Likkutei Torah · Parshas Nitzavim · Maamar 5
ביאור ע״פ שוש אשיש
An Explanation of “I Will Greatly Rejoice”
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The big idea
Sovev, G‑d’s transcendent light, is not far away but present here, only concealed. The year’s mitzvos draw His delight only as it rests upon His will, while the shofar’s weeping draws the inner delight hidden in Mocha Stima’ah, which repairs every flaw and will be openly revealed in the Time to Come.
The maamar in brief
The maamar first asks how countless contractions can separate sovev, the light that encompasses the worlds, from memalei, the light that fills them, when sovev is not far off but present here, merely concealed. Human analogies answer: intellect, will and thought share one brain; writing and speech hold four levels at once; love and anger meet in one striking hand. Spiritual things take up no space, so every contraction is a difference of revelation, not of place. The tzimtzum, the Tikkunei Zohar’s “withdrawal,” Atzilus shining in Moshe and Avraham, Shlomo’s wisdom and prophecy all show light that is present yet hidden. Next the year’s mitzvos are contrasted with the shofar. The mitzvos draw G‑d’s delight only as it encompasses His will, Keser, the “skull”; the shofar’s groaning and wailing arouses the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, rooted in Mocha Stima’ah, where the delight is inward, and so repairs every flaw during the Ten Days of Teshuvah. Finally Isaiah’s verse is read phrase by phrase, from rejoicing in Havayah to the bridegroom and the bride, ending with the future revelation of Atik below.
Outline
- The question: sovev and memalei in one placeIf sovev is present below, only concealed, how can countless contractions separate it from memalei? The answer begins with the human chain of intellect, will and thought.¶1–2
- Many levels in one placeThe brain holds intellect, will and thought; writing and speech hold four levels; love and anger share one hand. Spiritual things take up no space, so many levels can rest in one place, and so too in the Infinite Light.¶3–8
- Concealment, not absenceThe tzimtzum is in the revealed light, not in G‑d; sovev is light present but unrevealed, and the “withdrawal” from the Sefiros is concealment, like sight in a closed eye.¶9–12
- Higher light present belowAtzilus shone in Moshe and Avraham, wisdom in Shlomo and prophecy in the prophets; the human level is sovev for the animal. Every contraction is only a lessening of revelation.¶13–18
- The mitzvos of the whole yearG‑d’s delight is clothed in His will, Keser, the 620 pillars of light, and drawn into Malchus by mitzvos done as the King’s command. Like the skull, the will receives the delight only as an encompassing light.¶19–22
- The shofarThe shofar’s weeping arouses the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, rooted in Mocha Stima’ah, where the delight is inward; this deeper drawing-down repairs every flaw in the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and brings trembling.¶23
- The verse explainedRejoicing in Havayah is the year’s drawing-down; exulting in Elokai is the shofar; garments of salvation are the future 370 lights; the robe of tzedakah sounds life into Malchus; bridegroom and bride are the inner light of Torah and the encompassing light of mitzvos.¶24–25
- The revelation of the Time to ComeToday the light comes from Z’eir Anpin and Nukva; in the future it will come from Atik and Arich Anpin, the first “descent,” revealed below as above, as the Zohar says the verse speaks of Atik Yomin.¶26–30
Key concepts
- Sovev and memaleiסובב וממלא
- Memalei is the divine light revealed within each world; sovev is light that does not come into revelation. Sovev does not surround the worlds from outside: it is present below as above, only concealed.
- Tzimtzumצמצום
- The contraction that makes room for the worlds. It takes place in the light that issues from G‑d, not in G‑d Himself, and it is a lessening of revelation, never a change of place.
- Supernal delight and supernal willעונג העליון ורצון העליון
- G‑d’s delight is the inner root of His will (Keser). The mitzvos express His will, and the delight rests upon the will only as an encompassing light.
- Gulgalta and Mocha Stima’ahגלגלתא ומוחא סתימאה
- The “skull” and the “hidden brain” of Arich Anpin. The skull is the outer will, vessel for the encompassing delight; the hidden brain is a wisdom one with the delight itself.
- The Thirteen Attributes of Mercyי״ג מדות הרחמים
- In Kabbalah, the thirteen tikkunim of the beard, drawn below the skull from the surplus of the hidden brain. The shofar arouses them, so they can repair even the outer level of the will.
- Garmentsלבושים
- What the mitzvos make for the soul: encompassing lights. Teshuvah draws garments of the head, the other mitzvos garments of the body, and tzedakah a robe whose bells make the flow of life heard.
- Bridegroom, “descending a step”חתן, חות דרגא
- The bridegroom (chasan) is read as chas darga, the light that steps down. Today the light descends from Z’eir Anpin; in the future the first, higher descent from Keser will be revealed below.
The question: sovev and memalei in one place ¶1–2
This maamar is a biur, a further explanation, of the preceding maamar on Isaiah’s verse “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah; my soul shall exult in my G‑d.” It goes deeper into the themes raised there, above all the shofar of Rosh HaShanah.
The heading marks this maamar as an explanation (biur) that expands the preceding discourse on the verse “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah.”
According to the Kehot note, the Tzemach Tzedek’s Or HaTorah on Nitzavim discusses this explanation, and a maamar of the Mitteler Rebbe on this parsha is founded on it.
Marei mekomos
- 1ביאור ע״פ שוש אשיש · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ נצבים ע׳ א׳רעג. וראה שם ע׳ א׳רסב ד״ה מ״ש בביאור דשוש אשיש. מאמרי אדה״א כאן ע׳ תתנח שמיוסד על מאמר זה. וראה שם ע׳ תתעו.
- 2שוש אשיש · Isaiah 61:10
2ולתוספת ביאור להבין ענין השופר צריך להקדים תחלה ענין ממלא וסובב כי לכאורה אינו מובן מאחר שפי׳ סובב אין פירושו שסובב ומקיף מלמעלה1 אלא שהוא
As a further explanation, in order to understand the matter of the shofar, we must first preface the matter of the light that fills [all worlds] (memalei) and [the light that] encompasses [them] (sovev). For seemingly it is not understood: since the meaning of sovev is not that it encircles and surrounds from above, but that it is
Before explaining the shofar, the maamar first clarifies two terms: memalei, the divine light that fills each world according to its capacity, and sovev, the light said to “encompass” all worlds. The word sovev seems to suggest a light that surrounds the worlds from outside and above, and the maamar rejects that reading.
נמצא למטה כמו למעלה רק שההפרש הוא בבחי׳ העלם ובבחי׳ גילוי וכמ״ש במ״א א״כ איך יתקרב אל השכל מה שנודע שיש רבוא רבבות בחי׳ בחי׳ ומדרגות וצמצומים רבים ושונים עד שבא מבחי׳ סובב
present below just as above, only the difference is [one] of concealment and of revelation, as is explained elsewhere — if so, how can reason grasp what is known: that there are myriads of myriads of levels upon levels, grades, and many and diverse contractions (tzimtzumim), until [the light] comes from the level of sovev,
Sovev is present below exactly as it is above; the only difference is that here it is concealed rather than revealed. This raises a difficulty with the well-known teaching that countless levels and contractions (tzimtzumim) separate sovev from memalei.
שהוא בבחי׳ ההעלם לבחי׳ ממלא שהוא בחי׳ גילוי מאחר שהכל במקום׳ [במקומו] ואין ביניהם ריחוק מקום וכלום חסר
which is in a state of concealment, to the level of memalei, which is the level of revelation? For everything is in its place, there is no distance of place between them, and nothing is lacking
If sovev and memalei are in the same place, with no distance between them, the light of sovev does not need to travel anywhere to become memalei. Nothing seems to be missing at all.
רק יציאה מההעלם אל הגילוי ואיך שייך לומר כ״כ [כל כך] רבוא רבבות מדרגות וצמצומים רבים ושונים עד אין קץ ותכלית כנודע.
but the emergence from concealment into revelation. So how is it possible to speak of so many myriads of myriads of grades, and many and diverse contractions, without end or limit, as is known?
All that is missing is for the hidden to become revealed, which seems to be a single step. So how can one speak of endless myriads of levels and contractions between them?
אך הענין יובן עד״מ מבשרי אחזה2 שנראה בחוש באדם הגשמי שיש לו שכל וחכמה להשכיל כל דבר אשר יעשה
The answer begins with an analogy from human experience, in the spirit of Job’s words “from my flesh I behold G‑d”: studying the human being gives insight into the divine. A person’s intellect considers whatever he is about to do.
ולפי מה שהסכימה חכמתו כך נוטה רצונו לעשות הדבר ההוא שחייבה חכמתו שכמו שחייבה חכמתו לדבר ההוא כך יש לו רצון ותשוקה לאותו דבר שהחכמה מנהגת את
and according to what his wisdom has agreed upon, so does his will incline to do that thing which his wisdom has required. For just as his wisdom has required that thing, so does he have a will and desire for that thing, since wisdom guides
A person’s will follows what his intellect has concluded: when his mind decides that something should be done, he comes to want and desire it. Intellect guides the will.
הרצון כנודע וע״פ הרצון מחשב ומהרהר איך לגמור מה שעלה ברצונו שפעולת הדבר אינה נגמרת אלא ע״י הרהור אותיות מחשבתו שאותיות הללו הן למטה ממדרגת הרצון כנודע.
the will, as is known. And according to the will, he thinks and ponders how to accomplish what has arisen in his will; for the action is completed only through pondering the letters of his thought, and these letters are below the level of the will, as is known.
Will then leads to thought: he works out in the “letters” of his mind how to carry out what he wants, and only through such thought is the action completed. These letters of thought are a lower level than the will.
The paragraph poses the problem: if sovev and memalei differ only as hidden and revealed, in one place, how can countless contractions lie between them? It begins the answer with the human chain of intellect, will and thought.
The Kehot note cites Tanya, chapter 48, for the principle that space does not apply to spiritual things at all; this is why sovev cannot mean something that surrounds the worlds physically from above. The verse “from my flesh I behold G‑d” is the classic warrant in Chassidus for learning about the divine from the structure of the human soul.
Marei mekomos
- 1אין פירושו שסובב ומקיף מלמעלה · כי לא שייך כלל בחי׳ מקום ברוחניות — תניא פרק מח (סח, א). וראה בליקוט פירושים ומ״מ — חיטריק שם.
- 2מבשרי אחזה · Job 19:26
Many levels in one place ¶3–8
3והנה מקום משכן השכל הוא במוח וכן משכן הרצון הוא ג״כ במוח וגם הרהור אותיות המחשבה הוא מהרהר ומחשב במוח הרי שבמוח א׳ יש בו
Now, the place where the intellect dwells is the brain; likewise, the dwelling of the will is also in the brain; and the pondering of the letters of thought, too — he ponders and thinks in the brain. Thus in the one brain there are
All three faculties just described, intellect, will and the letters of thought, reside in one organ, the brain. A person thinks and ponders in the same brain in which his intellect and will dwell.
ג׳ מיני התלבשות שמתחלה מתלבש בחכמה והחכמה מתלבשת ברצון והרצון מתלבש באותיות המחשבה והכל במקום1 א׳ הוא המוח הרי שמצינו כמה בחינות והשתלשלות מעילה לעילה במקום2 א׳.
three kinds of enclothement: first [the soul’s power] clothes itself in wisdom, wisdom clothes itself in the will, and the will clothes itself in the letters of thought — and all in one place, the brain. Thus we find several levels and a chain of descent (hishtalshelus), from cause to cause, in one place.
Within the one brain there is a whole chain: the soul’s power is clothed first in wisdom, wisdom in will, and will in the letters of thought. So a descent from cause to effect, through several levels, takes place entirely within one place.
The human brain shows that a chain of several levels, each clothed in the next, can exist in a single place. This is the first step toward resolving the question about sovev and memalei.
The Kehot note quotes the Rebbe Rashab (Hemshech 5672, chapter 168): the will meant here is the will that follows the intellect. It is the inner life of the emotions and can even go against the heart’s natural feelings, as when someone puts his foot in very hot water for healing, or takes pleasure in a painful fast because it repairs his soul.
Marei mekomos
- 1והכל במקום א׳ הוא המוח · ”נר׳ דהכוונה שם [בלקו״ת] על הרצון שהוא פנימי׳ המדות ויכול להיות גם היפך המדות שבלב הטבעים רק מפני חיוב השכל כו׳. וכמו להושיט רגלו במים חמים ביותר לצורך רפואה כו׳. או שמצטער מדבר תענוג מפני ידיעתו שאצ״ל כן כו׳. וכן להתענג בדבר צער כמו בתענית וסיגופים שהם תיקון לנפשו כו׳, שכ״ז הוא מן הרצון שע״פ השכל והוא חיות המדות כו׳ וכמ״ש בלק״ת ד״ה בהעלותך הא׳ ומבוא׳ במ״א” — המשך תער״ב פרק קסח.
- 2והשתלשלות מעילה לעילה במקום א׳ · ראה ספר החקירה פ, א.
4והטעם הוא לפי שהתלבושת דבר רוחני אינו דומה לדבר גשמי כי הדבר הגשמי הוא תופס מקום והעליון שמתלבש בתחתון נעשה התחתון למטה ממנו בריחוק מקום משא״כ הרוחני אינו תופס מקום מצד עצמו
The reason is that the enclothement of a spiritual thing is not like [that of] a physical thing. For a physical thing occupies space, and when the higher clothes itself in the lower, the lower comes to be below it at a distance of place; whereas the spiritual does not occupy space in and of itself,
A whole chain can exist in one place because spiritual enclothement differs from physical. Physical things take up space, so when something higher is clothed in something lower, the lower ends up below it, at a distance; a spiritual thing takes up no space of its own.
רק שנתפס ונקלט בגדר ובחינת מקום שהמקום ההוא אינו אלא כלי ומשכן להשראת הרוחני בו ולכן יכול להיות השראת כמה מיני כחות והתלבשות במקום א׳.
only it is grasped and absorbed within the bounds and the aspect of place, where that place is only a vessel and a dwelling for the resting of the spiritual within it. Therefore there can be the resting of several kinds of powers, and enclothement, in one place.
A spiritual power is only “held” within a place, and the place serves merely as a vessel and dwelling in which it rests. That is why many powers, and many layers of enclothement, can rest in one place.
The paragraph gives the reason behind the analogy: spiritual things do not occupy space, so many of them, clothed one within another, can rest in a single place.
5ומזה יובן למעלה למשכיל1 איך כמה מיני צמצומים והשתלשלות והתלבשות המדרגות רבות במאד באור א״ס ב״ה במקום א׳ ממש ובאמת הוא ית׳ מקומו של עולם ואין העולם מקומו.
From this the one who understands will grasp, regarding Above, how several kinds of contractions (tzimtzumim), chains of descent and enclothements of very many grades [exist] in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in truly one place. And in truth, He, may He be blessed, is the place of the world, and the world is not His place.
Applying this Above, one can understand how countless contractions and levels can all exist within the Infinite Light in one single place. The maamar adds that G‑d is the “place” of the world rather than the world being His place: He is not contained in space at all.
ועוד יובן יותר ע״פ משל אחר מכח השכל המתלבש במעשה2 כגון מעשה הכתב שהיד כותבת מה שעלה בשכלו
It will be understood still further through another analogy, from the power of the intellect that clothes itself in action: for example, the act of writing, where the hand writes what arose in his mind;
A second analogy makes the point clearer still: the act of writing. The hand writes down what arose in the person’s mind.
והרי מלובש שם כח השכל וגם אותיות המחשבה שהרי עכ״פ [על כל פנים] צריך להרהר באותיות המחשבה לכתוב אותיות הכתב.
and thus the power of the intellect is clothed there, and also the letters of thought, for at any rate one must ponder the letters of thought in order to write the letters of the script.
So the power of the intellect is present in the writing, and so are the letters of thought, since one must think out the letters in order to write them.
The paragraph applies the analogy to the Infinite Light and introduces a second analogy, writing, in which intellect and thought are both present in a single action.
Marei mekomos
- 1
- 2ע״פ משל אחר מכח השכל המתלבש במעשה · ראה גם סה״מ תש״ח ע׳ 97.
6וגם יש לו איזה תשוקה בשעה שכותב וגם כח העשיה הוא כח היד הכותבת. נמצא שיש כאן ארבעה מיני התלבשות וצמצומים שכל ומחשבה ומדות ומעשה
He also has some desire while he writes; and there is also the power of action, which is the power of the hand that writes. It follows that there are four kinds of enclothement and contraction here: intellect, thought, emotive attributes (middos) and action.
While writing, a person also feels some desire, an emotion, and then there is the physical power of the writing hand. So one act of writing contains four layers of enclothement and contraction: intellect, thought, emotions and action.
וד׳ בחינות צמצומים והתלבשות אלו יש ג״כ בדבור האדם שמדבר מה שחייבה חכמתו ומחשב האותיות אשר מדבר בהם ויש לו רצון ותשוקה לדבר ההוא אשר ידבר.
And these four levels of contraction and enclothement are also [present] in a person’s speech: he speaks what his wisdom has required, he thinks out the letters with which he speaks, and he has a will and desire for the thing that he will speak.
The same four levels are present in speech. A person says what his wisdom has concluded, thinks out the letters of his words, and wants and desires to say them.
Writing and speech each contain four levels, intellect, thought, emotion and action, all present together in one act. Each is a contraction of the one above it, yet all are in one place.
7והנה ד׳ צמצומים אלו הן מה שנרגשים לפי שכלנו שאין אנו מרגישים רק ד׳ מיני צמצומים כנגד ד׳ אותיות שם הוי׳ דהיינו הצמצומים שהן בבחי׳ ההשתלשלות מחכמה ולמטה
Now, these four contractions are what is perceptible according to our intellect, for we perceive only four kinds of contraction, corresponding to the four letters of the Name Havayah, that is, the contractions that are within the chain of descent (hishtalshelus), from Chochmah (wisdom) downward.
These four contractions are the ones our minds can perceive, and they correspond to the four letters of the Name Havayah. In the order of the Sefiros, they are the levels from Chochmah downward, within the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus).
אבל באמת יש רבוא רבבות מדרגות וצמצומים למעלה מן ההשתלשלות עד שיהי׳ [שיהיה] יכול להיות התהוות בחי׳ הוי׳
But in truth there are myriads of myriads of grades and contractions above the chain of descent, until there can be the coming-into-being of the level of Havayah.
In truth, however, there are countless levels and contractions above the chain of descent, before the level of Havayah itself can come into being. Those higher contractions are beyond our perception.
כי להיות התהוות והתלבשות אור א״ס ב״ה בחכמה הוא יותר צמצום ממה שנתצמצמה החכמה להתלבש במדות והמדות במחשבה כו׳ כנודע.
For the coming-into-being and the enclothement of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in Chochmah is a greater contraction than Chochmah’s contracting itself to be clothed in the emotive attributes (middos), and the emotive attributes in thought, etc., as is known.
The reason is that for the Infinite Light to come into being and be clothed in Chochmah is a greater contraction than the steps below it, such as Chochmah being clothed in the emotions and the emotions in thought.
The four contractions we perceive correspond to the four letters of Havayah; above them lie countless contractions that bring Chochmah itself into being from the Infinite Light. This is how there can be “myriads” of contractions even though all are in one place.
The step from the Infinite Light to Chochmah, the first level of intellect, is a greater contraction than all the steps that follow it, so the greatest contractions are precisely the ones we cannot perceive.
8וגם מצינו התלבשות משני הפכים בנושא א׳ כגון אהבה וכעס ששניהם בלב וגם לפעמים הם ברגע א׳ כגון
We also find the enclothement of two opposites in one subject: for example, love and anger, both of which are in the heart, and at times they are even in one moment — for example,
Beyond several levels in one place, we even find two opposites in one subject. Love and anger both reside in the heart and can sometimes be felt in the very same moment.
אב המכה את בנו1 בכעס מחמת אהבתו אותו ורוצה בתקנתו והאהבה והכעס שבלב הם מלובשים גם שניהם ביד האב המכה את בנו.
a father who strikes his son in anger because of his love for him, since he wants his betterment; and the love and the anger in the heart are both clothed in the hand of the father who strikes his son.
A father who strikes his son in anger does so out of love, because he wants the child to improve, and both the love and the anger are expressed in the same hand. The Kehot note compares Proverbs 13:24, “One who spares his rod hates his son, but one who loves him disciplines him early.”
הכלל העולה שמצינו בחוש כמה מיני התלבשות במקום א׳ ואף התכללות שני הפכים בנושא אחד והתבלשותן במקום אחד כנ״ל:
The general conclusion is that we find, palpably, several kinds of enclothement in one place, and even the inclusion of two opposites in one subject and their enclothement in one place, as mentioned above.
The conclusion is that experience shows several kinds of enclothement in one place, and even two opposites included in one subject and clothed in one place.
The father who strikes his son out of love shows that even opposites, love and anger, can be present together in one place and one act. This completes the human analogies.
Marei mekomos
- 1אב המכה את בנו · Proverbs 13:24
Concealment, not absence ¶9–12
9ב ומכל זה יובן ג״כ באור א״ס ב״ה כי הנה הצמצום ומקום פנוי1 וחלל2 הוא באור א״ס ב״ה דהיינו באור ושפע הנשפע ממנו להיות בחי׳ גילוי.
2. From all this, [the matter] will also be understood with regard to the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He. For the tzimtzum (contraction), and the vacated place and void, are in the Infinite Light, blessed be He — that is, in the light and the flow that flows forth from Him to be [in] a state of revelation —
Section 2 applies the analogies to the Infinite Light. The tzimtzum, the contraction that leaves a vacated place or void for the worlds, takes place in the light and flow that issue from G‑d in order to be revealed.
ולא בא״ס ב״ה עצמו ח״ו [חס ושלום] כנודע והיינו שנתצמצם הזיו וההשפעה שלא להיות גילוי אלא דרך קו וחוט ומה שאינו בא לידי גילוי נק׳ סובב שהגם שהוא
and not, G‑d forbid, in the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, Himself, as is known. That is, the radiance and the flow were contracted so as not to be revealed except by way of a line (kav) and a thread; and what does not come to revelation is called sovev, for although it is
The tzimtzum does not, G‑d forbid, touch the Infinite One Himself. What was contracted is the radiance, so that it is revealed only through a thin “line” (kav) and thread of light; whatever does not come into revelation is what is called sovev.
present below, it is in a state of concealment and not in a state of revelation. [And along these lines it is said in the Tikkunei Zohar, “And when You withdraw from them,” etc.;
Sovev is fully present below; it is simply concealed and not revealed. A bracketed gloss compares Elijah’s prayer in the Tikkunei Zohar, addressed to G‑d: “And when You withdraw from them…”.
דאין הפי׳ כפשוטו כהסתלקות הדבר ממקום זה למקום עליון מאחר שהוא ית׳ אינו בגדר מקום אלא הפי׳ שנעשה האור בבחי׳ העלם מהם ואינו מתגלה בהכלים דע״ס [דעשר ספירות].
for the meaning is not literal, like the withdrawal of a thing from this place to a higher place, since He, may He be blessed, is not within the bounds of place; rather, the meaning is that the light becomes concealed from them and is not revealed in the vessels of the Ten Sefiros.
That “withdrawal” cannot mean moving from one place to a higher one, because G‑d is not bound by place. It means that the light becomes concealed from the Sefiros and is not revealed in their vessels.
The tzimtzum is only in the revealed light, not in G‑d Himself, and sovev is light that is present but concealed. Even the Tikkunei Zohar’s “withdrawal” of G‑d from the Sefiros means concealment, not departure.
In Etz Chaim the Arizal describes a simple supernal light that filled all existence and then contracted itself, leaving a vacated place and void, into which a line of light was then drawn. Chassidus insists that this contraction concerns only the revelation of the light, never G‑d’s essence.
Marei mekomos
- 1הצמצום ומקום פנוי · ראה ע״ח דרוש עגולים ויושר ענף ב.
- 2הצמצום ומקום פנוי וחלל · Sefer Etz Chaim 1:3–4
- 3בת״ז וכד אנת תסתלק · בהקדמה (פתח אלי׳).
- 4וכד אנת תסתלק מינייהו · Tikkunei Zohar 17b:2–3
10וכמו ע״ס [עשר ספירות] דאצילות מאיר אור א״ס בגילוי רב עד דאיהו וגרמוהי חד12 משא״כ בע״ס [בעשר ספירות] דבריאה אין הגילוי עד״ז.
As in the Ten Sefiros of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), the Infinite Light shines in great revelation, to the point that “He and His vessels are one” (ihu vegarmohi chad); whereas in the Ten Sefiros of the World of Beriah (Creation), the revelation is not like this.
In the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus, the highest world, the Infinite Light shines so openly that, in the Tikkunei Zohar’s words, “He and His vessels are one.” In the Sefiros of Beriah, the first world of separate existence, the light is not revealed in this way.
וזהו ענין הסילוק וההעלם. וכ״ז [וכל זה] אינו בגדר מקום. ונמצא ענין הסתלקות והתפשטות זו אינו כפשוטו לומר שנסתלק ואינו
And this is the meaning of the withdrawal and the concealment. And all this is not within the bounds of place. It follows that this withdrawal and spreading forth is not [to be taken] literally, to say that it withdrew and is no
This difference in revelation is all that “withdrawal” and “concealment” mean, and none of it is a matter of space. So the light’s “withdrawal” and “spreading forth” are not to be taken literally, as if the light left a place.
נמצא עוד במקום זה דלא שייך כלל לומר כן באור א״ס ב״ה אלא הוא רק ענין העלם וגילוי.
longer present in this place, for it is not at all applicable to say so of the Infinite Light, blessed be He; rather, it is only a matter of concealment and revelation.
It makes no sense to say of the Infinite Light that it has left a place and is no longer there. The difference is only between concealment and revelation.
The contrast between Atzilus, where the light is fully revealed, and Beriah, where it is not, shows that “withdrawal” in the divine means only concealment, never absence from a place.
Marei mekomos
- 1דאיהו וגרמוהי חד · שם בתחלתה (ג, ב).
- 2דאיהו וגרמוהי חד · Tikkunei Zohar 3b:9–10
11וקצת משל לזה הוא כמו ענין גילוי כח הראיה בעין והנה כשסותם העין ואין מתגלה כח הראיה לראות אין הענין שנסתלק כח הראיה מהעין כי באמת ישנו נמצא בהעין רק שאין מתגלה כחו.
Something of an analogy for this is the revelation of the power of sight in the eye. When one closes the eye, and the power of sight is not revealed so as to see, it is not that the power of sight has withdrawn from the eye; for in truth it is present in the eye, only its power is not revealed.
When a person closes his eyes, the power of sight is not revealed, yet it has not left the eye: it is fully present, only it is not being expressed. So too the light of sovev is present below, only concealed.
Closed eyes show how a power can be fully present yet unrevealed, which is how sovev is present within the worlds.
12ועד״ז הוא ענין העלם וגילוי שמתגלה האור בהכלים והעולמות או שאינו מתגלה בהן והעלם זה הוא לגבי הכלים והעולמות
In the same way is the matter of concealment and revelation: the light is revealed in the vessels and the worlds, or it is not revealed in them. And this concealment is relative to the vessels and the worlds,
Concealment and revelation work the same way with the divine light: either it is revealed in the vessels and the worlds, or it is not. The concealment exists only from the side of the vessels and the worlds.
משא״כ לגבי האור עצמו אין שום שינוי וכ״ש [וכל שכן] במהותו ועצמותו ית׳ שלמעלה מעלה מבחי׳ האור והגילוי ועמ״ש בד״ה שחורה אני1 ונאוה בענין ישת חשך סתרו.2
whereas relative to the light itself there is no change at all — and all the more so in His being and essence, may He be blessed, which is far, far above the level of light and revelation. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “I am black, yet comely,” on the matter of “He made darkness His hiding place.”
From the side of the light itself nothing changes, and all the more so in G‑d’s own being and essence, which is far above any light or revelation. The text refers to its treatment of “He made darkness His hiding place,” a verse about G‑d’s concealment, in the discourse on “I am black, yet comely.”
[ועיין בזהר פרשה אחרי דף ע״ג ע״א בענין קוב״ה [קודשא בריך הוא] סתים וגליא3 כו׳ ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה כי קרוב אליך הדבר].45
[And see in the Zohar, Parshas Acharei, folio 73a, on the matter that the Holy One, blessed be He, is hidden and revealed, etc.; and see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “For the thing is near to you.”]
A bracketed note adds the Zohar’s teaching that the Holy One is both “hidden and revealed,” and refers to the earlier discourse on “For the thing is near to you.”
Concealment is a change only in how the worlds receive the light; the light itself, and all the more so G‑d’s essence, undergoes no change at all.
Marei mekomos
- 1בד״ה שחורה אני · Song of Songs 7:1
- 2ישת חשך סתרו · Psalms 18:12
- 3קוב״ה סתים וגליא · Zohar, Achrei Mot 50:299
- 4בד״ה כי קרוב אליך הדבר · לעיל מו, ג.
- 5
Higher light present below ¶13–18
13ולהסביר הענין איך הוא נמצא למטה מאחר שאינו מתגלה. הענין הוא כי הנה נודע שנשמת משה רבינו1 עליו השלום היתה מבחינת אצילות וכן נשמת אברהם2 והיינו שבמשה רבע״ה [רבינו עליו השלום] ובאברהם היה מאיר בהם אצילות בבחינת גילוי למטה.
And to explain the matter — how it is present below, given that it is not revealed: the matter is this. It is known that the soul of Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, was of the level of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), and so was the soul of Avraham. That is, in Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, and in Avraham, Atzilus shone in a revealed way below.
To show how something can be present below while hidden, the maamar cites a known teaching: the souls of Moshe and Avraham were from Atzilus, the highest world. In them Atzilus shone openly, here below.
Thus the level of Atzilus is present below as well. And as is also written in [Sefer Ha]Gilgulim, chapter 20, that there is the level of Atzilus even in [the World of] Asiyah (Action).
So Atzilus can be present even in the lowest world. The text cites Sefer HaGilgulim, chapter 20, which states that there is an aspect of Atzilus even in Asiyah.
Souls such as Moshe’s and Avraham’s, which revealed Atzilus in this world, show that the light of Atzilus is present below, even in Asiyah.
The Kehot note records the Rebbe Rashab’s question in Sefer HaMaamarim 5651: this needs study, since with Avraham “the cantillation separates between them,” that is, between the two calls of his name, “Avraham, Avraham.” In another place there he groups such souls with Yosef and Shlomo.
Marei mekomos
- 1כי הנה נודע שנשמת משה רבינו · מובא באוה״ת ויקרא כרך ב ע׳ תקז. ראה גם סה״מ עזר״ת ע׳ קכט ואילך. ד״ה החדש הזה לכם תשכ״ב.
- 2וכן נשמת אברהם · בסה״מ תרנ״א ע׳ לח ”וצ״ע דהלא באברהם פסיק טעמא בינייהו” ושם ע׳ קד וכמו ”יוסף ושלמה”. ראה בהמשך תער״ב ח״ג ע׳ א׳תנז. וראה לקמן שה״ש יט, ג. ובליקוט פירושים ומ״מ — חיטריק לאגה״ק כ.
- 3שנמצא גם למטה בחי׳ אצילות · Numbers 2:2
- 4וכמ״ש בגלגולים פ״כ · נזכר גם לעיל תזריע כא, א. ומובא בתניא פרק ח בהגהה, ונעתק לשונו באוה״ת ויקרא שם.
14והנה מצד אור האצילות עצמו אין מניעה שאילו היה משה ואברהם גם היום1 פה עמנו היה אור האצילות מתגלה בהם רק שבדור הזה אין גילוי אור האצילות למטה.
Now, from the side of the light of Atzilus itself there is no hindrance; for if Moshe and Avraham were here with us today as well, the light of Atzilus would be revealed in them. It is only that in this generation there is no revelation of the light of Atzilus below.
The light of Atzilus itself holds nothing back: were Moshe and Avraham with us today, it would shine in them again. Its absence in our generation is not a lack in the light.
אבל מ״מ מוכרח להיות שבמציאות יש אור אצילות למטה ג״כ אלא שאינו מתגלה בדורנו זה.
Nevertheless, it must necessarily be that the light of Atzilus actually exists below too, only it is not revealed in this generation of ours.
Therefore the light of Atzilus must actually exist below now as well; it is simply not revealed in our generation.
The light of Atzilus is present in this world even now; only the absence of fitting recipients keeps it from being revealed.
Marei mekomos
- 1שאילו היה משה ואברהם גם היום · Numbers 2:2
So too Shlomo, of whom it is written, “And he was wiser than all men,” “and he spoke three thousand parables”; thus such great wisdom was revealed to him,
King Shlomo is another example: Scripture says he was wiser than all men and spoke three thousand parables. Such great wisdom was revealed to him.
הגם שגם הוא היה בעוה״ז בבחי׳ עשיה הרי שמציאות החכמה היא גם למטה בעוה״ז ולכן היתה נגלית לשלמה אלא שנעלמה מעין כל חי זולתו.
even though he too was in this world, in the level of Asiyah. Thus the existence of wisdom is also below, in this world, and therefore it was revealed to Shlomo; only it was hidden from the eyes of every living being but him.
Shlomo lived in this physical world, the level of Asiyah, yet that wisdom was revealed to him, so it must exist here below. It was simply hidden from everyone else.
וכן עד״ז יש מציאות נבואה גם בעוה״ז רק שבנביאים היתה בבחי׳ גילוי שהנבואה הי תה מתגלה בהם לפי שהיה בהם כח לקבל ועכשיו המניעה מצד המקבלים
And likewise, along these lines, prophecy exists in this world as well; only in the prophets it was in a revealed state — prophecy was revealed in them, because they had the power to receive. And now the hindrance is on the side of the recipients;
Prophecy, too, exists in this world. In the prophets it was revealed because they had the capacity to receive it; today the obstacle lies with the recipients.
אבל מצד האור והשפע אין מונע שבמציאות יש האור והשפע גם היום רק שאינו נגלה ונראה אלא לפי ערך כח המקבלים:
but on the side of the light and the flow there is no hindrance, for the light and the flow actually exist today as well, only it is not revealed and seen except according to the measure of the recipients’ power.
From the side of the light and flow of prophecy there is no obstacle; it exists today as well, but it is revealed only according to the capacity of those who receive it.
Shlomo’s wisdom and the prophets’ prophecy show that higher light is present in this world, revealed or hidden according to the capacity of the recipients.
Marei mekomos
- 1ויחכם מכל האדם · I Kings 5:11
- 2ויחכם מכל האדם וידבר שלשת אלפים משל · מ״א ה, יא-יב.
- 3וידבר שלשת אלפים משל · I Kings 5:12
16והנה מכל זה יובן למעלה בחי׳ סובב. כי פי׳ סובב הוא מה שאינו בא לידי גילוי כנ״ל. וחכמת שלמה לגבי ערכנו נקרא בחי׳ סובב.
From all this, the level of sovev will be understood Above. For the meaning of sovev is that which does not come to revelation, as mentioned above. And the wisdom of Shlomo, relative to our measure, is called the level of sovev.
These examples clarify what sovev means Above: whatever does not come into revelation. Shlomo’s wisdom, relative to us, is “sovev”: it exists here but is not revealed to us.
וכן בחי׳ מדבר לגבי בחי׳ בע״ח [בעץ חיים] נקרא סובב שאין בחינת מדבר מתגלה בבחי׳ בע״ח [בעץ חיים] שנתצמצמה ההארה עד שאין בו אלא בחי׳ בע״ח [בעץ חיים] ולא מדבר והיינו לפי שבחי׳ מדבר ישנה במציאות גם בעוה״ז
So too the level of the speaking [being] (medaber), relative to the level of the animal, is called sovev: for the level of the speaking is not revealed in the level of the animal, since the illumination was contracted until there is in it only the level of the animal and not the speaking. That is because the level of the speaking actually exists in this world as well,
Likewise the human level, the “speaking” being, is sovev relative to the animal: the faculty of speech exists in this world but is not revealed in animals, because the illumination was contracted in them.
אלא מפני שבבע״ח [שבבעץ חיים] נתצמצם ואינו נראה ונגלה הרי בחי׳ זו לגבי דידהו בחי׳ סובב שאינו מתגלה ובבחי׳ צומח נתצמצמה ההארה יותר עד שאין בה אפי׳ [אפילו] בחי׳ בע״ח [בעץ חיים] ובדומם מתצמצמת ההארה יותר.
but because in the animal it was contracted and is not seen and revealed, this level, relative to them, is the level of sovev, which is not revealed. And in the level of the vegetative, the illumination was contracted further, until there is not even the level of the animal in it; and in the inanimate, the illumination is contracted further still.
In plants the illumination is contracted further, so that not even animal life is revealed in them, and in inanimate matter it is contracted further still.
Sovev is defined relative to the recipient: what is present but unrevealed in a given being is sovev for it, as human speech is for animals.
Chassidus divides creation into four kingdoms: inanimate, vegetative, animal and “speaking” (human). Here each lower kingdom is described as the same light in a more contracted, less revealed form.
17וכל אלו הד׳ צמצומים שבדצח״מ [שבדומם צומח חי מדבר] היינו שירדה ונתמעטה ההארה מדרגה אחר מדרגה והכל בבחי׳ ההארה והגילוי שנתגלה באדם בבחי׳ מדבר ירד ונתמעט בבע״ח [בבעץ חיים] והגילוי שנתגלה בבע״ח [בבעץ חיים] ירד ונתמעט בצומח.
And all these four contractions in the inanimate, vegetative, animal and speaking mean that the illumination descended and diminished, level after level — and all in terms of illumination and revelation: what was revealed in man, in the level of speaking, descended and diminished in the animal, and what was revealed in the animal descended and diminished in the vegetative.
The four contractions in the four kingdoms of creation are steps in which the illumination descends and diminishes, level by level. Each step is a lessening of revelation: what is revealed in man is lessened in the animal, and what is revealed in the animal is lessened in the plant.
שהרי הבע״ח [הבעלי חיים] מרגישים כאב בחתיכת אבר מהם מפני שיש בהם גילוי החיות משא״כ הצומח וכן גילוי המתגלה בצומח ירד ונתמעט בדומם.
For animals feel pain when a limb is cut from them, because they have the revelation of the life-force (chayus), which is not so with the vegetative. And likewise the revelation that is revealed in the vegetative descended and diminished in the inanimate.
An animal feels pain when a limb is cut off, because life-force is revealed in it; a plant does not. And what is revealed in the plant is lessened further in inanimate matter.
The descent from human to animal to plant to mineral is a progressive dimming of revealed life-force, not its absence.
18ולפי שאין הצמצום אלא בבחי׳ מיעוט הגילוי ולא שאינה במציאות כלל כי הרי באדם מתגלה בחי׳ מדבר אע״פ [אף על פי] שהוא במקום א׳ עם הדצ״ח [הדומם צומח חי] לכך נק׳ בחי׳ מדבר לגבי בע״ח [בעץ חיים] בחי׳ סובב
And because the contraction is only a lessening of revelation, and not that it does not exist at all — for in man the level of speaking is revealed, even though he is in one place with the inanimate, the vegetative and the animal — therefore the level of speaking, relative to the animal, is called the level of sovev;
A contraction is only a lessening of revelation, not a loss of existence: speech is revealed in man even though he lives in one place with minerals, plants and animals. That is why the human level is called sovev relative to the animal.
וכן חכמת שלמה לגבי ערכנו וכן מדרגת הנבואה שאלו היה מרע״ה [משה רבינו עליו השלום] וכל הנביאים פה עמנו היום היתה הנבואה מתגלה בהם
and so too the wisdom of Shlomo relative to our measure; and so too the level of prophecy: for if Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, and all the prophets were here with us today, prophecy would be revealed in them.
The same holds for Shlomo’s wisdom relative to us, and for prophecy: were Moshe and all the prophets here today, prophecy would be revealed in them.
נמצא שאינו חסר רק הגילוי אבל מצד אור הנבואה בעצמו אין מונע לכך נקרא בחינת סובב כו׳.
It follows that nothing is lacking but the revelation, while from the side of the light of prophecy itself there is no hindrance; therefore it is called the level of sovev, etc.
So the only thing missing is revelation; from the side of the light of prophecy itself nothing holds it back. That is what makes it “sovev.”
ומזה יובן שכל מיני הצמצומים והשתלשלות היו באור וגילוי לבד ולכך כולם הם במקום א׳ ג״כ וכנ״ל:
From this it will be understood that all the kinds of contraction and of the chain of descent (hishtalshelus) were in the light and the revelation alone; and therefore they are all in one place as well, as mentioned above.
It follows that all the contractions and the whole chain of descent concern only the light and its revelation. That is why they can all exist in one place, which answers the question with which the maamar began.
The paragraph completes the answer to the opening question: every contraction is only a lessening of revelation, so countless levels, and sovev and memalei, can coexist in one place.
The mitzvos of the whole year ¶19–22
19ג ומעתה צריך להבין ענין השופר ומתחלה יבואר ענין המצות של כל השנה והוא כי
3. Now we need to understand the matter of the shofar. First the matter of the mitzvos of the whole year will be explained. It is this:
Section 3 turns to the shofar itself, but first explains the mitzvos performed all year round, so that what is unique about the shofar can be seen against them.
הנה במצות מלובש עונג העליון ב״ה אשר עד אין קץ כנודע שיש עונג למעלה מעונג1 כי אין לך עשב2 כו׳ וגבוה מעל גבוה3 כו׳
in the mitzvos is clothed the supernal delight, blessed be He, which is without end; as is known, there is delight above delight, for “there is no blade of grass,” etc., and “one higher than the high,” etc.
G‑d’s own delight, the supernal delight, is clothed in the mitzvos, and it has no limit: there are levels of delight above levels of delight. The Midrash says that every blade of grass has a force above it, and Ecclesiastes speaks of “one higher than the high.”
ומעדן התחתון נעשה גן לעדן העליון4 דבריאה ועדן דבריאה שהוא חכמה דמל׳ דאצילות שהיא בחי׳ עדן לבחינת הגן5 דבריאה היא בחי׳ גן לעדן דאצילות שהיא חכמה דאצילות עצמה
And of the lower Eden a garden is made for the higher Eden, of the World of Beriah (Creation); and the Eden of Beriah, which is the Chochmah (wisdom) of the Malchus (sovereignty) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation) — which is the level of Eden for the level of the Garden of Beriah — is the level of a garden for the Eden of Atzilus, which is the Chochmah of Atzilus itself.
Gan Eden is a series of levels in which each “Eden” serves as a “garden” for the Eden above it. The Eden of Beriah, which is the Chochmah within the Malchus of Atzilus, is itself a garden for the Eden of Atzilus, the Chochmah of Atzilus itself.
(וכמ״ש בזהר פ׳ ויקהל דר״י [דרבינו יצחק] ע״ב ופ׳ חקת דקפ״ב סע״ב [סוף עמוד ב] וע׳ באדר״ז [באדרא זוטא] דרצ״ו ריש ע״א)
(As is written in the Zohar, Parshas Vayakhel, folio 210b, and Parshas Chukas, at the end of folio 182b; and see in the Idra Zuta, at the beginning of folio 296a.)
The text cites the Zohar on Vayakhel and Chukas, and the Idra Zuta, for this structure of Eden and garden.
ועונג העליון הוא למעלה מעלה מבחי׳ חכמה דאצילות שהיא בחינת כתר ושם תר״ך עמודי אור67 כמו עמוד המחבר עליון עם התחתון
And the supernal delight is far, far above the level of the Chochmah of Atzilus; it is the level of Keser (the Crown). And there are the 620 pillars of light, like a pillar that joins the upper with the lower,
The supernal delight is far above even the Chochmah of Atzilus: it belongs to Keser, the Crown. There are found the 620 “pillars of light,” each like a pillar that joins what is above with what is below.
כמו שני עמודי התוך אשר הבית נשען עליו8 דגבי שמשון כך נמשך תר״ך עמודי אור מכתר עליון להתלבש במצות ששרשם ועיקרם הוא במל׳ מצות המלך9
like the two middle pillars on which the house rested, in [the account of] Shimshon. So are the 620 pillars of light drawn from the supernal Keser to clothe themselves in the mitzvos, whose root and essence are in Malchus — “the commands of the King.”
Like the two middle pillars that held up the house in the story of Shimshon, these 620 pillars extend from the supernal Keser and are clothed in the mitzvos. The mitzvos as such belong to Malchus, as “the commands of the King.”
והיינו מפני ששרש ומקור המצות הוא בבחי׳ הכתר שהוא רצון העליון ושם מלובש עונג העליון נח״ר [נחת רוח] לפני שאמרתי ונעשה רצוני ועונג זה הוא מלובש ג״כ בסוף המעשה כשנעשה רצוני
That is because the root and source of the mitzvos is in the level of Keser, which is the supernal will, and there the supernal delight is clothed: “It is gratification before Me that I spoke and My will was done.” And this delight is also clothed at the end of the deed, when “My will was done,”
The root of the mitzvos is in Keser, the supernal will, where G‑d’s delight is clothed, as the Sages say of an offering: “It is gratification before Me that I spoke and My will was done.” That same delight is present at the end of the process too, in the actual deed by which His will is done.
דהיינו במצות המלך כי עיקר המצות הוא במל׳ ולכן אמרו בגמרא מצות צריכות כוונה10 לצאת י״ח [ידי חובתו] ואפי׳ [ואפילו] בק״ש [בקריאת שמע] איתא בפע״ח [בפרי עץ חיים] שקודם ק״ש [קריאת שמע] יכוין לצאת י״ח [ידי חובתו]
that is, in the commands of the King, for the essence of the mitzvos is in Malchus. Therefore they said in the Gemara, “Mitzvos require intention” to fulfill one’s obligation; and even with regard to the Shema, it is stated in the Pri Etz Chaim that before the Shema one should intend to fulfill one’s obligation.
Since the mitzvos are, at bottom, the King’s commands, the Gemara rules that “mitzvos require intention” to fulfill one’s obligation. The Pri Etz Chaim applies this even to the Shema: before reciting it, one should intend to fulfill the mitzvah.
שעם היות שענין הק״ש [הקריאת שמע] אחד ואהבת11 הם דברי אמת מצד עצמן מ״מ לא די במה שקורא בהם מצד שרוצה לדבר דברי אמת אלא שצריך לדבר בם כדי לקיים מצות המלך שצונו בכך וכדי לעשות רצונו
For although the content of the Shema — “One” and “You shall love” — is words of truth in their own right, nevertheless it is not enough that one reads them because he wants to speak words of truth; rather, one must speak them in order to fulfill the command of the King, who commanded us to do so, and in order to do His will.
The words of the Shema, that G‑d is One and that we are to love Him, are true in themselves, but reciting them as true statements is not enough. They must be said in order to fulfill the King’s command and to do His will.
ובזה ממשיך רצון העליון ב״ה ועונג המלובש בו במלכות [ובאם לאו אינו ממשיך כלום כמ״ש מזה
And through this one draws down the supernal will, blessed be He, and the delight clothed in it, into Malchus. [And if not, one draws down nothing, as is written on this
Saying them as a command draws the supernal will, and the delight clothed in it, down into Malchus. A bracketed note adds that without such intention nothing at all is drawn down, and refers to the discourse on “And now, I pray, let the strength of my L‑rd be great.”
בד״ה ועתה יגדל נא אדח] והן הם תר״ך עמודי אור תרי״ג מצות דאורייתא ושבע מצות דרבנן12 כנודע המחברים רצון העליון ברוך הוא במל׳:
in the discourse beginning “And now, I pray, let the strength of my L‑rd be great.”] And these are the very 620 pillars of light — the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven mitzvos of the Rabbis, as is known — which join the supernal will, blessed be He, to Malchus.
The 620 pillars of light are the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven rabbinic mitzvos, and through them the supernal will is joined to Malchus.
The year-round mitzvos draw G‑d’s delight, clothed in His will (Keser), down into Malchus through 620 “pillars of light”; this is why they must be performed as the King’s commands, with intention.
Keser is pictured as 620 pillars of light, and 620 is the numerical value of keser (כתר), corresponding to the 613 commandments of the Torah and the seven of the Rabbis. Because the mitzvos are rooted in the will, above Chochmah, their power lies in doing them as G‑d’s command and not only in understanding them.
Marei mekomos
- 1שיש עונג למעלה מענג · נתבאר בארוכה במאמרי אדה״א כאן ע׳ תתפד.
- 2אין לך עשב · Bereshit Rabbah 10:6
- 3וגבוה מעל גבוה · Ecclesiastes 5:7
- 4ומעדן התחתון נעשה גן לעדן העליון · Zohar, Chukat 9:54–60
- 5עדן לבחינת הגן · Zohar, Vayakhel 24:308–316
- 6ושם תר״ך עמודי אור · פרדס ש״ח, פ״ג.
- 7תר״ך עמודי אור · Pardes Rimmonim 8:5–6
- 8שני עמודי התוך אשר הבית נשען עליו · Judges 16:29
- 9מצות המלך · להעיר מב״ב קנט, א. תוספתא נגעים פ״ג, ועוד.
- 10בגמרא מצות צריכות כוונה · Berakhot 13a:22–25
- 11ואהבת · Deuteronomy 6:5
- 12מצות דרבנן · [ע״ל] בחקותי (מז, ב). וש״נ. [כ].
Now, the supernal will, blessed be He, which is the level of Keser (the Crown), is called “the Gulgalta (skull) that covers the Mocha (brain),” for it is far, far above the level of Chochmah (wisdom), [called] “brain.”
The supernal will (Keser) is called “the Gulgalta (skull) that covers the Mocha (brain),” and so it stands far above Chochmah, which the Tikkunei Zohar calls “the brain.”
אך הנה עדיין צריך ביאור שהקושיא מפורסמת ומבואר בע״ח [בעץ חיים] שכ״ב פ״ה שהרי אנו רואים בחוש באדם הגשמי שהגלגלת היא רק עצם החופף על הראש שחיותו מועט והמוח הוא משכן כללות החיות של האדם
But this still requires explanation, for the question is well known, and it is set out in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 22, chapter 5: we see palpably in physical man that the skull is only a bone covering the head, whose life-force is slight, while the brain is the dwelling of a person’s life-force as a whole;
Yet this raises a well-known question, set out in Etz Chaim: in the human body, the skull is only a bone covering the head, with little life in it, while the brain houses a person’s life-force as a whole.
ואם ניקב קרום של מוח4 טרפה5 שהחיות מסתלק בנקב בעלמא משא״כ בגלגלת אינו טרפה כ״א בנתרוצץ6 רוב העצם לפי שאין החיות תלוי בו כ״כ [כל כך] ולמה גדלה וגבהה מעלת הגלגלתא על המוחא.
and if the membrane of the brain is pierced, [the animal] is tereifah (fatally defective), for the life-force departs through a mere hole; whereas with the skull, it is not tereifah unless most of the bone is crushed, because the life-force does not depend on it so much. So why is the virtue of the Gulgalta greater and higher than [that of] the Mocha?
In Jewish law an animal whose brain membrane is pierced, even slightly, is tereifah, fatally defective, because its life escapes; but a damaged skull makes it tereifah only if most of the bone is crushed. So why should the skull rank higher than the brain?
אך הענין הוא כי הן אמת כי מעלת המוח היא גדולה מאד שהמוח הוא עיקר החיות
But the matter is this: it is true that the virtue of the brain is very great, for the brain is the essence of the life-force,
The answer concedes that the brain is indeed greater in one respect: it is the core of the life-force.
והוא בבחי׳ פנימית משא״כ הגלגלת היא רק בחי׳ חיצוניות לבד אבל מ״מ היא כלי7 ומשכן להשראת ענג העליון ב״ה יותר מבחי׳ חכמה.
and it is in the aspect of the inner dimension (pnimiyus); whereas the skull is merely the aspect of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus). Nevertheless, it is a vessel and a dwelling for the resting of the supernal delight, blessed be He, more than the level of Chochmah.
The brain is the inner dimension (pnimiyus) and the skull only the outer (chitzoniyus); nevertheless, the skull is a vessel in which the supernal delight rests more than it rests in Chochmah.
The paragraph asks why Keser, the “skull,” ranks above Chochmah, the “brain,” when in the body the brain is far more vital, and begins the answer: the skull, though outer, is the vessel for the transcendent delight.
The Kehot note quotes Or HaTorah on why a pierced brain membrane makes an animal tereifah: “because the brain will in the end deteriorate.”
Marei mekomos
- 1גלגתא דחפיא על מוחא · ראה אוה״ת בלק ע׳ תתקסד.
- 2חכמה מוחא · ת״ז בהקדמה (פתח אלי׳).
- 3חכמה מוחא · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:17–19
- 4ניקב קרום של מוח · Chullin 42a:3–4
- 5ואם ניקב קרום של מוח טריפה · חולין רפ״ג. ראה אוה״ת מג״א (הוצאת תש״נ) ע׳ קג: ”משום דסוף המוח להתקלקל”.
- 6בגלגלת אינו טרפה כ״א בנתרוצץ · Chullin 52a:18–21
- 7מ״מ היא כלי להשראת ענג העליון ב״ה · ראה לעיל פ׳ שלח מט, ד.
21והענין כי הנה ענג העליון אינו בא לידי התלבשות בבחי׳ פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] רק נשאר בבחי׳ מקיף מלמעלה ושורה בבחי׳ חיצוני׳ הכלים.
The matter is that the supernal delight does not come to be clothed in an inward way; it remains, rather, in the aspect of an encompassing [light] (makif) from above, and rests upon the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the vessels.
The supernal delight is never clothed inwardly; it remains an encompassing light (makif) above, resting on the outer dimension of the vessels.
ולכן עצם הגלגלת שהוא בחי׳ חיצוני׳ הכלי הוא יותר מוכן להיות כלי ומשכן להשראת המקיף שעליו.
Therefore the bone of the skull, which is the aspect of the outer dimension of the vessel, is more fit to be a vessel and a dwelling for the resting of the encompassing [light] that is above it.
That is why the skull, the outer part of the vessel, is better suited than the brain to hold the encompassing light that rests above it.
[וע׳ בע״ח [בעץ חיים] שכ״ב ספ״ו1 אור רוחני מקיף עליו2 וע׳ בזהר פ׳ אמור דצ״ו סע״ב [סוף עמוד ב] גבי רישא וגולגלתא3 ובפי׳ המק״מ [המקדש מלך] שם וכמ״ש מזה במ״א] וכמ״כ [וכמו כן] יובן באדם ג״כ.
[And see Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 22, at the end of chapter 6: “a spiritual light encompasses it”; and see in the Zohar, Parshas Emor, at the end of folio 96b, concerning “the head and the skull” (reisha vegulgalta), and in the commentary of the Mikdash Melech there; and as is written on this elsewhere.] And so too it will be understood in man as well.
A bracketed note cites Etz Chaim, that “a spiritual light encompasses” a person, and the Zohar on “the head and the skull,” with the Mikdash Melech’s commentary. The same structure is then applied to the human being.
כי הנה לא כל הנשמה מלובשת באדם רק הארה ממנה ומה שבא לידי התלבשות מלובשת במוח בבחי׳ פנימית ועצם הנשמה שהוא בבחי׳ מקיף שורה ומקיף על הגלגלת.
For not the whole soul is clothed in a person, but only a radiance from it; and what comes to be clothed is clothed in the brain, in an inward way, while the essence of the soul, which is in the aspect of an encompassing [light], rests upon and encompasses the skull.
Only a radiance of the soul is clothed in the body, and what is clothed is clothed inwardly, in the brain; the essence of the soul remains encompassing, resting above the skull.
Encompassing light rests on the outer vessel, not the inner one; that is why the skull, not the brain, receives the delight of Keser, just as the essence of the soul rests above the skull.
The Kehot note observes that the text’s reference, Sha’ar 22 at the end of chapter 6, follows the Shklov printing of 5560 (1800); in the editions now in use the passage is Sha’ar 23, at the end of chapter 2. There Etz Chaim explains that just as Keser is not part of the body of Z’eir Anpin but encompasses it, so a person’s “crown” is a spiritual light encompassing him, while its outer part, extending below, is the skull around his brain.
Marei mekomos
- 1שכ״ב ספ״ו · בדפוס שקלאוו תק״ס. לפנינו [שכ״ג]. סופ״ב וכצ״ל. [כ]. ראה לעיל פ׳ שלח מט, ד. פ׳ נצבים מז, ד. ובארוכה במאמרי אדה״א כאן ע׳ תתסה ואילך.
- 2אור רוחני מקיף עליו · Sefer Etz Chaim 23:2
- 3רישא וגולגלתא · Zohar, Emor 31:147–32:155
22ומזה יובן ג״כ ברצון שהרצון אין בו גילוי התענוג בבחי׳ פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] רק הוא בבחי׳ חיצוני׳
From this it will also be understood with regard to the will: in the will there is no revelation of the delight in an inward way; rather, it is in the aspect of the outer dimension,
The same applies to the supernal will: the delight is not revealed inwardly within it, because the will itself is outer relative to the delight.
אלא ששם שורה התענוג בבחי׳ השראה ומקיף בלבד נח״ר [נחת רוח] לפני שאמרתי כו׳ ועונג זה השורה ומקיף בבחי׳ רצון העליון ב״ה הוא הנמשך ע״י המצות:
only there the delight rests, as an indwelling and an encompassing [light] alone: “It is gratification before Me that I spoke,” etc. And this delight, which rests upon and encompasses the level of the supernal will, blessed be He, is what is drawn down through the mitzvos.
The delight rests on the will only as an indwelling and encompassing presence, “gratification before Me that I spoke and My will was done.” This encompassing delight is what the mitzvos draw down.
The mitzvos draw down G‑d’s delight only as it encompasses His will from outside, not as it is clothed within; this sets up the contrast with the shofar.
The shofar ¶23
23ובזה יובן ההפרש שבין מצות השופר שבר״ה [שבראש השנה] ובין מצות של כל השנה. כי הנה בר״ה [בראש השנה] ועשי״ת [ועשרת ימי תשובה] דרשו1 ה׳ בהמצאו כתיב
With this, the difference between the mitzvah of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah and the mitzvos of the whole year will be understood. For of Rosh HaShanah and the Ten Days of Teshuvah it is written, “Seek Havayah when He may be found,”
Now the difference between the shofar and the other mitzvos of the year can be explained. The Sages read Isaiah’s “Seek Havayah when He may be found” as referring to the Ten Days of Teshuvah, from Rosh HaShanah to Yom Kippur.
שהוא זמן תיקון כל הפגמים וחסרונות2 שחיסר איזה מצוה או שקיצר בעבודתה ותיקון הפגמים והחסרונות לא די בהמשכה חיצוניות כמו המשכת מצות של כל השנה שהן רצון העליון שהוא בבחי׳ חיצונית ואינו
for it is the time for repairing all the blemishes and deficiencies — that one omitted some mitzvah or fell short in its service. And for the repair of the blemishes and deficiencies, an outer drawing-down is not enough, like the drawing-down of the mitzvos of the whole year, which are the supernal will, which is in the aspect of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) and is
This is the season for repairing every flaw and deficiency, whether a mitzvah one missed or one performed with too little devotion. Such repair needs more than an outer drawing-down like that of the year’s mitzvos, which reach only the supernal will, an outer level.
אלא כלי ומשכן להשראת עונג העליון ששורה ומקיף עליו מלמעלה וכנודע מענין נהר שנחרב ויבש שצריך לחפור בעומק יותר כו׳
only a vessel and a dwelling for the resting of the supernal delight, which rests upon it and encompasses it from above. As is known from the matter of a river that has been laid waste and dried up: one must dig deeper, etc.
The will is only a vessel on which the delight rests from above. As with a river that has dried up, restoring the flow requires digging deeper, down to the source.
וע״ז באה מצות השופר גנוחי גנח וילולי יליל3 לעורר י״ג מדות הרחמים שהן י״ד ת״ד [תיקוני דיקנא] מותרי מוחין ומוחין היינו בחי׳ פנימיות.
And for this comes the mitzvah of the shofar — “groaning groans” and “wailing wails” — to arouse the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the thirteen tikkunim of the beard (tikkunei dikna), the surplus of the intellect (mochin); and the mochin are the aspect of the inner dimension (pnimiyus).
That is the role of the shofar, whose sound is “groaning” and “wailing,” as the Talmud describes the teruah. It arouses the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which in Kabbalah are the thirteen tikkunim of the beard, grown from the surplus of the mochin, and the mochin are the inner dimension. The print reads י״ד (fourteen) here, evidently a misprint for י״ג (thirteen), as the next sentence has it.
הגם שהי״ג ת״ד [תיקוני דיקנא] הן המשכות4 שנמשכו למטה מבחינת הגלגלתא מ״מ להיות שרשם מבחי׳ מוחין מו״ס [מוחא סתימאה] לכך הם תיקונין לתקן בחי׳ חיצוניות הגלגלתא כי במו״ס [במוחא סתימאה] מלובש עונג העליון בבחינת פנימיות ולא בבחינת הארה בלבד כבמוחין שבראש.
Although the thirteen tikkunim of the beard are drawings-down that were drawn down, below the level of the Gulgalta, nevertheless, since their root is from the level of the mochin of Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain), they are therefore tikkunim (rectifications) to repair the outer dimension of the Gulgalta. For in Mocha Stima’ah the supernal delight is clothed in an inward way, and not merely as a radiance, as [it is] in the mochin in the head.
The tikkunim of the beard extend below the Gulgalta, yet their root is in the mochin of Mocha Stima’ah, the hidden brain, so they can repair the outer level of the Gulgalta. In Mocha Stima’ah the supernal delight is clothed inwardly, not merely as a radiance.
כי המוחין שבראש עד״מ הן הבאין לידי גילוי שכל והבנה בטעם ודעת המושג ומובן ואין שם גילוי עונג כ״א בבחינת הארה בלבד שכשמשכיל על דבר נופל לו תענוג.
For the mochin in the head, by way of analogy, are those that come to the revelation of intellect and understanding, in reasoning and knowledge that are grasped and understood; and there is no revelation of delight there except as a mere radiance: when one comprehends something, delight comes upon him.
By analogy, the ordinary mind in the head is where understanding and reasoning are revealed. There delight is only a radiance, the pleasure one feels on grasping an idea.
משא״כ מו״ס [מוחא סתימאה] היא בחי׳ שתוק כך עלה במחשבה5 שלא ניתנה להשכיל ולהשיג הטעם והדעת מחמת שהיא עצם אחד עם התענוג המלובש בה
Whereas Mocha Stima’ah is the level of “Be silent; so it arose in thought,” which is not given to be comprehended, or for its reason and knowledge to be grasped, because it is one essence with the delight that is clothed in it,
Mocha Stima’ah is like G‑d’s answer to Moshe in the Talmud, “Be silent; so it arose in thought”: a wisdom whose reasons cannot be grasped, because it is one essence with the delight clothed in it.
ולא יפרדו [והתענוג ההוא הוא בבחינת פנימיות התענוג ועמ״שמזה בביאור ע״פ אני6 ה׳ אלקיכם דפ׳ ציצית
and they are not separated. [And that delight is in the aspect of the inner dimension of delight. And see what is written on this in the explanation of the verse “I am Havayah your G‑d,” in the section of tzitzis.
The wisdom and the delight are inseparable. A long bracketed gloss begins here: this delight is the inner dimension of delight, and the reader is referred to the explanation of “I am Havayah your G‑d” in the section of tzitzis.
וגם יובן זה ע״ד מ״ש בפע״ח [בפרי עץ חיים] שער הק״ש [הקריאת שמע] פט״ו [פרק ט״ו / פרשה ט״ו]7 דפנימית אבא הוא חשוב כמו עתיק8 כו׳ ע״ש.
And this will also be understood along the lines of what is written in the Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Kerias Shema, chapter 15, that the inner dimension of Abba is considered like Atik, etc.; see there.
The gloss compares the Pri Etz Chaim, which says that the inner dimension of Abba (Chochmah) is regarded as being like Atik, the innermost level of Keser.
וכ״כ [וכן כתב] הרמ״ז [הרב משה זכות] פ׳ ואתחנן (בדף ר״ס ע״ב) ובהגהת מהר״ן [מהרבינו נסים] באוצ״ח [באוצרות חיים] (דל״ח ע״א) בדרוש עתיק איתא דהיינו
And so wrote the Ramaz on Parshas Va’eschanan (on folio 260b); and in the gloss of the Maharan in Otzros Chaim (folio 38a), in the discourse on Atik, it is stated that this means
It brings support from the Ramaz on Va’eschanan, and from a gloss in Otzros Chaim, in the discourse on Atik, which says that this means the inner dimension of Atik.
כמו פנימית עתיק וכ״מ בפע״ח [בפרי עץ חיים] שם בהדיא9 וכ״כ [וכמו כן] ג״כ הרמ״ז [הרב משה זכות] בפ׳ כי תצא (בדף רע״ו ע״ב)
like the inner dimension of Atik; and so it is indicated explicitly in the Pri Etz Chaim there. And so too the Ramaz wrote in Parshas Ki Seitzei (on folio 276b),
The gloss notes that the Pri Etz Chaim indicates this explicitly, and that the Ramaz says it again on Ki Seitzei.
בשם הפע״ח [הפרי עץ חיים] וכללי הח״ו [החס ושלום] סי׳ ס״ג דפנימית אבא הוא חשוב כפנימית דעתיק ע״ש ובפ׳ בא (ד״מ) בד״ה זמין איהו ובתוך פנימיותו כו׳
in the name of the Pri Etz Chaim and the Kelalim of Rabbi Chaim Vital, section 63, that the inner dimension of Abba is considered like the inner dimension of Atik; see there. And in Parshas Bo (folio 40), on the passage beginning “He is destined” (zamin ihu), and “within its inner dimension,” etc.
The Ramaz there gives it in the name of the Pri Etz Chaim and of Rabbi Chaim Vital’s Kelalim, section 63: the inner dimension of Abba is regarded like the inner dimension of Atik. A further reference is to the Zohar on Parshas Bo.
וי״ל [ויש לומר] דכש״כ [דכל שכן] מו״ס [מוחא סתימאה] מקור ושרש דבחי׳ אבא שע״ז איתא באדר״ז [באדרא זוטא] (דר״צ ריש ע״א) והאי עדן דהיינו אבא אתמשך מעדן עילאה סתימאה דכל סתימין10 ע״ש.
And it may be said that all the more so Mocha Stima’ah, the source and root of the level of Abba, of which it is stated in the Idra Zuta (at the beginning of folio 290a): “And this Eden” — that is, Abba — “is drawn from the supernal Eden, hidden of all hidden”; see there.
If the inner dimension of Abba is like Atik, then all the more so Mocha Stima’ah, the source of Abba. The Idra Zuta says that this “Eden,” Abba, is drawn from the supernal Eden, “hidden of all hidden.”
ולכן המשכה זו היא למעלה מההמשכה שע״י המצות של לכ השנה שהוא מבחי׳ א״א גולגלתא כו׳
Therefore this drawing-down is above the drawing-down that comes through the mitzvos of the whole year, which is from the level of Arich Anpin, the Gulgalta, etc.,
Therefore the drawing-down through the shofar is higher than that of the year-round mitzvos, which come only from the Gulgalta of Arich Anpin, the outer level of Keser.
כנ״ל] והמשכת ענג זה נמשך בר״ה [בראש השנה] ע״י השופר גנוחי גנח וילולי יליל ומחמת זה נמשך תיקון כל הפגמים בעשי״ת [בעשרת ימי תשובה] הבאים אחר ר״ה [ראש השנה].
as mentioned above.] And the drawing-down of this delight is drawn down on Rosh HaShanah through the shofar, “groaning groans” and “wailing wails”; and because of this, the repair of all the blemishes is drawn down in the Ten Days of Teshuvah that come after Rosh HaShanah.
The gloss ends here. On Rosh HaShanah this inner delight is drawn down through the shofar’s groaning and wailing, and through it the repair of all flaws is drawn down during the Ten Days of Teshuvah that follow.
ולכן בשופר יש חרדה כי המשכה זו היא ממו״ס [ממוחא סתימאה] אשר שם נמשך גבורות דעתיק ומתלבשות במו״ס [במוחא סתימאה] כנודע:11
Therefore there is trembling in the shofar, for this drawing-down is from Mocha Stima’ah, where the Gevuros (restraints) of Atik are drawn down and clothed in Mocha Stima’ah, as is known.
This is why the shofar brings trembling: its drawing-down comes from Mocha Stima’ah, where the Gevuros, the powers of restraint, of Atik are drawn down and clothed.
The shofar reaches deeper than the year-round mitzvos: through weeping it arouses the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, rooted in Mocha Stima’ah, where the supernal delight is clothed inwardly. That inner drawing-down can repair flaws that the outer drawing-down of the mitzvos cannot.
In the Kabbalistic picture of Arich Anpin, the Gulgalta (skull) is the outer layer of Keser, Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain) its inner wisdom, and the thirteen tikkunim of the beard the channels of mercy that descend from it. The gloss argues that the inner dimension of Mocha Stima’ah touches Atik, the delight within Keser, which is why the shofar can repair even the outer level of the will.
Marei mekomos
- 1בר״ה ועשי״ת דרשו ה׳ בהמצאו · Rosh Hashanah 18a:11–12
- 2תיקון כל הפגמים וחסרונות · ראה בהנסמן להלן בהוספות להערות וציונים.
- 3גנוחי גנח וילולי יליל · Rosh Hashanah 33b:10
- 4הגם שהי״ג ת״ד הן המשכות · ראה אוה״ת בראשית כרך ה דף תתעט, ב.
- 5שתוק כך עלה במחשבה · Menachot 29b:5
- 6בביאור ע״פ אני ה׳ אלקיכם דפ׳ ציצית · לעיל פ׳ שלח מט, ג ואילך. ובאוה״ת כאן ע׳ א׳רעד מוסיף על ציון הנ״ל שבלקו״ת: ”בענין ב׳ בחי׳ תורה היינו מ״ש בתורת ה׳ חפצו ובתורתו יהגה כו׳ ע״ש”. וכ״ה בפנים.
- 7בפע״ח שער הק״ש פט״ו · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ נצבים ע׳ א׳רעו. פ׳ לך לך דף תשכח, א.
- 8דפנימית אבא הוא חשוב כמו עתיק · Pri Etz Chaim, Gate of the Recitation of the Shema 15:5
- 9וכ״מ בפע״ח שם בהדיא · ראה הערת כ״ק אדמו״ר בספר המאמרים — ש״ת ע׳ 49. ולהלן בהוספות להערות וציונים. ראה באוה״ת פ׳ נצבים ע׳ א׳רעד בארוכה.
- 10והאי עדן דהיינו אבא אתמשך מעדן עילאה סתימאה דכל סתימין · Zohar, Idra Zuta 16:69–19:77
- 11דרשו ה׳ בהמצאו · Isaiah 55:6
The verse explained ¶24–25
4. Now we come to the explanation of the verses. “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah”: this is the drawing-down of the supernal delight from the will to Malchus (sovereignty), which is drawn by way of
Section 4 explains the verses. “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah” is the drawing-down of the supernal delight from the will (Keser) to Malchus, by way of the Name Havayah.
בחי׳ הוי׳ שהן י״ס [י׳ ספירות] דאצילות [וע׳ באד״ר [באדרא רבא] דקל״ג א׳ וע׳ עוד בזהר תרומה דקל״ז א׳ גבי ישיש מסטרא דאור קדמאה דלא אשתכח ביה דינא כלל].3
the level of Havayah, which is the ten Sefiros of the World of Atzilus (Emanation). [See in the Idra Rabba, folio 133a; and see further in the Zohar, Terumah, folio 137a, concerning “will rejoice” (yasis): from the side of the primordial light, in which no judgment at all is found.]
Havayah here means the ten Sefiros of Atzilus. A bracketed note cites the Idra Rabba and the Zohar on Terumah, which connects the word “rejoice” (yasis) with the primordial light, in which there is no judgment at all.
תגל נפשי באלקי היא בחי׳ השופר שהוא בחי׳ אלקי בחי׳ גבורות וצמצומים שהמשכות פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] הן בגבורות וצמצומים וגבורתך ידברו4 [ועמ״ש מזה בביאור ע״פ קול דודי5 כו׳
“My soul shall exult in my G‑d” is the level of the shofar, which is the level of “my G‑d” (Elokai), the level of Gevuros (restraints) and contractions (tzimtzumim); for inner drawings-down come through Gevuros and contractions, “and they shall speak of Your might (gevurascha).” [And see what is written on this in the explanation of the verse “The voice of my Beloved,” etc.,
“My soul shall exult in my G‑d” refers to the shofar. “My G‑d” (Elokai) is the Name of Gevuros and contractions, and inner drawings-down come specifically through such contractions, as in the verse “they shall speak of Your might (gevurascha).”
גבי פסח בענין מאי פירות מצות וע׳ בזהר ח״ג [חלק ג׳] דרל״ט סע״א [סוף עמוד א] וע״ב ודרס״ז ב׳] כי הלבישני בגדי ישע.
concerning Pesach, on the matter of “What are the fruits of mitzvos?”; and see in the Zohar, Part III, folio 239a, at the end, and side b, and folio 267b.] “For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (yesha).”
The bracketed note refers to the explanation of “The voice of my Beloved” concerning Pesach and “the fruits of mitzvos,” and to passages in the Zohar. Then the verse continues: “for He has clothed me in garments of salvation (yesha).”
פי׳ ישע ש״ע [ש״ע (370)] נהורין בתוס׳ [בתוספת] יו״ד המורה על העתיד דהיינו ש״ע [ש״ע (370)] נהורין שיהי׳ [שיהיה] לעתיד לימות המשיח כי יש כמה בחי׳ בש״ע [בש״ע (370)] נהורין כו׳
The meaning of yesha: the 370 lights (shin-ayin nehorin), with the addition of a yud, which denotes the future. That is, the 370 lights that will be in the Time to Come, in the days of Mashiach; for there are several levels in the 370 lights, etc.
The word yesha (ישע) is read as shin-ayin, 370, with an added yud. The 370 lights are a lofty level in Kabbalah, and the yud, the prefix of the future tense, points to the 370 lights that will shine in the days of Mashiach.
[ע׳ [עיין] בפי׳ הרמ״ז [הרב משה זכות] בזהר ר״פ שמיני ובפ׳ בראשית על דף ד׳ וסע״ב [וסוף עמוד ב] בההיא שעתא ארח כו׳ ועמ״ש בד״ה בכ״ה בכסליו6 בענין וכובע ישועה בראשו7 באגה״ק [באגרת הקודש] ע״פ וילבש צדקה89 כו׳]
[See the commentary of the Ramaz on the Zohar, at the beginning of Parshas Shemini, and in Parshas Bereshis, on folio 4, and at the end of side b, [on the passage] “At that hour…” (behahi sha’ata arach), etc.; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “On the twenty-fifth of Kislev,” on the matter of “and a helmet of salvation on his head”; [and] in Iggeres HaKodesh, on the verse “And He donned tzedakah,” etc.]
A bracketed note refers to the Ramaz’s commentary on the Zohar, and to the discourse on the twenty-fifth of Kislev and to Iggeres HaKodesh, which discuss “a helmet of salvation on his head” and “He donned tzedakah.”
וש״ע [וש״ע (370)] נהורין אלו הן למעלה מעלה מן ההשתלשלות ותרגום של וישע ה׳ אל הבל10 והוה רעוא מן קדם11 ה׳.
And these 370 lights are far, far above the chain of descent (hishtalshelus). And the Targum of “And Havayah turned (vayisha) to Hevel” is “And there was favor (ra’ava) before Havayah.”
These 370 lights are far above the chain of descent. Onkelos renders “And Havayah turned (vayisha) to Hevel” as “there was favor (ra’ava) before Havayah,” linking yesha with ra’ava, will.
רעוא בחי׳ רצון העליון והלבישני להמשיך את נפש האדם ג״כ למעלה מן ההשתלשלות ומעיל צדקה יעטני. מעיל הוא לבוש כמו שאר לבושין אלא שבשוליו יש זגין ורמונים להשמיע קול.
Ra’ava is the level of the supernal will. “He has clothed me”: to draw the soul of man, too, above the chain of descent. “He has wrapped me in a robe of tzedakah (righteousness).” A robe is a garment like other garments, except that on its hem there are bells and pomegranates, to make a sound heard.
Ra’ava is the supernal will, so “He has clothed me” means drawing the human soul, too, above the chain of descent. The next phrase, “He has wrapped me in a robe of tzedakah,” is introduced: a robe is a garment like any other, but like the High Priest’s robe its hem has bells and pomegranates that make a sound.
The verse is now read phrase by phrase: “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah” is the year-round drawing of delight through the Sefiros; “my soul shall exult in my G‑d” is the shofar’s inner drawing through Gevuros; and the “garments of salvation” are the transcendent 370 lights of the future.
The reading of yesha as yud plus shin-ayin (370) ties the verse to the Kabbalistic “370 lights,” and the Targum’s ra’ava ties these to the supernal will; the “garments” are encompassing lights from above the entire chain of descent.
Marei mekomos
- 1שוש אשיש בהוי׳ · Isaiah 61:10
- 2שוש אשיש בהוי׳ · Zohar, Idra Rabba 13:123–15:134
- 3ישיש מסטרא דאור קדמאה דלא אשתכח ביה דינא כלל · Zohar, Terumah 16:192–202
- 4וגבורתך ידברו · Psalms 145:11
- 5בביאור ע״פ קול דודי · לקמן שה״ש טו, סע״ד ואילך.
- 6בד״ה בכ״ה בכסלו · תו״א כט, ד. שערי אורה יד, א.
- 7וכובע ישועה בראשו · Isaiah 59:17
- 8באגה״ק ע״פ וילבש צדקה · ראה שם בליקוט פירושים ומ״מ — חיטריק.
- 9וילבש צדקה · Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 3:1–2
- 10וישע ה׳ אל הבל · Genesis 4:4
- 11והוה רעוא מן קדם ה׳ · Onkelos Genesis 4:4
So too tzedakah (charity) is the level of a garment, like the other mitzvos, which are the level of garments; except that tzedakah has this additional virtue,
Tzedakah (charity) makes a “garment” for the soul like every mitzvah, but it has an added quality, which is why the verse calls it a robe.
שהיא מהדברים שאוכלים פירותיהן בעולם הזה ג״כ והן בחינת זגים ורמונים כו׳ והטעם כי נעוץ תחלתן בסופן23 דווקא והיינו בצדקה שהיא במל׳.
that it is among the things whose fruits one eats in this world as well, and these are the level of bells and pomegranates, etc. The reason is that “their beginning is embedded in their end” — specifically; that is, in tzedakah, which is in Malchus (sovereignty).
Tzedakah is among the deeds whose fruits one enjoys even in this world, and these fruits are the “bells and pomegranates” on the robe’s hem. The reason is that tzedakah belongs to Malchus, the last Sefirah, and as Sefer Yetzirah says, the beginning is embedded in the end.
וגם להיות כי המל׳ היא בחי׳ דל דלית לה מגרמה כלום והחיות הנמשך בה בבחינת גילוי היא בחי׳ השמעת קול ההמשכה שאפי׳ [שאפילו] במקום דלית מגרמה כלום נמשך חיות [וע׳ בזהר פ׳ פקודי (דרל״א ע״א)
And also, since Malchus is the level of a poor one (dal), which has nothing of its own, the life-force that is drawn into it in a revealed way is the level of making the sound of the drawing-down heard: that even in a place that has nothing of its own, life-force is drawn. [And see in the Zohar, Parshas Pekudei (folio 231a),
Malchus is “poor” (dal), having nothing of its own, so the life-force revealed in it is like a sound announcing the drawing-down: even where there is nothing, life flows. The bracketed note begins with the Zohar on “its sound shall be heard.”
מענין ונשמע קולו456 כו׳ ובמק״מ [ובמקדש מלך] שם ובזהר בראשית (דף נ׳ ע״ב) ובפ׳ ויגש (דר״ט סע״ב [סוף עמוד ב] ודר״י [ודרבינו יצחק] ריש ע״א) ובמק״מ [ובמקדש מלך] שם.
on the matter of “And its sound shall be heard,” etc., and in the Mikdash Melech there; and in the Zohar, Bereshis (folio 50b), and in Parshas Vayigash (at the end of folio 209b and the beginning of folio 210a), and in the Mikdash Melech there.
The note lists further Zohar passages on the sound that is heard, with the Mikdash Melech’s commentary on them.
ועוי״ל [ועוד יש לומר] בעבודה ענין בגדי ישע ומעיל צדקה הם ב׳ בחי׳ לבושים המבואר במ״א בפסוק כבס ביין לבושו7 ובדם ענבים סותה.8
And one may further say, in [terms of divine] service, that “garments of salvation” and “a robe of tzedakah” are the two levels of garments explained elsewhere on the verse “He washes his garment in wine, and his robe in the blood of grapes”:
The text offers a second reading, in terms of a person’s service of G‑d: “garments of salvation” and “a robe of tzedakah” are the two kinds of garments explained elsewhere on the verse “He washes his garment in wine, and his robe in the blood of grapes.”
דהיינו לבושי המדות של הנפש שנק׳ לבושי הגוף ולבושי הג״ר [הג׳ ראשונות] ראיה ושמיעה לאסתכלא ביקרא כו׳
that is, the garments of the emotive attributes (middos) of the soul, which are called the garments of the body, and the garments of the first three [Sefiros], sight and hearing, “to gaze upon the glory,” etc.
One kind is the garments of the soul’s emotions, called garments of the body; the other is the garments of the intellect, the first three Sefiros, such as sight and hearing, which serve “to gaze upon the glory.”
וכן מבואר בזוהר פ׳ יתרו (דף צ׳ ע״ב) מהו בגדי ישע כו׳ ישע אסתכלותא הוא.9
And so it is explained in the Zohar, Parshas Yisro (folio 90b): “What are ‘garments of salvation’?” etc. — “Yesha is gazing.”
The Zohar explains “garments of salvation” the same way, saying that yesha means gazing.
וזהו הנמשך ע״י התשובה שעי״ז תגל נפשי באלקי כי הלבישני בגדי ישע לבושי הראש וכענין
And this is what is drawn down through teshuvah (return), through which “my soul shall exult in my G‑d, for He has clothed me in garments of salvation” — the garments of the head, as in the matter of
These garments of the head come through teshuvah: through it “my soul shall exult in my G‑d, for He has clothed me in garments of salvation.”
וכובע ישועה בראשו10 וע״י קיום שאר המצות נמשך בחי׳ לבושי הגוף וזהו ענין ומעיל צדקה כו׳ וע׳ מזה בד״ה אסרי לגפן]11 כחתן יכהן פאר.12
“and a helmet of salvation on his head.” And through the fulfillment of the other mitzvos the level of the garments of the body is drawn down, and this is the meaning of “and a robe of tzedakah,” etc. And see on this in the discourse beginning “Binding to the vine.”] “As a bridegroom (chasan) who adorns himself (yechahen) with splendor (pe’er)”:
They are like “a helmet of salvation on his head,” while the other mitzvos draw down garments of the body, the “robe of tzedakah.” Then the verse continues: “as a bridegroom adorns himself with splendor.”
היינו ת״ת [תפארת] דאימא שנעשה כתר לז״א13 [ויסוד דאימא מסתיים בחזה דז״א שהוא ת״ת [תפארת] דז״א] יכהן היינו המשכת החסדים שהיא תורה שבכתב כו׳
this is the Tiferes (beauty) of Imma, which becomes a crown (keser) for Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) [and the Yesod of Imma ends at the chest of Z’eir Anpin, which is the Tiferes of Z’eir Anpin]. Yechahen is the drawing-down of the Chassadim (kindnesses), which is the Written Torah, etc.,
The “splendor” (pe’er) is the Tiferes of Imma (Binah), which becomes a crown for Z’eir Anpin; a bracketed note adds that the Yesod of Imma ends at the chest of Z’eir Anpin. Yechahen, from kohen, a priest, means the drawing-down of Chassadim, kindnesses, which is the Written Torah.
בבחי׳ פני מית [ועמ״ש עוד מענין כחתן יכהן פאר בפ׳ צו בד״ה להבין ענין משמח חתן כו׳] וככלה תעדה כליה14 תתעדה בכליה לא נאמר
in an inward way. [And see what is written further on the matter of “As a bridegroom who adorns himself with splendor” in Parshas Tzav, in the discourse beginning “To understand the matter of gladdening the bridegroom,” etc.] “And as a bride adorns her jewels (ta’deh keleha)”: it does not say tis’adeh bekeleha (“she will adorn herself with her jewels”),
This drawing-down is inward. After a reference to the discourse on “gladdening the bridegroom” in Parshas Tzav, the maamar reads the next words closely: the verse does not say tis’adeh bekeleha, the bride “will adorn herself with her jewels.”
אלא תעדה כליה כי כליה הם הצדיקים1516 [ע׳ [עיין] בזהר פ׳ בלק דקצ״ט ע״ב וע׳ בזהר ויחי דרמ״ו סע״ב [סוף עמוד ב] ודרמ״ב ע״א ובפ׳ פקודי דרל״ח ע״א]
but ta’deh keleha (“she will adorn her vessels”), for “her vessels” (keleha) are the tzaddikim (the righteous) [see in the Zohar, Parshas Balak, folio 199b; and see in the Zohar, Vayechi, at the end of folio 246b, and folio 242a; and in Parshas Pekudei, folio 238a],
It says ta’deh keleha, “she will adorn her keilim,” her vessels, and these vessels are the tzaddikim. A bracketed note cites Zohar passages on this.
כמו האבות הן הן המרכבה1718 בבחי׳ ביטול אליו ית׳ והם כלים ומשכן לשכינה השורה עליהם והכלה היא השכינה שתעדה אותם בעטרות שצדיקים יושבין בג״ע [בגן עדן] ועטרותיהן בראשיהן19
as “the Patriarchs are themselves the chariot,” in a state of self-nullification (bittul) to Him, may He be blessed; and they are vessels and a dwelling for the Shechinah (Divine Presence) that rests upon them. And the bride is the Shechinah, who will adorn them with crowns, for “the tzaddikim sit” in Gan Eden “with their crowns on their heads,”
Like the Patriarchs, who are G‑d’s “chariot,” the tzaddikim are wholly given over to Him and become vessels on which the Shechinah rests. The bride is the Shechinah, who adorns them with crowns, as the Talmud describes the righteous in the World to Come with crowns on their heads.
והיינו בחי׳ מקיפים [ועמ״ש בד״ה אלה פקודי בענין משכן העדות] והכוונה שכמו החתן יכהן פאר המשכת פנימית בעסק התורה והכלה תעדה כליה בבחי׳ המצות במקיפים.
and this is the level of encompassing [lights] (makifim) [and see what is written in the discourse beginning “These are the accounts,” on the matter of “the Tabernacle of Testimony”]. The intent is: just as “the bridegroom adorns himself with splendor” — an inward drawing-down, through occupation with the Torah — and “the bride adorns her vessels” in the aspect of the mitzvos, with encompassing [lights],
Those crowns are encompassing lights (makifim). So the bridegroom’s adornment is the inner drawing-down through Torah study, and the bride’s adorning of her vessels is the encompassing light drawn down through the mitzvos.
so “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah” is the drawing-down of the supernal delight, so that there be “my soul shall exult in my G‑d,” the inward level,
The same pattern applies to the opening of the verse: “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah” draws down the supernal delight so that “my soul shall exult in my G‑d,” the inner level, comes about.
The paragraph explains the robe of tzedakah, whose bells “sound” the flow of life into Malchus; gives a second reading of the two garments in terms of service; and reads the bridegroom and bride as the inner light of Torah and the encompassing light of the mitzvos.
The Kehot note traces the statement that the Yesod of Imma ends at the chest of Z’eir Anpin to the Kelalim of Rabbi Chaim Vital, section 19, printed in several editions at the end of the Tikkunei Zohar. It also notes that the idea of the mitzvos as garments is brought at the end of Tanya, chapter 5, from Etz Chaim.
Marei mekomos
- 1מצות שהם בחי׳ לבושים · הובא בתניא ספ״ה מע״ח ש׳ מ״ד, פ״ג.
- 2נעוץ תחלתן בסופן · ס״י פ״א, מ״ז.
- 3נעוץ תחלתן בסופן · Sefer Yetzirah 1:7
- 4ונשמע קולו · Exodus 28:35
- 5ונשמע קולו · Zohar, Pekudei 21:194–204
- 6ונשמע קולו · Zohar, Vayigash 8:85–10:99
- 7המבואר במ״א בפסוק כבס ביין לבושו · תו״א מו, ד.
- 8כבס ביין לבושו ובדם ענבים סותה · Genesis 49:11
- 9מהו בגדי ישע כו׳ ישע אסתכלותא הוא · Zohar, Yitro 28:495–30:505
- 10וכובע ישועה בראשו · Isaiah 59:17
- 11בד״ה אסרי לגפן · תו״א פ׳ ויחי.
- 12כחתן יכהן פאר · Isaiah 61:10
- 13ת״ת דאימא . . כתר לז״א · על״ק שה״ש (מו, ג) נ׳ מאדמו״ר. [כ].
- 14וככלה תעדה כליה · Zohar, Balak 20:271–21:279
- 15כי כליה הם הצדיקים · Zohar, Vayechi 66:673–68:682
- 16כי כליה הם הצדיקים · Zohar, Pekudei 38:335–39:344
- 17האבות הן הן המרכבה · Bereshit Rabbah 47:6
- 18האבות הן הן המרכבה · Bereshit Rabbah 82:6
- 19שצדיקים יושבין בג״ע ועטרותיהן בראשיהן · Berakhot 17a:12
- 20ויסוד אימא . . בחזה דז״א · מכללי רח״ו ז״ל אות יט. [נדפס בסוף (בכמה דפוסים) ת״ז]. [כ].
- 21
The revelation of the Time to Come ¶26–30
26וכי הלבישני בגדי ישע1 בבחי׳ מקיפים דלעתיד והכל מבחי׳ ענג העליון כנ״ל [והיינו שיש כמה בחי׳ זו למעלה מזו במדרגת הלבושים הנעשים ממעשה המצות וכמ״ש בד״ה ועשית בגדי קדש כו׳.
and “for He has clothed me in garments of salvation” — in the level of the encompassing [lights] of the Time to Come; and all is from the level of the supernal delight, as mentioned above. [That is, there are several levels, one above the other, in the rank of the garments that are made from the performance of the mitzvos, as is written in the discourse beginning “And you shall make holy garments,” etc.
“For He has clothed me in garments of salvation” refers to the encompassing lights of the Time to Come, which also come from the supernal delight. A bracketed note opens here: the garments made from the mitzvos come in many levels, one above another, as explained in the discourse on “And you shall make holy garments.”
וכן בבחי׳ פנימיות הנמשך ע״י עסק התורה ועמ״ש בביאור ע״פ אני הוי׳ אלקיכם דפ׳ ציצית בענין בתורת ה׳ חפצו ובתורתו יהגה2 כו׳ ע״ש.
And so too in the level of the inner dimension that is drawn down through occupation with the Torah; and see what is written in the explanation of the verse “I am Havayah your G‑d,” in the section of tzitzis, on the matter of “His desire is in the Torah of Havayah, and in his Torah he meditates,” etc.; see there.
The same is true of the inner light drawn through Torah study; the note refers to the explanation of “I am Havayah your G‑d” in the section of tzitzis, on “His desire is in the Torah of Havayah, and in his Torah he meditates.”
The “garments of salvation” are the encompassing lights of the future; both the garments of the mitzvos and the inner light of the Torah come in many levels, one above another.
The verse in Psalms moves from “the Torah of Havayah” to “his Torah”; as the Kehot note on paragraph 23 records, this is read as two levels of Torah.
Marei mekomos
- 1כי הלבישני בגדי ישע · Isaiah 61:10
- 2בתורת ה׳ חפצו ובתורתו יהגה · Psalms 1:2
27ועכשיו ההמשכה בג״ע [בגן עדן] ע״י התורה ומצות פנימיים ומקיפים הוא מבחי׳ זו״נ [זעיר אנפין ונוקבא] דאצי׳ שזהו ענין כחתן כו׳ וככלה תעדה כו׳.
Now, at present, the drawing-down in Gan Eden through the Torah and the mitzvos, inner and encompassing [lights], is from the level of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva (the feminine) of Atzilus (Emanation); and this is the meaning of “As a bridegroom,” etc., “and as a bride adorns,” etc.
At present, the light drawn into Gan Eden through the Torah (inner light) and the mitzvos (encompassing light) comes from Z’eir Anpin and Nukva of Atzilus, the “bridegroom” and “bride” of the verse.
ולעתיד יומשך המשכת פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] מבחי׳ מו״ס [מוחא סתימאה] דעתיקא ומקיפים דכתר דא״א וע״ז אמר שוש אשיש כו׳ תגל נפשי כו׳ כי הלבישני1 כו׳ כנ״ל.
But in the Time to Come there will be drawn down an inner drawing-down from the level of Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain) of Atika, and encompassing [lights] from the Keser (Crown) of Arich Anpin. And of this he said, “I will greatly rejoice,” etc., “my soul shall exult,” etc., “for He has clothed me,” etc., as mentioned above.
In the Time to Come the inner light will come from Mocha Stima’ah of Atik and the encompassing light from the Keser of Arich Anpin. That future revelation is what “I will greatly rejoice… my soul shall exult… for He has clothed me” describes.
The second half of the verse, the bridegroom and the bride, describes today’s light from Z’eir Anpin and Nukva; its first half describes the far higher light of the future, from Atik and Arich Anpin.
Marei mekomos
- 1שוש אשיש כו׳ תגל נפשי כו׳ כי הלבישני · Isaiah 61:10
28ועמ״ש במ״א בביאור ע״פ כי על כל כבוד חופה דלשם נתבאר פי׳ וענין שת״ת [שתפארת] דאימא נעשה כתר לז״א ושעד״ז יש בחי׳ עליונה יותר הנמשך מכתר ומו״ס [ומוחא סתימאה]
And see what is written elsewhere, in the explanation of the verse “For over all the glory, a canopy,” where the meaning and matter is explained that the Tiferes (beauty) of Imma becomes a crown for Z’eir Anpin, and that, in the same way, there is a higher level, drawn from Keser and Mocha Stima’ah;
Another discourse, on “For over all the glory, a canopy,” explains how the Tiferes of Imma becomes a crown for Z’eir Anpin, and that a similar but higher level is drawn from Keser and Mocha Stima’ah.
וזהו ענין שוש כו׳ ותגל כו׳ כחתן1 כו׳ ועמ״ש במ״א בביאור ע״פ ונאוה כו׳ כיריעות שלמה.
and this is the matter of “I will rejoice,” etc., “and exult,” etc., “as a bridegroom,” etc. And see what is written elsewhere in the explanation of the verse “and comely,” etc., “as the curtains of Shlomo.”
That higher level is the meaning of “I will rejoice… and exult… as a bridegroom.” The reader is also referred to the explanation of “comely… as the curtains of Shlomo.”
Cross-references support the idea of two “crowns”: the present one from Imma, and a higher one from Keser and Mocha Stima’ah, which the verse alludes to.
Marei mekomos
- 1שוש כו׳ ותגל כו׳ כחתן · Isaiah 61:10
29וביאור הענין דהנה מבואר במ״א בד״ה שיר השירים. בפי׳ מצהלות חתנים לשון רבים כי הנה התורה נק׳ חתן וכדי להיות המשכת אור א״ס ב״ה בתורה שלפנינו יש דרך כלל ב׳ בחי׳ חות דרגא כו׳ ע״ש באריכות.
The explanation of the matter: it is explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “The Song of Songs,” on the meaning of mitzhalos chasanim (“the rejoicing of bridegrooms”), in the plural, that the Torah is called a bridegroom (chasan); and in order for there to be a drawing-down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, into the Torah that is before us, there are, in general, two levels of “descending a step” (chas darga), etc.; see there at length.
The discourse on “The Song of Songs” explains the plural in mitzhalos chasanim, “the rejoicing of bridegrooms”: the Torah is called a bridegroom (chasan), and for the Infinite Light to enter the Torah we study there are, in general, two “descents of a step” (chas darga).
אכן לעתיד יהיה הגילוי למטה כמו למעלה נמצא שבחי׳ חות דרגא הא׳ יתגלה ג״כ למטה ממש.
However, in the Time to Come the revelation will be below as it is above; it follows that the first level of “descending a step” will also be revealed truly below.
In the Time to Come, revelation below will be as it is above, so even the first, higher descent will be revealed down here.
Through the wordplay chasan / chas darga, the paragraph explains that the light of the Torah descends in two stages, and that in the future the higher stage will be revealed below.
30וזהו ענין וארשתיך לי1 וכמ״ש מזה בפ׳ במדבר. ונתבאר מזה לקמן סד״ה להבין מ״ש ביום השמיני עצרת ועד״ז יובן פי׳ שוש אשיש בהוי׳ כו׳
And this is the meaning of “And I will betroth you to Me,” as is written on this in Parshas Bamidbar; and it is explained on this below, at the end of the discourse beginning “To understand what is written, ‘On the eighth day, an assembly.’” And in the same way the meaning of “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah,” etc.,
This is the meaning of Hosea’s promise, “And I will betroth you to Me,” explained in Parshas Bamidbar and later at the end of the discourse on “On the eighth day, an assembly.” The verse “I will greatly rejoice” is to be understood along the same lines.
כחתן יכהן כו׳ ופי׳ שעכשיו ההמשכה למטה בעלמא דאתגליא הוא מבחי׳ ז״א דאצי׳ שנק׳ חתן חות דרגא.2
“As a bridegroom adorns himself,” etc., will be understood. The meaning is that at present the drawing-down below, in the revealed world (alma de’isgalya), is from the level of Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus, which is called chasan — chas darga (“descending a step”).
At present, the drawing-down into the revealed world comes from Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus, which is called chasan, the one who “steps down” (chas darga).
והוא ירידה הב׳ ולעתיד יהיה הגילוי גם למטה מבחי׳ כתר המחבר וממשיך א״ס ב״ה אל הנאצלים שזהו ירידה הא׳ להיות ראשית האצילות כו׳
And this is the second descent. But in the Time to Come the revelation will be below as well from the level of Keser, which joins and draws down the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, to the emanated [levels]; this is the first descent, to become the beginning of Atzilus, etc.;
That is the second descent. In the future, revelation will come down even from Keser, which joins the Infinite One to the emanated levels; that is the first descent, which forms the very beginning of Atzilus.
שגילוי זה ממש בעצמו יהיה למטה וז״ש [וזהו שכתוב] בזהר ח״ג [חלק ג׳] (דקל״ג א׳) שוש אשיש בהוי׳ בעתיק יומין אתמר.3
this very revelation itself will be below. And this is what is written in the Zohar, Part III (folio 133a): “‘I will greatly rejoice in Havayah’ was said of Atik Yomin.”
That very revelation itself will be below. This is why the Zohar says that “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah” was said of Atik Yomin.
It is the level of “He who alone is exalted, who is uplifted since days of old”: this revelation will be below as well. And in the same way the matter of “And as a bride adorns her vessels” will be understood.
Atik Yomin is the level praised in the morning blessing before the Shema as “He who alone is exalted… uplifted since days of old,” and in the future it will be revealed below. “As a bride adorns her vessels” is to be understood in the same way.
וזהו ענין ביום ההוא6 יהי״ה שגם בחי׳7 ו״ה יהיו בבחי׳ י״ה. ועמ,ש בד״ה והיה אור הלבנה כאור החמה ואור החמה יהיה שבעתים כו׳ ועמ״ש ע״פ כמשוש חתן כו׳]:
And this is the meaning of “On that day shall be (yihyeh),” that the level of vav-hei, too, will be in the level of yud-hei. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,” etc.; and see what is written on the verse “As the rejoicing of a bridegroom,” etc.]
This is the meaning of Zechariah’s “On that day shall be (yihyeh)”: the word יהיה is written yud-hei twice, showing that vav-hei, the lower letters of the Name, will rise to the level of yud-hei. The bracketed note closes with two further references.
The future revelation will come from the first and highest “descent,” Keser and Atik Yomin, and will be revealed below as it is above; this is the deepest meaning of “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah.”
The Kehot note points to the Arizal’s Likkutei Torah on Zechariah’s verse for the reading that vav-hei will be at the level of yud-hei. The phrase “chasan, chas darga” draws on the Talmud’s saying about going down a step to marry, which the Kehot note cites.
Marei mekomos
- 1וארשתיך לי · Hosea 2:21
- 2חתן חות דרגא · Yevamot 63a
- 3שוש אשיש בהוי׳ בעתיק יומין אתמר · Zohar, Idra Rabba 13:123–15:134
- 4המרומם לבדו המתנשא מימות עולם · ברכת יוצר.
- 5וככלה תעדה כליה · Isaiah 61:10
- 6ביום ההוא יהי׳ · Zechariah 14:9
- 7שגם בחי׳ ו״ה יהי׳ בבחי׳ י״ה · ראה לקו״ת להאריז״ל ע״פ זה.
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
A mitzvah draws down G‑d’s will and delight only when it is done as the King’s command: even the Shema, whose words are true in themselves, must be said in order to fulfill His command and do His will, and without that intention nothing is drawn down. Repairing what one omitted, or did with too little devotion, takes more than the outer drawing-down of the year’s mitzvos: in the Ten Days of Teshuvah one must reach deeper, through the shofar’s groaning and wailing and through teshuvah, which draws the garments of the head. And tzedakah is a garment whose fruits are enjoyed even in this world.
Questions for discussion
- If sovev is present here, only concealed, in what sense is it “above” memalei? How do the analogies of the brain and of writing explain countless contractions in one place?
- Why is the skull (the will, Keser) ranked above the brain (Chochmah), even though the brain is more vital to life?
- Why must even the Shema, whose words are true in themselves, be recited as the King’s command?
- What can the shofar’s groaning and wailing accomplish that the mitzvos of the whole year cannot, and why does the shofar bring trembling?
- How does the maamar read the bridegroom and the bride of Isaiah’s verse, today and in the Time to Come?
Key terms in this maamar
- The light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin)ממלא כל עלמין
- Divine light that enters each world and gives it life according to its measure.
- The light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)סובב כל עלמין
- Divine light too great to enter the worlds; it 'surrounds' them and affects them from beyond.
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×14
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×18
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×7
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×5
- Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
- The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×3
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence.
- The kav (line of light)קו
- The thin ray of light drawn into the space left after the tzimtzum. ×1
- The Sefirosספירות
- The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation.
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d. ×15
- “He and His vessels” (ihu vegarmohi)איהו וגרמוהי
- From the Tikkunei Zohar: in Atzilus the Light and the vessels are one. Always “vessels”, never “organs”, “causations” or “bones”. Its companion איהו וחיוהי is “He and His life-forces”. Not מגרמיה (“of itself”). ×1
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence. ×4
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one. ×3
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×7
- Delightתענוג
- Pleasure; the inner root of will. ×5
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×1
- Keser (the Crown)כתר
- The level above intellect: divine will and delight. ×9
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level. ×4
- The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)חיצוניות
- The external, expressive aspect. ×3
- Teshuvah (return)תשובה
- Returning to G‑d; not only repentance. ×1
- The intellect (mochin)מוחין
- Chochmah, Binah and Daas as a whole. ×5
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment.
- Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א
- The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration.
- Tiferes (beauty)תפארת
- Harmony of kindness and restraint; associated with compassion.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×1
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×2
- Nukva (the feminine / Malchus)נוקבא
- Malchus as the receiving configuration.