Likkutei Torah · Parshas Metzora · Maamar 1
זאת תהיה תורת המצורע ביום טהרתו וגו׳
“This shall be the law (torah) of the metzora on the day of his purification”
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The big idea
Tzaraas is ratzo without shov: fervor for G‑d that has lost the bittul of Chochmah and so has no vessels to hold it, and the cure is teshuvah that first rouses the heart and then returns it to the One, followed by Torah and mitzvos that draw the light down into many vessels.
The maamar in brief
Following the Arizal, the Alter Rebbe teaches that the nega’im of tzaraas come from the withdrawal of Chochmah, the intellect of Abba. The intellect of Imma, contemplation, produces ratzo, a fiery love that longs to leave all vessels behind; the intellect of Abba produces bittul, and from bittul comes shov, the drawing of G‑dliness down into vessels, the letters of the Written and Oral Torah, which are Leah and Rachel. When Abba’s light withdraws, ratzo stands alone, the external forces feed on it, and in place of the holy “name” of letters there arise the nega’im, a “bad name,” as in lashon hara and Korach’s rebellion. The cure is “the torah of the metzora”: Torah, the good oil of Chochmah, which heals when studied with bittul. Yet Abba’s light can return only after the blemish in Imma is repaired: first “he shall be brought to the kohen,” rousing ratzo and absorbing it into bittul (teshuvah, the hei returning to the yud), and then “the kohen shall go out,” the shov into Torah and mitzvos. Shov is the main service; with the “scarlet” of the Oral Torah, the Congregation of Israel need not fear the “snow” of baheres.
Outline
- The root of tzaraasThe opening verse and the Arizal’s principle: the nega’im come from the withdrawal of the light of Chochmah, for the metzora is considered like one who is dead, and “they die, and not with wisdom.”¶1
- Two kinds of intellect: ratzo and shovThe intellect of Imma brings ratzo, love like flashes of fire; the intellect of Abba brings bittul and from it shov, the drawing down into vessels, the letters of the Written and Oral Torah, which are Leah and Rachel.¶2–4
- How the nega’im arise: the “bad name”Without Abba’s light, Leah and Rachel are not built; ratzo alone feeds the external forces, and nega’im, a “bad name,” come out in place of the holy letters, as with lashon hara, the Tower of Babel, the Nefilim and Korach.¶5
- The cure: the kohen and the TorahThe kohen draws down the light of Abba, which breaks through into the vessels of thought and speech; Torah, the good oil of Chochmah, heals and purifies, but only when studied with bittul.¶6–10
- Brought to the kohen, then the kohen goes outThe two verses describe two stages: first teshuvah rouses ratzo and absorbs it into bittul, the hei returning to the yud, as the Levites’ song precedes the kohanim; then shov goes out into vessels and letters.¶11–16
- Shov as the main serviceAfter teshuvah one’s Torah “shall be” complete, drawing G‑dliness all the way down; ratzo is only a beginning, and the main thing is to make many vessels through Torah and mitzvos, even reciting Torah without full understanding.¶17–19
- She does not fear the snowBaheres, white as snow, is the withdrawal of Chochmah’s life; the Congregation of Israel, clothed in the “scarlet” of the Oral Torah that draws down Chochmah, has no room for it.¶20
Key concepts
- Ratzo and shov (running and returning)רצוא ושוב
- Ratzo is the soul’s fiery longing to leave its bounds and be absorbed in G‑d; shov is the return to draw G‑dliness down into the world through Torah and mitzvos. The maamar teaches that shov is the main thing and ratzo only its beginning.
- The intellect of Imma and the intellect of Abbaמוחין דאימא ומוחין דאבא
- The intellect of Imma (Binah) is contemplation, which gives birth to love and ratzo; the intellect of Abba (Chochmah), where the Infinite Light rests, brings bittul, and from it shov and the vessels.
- Leah and Rachelלאה ורחל
- Two feminine configurations behind Z’eir Anpin: Leah is the letters of thought (the Written Torah), Rachel the letters of speech and action (the Oral Torah). They are formed only when the intellect of Abba is revealed.
- Nega’imנגעים
- The afflictions of tzaraas: se’es in place of Leah, sapachas and baheres in place of Rachel. They arise when Abba’s light withdraws and the external forces draw nurture from the lights of Imma.
- Good name and bad nameשם טוב ושם רע
- The holy letters, Leah and Rachel, are called shem, a “good name,” for the Torah is G‑d’s names; lashon hara causes letters called a “bad name” to emerge in their place, the source of life for the kelipos.
- Teshuvah: the hei returns to the yudתשובה — תשוב ה׳ לגבי יו״ד
- Sin separates Binah (the upper hei) from Chochmah (the yud); teshuvah rouses the ratzo of Binah and reunites it with the bittul of Chochmah.
- Reaching and not reachingמטי ולא מטי
- Etz Chaim’s term for lights that go out and return, staying attached to their source so that the external forces cannot seize them; in divine service it is ratzo and shov.
The root of tzaraas ¶1
1זאת תהיה תורת המצורע ביום טהרתו וגו׳. הנה מבואר בע״ח של״ז1 פ״ז שסיבת הנגעים הוא מחמת הסתלקות אור החכמה כי מצורע חשוב כמת2 וכתיב ימותו ולא בחכמה34 כו׳ ע״ש.56
“This shall be the law (torah) of the metzora on the day of his purification,” etc. Now, it is explained in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 37, chapter 7, that the cause of the nega’im (afflictions) is the withdrawal of the light of Chochmah (wisdom); for a metzora is considered like one who is dead, and it is written, “They die, and not with wisdom,” etc.; see there.
The maamar opens with the verse that begins the purification of the metzora, one afflicted with tzaraas (Leviticus 14:2), and sets out the root of the matter from the Arizal’s Etz Chaim: the nega’im, the skin afflictions of tzaraas, come about when the light of Chochmah, divine wisdom, withdraws. The proof is that a metzora is considered like one who is dead, and the verse ties dying to the absence of wisdom: “They die, and not with wisdom.” The Kehot edition notes that the gate the text numbers 37 (in the Shklov printing) is Gate 38 in current editions.
The opening verse is paired with the Arizal’s principle that the nega’im of tzaraas result from the withdrawal of the light of Chochmah, the premise the whole maamar sets out to explain.
In the Etz Chaim passage cited, the Arizal says that the departure of the higher intellect of Z’eir Anpin that comes from the side of Abba is what brings about death; this is the secret of “They die, and not with wisdom,” and since tzaraas too is a withdrawal of the intellect of Chochmah, the metzora is considered like one who is dead.
Marei mekomos
- 1מבואר בע״ח של״ז · דפוס שקלאוו תק״ס. לפנינו הוא של״ח. [כ].
- 2מצורע חשוב כמת · Nedarim 64b:6
- 3ימותו ולא בחכמה · Job 4:21
- 4מצורע חשוב כמת וכתיב ימותו ולא בחכמה · Sefer Etz Chaim 38:7
- 5זאת תהי׳ · הנחת כ״ק אדה״א בביאה״ז עב, א. ובדרך מצותיך מצות טומאת המצורע ק, א ואילך (ושם עם הגהות כ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ). והנחת הר״מ בן אדה״ז בסה״מ תקס״ה ע׳ תכג ואילך. ראה קונטרס לימוד החסידות ע׳ 19 וש״נ.
- 6זאת תהי׳ תורת המצורע · Leviticus 14:2
Two kinds of intellect: ratzo and shov ¶2–4
2ולהבין זה קצת צ״ל ענין מוחין דאימא ומוחין דאבא,1 כי הנה מוחין דאימא הוא כמ״ש אם הבנים שמחה2 שע״י ההתבוננות נולד האהבה והשמחה ורשפי אש והוא בחי׳ הרצוא להסתלק וליכלל בעצמותו ית׳.
To understand this somewhat, we need [to explain] the matter of the intellect (mochin) of Imma and the intellect of Abba. For the intellect of Imma is as it is written, “The mother of the children is joyful”: through contemplation are born the love and the joy and the flashes of fire, and this is the level of ratzo (running forth), to depart and be absorbed into His essence, may He be blessed.
To explain why the loss of Chochmah causes nega’im, the Alter Rebbe distinguishes two kinds of divine intellect: that of Imma, which is Binah (understanding), and that of Abba, which is Chochmah (wisdom). The intellect of Imma is contemplation, and like “the joyful mother of children” it gives birth to love, joy and fiery longing; its result is ratzo, the soul’s “running” to leave its bounds and be absorbed into G‑d’s very essence.
אך יש עוד בחי׳ שלמעלה מהאהבה ברשפי אש דהיינו מוחין דאבא שאור א״ס ב״ה שורה בח״ע3 ועי״ז נמשך הביטול עד שאין בו כח ויכולת להגביה א״ע בבחי׳ רצוא שהוא בחי׳ יש מי שאוהב,
But there is yet another level, which is above the love in flashes of fire, namely, the intellect of Abba: that the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, rests in the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), and through this self-nullification (bittul) is drawn down, to the point that one has no strength or ability to lift himself up in the mode of ratzo, which is the level of “there is someone who loves.”
Higher than this fiery love is the intellect of Abba: the Infinite Light rests in the higher Chochmah, and from it comes bittul, a self-nullification so complete that a person cannot even lift himself up into ratzo. Ratzo, for all its passion, still implies “someone who loves,” a self that does the loving; the bittul of Chochmah leaves no such self.
וזהו ענין ההשתחוואות שבשמונה עשרה4 וכמ״ש מזה בדוכתי טובא ועמ״ש ע״פ כאשר השמים החדשים5 וע״פ וכל העם רואים את הקולות6 וע״פ זאת חוקת התורה7 ובד״ה ועבד הלוי הוא8 ובד״ה מצה זו כו׳
And this is the matter of the bowings in the Shemoneh Esreh, as is explained on this in many places. And see what is written on the verse “As the new heavens,” and on the verse “And all the people saw the sounds,” and on the verse “This is the statute of the Torah,” and in the discourse beginning “And the Levite, he shall serve,” and in the discourse beginning “This matzah,” etc.,
The bowing in the Shemoneh Esreh (the Amidah) expresses this bittul. A Kehot note quotes another transcript of this maamar: one who hears from afar that the king has come runs eagerly to see him, but when he comes close he falls to the ground and has no strength even to raise his head, a state above his eager running. The Alter Rebbe then lists other discourses where this is explained.
ובד״ה צאינה וראינה9 בענין ויין ישמח כו׳ להצהיל פנים משמן10 וע״פ כי תבואו11 אל ארץ מושבותיכם12 כו׳ בפ׳ נסכים.
and in the discourse beginning “Go forth and see,” on the matter of “And wine gladdens,” etc., “to make the face shine more than oil”; and on the verse “When you come into the land of your dwellings,” etc., in the passage on the libations.
The list continues with the discourse “Go forth and see,” on wine that “gladdens” and oil that makes the face “shine,” and with the discourse on the libations in Parshas Shelach. The passage cited there describes the seraphim, who stand always in fiery fervor because they are made of the single element of divine fire.
The paragraph sets up the maamar’s two key terms: the fiery love of ratzo born of Binah’s contemplation (the intellect of Imma), and the deeper bittul of Chochmah (the intellect of Abba), which stands above it.
The Kehot notes point to Etz Chaim, in the Gate of the Birth of Abba and Imma and Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, chapter 4, for the two kinds of intellect, and to the gloss in Tanya, chapter 35, for the principle that the Infinite Light rests in Chochmah.
Marei mekomos
- 1מוחין דאימא ומוחין דאבא · ע׳ ע״ח ש׳ הולדת או״א וזו״ן פ״ד. [כ].
- 2אם הבנים שמחה · Psalms 113:9
- 3א״ס ב״ה שורה בח״ע · Tanya, Likkutei Amarim 35
- 4וזהו ענין ההשתחוואות שבשמונה עשרה · בסה״מ תקס״ה ע׳ תכה מביא משל ע״ז: ”וה״ז כמו עד״מ במלך ב״ו כששמע מרחוק שהמלך בא בעיר אזי רץ לקראתו במרוצה גדולה ותשוקה גדולה לראותו, אבל כיון שהגיע מקרוב אל המלך אזי נופל על הארץ בהשתחואה ואין בו רוח וכח להרים ראש נגדו שנתבטל לגמרי מכל וכל, שזהו למעלה מבחי׳ המרוצה שלו בתשוקה נפלאה קודם לכן”.
- 5
- 6וכל העם רואים את הקולות · Exodus 20:15
- 7זאת חוקת התורה · Numbers 19:2
- 8ועבד הלוי הוא · Numbers 18:23
- 9צאינה וראינה · Song of Songs 3:11
- 10ויין ישמח כו׳ להצהיל פנים משמן · Psalms 104:15
- 11וע״פ כי תבואו · לקו״ת שלח מ, ב.
- 12כי תבואו אל ארץ מושבותיכם · Numbers 15:2
3וזהו אם רץ לבך שוב לאחד.123 כי ע״י הביטול דמוחין דאבא נמשך בחי׳ שוב והוא המשכת אלהות למטה. ולהמשכה זו צ״ל הרחבת הכלים והן אותיות התשב״כ ותשבע״פ.
And this is [the meaning of] “If your heart runs, return to the One.” For through the self-nullification (bittul) of the intellect (mochin) of Abba, the level of shov (returning) is drawn forth, and this is the drawing down of G‑dliness below. And for this drawing down there must be an expansion of the vessels, and these are the letters of the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.
The phrase “If your heart runs, return to the One” (from the Tikkunei Zohar) names both movements: the heart’s running, ratzo, and the return, shov. The return comes from the bittul of Chochmah and means bringing G‑dliness down into the world; this needs “vessels” to hold it, and those vessels are the letters of the Written and the Oral Torah.
וז״ש בע״ח שער לאה ורחל פ״ז וז״ל וזכור כלל זה שאין נעשה ב׳ פרצופים אלו לאה ורחל כאן אלא אחר התגלות מוחין דאבא בז״א4 עכ״ל,
And this is what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Leah v’Rachel (the Gate of Leah and Rachel), chapter 7; these are its words: “And remember this rule: that these two partzufim (configurations), Leah and Rachel, are not formed here except after the revelation of the intellect of Abba in Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes),” end of quote.
The Arizal teaches that the partzufim of Leah and Rachel, two feminine configurations that stand behind Z’eir Anpin, are formed only after the intellect of Abba is revealed in Z’eir Anpin. Since Leah and Rachel are letters, as the next lines explain, this shows that letters and vessels come from the intellect of Abba.
כי לאה היא אותיות המחשבה5 והיא בחי׳ תשב״כ כי ס״ר אותיות התורה6 היינו אותיות המחשבה כמ״ש במ״א ע״פ את שבתותי תשמרו.
For Leah is the letters of thought, and she is the level of the Written Torah; for the six hundred thousand letters of the Torah are the letters of thought, as is explained elsewhere on the verse “You shall keep My Shabbosos.”
Leah is the letters of thought and corresponds to the Written Torah, for the six hundred thousand letters of the Torah are letters of thought. A Kehot note gives Megaleh Amukos, ofan 186, as the source for the Torah’s six hundred thousand letters, and the Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse on “You shall keep My Shabbosos.”
The bittul of Chochmah is shown to be the source of shov, the drawing down of G‑dliness into vessels, which are the letters of the Torah; the Arizal’s rule that Leah and Rachel are formed only after the intellect of Abba is revealed confirms it, Leah being the letters of thought, the Written Torah.
The passages the notes cite in Torah Ohr (Vayeitzei) and later in Likkutei Torah (Emor) describe Leah and Rachel as the letters of thought and of speech, “the hidden world” and “the revealed world.” The Emor passage adds that both are called Nukva because letters are the last level, and that letters are divided through the Gevuros, from whose dross the external forces draw nurture.
Marei mekomos
- 1אם רץ לבך שוב לאחד · הקדמת ת״ז (ז, א). ועוד גי׳ שם: שוב לאחור. בס״י פ״א הגירסא: שוב למקום. וראה אוה״ת יתרו ע׳ תתקעח. ע׳ תתקפא. סה״מ תרנ״ט ע׳ ריא בהערה. בביאה״ז לאדה״א עב, ב. ובדרך מצותיך ק, ב מציין לס״י. אדמו״ר ציין ע״ז מס״י ב[לקו״ת] חקת נו, ב. [כ].
- 2אם רץ לבך שוב לאחד · Tikkunei Zohar 7a:3
- 3אם רץ לבך שוב לאחד · Sefer Yetzirah 1:8
- 4וזכור כלל זה שאין נעשה ב׳ פרצופים אלו לאה ורחל כאן אלא אחר התגלות מוחין דאבא בז״א · Sefer Etz Chaim 38:7
- 5לאה . . מחשבה · ראה סידור ס, ג. סט, א. קג, ג. תו״א ויצא כב, ד. מאמרי אדה״ז-פרשיות ע׳ קנו. תקמ. תו״ח ויצא כז, ד. שער היחוד פל״ז. קהלת יעקב בערכו ט. לקמן לח, ד.
- 6ס״ר אותיות התורה · מגלה עמוקות אופן קפו.
4ורחל היא אותיות הדבור תשבע״פ. ולכן התהוות ב׳ בחי׳ אלו נמשך ע״י התגלות מוחין דאבא דייקא
And Rachel is the letters of speech, the Oral Torah. Therefore the coming into being of these two levels is drawn forth specifically through the revelation of the intellect (mochin) of Abba,
Rachel is the letters of speech and corresponds to the Oral Torah. Both Leah and Rachel, the letters of thought and of speech, come into being specifically through the revelation of the intellect of Abba.
שהוא הביטול שמזה נמשך השוב והוא ההמשכה בבחי׳ כלים ואותיות כו׳ משא״כ מבחי׳ מוחין דאימא שמהם נמשך הרצוא שהוא אדרבה ההסתלקות מהכלים והאותיות.
which is the self-nullification (bittul) from which the shov is drawn forth, and that is the drawing down in the level of vessels and letters, etc.; which is not so with the level of the intellect of Imma, from which the ratzo is drawn forth, and that is, on the contrary, the withdrawal from the vessels and the letters.
The reason: the intellect of Abba is bittul, and bittul brings shov, the drawing of light down into vessels and letters. The intellect of Imma brings ratzo, which is the very opposite, a rising out of vessels and letters toward what is beyond them.
And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And He formed the man,” in Parshas Bereishis, how the letters are drawn forth specifically from the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), which is above Binah (understanding); see there at length.
The Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse “And He formed the man” in Torah Ohr, Bereishis, which explains at length that letters derive specifically from the higher Chochmah, above Binah. This supports the claim that vessels and letters come from Abba, not Imma.
Leah and Rachel, the letters of thought and speech (the Written and Oral Torah), come from the intellect of Abba, because only bittul produces shov into vessels, while the ratzo of Imma moves away from vessels.
Marei mekomos
- 1בד״ה וייצר את האדם · תו״א ד, א.
- 2וייצר את האדם · Genesis 2:7
How the nega’im arise: the “bad name” ¶5
5ולכן מחמת הסתלקות מוחין דאבא שזהו ענין צרעת דתרגומו סגירו מזה נסתעף שאין נבנים פרצופי לאה ורחל ויוצאים תמורתם הנגעים שאת נגד לאה כו׳
Therefore, because of the withdrawal of the intellect (mochin) of Abba, which is the matter of tzaraas, which the Targum renders segiru (“closure”), from this it follows that the partzufim (configurations) of Leah and Rachel are not built, and in their stead come forth the nega’im: se’es corresponding to Leah, etc.;
Because tzaraas is a withdrawal of the intellect of Abba (the Targum renders tzaraas as segiru, “closure,” which the Zohar reads as the closing up of the supernal light), the partzufim of Leah and Rachel are not built. In their place come the nega’im: se’es, which corresponds to Leah, and, as the text goes on, sapachas and baheres, which correspond to Rachel.
דהיינו מחמת שאין נמשך בחי׳ שוב בכלים ואותיות דקדושה אזי מבחי׳ הרצוא לבד יוכל להסתעף יניקת החיצונים
that is, because the level of shov is not drawn down into the vessels and letters of holiness, then from the level of ratzo alone the nurture of the external forces can branch out,
Without shov drawing light down into the holy vessels and letters, the ratzo is left on its own, and from it the external forces, the powers opposed to holiness, can draw nurture.
כמו שאחר ההתלהבות בתפלה אם אינו עוסק בתורה יוכל להתהוות מההתלהבות בחי׳ דינים קפידא וכעס ומזה נסתעף ג״כ יש וגסות כו׳ או תאוות רעות.
just as after the fervor in prayer, if one does not occupy himself with Torah, there can come into being from the fervor the level of severities (dinim): irritability and anger; and from this there also branch out a sense of self (yesh) and haughtiness, etc., or evil desires.
An example from a person’s own service: after fervent prayer, if one does not go on to study Torah, the fervor itself can turn into severities, irritability and anger, and from there into ego and haughtiness, or into evil desires. Ratzo with no vessels to hold it feeds the opposite of holiness.
[וז״ש בע״ח שם שאת כנגד לאה ספחת בהרת כנגד רחל1 כי לאה יש לה אור אחד ורחל ב׳ והם ג׳ אלפין כו׳
(And this is what is written in Etz Chaim there: se’es corresponds to Leah, sapachas [and] baheres correspond to Rachel; for Leah has one light and Rachel two, and these are the three alefs, etc.
In a parenthetical passage the Alter Rebbe brings the Arizal’s words: of the three kinds of nega, se’es corresponds to Leah, and sapachas and baheres to Rachel. In Etz Chaim, Leah receives one of three lights from the Chasadim of Imma and Rachel two, and these three lights are the three alefs in the Name Mah, spelled out with alefs, in Z’eir Anpin.
והענין כי לאה היא בחי׳ מחשבה ורחל היא בחי׳ דיבור וגם בחי׳ מעשה עשייה שבאצילות היא המל׳ ועמ״ש בפ׳ שלח בענין דור המדבר כו׳
The explanation is that Leah is the level of thought, and Rachel is the level of speech and also the level of action; [for] the Asiyah (Action) that is in the World of Atzilus (Emanation) is Malchus (sovereignty). And see what is written in Parshas Shelach on the matter of the generation of the wilderness, etc.,
Why Rachel has two lights: Leah is thought, while Rachel is both speech and action, for Malchus is the “Asiyah,” the level of action, within Atzilus. The Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse in Parshas Shelach on the generation of the wilderness for more on Leah and Rachel.
מענין לאה ורחל והם ג׳ לבושים מדומ״ע ונמשכים ממוחין דאבא וזהו ענין האלפין שהאל״ף הוא יו״ד וי״ו יו״ד (כמ״ש בד״ה מראיהם ומעשיהם23 ובד״ה להבין ביאור ענין האבות4 כו׳ ע״ש).
regarding Leah and Rachel. And these are the three garments, thought, speech and action, and they are drawn from the intellect of Abba; and this is the matter of the alefs, for the alef is a yud, a vav and a yud (as is explained in the discourse beginning “Their appearance and their workings,” and in the discourse beginning “To understand the explanation of the matter of the Patriarchs,” etc.; see there).
Thought, speech and action are the soul’s three “garments,” and they are drawn from the intellect of Abba. That is why the lights are alefs: the letter alef is formed of a yud, a vav and a yud, and the discourses cited explain this form (one of them describes it as a yud above, a yud below and a line between).
ובהסתלקות אור אבא יוצאין תמורתן הנגעים אותיות שמהם נמשך יניקה לחיצונים]. וזהו ענין מצורע מוציא שם רע5 וכמ״ש בע״ח שלאה ורחל נק׳ שם
And when the light of Abba withdraws, there come forth in their stead the nega’im, letters from which nurture is drawn to the external forces.) And this is the matter of “metzora: one who brings out a bad name (motzi shem ra)”; and as is written in Etz Chaim, that Leah and Rachel are called shem (“name”),
When the light of Abba withdraws, nega’im come out in place of Leah and Rachel: “letters” that feed the external forces. This is the Sages’ wordplay on metzora as motzi shem ra, “one who brings out a bad name,” for Etz Chaim says that the feminine aspect, Leah and Rachel, is called shem, “name.”
והיינו כמארז״ל כל התורה כולה6 היא שמותיו של הקב״ה והם בחי׳ שם טוב. והמדבר לשון הרע שהוא הפך הטוב באותיות וכלים דקדושה.
that is, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The whole Torah in its entirety is the names of the Holy One, blessed be He”; and they are the level of a good name. And one who speaks evil speech (lashon hara), which is the opposite of the good, in the letters and vessels of holiness,
A name is made of letters, and the Sages teach that the whole Torah is names of G‑d; so the holy letters are a “good name.” A Kehot note gives the Ramban’s introduction to his Torah commentary as the source of this teaching, with parallels in Yonas Elem and the Zohar. Evil speech, lashon hara, is the opposite of the good that is in the holy letters and vessels.
גורם שגם למעלה במקום שם טוב שהם האותיות והכלים דקדושה יצאו תמורתן אותיות הנק׳ שם רע דהיינו שבחי׳ שם ההוא ואותיות אלו הוא מקור חיות הרע
brings it about that above, too, in place of the good name, which is the letters and vessels of holiness, there come forth in their stead letters that are called a bad name; that is, that this level of name, and these letters, are the source of the life-force (chayus) of the evil,
Such speech has an effect above: in place of the “good name,” the holy letters and vessels, there emerge letters called a “bad name,” and these become the source of life for evil.
והיינו כמ״ש בע״ח שמהנגעים נמשך יניקת הקליפות (ועמ״ש בד״ה לסוסתי ברכבי78 שפרעה העמיד תחלה סוסים נקבות כו׳ ע״ש).
as is written in Etz Chaim, that from the nega’im the nurture of the kelipos (husks) is drawn (and see what is written in the discourse beginning “To My mare in the chariots,” that Pharaoh first set out female horses, etc.; see there).
Thus, as Etz Chaim says, the kelipos, the husks that conceal holiness, draw their nurture from the nega’im. The Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse “To My mare in Pharaoh’s chariots,” which explains that letters are called “horses” and recalls, from the Zohar, that Pharaoh first set out mares and afterward put the males before the females.
והענין הוא ע״ד מ״ש בדור הפלגה ונעשה לנו שם9 ועד״ז נאמר הנפילים היו בארץ כו׳ אנשי השם.10 וכן בעדת קרח כתיב אנשי שם.11
The explanation is along the lines of what is written of the generation of the Dispersion: “And let us make ourselves a name”; and in the same way it is said, “The Nefilim were on the earth,” etc., “the men of the name.” And so, too, of the company of Korach it is written, “men of name.”
The word shem, “name,” recurs in the Torah’s accounts of rebellion: the builders of the Tower of Babel (“let us make ourselves a name”), the Nefilim before the Flood (“the men of the name”), and the princes who joined Korach (“men of name”).
והיינו מפני שמחלוקת קרח על אהרן הוא ג״כ שלא רצה שיהיו הלוים טפלים ונכנעים לבחי׳ המשכת מוחין דאבא שזהו בחי׳ אהרן הכהן כ״א להיות הלוים דבר בפ״ע
That is because Korach’s dispute against Aharon was also that he did not want the Levites to be subordinate and submissive to the level of the drawing down of the intellect of Abba, which is the level of Aharon the kohen, but rather [wanted] the Levites to be a thing by themselves,
Korach’s dispute with Aharon was, at its root, a refusal to let the Levites be subordinate to the intellect of Abba that Aharon the kohen draws down. He wanted the Levites to stand on their own.
שהוא להיות בבחי׳ רצוא לבד וכמ״ש בזהר ר״פ קרח שמאלא אתכליל תדיר בימינא קרח בעי לאחלפא12 כו׳,
which is to be in the level of ratzo alone; as is written in the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Korach: “The left is always included in the right; Korach sought to exchange,” etc.;
To stand on their own means to remain in ratzo alone, without shov. The Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Korach says that Aharon is the right and the Levites the left, that the left must always be included in the right, and that Korach sought to exchange them.
ומזה נמשך יניקת הקליפות הנק׳ שם רעוכמ״ש ברבה פ׳ בראשית ס״פ כ״ו נאמר כאן אנשי השם ונאמר להלן קראי מועד אנשי שם13 כו׳.
and from this is drawn the nurture of the kelipos, which are called a bad name. And as is written in Midrash Rabbah on Parshas Bereishis, at the end of section 26: “It says here, ‘the men of the name,’ and it says there, ‘those called to the assembly, men of name,’” etc.
From such separated ratzo the kelipos, called a “bad name,” draw their nurture. The Midrash links “the men of the name” said of the Nefilim with “men of name” said of Korach’s company, to teach that dispute is as grievous as the sin of the generation of the Flood.
וגם מלשון שם וכמ״ש קראו שם פרעה14 כו׳ וזהו ושם ימותו.15 ומצורע חשוב כמת.16 ועמ״ש מענין שם בד״ה חוקת התורה:171819
And also from the sense of sham (“there”), as it is written, “They called there (sham): Pharaoh…,” etc., and this is “and there (sham) they shall die.” And a metzora is considered like one who is dead. And see what is written on the matter of shem in the discourse beginning “The statute of the Torah.”
The same Hebrew word, read sham, “there,” appears in “They called there: Pharaoh…” and in “and there they shall die,” said of the generation that died in the wilderness, linking the “bad name” to death. This brings the argument back to its start: the metzora, cut off from the life of Chochmah, is considered like one who is dead.
When Abba’s light withdraws, ratzo is left without vessels, and in place of Leah and Rachel, the holy “name” of letters, there arise the nega’im, a “bad name” that feeds the kelipos; the Alter Rebbe traces the same pattern in lashon hara, the generation of the Dispersion, the Nefilim and Korach’s rebellion.
In the Etz Chaim chapter behind this paragraph, the nega’im are not impurity in themselves but harsh judgments of holiness from which the impure forces draw nurture. Leah and Rachel are built from the lights of Chesed that come out from Imma, and only the presence of Abba’s intellect keeps the external forces from taking hold of those lights; without it, the external forces build “a likeness in place of Leah and Rachel,” which are the nega’im.
Marei mekomos
- 1שאת כנגד לאה ספחת בהרת כנגד רחל · Sefer Etz Chaim 38:7
- 2בד״ה מראיהם ומעשיהם · תו״א סט, ג.
- 3מראיהם ומעשיהם · Ezekiel 1:16
- 4ובד״ה להבין ביאור ענין האבות · תו״א עב, ד.
- 5מצורע מוציא שם רע · Arakhin 15b:9–10
- 6כל התורה כולה שמותיו של הקב״ה · Zohar II, 87a
- 7בד״ה לסוסתי ברכבי פרעה · תו״א סג, ד ”כמו פרעה העמיד תחלה סוסים נקבות ואח״כ היפך זכרים קודם לנקבות כמ״ש בזהר פ׳ בשלח (ד׳ מז).
- 8לסוסתי ברכבי · Song of Songs 1:9
- 9ונעשה לנו שם · Genesis 11:4
- 10הנפילים היו בארץ כו׳ אנשי השם · Genesis 6:4
- 11אנשי שם · Numbers 16:2
- 12שמאלא אתכליל תדיר בימינא קרח בעי לאחלפא · Zohar, Korach 1:1–5
- 13נאמר כאן אנשי השם ונאמר להלן קראי מועד אנשי שם · Bereshit Rabbah 26:7
- 14קראו שם פרעה · Jeremiah 46:17
- 15שם ימותו · Numbers 14:35
- 16מצורע חשוב כמת · Nedarim 64b:6
- 17בד״ה חוקת התורה · לקמן חקת נו, ד.
- 18הנפילים היו בארץ · שם ו, ד.
- 19
The cure: the kohen and the Torah ¶6–10
6ב והנה התיקון של הנגעים ורפואתן הוא ע״י והובא אל הכהן.1 כי הכהן הוא הממשיך אור אבא וכמ״ש ע״פ בהעלותך2 את הנרות3 וע״ש בענין שלך גדול משלהם כו׳
2. Now, the rectification of the nega’im and their healing is through “And he shall be brought to the kohen.” For the kohen is the one who draws down the light of Abba, as is explained on the verse “When you raise up the lamps”; and see there on the matter of “Yours is greater than theirs,” etc.
Section 2 turns to the cure. The verse prescribes “he shall be brought to the kohen” because the kohen draws down the light of Abba. The Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse on “When you raise up the lamps,” which explains that oil is Chochmah, and to the Midrash’s words to Aharon there, “Yours is greater than theirs”: his kindling of the lamps outweighed the offerings of the tribal princes.
וע״י המשכת מוחין דאבא בז״א אזי יסוד אבא בוקע יסוד אימא והוא המשכת בחי׳ השוב.
And through the drawing down of the intellect (mochin) of Abba into Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), the Yesod (foundation) of Abba breaks through the Yesod of Imma, and this is the drawing down of the level of shov.
When the intellect of Abba is drawn into Z’eir Anpin, “the Yesod of Abba breaks through the Yesod of Imma”: in the Arizal’s teaching the Yesod (the channel of transmission) of Abba is longer and reaches further down than that of Imma, so Abba’s light breaks out beyond Imma’s covering. This breaking through is shov, the downward flow.
וזהו ענין זיווג יעקב עם לאה ורחל יעקב אותיות יבקע4 שיסוד אבא בוקע יסוד אימא ומשם נמשך ההשפעה באותיות המחשבה והדבור לאה ורחל עור בעד עור5 כו׳ בחי׳ לבושים מודומ״ע וכמ״ש ה׳ מלך גאות6 לבש כו׳.
And this is the matter of the union of Yaakov with Leah and Rachel: Yaakov is the letters of yivka (“will break through”), for the Yesod of Abba breaks through the Yesod of Imma, and from there the flow is drawn into the letters of thought and speech, Leah and Rachel, “skin for skin,” etc., the level of garments, thought, speech and action; as it is written, “G‑d reigns; He has clothed Himself in majesty,” etc.
This is the union of Yaakov with Leah and Rachel: the name Yaakov has the letters of yivka, “will break through.” Through it the flow reaches the letters of thought and speech, Leah and Rachel, which Etz Chaim places on Z’eir Anpin’s “skin” (hence “skin for skin”), as garments of thought, speech and action, like “He has clothed Himself in majesty.”
The healing of the nega’im comes through the kohen, who draws down the light of Abba so that it breaks through into the vessels of thought and speech: the union of “Yaakov” with Leah and Rachel.
In Etz Chaim, Aharon the kohen corresponds to Abba: he draws down and reveals the “closed-up” supernal light into Z’eir Anpin, and when the intellect from the side of Abba comes in, the Chasadim of Imma’s intellect shine and the tzaraas, the external forces’ hold on them, departs.
Marei mekomos
- 1והובא אל הכהן · Leviticus 14:2
- 2הכהן — ע״פ בהעלותך · לקו״ת בהעלותך לב, א.
- 3בהעלותך את הנרות · Numbers 8:2
- 4יעקב אותיות יבקע · נסמן לעיל ח, ד.
- 5עור בעד עור · Job 2:4
- 6ה׳ מלך גאות · Psalms 93:1
And this is the matter of “This shall be the law (torah) of the metzora,” as is written in Etz Chaim there; these are its words: “For this is the matter of its saying, ‘This shall be the torah of the metzora’:
The Alter Rebbe now quotes Etz Chaim’s own reading of the opening verse, which turns on the word torah in “the torah of the metzora.”
כי כל בחי׳ היותו מצורע הוא לסבת הסתלקות מוחין דמצד אבא חכמה הנק׳ תורה2 וא״כ אין תיקונו
for the whole matter of his being a metzora is on account of the withdrawal of the intellect (mochin) from the side of Abba, Chochmah (wisdom), which is called Torah; and if so, his rectification is not
Tzaraas comes from the withdrawal of the intellect that comes from Abba’s side, which is Chochmah, and Chochmah is called Torah, since the Torah is G‑d’s wisdom. So the cure must come from the same place.
אלא ע״י עסק התורה כמארז״ל לכן אמר תורת המצורע ולא טהרת המצורע או כיוצא עכ״ל.
except through occupying himself with the Torah, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. Therefore it says ‘the torah of the metzora,’ and not ‘the purification of the metzora’ or the like,” end of quote.
Only occupying oneself with Torah can restore what was lost; that is why the verse says “the torah of the metzora” and not “the purification of the metzora.” The Sages indeed teach (Arachin 15b) that the remedy for one who speaks lashon hara, if he is a Torah scholar, is to occupy himself with Torah.
Etz Chaim reads “the torah of the metzora” literally: since tzaraas is the loss of Chochmah, which is called Torah, its cure is the study of Torah.
Marei mekomos
- 1זאת תהיה תורת המצורע · Leviticus 14:2
- 2כי כל בחי׳ היותו מצורע הוא לסבת הסתלקות מוחין דמצד אבא חכמה הנק׳ תורה · Sefer Etz Chaim 38:7
8ועד״ז איתא בתנחומא ובילקוט מרפא לשון עץ חיים1 שהתורה עץ חיים היא והיא רפואתו2 של המצורע שהוציא שם רע כו׳ ע״ש
Along the same lines it is found in the Tanchuma and in the Yalkut: “The healing of the tongue is a tree of life”: that the Torah is a tree of life, and it is the healing of the metzora who brought out a bad name, etc.; see there.
The Midrash says the same (Tanchuma on Metzora, and the Yalkut on Proverbs): the Torah is the “tree of life,” and “the healing of the tongue is a tree of life,” so the Torah heals the one whose tongue spoke evil and brought out a bad name.
והיינו משום שע״י התורה ממשיך מוחין דאבא וזהו טוב שם משמן טוב34 שע״י התורה שהיא בחי׳ שמן הטוב5 ח״ע ממנה נמשך טוב שם
That is because through the Torah one draws down the intellect (mochin) of Abba. And this is “A good name is from good oil”: that through the Torah, which is the level of “the good oil,” the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), from it is drawn a good name,
The reason is that Torah draws down the intellect of Abba. The Alter Rebbe reads “A good name is better than good oil” as “a good name comes from good oil”: the Torah, the higher Chochmah, is “the good oil,” and from it comes the “good name,” the holy letters that replace the “bad name.”
שהוא הטבת השם ע״ד הטבת הנרות וכמ״ש במ״א בד״ה ואלה שמות67 בענין לאתקנא רזא דשמיה ובד״ה משה ידבר89 כו׳
which is the making good of the name, like the making good of the lamps, as is explained elsewhere in the discourse beginning “And these are the names,” on the matter of “to rectify the mystery of His Name,” and in the discourse beginning “Moshe would speak,” etc.
“Making good” the name resembles the daily “making good” of the Menorah’s lamps, when the kohen cleaned and prepared them (the Torah uses the same verb, Exodus 30:7). The Alter Rebbe refers to his discourses “And these are the names,” on the Zohar’s phrase “to rectify the mystery of His Name,” and “Moshe would speak.”
והיינו ע״י התומ״צ שהם המשכת שמן הטוב שמן משחת10 קדשהפך בחי׳ שם רע הנ״ל ועיין בפ׳ יתרו דפ״ז סע״ב בענין טוב שם משמן טוב וכמ״ש במ״א ע״פ שמן תורק שמך11 כו׳.12
That is, through the Torah and mitzvos, which are the drawing down of “the good oil,” “oil of holy anointing,” the opposite of the level of a bad name mentioned above. And see [the Zohar] in Parshas Yisro, folio 87, end of side b, on the matter of “A good name is from good oil”; and as is explained elsewhere on the verse “Oil poured forth is your name,” etc.
This is done through the Torah and mitzvos, which draw down “the good oil,” also called “oil of holy anointing,” the opposite of the “bad name.” The Zohar cited here, on Parshas Yisro, reads “A good name from good oil” as the holy Name drawing its blessing from the oil that lights the holy lamps.
Torah heals the metzora because it draws down Chochmah, “the good oil,” from which a “good name” of holy letters is made, undoing the “bad name.”
The Zohar there continues that the “good name” is the supernal Name, whose holy lamps all shine from “the good oil,” and it identifies that oil with “the good oil upon the head” of Psalms 133:2.
Marei mekomos
- 1מרפא לשון עץ חיים · Proverbs 15:4
- 2שהתורה עץ חיים היא והיא רפואתו · Midrash Tanchuma, Metzora 2:1
- 3טוב שם משמן טוב · Ecclesiastes 7:1
- 4טוב שם משמן טוב · Zohar, Yitro 24:431–26:441
- 5שמן הטוב · Psalms 133:2
- 6בד״ה ואלה שמות · תו״א מט, ד ואילך. אוה״ת שמות
- 7ואלה שמות · Exodus 1:1
- 8ובד״ה משה ידבר · תו״א סז, ד.
- 9משה ידבר · Exodus 19:19
- 10שמן משחת קודש · Exodus 30:25
- 11שמן תורק שמך · Song of Songs 1:3
- 12
And this is also the matter of “on the day of his purification,” as is written [in the Zohar] in Parshas Kedoshim, folio 80, side b: “Come and see: a person is never purified
“On the day of his purification” also points to Torah. The Zohar on Parshas Kedoshim says that a person is purified only through words of Torah.
אלא במילין דאורייתא2 בגין כך מילין דאורייתא לא מקבלין טומאה. בגין דאיהי קיימא לדכאה לאלין מסאבי.
except through words of Torah. Therefore words of Torah do not receive impurity, because it stands to purify those who are impure.
The Zohar adds that words of Torah do not receive impurity, because the Torah “stands to purify” those who are impure.
The phrase “on the day of his purification” is explained by the Zohar: only Torah purifies, and Torah itself is beyond impurity.
The Zohar there goes on, “and healing is found in the Torah,” citing “It shall be healing to your navel” (Proverbs 3:8), and adds that purity is found in the Torah, as it is written, “The fear of G‑d is pure, enduring forever.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ביום טהרתו · Leviticus 14:2
- 2לא אתדכי בר נש לעלמין אלא במילין דאורייתא · Zohar, Kedoshim 1:6–3:13
10ואסוותא באורייתא אשתכח1 כו׳ וע״ש בפי׳ הרמ״ז2 שהוא לפי שהתורה שרשה ממו״ס שבה מלובש גבורה דעתיק והיא מקור המתקת הדינים שמשם נמשך קרע שטן כו׳ ע״ש.
And healing is found in the Torah,” etc. And see there in the commentary of the Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto), that this is because the Torah’s root is from Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain), in which the Gevurah (restraint) of Atik is clothed, and it is the source of the sweetening of the severities (dinim), from where “Kera Satan” (“tear apart the accuser”) is drawn, etc.; see there.
The Zohar’s sentence ends, “and healing is found in the Torah.” The Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto) explains why: the Torah is rooted in Mocha Stima’ah, the “hidden brain” within Keser, where the Gevurah of Atik (the innermost dimension of Keser) is clothed, so the Torah is the source that sweetens severe judgments. From there comes “Kera Satan,” the Divine Name formed from the initials of the second line of the prayer Ana BeKoach, which “tears apart the accuser.”
ועמש״ל פ׳ תזריע3 בענין התנאים ואמוראים בעסקם בתורה שעי״ז היה להם כח לעשות נסים גדולים כו׳. ועכ״ז והובא אל הכהן.4
And see what is written above in Parshas Tazria on the matter of the Tannaim and Amoraim, that through their occupation with the Torah they had the power to perform great miracles, etc. Nevertheless, “And he shall be brought to the kohen.”
The Alter Rebbe recalls what he wrote earlier in Parshas Tazria: through their Torah study the Tannaim and Amoraim, the Sages of the Mishnah and the Talmud, had the power to perform great miracles. Even so, Torah alone is not enough: the verse still requires “he shall be brought to the kohen.”
כי עיקר עסק התורה צ״ל בבחי׳ ביטול וכנ״ל בענין שוב לאחד משא״כ האומר אין לו אלא תורה5 (יבמות ק״ט ע״ב) לו בבחי׳ יש אפילו תורה אין לו:
For the main thing in occupying oneself with the Torah must be in the level of self-nullification (bittul), as mentioned above regarding “return to the One”; whereas “one who says, ‘He has nothing but Torah’” (Yevamos 109b), [having it] for himself, in the level of a sense of self (yesh), “does not have even Torah.”
The kohen stands for bittul, and Torah study must be done in bittul, the “return to the One.” The Talmud says that one who says he has nothing but Torah does not have even Torah; the Alter Rebbe reads the words “to him” as Torah held for himself, as a separate self (yesh), and such Torah is forfeited.
Torah heals because it is rooted in the deepest source of sweetened judgment, yet it heals only when studied with bittul, which is why the verse still says “he shall be brought to the kohen.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ואסוותא באורייתא אשתכח · Zohar, Kedoshim 1:6–3:13
- 2וע״ש בפי׳ הרמ״ז · פ, א.
- 3נמשך — ועמש״ל פ׳ תזריע · כב, ג.
- 4והובא אל הכהן · Leviticus 14:2
- 5
Brought to the kohen, then the kohen goes out ¶11–16
3. Now, to understand the meaning of its saying “And he shall be brought to the kohen,” which implies that they bring the metzora to the place of the kohen:
Section 3 raises a difficulty in the verses. “He shall be brought to the kohen” suggests that the metzora is brought to where the kohen is.
והלא סמוך מיד אמר ויצא הכהן אל מחוץ למחנה2 דמשמע להפך שהכהן יצא אליו חוצה. גם ענין זאת תהיה תורת המצורע דתיבת תהיה מיותרת לכאורה וכמ״ש באלשיך.
but immediately after it, it says, “And the kohen shall go forth outside the camp,” which implies the opposite, that the kohen goes out to him, outside. Also, [there is] the matter of “This shall be the law (torah) of the metzora,” for the word “shall be” is seemingly superfluous, as the Alshich writes.
Yet the very next verse says “the kohen shall go forth outside the camp,” meaning the kohen goes to him. Also, as the Alshich (Rabbi Moshe Alshich, the sixteenth-century commentator of Safed) notes, the word “shall be” in “This shall be the torah of the metzora” seems superfluous.
אך הענין יובן עפמ״ש בזהר דמ״ט ע״ב בפי׳ והובא אל הכהן והועלה מיבעי ליה3 כו׳ וביאר דבריו בע״ח4 והביאם הרמ״ז ס״פ תזריע
But the matter will be understood according to what is written in the Zohar, folio 49, side b, on the meaning of “And he shall be brought (vehuva) to the kohen”: “It should have said ‘and he shall be brought up (vehu’alah),’” etc.; and its words are explained in Etz Chaim, and the Ramaz cited them at the end of Parshas Tazria:
The answer comes from the Zohar on Parshas Tazria, which asks why the verse says “brought” (vehuva) and not “brought up” (vehu’alah); it answers that “brought” means brought in, one thing inserted into another, as the staves were “brought into” the rings. Etz Chaim explains the Zohar’s words, and the Ramaz cites Etz Chaim at the end of Parshas Tazria.
כי ע״י הראותו אל הכהן התחתון גורם למעלה שאותם האורות5 דמצד אימא שבז״א היוצאים לחוץ ושאז שם נעשים בחוץ בחי׳ נגעים וע״י הראותו אל הכהן גורם למעלה שאותם האורות יחזרו למקומן כו׳
“For through his being shown to the lower kohen, he causes above that those lights from the side of Imma that are in Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), which go out, and which then become there, outside, the level of nega’im (afflictions), through his being shown to the kohen he causes above that those lights return to their place, etc.,
Etz Chaim’s explanation: by being shown to the kohen below, the metzora causes an effect above. The lights of Chesed from the intellect of Imma in Z’eir Anpin had gone out and, outside, became nega’im; now they return to their place.
בבחי׳ מטי ולא מטי יוצא לחוץ וחוזר ונכנס ומתדבק במקורו ועי״כ לא יהיה כח אל החיצונים להתאחז בהם כו׳ עכ״ל.
in the mode of ‘reaching and not reaching’: going out, and returning and entering, and cleaving to its source; and through this the external forces will have no power to take hold of them,” etc., end of quote.
They return in the mode of “reaching and not reaching”: going out and coming back in, so that they stay attached to their source. Light that remains attached to its source gives the external forces nothing to take hold of.
The tension between “he shall be brought to the kohen” and “the kohen shall go out” is resolved through the Zohar and Etz Chaim: the lights that went out are brought back in to their source, in the rhythm of “reaching and not reaching.”
Etz Chaim compares this to the giving of the great terumah to the kohen, which it explains as the return of light to its place in Z’eir Anpin; the “kohen” to which the lights return is the root of the Chasadim, in the Yesod of Imma within Z’eir Anpin.
Marei mekomos
- 1והובא אל הכהן · Leviticus 14:2
- 2ויצא הכהן אל מחוץ למחנה · Leviticus 14:3
- 3והובא אל הכהן והועלה מיבעי ליה · Zohar, Tazria 25:134–27:143
- 4בע״ח · של״ח ש׳ לאה ורחל פ״ח [פ״ז]. [כ].
- 5כי ע״י הראותו אל הכהן התחתון גורם למעלה שאותם האורות · Sefer Etz Chaim 38:7
12וביאור הענין בעבודת ה׳ דהנה עם היות שסיבת הצרעת והנגעים הוא מחמת הסתלקות מוחין דאבא שהוא בחי׳ הביטול והשוב שמחמת זה נמשך יניקת החיצונים מבחי׳ הרצוא וההתלהבות דמוחין דאימא.
The explanation of the matter in the service of G‑d: Now, although the cause of the tzaraas and the nega’im is the withdrawal of the intellect (mochin) of Abba, which is the level of self-nullification (bittul) and shov, and because of this the nurture of the external forces is drawn from the level of the ratzo and the fervor of the intellect of Imma,
Now the Alter Rebbe explains all this in terms of a person’s service of G‑d. The cause of tzaraas is the loss of Abba’s bittul and shov, which leaves the ratzo and fervor of Imma exposed to the external forces.
והיה עולה על הדעת שתיקון המעוות הוא די ע״י העבודה בהמשכת מוחין דאבא לבד דהיינו בחי׳ השוב בעסק התורה שהיא המשכת מוחין דאבא בהאותיות והכלים כנ״ל.
one might have thought that the rectification of what was made crooked would be accomplished sufficiently through the service of drawing down the intellect of Abba alone, that is, the level of shov, in occupying oneself with the Torah, which is the drawing down of the intellect of Abba into the letters and the vessels, as mentioned above;
One might think the remedy is simply to restore shov: to study Torah, which draws the intellect of Abba into letters and vessels.
שע״י החזרת מוחין דאבא בז״א כמקדם יתוקן הדבר כי אור אבא דוחה יניקת החיצונים כנ״ל.
for through restoring the intellect of Abba into Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) as before, the matter would be rectified, since the light of Abba repels the nurture of the external forces, as mentioned above.
The reasoning seems sound: once the intellect of Abba returns to Z’eir Anpin, its light repels the external forces, as Etz Chaim said.
אך באמת אי אפשר להמשיך המוחין דאבא בז״א. בלתי שיתחיל מתחלה לתקן המעוות בפגם שהיה במוחין דאימא. כי תשובה באותו מקום1 ואז אח״כ ימשיך המוחין דאבא.
But in truth it is impossible to draw the intellect of Abba into Z’eir Anpin without first beginning to rectify what was made crooked, in the blemish that was in the intellect of Imma. For teshuvah (return) [must be] in the same place, and then afterwards he will draw down the intellect of Abba.
But the intellect of Abba cannot be drawn down without first repairing the damage where it occurred, in the intellect of Imma. As the Sages describe complete teshuvah as coming “in the same place” where one had sinned, the repair must begin in Imma, and only afterwards can Abba’s intellect be drawn down.
In divine service, Torah study (shov) alone cannot heal; first the blemished ratzo of Imma must be repaired through teshuvah, and only then can Abba’s intellect be drawn down.
Marei mekomos
- 1תשובה באותו מקום · Yoma 86b:8–9
13והיינו שצריך לעורר בחי׳ הרצוא וההתלהבות הנמשך ממוחין דאימא ואח״כ יתחברו לבחי׳ הביטול דמוחין דאבא בחי׳ ואם רץ לבך שוב לאחד.12
That is, one must arouse the level of the ratzo and the fervor that is drawn from the intellect (mochin) of Imma, and afterwards they will be joined to the level of the self-nullification (bittul) of the intellect of Abba: the level of “And if your heart runs, return to the One.”
The repair begins by arousing ratzo and fervor, the intellect of Imma, and then joining them to the bittul of Abba: first the heart runs, then it returns to the One.
וזהו ענין תשובה תשוב ה׳ לגבי יו״ד כי הה״א עילאה היא בינה שבחטאו פגם בה שנפרדה מן היו״ד שהוא הביטול דח״ע ועי״ז נמשך יניקת החיצונים ממוחין דאימא שזהו ענין הנגעים כנ״ל.
And this is the matter of teshuvah (return): tashuv hei, “the hei shall return,” to the yud. For the upper hei is Binah (understanding), in which, through his sin, he made a blemish, so that it became separated from the yud, which is the self-nullification of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah); and through this the nurture of the external forces is drawn from the intellect of Imma, which is the matter of the nega’im, as mentioned above.
The word teshuvah is read as tashuv hei, “the hei shall return” to the yud: the upper hei of the Divine Name is Binah (Imma) and the yud is Chochmah (Abba). Sin blemishes Binah and separates it from Chochmah’s bittul, and then the external forces draw nurture from the intellect of Imma; this is the nega.
Teshuvah is “the hei returning to the yud”: the ratzo of Binah is aroused and reunited with the bittul of Chochmah, from which sin had separated it.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואם רץ לבך שוב לאחד · נסמן לעיל כג, ג.
- 2ואם רץ לבך שוב לאחד · Tikkunei Zohar 7a:3
14וע״י שמתעורר בתשובה מעומקא דליבא ממעמקים קראתיך1 ב׳ עומקים דיסודות או״א יחד דהיינו בבחי׳ רצוא ושוב
And through his being aroused in teshuvah (return) from the depth of the heart, “From the depths I have called You,” the two depths of the Yesods (foundations) of Abba and Imma together, that is, in the mode of ratzo and shov,
Teshuvah “from the depth of the heart” is described by “From the depths I have called You”: “depths” in the plural, the depths of the Yesod of Abba and of the Yesod of Imma together, which is ratzo and shov joined.
שהוא בחי׳ אהבה רבה והביטול שלמעלה מהאהבה עי״ז נעשה תשוב ה׳ לגבי יו״ד. אבל קודם התעוררות הרצוא שממוחין דאימא א״א להמשיך המוחין דאבא.
which is the level of a great love and the self-nullification (bittul) that is above the love, through this there comes about tashuv hei, “the hei returns,” to the yud. But before the arousal of the ratzo that is from the intellect (mochin) of Imma, it is impossible to draw down the intellect of Abba.
The two depths are the great love of ratzo and the bittul above love, and together they bring about the hei’s return to the yud. But the order cannot be reversed: without first arousing the ratzo of Imma, the intellect of Abba cannot be drawn down.
Teshuvah from the depths of the heart combines both depths, love’s ratzo and Chochmah’s bittul, and it must begin with the arousal of ratzo.
Marei mekomos
- 1ממעמקים קראתיך · Psalms 130:1
15ועיין במ״ש בד״ה צאינה וראינה1 בענין ויין ישמח כו׳ להצהיל פנים משמן.2 ועד״ז נאמר ועבד הלוי הוא3 שעבודת הלוים להמשיך מוחין דאימא
And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Go forth and see,” on the matter of “And wine gladdens,” etc., “to make the face shine more than oil.” Along these lines it is said, “And the Levite, he shall serve”: that the service of the Levites is to draw down the intellect (mochin) of Imma,
The Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse “Go forth and see,” on wine that gladdens and oil that makes the face shine, and gives a parallel: “the Levite, he shall serve,” the Levites’ service, draws down the intellect of Imma.
וזהו ענין השיר ועי״ז אח״כ יומשך מוחין דאבא והוא ענין הכהנים משא״כ כהנים בלא לוים אי אפשר כו׳.
and this is the matter of the song; and through this, afterwards, the intellect of Abba will be drawn down, and this is the matter of the kohanim; whereas kohanim without Levites is impossible, etc.
The Levites’ song is the intellect of Imma, ratzo, and through it the intellect of Abba is then drawn down, which is the service of the kohanim. Kohanim without Levites is impossible: the kohen’s bittul needs the Levite’s song first.
וז״ש בע״ח שאותן האורות יחזרו למקומן כו׳ בבחי׳ מטי ולא מטי4 כו׳ שהוא בחי׳ רצוא ושוב.
And this is what is written in Etz Chaim, that those lights shall return to their place, etc., in the mode of “reaching and not reaching,” etc., which is the level of ratzo and shov.
This is Etz Chaim’s “reaching and not reaching,” the lights going out and returning, which in a person’s service is ratzo and shov.
(ועיין מ״ש מענין רצוא ושוב בד״ה וכל העם רואים את הקולות56 כו׳). ובזה יש לפרש פי׳ ו הובא אל הכהן ואח״כ ויצא הכהן.7 והובא אל הכהן.
(And see what is written on the matter of ratzo and shov in the discourse beginning “And all the people saw the sounds,” etc.) With this one can explain the meaning of “And he shall be brought to the kohen,” and afterwards, “And the kohen shall go out.” “And he shall be brought to the kohen”:
After pointing to his discourse on “And all the people saw the sounds” for ratzo and shov, the Alter Rebbe resolves the difficulty raised in section 3: “he shall be brought to the kohen” and then “the kohen shall go out” describe two stages, in that order.
היינו ענין התעוררות הרצוא הנמשך ממוחין דאימא ושיבוא הרצוא ויוכלל בבחי׳ ביטול דמוחין דאבא. ע״ד תשוב ה׳ לגבי יו״ד.
this is the matter of the arousal of the ratzo that is drawn from the intellect of Imma, and that the ratzo should come and be absorbed into the level of the self-nullification (bittul) of the intellect of Abba, in the manner of tashuv hei, “the hei returns,” to the yud.
“He shall be brought to the kohen” is the first stage: arousing ratzo from the intellect of Imma and bringing it into the bittul of Abba, as the hei returns to the yud.
The Levites’ song (Imma, ratzo) must precede the kohanim’s service (Abba, bittul), as in Etz Chaim’s “reaching and not reaching”; so “he shall be brought to the kohen” is ratzo being absorbed into bittul, which comes first.
The Torah Ohr discourse cited explains ratzo and shov as fire and water: the element of fire is in the heart, where the thirst of ratzo is, aroused through Binah, which is “the heart”; and “He makes peace in His heights” refers to the joining of the two.
Marei mekomos
- 1צאינה וראינה · Song of Songs 3:11
- 2ויין ישמח כו׳ להצהיל פנים משמן · Psalms 104:15
- 3ועבד הלוי הוא · Numbers 18:23
- 4שאותן האורות יחזרו למקומן כו׳ בבחי׳ מטי ולא מטי · Sefer Etz Chaim 38:7
- 5בד״ה וכל העם רואים את הקולות · תו״א עג, ד.
- 6וכל העם רואים את הקולות · Exodus 20:15
- 7ויצא הכהן · Leviticus 14:3
16וזהו ענין שמע ישראל1 שם גימטריא ב״ן ורפ״ח23 יוחזר ויוכלל לשרשו ע׳ רבתי ז״ת דאימא ויוכלל בישראל סבא כו׳. ואח״כ ויצא הכהן.4
And this is the matter of “Hear (Shema), O Israel”: shem is the numerical value of [the Name] Ban (52) and 288; it is returned and absorbed into its root, the large ayin, the seven lower [Sefiros] of Imma, and it is absorbed into Yisrael Saba, etc. And afterwards, “And the kohen shall go out”:
The same is hinted in “Shema Yisrael”: the word Shema is shem plus the letter ayin. Shem (340) equals Ban (52), a form of the Divine Name associated with Malchus, plus 288, the fallen sparks; in the Shema they are returned to their root, the large ayin of Shema (70), the seven lower Sefiros of Imma, and absorbed into Yisrael Saba, a configuration of Abba.
היינו המשכת השוב להתלבש בכלים ואותיות והוא בחי׳ שיסוד אבא בוקע יסוד אימא ונמשך ומתפשט לחוץ וכנודע מענין אך יצא יצא יעקב5 כו׳.
this is the drawing down of the shov, to be clothed in vessels and letters; and this is the level of the Yesod (foundation) of Abba breaking through the Yesod of Imma and being drawn and spreading outward, as is known from the matter of “Yaakov had scarcely gone out,” etc.
“And the kohen shall go out” is the second stage, shov: the light is drawn down to be clothed in vessels and letters, as the Yesod of Abba breaks through the Yesod of Imma and spreads outward. The Alter Rebbe alludes to the doubled “going out” in “Yaakov had scarcely gone out,” Yaakov being the one who “breaks through,” as explained above.
The two stages of the verses are mirrored in the Shema, which raises the “name” to its root in Imma and Abba, and in Yaakov’s “going out,” the shov that spreads into vessels and letters.
Pri Etz Chaim, cited in the Kehot note, explains that the 288 fallen sparks together with the Name Ban add up to shem, and that in reciting the Shema one intends to draw light to them from the great ayin, the seven lower Sefiros of Binah, so that Malchus can afterwards raise “feminine waters” (mayin nukvin).
Marei mekomos
- 1שמע ישראל · Deuteronomy 6:4
- 2שם גימטריא ב״ן ורפ״ח · מאו״א מערכת ש׳ סנ״ג ובפע״ח ש׳ הק״ש בפ״ט [כ].
- 3שמע ישראל שם גימטריא ב״ן ורפ״ח · Pri Etz Chaim, Gate of the Recitation of the Shema 9:1–2
- 4ויצא הכהן · Leviticus 14:3
- 5אך יצא יצא יעקב · Genesis 27:30
Shov as the main service ¶17–19
This matter will be further understood from what is written elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “See, I [set before you],” on the matter of nachal eisan (“a strong stream”): that is, the union of the level of yud-hei, “the two companions.”
Another discourse, “See, I set before you” (Likkutei Torah, Re’eh), sheds light on this through the phrase nachal eisan, “a strong stream” (Deuteronomy 21:4). There eisan is the union of yud and hei, Chochmah and Binah, whom the Zohar calls “the two companions” who never part.
ונחל איתן הוא ההמשכה מבחי׳ איתן שנמשך ומתפשט בו״ה שהוא בחי׳ המדות והלבושים מחשבה דבור ומעשה כו׳.
And nachal eisan is the drawing down from the level of eisan (“strong”), which is drawn and spreads into vav-hei, which is the level of the emotive attributes (middos) and the garments, thought, speech and action, etc.
The “stream” (nachal) is the flow from that union down into vav-hei, the emotive attributes and the garments of thought, speech and action. The union above, yud-hei, comes first, and then the flow below, vav-hei.
ועד״ז יובן כאן ענין והובא אל הכהן ואח״כ ויצא הכהן כו׳ ועי״ז והנה נרפא4 כו׳.
In the same way, the matter here of “And he shall be brought to the kohen” and afterwards “And the kohen shall go out,” etc., will be understood; and through this, “and behold, it is healed,” etc.
The verses of the metzora follow the same pattern: first “he shall be brought to the kohen,” the union above, and then “the kohen shall go out,” the flow below; through both, “behold, it is healed.”
ועד״ז יובן ג״כ ענין זאת תהיה תורת המצורע5 היינו שכאשר והובא אל הכהן כו׳ בחי׳
And in the same way the matter of “This shall be the law (torah) of the metzora” will also be understood: that is, when “he shall be brought to the kohen,” etc., the level of
This also answers the second question raised in section 3, why the verse adds the seemingly superfluous “shall be” in “This shall be the torah of the metzora.” The answer depends on the stage of “he shall be brought to the kohen,” teshuvah.
תשובה תשוב ה׳ לגבי יו״ד אז אח״כ תהיה תורתו שלימה שהיא המשכת יו״ד לגבי ה׳ וגם בו״ה מלמעלה למטה משא״כ מקודם התשובה.
teshuvah (return), tashuv hei, “the hei returns,” to the yud, then afterwards his Torah shall be complete, which is the drawing of the yud to the hei, and also into vav-hei, from above to below; which is not so before the teshuvah.
Once teshuvah has returned the hei to the yud, his Torah “shall be” complete: it then draws the yud down to the hei and further into vav-hei, from above to below. Before teshuvah his Torah cannot do this, and so the verse speaks of the Torah that “shall be” afterwards.
Through the image of nachal eisan the Alter Rebbe shows the two-stage pattern, union above and then flow below, and explains “This shall be the torah of the metzora”: only after teshuvah will his Torah be complete, drawing G‑dliness all the way down.
Marei mekomos
- 1בד״ה ראה אנכי · לקו״ת ראה יח, א.
- 2ראה אנכי · Deuteronomy 11:26
- 3נחל איתן · Deuteronomy 21:4
- 4והנה נרפא · Leviticus 14:3
- 5זאת תהיה תורת המצורע · Leviticus 14:2
18והנה לזאת עיקר עבודת האדם להיות אחר הרצוא בחי׳ שוב שהרצוא אינו אלא התחלה לעורר הנפש אבל העיקר הוא ההמשכה בכלים רבים דאותיות התורה ובמצות.
Now, therefore, the main service of a person is that after the ratzo there be the level of shov; for the ratzo is only a beginning, to arouse the soul, but the main thing is the drawing down into many vessels, of the letters of the Torah, and into the mitzvos.
The practical conclusion: the main service is shov after ratzo. Ratzo only awakens the soul; the essential thing is to draw the light into many vessels, the letters of the Torah and the mitzvos.
ועמ״ש בד״ה כי כאשר השמים החדשים1 דכמו שהארץ אינה רק כגרגיר חרדל לגבי השמים כך ערך בחי׳ הרצוא לגבי השוב כו׳ ע״ש.
And see what is written in the discourse beginning “For as the new heavens”: that just as the earth is no more than a mustard seed relative to the heavens, so is the measure of the level of ratzo relative to the shov, etc.; see there.
The Alter Rebbe refers to his discourse “For as the new heavens,” which says that as the earth is no more than a mustard seed compared with the heavens, so is ratzo compared with shov. Shov, the drawing of light into the vessels of Torah and mitzvos, far outweighs ratzo.
The main service is shov, drawing G‑dliness into the many vessels of Torah and mitzvos; ratzo is only the beginning that arouses the soul.
Marei mekomos
- 1כי כאשר השמים החדשים · Isaiah 66:22
19וזהו שארז״ל ספ״ק דע״ז1 לעולם ליגרס אינש ואע״ג דמשכח23 ואע״ג דלא ידע מאי קאמר שנאמר גרסה נפשי לתאבה.4
And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said at the end of the first chapter of Avodah Zarah: “A person should always recite (ligros), even though he forgets, and even though he does not know what he is saying, as it is said, ‘My soul is crushed (garsah) with longing.’”
This explains the Talmud’s teaching that a person should always recite Torah, even if he forgets and even if he does not understand what he is saying, based on “My soul is crushed (garsah) with longing,” a word that echoes ligros, “to recite.” A Kehot note compares the teaching that a child is taught the whole Torah before birth and afterwards made to forget it.
והיינו משום שעיקר העבודה לעשות כלים רבים לגילוי והמשכת האור והם אותיות של התורה שיגרוס וילמוד כו׳ ואז ממילא יומשך ויתקיים האור ועמ״ש מזה בביאור ע״פ וקבל היהודים56 כו׳.
That is because the main service is to make many vessels for the revelation and drawing down of the light, and these are the letters of the Torah, which he recites and studies, etc.; and then, of itself, the light will be drawn down and endure. And see what is written on this in the explanation of the verse “And the Jews accepted,” etc.
The reason: the main service is to make many vessels for the light, and these are the letters of Torah that a person recites and studies. Once the vessels are there, the light is drawn into them and endures of its own accord. The Alter Rebbe refers to his explanation of “And the Jews accepted” in Torah Ohr.
Reciting Torah even without understanding has great value, because it makes the vessels, the letters, into which the light is then drawn of itself.
Marei mekomos
- 1ספ״ק דע״ז · יט, א.
- 2ואע״ג דמשכח · ועל״ק ד״ה והי׳ לכם לציצית הא׳ [מד, א]. פ״ג מלמדין אותו כל התורה כולה ואח״כ משכחין ודו״ק. וע׳ שה״ש ביאור שחורה ח, ד. [כ].
- 3לעולם ליגרס אינש ואע״ג דמשכח · Avodah Zarah 19a:10–11
- 4גרסה נפשי לתאבה · Psalms 119:20
- 5בביאור ע״פ וקבל היהודים · תו״א צז, ב.
- 6וקבל היהודים · Esther 9:23
She does not fear the snow ¶20
Through all this will be understood what is written, “She does not fear the snow for her household, for all her household is clothed in scarlet.” The explanation: for baheres is “bright as snow,”
All this explains the verse in Eishes Chayil, “She does not fear the snow for her household, for all her household is clothed in scarlet.” The connection is that baheres, the first kind of nega, is described as “bright as snow.”
והוא ענין הסתלקות ועיכוב התפשטות הדם באותו מקום הבהרת שבהדם מלובש חיות הנפש וכשמסתלק נהפך לחוור כשלג.
and this is the matter of the withdrawal and holding back of the spreading of the blood in that place of the baheres; for in the blood is clothed the life-force (chayus) of the soul, and when it withdraws, [the place] turns white as snow.
A bright white spot appears where the blood stops spreading through the skin: the life-force of the soul is clothed in the blood, and where the blood withdraws the place turns white as snow.
והוא ענין הסתלקות מוחין דאבא כי והחכמה תחיה6 ובה מלובש אור א״ס וזהו ענין הדפק (וכמ״ש במ״א ע״פ קול דודי דופק).7
And this is the matter of the withdrawal of the intellect (mochin) of Abba, for “wisdom gives life,” and in it the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is clothed; and this is the matter of the pulse (dofek) (as is explained elsewhere on the verse “The voice of my beloved knocks (dofek)”).
Spiritually this is the withdrawal of the intellect of Abba, for “wisdom gives life” and the Infinite Light is clothed in it. This is the “pulse” of life, which the Alter Rebbe elsewhere connects with “The voice of my Beloved knocks (dofek).”
Now, the Oral Torah is called “the scarlet thread,” as is explained at the end of the discourse beginning “Your cheeks are comely with rows.” And see what is written on the matter of the scarlet wool (tola’as shani) on the verse “This is the statute of the Torah,”
The Oral Torah is called “the scarlet thread,” as explained in the discourse “Your cheeks are comely with rows” in Likkutei Torah on Shir HaShirim, and in the discourse “This is the statute of the Torah,” on the scarlet wool used with the red heifer.
והיא המשכת אור וחיות הח״ע וחוט השני אדום זהו כמשל התפשטות דם הנפש הפך הבהרת שהיא עיכוב סיבוב הדם כו׳
and it is the drawing down of the light and the life-force of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah); and the scarlet thread is red, which is like the analogy of the spreading of the blood of the soul, the opposite of the baheres, which is the holding back of the circulation of the blood, etc.
The Oral Torah draws down the light and life-force of the higher Chochmah, and the scarlet thread is red, like the blood that spreads with the life of the soul. It is the very opposite of baheres, where the circulation of the blood is held back.
ועמ״ש בד״ה בשעה שהקדימו ישראל נעשה לנשמע11 בענין שהתורה נק׳ אדם א׳ דם שהוא הממשיך חיות לכל הרמ״ח איברים
And see what is written in the discourse beginning “When Israel put ‘we will do’ before ‘we will hear,’” on the matter that the Torah is called adam: alef, dam (“blood”), which is what draws life-force to all the 248 limbs,
The Alter Rebbe also cites his discourse “When Israel put ‘we will do’ before ‘we will hear’”: the Torah is called adam, read as alef plus dam, “blood,” the blood that carries life to the 248 limbs, which are the mitzvos.
שהם המצות וע״כ נאמר על כנס״י שהיא בחי׳ רחל שכנגדה הקליפה הנק׳ בהרת עזה כשלג כמ״ש בע״ח שלא תירא מהתהוותבחי׳ זו מפני
which are the mitzvos. Therefore it is said of the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael), which is the level of Rachel, opposite whom is the kelipah (husk) called “baheres bright as snow,” as is written in Etz Chaim, that she does not fear the coming into being of this level, because
Therefore the verse is said of the Congregation of Israel, which is Rachel, whose opposing kelipah is the “baheres bright as snow,” as Etz Chaim says. She need not fear that this kelipah will come into being.
כי כל ביתה לבוש שנים תשבע״פ שממשיך גילוי ח״ע אבא יסד ברתא1213 ועי״ז אין שום מקום להתהוות בחי׳ בהרת הנ״ל (ועיין בפ׳ ויחי דרל״ח ע״ב ע״פ לא תירא כו׳ ובפ׳ חקת דקפ״ד ע״א):
“all her household is clothed in scarlet”: the Oral Torah, which draws down the revelation of the higher Chochmah, “Abba founded the daughter”; and through this there is no room at all for the level of baheres mentioned above to come into being. (And see [the Zohar] in Parshas Vayechi, folio 238, side b, on the verse “She does not fear,” etc., and in Parshas Chukas, folio 184, side a.)
Her household is clothed in “scarlet,” the Oral Torah, which draws down to her the revelation of the higher Chochmah, as in the Zohar’s words, “Abba (Chochmah) founded the daughter (Malchus).” With the life of Chochmah flowing, there is no room for the white, lifeless baheres; the Alter Rebbe adds two places in the Zohar on this verse.
The verse of the woman of valor is read through the nega: the Congregation of Israel (Rachel) need not fear the “snow” of baheres, the withdrawal of Chochmah’s life, because she is clothed in the “scarlet” of the Oral Torah, which keeps that life flowing.
The two Zohar passages cited read the verse along these lines. In Vayechi the “snow” is the judgment of Gehinnom, from which the Congregation of Israel is protected because “all her household is clothed in shanim,” read as “pairs,” such as tzitzis and tefillin; in Chukas the Congregation of Israel is nursed from both sides, mercy and judgment, and so does not fear the snow, for there is “white within red and red within white.”
Marei mekomos
- 1לא תירא · Zohar, Vayechi 60:597–607
- 2לא תירא · Zohar, Chukat 11:79–12:88
- 3לא תירא לביתה משלג · Proverbs 31:21
- 4בהרת עזה כשלג · Shevuot 5a
- 5בהרת עזה כשלג · Mishnah Negaim 1:1
- 6והחכמה תחי׳ · Ecclesiastes 7:12
- 7קול דודי דופק · Song of Songs 5:2
- 8וכמ״ש סד״ה נאוו לחייך בתורים · לקו״ת שה״ש יג, ג.
- 9נאוו לחייך בתורים · Song of Songs 1:10
- 10זאת חקת התורה · Numbers 19:2
- 11בשעה שהקדימו ישראל נעשה לנשמע · Shabbat 88a:7–8
- 12אבא יסד ברתא · Zohar III, 248a
- 13אבא יסד ברתא · Tikkunei Zohar 61b:4–5
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
The maamar draws the lesson itself: fervor in prayer that is not followed by Torah study can turn into anger, ego and evil desires, so after the ratzo of prayer one must turn to shov, drawing the light into the many vessels of Torah and mitzvos. Torah must be studied with bittul, not as one’s own possession. Teshuvah must begin where the blemish is, by rousing the heart’s love and then bringing it into bittul. And one should keep reciting Torah even when one forgets or does not fully understand, for the letters are vessels into which the light is drawn of itself.
Questions for discussion
- Why does the maamar say that ratzo, the fiery love of G‑d, can become a source of nurture for the external forces? What does it need in order to be holy?
- How does the maamar answer the apparent contradiction between “he shall be brought to the kohen” and “the kohen shall go out”?
- Why can Torah study alone not cure the metzora, and what must come before it?
- What is the connection between Leah and Rachel, the letters of thought and speech, the “good name,” and the “bad name” of the metzora?
- According to the maamar, why is it worthwhile to recite Torah even without understanding it?
Key terms in this maamar
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×4
- The intellect (mochin)מוחין
- Chochmah, Binah and Daas as a whole. ×32
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×9
- Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א
- The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration.
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×2
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one.
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d. ×1
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds.
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×4
- Yesod (foundation)יסוד
- The channel that connects and transmits. ×6
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment. ×1
- Teshuvah (return)תשובה
- Returning to G‑d; not only repentance. ×5
- Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah)אבא ואמא
- The intellectual configurations.
- The Sefirosספירות
- The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation.
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×1
- Kelipah (the husk)קליפה
- The forces of concealment that oppose holiness. ×1
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion. ×1