israel except peace”: for peace is what holds the blessing and the drawings-down of G‑dly life-force in revelation below.
So the Mishnah’s closing teaching, that G‑d found no vessel to hold blessing for Israel except peace, means that peace is what holds the blessing and the flow of G‑dly life-force when it is revealed below.
The act of charity brings “peace,” the bond that lets the worlds receive from the Creator though He is utterly beyond them; peace is the vessel that holds every blessing.
Marei mekomos
- 1דעקימת שפתיו הוה מעשה · ב״מ (ד, סע״א). סנהדרין (סה, ב). כריתות (ג, סע״ב). [כ].
- 2דעקימת שפתיו הוי מעשה · Keritot 3b:21–22
- 3דעקימת שפתיו הוי מעשה · Sanhedrin 65b:4–6
- 4והי׳ מעשה הצדקה שלום · Isaiah 32:17
- 5ענין השלום . . ועושה שלום ביניהם · Devarim Rabbah 5:12
- 6ונתתי שלום בארץ · Leviticus 26:6
- 7מלכותך מלכות כ״ע · Psalms 145:13
- 8לא מצא הקב״ה כלי המחזיק ברכה · סוף עוקצין.
- 9לא מצא הקב״ה כלי מחזיק ברכה לישראל אלא השלום · Mishnah Oktzin 3:12
The blessings and the curses ¶8–10
2. And this is the meaning of all the blessings in the Torah; for example, “And you shall eat your bread to satiety”: that is, there will be the level of “satiety of joys in Your presence,”
Section 2 applies this to the blessings of the Torah. The promise “you shall eat your bread to satiety” is read spiritually as the “satiety of joys in Your presence,” the joy of G‑d’s revealed closeness.
וכדכתיב עוז וחדוה במקומו3 והקללות הם על המסתירים ומונעים את האדם מעבודת ה׳ שהם החיצונים
and as it is written, “Strength and gladness are in His place.” And the curses are upon those that conceal and hinder a person from the service of G‑d, which are the external forces;
The verse in Chronicles likewise ties strength and gladness to G‑d’s place. The curses, by contrast, are aimed at whatever hides G‑d and holds a person back from serving Him: the external forces, the powers that oppose holiness.
כי ישראל מצד עצמם עלו במחשבה45 שאין שם שום הסתר פנים ורצונם לדבקה בו ליחודו ית׳ ומאמינים בני מאמינים6 ואין
for Israel, in themselves, “arose in thought,” where there is no hiding of the Face whatsoever, and their will is to cleave to Him, to His unity, may He be blessed; and they are “believers, the sons of believers.” And no
In their essence Israel “arose in G‑d’s thought” before creation, where there is no hiding of G‑d’s face at all. Their deepest will is to cleave to Him, and they are “believers, the sons of believers.”
שייך שום קללה ח״ו מצד עצמ׳ ולעתיד יתהפכו כל הקללות לברכה רק הקללות הם להעביר רוח החיצונים והטומאה שנדבק בהם בהתערבם כו׳.
curse whatsoever, G‑d forbid, applies to them in themselves. And in the Time to Come all the curses will be transformed into blessing. Only, the curses serve to remove the spirit of the external forces and the impurity that clung to them when they became intermingled, etc.
So no curse can touch Israel’s own essence, and in the future every curse will be turned into blessing. The curses exist only to drive out the spirit of the external forces and the impurity that clung to Israel when they became intermingled.
The blessings are G‑d’s revealed closeness and joy; the curses are aimed not at Israel, whose essence is beyond any curse, but at the external forces that hide G‑d from them.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואכלתם לחמכם לשובע · Leviticus 26:5
- 2שובע שמחות את פניך · Psalms 16:11
- 3עוז וחדוה במקומו · I Chronicles 16:27
- 4ישראל . . עלו במחשבה · Bereshit Rabbah 1:5
- 5ישראל מצד עצמם עלו במחשבה · Bereshit Rabbah 1:4
- 6ומאמינים בני מאמינים · Shabbat 97a:4–5
9וז״ש הכתוב ונתן ה׳ את כל האלות1 האלה על אויביך ועל שונאיך אשר רדפוך. וכמ״ש ונשא השעיר עליו2 את כל עונותם שהוא בחי׳ עשו איש שעיר345
And this is [the meaning of] what the verse says: “And Havayah will put all these curses upon your enemies and upon those who hate you, who pursued you.” And as it is written, “And the goat (sa’ir) shall bear upon itself all their iniquities,” which is the level of Esav, “a hairy (sa’ir) man.”
Moshe’s words in Deuteronomy show that the curses are meant for Israel’s enemies, those who hate and pursue them. The goat of Yom Kippur that carries the people’s sins away is, in the Midrash and the Zohar, Esav, “a hairy (sa’ir) man”: the sins are placed on the forces of evil and carried away from Israel.
וזהו פי׳ ענין כל הקללות שהן ברכה באמת על ישראל מצד עצמם והקללה הגדולה שנאמרה במשנה תורה הגר אשר בקרבך6 וכו׳ היא אינה רק על חיצוני׳ הנדבקות בהם.
And this is the explanation of all the curses: that they are in truth a blessing for Israel as they are in themselves. And the great curse stated in Mishneh Torah [Deuteronomy], “The stranger who is in your midst,” etc., is only upon the external forces that cling to them.
So all the curses, as they relate to Israel themselves, are truly blessings. Even the great curse of Deuteronomy, “the stranger in your midst shall rise above you,” is aimed only at the external forces that cling to Israel.
The curses fall on Israel’s enemies, that is, on Esav and the external forces, as the goat of Yom Kippur carries the sins away; for Israel themselves they are blessings.
Marei mekomos
- 1ונתן ה׳ את כל האלות · Deuteronomy 30:7
- 2ונשא השעיר עליו · Leviticus 16:22
- 3עשו איש שעיר · Genesis 27:11
- 4ונשא השעיר עליו את כל עונותם שהוא בחי׳ עשו איש שעיר · Bereshit Rabbah 65:15
- 5ונשא השעיר עליו את כל עונותם שהוא בחי׳ עשו איש שעיר · Zohar, Toldot 4:30–9:73
- 6הגר אשר בקרבך · Deuteronomy 28:43
10ופי׳ הגר אשר בקרבך היא השכינה אשר ממנה באה האהבה מסותרת אשר בלב כאו״א מישראל אשר היא בבחי׳ גלות בתוך הגוף ונק׳ בשם גר
And the explanation of “the stranger who is in your midst”: it is the Shechinah (Divine Presence), from which comes the hidden love that is in the heart of each and every one of Israel, which is in a state of exile within the body; and it is called by the name “stranger” (ger)
The Alter Rebbe reads “the stranger in your midst” as the Shechinah within a Jew, the source of the hidden love for G‑d in every Jewish heart. It is in exile inside the body, and that is why it is called a stranger (ger).
שהיא בארץ לא לו1 שהוא ניצוץ אלקות המחיה את נפשו וכמארז״ל גלו כו׳ שכינה עמהם יעלה עליך מעלה מעלה2 שיהא בבחי׳ עילוי רב ועצום
because it is “in a land not its own,” for it is a spark of G‑dliness that gives life to his soul; as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “They were exiled, etc.; the Shechinah is with them.” “Shall rise above you higher and higher”: that it will be in a state of great and mighty elevation,
It is a stranger because it lives “in a land not its own”: it is a spark of G‑dliness that gives life to the soul, yet it dwells in the body, as the Sages said that the Shechinah goes into exile with Israel. That it “shall rise above you higher and higher” means that it will reach great and mighty elevation.
דהיינו שיעמיק במחשבתו גודל גדולתו עד אין חקר3 וכמ״ש אני הוי׳ אשר הוצאתיך4 מארץ מצרים וגו׳ פי׳ שלא יהיה בבחי׳ מצרים וגבולים כ״א כמ״ש ואתהלכה ברחבה5 וגו׳
that is, that he delve in his thought into the vastness of His greatness, to the point where it is beyond searching. And as it is written, “I am Havayah Who brought you out of the land of Egypt (Mitzrayim),” etc.: that is, that he not be in a state of straits (meitzarim) and limits, but rather as it is written, “And I will walk in a broad place,” etc.
This rising comes when a person contemplates deeply the vastness of G‑d’s greatness, which has no end. To leave Egypt (Mitzrayim) is to leave straits (meitzarim) and limits and to “walk in a broad place.”
שאז ואתה דהיינו מה שהוא אתה שהוא בחי׳ הגוף וחיצונים תרד מטה מטה וכן כל ענין הקללות הם על החיצוני׳ המונעים להעבירם ולהכריתם.
For then “and you,” that is, what is “you,” which is the level of the body and the external forces, “shall go down lower and lower.” And likewise, the whole matter of the curses is upon the external forces that hinder, to remove them and cut them off.
Then “you,” the body and the external forces, a person’s outer self, “shall go down lower and lower.” So this curse, like all the curses, is aimed at the hindering forces, to remove them and cut them off.
Read inwardly, the curse “the stranger in your midst shall rise above you” is a blessing: the exiled Shechinah within rises through contemplation of G‑d’s greatness, while the body and the external forces sink.
Marei mekomos
- 1גר . . בארץ לא לו · Genesis 15:13
- 2יעלה עליך מעלה מעלה · Deuteronomy 28:43
- 3גדולתו עד אין חקר · Psalms 145:3
- 4אני ה׳ אשר הוצאתיך · Exodus 20:2
- 5ואתהלכה ברחבה · Psalms 119:45
Yitzchak, Esav and Yaakov ¶11–12
And with this we will understand the intention of Yitzchak our father, peace be upon him, who wanted to bless Esav and not Yaakov. For the blessings,
This explains a puzzling episode: Yitzchak wanted to bless Esav, not Yaakov. The answer begins with what blessings are for.
וכן כל מצות התורה שהם המשכת גילוי אלהותו ית׳ למטה אינם אלא לאכפיא לסט״א ולהכניעם תחת הקדושה
and likewise all the mitzvos of the Torah, which are the drawing down of the revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, below, are only to subdue the sitra achra (the other side) and to humble them beneath holiness.
The blessings, like all the mitzvos, draw G‑d’s revelation down into the lower world, and their purpose is to subdue the sitra achra, the forces opposed to holiness, and bring them under holiness.
ולכן לא ניתנה תורה עד אחר יצ״מ משא״כ בזמן האבות שהן הן המרכבה2 ובטלים ליחודו ית׳ לא היו צריכים להמשכת גילוי למטה
Therefore the Torah was not given until after the Exodus from Egypt. Whereas in the time of the Patriarchs, who “are themselves the chariot (merkavah)” and were nullified to His unity, may He be blessed, they did not need the drawing down of revelation below.
That is why the Torah, the great drawing down of revelation, was given only after the Exodus and not in the days of the Patriarchs. They were the “chariot” of G‑d, wholly nullified to His unity as a chariot has no will apart from its rider, so they needed no revelation drawn down below.
לכן לא רצה יצחק לברך את יעקב כי הי׳ בבחי׳ מרכבה אך דעתו הי׳ לברך את עשו ולהכניעו ולקרבו אל הקדושה
Therefore Yitzchak did not want to bless Yaakov, for he was at the level of a chariot; rather, his intention was to bless Esav, and to humble him and draw him near to holiness.
Yaakov too was at the level of a chariot, so Yitzchak saw no need to bless him. He meant to bless Esav, to subdue him and bring him near to holiness.
ולכן אמר בברכותיו שהי׳ סבור שהוא עשו עומד לפניו ויתן לך האלקים3 מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ ורוב דגן ותירוש.
And therefore, in his blessings, since he thought that it was Esav standing before him, he said, “May G‑d give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fat of the earth, and an abundance of grain and wine.”
So, believing that Esav stood before him, Yitzchak blessed him with the dew of the heavens, the fat of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.
מטל השמים זו תשב״כ ומשמני הארץ זו תשבע״פ ורוב דגן4 אלו הלכות שהן לרוב מאד כמ״ש ויצבור יוסף בר5 הרבה מאד עד
“Of the dew of the heavens”: this is the Written Torah; “and of the fat of the earth”: this is the Oral Torah; “and an abundance of grain”: these are the halachos, which are exceedingly abundant, as it is written, “And Yosef heaped up grain, very much, until
Echoing the Midrash, which also reads this blessing as parts of the Torah, the Alter Rebbe reads these blessings as parts of the Torah: the dew of heaven is the Written Torah, the fat of the earth the Oral Torah, and the grain the halachos, as countless as the grain Yosef stored up.
כי חדל לספור6 וכמ״ש ועלמות אין מספר7 ודרשו רז״ל8 עלמות אלו הלכות9 ותירוש אלו רזין דאורייתא כמ״ש נכנס יין יצא סוד10 ורצה כל זה ליתן לעשו ולהכניע ולאכפיי׳ לסט״א.
he ceased to count”; and as it is written, “and maidens (alamos) without number,” and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded, “Alamos: these are the halachos.” “And wine”: these are the secrets of the Torah, as it is said, “Wine enters, a secret comes out.” And all this he wanted to give to Esav, to humble and subdue the sitra achra.
So too the Tikkunei Zohar reads the “maidens without number” as the halachos. The wine is the secrets of the Torah, since the Gemara says that when wine goes in, a secret comes out; Yitzchak wished to give all this to Esav, to subdue the sitra achra.
אך באמת לא הי׳ באפשרי להכניעו ולקרבו תחת הקדושה מחמת שהוא רע גמור וצריכים להעביר הסט״א לגמרי ולהכריתה בכל הקללות
But in truth it was not possible to humble him and bring him near under holiness, because he is utter evil; and the sitra achra must be removed entirely and cut off through all the curses.
But Esav could not be subdued and brought near to holiness, because he is utterly evil; evil of that kind must be removed entirely and cut off by the curses.
רק הברכות ניתנו ליעקב ולהכניע הסט״א שנתערב11 בזרעו כמ״ש ויתערבו כו׳ וכמ״ש ועשו אחיו בא מצידו12 אל תקרי מצידו13
Only, the blessings were given to Yaakov, and [they serve] to humble the sitra achra that became mixed into his seed, as it is written, “And they mingled,” etc.; and as it is written, “And Esav his brother came from his hunt (mitzeido)”: do not read mitzeido,
Instead the blessings were given to Yaakov, and they also serve to subdue the sitra achra that became mixed into his descendants, as the Psalm says, “they mingled.” The verse “Esav his brother came from his hunt” is then read in a new way.
אלא מצדו שבעמידת האדם בתפלה ורוצה לידבק בקונו נופלים לו מחשבות זרות שלא ברצונו רק כאלו הן באים מן הצד מאליהן וממילא
but mitzido, “from his side”: that when a person stands in prayer and wants to cleave to his Maker, foreign thoughts fall upon him not by his will, only as though they come from the side, of themselves and of their own accord.
Mitzeido, “from his hunt,” is read mitzido, “from his side.” When a person stands in prayer and wants to cleave to G‑d, foreign thoughts come to him unbidden, as though from the side, on their own.
אך מ״מ הן הן מחשבותיו שחשב בהן ברצון שלא בשעת התפלה וכיוצא בהם אלא שבשעת התפלה הם נופלים לו שלא ברצונו
Yet nevertheless they are his very own thoughts, which he thought willingly when not at the time of prayer, or ones like them; only, at the time of prayer they fall upon him not by his will.
Yet these are really his own thoughts, ones he thought willingly outside prayer, or ones like them. Only during prayer do they come without his wanting them.
ולכן נק׳ מצדו שהן אינן בחי׳ אחוריים שהוא בחי׳ דבר שהוא בע״כ לגמרי שהוא אינו חפץ בזה כלל ולא בחי׳ פנים
And therefore it is called “from his side”: for they are not the level of the back (achorayim), which is the level of something that is entirely against one’s will, which he does not desire at all, nor the level of the face (panim),
That is why they are called “from his side.” They are not “back” (achorayim), something wholly against a person’s will that he does not want at all, and, as the next part completes, they are not “face” (panim) either.
שהוא רצון וחפץ גמור ונופל לו בשעת התפלה מפני שרוצה לעלות לדבקה בו ממילא הם נמשכים אחריו כמשל אדם הלובש בגד ארוך ונגרר בטיט וחומר
which is complete will and desire. And it falls upon him at the time of prayer because he wants to rise and cleave to Him; of themselves they are drawn after him, like the analogy of a person wearing a long garment that drags in mud and clay;
“Face” would be full will and desire. They come during prayer precisely because he wants to rise and cleave to G‑d, and his own former thoughts are pulled along after him, like mud clinging to the hem of a long garment.
וכשרוצה לעלות בסולם גם הבגד עם החומר וטיט עולה עמו וכדי להכניע את הרע בחי׳ עשו ולהשפילו אמר ליצחק אביו שהיה בחי׳ מרכבה להקב״ה קום נא שבה14 וכו׳
and when he wants to climb a ladder, the garment too, with the clay and mud, rises with him. And in order to humble the evil, the level of Esav, and to lower it, [Yaakov] said to Yitzchak his father, who was the level of a chariot for the Holy One, blessed be He, “Rise, please, sit,” etc.
When the wearer climbs a ladder, the garment rises with him, mud and all. To humble this evil, the level of Esav, Yaakov said to Yitzchak, who was a chariot for G‑d, “Rise, please, sit” and eat, words the next paragraph explains.
כי א״א להמשיך הברכות שהוא גילוי אלקות בעוד שהרע בתקפו וגבורתו כי לא יגורך רע15 כתיב ועמ״ש בזה בביאור ע״פ במדבר סיני.16
For it is impossible to draw down the blessings, which are the revelation of G‑dliness, while the evil is in its strength and might, for it is written, “Evil shall not dwell with You.” And see what is written about this in the explanation on the verse “In the wilderness of Sinai.”
Blessings, which are the revelation of G‑dliness, cannot be drawn down while evil is at full strength, for “evil shall not dwell with You.” For more on this the Alter Rebbe refers to his explanation on “In the wilderness of Sinai.”
Yitzchak wanted to bless Esav because blessings exist to subdue evil, but Esav is wholly evil and must be cut off; so the blessings went to Yaakov, to subdue the evil mixed into his line, such as the foreign thoughts that rise during prayer.
On the reading mitzido, “from his side,” the Kehot note refers to Zohar I, 144a, remarks that the reading is not found there as it is given here, and says that it was found in the Arizal’s Likkutei Torah, at the end of Vayechi (the passage beginning “Banos”).
Marei mekomos
- 1כוונת יצחק . . ולא את יעקב · Genesis 27:21
- 2האבות שהן הן המרכבה · Bereshit Rabbah 47:6
- 3ויתן לך האלקים · Genesis 27:28
- 4מטל השמים זו תשב״כ ומשמני הארץ זו תשבע״פ ורוב דגן · Bereshit Rabbah 66:3
- 5ויצבר יוסף בר · שם מא, מט.
- 6ויצבור יוסף בר הרבה מאד עד כי חדל לספור · Genesis 41:49
- 7ועלמות אין מספר · Song of Songs 6:8
- 8ודרשו רז״ל · ת״ז (קמד, ב). וע״ל (מח, ד). [כ].
- 9ועלמות אין מספר ודרשו רז״ל עלמות אלו הלכות · Tikkunei Zohar 144b:5
- 10נכנס יין יצא סוד · Eruvin 65a:19–20
- 11ויתערבו · Psalms 106:35
- 12ועשיו אחיו בא מצידו · Genesis 27:30
- 13אל תקרי מצידו · ע׳ זח״א (קמד, א) ול״מ כמ״ש כאן ות״ל מצאתי בלקו״ת מאריז״ל ס״פ ויחי [ד״ה בנות]. [כ].
- 14קום נא שבה · Genesis 27:19
- 15לא יגורך רע · Psalms 5:5
- 16בביאור ע״פ במדבר סיני · לקו״ת במדבר ג, ג.
12והעצה לזה קום נא וגו׳1 ע״ד מ״ש כי גאה גאה2 ותרגומו ארי אתגאי על גותניא3 ופי׳ שמתרומם ומתנשא עליהם ועי״ז מתרחק מהם ומסלק חיותו מהם ואין להם יניקה וחיות ממנו
And the remedy for this is “Rise, please,” etc., in the manner of what is written, “For He is exalted, exalted,” which the Targum renders, “For He exalted Himself over the haughty.” That is: He rises and is lifted above them, and through this He becomes distant from them and withdraws His life-force from them, and they have no nurture or life-force from Him.
The remedy is in Yaakov’s words “Rise, please,” understood through “for He is exalted, exalted,” which the Targum renders as G‑d exalting Himself over the haughty. When G‑d rises above the forces of evil, He distances Himself from them and withdraws His life-force, and they lose the nurture by which they live.
וכן הוא למטה בעבודת האדם דהיינו להעמיק דעתו ומחשבתו בגדולת ה׳ איך הוא ממכ״ע וסוכ״ע וכולא קמיה כלא
And so it is below, in a person’s divine service: that is, to deepen his mind and thought in the greatness of G‑d, how He fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) and encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), and “all before Him is accounted as
The same happens below, in a person’s service of G‑d: he deepens his mind and thought in G‑d’s greatness, how G‑d fills all worlds from within and encompasses them from beyond, and how all before Him is as nothing.
חשיב4 ולגדולתו אין חקר5 וממילא אין להחיצונים יניקה כ״כ וממילא נופלים כל המונעים שהן המדות רעות ומחשבות זרות כי ישראל מצד עצמם עלו במחשבה6 כו׳
nothing,” and “His greatness is beyond searching.” And as a result the external forces do not have so much nurture; and as a result all the hindrances fall away, which are the evil traits and foreign thoughts, for Israel, in themselves, “arose in thought,” etc.
As a result the external forces lose much of their nurture, and the hindrances, the evil traits and foreign thoughts, fall away by themselves, for in their essence Israel arose in G‑d’s thought.
ולכן אמר אח״כ שבה דהיינו לישראל עצמן בישיבה שהוא ירידה והמשכת גילוי למטה להיות לו דירה בתחתונים78 וכמ״ש וישב ה׳ מלך לעולם9 למשל
Therefore he said afterwards, “sit”: that is, to Israel themselves, by way of sitting, which is a descent and a drawing down of revelation below, so that He may have a dwelling place among the lower realms; as it is written, “And Havayah sits as King forever.” By way of analogy,
After “rise” comes “sit”: a descent, the drawing down of revelation to Israel themselves, so that G‑d has a dwelling place among the lower realms. The verse “Havayah sits as King forever” uses sitting for G‑d’s presence settling below.
כמו האדם היושב שמרכין א״ע למטה ואכלה מצידי שכל ענין דבור ומעשה התורה והמצות הם בחי׳ ציד שנצודים ניצוצות שהיו בגוף ונפש החיונית ונתהפכו לקדושה ובחי׳ האכילה הוא ע״ד ישראל מפרנסין10 לאביהם שבשמים כו׳
like a person who sits, who lowers himself downward. “And eat of my game (mitzeidi)”: for the whole matter of the speech and action of the Torah and the mitzvos is the level of game (tzayid), in which the sparks that were in the body and the vital soul are caught and transformed into holiness. And the level of eating is in the manner of “Israel sustain their Father in heaven,” etc.
Sitting is like a person lowering himself. “Eat of my game” refers to Torah and mitzvos, in speech and action, which “hunt” the sparks of holiness in the body and the vital soul and turn them into holiness; G‑d’s “eating” is the Zohar’s teaching that Israel sustain their Father in heaven.
בעבור תברכני נפשך הוא בחי׳ פנימי׳ וחיות כל העולמות הנמשכת מחיי החיים א״ס ב״ה ומלובשת ומוסתרת ומתעלמת בהם להחיותם בנפש המסותרת בגוף והברכה הוא יציאתה מההעלם
“So that your soul may bless me”: this is the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) and life-force of all the worlds, which is drawn from the Life of all life, the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, and is clothed, hidden and concealed in them to give them life, like the soul hidden in the body. And the blessing is its coming out from the concealment
“So that your soul may bless me”: the “soul” is the inner life-force of all the worlds, drawn from the Infinite One, the Life of all life, yet hidden in the worlds as a soul is hidden in a body. The “blessing” is its coming out of concealment.
והסתר האור אל הגילוי וההשגה להיות נגלה כבוד11 ה׳ ויחודו אל ישראל במחשבתם ושכלם ומוחם בעוה״ז ובכל העולם לעתיד כמ״ש במ״א ויהי׳ בבחי׳ ברכה והמשכה בעוה״ז בהתגלות למטה.
and hiding of the light into revelation and comprehension, so that the glory of G‑d and His unity be revealed to Israel in their thought, intellect and mind in this world, and in the whole world in the Time to Come, as is explained elsewhere; and it will be in a state of blessing and drawing down in this world, in revelation below.
Blessing means that the hidden light becomes revealed and grasped, so that G‑d’s glory and unity are revealed to Israel, in their thought and mind, in this world, and to the whole world in the Time to Come.
Yaakov’s words to Yitzchak describe the order of divine service: first “rise,” contemplating G‑d’s greatness so that evil loses its nurture; then “sit” and “eat,” drawing revelation down through Torah and mitzvos; and then the blessing, the revelation of the hidden G‑dliness below.
Marei mekomos
- 1קום נא וגו׳ · Genesis 27:19
- 2כי גאה גאה · Exodus 15:1
- 3ארי אתגאי על גותניא · Onkelos Exodus 15:1
- 4וכולא קמיה כלא חשיב · Zohar, Introduction 20:188–22:199
- 5ולגדולתו אין חקר · Psalms 145:3
- 6ישראל מצד עצמם עלו במחשבה · Bereshit Rabbah 1:4
- 7להיות לו דירה בתחתונים · ראה תנחומא בחקותי ג.
- 8למטה להיות לו דירה בתחתונים · Midrash Tanchuma, Bechukotai 3:1
- 9וישב ה׳ מלך לעולם · Psalms 29:10
- 10ישראל מפרנסין · Zohar III, 7b
- 11נגלה כבוד ה׳ · Isaiah 40:5
The answer ¶13
13וז״ש אלה החוקים והמשפטים והתורות1 על הברכות וקללות שהן הם גילוי אלהותו ית׳ למטה לבחי׳ ישראל והעברת וביטול המסתירים ומונעים אותם מעבודתם שהן המה נמשכים מבחי׳ מ״ע ול״ת ודוגמתם ממש
And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “These are the statutes, the ordinances and the teachings,” about the blessings and curses: for they are the revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, below, to the level of Israel, and the removal and abolition of those that conceal and hinder them from their service; and these are drawn from the level of the positive commandments and the prohibitions, and are truly like them,
Now the opening question is answered. The blessings are G‑dliness revealed to Israel, and the curses remove and abolish what hides G‑d and hinders them; both flow from the positive commandments and the prohibitions and are truly of their kind, so they are rightly called “statutes, ordinances and teachings.”
רק שהם בינו לבין בני ישראל מחמת שהקללות הן אחר שיש מסך מבדיל ועונותיכם מבדילים2 וכבר עבר על הל״ת וכיוצא
except that they are “between Himself and the children of Israel,” because the curses come after there is a separating screen, and “your iniquities separate,” and one has already transgressed the prohibition, and the like;
The difference is that they are “between Himself and the children of Israel,” because the curses come only once a separating screen already exists, as in “your iniquities separate,” after a prohibition has already been transgressed.
ולכן צריך להכריתו ולהעבירו משא״כ שס״ה ל״ת הם שמירה מן החיצונים שלא ינקו ולא יהיה מסך מבדיל כלל ולכן כתיב בינו ובין בנ״י ולא אל בנ״י:
therefore it must be cut off and removed. Whereas the 365 prohibitions are a guarding against the external forces, so that they draw no nurture and there be no separating screen at all. Therefore it is written “between Himself and the children of Israel,” and not “to the children of Israel.”
Then the screen must be cut off and removed, which is what the curses do. The 365 prohibitions, by contrast, guard in advance against the external forces so that no screen forms at all; that is why the verse says “between Himself and the children of Israel” and not “to the children of Israel.”
The blessings and curses are “statutes, ordinances and teachings” because they come from the commandments themselves; they are “between Himself and Israel” because the curses deal with a separating screen that sin has already made.
Marei mekomos
- 1אלה החוקים והמשפטים והתורות · Leviticus 26:46
- 2ועונותיכם מבדילים · Isaiah 59:2
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
Even one whose mind cannot climb in contemplation must never despair: the Shechinah is with him even at his lowest, and by speaking and repeating halachah he keeps faith in G‑d’s oneness firmly within himself. The deed of a mitzvah, charity above all, reaches higher than thought. When foreign thoughts come during prayer, they come because he is rising; the remedy is first to deepen his contemplation of G‑d’s greatness, so that evil loses its nurture, and then to draw that revelation down through Torah and mitzvos.
Questions for discussion
- Why does the maamar match “walk,” “keep” and “do” to thought, speech and action, and what does each accomplish that the others cannot?
- How can the spoken study of halachah keep faith in G‑d’s oneness inside a person who cannot rise in contemplation?
- Why can action draw down the light that encompasses all worlds when thought and speech cannot, and how does the parable of the gesture explain this?
- In what sense are the curses really blessings for Israel, and how does the reading of “the stranger in your midst” show this?
- What does the reading mitzido, “from his side,” teach about foreign thoughts in prayer, and how do “rise,” “sit” and “eat” answer them?
Key terms in this maamar
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence.
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×5
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×6
- The light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)סובב כל עלמין
- Divine light too great to enter the worlds; it 'surrounds' them and affects them from beyond.
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response.
- An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
- Divine initiative, unprompted by us.
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- The sitra achra (the other side)סטרא אחרא
- The realm opposed to holiness.
- The light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin)ממלא כל עלמין
- Divine light that enters each world and gives it life according to its measure.
- A dwelling place among the lower realmsדירה בתחתונים
- The purpose of creation: that G‑d be at home in this world. ×1
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×3
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×2
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×2
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×2
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×1
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×1