Likkutei Torah · Parshas Shir HaShirim · Maamar 25
ביאור ע״פ באתי לגני
An Explanation of the Verse “I Have Come into My Garden”
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The big idea
Torah study for its own sake, in depth and especially after midnight, draws into Z’eir Anpin not only the contracted radiance of Chochmah that conducts the world through the Name Elokim, but the essence of the intellect of Abba; and for that the source must be above Chochmah itself, the “fragrance” of Atik, which the verse’s myrrh and spice signify.
The maamar in brief
The maamar explains Song of Songs 5:1 clause by clause. Night is a time of descent, and midnight begins the ascent. Z’eir Anpin, “the Holy One, blessed be He,” holds only a hidden point of the intellect of Abba and Imma, for to the giver all below is as nothing. During the six days that point comes through Elokim, contraction; on Shabbos Abba’s intellect itself is revealed and Havayah appears. Torah study for its own sake works like Shabbos: G‑d “studies opposite” the learner, and Abba’s essential intellect enters Z’eir Anpin; deep study gives the “letters” intellect and sweetens Leah’s judgments, and study after midnight repairs Rachel. Drawing Chochmah’s essence needs a source above it, as a teacher draws on a mind greater than his idea: smell, the “nose of Atik,” is above taste, which is Chochmah. Myrrh and spice are turning from evil and doing good. The honeycomb is the angels, raised through the souls; wine and milk nurse Z’eir Anpin; the “friends,” Israel, draw the Infinite Light itself; the thirsting “beloved ones” are Z’eir Anpin and Nukva. At midnight the garden receives from Eden itself.
Outline
- The headingAn explanation of the verse “I have come into My garden.”¶1
- Night, midnight and the hidden intellectThe cycle of descent until midnight and ascent from midnight to the morning prayer. Z’eir Anpin holds the intellect of Abba and Imma only as a hidden point, wrapped in two coverings, for from the giver’s perspective everything below is as nothing.¶2
- Elokim, Shabbos and Torah lishmahIn the six days Chochmah reaches the attributes through Elokim, the thirty-two paths of contraction; on Shabbos the intellect of Abba itself is revealed and Havayah is added to Elokim. Torah study for its own sake does the same: “Lift up your hands to holiness” draws from the light of Abba into Z’eir Anpin.¶3
- Leshem hei: sweetening LeahA second reading of lishmah: study with contemplation and depth draws from the Yesod of Abba and puts intellect into the letters of thought, sweetening the judgments of Leah in the soul and in all the worlds.¶4
- Why from ChochmahThe Infinite Light rests in Chochmah, which is ayin and conceals nothing, while the lower worlds receive through the screen of Binah; so the divine spark in every Jew rests in the soul’s Chochmah.¶5
- Study after midnightAt midnight Rachel has descended and Leah is judgments; Torah study after midnight draws light to Rachel for the morning ascent and sweetens Leah.¶6
- A source above Chochmah: myrrh and spiceAs a teacher needs a mind greater than his idea, drawing Chochmah into the attributes needs a source above it. Smell, encompassing and never used up, the “nose of Atik,” is above taste, which is in Chochmah; fragrance comes from sweetening severities with a high root, so Yitzchak smelled the “garments,” read as “traitors.” Myrrh is turning from evil, spice is doing good.¶7–9
- Honeycomb, wine and milkThe honeycomb is the angels, from whom the souls receive awe and love in prayer, and who are raised through the souls as feminine waters. Wine and milk are the intellect of Imma and of Abba, nursing Z’eir Anpin until each attribute is a full set of ten, so kindness flows into the lower worlds.¶10–11
- The friendsThe souls of Israel are the “friends”: Torah study for its own sake draws the Infinite Light itself, enclothed in Chochmah, into the soul, which is why one whose Torah is his occupation is exempt from prayer.¶12
- The beloved ones, and midnight in the gardenThe dodim, Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, thirst and are refreshed by water and by the wine of Imma’s severities; the re’im above are oil, forever bound. At midnight the Holy One, blessed be He, appears in the garden and draws into it from the essence of Eden, the higher Chochmah, above the measured river.¶13
Key concepts
- Z’eir Anpinז״א
- The configuration of the six emotive attributes, here “the Holy One, blessed be He,” through whom the world is conducted. It receives the intellect of Abba and Imma, ordinarily only as a hidden point.
- The intellect of Abbaמוחין דאבא
- The intellect of Chochmah. During the week only a contracted radiance of it reaches Z’eir Anpin through the Name Elokim; on Shabbos, and through Torah study for its own sake, its essence is drawn in.
- Yesh and ayinיש ואין
- To the recipient his own level is real and what is above is “nothing”; to the giver the higher level is real and everything below counts as nothing. So what descends from above is only a mere point.
- Lishmahלשמה
- Torah study “for its own sake,” read also as leshem hei, “for the sake of the hei”: deep study that draws from the Yesod of Abba and sweetens the judgments of Leah.
- Leah and Rachelלאה ורחל
- Two feminine configurations. Leah is the letters of thought, the Malchus of Tevunah, and is judgments; Rachel descends at night and is repaired for the morning ascent by study after midnight.
- Smell and tasteריח וטעם
- Taste is inner, limited and used up, and corresponds to Chochmah; smell is encompassing and never used up, the “nose of Atik,” above Atzilus. The verse’s myrrh and spice are fragrances, a source above Chochmah.
- Feminine watersמיין נוקבין
- The arousal from below. The angels rise through the souls as feminine waters, which draw down the masculine waters from above.
- Friends and beloved onesרעים ודודים
- The re’im, who are never parted, are the level of oil and of eating, absorption into the source; the souls of Israel are like them. The dodim, Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, unite only at times and so thirst.
The heading ¶1
The heading names the verse this discourse explains, Song of Songs 5:1. Its later paragraphs take up the verse phrase by phrase: the myrrh and the spice, the honeycomb and the honey, the wine and the milk, the “friends” and the “beloved ones.”
The heading names the verse the discourse will explain, “I have come into My garden.”
Marei mekomos
- 1באתי לגני · Song of Songs 5:1
Night, midnight and the hidden intellect ¶2
2הנה עד חצות לילה הוא בחי׳ ירידה ומחצות ואילך מתחיל עליית שחרית ובמנחה התחלת הירידה מעט מעט עד לילה ותתן טרף לביתה1 ראש לשועלים2
Now, until midnight is the level of descent, and from midnight onward the ascent of Shacharis begins; and at Minchah, the beginning of the descent, little by little, until night: “And she gives food (teref) to her household,” “a head to foxes.”
The day and night have a rhythm of descent and ascent: until midnight the divine flow descends, from midnight the ascent begins that is completed in the morning prayer, and from Minchah the descent starts again. The two phrases describe what happens at night: like the woman of valor who “gives food to her household” while it is still night, the higher level goes down to sustain the lower one and becomes “a head to foxes,” the highest point of a lower realm.
(ועיין מזה בזהר3 ר״פ שלח דקנ״ו ב׳ ובפ׳ אמור ד״צ ע״א בשעתא דכנס״י [דכנסת ישראל] אתערת4 כו׳ ובמק״מ [ובמקדש מלך] ובהרמ״ז [ובהרב משה זכות] שם. ובהרמ״ז [ובהרב משה זכות] ר״פ צו שבלילה רחל יורדת לבריאה בזמן הגלות בסוד גלות ובזמן ביהמ״ק [בית המקדש] לתת טרף כו׳
(And see on this in the Zohar, at the beginning of Parshas Shelach, folio 156b, and in Parshas Emor, folio 90a, [on] “At the hour when the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael) is aroused,” etc., and in the Mikdash Melech and in the Ramaz there. And in the Ramaz at the beginning of Parshas Tzav: that at night Rachel descends to the World of Beriah (Creation); in the time of the exile, in the mystery of exile, and in the time of the Holy Temple, to give food, etc.
The Zohar on Emor teaches that one who rises at midnight to study Torah, at the hour when the Congregation of Israel awakens to prepare the King’s house, joins her and is counted among “her household.” The Ramaz adds that at night Rachel, the feminine configuration of Malchus, goes down to the World of Beriah: in exile as part of the exile itself, and in Temple times in order to give sustenance.
ועיין בזח״ג [בזהר חלק ג] בפ׳ בהר דק״ז סע״ב [סוף עמוד ב] מצורע דנ״ב ע״ב ויקרא די״ג ע״א. ח״א [חלק א׳] לך לך דצ״ב סע״א [סוף עמוד א] ויחי דרל״א ע״א ח״ב [חלק ב׳] בא דל״ז ב׳ בשלח דמ״ו א׳ תרומה דקע״ב סע״ב [סוף עמוד ב]).
And see the Zohar, Part III, Parshas Behar, folio 107, end of side b; Metzora, folio 52b; Vayikra, folio 13a. Part I: Lech Lecha, folio 92, end of side a; Vayechi, folio 231a. Part II: Bo, folio 37b; Beshalach, folio 46a; Terumah, folio 172, end of side b.)
This is a list of further places in all three parts of the Zohar where the night, midnight and their service are discussed.
והנה הקב״ה ז״א שהוא מדות הנהגות העולם ובו מלובש המוחין דאו״א [דאבא ואימא] והמוחין המלובשים בו הוא בחינת עלמא דאתכסיא.
Now, the Holy One, blessed be He, is Z’eir Anpin, which is the attributes (middos) by which the world is conducted; and in it is enclothed the intellect (mochin) of Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah). And the intellect enclothed in it is the level of the hidden world (alma de’iskasya).
The discourse now turns to its main theme. “The Holy One, blessed be He” is the configuration Z’eir Anpin, the divine emotions through which G‑d conducts the world; the intellect of Abba and Imma, divine Chochmah and Binah, is enclothed within it, yet that intellect remains “the hidden world.”
(ר״ל [רוצה לומר] שהחכמה נעלמת בהמדות ועיקר הגילוי בעולמות הן המדות כו׳ כי חו״ב [חכמה ובינה] נקרא עלמא דאתכסייא הנסתרות לה׳ אלקינו וזו״נ [וזעיר אנפין ונוקבא] הן הנגלות דהיינו שע״י המדות הוא הנהגת העולמות.
(That is to say, Chochmah is hidden within the attributes, and the main revelation in the worlds is the attributes, etc. For Chochmah and Binah are called the hidden world, “The hidden things belong to Havayah our G‑d,” and Z’eir Anpin and Nukva are “the revealed things”; that is, through the attributes is the conduct of the worlds.
Chochmah stays hidden even while it acts through the emotions, and what is revealed in the worlds is the emotive attributes. The verse “The hidden things belong to Havayah our G‑d, and the revealed things to us” is read in this light: the hidden things are Chochmah and Binah, and the revealed things are Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, through which the worlds are governed.
ולכן אפילו בחינת המוחין דאו״א [דאבא ואימא] המתלבשים בז״א הן נעלמות בבחינת העלם כו׳ ועוד זאת כי גם בהמדות עצמן אין המוחין מתגלים רק ע״י שמתלבשים בנה״י [בנצח הוד יסוד] דאבא ואימא שהן בחי׳ לבושים להמוחין וע״י לבושים אלו הם מתלבשים בהמדות וכמ״ש בע״ח [בעץ חיים] שער למ״ד פ״ב [פרק ב׳]
Therefore even the level of the intellect of Abba and Imma that is enclothed in Z’eir Anpin is hidden, in the aspect of concealment, etc. And more than this: even in the attributes themselves, the intellect is revealed only by being enclothed in the Netzach, Hod and Yesod of Abba and Imma, which are the level of garments for the intellect; and through these garments they are enclothed in the attributes, as is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 30, chapter 2.
So even the intellect that is inside Z’eir Anpin remains concealed. Moreover, it reaches the emotions only through intermediaries: the lowest three Sefiros of Abba and Imma, Netzach, Hod and Yesod, which serve as garments around the intellect, as Etz Chaim explains.
ונמצא א״כ כי חב״ד [חכמה בינה ודעת] דז״א דמצד אבא יש עליהם ב׳ כיסויים וב׳ מסכים כו׳ ועיין שער ל״א פ״ח [פרק ח׳] וע׳ בהרמ״ז [בהרב משה זכות] ר״פ בהעלותך) (בדף קמ״ח ע״ב) בד״ה ת״ח [תא חזי] אילנא דחיי.
It follows, then, that the Chochmah, Binah and Daas (knowledge) of Z’eir Anpin that are from the side of Abba have two coverings and two screens over them, etc.; and see Sha’ar 31, chapter 8; and see the Ramaz at the beginning of Parshas Beha’aloscha) (on folio 148b), in the passage beginning “Come and see: the Tree of Life.”
The result is that the intellect Z’eir Anpin receives from the side of Abba is wrapped in two coverings, which the text also calls two screens. Further sources in Etz Chaim and in the Ramaz on the Zohar are given for this.
והנה ידוע ג״כ בענין כי אל דעות5 שמלמטה למעלה אצל המקבל נקרא למטה היש ומה
Now, it is also known, regarding the matter of “For a G‑d of knowledges (de’os),” that from below to above, from the perspective of the recipient, below is called yesh (existence), and what
A general principle is now introduced, connected with the verse “For Havayah is a G‑d of knowledges,” whose plural is read as two perspectives of knowledge. From the perspective of the one who receives, looking upward, his own lower level is what feels real (yesh), and what is above him, beyond his grasp, seems like nothing (ayin).
שלמעלה הוא אין מפני שאינו מושג משא״כ מלמעלה למטה אצל המשפיע נקרא למעלה היש וכל מה שלמטה נק׳ אין כי כלא חשיב לגביה.
is above is ayin (nothing), because it is not grasped; whereas from above to below, from the perspective of the giver, above is called yesh, and everything that is below is called ayin, for it is considered as nothing in relation to it.
From the perspective of the one who gives, looking downward, the reverse is true. The higher level is the real existence, and everything below it counts as nothing in comparison with it.
שהרי מבחי׳ התחתונה שבמשפיע נשפע להמקבל ומזה לבד כל התהוותו ולכן ארז״ל [אמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה] רגלי החיות כנגד כולם6 כו׳
For indeed, from the lowest level within the giver [the flow] is given to the recipient, and from this alone is its entire coming into being. And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The legs of the chayos (the holy creatures) correspond to all of them,” etc.,
The reason is that the recipient’s whole existence comes only from the lowest level of the giver. The Talmud illustrates this in its description of the chayos, the holy creatures that bear the Throne: their legs alone are said to equal all the distances below them, from the earth through the heavens.
שוקי החיות כנגד כולן כו׳ ועד״ז גם כאן מה שנמשך ממוחין דאו״א [דאבא ואימא] לז״א אינו אלא בחי׳ הארה ונקודה בעלמא מלובשת בז״א.7
“the shins of the chayos correspond to all of them,” etc. And in the same way here too: what is drawn from the intellect of Abba and Imma to Z’eir Anpin is only the level of a radiance and a mere point, enclothed in Z’eir Anpin.
The Talmud goes on part by part, saying the same of the shins and of each higher part. Applying the principle here, what Z’eir Anpin receives from the intellect of Abba and Imma is only a radiance, a mere point, enclothed within it, while the intellect itself stays far above.
The paragraph first sets the background of night and midnight, the time of the Torah study the discourse will praise, and then lays down its premise: the intellect of Abba and Imma is hidden in Z’eir Anpin, which receives no more than a mere point of it, since from the giver’s perspective all that is below is as nothing.
The two perspectives, yesh below and ayin above for the recipient, yesh above and ayin below for the giver, are the Alter Rebbe’s reading of the plural de’os: two kinds of knowledge, a lower and a higher. The parable from Chagigah shows the giver’s view, in which even the lowest part of a higher level outweighs everything beneath it.
Marei mekomos
- 1ותתן טרף לביתה · Proverbs 31:15
- 2ראש לשועלים · Pirkei Avot 4:15
- 3חצות לילה . . ועיין מזה בזהר · ראה בענין זה בארוכה בספר הליקוטים ממאמרי דא״ח מהצ״צ ערך לילה בענין חצות לילה, כל המ״מ מועתקים שם.
- 4בשעתא דכנס״י אתערת · Zohar, Emor 9:29–11:36
- 5כי אל דעות · I Samuel 2:3
- 6רגלי החיות כנגד כולם · Chagigah 13a:4
- 7
Elokim, Shabbos and Torah lishmah ¶3
3וזהו ענין שם אלקים שנזכר במעשה בראשית בכל יום מששת ימי בראשית. כי הנהגת המדות הם ששת ימי בראשית יהי אור1 יהי רקיע2 כו׳
And this is the matter of the Name Elokim, which is mentioned in the work of creation on each of the six days of creation. For the conduct of the attributes (middos) is the six days of creation, “Let there be light,” “Let there be a firmament,” etc.,
This explains why the Name Elokim is mentioned in the creation account on each of the six days. The six days correspond to the six emotive attributes that govern the world, and each day’s utterance, such as “Let there be light” and “Let there be a firmament,” expresses one of them.
וכולם בחכמה עשית3 שהחכמה מתלבשת במדות אלא שהמשכה זו הוא ע״י שם אלהים שהוא בחינת צמצום
and “You have made them all with Chochmah (wisdom),” for Chochmah is enclothed in the attributes; except that this drawing-down is through the Name Elokim, which is the level of tzimtzum (contraction)
Chochmah does reach the attributes, as the verse “You have made them all with wisdom” says. But it is passed on through Elokim, the Name associated with tzimtzum, so only a limited measure of it comes through.
(ול״ב אלקים דעובדא דבראשית הם ל״ב נתיבות החכמה4 שהחכמה מתחלקת לל״ב נתיבות והם בחי׳ צמצום והעלם כו׳) לצמצם ההמשכה משא״כ בשבת שהיא התגלות מוחין דאבא
(and the thirty-two [Names] Elokim of the work of creation are the thirty-two paths of Chochmah, for Chochmah divides into thirty-two paths, and they are the level of contraction and concealment, etc.), to contract the drawing-down. Whereas on Shabbos, which is the revelation of the intellect (mochin) of Abba
The thirty-two times Elokim appears in the account of creation correspond to the thirty-two paths of wisdom of Sefer Yetzirah: Chochmah divided into channels, which is itself a form of contraction and concealment. Shabbos is different, because then the intellect of Abba itself is revealed.
(שז״א מלביש לעצמיות המוחין דאבא כו׳ וכן המל׳ עולה במקום אבא במנחה וגם במוסף היא במקום אימא ממש ומקבלת מז״א שבתוכו אור אבא ממש. וע׳ פע״ח [פרי עץ חיים] שער העמידה)
(for Z’eir Anpin enclothes the essence of the intellect of Abba, etc.; and likewise Malchus (sovereignty) rises to the place of Abba at Minchah, and at Musaf too she is in the very place of Imma, and receives from Z’eir Anpin, within which is the very light of Abba. And see Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaAmidah)
On Shabbos Z’eir Anpin enclothes the essence of Abba’s intellect, not just a radiance of it. In the Shabbos prayers Malchus ascends, at Musaf to the place of Imma and at Minchah to the place of Abba, and receives the light of Abba itself from Z’eir Anpin; Pri Etz Chaim’s Gate of the Amidah is cited for this.
(end of chapter 14). And see the Ramaz on Parshas Pekudei (folio 220b), on the matter of “A psalm, a song for the Shabbos day. It is good to give thanks,” etc.
The reference to Pri Etz Chaim is to the end of chapter 14. The Ramaz, on the Zohar’s Pekudei, discusses in this connection the psalm of the Shabbos day, “It is good to give thanks to Havayah.”
לכן נאמר בשבת ויכל אלהים7 וכתיב אח״כ ביום עשות8 הוי׳ אלהים כו׳. והנה עד״ז הוא ג״כ ענין עסק התורה לשמה כי אורייתא מחכמה נפקת
Therefore, regarding Shabbos it is said, “And Elokim finished,” and afterwards it is written, “On the day that Havayah Elokim made,” etc. Now, in the same way is also the matter of occupation with the Torah for its own sake (lishmah), for “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah.”
That is why, in the verses about the seventh day, the Name Havayah is added: after “And Elokim finished” comes “On the day that Havayah Elokim made,” a higher revelation than Elokim alone. Torah study for its own sake works in the same way, because the Torah issues from Chochmah.
ולכן על ידי אתערותא דלתתא כל העוסק בתורה למטה לשמה הקב״ה שהוא ז״א קורא ושונה כנגדו שהוא ענין המשכת מוחין לז״א מעצמיות מוחין דאבא כו׳
And therefore, through an arousal from below, whoever occupies himself with the Torah below for its own sake, the Holy One, blessed be He, who is Z’eir Anpin, reads and studies opposite him. This is the matter of drawing intellect into Z’eir Anpin from the essence of the intellect of Abba, etc.,
When a person below studies Torah for its own sake, this arousal from below causes the Holy One, blessed be He, who is Z’eir Anpin, to “read and study opposite him.” In the terms of Kabbalah, Z’eir Anpin then receives intellect from the essence of Abba’s intellect.
שלמעלה מעלה מהארת החכמה המתלבשת במדות ע״י שם אלקים להנהגת העולמות וחיותן כו׳ שהוא רק בחי׳ צמצום
which is far, far above the radiance of Chochmah that is enclothed in the attributes through the Name Elokim, for the conduct of the worlds and their life-force (chayus), etc., which is only the level of tzimtzum.
That essence is far higher than the radiance of Chochmah that passes through the Name Elokim to conduct the worlds and give them life. That radiance is only a contracted light.
ולכן הן נק׳ אין וכלא חשיב לגבי עצמיות המוחין דאבא כנ״ל (ועיין בזהר ויקרא) (די״ג ע״א) שעל עסק התורה נאמר שאו ידיכם קדש וברכו9 את הוי׳.
And therefore they are called ayin, and are considered as nothing in relation to the essence of the intellect of Abba, as mentioned above. (And see the Zohar, Vayikra) (folio 13a), that concerning occupation with the Torah it is said, “Lift up your hands [to] holiness (kodesh), and bless Havayah.”
In comparison with the essence of Abba’s intellect, these contracted radiances are called ayin, as nothing, following the principle set out above. The Zohar on Vayikra applies to Torah study the verse “Lift up your hands to holiness and bless Havayah.”
את תברך לקב״ה [לקודשא בריך הוא] כו׳ והיינו כנ״ל שממשיכים לז״א הנק׳ הקדוש ב״ה מבחי׳ אור אבא שהוא בחי׳ קדש העליון ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה צאינה וראינה וגם בענין כי אל דעות
“You bless the Holy One, blessed be He,” etc. That is, as mentioned above: one draws into Z’eir Anpin, which is called the Holy One, blessed be He, from the level of the light of Abba, which is the level of the supernal holiness (kodesh). And see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “Go out and gaze,” and also regarding the matter of “For a G‑d of knowledges”:
The Zohar continues that such a person blesses the Holy One, blessed be He, from the place called supernal holiness. That is, the one who studies draws into Z’eir Anpin, called “the Holy One, blessed be He,” from the light of Abba, which is the supernal kodesh.
behold, the Torah is the drawing-down of the higher Daas (knowledge), and, as is known, the Torah is called “a Torah of truth,” etc., which one draws into Z’eir Anpin through occupation with the Torah.
The same idea fits the two kinds of knowledge in “a G‑d of knowledges”: the Torah draws the higher Daas down into Z’eir Anpin. The Torah called “a Torah of truth” is what a person draws into Z’eir Anpin through his study.
The paragraph contrasts the contracted flow of Chochmah through the Name Elokim during the six days with the revelation of Abba’s essential intellect on Shabbos, and shows that Torah study for its own sake, like Shabbos, draws that essential intellect into Z’eir Anpin.
In the Zohar passage cited, the kodesh of “Lift up your hands to kodesh” is Eden, the source from which the river goes out to water the garden, and it is called the supernal kodesh. The Alter Rebbe identifies it with the light of Abba, so that Torah study raises the hands to Chochmah and draws its blessing into Z’eir Anpin.
Marei mekomos
- 1יהי אור · Genesis 1:3
- 2יהי רקיע · Genesis 1:6
- 3וכולם בחכמה עשית · Psalms 104:24
- 4ל״ב נתיבות החכמה · Sefer Yetzirah 1:1
- 5
- 6מזמור שיר ליום השבת טוב להודות · Psalms 92:1–2
- 7ויכל אלהים · Genesis 2:2
- 8ביום עשות הוי׳ אלהים · Genesis 2:4
- 9
- 10תורת אמת · Malachi 2:6
- 11
- 12
Leshem hei: sweetening Leah ¶4
4ועוד פי׳ לשמה לשם ה״א1 להמשיך הארה היוצא מיסוד דאבא להמתיק דיני לאה כמ״ש בפע״ח [בפרי עץ חיים] שער י״ז ריש שער הנהגת הלימוד
A further explanation: lishmah (for its sake) [means] leshem hei, “for the sake of the hei,” to draw down the radiance that issues from the Yesod (foundation) of Abba, to sweeten the judgments of Leah, as is written in Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 17, at the beginning of Sha’ar Hanhagas HaLimud (the Gate of the Conduct of Study).
This is a second reading of lishmah, “for its sake”: the word can be divided as leshem hei, “for the sake of the hei.” The aim of such study is to draw down the radiance that issues from the Yesod of Abba and so to sweeten the judgments of Leah, as Pri Etz Chaim explains in its section on the conduct of Torah study.
והיינו ע״י הלימוד בעיון ובהעמקה כי לאה היא בחי׳ אותיות המחשבה מל׳ דתבונה תחתית המדרגה דתבונה והתגלותה בחי׳ אותיוך המגלים כל דבר
That is, through study with contemplation and depth. For Leah is the level of the letters of thought, the Malchus (sovereignty) of Tevunah, the lowest rung of Tevunah, and its revelation: the level of letters, which reveal every matter.
This is done through study with contemplation and depth. Leah, a feminine configuration, is “the letters of thought”: she is the Malchus, the lowest level, of Tevunah (the lower part of Binah), and Malchus is the level that expresses and reveals, as letters reveal an idea.
ולכן נק׳ דינים וגבורות מחמת שהם מגבילים השכל לבלתי יתפשט בלי גבול וגם הם לבדם אין בהם שום שכל והראיה שיוכל לחשוב אותיות מבלי שיודע השכל שבהם
Therefore they are called judgments (dinim) and severities (gevuros), because they limit the intellect so that it should not spread forth without limit. And also, they by themselves contain no intellect at all; the proof is that one can think letters without knowing the intellect that is in them.
Letters are called judgments and severities because they confine an idea within set bounds so that it cannot spread without limit. On their own they hold no understanding at all, as shown by the fact that one can run words through the mind without grasping their meaning.
והנה ידוע שמוחין שבעולם התחתון הוא בחי׳ אותיות לגבי עולם העליון וכמ״ש בד״ה ועתה יגדל2 נא3 גבי כאשר דברת לאמר וכשלומד תורה אף שהוא מבין
Now, it is known that the intellect (mochin) of the lower world is the level of letters relative to the higher world, as is written in the discourse beginning “And now, I pray, let [it] be great,” regarding “as You have spoken, saying.” And when one studies Torah, even though he understands,
Every level of intellect is only “letters” compared with the level above it, a point developed in the discourse on the verse “And now, I pray, let the power of my L‑rd be great, as You have spoken, saying.” Likewise, Torah studied with understanding but without depth remains at the level of letters.
אך שהוא שלא בעיון הוא נק׳ בחי׳ אותיות ואין בו התגלות כ״כ [כל כך] וכדי להמתיק דיני לאה
yet since it is without contemplation, it is called the level of letters, and there is not so much revelation in it. And in order to sweeten the judgments of Leah,
Study that understands but does not go deep is called “letters” and reveals little. Sweetening the judgments of Leah means bringing real intellect into those letters.
להביא מוחין בתוך האותיות צריך להמשיך הארה מיסוד אבא4 הענין ידוע שמוח העיון ומוח הזכרון הוא בחי׳ חכמה שלמעלה מהבינה ונקר׳ [ונקרא / ונקראת / ונקראות] משכיל שמשם בא השכל
to bring intellect into the letters, one must draw down a radiance from the Yesod of Abba. The matter is known: the mind of contemplation and the mind of memory is the level of Chochmah (wisdom), which is above Binah (understanding), and it is called maskil (the conceiver of intellect), for from there the intellect comes.
For this one must draw down from the Yesod of Abba, that is, from Chochmah. The faculties of deep contemplation and of memory belong to Chochmah, which is above Binah and is called maskil, the source from which understanding comes.
וצריך ללמוד בעיון עד שיומשך שכל מבחי׳ חכמה שבו מה שהיה תחלה צפון ונעלם ונעשו מוחין להאותיות ונמתקו דיני לאה ונעשה כן בכל העולמות מוחין להאותיות.
And one must study with contemplation until intellect is drawn from the level of Chochmah within him, what was at first hidden and concealed; and they become intellect for the letters, and the judgments of Leah are sweetened; and so, in all the worlds, they become intellect for the letters.
So one must study in depth until understanding that was hidden before emerges from the Chochmah in one’s own soul. This gives the letters an inner intellect and sweetens the judgments of Leah, and the same happens in all the worlds.
A second meaning of Torah study lishmah: deep, contemplative study draws from the Yesod of Abba, which is Chochmah, and puts intellect into the letters of thought, sweetening the judgments of Leah in the soul and in all the worlds.
The person’s own act of contemplation is treated as the act that draws the Yesod of Abba into Leah: what happens in the soul’s Chochmah, the text says, happens “so in all the worlds.” The judgments of Leah are the limits of letters without intellect, and they are sweetened not by removing the letters but by filling them with understanding.
Marei mekomos
- 1ועוד פי׳ לשמה לשם ה״א · בהבא להלן ראה גם מאמרי אדה״ז הקצרים ע׳ תקסז. ובארוכה אוה״ת על מארז״ל וענינים ע׳ שלח. וראה מאמרי אדה״ז — ענינים ע׳ רעו.
- 2בד״ה ועתה יגדל · לעיל פ׳ שלח לח, ב ואילך.
- 3ועתה יגדל נא · Numbers 14:17
- 4צריך להמשיך הארה מיסוד אבא · מובא באוה״ת ואתחנן ע׳ שכא.
Why from Chochmah ¶5
5ולכן עיקר ההמשכה צ״ל מבחי׳ חכמה יסוד אבא כי בחכמה שורה אור א״ס ע״ד מ״ש דבאצי׳ איהו וגרמוהי חד1 משא״כ בבי״ע הוא ע״י מסך מבדיל
Therefore the main drawing-down must be from the level of Chochmah (wisdom), the Yesod (foundation) of Abba. For the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) rests in Chochmah, along the lines of what is written, that in the World of Atzilus (Emanation) “He and His vessels are one” (ihu vegarmohi chad); whereas in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah it is through a dividing screen,
The drawing-down must come mainly from Chochmah, specifically the Yesod of Abba, because the Infinite Light rests in Chochmah without being concealed. In Atzilus “He and His vessels are one,” whereas in the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah the light arrives through a screen that separates.
דהיינו ע״י התלבשות גמור דרך הבינה דאצילות ואף שבאצילות מאיר ג״כ ע״י החכמה כולם בחכמה עשית2 מ״מ חכמה דא״ק [דאדם קדמון] המלובשת בחכמה דאצילות (ע׳ [עיין] ע״ח שמ״ז פ״ג [פרק ג׳])
that is, through a complete enclothement by way of the Binah (understanding) of Atzilus. And even though in Atzilus too it shines by means of Chochmah, “You have made them all with Chochmah,” nevertheless the Chochmah of Adam Kadmon that is enclothed in the Chochmah of Atzilus (see Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 47, chapter 3)
That screen is the light’s complete enclothement in the Binah of Atzilus before it reaches the lower worlds. Atzilus too receives through Chochmah, as “You have made them all with Chochmah” says, but the Chochmah of Adam Kadmon, the primordial level above Atzilus, which is enclothed in Atzilus’s Chochmah, is not a screen.
אינו נק׳ מסך כלל שאינו מסתיר ומעלים אור א״ס ב״ה מפני שהוא בחי׳ אין והחכמה מאין תמצא3 כח מ״ה [מה]
is not called a screen at all, for it does not hide and conceal the Infinite Light, blessed be He, because it is the level of ayin (nothing): “and Chochmah is found from ayin,” [for Chochmah is] ko’ach mah (the potential of “what”).
Chochmah does not hide the Infinite Light, because Chochmah is ayin, a state of nothingness and self-nullification. The verse is read as “Chochmah is found from ayin,” and the word chochmah is read as ko’ach mah, “the potential of what,” a capacity that is not yet anything defined.
ולכן ניצוץ אלקות שבכל א׳ וא׳ מישראל הוא מלובש בבחי׳ חכמה שבו מחמת דלית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל4 ולכן אינו יכול להתלבש אלא בבחי׳ חכמה כמ״ש בסש״ב [בספר של בינונים] פי״ח.
Therefore the spark of G‑dliness that is in each and every one of Israel is enclothed in the level of Chochmah within him, since “no thought can grasp Him at all”; and therefore it cannot be enclothed except in the level of Chochmah, as is written in Sefer Shel Beinonim (Tanya), chapter 18.
Since “no thought can grasp” G‑d at all, the divine spark in every Jew can rest only in the soul’s faculty of Chochmah, which is above comprehension. Tanya, chapter 18, explains this as the root of the love of G‑d hidden in every Jew.
The paragraph explains why the drawing-down must come from Chochmah: only Chochmah, being ayin, does not conceal the Infinite Light, and for the same reason the divine spark in every Jew rests in the soul’s Chochmah.
Chochmah does not act as a screen because what is enclothed in it is the Chochmah of Adam Kadmon, a level above all the worlds. The same structure appears in the soul: the spark of G‑dliness rests in its Chochmah because no thought can grasp Him.
Marei mekomos
- 1דבאצי׳ איהו וגרמוהי חד · ראה בכ״ז מאמרי אדה״ז הקצרים ע׳ תמג. ובארוכה אוה״ת הנ״ל ע׳ שלט.
- 2כולם בחכמה עשית · Psalms 104:24
- 3והחכמה מאין תמצא · Job 28:12
- 4דלית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:10–12
Study after midnight ¶6
6והנה איתא בפע״ח [בפרי עץ חיים] שי״ז פ״ב [פרק ב׳] בפי׳ ויהי בחצי הלילה ויחרד האיש1 וילפת והנה אשה שוכבת מרגלותיו כו׳ ולכן ויחרד האיש כו׳ והיינו לפי שנדחית רחל למטה ולאה היא דינים וגבורות
Now, it is stated in Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 17, chapter 2, in the explanation of “And it came to pass at midnight that the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman was lying at his feet,” etc.: that this is why “the man was startled,” etc.; that is, because Rachel has been pushed down below, and Leah is judgments and severities (gevuros).
Pri Etz Chaim reads the verse in Ruth about Boaz waking at midnight in Kabbalistic terms. At midnight Rachel, the configuration of Malchus, has been pushed down below, while Leah, the other feminine configuration, is judgments and severities; that is why “the man was startled.”
ולכן נשתבחו אותם העוסקים בתורה אחר חצות2 שעי״ז ממשיך האור לזו״נ [לזעיר אנפין ונוקבא] דהיינו לבחי׳ רחל לתקנה לעליית שחרית וכמ״ש בזהר אמור (ד״צ ע״א)
And therefore those who occupy themselves with the Torah after midnight are praised, for through this one draws the light to Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, that is, to the level of Rachel, to rectify her for the ascent of Shacharis, as is written in the Zohar, Emor (folio 90a);
Those who study Torah after midnight are praised because their study draws light to Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, that is, to Rachel, and repairs her so that she can ascend at the morning prayer. The Zohar on Emor speaks of this midnight study.
וגם שאז נמתקים דיני לאה עיין בזהר הרקיע פ׳ בא (בדף ל״ז ע״ב) ועיין בפי׳ הרמ״ז [הרב משה זכות] בפ׳ אמור שם ידוע כו׳ אבל העיקר כו׳:3
and also, that then the judgments of Leah are sweetened. See the Zohar HaRakia on Parshas Bo (on folio 37b), and see the commentary of the Ramaz on Parshas Emor there: “It is known,” etc., “but the main thing,” etc.
Study after midnight also sweetens the judgments of Leah. The Zohar HaRakia, a commentary on the Zohar, and the Ramaz are cited for this.
Pri Etz Chaim’s account of midnight: Rachel has gone down and Leah carries judgments, and Torah study after midnight restores Rachel for the morning ascent and sweetens the judgments of Leah.
The Talmud also praises Torah study at night: over one who studies at night a thread of kindness is drawn by day (Chagigah 12b), and the Shechinah faces him (Tamid 32b). The Kabbalistic account here explains what that study accomplishes above.
Marei mekomos
- 1ויהי בחצי הלילה ויחרד האיש · Ruth 3:8
- 2העוסקים בתורה אחר חצות · Chagigah 12b
- 3
A source above Chochmah: myrrh and spice ¶7–9
7ב אך כיצד יגיע לבחינה זו להיות ע״י עסקו בתורה המשכת עצמיות חכמה עילאה הנה לזה צריך להמשיך מבחי׳ יותר גבוה מבחי׳ ח״ע [חכמה עילאה] דאצילות עד שמחמתו יומשכו מוחין דאבא למטה לז״א
2. But how is he to reach this level, that through his occupation with the Torah there should be a drawing-down of the essence of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah)? Now, for this one must draw from a level higher than the level of the higher Chochmah of Atzilus, so that by its force the intellect (mochin) of Abba will be drawn down below to Z’eir Anpin.
Section 2 asks how Torah study can draw down the very essence of the higher Chochmah. The answer is that the source must be a level higher still than the Chochmah of Atzilus, which then brings the intellect of Abba down to Z’eir Anpin.
וכמו עד״מ הרב1 שצריך להסביר לתלמידו איזה שכל עמוק שמוכרח להיות שכלו בעצמו גדול יותר הרבה
As, by way of analogy, with a teacher who must explain some deep concept to his student: his own intellect must necessarily be much greater,
The analogy is a teacher explaining a deep idea. He can do it only because his own mind is far greater than the idea itself.
וגם בשעת ההשפעה מוכרח לעורר עצמיות שכלו להתייעץ איך להשפיע השכל העמוק להתלמיד שהוא קטן הרבה מהרב כו׳
and also, at the time of imparting, he must arouse the essence of his intellect to deliberate how to impart the deep concept to the student, who is much smaller than the teacher, etc.
Moreover, while teaching he must rouse the depths of his intellect to work out how to bring the deep idea down to a student far smaller than he is.
ועד״ז יובן גם כאן בהנמשל שכדי להיות המשכת ח״ע [חכמה עילאה] בהמדות צ״ל מקור ההמשכה מלמעלה מהחכמה וזהו ענין אריתי מורי2 עם בשמי.
And in the same way it will be understood here too, in the analogue: for there to be a drawing-down of the higher Chochmah into the attributes (middos), the source of the drawing-down must be from above Chochmah. And this is the matter of “I have gathered My myrrh with My spice.”
So too above: for the higher Chochmah to reach the emotive attributes, the drawing-down must begin above Chochmah. The verse alludes to this with “I have gathered My myrrh with My spice,” which are fragrances.
כי הנה הריח הוא מחוטם3 וטעם הוא בפה וחיך. הרי הריח גבוה יותר במדרגה שהחוטם יותר נעלה.
For behold, smell is from the nose, and taste is in the mouth and the palate. Thus smell is higher in rank, for the nose is more elevated.
Fragrance is perceived by the nose, taste by the mouth and palate, and the nose is set higher on the face. So smell stands for a level above that of taste, which the next paragraph identifies with Chochmah.
Section 2 opens: drawing the essence of Chochmah into the attributes needs a source above Chochmah, as a teacher must draw on a mind greater than the idea he conveys, and the verse’s fragrances, myrrh and spice, point to that higher source.
Marei mekomos
- 1וכמו עד״מ הרב · מובא באוה״ת פ׳ שלח ע׳ תריז ומציין לכאן.
- 2
- 3כי הנה הריח הוא מחוטם · קטע מכאן באוה״ת בראשית כרך ד דף תתלא, ב.
8וז״ש [וזהו שכתוב] ותהלתי אחטם לך1 וגם אנו רואים בחוש שהטעם הוא ע״י לעיסת המאכל ואז דייקא טועם החיך והגרון וגם כשהחיך טועם שוב אינו ראוי למאכלץ.
And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “And [for] My praise I will restrain (echtom) for you.” And we also see tangibly that taste comes through chewing the food, and specifically then do the palate and the throat taste; and also, once the palate has tasted, it is no longer fit to be eaten.
The verse “And for My praise I will restrain (echtom) for you” uses a word related to chotem, the nose, and the Zohar says this verse is spoken of Atik Yomin. Taste, by contrast, needs chewing: only then do the palate and throat taste, and the food that is tasted is used up.
משא״כ כל זה בריח שתיכף ומיד מגיע לו הריח וגם כשהוא שלם ולכן אין הדבר כלה שחוזר ומריח כמה פעמי׳ [פעמים] וכך למעלה טעמים בחכמ׳ [בחכמה] גבי טנת״א [טעמים נקודות תגין אותיות]
Whereas none of this is so with smell: the scent reaches him at once, immediately, and also while [the thing] is whole; and therefore the thing is not consumed, so that one smells it again many times. And so it is above: ta’amim (tastes) are in Chochmah, with regard to ta’amim, nekudos, tagin and osiyos (the cantillation notes, vowels, crowns and letters),
Smell reaches a person at once, while the thing is still whole, so it is not used up and can be smelled again and again. Above, “tastes” are in Chochmah: of the four elements of the Torah’s text, ta’amim (the cantillation notes, literally “tastes”), nekudos (vowels), tagin (crowns) and osiyos (letters), the ta’amim belong to Chochmah.
שהיא ראשית האצילות משא״כ הריח הוא למעלה מאצילות חוטמא דעתיק (כמ״ש באדרא דק״ל ע״ב)2 (ופי׳ דכמו עד״מ הריח הוא בחי׳ מקיף משא״כ הטעם הוא בחי׳ פנימי
which is the beginning of Atzilus; whereas smell is above Atzilus, the nose of Atik (chotma de’Atik) (as is written in the Idra, folio 130b). (And the explanation is: just as, by way of analogy, smell is the level of makif (encompassing), whereas taste is the level of pnimi (inner),
Chochmah is the beginning of Atzilus, while smell is above Atzilus, the “nose of Atik” described in the Idra. A further explanation follows: smell is like an encompassing light that touches from outside, and taste like an inner light that enters.
ולכן הריח הוא קצת בחי׳ נצחי שלא יפסק ויכלה כמו שיכלה הטעם שכשהחיך טועם ש וב אינו ראוי למאכל שלפי שהטעם הוא בחי׳ פנימי הוא מוגבל ומצומצם יותר מן הריח.
and therefore smell is somewhat of the level of the eternal, which will not cease and be consumed as taste is consumed, for once the palate tastes, it is no longer fit to be eaten; for since taste is the level of the inner, it is more limited and contracted than smell.
Because smell is encompassing it is something like the eternal, never used up. Taste, being internal, is limited and is consumed in the tasting.
וכך למעלה שבאצילות הוא התלבשות האורות בכלים שהכלים מגבילים האור אבל בחי׳ עתיק הוא למעלה מהכלים3 ונק׳ א״ס לגבי האצילות כנודע וזהו ענין לבעל החוטם אני מתפלל45 כו׳ ובפי׳ הספ״ד [הספרא דצניעותא] לתלמיד האריז״ל [האר״י זכרונו לברכה])
And so it is above: in Atzilus there is the enclothement of the lights in the vessels, and the vessels limit the light; but the level of Atik is above the vessels and is called Ein Sof (infinite) relative to Atzilus, as is known. And this is the matter of “To the Master of the Nose I pray,” etc. And in the commentary on the Sifra deTzniusa by a disciple of the Arizal, of blessed memory)
Likewise above: in Atzilus the lights are enclothed in vessels that limit them, but Atik is above the vessels and so is called “infinite” relative to Atzilus. This is the sense of the Zohar’s account that Rav Hamnuna Sava would pray “to the Master of the Nose”; a commentary on the Sifra deTzniusa, a section of the Zohar, is brought next.
(פ״א דק״ח ע״א) כתב כי אוירא שע״ג [שעל גבי] קרומא דמחפיא על מו״ס [מוחא סתימאה] ממשיך דרך החוטם (וע׳ בי״ד סי׳ ל״א ס״ג ושם ס״ט ט״ו בשם שבילי אמונה)
(chapter 1, folio 108a), he wrote that the air (avira) that is upon the membrane that covers Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain) extends by way of the nose. (And see Yoreh De’ah, section 31, paragraph 3, and there, paragraphs 9 and 15, in the name of Shevilei Emunah.)
That commentary writes that the air (avira) above the membrane covering Mocha Stima’ah, the hidden brain, extends through the nose. The parenthesis refers to the Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah, section 31, and to remarks there that quote the book Shevilei Emunah. Where our text reads “ושם ס״ט ט״ו” (“there, paragraphs 9 and 15”), the Kehot edition reads “ושם ס״ק ט״ו,” sub-paragraph 15 of a commentary there, and points to the Rebbe’s note on this reference.
וא״כ מובן שע״י החוטם עולה הריח למעלה מעלה גם ממו״ס [ממוחא סתימאה] וזהו ענין שהנשמה נהנית ממנו6 עפמ״ש [על פי מה שכתוב] בע״ח [בעץ חיים] שער א״א ספ״ז שבאוירא מאיר הדעת דע״י [דעתיק יומין]
If so, it is understood that through the nose the scent rises far, far above, even beyond Mocha Stima’ah. And this is the matter of [the saying] that the soul derives pleasure from it, according to what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Arich Anpin, end of chapter 7: that in the avira there shines the Daas (knowledge) of Atik Yomin,
So smell reaches even higher than Mocha Stima’ah. That is why the Sages call smell the thing from which the soul, not the body, derives pleasure, and Etz Chaim says that the Daas of Atik Yomin shines in this avira.
והוא נשמה דא״א וע׳ מזה בביאור דפ׳ ציצית7 ועמ״ש מענין זה דריח בד״ה אלה מסעי8 כו׳ בענין ירדן יריחו ובד״ה וישלח יהושע מן השטים9 כו׳.10
and it is the soul (neshamah) of Arich Anpin. And see on this in the explanation of the section of Tzitzis; and see what is written on this matter of smell in the discourse beginning “These are the journeys,” etc., regarding “the Jordan [at] Jericho,” and in the discourse beginning “And Yehoshua sent from Shittim,” etc.
That Daas is the “soul” of Arich Anpin. The text then lists other discourses on smell: the explanation of the section of Tzitzis, “These are the journeys” on the Jordan at Jericho (Yericho, which recalls reiach, smell), and “And Yehoshua sent from Shittim.”
Smell is placed above taste: taste, an inner and limited faculty, corresponds to Chochmah, while smell, encompassing and never used up, corresponds to the “nose of Atik,” above the vessels of Atzilus and higher even than Mocha Stima’ah.
The Idra relates “And for My praise I will restrain for you” to Atik Yomin and describes the nose of Atik as the source through which the breath of life comes to Z’eir Anpin. Likkutei Torah on Sh’lach develops this: the radiance called the nose and smell spreads from the Infinite Light, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is called “the Master of the Nose” as its essence and source.
Marei mekomos
- 1ותהלתי אחטם לך · Isaiah 48:9
- 2כמ״ש באדרא דק״ל ע״ב · נתבאר לעיל פ׳ שלח נא, ד. וראה גם ד״ה והניף ידו תשי״א.
- 3עתיק . . למעלה מהכלים · זח״ג (רפח, ב) אקרי אין. ובע״ח דרושי אבי״ע (פ״א). [כ].
- 4לבעל החוטם אני מתפלל · זח״ג (קל, ב). [כ].
- 5לבעל החוטם אני מתפלל · Zohar, Idra Rabba 9:63–10:73
- 6שהנשמה נהנית ממנו · Berakhot 43b:3
- 7בביאור דפ׳ ציצית · ראה לעיל פ׳ שלח מט, ג ואילך.
- 8בד״ה אלה מסעי · לעיל מסעי פט, ב.
- 9ובד״ה וישלח יהושע מן השטים · לעיל פ׳ שלח נא, ד.
- 10ושם ס״ק ט״ו · ראה הערת כ״ק אדמו״ר בהערות וציונים לעיל יט, ד.
9וזהו וירח1 את ריח בגדיו2 לבושים שהוא מקיף3 וגם בגדיו לשון בוגדיו4 כמ״ש במדרש שהוא מן ההיפוך כמשל דברים החריפים כשממתיקים אותם נעשים מוטעמים ביותר כך ע״י המתקת הגבורות נעשה הריח
And this is [the meaning of] “And he smelled the fragrance of his garments (begadav)”: garments, which are makif (encompassing). And also, begadav is an expression of bogdav (his traitors), as is written in the Midrash; for it comes from the reverse, like the analogy of pungent things, which, when they are sweetened, become exceedingly flavorful. So too, through the sweetening of the severities (gevuros), the fragrance comes into being.
This is why Yitzchak “smelled the fragrance of his garments”: garments are an encompassing level, like smell. The Sages read begadav, “his garments,” as bogdav, “his traitors,” because the finest fragrance comes from the reverse, from sweetening what was harsh, as sharp foods become the most flavorful once they are sweetened.
כי הגבורות שרשן גבוה משבירת הכלים עקודים נקודים כו׳ והיינו על ידי תיקון שם מ״ה [שם מ״ה] כו׳ (ועמ״ש מזה בפ׳ תולדות ע״פ ראה ריח בני5 כו׳)
For the root of the severities is high, from the shattering of the vessels, [in the worlds of] Akudim, Nekudim, etc.; that is, through the rectification of the Name Mah, etc. (And see what is written on this in Parshas Toldos, on the verse “See, the fragrance of my son,” etc.)
The severities have a lofty root, in the shattering of the vessels in the early worlds of Akudim and Nekudim, and they are repaired through the Name Mah, the principle of repair. When they are sweetened, their high root gives off the fragrance.
And in the same way it is said, concerning the Time to Come, of Yitzchak, “For you are our father”: for now he is the attribute of judgment, and afterwards it is sweetened through Israel, etc.
The same pattern appears in the Talmud’s teaching that in the Time to Come Israel will say to Yitzchak, “For you are our father.” Yitzchak is now the attribute of judgment, and in the future that judgment will be sweetened through Israel.
(וע׳ בלק״ת [בלקוטי תורה (להאריז״ל)] בישעי׳ [בישעיה]9 ע״פ ולא בכסף תגאלו10 כו׳) ומורי. הוא סור מרע.11 ובשמי. הוא ועשה טוב כו׳.
(And see the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal on Isaiah, on the verse “And not with money shall you be redeemed,” etc.) And “My myrrh” is “Turn away from evil,” and “My spice” is “and do good,” etc.
The Arizal’s Likkutei Torah on Isaiah is cited on this theme. Then the two fragrances of the verse are interpreted as the two parts of divine service: “My myrrh” is “Turn away from evil,” and “My spice” is “and do good.”
(וע׳ מ״ש בד״ה ויושט המלך לאסתר מענין ששה חדשים בשמן המור וששה חדשים בבשמים12 כו׳ ועוד מענין מור בד״ה חייב אינש לבסומי בפוריא)13 (ולקמן) ובד״ה נשא את ראש14 בני גרשון.15 גבי ענין מררי:
(And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And the king extended to Esther,” on the matter of “six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices,” etc.; and further, on the matter of myrrh, in the discourse beginning “A person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim”) (and below), and in the discourse beginning “Take the count of the sons of Gershon,” regarding the matter of Merari.
Further discussions of myrrh are listed: the discourse on Esther’s preparation with “six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices,” the discourse on becoming intoxicated on Purim, and the discourse on counting the sons of Gershon, on the subject of Merari, a name that, like mor (myrrh), recalls mar, bitter.
Fragrance comes from sweetening the severities, whose root is very high: hence Yitzchak smelled Yaakov’s “garments,” read as “traitors,” and in the verse myrrh is turning from evil and spice is doing good.
Reading begadav as bogdav makes the point that the strongest fragrance rises from what was far and was turned around, as harshness that is sweetened becomes the most flavorful. The root of the severities in the shattering of the vessels is why their sweetening reaches the level of smell, which is above taste.
Marei mekomos
- 1וזהו וירח · קטע מכאן מובא באוה״ת בראשית כרך א דף קמח, ב.
- 2וירח את ריח בגדיו · Genesis 27:27
- 3שהוא מקיף · באוה״ת שם מוסיף: ”היינו כמ״ש שהריח גבוה מן הטעם שטנת״א טעמים הוא או״פ וריח הוא מקיף כו׳”.
- 4בגדיו לשון בוגדיו · Sanhedrin 37a:7–8
- 5ע״פ ראה ריח בני · ראה אוה״ת תולדות קנה, ב.
- 6יצחק כי אתה אבינו · ע׳ שבת (פט, ב). ישעי׳ (סג, טז). [כ]. ראה אוה״ת תולדות קמח, ב.
- 7על יצחק כי אתה אבינו · Shabbat 89b:4–5
- 8כי אתה אבינו · Isaiah 63:16
- 9בלק״ת בישעי׳ · להאריז״ל סי׳ נב.
- 10ולא בכסף תגאלו · Isaiah 52:3
- 11סור מרע · Psalms 34:15
- 12ששה חדשים בשמן המור וששה חדשים בבשמים · Esther 2:12
- 13חייב אינש לבסומי בפוריא · Megillah 7b:7–8
- 14(ולקמן) ובד״ה נשא את ראש · לעיל פ׳ נשא. ותי׳ לקמן — ראה לעיל במ״מ לב, ג שבבוך 4 (לקו״ת מהדו״ק) מאמר זה בפ׳ אחרי.
- 15נשא את ראש בני גרשון · Numbers 4:22
Honeycomb, wine and milk ¶10–11
10אכלתי יערי עם דבשי.1 יערי כל עץ נחמד2 כו׳ מלאכים שהנשמות מקבלים מהם ביוצר אור ובאהבה כו׳ כמשל אימת המלך מפני שרואה שרים רבים נופלים ומשתחוים לפניו ואהבתו מפני התקרבותו.
“I have eaten My honeycomb (ya’ri) with My honey.” Ya’ri: “every tree that is pleasant,” etc., [that is,] angels, from whom the souls receive in [the blessings] Yotzer Or and Ahavah, etc.; as in the analogy of the awe of the king, because one sees many ministers falling down and prostrating themselves before him, and the love of him, because of one’s being brought near [to him].
The next clause, “I have eaten My honeycomb with My honey,” is explained. Ya’ri, “My honeycomb,” recalls ya’ar, a forest of trees, and these trees are the angels, from whom the souls receive in the morning blessings Yotzer Or, which describes the angels’ praise, and Ahavah, on G‑d’s love. The parable is a subject who feels awe on seeing great ministers bow before the king, and love when the king draws him close.
כך אהבת עולם אהבתנו חמלה גדולה ויתירה כו׳ וקרבתנו לשמך הגדול ישראל עלו במחשבה3 והמלאכי׳ [והמלאכים] מרוח פיו כו׳ והכל כמשל האכיל׳ [האכילה] שמחיה את האדם
So too, “With an everlasting love You have loved us; great and abundant compassion,” etc., “and You have brought us near to Your great Name”: Israel arose in [G‑d’s] thought, whereas the angels [are] from “the breath of His mouth,” etc. And all of it is like the analogy of eating, which gives life to a person;
Likewise the blessing of love before the Shema speaks of G‑d’s “everlasting love” and of His bringing us near, which evokes love. The souls of Israel arose in G‑d’s thought before creation, whereas the angels came from “the breath of His mouth,” a lower source; and the whole exchange is likened to eating, which keeps a person alive.
וגם המאכל יש לו תיקון ועלייה ע״י האדם שמדומם צומח חי נכלל בבחי׳ אדם כך
and the food, too, has a rectification and an ascent through the person, for from mineral, vegetable [and] animal it becomes included in the level of man. So too:
Eating also benefits the food: mineral, vegetable and animal matter is raised when it becomes part of a human being.
הנה הנשמות מקבלים מהמלאכים ומ״מ עי״ז גם המלאכים מתתקנים ונק׳ עבודה שמתעלים ג״כ בבחי׳ מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] ברחם הנוק׳ [הנוקבא] ע״י הנשמות ונמשך מ״ד [מיין דוכרין] ומברר את המ״ן [המיין נוקבין] והיו לבשר אחד.4
the souls receive from the angels, and nevertheless, through this the angels too are rectified; and this is called avodah (service), for they too are raised, as the level of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) in the womb of Nukva, through the souls; and mayin duchrin (masculine waters) are drawn down and refine the mayin nukvin, “and they become one flesh.”
So too the souls draw from the angels, yet the angels are elevated through this, and that is called avodah, service. They rise through the souls as mayin nukvin, “feminine waters,” the arousal from below, in Nukva; this draws down mayin duchrin, “masculine waters,” the flow from above, which refines them until the two become one.
(ועיין בהרמ״ז [בהרב משה זכות] בזהר פרשה אמור ד״צ ע״א בד״ה מאן ביתה5 ונפקדים בתוך יסודה כו׳ ע״ש):
(And see the Ramaz on the Zohar, Parshas Emor, folio 90a, in the passage beginning “Who are her household”: “and they are deposited within her Yesod,” etc.; see there.)
The Ramaz is cited on the Zohar’s words “Who are her household,” said of those who join the Congregation of Israel at night. He speaks there of those who are “deposited within her Yesod,” which fits the rising of the souls as feminine waters.
The honeycomb is the angels, from whom the souls receive love and awe in the morning prayers; as food is raised by the one who eats it, the angels are raised through the souls as feminine waters that draw the masculine waters from above.
The parable of the king pairs the Yotzer Or blessing with awe, at the sight of the angels bowing, and the Ahavah blessing with love, at being drawn near. The angels gain from the exchange because the souls, rooted in G‑d’s thought, are higher than the angels, who come from the breath of His mouth.
Marei mekomos
- 1אכלתי יערי עם דבשי · Song of Songs 5:1
- 2כל עץ נחמד · Genesis 2:9
- 3ישראל עלו במחשבה · Bereshit Rabbah 1:4
- 4והיו לבשר אחד · Genesis 2:24
- 5מאן ביתה · Zohar, Emor 9:29–11:36
11שתיתי ייני עם חלבי.1 ייני מוחין דאימא. חלבי מוחין דאבא המלובשי׳ [המלובשים] במוחין דאימא (כעין מ״ש במ״א בפי׳ מקרא קדש)
“I have drunk My wine with My milk.” “My wine” is the intellect (mochin) of Imma; “My milk” is the intellect of Abba, which is enclothed in the intellect of Imma (similar to what is written elsewhere in the explanation of mikra kodesh, “a holy convocation”).
The clause “I have drunk My wine with My milk” is explained: wine is the intellect of Imma (Binah), and milk is the intellect of Abba (Chochmah), which is enclothed within that of Imma. A similar point is made elsewhere in explaining the phrase mikra kodesh, “a holy convocation.”
והיינו מוחין ליניקה לגדל הולד כי ז״א כשהוא בבחי׳ עיבור הוא תלת כלילן גו תלת.
That is, the intellect for nursing (yenikah), to make the child grow. For Z’eir Anpin, when it is in the state of gestation (ibbur), is “three included within three.”
Milk is the intellect of nursing, which makes a child grow. Kabbalah describes the development of Z’eir Anpin in stages like a child’s, and in gestation it is folded, “three included within three,” its attributes contained one inside another.
ואח״כ בחי׳ לידה. ואח״כ בחי׳ יניקה שהמדות דז״א מקבלים מחו״ב [מחכמה ובינה] ועי״ז מתגדלים איבריו בבחי׳ ע״ס [עשר ספירות] כו׳
Afterwards [comes] the stage of birth, and afterwards the stage of nursing, in which the attributes (middos) of Z’eir Anpin receive from Chochmah and Binah, and through this its limbs grow into the level of the Ten Sefiros, etc.
Then comes birth, and then nursing, when the attributes of Z’eir Anpin receive from Chochmah and Binah. Through this its “limbs,” the attributes, grow until each becomes a full structure of ten Sefiros.
אך אינו פרצוף אבא עצמו רק המלובשים בז״א ממש (ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה ע״פ השמים מספרים)2 ואינו מוחין דאימא.
But it is not the configuration of Abba itself, only those [aspects of it] that are actually enclothed in Z’eir Anpin (and see what is written on this in the discourse on the verse “The heavens declare”); and it is not the intellect of Imma.
The milk is not the configuration of Abba as a whole, only what of it is enclothed in Z’eir Anpin, and it is distinct from the intellect of Imma, which is the wine. The discourse on “The heavens declare” is cited on this point.
והכל שתיתי ייני עם חלבי שנבלע במקורו למעלה כו׳ (ועמ״ש במ״א בביאור מאמר הזהר פ׳ שלח) (דקע״א ע״א) ומסגיאו חלבא דיניק3 כו׳
And all of it is “I have drunk My wine with My milk”: that it is absorbed in its source above, etc. (And see what is written elsewhere in the explanation of the statement of the Zohar, Parshas Shelach) (folio 171a), “and from the abundance of the milk that it nurses,” etc.:
Drinking the two together expresses their absorption into the source above. The Zohar on Sh’lach gives the image of a mother nursing her child: from the abundance of milk he nurses his mouth fills and he grows, and he pours the milk back into his mother’s mouth, a flow that returns to its source.
איך ע״י המשכת החלב במדות דז״א שעי״ז מתגדלים המדות ומתכללים להיות החסד כלול מע״ס [מעשר ספירות] עד״מ עי״ז נשפע ג״כ למטה בבי״ע רבוי ההשפעות מבחי׳ החסד כו׳
how, through the drawing of the milk into the attributes of Z’eir Anpin, whereby the attributes grow and become inter-included, so that Chesed (kindness), for example, comprises ten Sefiros, through this there also flows below, into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, an abundance of influences from the level of Chesed, etc.
The text explains how this works: milk drawn into the attributes of Z’eir Anpin makes them grow and become inter-included, so that Chesed, for example, comprises ten Sefiros. Through this an abundance of kindness also flows down into the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
ועמ״ש מענין חלב בפ׳ שלח בד״ה ויאמרו כו׳ טובה הארץ4 גבי פי׳ זבת חלב ודבש ובפ׳ ויחי ע״פ ולבן שנים מחלב.5
And see what is written on the matter of milk in Parshas Shelach, in the discourse beginning “And they said,” etc., “The land is good,” regarding the explanation of “flowing with milk and honey”; and in Parshas Vayechi, on the verse “and teeth white from milk.”
Other discussions of milk are listed: the discourse on Yehoshua and Kalev’s words that the land is good, a land “flowing with milk and honey,” and the one on Yaakov’s blessing to Yehudah, “teeth white from milk.”
And in Parshas Terumah, in the discourse beginning “Who will make you,” etc.; and in the discourse beginning “And I appeared to Avraham,” etc., regarding the explanation of “as Kel Shaddai,” from the expression “the blessings of the breasts (shadayim),” etc.
Further, the discourse on “Who will make you as a brother to me, who nursed at my mother’s breasts,” and the discourse on G‑d appearing to the Patriarchs “as Kel Shaddai.” There Shaddai is linked to shadayim, the breasts that nurse.
ושם נת׳ [נתבאר] ענין עיבור ולידה ויניקה בעבודת ה׳ ועיין בפרדס בערכי הכינויים ערך חלב ובשער ח׳ פ״ו ובזהר משפטים (דקכ״ב ע״ב) בענין רחוצות בחלב910 ובאדרא רבא דקל״ו ע״ב:11
And there the matter of gestation, birth and nursing in the service of G‑d is explained. And see the Pardes, in Sha’ar Erchei HaKinuyim, the entry “milk,” and in Sha’ar 8, chapter 6; and the Zohar, Mishpatim (folio 122b), on the matter of “bathed in milk”; and in the Idra Rabba, folio 136b.
There, the text says, gestation, birth and nursing are explained as stages in a person’s service of G‑d. Further sources are the Pardes on the term “milk,” the Zohar on “bathed in milk,” and the Idra Rabba.
Wine and milk are the intellect of Imma and of Abba as they nurse Z’eir Anpin, making its attributes grow until each is a full set of ten Sefiros, so that kindness flows abundantly into the lower worlds.
The Zohar on Mishpatim, cited here, describes the eyes of Z’eir Anpin, red with judgment, being “bathed in milk”: the whiteness of Atik shines into Imma, she fills with milk and nurses all, and the milk flows constantly and never stops. Milk thus stands for the kindness from above that softens judgment.
Marei mekomos
- 1שתיתי ייני עם חלבי · Song of Songs 5:1
- 2השמים מספרים · Psalms 19:2
- 3ומסגיאו חלבא דיניק · Zohar, Sh'lach 34:252–260
- 4טובה הארץ · Numbers 14:7
- 5ולבן שנים מחלב · Genesis 49:12
- 6מי יתנך · Song of Songs 8:1
- 7וארא אל אברהם · Exodus 6:3
- 8ברכות שדים · Genesis 49:25
- 9רחוצות בחלב · Song of Songs 5:12
- 10רחוצות בחלב · Zohar, Mishpatim 22:520–528
- 11
The friends ¶12
12אכלו רעים.1 נשמות ישראל נקראו רעים לז״א כמ״ש למען אחי ורעי2 והענין הוא כי למוד התורה לשמה להמשיך אור א״ס ב״ה למטה.
“Eat, friends.” The souls of Israel are called “friends” of Z’eir Anpin, as it is written, “For the sake of my brothers and my friends.” And the matter is that the study of the Torah for its own sake [is] to draw the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, down below.
The clause “Eat, friends” refers to the souls of Israel, called the “friends” of Z’eir Anpin, as in “For the sake of my brothers and my friends.” Studying Torah for its own sake draws the Infinite Light down below.
תורתו אומנתו פטור מתפלה.3 מפני שהוא המשיך אור א״ס ב״ה ממש. כי ואהיה אצלו אמון כו׳
[One whose] Torah is his occupation is exempt from prayer, because he has drawn down the Infinite Light, blessed be He, itself. For “And I was with Him as a nursling (amon),” etc.,
That is why the Talmud exempts one whose Torah study is his whole occupation from stopping it to pray: through his study he has drawn down the Infinite Light itself. The Torah says of itself, “I was with Him as a nursling.”
ושעשועי את בני אדם4 שהם טעמי מצות שהם בחכמה וחכמה הוא עדן שהוא תענוג הגם שלא נתגלה למטה וזהו ודברי ממש אשר שמתי5 בפיך6
“and my delights are with the children of men”: these are the reasons of the mitzvos, which are in Chochmah (wisdom); and Chochmah is Eden, which is delight, even though it has not been revealed below. And this is “and My words,” actually, “which I have placed in your mouth.”
The Torah continues, “and my delights are with the children of men”: these delights are the reasons of the mitzvos, rooted in Chochmah, which is called Eden, delight, though that delight is hidden below. So the Torah in a person’s mouth is “My words” in the literal sense, G‑d’s own.
ונמצא אור אס ב״ה שוה ממש למטה בנפש כמו למעלה ובכל בי״ע בכולם נמשך אור
It follows that the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is actually the same below, in the soul, as above; and in all of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, in all of them, there is drawn the light
It follows that the Infinite Light in the Torah is the same in the soul below as it is above. It is drawn through all the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
א״ס בה עד למטה בנפש האדם ומעורר ע״י אתעדל״ת [אתערותא דלתתא] התלבשו׳ אא״ס [אור אין סוף] ב״ה בחכמה כי כולם בחכמה עשית7 ולכן גם נשמות דצדיקים הם כמו רעים דלעילא:8
of the Infinite One, blessed be He, down to the soul of man below; and through the arousal from below he arouses the enclothement of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in Chochmah, for “You have made them all with Chochmah.” And therefore the souls of tzaddikim, too, are like the “friends” above.
It reaches the human soul, and through the person’s arousal from below it causes the Infinite Light to enclothe itself in Chochmah. This is why the souls of tzaddikim are like the “friends” above.
The “friends” are the souls of Israel: through Torah study for its own sake they draw the Infinite Light itself, enclothed in Chochmah, down into the soul, the same below as above, and so the souls of tzaddikim are like the “friends” above.
Marei mekomos
- 1אכלו רעים · Song of Songs 5:1
- 2למען אחי ורעי · Psalms 122:8
- 3תורתו אומנתו פטור מתפלה · Shabbat 11a
- 4ושעשועי את בני אדם · Proverbs 8:31
- 5ודברי . . אשר שמתי · ישעי׳ סוס״י נט.
- 6אשר שמתי בפיך · Isaiah 59:21
- 7כולם בחכמה עשית · Psalms 104:24
- 8ואהי׳ אצלו . . ושעשועי את בנ״א · Proverbs 8:30
The beloved ones, and midnight in the garden ¶13
13שתו ושכרו דודים.1 פי׳ דודים הם זו״נ [זעיר אנפין ונוקבא] כמ״ש בזהר (ויקרא דף ד׳ ע״א) והיינו לפי שיחודם הוא לעתים ואינן בבחי׳ רעים דלא מתפרשין ולכן הם בבחי׳ צמאון שהצמאון מיסוד האש כלתה נפשי.2
“Drink and become drunk, beloved ones (dodim).” The meaning: the dodim are Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, as is written in the Zohar (Vayikra, folio 4a). That is, because their union is [only] at times, and they are not at the level of re’im (friends) “who are never parted.” Therefore they are in a state of thirst, for thirst is from the element of fire: “my soul pines (kalsah).”
The last clause, “Drink and become drunk, beloved ones,” is explained. The dodim, “beloved ones,” are Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, whose union is only at certain times, unlike the re’im, “friends,” the level of Abba and Imma, “who are never parted.” So the dodim are in a state of thirst, a fiery longing like “my soul pines.”
ולרוות הצמאון שתו מים הוי כל צמא לכו למים3 (ועמ״ש בד״ה והי׳ [והיה] מספר בנ״י [בני ישראל])4 ואעפ״כ [ואף על פי כן] אח״כ ושכרו לעורר גבורות דאימא יין המשמח שנעשה חסדים למטה אשר ברא ששון ושמחה5 שהוא בחי׳ יין.
And to quench the thirst, “drink” water: “Ho, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water” (and see what is written in the discourse beginning “And the number of the children of Israel shall be”). And nevertheless, afterwards [comes] “and become drunk”: to arouse the severities (gevuros) of Imma, the wine that gladdens, which become kindnesses (chasadim) below, “Who created joy and gladness,” which is the level of wine.
Water quenches thirst, as in “Ho, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water.” Then comes “become drunk”: wine arouses the severities of Imma, which bring joy and turn into kindnesses below, as in the wedding blessing to the One “who created joy and gladness.”
משא״כ גבורות דזו״נ [דזעיר אנפין ונוקבא] שמשם יוכל להיות יניקת החיצונים לפי שהם גבורות דלתתא וכמו בחי׳ רשפי אש.6
This is not so with the severities of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, from which the external forces can draw nourishment, because they are the severities of below, like the level of “flashes of fire.”
The severities of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva are different. Being severities of a lower level, like “flashes of fire,” they can give the forces opposed to holiness a hold from which to draw nourishment.
ע״ז אמר כל צמא לכו למים כו׳ אבל בחי׳ יין הוא בחי׳ שמחת הנפש בה׳ ועמ״ש בד״ה אסרי לגפן7 שהוא בחי׳ חמר חוורין עתיק כו׳.
Of this it says, “Everyone who is thirsty, come to the water,” etc. But the level of wine is the level of the soul’s joy in G‑d. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Binding to the vine,” that it is the level of chamar chivarin (white wine), Atik, etc.
For those lower severities the remedy is water, “Everyone who is thirsty, come to the water.” Wine, however, stands for the soul’s joy in G‑d, and another discourse identifies it with the “white wine” of Atik.
אך עכ״ז [עם כל זה] זהו שייך בבחי׳ דודים משא״כ לעילא בבחי׳ רעים הוא בחי׳ שמן דבחד קטירא אתקטרנא הוינא אכלו רעים אכילה הוא הבלעה במקורו
Yet even so, this belongs to the level of dodim; whereas above, at the level of re’im, it is the level of oil, for “With one bond I was bound”; “Eat, friends”: eating is absorption into its source.
All this belongs to the level of the dodim. At the higher level of the re’im the image is oil, expressing a bond that is never broken (“With one bond I was bound”); and the friends “eat,” and eating means absorption into the source.
ולכן גם נשמות ישראל כמו רעים דלעילא ועמ״ש מענין מעלת השמן על בחי׳ יין בד״ה צאינה וראינה8 כו׳ בזהר פי׳ פסוק באתי לגני כו׳
And therefore the souls of Israel, too, are like the “friends” above. And see what is written on the superiority of oil over the level of wine in the discourse beginning “Go out and gaze,” etc. In the Zohar, the explanation of the verse “I have come into My garden,” etc.:
That is why the souls of Israel are compared to the “friends” above. The superiority of oil over wine is discussed in the discourse “Go out and gaze,” and the Zohar’s explanations of “I have come into My garden” are listed next.
(ח״א [חלק א׳] קס״ד סע״א [סוף עמוד א] דרל״ט ע״ב דרמ״ח א׳ ח״ג [חלק ג׳] ד״ג ע״ב ד״ד ע״א דרכ״ו א׳ ב׳. וע״ש דר״מ ע״ב דרמ״א א׳ וסע״ב [וסוף עמוד ב] דרמ״ב א׳ דרמ״ד א׳).
(Part I, folio 164, end of side a; folio 239b; folio 248a. Part III, folio 3b; folio 4a; folio 226a and b. And see there, folio 240b; folio 241a and end of side b; folio 242a; folio 244a.)
These are the places in the Zohar, in Parts I and III, where the verse “I have come into My garden” is explained.
(And see what is written elsewhere on the statement of the Zohar, Parshas Bereishis) (folio 27b), on “I will make him a helper corresponding to him”: “This is the Mishnah, the wife of that lad,” etc.,
Another discussion is pointed to, on the Zohar’s comment that “I will make him a helper corresponding to him” refers to the Mishnah, “the wife of that lad,” the angel Metatron.
מענין בפלגות לילא קוב״ה [קודשא בריך הוא] אתי לאשתעשע עם צדיקייא בג״ע [בגן עדן] שאז נמשך הגילוי מעצמיות ח״ע [חכמה עילאה] כו׳ וכן משמע בזהר פ׳ בא (דל״ו ע״ב)
on the matter of “At midnight the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to delight with the tzaddikim in Gan Eden”: that then the revelation is drawn from the essence of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), etc. And so it is implied in the Zohar, Parshas Bo (folio 36b),
That discussion deals with the Zohar’s teaching that at midnight the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to delight with the tzaddikim in Gan Eden, and explains that at that hour the revelation comes from the essence of the higher Chochmah. The Zohar on Bo implies the same.
דאיתא התם בשעתא דקב״ה [דקודשא בריך הוא] אתחזי על גנתא כל גנתא אתכנש ולא מתפרש מעדן11 כו׳ והיינו דההמשכה הקצובה בג״ע [בגן עדן] הוא מבחי׳ ונהר יוצא מעדן להשקות את הגן.12
where it is stated: “At the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, appears over the garden, the whole garden is gathered together and is not separated from Eden,” etc. That is, the measured flow in Gan Eden is from the level of “And a river goes out of Eden to water the garden.”
The Zohar on Bo says that when the Holy One, blessed be He, appears over the garden, the whole garden is gathered in and is not separated from Eden. Ordinarily Gan Eden receives a measured flow: “a river goes out of Eden to water the garden.”
אבל בשעתא דקב״ה [דקודשא בריך הוא] אתחזי על גנתא נמשך בגנתא מעצמיות בחי׳ עדן ממש שלמעלה מבחי׳ ומדרגת ונהר יוצא מעדן להשקות את הגן כו׳
But “at the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, appears over the garden,” there is drawn into the garden from the essence of the level of Eden itself, which is above the level and rank of “And a river goes out of Eden to water the garden,” etc.
But when He appears over the garden, the garden receives from the essence of Eden itself, a level above the river that goes out of Eden.
וזהו כענין משנ״ת [מה שנתבאר] בד״ה ששים המה מלכות13 יתרון בחי׳ ומעין מבית14 ה׳ יצא על בחי׳ ונהר יוצא כו׳ ע״ש באריכות וע״ד שנת׳ [שנתבאר] במ״א בד״ה
And this is like what has been explained in the discourse beginning “There are sixty queens”: the superiority of the level of “And a spring shall go out of the House of Havayah” over the level of “And a river goes out,” etc.; see there at length. And along the lines of what was explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning
The discourse “There are sixty queens” makes a similar distinction: the spring that will come out of the House of Havayah is higher than the river that goes out of Eden. A further parallel is in another discourse, named in the next part.
להבין מ״ש בהגדה מצה זו יתרון בחי׳ מוחין דאבא על מוחין דאימא. ואפשר שזהו ענין מעין גנים.15
“To understand what is said in the Haggadah, ‘This matzah’”: the superiority of the level of the intellect (mochin) of Abba over the intellect of Imma. And it may be that this is the matter of “a spring of gardens”:
That discourse, on the matzah of the Haggadah, explains the superiority of the intellect of Abba over that of Imma. Perhaps this is also the meaning of “a spring of gardens.”
מעין דוקא. וע״ש עוד בזהר פ׳ בא (דל״ו ע״א) ר׳ [רבי] שמעון אמר בשעתא דאתפליג ליליא כו׳ ובפי׳ הרמ״ז [הרב משה זכות] שם.
“a spring,” specifically. And see further there, in the Zohar, Parshas Bo (folio 36a): “Rabbi Shimon said: At the hour when the night is divided,” etc.; and in the commentary of the Ramaz there.
It is called “a spring,” specifically: a source that wells up, rather than a river that flows out from it. The Zohar on Bo and the Ramaz’s commentary are also cited, on the hour “when the night is divided.”
ועיין בזהר הרקיע פ׳ ויקרא (בדף י״ג) בד״ה שאו ידיכם כו׳ שבחצות הלילה נעשה זיווג או״א [אבא ואימא] ליתן מוחין כו׳
And see the Zohar HaRakia on Parshas Vayikra (on folio 13), in the passage beginning “Lift up your hands,” etc.: that at midnight the union of Abba and Imma takes place, to give intellect, etc.
The Zohar HaRakia is cited for the teaching that at midnight Abba and Imma unite in order to give intellect.
ועיין מזה בפע״ח [בפרי עץ חיים] שער ק״ש [קריאת שמע] שעל המטה ספ״ו ופרק י״א בד״ה ליקוטים. ועיין מק״מ [מקדש מלך] רפ צו (בדף כ״ו ע״ב).
And see on this in Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Krias Shema she’al HaMitah (the Gate of the Shema at Bedtime), end of chapter 6, and chapter 11, in the section beginning “Likkutim.” And see the Mikdash Melech at the beginning of Parshas Tzav (on folio 26b).
Pri Etz Chaim’s Gate of the Shema at Bedtime and the Mikdash Melech on Tzav are further sources on what happens at midnight.
ועיין בזהר הרקיע פ׳ ויחי בפי׳ מ״ש בתוספתא שבזהר פ׳ ויחי שם (דרל״ב סע״א [סוף עמוד א]) שרגא דדליק אתחזי בליליא ביממא אסתתרת16 כו׳ ע״ש.
And see the Zohar HaRakia on Parshas Vayechi, in the explanation of what is said in the Tosefta in the Zohar, Parshas Vayechi there (folio 232, end of side a): “A lamp that burns is seen at night; by day it is hidden,” etc.; see there.
The Tosefta in the Zohar on Vayechi speaks of “a lamp that burns,” seen at night and hidden by day. The Zohar HaRakia’s explanation of it is cited, since it too speaks of a light revealed at night.
ועמ״ש בד״ה להבין ענין משמח חתן בפ׳ צו פי׳ וענין כשמחך יצירך בגן עדן מקדם כו׳ ועמ״ש בד״ה וילקט יוסף17 בענין האי אור זרע ליה קוב״ה [קודשא בריך הוא] בגנתא כו׳ ע״ש:18
And see what is written in the discourse beginning “To understand the matter of ‘Who gladdens the groom,’” in Parshas Tzav, [on] the explanation and the matter of “As You gladdened Your creation in the Garden of Eden of old,” etc.; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “And Yosef gathered,” on the matter of “This light, the Holy One, blessed be He, sowed it in the garden,” etc.; see there.
Two more discourses are pointed to: one on the wedding blessing “As You gladdened Your creation in the Garden of Eden of old,” and one on the light that “the Holy One, blessed be He, sowed in the garden.”
The dodim, Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, thirst and are refreshed by water and by wine, while the higher re’im, bound together forever, are oil and their eating is absorption into the source; and at midnight the Holy One, blessed be He, appears in the garden and draws into it from the essence of Eden, the higher Chochmah, above the measured river.
The Zohar on Bo, quoted here, adds that from this Eden springs go out along many paths, and that the garden is called “the bundle of life,” where the tzaddikim take delight. The contrast between the measured river and the essence of Eden repeats the theme of the whole discourse: study after midnight draws from the essence of Abba’s Chochmah, not only from its measured radiance.
Marei mekomos
- 1שתו ושכרו דודים · Song of Songs 5:1
- 2כלתה נפשי · Psalms 84:3
- 3הוי כל צמא לכו למים · Isaiah 55:1
- 4והי׳ מספר בנ״י · Hosea 2:1
- 5אשר ברא ששון ושמחה · Ketubot 8a:6–7
- 6רשפי אש · Song of Songs 8:6
- 7אסרי לגפן · Genesis 49:11
- 8צאינה וראינה · Song of Songs 3:11
- 9אעשה לו עזר כנגדו · Genesis 2:18
- 10דא משנה אתתא דההוא נער · Zohar, Bereshit 24:264–25:273
- 11בשעתא דקב״ה אתחזי על גנתא כל גנתא אתכנש ולא מתפרש מעדן · Zohar, Bo 4:92–5:101
- 12ונהר יוצא מעדן להשקות את הגן · Genesis 2:10
- 13ששים המה מלכות · Song of Songs 6:8
- 14ומעין מבית ה׳ יצא · Joel 4:18
- 15מעין גנים · Song of Songs 4:15
- 16שרגא דדליק אתחזי בליליא ביממא אסתתרת · Zohar, Vayechi 45:470–473
- 17וילקט יוסף · Genesis 47:14
- 18
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
Study Torah for its own sake and in depth, until new understanding emerges from the Chochmah in one’s own soul: such study draws the essence of the higher Chochmah into Z’eir Anpin and sweetens the judgments of Leah in all the worlds, while study without depth remains “letters.” Torah study after midnight is especially praised, for it repairs Rachel and sweetens Leah. Divine service has two parts, the myrrh and the spice: turning away from evil and doing good.
Questions for discussion
- Why does Z’eir Anpin receive only a “point” of the intellect of Abba and Imma, and how does the principle of yesh and ayin, from the giver’s and the recipient’s perspective, explain it?
- How does the addition of the Name Havayah in the verses about Shabbos illustrate what Torah study for its own sake accomplishes?
- What distinguishes study “with contemplation and depth” from study that understands but remains at the level of letters, and what does each do above?
- Why must the drawing-down of Chochmah come from a level above Chochmah, and how do the parable of the teacher and the contrast of smell and taste illustrate this?
- What is the difference between the “friends” who eat and the “beloved ones” who drink, and why are the souls of Israel compared to the friends?
Key terms in this maamar
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence. ×1
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×13
- The intellect (mochin)מוחין
- Chochmah, Binah and Daas as a whole. ×24
- Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah)אבא ואמא
- The intellectual configurations.
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×24
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×2
- Nukva (the feminine / Malchus)נוקבא
- Malchus as the receiving configuration.
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א
- The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration.
- Netzach (victory)נצח
- Perseverance, the drive to overcome.
- Hod (splendor)הוד
- Acknowledgment and yielding.
- Yesod (foundation)יסוד
- The channel that connects and transmits. ×4
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion. ×2
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×3
- Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
- The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×3
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×1
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response. ×1
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×2
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- “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 Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d. ×8
- The World of Yetzirah (Formation)יצירה
- The world of the angels and emotions.
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one.
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence.
- The Sefirosספירות
- The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation.
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×2
- Delightתענוג
- Pleasure; the inner root of will. ×1