Likkutei Torah · Parshas Eikev · Maamar 4
ארץ הרים ובקעות למטר השמים תשתה מים
“A land of mountains and valleys; to the rain of heaven it drinks water”
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The big idea
The land drinks “to” the rain of heaven because what rises from below calls forth the answer from above, like a toast that invites a toast in return; and, like a seal that leaves a reversed impression, the humble “water” of self-nullification draws a greater revelation than fiery love. G‑d’s kindness and forgiveness, which flow from His infinite greatness, rest only on one who makes himself like leftovers.
The maamar in brief
The maamar asks why Deuteronomy 11:11 says the land drinks “to the rain” (lemetar) rather than “from the rain.” It begins with man, made in G‑d’s tzelem, an image like a seal that reverses what it stamps: G‑d’s greatness above appears below as Avraham’s humble kindness, “I am dust and ashes,” which flows down like water, while the soul’s love rises like fire. These are the land’s “valleys” and “mountains,” two forms of the arousal from below. Self-nullification, the “water,” draws the higher response, an open revelation of the Infinite Light; so Yaakov mixed water into wine, and the water libation of Sukkos draws down the rain of Shemini Atzeres. The maamar then explains why kindness is called Gedulah, “greatness”: in G‑d it flows from unsearchable greatness, erech apayim, “long of face,” while in created beings holiness means bittul, and the Chesed of Yishmael, from the shattering of the vessels, gives to display itself. So the Thirteen Attributes of “great mercy” reach only “the remnant,” one who makes himself like leftovers: the High One dwells with the lowly of spirit.
Outline
- The question and the reversed sealWhy “to the rain”; man as a seal that reverses; Avraham’s kindness as water that comes from greatness above, the soul’s love as fire; mountains and valleys.¶1
- Water draws more than fireTwo loves and two awes; self-nullification draws an open revelation from above; Yaakov’s water in the wine; mayin nukvin; the wine and water libations.¶2
- Sukkos, Shemini Atzeres and a question of namesThe water libation draws the rain of Shemini Atzeres; “for the remnant of His heritage”; why the early Kabbalists called Chesed “Gedulah.”¶3
- Kindness from infinite greatnessIn G‑d, kindness flows from unsearchable greatness (erech apayim, “long of face”); created beings are as nothing; Avraham’s and Yaakov’s humility; Etz Chaim speaks of the limited Chesed of Z’eir Anpin.¶4–5
- Holy kindness and the kindness of YishmaelThe Chesed of Mah and the boundless kindness of Arich Anpin; the Chesed of Yishmael from the shattering of the vessels of Tohu; cleave to the kindness of Tikkun even at a cost.¶6–7
- Self-nullification reveals G‑d’s greatnessA sunken impression below draws a raised seal from above; the sitra achra receives only through the shattering of the vessels; Avraham’s mountain grows out of his valley.¶8–9
- For the remnant of His heritageThe Thirteen Attributes of “great mercy” rest only on one who makes himself like leftovers; “I dwell on high… and with the crushed and lowly of spirit.”¶10
Key concepts
- Raised seal and sunken sealחותם בולט וחותם שוקע
- A raised stamp leaves a sunken impression, and a sunken one a raised impression. The maamar uses this to show how qualities above appear reversed below, and why self-nullification below draws an open revelation from above.
- The arousal from below (isarusa dilesata)אתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws a Divine response. Here it takes two forms: fiery love that rises (“mountains”) and humble self-nullification (“valleys,” water).
- Mayin nukvin and mayin duchrinמיין נוקבין ומיין דוכרין
- The “feminine waters” that rise from the receiver and the “masculine waters” that answer from the giver: the land’s water and “the rain of heaven.”
- The Chesed of Mahחסד דמ״ה
- Kindness rooted in self-nullification (mah, “what?”): the holy kindness of Avraham and of the World of Tikkun, which gives even from what it needs.
- The Chesed of Yishmaelחסד דישמעאל
- Lavish giving meant to display one’s own wealth and greatness, and only from surplus; it came into being from the shattering of the vessels of Tohu.
- Erech apayim and Z’eir Anpinארך אפים / זעיר אנפין
- “Slow to anger,” literally “long of face”: the infinite level from which kindness flows out of greatness, as against Z’eir Anpin, “the small face,” whose attributes are measured.
- Making oneself like leftoversמשים עצמו כשיריים
- The Talmud’s reading of “the remnant of His heritage”: one who counts himself as nothing, and so becomes the vessel for G‑d’s great mercy.
The question and the reversed seal ¶1
1ארץ הרים1 ובקעות2 למטר השמים3 תשתה מים456. (מענין ארץ הרים ובקעות ברבות ס״פ ראה ובילקוט בשם הספרי ומענין למטר השמים ברבות בראשית פי״ג) (דט״ז ב׳)
“A land of mountains and valleys; to the rain of heaven it drinks water.” (On “a land of mountains and valleys,” [see] the Midrash Rabbah at the end of Parshas Re’eh, and the Yalkut in the name of the Sifri; and on “to the rain of heaven,” Bereishis Rabbah, chapter 13.) (Folio 16b.)
The maamar opens with Deuteronomy 11:11, where Moshe describes the Land of Israel as a land of mountains and valleys that drinks the rain of heaven. The parentheses list Midrashim on the verse: on “a land of mountains and valleys,” the Midrash Rabbah at the end of Parshas Re’eh and the Sifri as quoted in the Yalkut; on “the rain of heaven,” Bereishis Rabbah, chapter 13.
בשלח ר״פ כ״ה (קמ״א ג׳) בקהלת רבה בפסוק והארץ לעולם עומדת7 ור״פ כל הנחלים הולכים אל הים גמרא פרק קמא דתענית (ד״ט ע״ב) פרק ב׳ דבבא בתרא (די״ט סע״א [סוף עמוד א]).
[Shemos Rabbah,] Beshalach, at the beginning of chapter 25 (141c); Koheles Rabbah on the verse “and the earth stands forever,” and at the beginning of [the section on] “All the rivers go to the sea”; the Gemara, the first chapter of Taanis (folio 9b); the second chapter of Bava Basra (folio 19, end of side a).
The list continues with Shemos Rabbah on Beshalach, Koheles Rabbah, and two passages of the Talmud, Taanis 9b and Bava Basra 19a. Several of them use our verse: Rabbi Yehoshua proves from it that the world drinks from the upper waters, and Koheles Rabbah compares the earth to a person, “a person drinks and the earth drinks.”
להבין מה שכתוב למטר כי ממטר הל״ל [הוה ליה למימר]. הנה כתיב כי בצלם אלקים עשה את האדם8 פי׳ צלם הוא צורה בולטת שכשמדפיסים בה נעשה שוקע כמבואר גבי רצועות של תפילין של
To understand what is written, “to the rain” (lemetar), for it should have said “from the rain” (mimetar). Now, it is written, “For in the image (tzelem) of G‑d He made man.” The meaning: a tzelem is a raised form which, when one stamps with it, becomes sunken, as is explained concerning the straps of the tefillin of the
The question: the verse says lemetar, “to the rain,” where we would expect mimetar, “from the rain,” if the land simply received rain. The answer begins with man, made “in the image (tzelem) of G‑d” (Genesis 9:6): a tzelem is a raised form, like a stamp, and what it presses into wax or clay comes out sunken.
ראש שאדם הוא כחותם המתהפך91011 משמאל של מעלה נעשה ימין למטה12 [כן הוא במשנת חסידים בתיקון תפילין פרק י״ד אות ה׳ שהאדם הוא לגבי ז״א כחותם המתהפך ועיין מ״ש מענין רצועות דתש״ר [דתפילין של ראש] בד״ה שימני כחותם]13
head: that man is like a seal that is reversed; from left above, it becomes right below. [So it is in Mishnas Chassidim, Tikkun Tefillin, chapter 14, section 5: that man, in relation to Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), is like a seal that is reversed. And see what is written on the matter of the straps of the tefillin of the head in the discourse beginning “Set me as a seal.”]
A seal reverses what it stamps: raised becomes sunken, and left becomes right. So too man, made in the Divine image, shows the qualities above in reversed form below. The bracket cites Mishnas Chassidim, which says man is like a reversed seal in relation to Z’eir Anpin, and the maamar “Set me as a seal,” which explains this through the straps of the head-tefillin.
והענין דכתיב לך ה׳ הגדולה והוא מדת חסדו שבאה מגדולתו ונהפך הוא למטה כדאשכחן באברהם אבינו ע״ה [עליו השלום] ואנכי עפר ואפר14 דהנה עיקר החסד להשפיע מחייו
The explanation: it is written, “Yours, Havayah, is the greatness,” and this is the attribute of His kindness, which comes from His greatness. And below, it is reversed, as we find with Avraham our father, peace be upon him: “and I am dust and ashes.” For the essence of kindness is to give from one’s own living
The first example is kindness. In “Yours, Havayah, is the greatness” (I Chronicles 29:11), G‑d’s Chesed (kindness) flows from His Gedulah (greatness), His being great beyond measure; below, it appears reversed, in Avraham, the man of kindness, who says “I am dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). True kindness gives from what one needs oneself.
ולא ממותרות שלו שזו מדת ישמעאל15 רק כמו שמצינו שבחזרתו פרע הקפותיו16 שלא לומר שחייך קודמין17 מפני שמשים עצמו כשיריים1819
and not from one’s surplus, for that is the attribute of Yishmael; rather, as we find that on his return he paid off his credit debts, so as not to say “your life comes first,” because he makes himself like leftovers.
Giving only from what is left over is called “the attribute of Yishmael.” Avraham, on his way back, went to pay off his debts (Bereishis Rabbah 41:3, quoted by Rashi on Genesis 13:3) rather than rely on the rule that “your life comes first” (Bava Metzia 62a); he could do so because he made himself like leftovers, of no account in his own eyes.
וזהו בחינת מים שיורדין לעולם למקום נמוך20 [נמצא מבחי׳ מדת הגדולה שלמעלה נמשך למטה בחי׳ חסד דמ״ה [דשם מ״ה] שהוא הביטול להיות משים עצמו כשיריים
And this is the aspect of water, which always descends to a low place. [It follows that from the level of the attribute of greatness above, there is drawn down below the level of the Chesed (kindness) of Mah, which is the self-nullification (bittul) of making oneself like leftovers;
Avraham’s kindness is like water, which always flows down to the lowest place: it comes from humility, not from a sense of greatness. The bracket sums up: G‑d’s greatness above is reflected below as “the Chesed of Mah,” a kindness rooted in self-nullification (Mah, literally “what?”, stands for bittul, as paragraph 2 says of Chochmah, koach mah, “the power of what”).
וזהו הנמשל מחותם בולט שכשמדפיסים בו נעשה למטה בחי׳ שקיעה ועמ״ש בזה באריכות בד״ה שימני כחותם הנ״ל]
and this is what is illustrated by a raised seal which, when one stamps with it, becomes below the aspect of sunkenness. And see what is written about this at length in the discourse beginning “Set me as a seal,” mentioned above.]
This is what the raised seal illustrates: greatness above leaves a sunken impression of humility below. The bracket refers to the fuller treatment in the maamar “Set me as a seal.”
והנה אהבת ה׳ בלב עמו כאש בוערה כדכתיב רשפיה רשפי אש21 כמו שהאש חפיצה בטבעה לעלות למעלה בשרשה כן נפשות בני ישראל חפצן לדבקה בה׳ ולצאת מהגוף
Now, the love of G‑d in the heart of His people is like a burning fire, as it is written, “Its flashes are flashes of fire”: just as fire by its nature desires to rise upward to its root, so the souls of the children of Israel desire to cleave to G‑d and to leave the body.
The second example is love. The love of G‑d in a Jew’s heart burns like fire, as the verse “its flashes are flashes of fire” (Song of Songs 8:6) says; just as a flame strains upward toward its source, the soul longs to cleave to G‑d, even to leave the body.
וזהו בחי׳ הסתלקות משמאל שלמעלה נעשה ימין למטה22 [ועמ״ש מזה ג״כ בסמוך בד״ה ויאכילך את המן]23 וזהו שכתוב ארץ הרים ובקעות ובאתעדל״ת [ובאתערותא דלתתא] הנה.
And this is the aspect of withdrawal (histalkus): from left above, it becomes right below. [And see what is written about this, too, nearby, in the discourse beginning “And He fed you the manna.”] And this is what is written, “a land of mountains and valleys.” And in the arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), then,
This upward pull is histalkus, the soul’s longing to depart, and it too is the reversed seal: what is “left” above appears as “right” below. Such love and such humility are what the verse calls “mountains and valleys.” The bracket refers to the related discussion in “And He fed you the manna,” the first maamar of this parshah.
לפיכך הם ב׳ בחי׳ אש ומים [פי׳ כי ארץ היא כנס״י [כנסת ישראל]24 יש בה הרים היינו אתעדל״ת [אתערותא דלתתא] בבחי׳ רצוא וזהו ענין כאברהם שקראו הר25 כו׳
therefore, there are two aspects: fire and water. [The meaning: “land” is the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael). It has “mountains,” that is, the arousal from below in the mode of ratzo (running forth); and this is the meaning of “like Avraham, who called it a mountain,” etc.
So the arousal from below, the human initiative that draws a response from above, takes two forms, fire and water. The bracket reads the verse: the “land” is the Congregation of Israel, and its “mountains” are the soul’s surge upward, ratzo (running forth), as when the Talmud says that Avraham called the place of the Temple a “mountain” (Pesachim 88a).
והרים לשון רבים כי יש כמה בחי׳ הר יש אהבה בשמחה ויש במרירות כו׳26 כמ״ש מזה בד״ה
And “mountains” is in the plural, because there are several aspects of “mountain”: there is love with joy, and there is [love] with bitterness, etc., as is explained about this in the discourse beginning
“Mountains” is plural because this upward surge takes several forms, such as love with joy and love with bitterness. The maamarim “For the mountains may depart” and “Set me as a seal” treat them at length.
כי ההרים ימושו ובד״ה שימני כחותם ודרך כלל הרים היינו אתעדל״ת [אתערותא דלתתא] בבחי׳ חותם בולט שמלמטה למעלה וזהו בחי׳ אש.
“For the mountains may depart,” and in the discourse beginning “Set me as a seal.” And in general, “mountains” are the arousal from below in the mode of a raised seal, from below upward; and this is the aspect of fire.
In general, the “mountains” are the arousal from below that works like a raised seal, rising from below upward. This is the quality of fire.
אבל בקעות הוא בחי׳ חותם שוקע שמלמטה היינו בחינת ביטול ובחי׳ יראה בחי׳ משים עצמו כשיריים וע׳ מ״ש בד״ה שמע ישראל בפי׳ ונשב בגיא27 כו׳.282930
But “valleys” are the aspect of a sunken seal from below, that is, the level of self-nullification and the level of awe, the level of making oneself like leftovers. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Hear, O Israel,” in the explanation of “And we dwelt in the valley,” etc.
The “valleys” are the opposite, a sunken seal from below: self-nullification, awe, and making oneself like leftovers. The maamar “Hear, O Israel” develops this in its explanation of “And we dwelt in the valley” (Deuteronomy 3:29).
The maamar asks why the land drinks “to” the rain, and lays its foundation with the image of a seal: what is above appears reversed below. G‑d’s greatness appears as humble kindness in Avraham (water, the “valleys”), and the soul’s love rises like fire (the “mountains”); these are the two forms of the arousal from below.
In the Kabbalah fire belongs to the left side (Gevurah) and love to the right (Chesed), so a fiery love in the soul is a case of “from left above, it becomes right below.” The Kehot note points to Pardes Rimmonim, where Rabbi Moshe Cordovero uses the same image: because Tiferes is “like a reversed seal,” the letters of tam (tav-mem) appear in emes (truth) in reverse order.
Marei mekomos
- 1ארץ הרים · הערת כ״ק אדמו״ר לעיל ע׳ יט בהערות וציונים ”ראה מאמרי אדה״ז — הנחות הר״פ ז״ל (ע׳ קלד) ושם בשינויים”. וראה הנסמן להלן ברשימת הכתבי-יד. מאמר זה בשינויים ותוס׳ הגהות באוה״ת עקב ע׳ תרכו. תרכט. חלק מהמאמר שבאוה״ת מיוסד על ד״ה והחיות רצוא ושוב הנדפס בסה״מ הנחות הר״פ ע׳ פב. ולכללות המאמר ראה ג״כ ד״ה קטנתי תשכ״ג. ע׳ בוך פערטעל שנא, א. חה״ס תקצ״ח ביאור עזה״ד [כ]. [כוונתו לד״ה זו הנדפס באוה״ת עקב ע׳ תרכו — שנמצא בבוך 318 שנא, א בכותרת: חגה״ס תקצ״ח]. בתוך מאמר זה נכלל מאמר ד״ה לך ה׳ הגדולה משנת תקע״א שנמצאים הנחות שונות מהמאמר: נוסח א׳ נדפס במאמרי אדה״ז כתובים כרך ב ע׳ רכד בכותרת: יום ש״ק פ׳ תצא ומתחיל ”כתיב לך ה׳ הגדולה”. הנחה ב׳ נדפס במאמרי אדה״ז — הנחות הר״פ ע׳ קלד ומתחיל ”מדת חסדו של אברהם כו׳ הוא כשיריים”. ובא כהמשך לביאור שחורה אני דש״פ עקב. הנחה ג׳ [הנחת כ״ק אדהאמ״צ]: באוה״ת וירא צ, א. וז״ל אדמו״ר הצ״צ שם: ”ולהבין עוד יש להעתיק מה שמצאתי כתוב במ״א ושייך לענין זה וז״ל כ״י מו״ח ז״ל: להבין שרש ענין לשארית נחלתו כו׳”. הנחה ד׳ נכלל בלקו״ת כאן יז, ד מתיבת ”והנה עפ״ז יובן הפסוק כו׳ לשארית נחלתו”. כנראה שכ״ק הצ״צ הרכיב שני מאמרים או ביאורים, אחד על פסוק לך ה׳ הגדולה, ומתי׳ ומדת חסדו לקוח מביאור ע״פ שחורה אני. ראה ד״ה יביאו לבוש מל׳ תרכ״ז (בהוצאת תשנ״ט) ע׳ קצח ואילך.
- 2ארץ הרים ובקעות · Deuteronomy 11:11
- 3למטר השמים · Bereshit Rabbah 13:10
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7והארץ לעולם עומדת · Kohelet Rabbah 1:8
- 8כי בצלם אלקים עשה את האדם · Genesis 9:6
- 9שאדם הוא כחותם המתהפך · וע׳ איוב (לח, יד). וע׳ פרדס להרמ״ק ש׳ ערכי הכינויים ערך אמת [כ].
- 10כחותם המתהפך · Job 38:14
- 11כחותם המתהפך · Pardes Rimmonim 23:1:169
- 12נעשה ימין למטה · ביאור תוס׳. [כ].
- 13בד״ה שימני כחותם · לקמן שה״ש. סידור שער התפילין.
- 14ואנכי עפר ואפר · Genesis 18:27
- 15מדת ישמעאל · ראה תו״ח פ׳ תולדות ד, א ואילך [בהוצאה החדשה קמה, א]. אוה״ת בראשית כרך א ע׳ צג, א ואילך.
- 16שבחזרתו פרע הקפותיו · Bereshit Rabbah 41:3
- 17חייך קודמין · Bava Metzia 62a:2
- 18שמשים עצמו כשיריים · ר״ה יז, רע״ב. וראה בהנסמן להלן רע״ד (בפנים).
- 19שמשים עצמו כשיריים · Rosh Hashanah 17b:1–3
- 20לעולם למקום נמוך · שם תוס׳ מרובה כאן. [כ].
- 21רשפי׳ רשפי אש · Song of Songs 8:6
- 22נעשה ימין למטה · שם [באוה״ת עקב] יש תוס׳ מרובה. [כ].
- 23בסמוך בד״ה ויאכילך את המן · לעיל יג, ג. במהדורא קמא ומהלשון ”בסמוך” נראה שמתחילה סבר להעמיד מאמר זה קודם ד״ה ויאכילך.
- 24ארץ היא כנס״י · ראה קה״י בערך ארץ וכנס״י.
- 25כאברהם שקראו הר · Pesachim 88a:4
- 26ויש במרירות כו׳ · [בכת״י] תוס׳ מרובה כאן [כ]. ראה אוה״ת כאן.
- 27ונשב בגיא · Deuteronomy 3:29
- 28לך ה׳ הגדולה · I Chronicles 29:11
- 29לך ה׳ הגדולה והוא מדת החסד · שהאריז״ל קראו למדת הגדולה מדת החסד.
- 30וכידוע אשר ד׳ אותיות הוי׳ הן דו״ר רו״ד · ראה לעיל בלק עג, א. וש״נ.
Water draws more than fire ¶2
2ובקעות לשון רבים כי יש ג״כ בחי׳ יראה תתאה ויראה עילאה כו׳ וכידוע אשר ד׳ אותיות הוי׳ הן דחילו ורחימו רחימו ודחילו הרי ב״פ [ב׳ פעמים] רחימו וב״פ [וב׳ פעמים] דחילו.
And “valleys” is in the plural, because there are also the levels of lower awe (yirah tata’ah) and higher awe (yirah ila’ah), etc. And as is known, the four letters of the Name Havayah are awe and love (dechilu urechimu), love and awe (rechimu udechilu); thus there is love twice and awe twice.
“Valleys” is plural too, because awe has two levels, a lower awe and a higher awe. As is known, the four letters of Havayah correspond in order to awe, love, love and awe, so there are two levels of love and two of awe.
ואפשר שזהו הרים ובקעות ב׳בחי׳ הרים ב׳ בחינות בקעות כו׳] והנה אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] הנמשך מלמעלה ע״י אתעדל״ת [אתערותא דלתתא] שבבחי׳ מים דלתתא גדולה ועליונה י ותר מאתעדל״ע [מאתערותא דלעילא]
And possibly this is [the meaning of] “mountains and valleys”: two aspects of mountains, two aspects of valleys, etc.] Now, the arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila) that is drawn down from above through the arousal from below that is in the mode of water below is greater and higher than the arousal from above
Perhaps, the bracket suggests, the plurals “mountains” and “valleys” hint at these two loves and two awes. The main argument resumes: the response from above to the “water” kind of arousal below is greater and higher than the response to the “fire” kind.
הנמשך ע״י אש1 [כי מבחי׳ אתעדל״ת [אתערותא דלתתא] שבבחי׳ חותם בולט שמלמטה נמשך מלמעלה בחי׳ חותם שוקע ומאתעדל״ת [ומאתערותא דלתתא] שבבחי׳ שקיעה וביטול נמשך אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] גילוי בחי׳ חותם בולט
that is drawn down through fire. [For from the arousal from below that is in the mode of a raised seal from below, there is drawn down from above the aspect of a sunken seal; and from the arousal from below that is in the mode of sinking and self-nullification, there is drawn down an arousal from above, a revelation of the aspect of a raised seal,
The reason follows the seal: when the arousal below is a raised seal, a fiery love that rises, the response from above comes as a sunken seal. When the arousal below is sunken, self-nullification, the response from above comes as a raised seal, an open revelation.
דהיינו גילוי אור א״ס בלי לבושים המסתירים ולא יכנף עוד2 כו׳ וכמ״ש כ״ז [כל זה] ע״פ שימני כחותם הנ״ל וא״כ אתעדל״ת [אתערותא דלתתא] שבבחי׳ מיים
that is, a revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) without concealing garments, “and [your Teacher] will no longer be hidden,” etc., and as all this is explained on [the verse] “Set me as a seal,” mentioned above. And if so, the arousal from below that is in the mode of water,
That open revelation is the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) without the garments that usually hide it, as Isaiah promises, “your Teacher will no longer be hidden” (Isaiah 30:20). From this the maamar draws its conclusion about the arousal of “water,” stated in the next part.
שהוא בחי׳ שקיעה וביטול משים עצמו כשיריים ממשיך אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] עליונה יותר ממה שנמשך על ידי אתעדל״ת [אתערותא דלתתא] בבחי׳ רשפי אש.
which is the aspect of sinking and self-nullification, making oneself like leftovers, draws down a higher arousal from above than what is drawn down through the arousal from below in the mode of “flashes of fire.”
Self-nullification, the “water” of making oneself like leftovers, draws a higher response from above than the fiery love described as “flashes of fire.”
ואפשר לומר שזה מרומז ג״כ בפי׳ ארץ הרים ובקעות שמחותם בולט שלמעלה נעשה למטה בחי׳ שקיעה וביטול כו׳]
And it is possible to say that this, too, is alluded to in the meaning of “a land of mountains and valleys”: that from the raised seal above there comes to be, below, the aspect of sinking and self-nullification, etc.]
The bracket suggests that “a land of mountains and valleys” itself hints at this: what is a raised seal above appears below as sinking and self-nullification, the “valleys.”
ולכן ארמי יעקב מים ליין3 להמשיך ברכה עליונה יותר (וע׳ בזהר בלק דף קפ״ט סע״א [סוף עמוד א] בע״א [באופן אחר] קצת) וזהו למטר השמים תשתה מים כאדם השותה לחבירו שיחזור וישתה לו.4
Therefore Yaakov cast water into the wine, to draw down a higher blessing (and see the Zohar, Balak, folio 189, end of side a, [explained] somewhat differently). And this is “to the rain of heaven it drinks water”: like a person who drinks to his fellow so that he will drink to him in return.
This is why Yaakov mixed water into his wine: water, the humble element, draws a higher blessing. Now the verse is clear: the land “drinks water” toward heaven the way a person drinks to a friend so that the friend will drink to him in return, and heaven answers with rain; the Zohar on Balak treats the subject somewhat differently.
[פי׳ שזהו העלאת5 מיין נוקבין להמשיך מיין דוכרין הנק׳ מטר השמים. ועמ״ש ע״פ אם בחקתי כו׳ בענין ונתתי גשמיכם6 כו׳.
[The meaning: this is the raising of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) to draw down mayin duchrin (masculine waters), which are called “the rain of heaven.” And see what is written on [the verse] “If in My statutes,” etc., on the matter of “I will give your rains,” etc.
In Kabbalistic terms, the water that rises from below is mayin nukvin (feminine waters), the arousal of the receiver, and it draws down mayin duchrin (masculine waters), the flow of the giver, here called “the rain of heaven.” The bracket refers to the maamar on “If you walk in My statutes” and its explanation of “I will give your rains in their season” (Leviticus 26:3–4).
ואפשר עד״ז י״ל [יש לומר] ג״כ ענין ניסוך המים7 שהיה בחג הסוכות כל שבעת ימי החג. כי
And possibly, along these lines, one may also explain the matter of the water libation, which took place on the festival of Sukkos all seven days of the festival. For
Along the same lines, the bracket suggests, one can explain the water libation, water poured on the altar on each of the seven days of Sukkos. The Talmud (Taanis 2b) finds a hint of it in the Torah.
הנה ענין ניסוך היין הוא בחינת שמחה והוא כמו חותם בולט ששמלמטה. בחי׳ שמחת הנפש באהבה רבה לה׳.
the matter of the wine libation is the aspect of joy, and it is like a raised seal from below: the aspect of the soul’s joy in great love (ahavah rabbah) for G‑d.
The wine libation stands for joy. It is a raised seal from below: the soul’s joy in its great love (ahavah rabbah) for G‑d, surging upward.
וזהו ענין שיר הלוים על היין. אבל ניסוך המים הוא בחי׳ חכמה כח מה8 בחי׳ ביטול שהוא בחי׳ חותם שוקע שמלמטה.9
And this is the meaning of the Levites’ song over the wine. But the water libation is the aspect of Chochmah (wisdom), koach mah (the power of “what”), the aspect of self-nullification, which is the aspect of a sunken seal from below.
This is why the Levites’ song in the Temple went with the wine. The water libation, by contrast, is Chochmah, which the Zohar calls koach mah, “the power of ‘what,’” the capacity for self-nullification; it is the sunken seal from below.
The paragraph argues that the humble “water” of self-nullification draws a higher response from above than fiery love, because a sunken seal below brings an open, “raised” revelation from above. This explains the verse’s “to the rain”: the earth’s water rises first, like a toast that invites a toast in return, and the same pattern is seen in the water libation of Sukkos.
Mayin nukvin and mayin duchrin are the Kabbalistic names for the two sides of every union: the receiver’s arousal that rises, and the giver’s flow that answers it. The maamar’s point is that the response is not proportional to intensity: the quiet arousal of self-nullification draws a revelation beyond the concealing garments, which the burning love of ratzo does not.
Marei mekomos
- 1הנמשך ע״י אש · [בכת״י] תוס׳ מרובה כאן [כ]. ראה אוה״ת כאן.
- 2ולא יכנף עוד · Isaiah 30:20
- 3ארמי יעקב מים ליין · Zohar, Balak 6:78–86
- 4שיחזור וישתה לו · [בכת״י] תוס׳ מרובה שם. [כ]. ראה אוה״ת כאן.
- 5(פי׳ שזהו העלאת · לכאו׳ חסר סיום המוסגר. ובכת״י אחד (950 א, א) שם נמצא מאמר זה סיום המוסגר אחר תיבת צרתני כנ״ל.
- 6ונתתי גשמיכם · Leviticus 26:4
- 7ניסוך המים שהי׳ בחג הסוכות · Sukkah 45a
- 8חכמה כח מה · Zohar III, 34a
- 9ועד״ז יובן מ״ש בזהר בלק . . ע״ש במק״מ · ”דהיינו כששורה בבי״ע על מט״ט וסנד״ל כן פי׳ במק״מ בשם הרח״ו, וכ״כ אדמו״ר נ״ע דלא כהרמ״ז” — אוה״ת שה״ש כרך ב ע׳ שפג. וראה באוה״ת בראשית כרך ו בפ׳ ויחי תתשכד, ב.
Sukkos, Shemini Atzeres and a question of names ¶3
3והנה בשמיני עצרת אומרים מוריד הגשם12 שזהו המשכת מ״ד [מיין דוכרין] מלמעלה להיות נקלט גילוי אור א״ס ב״ה
Now, on Shemini Atzeres we say, “He causes the rain to fall,” which is the drawing down of mayin duchrin (masculine waters) from above, so that the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, will be received
On Shemini Atzeres we begin to say “He causes the rain to fall” in the Amidah. Inwardly, this rain is the drawing down of mayin duchrin, the flow from above, so that a revelation of the Infinite Light will be received in the souls of Israel.
בנש״י [בנשמות ישראל] מקרב איש ולב עמוק3 ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה תורה צוה וע״ז נאמר למטר השמים תשתה מים שכדי להמשיך המשכה עליונה זו דמטר השמים שבשמיני עצרת.
in the souls of Israel, from “the inward part of a man, and a deep heart.” And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Torah tzivah” (“The Torah [that Moshe] commanded”). And about this it is said, “to the rain of heaven it drinks water”: that in order to draw down this supernal flow of “the rain of heaven” on Shemini Atzeres,
The light is to be received in “the inward part of a man, and a deep heart” (Psalms 64:7), the innermost depth of the soul; the maamar “Torah tzivah” discusses this. The verse “to the rain of heaven it drinks water” refers to this rain of Shemini Atzeres and to what draws it down, as the next part says.
הוא ע״י ניסוך המים בחג הסוכות. וזהו המשל הנ״ל כאדם השותה לחבירו כדי שיחזור וישתה לו
it is through the water libation on the festival of Sukkos. And this is the analogy mentioned above: like a person who drinks to his fellow so that he will drink to him in return.
What draws it down is the water libation of Sukkos: the water poured out below during the seven days draws the “rain” from above on Shemini Atzeres. This is the image of a person who drinks to a friend so that the friend will drink to him in return.
והנה על פי זה יובן הפסוק מי אל כמוך נושא עון כו׳ לשארית נחלתו וארז״ל [ואמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה] בפ״ב [בפרק ב׳] דר״ה [דראש השנה] (דף י״ז)4 דפי׳ לשארית היינו למי שמשים עצמו כשיריים.57
Now, on this basis the verse will be understood, “Who is a G‑d like You, who bears iniquity,” etc., “for the remnant of His heritage”; and our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the second chapter of Rosh HaShanah (folio 17) that “for the remnant” means for one who makes himself like leftovers.
The same principle explains Micah 7:18, “Who is a G‑d like You, who bears iniquity... for the remnant of His heritage.” The Talmud (Rosh HaShanah 17a–b) reads “for the remnant” (she’eris) as “for one who makes himself like leftovers” (sheyarayim): G‑d’s forgiveness reaches the one who sets himself aside.
ויש לבאר תחלה ענין שבספרי מקובלים הקדמוים נק׳ המדות עליונות גג״ת [גדולה גבורה תפארת] גדולה גבורה תפארת היינו שמדת חסדו ית׳ נק׳ בשם גדולה
But first we must explain the matter that in the books of the early Kabbalists the supernal emotive attributes (middos) are called [by the initials] GGT, Gedulah, Gevurah, Tiferes; that is, the attribute of His kindness, may He be blessed, is called by the name Gedulah (greatness);
First the maamar raises a question of names. The early Kabbalists, before the Arizal, called the first three emotive attributes Gedulah (greatness), Gevurah and Tiferes, so that G‑d’s kindness was called “greatness.”
רק בע״ח [בעץ חיים] נזכר הכל חג״ת [חסד גבורה תפארת] שנק׳ המדה בשם חסד ובפסוק כתיב ג״כ לך ה׳ הגדולה והגבורה6 כו׳.8
only in Etz Chaim is it all mentioned as Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes, where the attribute is called by the name Chesed (kindness). And in the verse, too, it is written, “Yours, Havayah, is the greatness (Gedulah) and the might (Gevurah),” etc.
Only in Etz Chaim, the Arizal’s teachings, is the first attribute called Chesed (kindness), giving the series Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes. Yet the verse itself says “Yours, Havayah, is the greatness and the might,” using the older name; the next paragraphs explain why kindness is called “greatness.”
The paragraph applies the principle to the festival: the water libation of Sukkos, the water sent up from below, draws down the “rain” of Shemini Atzeres. It then introduces “for the remnant of His heritage” and asks why the early Kabbalists called G‑d’s kindness “greatness.”
Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres follow the pattern of mayin nukvin and mayin duchrin: the seven days of the water libation are the arousal from below, and the mention of rain that begins on Shemini Atzeres is the answering flow from above. According to the Kehot note, the section from “Now, on this basis the verse will be understood” onward is a separate transcript of the discourse “Yours, Havayah, is the greatness” (5571) joined to this maamar.
Marei mekomos
- 1בשמע״צ אומרים מוריד הגשם · טושו״ע או״ח סי׳ קיד, א. תרס״ח, ב.
- 2מוריד הגשם · Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 114:1
- 3מקרב איש ולב עמוק · Psalms 64:7
- 4וארז״ל בפ״ב דר״ה דף י״ז · באוה״ת נ״ך כרך א ע׳ תצא תוכן הענין שנתבאר, וז״ל: ”ותוכן הענין כיון שיג״מ נמשכים מבחי׳ הגדולה מה שלגדולתו אין חקר, לכן הוא ארך אפיים וגדל חסד, לכן א״א שיומשכו במי שהוא בבחי׳ יש וגדלות, שאין גדולה אלא ליוצר בראשית” ע״ש.
- 5למי שמשים עצמו כשיריים · Rosh Hashanah 17b:1–3
- 6לך ה׳ הגדולה והגבורה · I Chronicles 29:11
- 7מי א-ל כמוך נושא עון · Micah 7:18
- 8מקובלים הקדמונים · באוה״ת וירא שם צ, א מציין ”שלפני הפרדס והע״ח”. ובאוה״ת פ׳ עקב ע׳ תרכט ”המקובלים”. במאמרי אדה״ז כתובים כרך ב ע׳ רכד ”המקובלים הראשונים” שלפני האריז״ל.
Kindness from infinite greatness ¶4–5
4והענין כי באמת בא״ס ב״ה לא שייך לומר שישפיע חסד רק מחמת כי לגדולתו אין חקר1 וכמ״ש ארך אפים וגדל חסד2 כי
The explanation: in truth, with regard to the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, one cannot say that He bestows kindness except because “His greatness is unsearchable,” as it is written, “slow to anger (erech apayim, literally ‘long of face’) and great in kindness.” For
Now the maamar explains why kindness is called “greatness.” In G‑d, the Infinite One, kindness has no cause except His boundless greatness: because “His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalms 145:3), He is “slow to anger and great in kindness” (Psalms 145:8). The Hebrew for “slow to anger,” erech apayim, literally means “long of face,” and the maamar will build on this.
הנה באור פני מלך חיים3 ולהיותו ית׳ נק׳ ארך אפים ע״כ נמשך להיות וגדל חסד כו׳ וכמ״ש במ״א
“in the light of the King’s face is life”; and because He, may He be blessed, is called erech apayim, therefore it is drawn forth to be “great in kindness,” etc., as is explained elsewhere.
The verse “In the light of the King’s face is life” (Proverbs 16:15) ties life and goodness to the King’s “face.” So because G‑d is called erech apayim, “long of face,” His being “great in kindness” is drawn from it.
Therefore it is a kindness [such that] there is no end or limit to His good kindness; and this is the attribute of “abundant in kindness.” See the Zohar, in the Idra of Nasso (folio 133b).
Kindness that flows from boundless greatness is itself boundless: there is no end to His good kindness. This is “abundant in kindness,” one of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy (Exodus 34:6), which the Zohar discusses in the Idra of Parshas Nasso.
אמנם בחי׳ חסד זה שמצד הגדולה זהו דייקא במדת א״ס ב״ה אשר לגדולתו אין חקר כי הוא לבדו הוא הוא קדמון לכל הקדומים78 כי גאה גאה9 כו׳
However, this level of kindness that stems from greatness belongs specifically to the attribute of the Infinite One, blessed be He, “whose greatness is unsearchable”; for He alone is the One who is primordial before all that is primordial, “for He is highly exalted,” etc.
Kindness that comes from greatness belongs only to G‑d, whose greatness truly has no measure. He alone is “primordial before all that is primordial,” and “highly exalted” (Exodus 15:1) above everything.
לכן לך הוי׳ דייקא הגדולה משא״ בנבראים לא שייך מדה זו מאחר שהם באמת כלא חשיבי וכל ההשתלשלות הוא כטפה לגבי אוקיינוס ויותר מכן אין ערוך כו׳
Therefore “Yours, Havayah,” specifically, “is the greatness.” Whereas in created beings this attribute does not apply, since in truth they are “considered as nothing,” and the entire chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) is like a drop compared to the ocean, and even more than that, there is no comparison, etc.
That is why the verse says “Yours, Havayah, is the greatness”: greatness belongs to G‑d alone. Created beings cannot have this quality, for before Him they are “considered as nothing”; all the worlds together are less than a drop beside the ocean.
לכן בכל סטרא דקדושה הוא בחי׳ ביטול ואין דכלא חשיבי נהפוך מבחי׳ גדולה ולכן נקרא ארץ ישראל בשם ארץ כנען10 לשון הכנעה וביטול כמ״ש לעיל.11
Therefore throughout the side of holiness there is the aspect of self-nullification (bittul) and of nothingness, of “considered as nothing,” the reverse of the aspect of greatness. And therefore the Land of Israel is called by the name “the land of Canaan,” a term of submission (hachna’ah) and self-nullification, as is explained above.
So everything holy is marked by self-nullification (bittul), the opposite of greatness. That is why the Land of Israel is called “the land of Canaan,” a name the maamar connects with hachna’ah, submission.
The paragraph explains why the early Kabbalists called kindness “greatness”: in G‑d, kindness flows from His infinite greatness and is therefore itself infinite. Created beings, who are as nothing before Him, cannot have such greatness; in holiness their mark is self-nullification.
The play on erech apayim, “long of face,” prepares for Arich Anpin, “the long face,” a level of Keser (the Crown) that the maamar names in paragraph 6. Likkutei Torah on Masei, to which the Kehot note points, reads “in the light of the King’s face is life” as a flow of goodness that never ceases and does not come through any change or emotion.
Marei mekomos
- 1לגדולתו אין חקר · Psalms 145:3
- 2ארך אפים וגדל חסד · Psalms 145:8
- 3באור פני מלך חיים · Proverbs 16:15
- 4ורב חסד · Exodus 34:6
- 5ורב חסד · Zohar, Idra Rabba 15:134–17:147
- 6עיין בזהר באדרת נשא דקל״ג ע״ב · ראה גם באוה״ת פ׳ וירא צ, ב.
- 7קדמון לכל הקדומים · ת״ז (קכ, א). [כ].
- 8קדמון לכל הקדומים · Tikkunei Zohar 120a:5
- 9כי גאה גאה · Exodus 15:1
- 10ולכן נקרא ארץ ישראל בשם ארץ כנען · ראה גם תו״א פ׳ וישב בתחלתו ובאוה״ת פ׳ וישב ע׳ רנא, ב.
- 11לשון הכנעה וביטול כמ״ש לעיל · טז, ג.
5וזהו מדת חסד לאברהם12 שנמשך מבחי׳ ואנכי עפר ואפר3 ועד״ז אמר יעקב קטנתי מכל החסדים4 כמ״ש באגה״ק [באגרת הקודש]5 ע״ש.
And this is the attribute of “kindness to Avraham,” which is drawn from the level of “and I am dust and ashes.” Along the same lines Yaakov said, “I am too small for all the kindnesses,” as is explained in Iggeres HaKodesh; see there.
“Kindness to Avraham” (Micah 7:20, the close of the passage that begins “Who is a G‑d like You”) is exactly this kind: Avraham’s kindness flows from “I am dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27), from his self-nullification. Yaakov said the same in “I am too small for all the kindnesses” (Genesis 32:11), as Iggeres HaKodesh explains.
ומ״ש בע״ח [בעץ חיים] מדת חסד ולא אמר גדולה היינו כי בע״ח [בעץ חיים] מדבר בחסד דז״א דאצילות אשר הכלים הם בבחי׳ גבול ותכלית
And as for Etz Chaim’s saying “the attribute of Chesed (kindness)” and not “Gedulah”: this is because Etz Chaim speaks of the Chesed of Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), whose vessels are in the state of limit and end,
Etz Chaim calls the attribute Chesed rather than Gedulah because it speaks of the Chesed of Z’eir Anpin in the World of Atzilus, whose vessels are defined and limited. “Greatness” would not suit a limited attribute.
רל״ו אלפים רבבות פרסאות כמ״ש באגה״ק [באגרת הקודש] ד״ה איהו וחיוהי ולכן נק׳ זעיר אנפין משא״כ ארך אפים הוא אין סוף.
236 thousand myriads of parasangs, as is explained in Iggeres HaKodesh, in the section beginning “He and His life-forces”; and therefore it is called Z’eir Anpin (“the small face”), whereas erech apayim (“long of face”) is infinite.
Even in Atzilus the vessels have a measure, given as 236 thousand myriads of parasangs, as explained in Iggeres HaKodesh in the letter beginning “He and His life-forces.” That is why the configuration is called Z’eir Anpin, “the small face,” while erech apayim, “long of face,” is infinite.
The paragraph reconciles the two names: Avraham’s and Yaakov’s kindness comes from humility, and Etz Chaim says “Chesed” because it speaks of the limited attributes of Z’eir Anpin, “the small face,” whereas “greatness” belongs to the infinite level of “long of face.”
Iggeres HaKodesh 15, to which the Kehot note points, brings the Maggid’s teaching that Avraham said “I am dust and ashes” about the light of supernal Chesed shining in his own soul: compared with the Chesed of Atzilus it was like ash compared with the living tree.
Marei mekomos
- 1וזהו מדת חסד לאברהם · ראה הערת כ״ק אדמו״ר בהערות וציונים לכאן.
- 2חסד לאברהם · Micah 7:20
- 3ואנכי עפר ואפר · Genesis 18:27
- 4קטנתי מכל החסדים · Genesis 32:11
- 5כמ״ש באגה״ק · סי׳ טו.
Holy kindness and the kindness of Yishmael ¶6–7
6ולכן בחסד דז״א נק׳ חסד דמ״ה [דשם מ״ה] בחי׳ ביטול שהכלים בטלים ממש לא״ס ב״ה אבל בחי׳ וגדל חסד ורב חסד זהו1 בבחינת א״א שלמעלה מהאצילות כנ״ל וכמ״ש בזהר שם בענין חסד דלגאו וחסד דלבר2 ע״ש.
Therefore the Chesed (kindness) of Z’eir Anpin is called the Chesed of Mah, the aspect of self-nullification (bittul), for the vessels are truly nullified to the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He. But the level of “great in kindness” and “abundant in kindness” is in the level of Arich Anpin (“the long face”), which is above Atzilus, as mentioned above, and as is explained in the Zohar there on the matter of the inner Chesed and the outer Chesed; see there.
So the Chesed of Z’eir Anpin is “the Chesed of Mah,” self-nullification: its vessels are wholly nullified to the Infinite One. Boundless kindness, “great in kindness” and “abundant in kindness,” belongs to Arich Anpin, “the long face,” which the maamar places above Atzilus; the Zohar there distinguishes an inner Chesed from an outer Chesed.
אך משבה״כ [משבירת הכלים] שמעולם התהו נתהוה בחי׳ חסד דישמעאל3 אשר גם הוא פזרן אכן הפיזור בכדי להראות את עשרו ותפארת גדולתו ולהיות לו לשם ולתפארת. הפך מבחי׳ הביטול מבחי׳ עפר ואפר וממילא שאין משפיע רק מהמותרות שלו.
But from the shattering of the vessels (sheviras hakeilim) of the World of Tohu there came into being the aspect of the Chesed of Yishmael, who is also a lavish giver; but the lavishness is in order to show his wealth and the splendor of his greatness, and so that it will be for him “a name and splendor.” [This is] the opposite of the aspect of self-nullification, of the aspect of “dust and ashes”; and consequently he gives only from his surplus.
From the shattering of the vessels in the World of Tohu (chaos) came another kind of kindness, the Chesed of Yishmael. Yishmael also gives lavishly, but to display his wealth and win a name; this is the opposite of the self-nullification of “dust and ashes,” and so he gives only from his surplus.
The paragraph contrasts two sources of kindness: holy kindness, rooted in self-nullification (the Chesed of Mah below, and boundless kindness above in Arich Anpin), and the Chesed of Yishmael, born of the shattering of the vessels, which gives in order to display its own greatness.
In the Kabbalah, the World of Tohu preceded Atzilus; its lights were too intense for its vessels, which shattered. A kindness that gives to show its own greatness is, in this account, a legacy of Tohu: greatness without self-nullification.
Marei mekomos
- 1אבל בחי׳ וגדל חסד ורב חסד זהו בבחי׳ א״א שלמעלה מהאצילות · מובא באוה״ת פ׳ בהעלותך ע׳ שלד ע״ש. וראה מאמרי אדה״ז כתובים כרך ב ע׳ רכד ואילך. ביאור ענין זה ובאריכות באוה״ת פ׳ וירא צא, ב.
- 2חסד דלגאו וחסד דלבר · Zohar, Idra Rabba 15:134–17:147
- 3משבה״כ שמעולם התהו נתהוה בחי׳ חסד דישמעאל · ראה בארוכה באוה״ת פ׳ וירא צג, ב.
7והתהוות בחי׳ זה דנבראים היינו ע״י שבה״כ [שבירת הכלים] דייקא מעולם התהו שלפני האצילות שהיה החסד בבחי׳ גדולה כו׳ ועמ״ש מזהבד״ה ויהי בשלח פרעה1 בענין כמה ארך אפים לפניו כו׳ ע״ש.
And the coming into being of this aspect in created beings is specifically through the shattering of the vessels of the World of Tohu, which preceded Atzilus, where the Chesed was in the mode of greatness, etc. And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh sent [the people] out,” on the matter of “how much erech apayim there is before Him,” etc.; see there.
Created beings came to have this self-centered kind of kindness through the shattering of the vessels of Tohu, which preceded Atzilus and in which Chesed took the form of “greatness.” The maamar refers to the discourse “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh sent the people out” for the idea of “how much erech apayim there is before Him.”
ועמ״ש בביאור על פ׳ שחורה אני כו׳ בענין כאהלי קדר כו׳ ע״ש. והאדם צריך לידבק במדות דעולם התיקון חסד דמ״ה [דשם מ״ה] בחי׳ בטול
And see what is written in the explanation on the passage “I am black,” etc., on the matter of “like the tents of Kedar,” etc.; see there. And a person must cleave to the attributes of the World of Tikkun (rectification): the Chesed (kindness) of Mah, the aspect of self-nullification (bittul).
It also refers to the explanation of “I am black” (Song of Songs 1:5) on “like the tents of Kedar.” The practical point follows: a person must cleave to the attributes of the World of Tikkun, the self-nullified Chesed of Mah, not to the kindness of Tohu.
ולכן אפילו מגיע לו ריעותא מהגמילות חסד לא ימנע א״ע [את עצמו] מלגמול חסד כיון שסבת החסד מחמת שמשים עצמו כשיריים כו׳ כנ״ל.2
Therefore, even if some harm comes to him from an act of kindness, he should not hold himself back from doing kindness, since the cause of the kindness is that he makes himself like leftovers, etc., as mentioned above.
Therefore, even if doing a kindness brings him some harm, he should not hold back. His kindness does not come from a sense of his own greatness but from making himself like leftovers, so a loss to himself is no reason to stop.
The paragraph traces the self-centered kindness found in created beings to the shattering of the vessels, and draws a practical lesson: a person should practice the humble kindness of Tikkun and keep giving even at a cost to himself.
Marei mekomos
- 1בד״ה ויהי בשלח פרעה · תו״א פ׳ בשלח.
- 2בביאור ע״פ שחורה אני · Song of Songs 7:3
Self-nullification reveals G‑d’s greatness ¶8–9
8והנה ע״י בחי׳ בטול זה יוכל להתגלות עליו מדותיו של הקב״ה ממש שהוא בחי׳ מדת גדולתו ית׳ בגילוי ממש
Now, through this aspect of self-nullification (bittul), the very attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, can be revealed upon him, that is, the aspect of the attribute of His greatness, may He be blessed, in actual revelation.
Self-nullification has a further result: through it, G‑d’s own attributes, His very greatness, can be openly revealed upon a person.
כי ע״י בחי׳ שקיעה שמלמטה שהוא בחי׳ ביטול נמשך אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] בבחי׳ חותם בולט הוא בחי׳ מדת גדולתו ית׳ משא״כ בסט״א [בסטרא אחרא]
For through the aspect of sinking from below, which is the aspect of self-nullification, there is drawn down an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila) in the mode of a raised seal, which is the aspect of the attribute of His greatness, may He be blessed. This is not so with the sitra achra (the other side),
This is the seal again: a sunken impression below, self-nullification, draws from above a raised seal, the revelation of G‑d’s greatness. The sitra achra (the other side), the realm opposed to holiness, is different.
שהוא בחי׳ יש נמשך משם רק ע״י שבירת הכלים וזהו ענין לעושי רצונו1 על אחת כמה וכמה.
which is the aspect of yesh (self-existence): from there it is drawn only through the shattering of the vessels. And this is the meaning of “for those who do His will, how much more so.”
The sitra achra is yesh, a sense of separate self, and it receives Divine vitality only by way of the shattering of the vessels. Hence the Talmud’s saying, “for those who do His will, how much more so”: if even those who go against His will receive so much, how much more will He give to those who do it.
Self-nullification is the vessel for a revelation of G‑d’s greatness itself, whereas the sitra achra, being yesh, receives only indirectly, through the shattering of the vessels; this is the force of “for those who do His will, how much more so.”
Marei mekomos
- 1לעושי רצונו עאכו״כ · Nedarim 50b:10
9וכמ״ש במ״א שבעולם התיקון נמשך השראת אור א״ס מבחי׳ שלימותא דכולא כו׳. ואפשר שזהו ג״כ פי׳ ארץ הרים ובקעות
As is explained elsewhere, in the World of Tikkun the indwelling of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is drawn from the level of “the perfection of all,” etc. And possibly this is also the meaning of “a land of mountains and valleys,”
As explained elsewhere, in the World of Tikkun the Infinite Light dwells from the level called “the perfection of all.” Perhaps, the maamar suggests, this gives another meaning to “a land of mountains and valleys.”
כי אברהם שהוא בחי׳ הר היינו מדת החסד הרי חסד זה נמשך מבחי׳ ואנכי עפר ואפר שהוא בחי׳ בקעה בחי׳ ביטול כו׳ משא״כ בסט״א [בסטרא אחרא] כנ״ל ועמ״ש בד״ה ענין שניתנה תורה על הר סיני.
for Avraham, who is the aspect of “mountain,” that is, the attribute of Chesed (kindness): this Chesed is drawn from the aspect of “and I am dust and ashes,” which is the aspect of a valley, the aspect of self-nullification (bittul), etc. This is not so with the sitra achra (the other side), as mentioned above. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “The matter that the Torah was given on Mount Sinai.”
Avraham is a “mountain,” the attribute of kindness, but his kindness comes from “I am dust and ashes,” a “valley” of self-nullification: in holiness the mountain grows out of the valley. It is not so in the sitra achra; the maamar refers to the discourse on the Torah’s being given on Mount Sinai.
The paragraph offers another reading of the verse: in holiness the “mountain” (Avraham’s kindness) is drawn from the “valley” (his self-nullification), which is not so in the sitra achra.
For the remnant of His heritage ¶10
10וזהו לשארית נחלתו למי שמשים עצמו כשיריים. כי הנה י״ג מדות הרחמים נק׳ רחמים גדולים כמ״ש וברחמים גדולים אקבצך1 שנמשכים מבחי׳ ולגדולתו אין חקר.2
And this is [the meaning of] “for the remnant of His heritage”: for one who makes himself like leftovers. For the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are called “great mercy,” as it is written, “and with great mercy I will gather you,” since they are drawn from the level of “and His greatness is unsearchable,”
This returns to “for the remnant of His heritage,” which the Talmud reads as “for one who makes himself like leftovers.” The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are called “great mercy” (“with great mercy I will gather you,” Isaiah 54:7) because they come from G‑d’s greatness, which is unsearchable.
שהם מבחי׳ ארך אפים וגדל חסד ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה כי ההרים ימושו. ובד ״ה קול דודי.
for they are from the level of “slow to anger (erech apayim) and great in kindness.” And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “For the mountains may depart,” and in the discourse beginning “The voice of my beloved.”
They are the level of “slow to anger and great in kindness,” the boundless kindness that flows from greatness. The maamarim “For the mountains may depart” and “The voice of my beloved” discuss this further.
וע״כ אינו נמשך אלא במי שמשים א״ע [את עצמו] כשיריים שהוא בחי׳ שקיעה וביטול שזה דייקא הוא הכלי לבחי׳ חותם בולט שמלמעלה וכמ״ש באריכות ע״פ שימני כחותם על לבך כו וז״ש [וזהו שכתוב] (ישעיה נ״ז)
And therefore it is drawn only into one who makes himself like leftovers, which is the aspect of sinking and self-nullification (bittul); for this specifically is the vessel for the aspect of the raised seal from above, as is explained at length on [the verse] “Set me as a seal upon your heart,” etc. And this is what is written (Isaiah, chapter 57):
Such great mercy can be drawn only into one who makes himself like leftovers, because a sunken impression below is the vessel for the raised seal from above, as the maamar “Set me as a seal upon your heart” explains. This answers why forgiveness reaches “the remnant,” and Isaiah says the same, as the next part quotes.
כי כה אמר רם ונשא3 כו׳ מרום וקדוש אשכון ואת דכא ושפל רוח4 כו׳ וע׳ בזהר פ׳ אמור (ד״צ סע״ב [סוף עמוד ב]) ובמק״מ [ובמקדש מלך] שם:
“For thus says the High and Exalted One,” etc., “I dwell on high and in holiness, and with the crushed and lowly of spirit,” etc. And see the Zohar, Parshas Emor (folio 90, end of side b), and the Mikdash Melech there.
“For thus says the High and Exalted One... I dwell on high and in holiness, and with the crushed and lowly of spirit” (Isaiah 57:15): the One who is highest dwells with the lowliest. The maamar closes with references to the Zohar on Emor (90b) and the commentary Mikdash Melech there.
The maamar concludes that G‑d’s forgiveness, the Thirteen Attributes of “great mercy” that flow from His greatness, is drawn only to “the remnant,” one who makes himself like leftovers, since only a sunken impression receives the raised seal; so Isaiah says that the High One dwells with the lowly of spirit.
This closes the maamar’s circle: the land that drinks water “to the rain of heaven,” the water libation that draws the rain of Shemini Atzeres, Avraham’s kindness from “dust and ashes,” and forgiveness for “the remnant” are one pattern, in which lowliness below is the vessel for greatness revealed from above.
Marei mekomos
- 1וברחמים גדולים אקבצך · Isaiah 54:7
- 2ולגדולתו אין חקר · Psalms 145:3
- 3
- 4ואת דכא ושפל רוח · Zohar, Emor 11:36–13:46
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
A person must cleave to the attributes of the World of Tikkun, the humble kindness of the Chesed of Mah: giving from what he himself needs and not only from his surplus, and not holding back even when a kindness costs him, since his kindness comes from making himself like leftovers. Through this self-nullification G‑d’s own greatness and great mercy can be revealed upon him.
Questions for discussion
- Why does the verse say the land drinks “to” the rain of heaven, and how does the image of drinking to a friend explain it?
- How does the seal that reverses its image explain both Avraham’s kindness and the soul’s fiery love?
- Why does the arousal of “water,” self-nullification, draw a higher response from above than the fiery love of the “mountains”?
- What separates the Chesed of Mah from the Chesed of Yishmael, when both may give generously?
- Why can the Thirteen Attributes of “great mercy” rest only on one who makes himself like leftovers?
Key terms in this maamar
- Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א
- The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration. ×1
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×27
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×13
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response.
- An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
- Divine initiative, unprompted by us.
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×1
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×3
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment. ×2
- Tiferes (beauty)תפארת
- Harmony of kindness and restraint; associated with compassion. ×3
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence. ×1
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×1
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d. ×3
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- The sitra achra (the other side)סטרא אחרא
- The realm opposed to holiness.
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×1