Torah Ohr · Parshas Bo · Maamar 1
בעצם היום הזה יצאו כל צבאות ה׳ מארץ מצרים
“On this very day all the hosts of Havayah went out”
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The big idea
Tzevaos, the Name the prophets used, means that the Infinite Light became one with the created souls and angels of the lower worlds as fully as with the vessels of Atzilus, so that G‑d is called by the name of His hosts. “The hosts of Havayah” who left Egypt are the reverse: sparks of holiness raised up and absorbed into the Name Havayah.
The maamar in brief
Chanah was the first to call G‑d “Havayah Tzevaos,” and the later prophets used the Name often, yet it never appears in the Torah of Moshe. To explain why, the maamar first asks what a divine Name is. G‑d’s essence is beyond every description; He is called “wise” or “great” only because He humbles Himself into the vessels of the Sefiros of Atzilus. The Names are these vessels, and Havayah is the light within them all, which is why it combines with every other Name. The Torah, rooted in Havayah, came through Moshe from Atzilus, and he had no need to bring the Infinite Light into the lower worlds. When later generations stopped keeping the Torah, the prophets drew it into Beriah, so that their rebuke was G‑d’s own word. They united the Infinite Light with the souls and angels of Beriah as in Atzilus, drawing the power from the light that encompasses all worlds; hence “Havayah Tzevaos.” Finally, “the hosts of Havayah” who left Egypt are the 202 sparks refined there, which have no names once they are absorbed in Havayah, while the souls of Israel stand above them.
Outline
- Chanah’s Name and G‑d beyond descriptionTzevaos, first said by Chanah, is a holy Name. G‑d’s essence is beyond all descriptions; He is called “wise” or “great” only by humbling Himself into the vessels of Atzilus.¶1–3
- The Names as vessels, Havayah as the lightEach holy Name is a vessel of a Sefirah of Atzilus, and Havayah is the light within them all, which is why it combines with every Name. The whole Torah is rooted in Havayah, the level of Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus.¶4–6
- Moshe’s Torah and the prophets’ rebukeMoshe drew the Torah from Atzilus and did not need to unite the Infinite Light with the lower worlds. When later generations strayed, the prophets drew the Torah into Beriah, so that their rebuke was the word of G‑d.¶7–10
- Havayah TzevaosThe prophets made the Infinite Light one with the souls and angels of Beriah as in Atzilus, so that G‑d is called by the descriptive name “Havayah Tzevaos”; they drew the power for this from the light that encompasses all worlds.¶11
- The hosts of Havayah who left Egypt“The hosts of Havayah” are the 202 sparks refined in Egypt, which lose their names once absorbed in Havayah; the souls of Israel stand above them.¶12–15
Key concepts
- The Name Tzevaosשם צבאות
- “Hosts”: a Name of G‑d that may not be erased, first used by Chanah and then by the prophets. It signifies the Infinite Light united with the created hosts, the souls and angels of Beriah, as it is united with the vessels of Atzilus.
- The Name Havayahשם הוי״ה
- The four-letter Name, “the Unique Name.” The other holy Names are vessels, and Havayah is the light within them all; it joins the light to the vessels and so combines with every Name.
- His greatness is His humilityבמקום שאתה מוצא גדולתו שם אתה מוצא ענותנותו
- Every description of G‑d, even “great,” exists only because He lowers Himself into the vessels of Atzilus; His essence is beyond them all.
- He and His organs are oneאיהו וגרמוהי חד
- A phrase from the Tikkunei Zohar: in Atzilus the vessels are wholly one with the Infinite Light. The prophets brought this kind of union into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
- Descriptive nameשם התואר
- A name taken from a quality one has made one’s own, as a person who learns wisdom is called “wise.” “Havayah Tzevaos” is such a name: G‑d is one with the hosts and is called by them.
- The light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)סובב כל עלמין
- The light before which darkness and light are equal; it alone can descend to the lowest worlds, and from it the prophets drew the power to unite the Infinite Light with Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
- The sparksניצוצות
- Sparks of holiness that fell in the shattering of the vessels: 288 in all, of which 202 were refined in Egypt. Once refined they have no names and are absorbed in the Name Havayah, as “the hosts of Havayah.”
Chanah’s Name and G‑d beyond description ¶1–3
1בעצם היום הזה12 יצאו כל צבאות ה׳ מארץ מצרים. הנה ארז״ל על חנה מיום שברא הקב״ה את עולמו3 לא היה אדם שקראו להקב״ה צבאות עד שבאת חנה כו׳.
“On this very day all the hosts of Havayah went out of the land of Egypt.” Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said of Chanah: “From the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, there was no person who called the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘Tzevaos’ until Chanah came,” etc.
The maamar opens with the verse about the Exodus, “all the hosts of Havayah went out of the land of Egypt,” and returns to it at the end to explain who these hosts are. The word for hosts, tzevaos, is also a Name of G‑d, and the Talmud records that Chanah, the mother of the prophet Shmuel, was the first person since creation to call G‑d by it.
דהיינו שהיא פתחה תחלה לקרות הקב״ה הוי״ה צבאות ואמר הקב״ה4 עתיד בן שלך לפתוח בנבואה בשם זה
That is, she was the first to begin calling the Holy One, blessed be He, “Havayah Tzevaos.” And the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Your son is destined to open in prophecy with this Name.”
Chanah used the full Name “Havayah Tzevaos” in her prayer for a son; Havayah is the four-letter Name of G‑d, which is not pronounced as it is written. The Midrash adds that G‑d promised her that her son would one day open his prophecy with this same Name.
כמ״ש ויאמר שמואל כה אמר5 ה׳ צבאות פקדתי6 כו׳. והנביאים האחרונים נבאו בשם זה ובפרט חגי זכרי׳ ומלאכי יותר מכולן.
As it is written, “And Shmuel said, ‘Thus says Havayah Tzevaos: I have remembered,’” etc. And the later prophets prophesied with this Name, and in particular Chaggai, Zechariah and Malachi, more than all of them.
The promise was fulfilled when Shmuel began his message to King Shaul with “Thus says Havayah Tzevaos.” From then on the Name is common in the books of the prophets, above all in Chaggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the last of them.
וקיי״ל (ספ״ד דשבועות)7 דצבאות הוא מן השמות שאינן נמחקין. והנה מתחלה יש להקדים ענין השמות מהו.
And we hold as law (at the end of the fourth chapter of Shevuos) that Tzevaos is one of the Names that may not be erased. Now, we must first preface [an explanation of] the concept of the Names: what it is.
The Talmud counts Tzevaos among the Names of G‑d that may not be erased, unlike descriptive praises such as “the Great” or “the Mighty,” which may be. Before explaining this Name, the Alter Rebbe first explains what a divine Name is in general.
גם מעלת שם המיוחד שם הוי״ה על שאר השמות ואח״כ ית׳ אי״ה ענין שם צבאות.8
[We must] also [preface] the superiority of the Unique Name, the Name Havayah, over the other Names. And afterward the concept of the Name Tzevaos will be explained, G‑d willing.
The maamar will also explain why Havayah, known as “the Unique Name,” is superior to all the other Names. Only after these two introductions will it come to the Name Tzevaos itself.
הנה ידוע שמהותו ועצמותו של הא״ס ב״ה הוא פשוט בתכלית הפשיטות ולא שייך כלל במהו״ע ענין התוארים שנמצאו שכינו לו ית׳ בתורה ובדברי הנביאים ובדברי רז״ל כמו חכם חסיד רחמן כו׳ וכיוצא בהן.
Now, it is known that the essence and being of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, is simple in the utmost simplicity, and the concept of descriptions does not apply at all to His essence and being: [the descriptions] that we find were applied to Him, may He be blessed, as epithets in the Torah, in the words of the prophets and in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, such as “wise,” “kind” (chasid), “merciful,” etc., and the like.
The starting point is that G‑d’s own essence is utterly simple, without parts or qualities. So none of the descriptions found in Scripture and in the words of the Sages, such as “wise,” “kind” or “merciful,” can apply to His essence as it is.
כי הוא ית׳ מרומם ונשגב ומובדל מכל גדרים אלו שהחכמה שהיא המעלה הראשונה בנבראים היא נחשבת כעשיה גשמי׳ לגבי מהותו ועצמותו ית׳.9
For He, may He be blessed, is exalted, lofty and set apart from all these definitions, so that Chochmah (wisdom), which is the first rank among created beings, is considered like physical action in relation to His essence and being, may He be blessed.
Chochmah, wisdom, is the highest level within creation, yet compared with G‑d’s essence even wisdom is as low as coarse physical action. G‑d is not merely very wise; He is beyond the whole category of wisdom.
The paragraph introduces the subject: the Name Tzevaos, first used by Chanah and then by the prophets, and counted in Jewish law as a holy Name. To explain it, the Alter Rebbe starts from the principle that G‑d’s essence is beyond every description, even wisdom.
Later passages refer back to this maamar for its explanation of Tzevaos as the union of the Infinite Light with the Worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah just as with Atzilus. Torah Ohr, Yisro, uses it to explain how Torah and mitzvos reveal G‑d’s unity in the soul, and Likkutei Torah, Ha’azinu, cites it for the angels, called Tzevaos, in “Holy, holy, holy is Havayah Tzevaos.”
Marei mekomos
- 1בעצם היום הזה · הנחת הר״מ בן אדה״ז בסה״מ תקס״ה ע׳ רו. ראה לעיל בציונים והערות לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. ד״ה זה נזכר לקמן ע, ד: ”בפי׳ שם צבאות שהוא יחוד אוא״ס בבי״ע כמו באצי׳”. לקו״ת האזינו עז, ד. סה״מ תרכ״ז (הוצאה חדשה) ע׳ קלה. רכט. תרל״ב ח״ב ע׳ תכג. לכללות מאמר זה ראה ד״ה בעצם היום הזה תשמ״ג. תשמ״ז.
- 2בעצם היום הזה · Exodus 12:41
- 3מיום שברא הקב״ה את עולמו · Berakhot 31b:6
- 4ואמר הקב״ה · ראה מדרש שמואל פ״ב.
- 5ויאמר שמואל כה אמר ה׳ צבאות · I Samuel 15:2
- 6
- 7ספ״ד דשבועות · לה, א.
- 8ענין שם צבאות · ראה ד״ה באתי לגני תש״מ בארוכה. ד״ה ויהי בעצם היום הזה תשמ״ז.
- 9
2ומכ״ש בחי׳ המדות וכמאמר דלאו מכל אלין מדות איהו כלל12 וכנודע. ואעפ״כ יש מציאות ענין התוארים הללו שבאו בתנ״ך ובדחז״ל.
And all the more so the level of the emotive attributes (middos), as it is said, “He is not of any of these attributes at all,” as is known. And even so, there is a reality to the concept of these descriptions that appear in Tanach and in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory.
If even wisdom is far below G‑d, the emotive attributes, such as kindness and severity, are lower still; Eliyahu’s prayer in the Tikkunei Zohar says that He is “not of any of these attributes at all.” Even so, the Alter Rebbe insists that the descriptions of G‑d in Scripture and the Sages are not empty words but refer to something real.
דהיינו ע״ד מארז״ל במקום שאתה מוצא גדולתו3 כו׳ שם אתה מוצא ענותנותו שהוא ית׳ משפיל א״ע להיות מתלבש בעשר כלים דאצילות שהן בחי׳ חו״ג כו׳.
That is, in the manner of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Wherever you find His greatness,” etc., “there you find His humility.” [This means] that He, may He be blessed, lowers Himself to be clothed in the ten vessels of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), which are the levels of Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint), etc.
The Sages taught that wherever G‑d’s greatness appears, His humility appears with it. The Alter Rebbe reads this as the key to all the descriptions: G‑d “humbles” Himself to be clothed in the ten vessels of Atzilus, such as Chesed and Gevurah, and only through them can He be described.
The paragraph begins to resolve the problem: G‑d’s essence has no qualities, yet the descriptions of Him are real, because He lowers Himself into the vessels of the Sefiros of Atzilus.
The Kehot note cites the Rebbe’s maamar of 5747, which adds that even the phrase “beyond comparison” does not fit G‑d’s essence. Things are “beyond comparison” only when they share some common ground, and His essence shares nothing with what flows from it.
Marei mekomos
- 1דלאו מכל אלין מדות איהו כלל · Tikkunei Zohar, Patach Eliyahu · 17b:4–6
- 2דלאו מכל אלין מדות איהו כלל · Tikkunei Zohar 17b:5–7
- 3במקום שאתה מוצא גדולתו · Megillah 31a:12–13
3וג״ר חב״ד ואז שייך לקרותו בתוארים שנק׳ חכם מצד התלבשותו בחכמה וכמאמר אליהו1 אנת חכים2 פי׳ שמספר בענותנותו שמשפיל א״ע להתלבש בבחי׳ כלי החכמה עם היות שהחכמה אין ערוך אליו כלל כנ״ל.
And the first three [Sefiros], Chochmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding) and Daas (knowledge). Then it becomes fitting to call Him by descriptions, so that He is called “wise” by virtue of His being clothed in Chochmah, as in the saying of Eliyahu, “You are wise.” This means that he tells of His humility: that He lowers Himself to be clothed in the level of the vessel of Chochmah, even though Chochmah bears no comparison to Him at all, as said above.
The list of vessels continues with the first three Sefiros, the intellectual ones: Chochmah, Binah and Daas. G‑d can be called “wise” only because He clothes Himself in the vessel of Chochmah, and Eliyahu’s words “You are wise” are read as praise of His humility, since Chochmah bears no comparison to Him.
וכן משפיל א״ע להתלבש בבחי׳ חסד ונק׳ אז הגדול או חסיד וזהו שהגדולה היא ענותנותו
And likewise He lowers Himself to be clothed in the level of Chesed (kindness), and He is then called “the Great” or “kind” (chasid). And this is [what it means] that the greatness is His humility.
The same holds for kindness: G‑d is called “great” or “kind” because He clothes Himself in Chesed, which Kabbalah also calls Gedulah, “greatness.” This is the sense in which His greatness is His humility.
שע״י ענוה והשפלה שהשפיל א״ע להתלבש במדת חסד אז דייקא שייך לקרותו גדול משא״כ מהו״ע מרומם מגדר זה כנ״ל.
For through the humility and lowering by which He lowered Himself to be clothed in the attribute of Chesed, precisely then is it fitting to call Him “great”; whereas His essence and being is exalted above this definition, as said above.
The greatness people praise is itself a lowering: only because G‑d lowered Himself into the attribute of Chesed can He be called “great.” His essence remains above even this description.
The paragraph applies the principle to particular descriptions: G‑d is “wise” through Chochmah and “great” or “kind” through Chesed, and each description is really a form of His humility.
The Talmud’s saying is read here in its strongest sense. The “greatness” Scripture praises is not a second quality beside the humility; it is the humility itself, G‑d’s lowering of Himself into the vessels.
Marei mekomos
- 1וכמאמר אליהו · ת״ז בהקדמה.
- 2אנת חכים · Tikkunei Zohar 17b:3–4
The Names as vessels, Havayah as the light ¶4–6
4והנה שמותיו של הקב״ה הם הכלים1 דע״ס דאצי׳ שמתלבש בהן אוא״ס ב״ה ומתייחד עמהן בתכלית היחוד ע״ד דאיהו וגרמוהי2 חד3 היינו שם אל הוא בבחי׳ כלי החסד.
Now, the Names of the Holy One, blessed be He, are the vessels of the Ten Sefiros of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), in which the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, is clothed and with which it is united in the utmost unity, in the manner of “He and His organs are one.” That is, the Name Kel is in the level of the vessel of Chesed (kindness).
Here a divine Name is defined: the Names are the vessels of the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus, in which the Infinite Light is clothed and with which it is wholly one. “He and His organs are one” is a phrase from the Tikkunei Zohar meaning that in Atzilus even the vessels, the “organs,” are one with G‑d. Thus the Name Kel belongs to the vessel of Chesed.
ושם אלקים בבחי׳ כלי הגבורה ושם אדנ״י בבחי׳ מל׳. אמנם שם הוי״ה הוא הפנימיו׳ של כל השמות שהם הכלים.
And the Name Elokim is in the level of the vessel of Gevurah (restraint), and the Name Ado-nai in the level of Malchus (sovereignty). But the Name Havayah is the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of all the Names, which are the vessels.
Each of the other Names likewise belongs to a vessel: Elokim to Gevurah and Ado-nai to Malchus. Havayah is different: it is not one more vessel but the inner dimension within all of them.
כי הוא בבחי׳ האורות המתלבשים בתוך הכלים דהיינו בבחי׳ אל שהוא השם שבכלי החסד. הנה בבחי׳ האור הנמשך מא״ס ב״ה להתלבש בו הוא בחי׳ שם הוי״ה.
For it is in the level of the lights that are clothed within the vessels. That is, in the level of Kel, which is the Name in the vessel of Chesed: the level of the light that is drawn from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, to be clothed in it is the level of the Name Havayah.
Havayah is the light that fills the vessels. Within the vessel of Chesed, which bears the Name Kel, the light drawn from the Infinite One to fill it is what the Name Havayah means.
The paragraph defines the divine Names as the vessels of the Sefiros of Atzilus and sets Havayah apart as the light that fills them all.
A teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, cited in Likkutei Torah, Behar, refines this: the Names are not the vessels themselves, since the vessels are the attributes while a Name refers to G‑d Himself. Rather, the other Names are the life-force from the Infinite Light that gives each vessel its life, and Havayah is the light drawn into the vessel.
Marei mekomos
- 1שמותיו של הקב״ה הם הכלים · ראה בלקו״ת פ׳ בהר מג, ב בשם הבעש״ט דאין ר״ל שהשמות הן הכלים עצמן רק שהם החיות וההארה מאור א״ס המלובש בהכלי ומחי׳ את הכלי ע״ש. ראה גם שם בהוספות נא, ג. וראה גם ד״ה וארא תרמ״ט ע׳ ערה.
- 2ע״ד דאיהו וגרמוהי · בהגהת הרה״ח ר׳ אשר: עד.
- 3דאיהו וגרמוהי חד · Tikkunei Zohar 3b:9–10
5וכן גם בבחי׳ שם אלקים שבכלי הגבורה מתלבש בתוכו שם הוי״ה שהוא בבחי׳ האור מא״ס המתלבש בתוך הכלים הנ״ל.
And so too in the level of the Name Elokim, which is in the vessel of Gevurah (restraint): the Name Havayah is clothed within it, which is in the level of the light from the Infinite One (Ein Sof) that is clothed within the vessels mentioned above.
The same holds for the Name Elokim, which belongs to the vessel of Gevurah: Havayah is clothed inside it as the light from the Infinite One. Havayah is present even within the Names associated with judgment.
ועד״ז בכל השמות שאינן נמחקין שהם בבחי׳ הכלים. ושם הוי״ה הוא בבחי׳ האורות המתלבשים בהן.
And in this manner with all the Names that may not be erased, which are in the level of the vessels; and the Name Havayah is in the level of the lights that are clothed in them.
All the Names that may not be erased are vessels, and Havayah is the light within each of them. This is the general rule behind the examples of Kel and Elokim.
This is why the Name Havayah combines with all the Names, as it is written, “On the day that Havayah Elokim made earth and heavens,” etc., and it is written, “Havayah Tzevaos,” etc.
This is why Scripture so often pairs Havayah with another Name, as in “Havayah Elokim” in the account of creation and in “Havayah Tzevaos.” The pairing shows the light, Havayah, within its vessel, the other Name.
מפני שבחי׳ שם הוי״ה הוא הממשיך את האור א״ס להתלבש בשמות אלקים וצבאות שהם הכלים כו׳ שהוא הממוצע בין אורות וכלים ולכך הוא המחבר האורות עם הכלים:
[This is] because the level of the Name Havayah is what draws down the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) to be clothed in the Names Elokim and Tzevaos, which are the vessels, etc.; for it is the intermediary between lights and vessels, and therefore it is what joins the lights with the vessels.
Havayah draws the Infinite Light into the vessels called Elokim and Tzevaos. It stands between light and vessel, and so it is what joins the two.
The paragraph completes the definition: every other holy Name is a vessel and Havayah is the light within it, which is why Havayah combines with all the Names, Tzevaos among them.
A maamar of 5654 cited in the Kehot note asks how this fits the teaching that the Name Kel also combines with all the Names, as the level of “what arose in His will,” which includes both judgment and mercy. It answers that the combining differs: Kel combines with each Name according to the nature of that Name, while Havayah is the light within all of them.
Marei mekomos
- 1מצטרף עם כל השמות · אף ששם א-ל מצטרף עם כל השמות, ראה בד״ה בחדש השביעי תרנ״ד ע׳ יב וז״ל: ראיתי בכתבי א׳ מהשומעים שכ׳ בשם כ״ק אאמו״ר זצוקללה״ה נ״ע דשם אל מצטרף עם כל השמות מפני שהוא בחי׳ מה שעלה ברצונו כו׳ כנ״ל וכולל מדה״ד ומדה״ר וכמ״ש אכן אתה אל מסתתר כו׳, ולכאורה צ״ע דהלא בתו״א פ׳ בא ד״ה בעצם היום הזה מבואר ההפרש בין ש׳ הוי׳ לשאר שמות דש׳ הוי׳ הוא בחי׳ האור ושארי שמות בבחי׳ כלים ולכן ש׳ הוי׳ מצטרף עם כל השמות כו׳ יעו״ש. אך י״ל הכוונה דיש הפרש בענין הצירוף דשם אל שמצטרף עם כל השמות היינו שהוא לפי אופן הש׳ שמצטרף עמו, ע״ש בארוכה. בד״ה כי תשא תרל״ח סעי׳ ה׳ (ע׳ סג): ”כמ״כ יובן למעלה ענין השמות שהם מחברים האורות עם הכלי׳ וזהו בבחי׳ ע״ס, והגם שבת״א פ׳ בא נת׳ דשאר השמות מלבד שם הוי׳ הם בהכלים דע״ס, אך מבואר במ״א בשם הבעש״ט נ״ע דאין ר״ל שהשמות הם הכלים עצמן דהא הכלים הם המדות והשם קאי על הבורא עצמו שהוא עצמו כביכול נק׳ אל, אלא מ״ש שהשמות הם בכלים פי׳ שהם בחי׳ החיות וההארה מאוא״ס המלובש בהכלי ומחי׳ את הכלי, כי הכלים יש להם חיות מאוא״ס לבד האור המלובש בהם, וז״ע שאר השמות שאינם נמחקים. אמנם שם הוי׳ הוא המשכת האור בהכלי שמחבר וממשיך האור בהכלי וזהו בע״ס”. ומה שכתב מבואר במ״א כנראה הכוונה לקו״ת בהר מג, ב המובא לעיל בהערה ד״ה שמותיו.
- 2ביום עשות ה׳ אלקים · Genesis 2:4
Now, it is written, “This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance,” etc. And it is explained in the Tikkunei Zohar: “My Name” (shmi) with yud-heh [is] the 365 prohibitions; “My remembrance” (zichri) with vav-heh [is] the 248 positive commandments.
In Exodus G‑d calls Havayah both “My Name” and “My remembrance,” and the Tikkunei Zohar finds the 613 commandments in these words. Shmi (שמי, “My Name,” 350) plus yud-heh (15) makes 365, the number of prohibitions, and zichri (זכרי, “My remembrance,” 237) plus vav-heh (11) makes 248, the number of positive commandments.
והיינו שכללות התורה רמ״ח מ״ע ושס״ה ל״ת הם מושרשים בשם הוי״ה שהוא בחי׳ ז״א דאצי׳.
That is, the Torah as a whole, the 248 positive commandments and the 365 prohibitions, is rooted in the Name Havayah, which is the level of Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation).
Yud-heh and vav-heh together spell Havayah, so the whole Torah, all 613 commandments, is rooted in this Name. In Atzilus, the Name Havayah is the level of Z’eir Anpin, the configuration of the six emotive attributes.
רמ״ח מ״ע נמשכים מבחי׳ החסדים שבז״א ושס״ה ל״ת מבחי׳ הגבורות שבז״א ובהם נכללים כל פרטי הדינים דאו״ה כשר ופסול חייב וזכאי כו׳.
The 248 positive commandments are drawn from the level of the chasadim (kindnesses) in Z’eir Anpin, and the 365 prohibitions from the level of the gevuros (severities) in Z’eir Anpin. And in them are included all the details of the laws of forbidden and permitted, valid and invalid, guilty and innocent, etc.
The positive commandments flow from the kindnesses (chasadim) within Z’eir Anpin and the prohibitions from its severities (gevuros). Every ruling of halachah, permitted and forbidden, valid and invalid, guilty and innocent, is included in them.
שההיתר והכשר נמשך מבחי׳ החסד דז״א והעובר אל״ת ממשיך עליו מבחינת הגבורות להיות נענש כו׳
For what is permitted and valid is drawn from the level of the Chesed (kindness) of Z’eir Anpin, while one who transgresses a prohibition draws upon himself from the level of the gevuros, to be punished, etc.
What is permitted and valid comes from Chesed, the side that allows and gives. One who transgresses a prohibition draws severity upon himself, and this brings punishment.
ואור א״ס ב״ה הוא מלובש בכלים דז״א עד דאיהו וגרמוהי חד כדלעיל וזהו בחי׳ שם הוי״ה.
And the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, is clothed in the vessels of Z’eir Anpin, until “He and His organs are one,” as above; and this is the level of the Name Havayah.
In the vessels of Z’eir Anpin the Infinite Light is wholly one with them: “He and His organs are one.” This union of the light with the vessels of Atzilus is what the Name Havayah means.
The paragraph shows that the whole Torah, its positive commandments and its prohibitions, is rooted in the Name Havayah, the level of Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus, where the Infinite Light is one with the vessels.
The two halves of the Name are matched to the two kinds of commandments: yud-heh with “My Name” and the prohibitions, vav-heh with “My remembrance” and the positive commandments. In the Tikkunei Zohar the prohibitions, which come from awe, are put before the positive commandments, which come from love. This prepares the next step: the Torah given through Moshe comes from Atzilus, the realm of Havayah.
Marei mekomos
- 1זה שמי לעלם · Exodus 3:15
- 2
- 3ופי׳ בת״ז · בהקדמה ה, א. ובעוד מקומות.
- 4שמי עם י״ה שס״ה ל״ת. זכרי עם ו״ה רמ״ח מ״ע · Tikkunei Zohar 5a:4
Moshe’s Torah and the prophets’ rebuke ¶7–10
7ובזה יובן מה שבכל התורה לא נזכר שם צבאות רק שם הוי״ה לבדו רק חנה אמרה ה׳ צבאות.
With this we will understand why in the whole Torah the Name Tzevaos is not mentioned, only the Name Havayah alone, and only Chanah said “Havayah Tzevaos.”
This explains a striking fact: the Five Books of Moses never use the Name Tzevaos, only Havayah, and the Name first appears with Chanah.
כי מרע״ה שזכה שתנתן התורה על ידו היינו לפי שהמשיך התלבשות אור א״ס בכלים דז״א.
For Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, who merited that the Torah be given through him: this was because he drew down the clothing of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) in the vessels of Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes).
Moshe merited that the Torah was given through him because he drew the Infinite Light into the vessels of Z’eir Anpin, the level of the Name Havayah. The Torah, which the previous paragraph showed is rooted in Havayah, came from there.
ומשם נמשך התורה כנ״ל (ומשם היתה נבואתו כי עיקר נבואתו היתה מאצי׳1 רק דרך מעבר נמשך2 על ידי הבריאה3 כמ״ש בשער הקדושה להרח״ו ח״ג שער ו׳) אבל לא המשיך שיהיה ג״כ התלבשות אור א״ס בבי״ע
And from there the Torah is drawn, as said above. (And from there was his prophecy, for his prophecy was essentially from the World of Atzilus (Emanation), only that it was drawn by way of passage through the World of Beriah (Creation), as written in Sha’ar HaKedushah of Rabbi Chaim Vital, part 3, gate 6.) But he did not draw down that there should also be a clothing of the Infinite Light in the Worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action).
Moshe’s prophecy also came from Atzilus and only passed through Beriah on its way, as Rabbi Chaim Vital writes in his Sha’arei Kedushah (part 3, gate 6). But Moshe did not bring the Infinite Light to be clothed in the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
ע״ד שהוא מתייחד עם כלים דאצילות כך יהי׳ מתייחד עם כלים דבי״ע זה לא המשיך משה ולא הוצרך לזה כי המשכת התורה המשיך מבחי׳ אצילות ממש.
In the manner that He is united with the vessels of Atzilus, so would He be united with the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah: this Moshe did not draw down, and he did not need to, for the drawing down of the Torah he drew from the level of Atzilus itself.
Moshe did not make G‑d one with the vessels of the lower worlds as He is with the vessels of Atzilus. He had no need to, since he drew the Torah directly from Atzilus.
ושם מתייחד אור א״ס עם הכלים עד דאיהו וגרמוהי חד כנ״ל. משא״כ בבי״ע אין הגילוי כלל בהכלים4 (ולאו איהו וגרמוהי חד בהון5 כנודע)
And there the Infinite Light is united with the vessels, until “He and His organs are one,” as said above. This is not so in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah: the revelation is not in the vessels at all (and it is not [so that] “He and His organs are one” in them, as is known).
In Atzilus the Infinite Light is one with the vessels, but in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah it is not revealed in the vessels at all. There it cannot be said that “He and His organs are one.”
אבל הנביאים שאחריו המשיכו את אור א״ס ב״ה שיתלבש ג״כ בכלים דבי״ע מה שלא היה כן בימי מרע״ה.
But the prophets after him drew down the Infinite Light, blessed be He, so that it would be clothed also in the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, which was not so in the days of Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him.
The prophets after Moshe did something new: they drew the Infinite Light down to be clothed in the vessels of the lower worlds too. This had not been done in Moshe’s time.
והיינו שחנה פתחה תחלה בשם צבאות ואחריה נמשכו כל הנביאים שענין שם זה הוא מורה על ענין התלבשות אור א״ס בכלים דבי״ע להיות מתייחד עמהם ג״כ וכמשי״ת אי״ה.
And this is [why] Chanah was the first to open with the Name Tzevaos, and after her all the prophets followed; for this Name indicates the clothing of the Infinite Light in the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, to be united with them as well, as will be explained, G‑d willing.
Chanah opened this path and the prophets followed her, which is why the Name Tzevaos belongs to them. The Name signifies the Infinite Light clothed in the vessels of the lower worlds and united with them, as the maamar will explain.
The paragraph explains why Tzevaos does not appear in the Torah: Moshe drew the Torah from Atzilus, while the later prophets drew the Infinite Light down into the lower worlds, and Tzevaos is the Name of that union.
The Kehot notes point out that in Tanya (Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, ch. 5) the Alter Rebbe writes that Moshe’s comprehension in his prophecy was not in the World of Atzilus but through its clothing in the World of Beriah, and that the Rebbe reconciles the two in Likkutei Sichos: in Tanya’s Kuntres Acharon a passage through a world is also called clothing. Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar, uses Moshe’s prophecy as the example of Atzilus itself shining in a person clothed in a physical body.
Marei mekomos
- 1עיקר נבואתו היתה מאצי׳ · ראה גם לקו״ת במדבר ב, ב. שה״ש כח, ג. לקו״ש ח״ט ע׳ 204 הערה 7.
- 2רק דרך מעבר נמשך ע״י הבריאה · וכ״ה בלקו״ת סוף הביאור דצוא״ר. וראה שער היחוד והאמונה פ״ה: ”השגת משרע״ה בנבואתו לא היתה בעולם האצי׳ אלא ע״י התלבשותו בעולם הבריאה. לקוטי הש״ס להאריז״ל ברכות (ה, א): משה רבינו נבואתו היתה מהיכל ק״ק דבריאה אשר שם הוא סוד כח״ב דבריאה (לקו״ש ח״ו ע׳ 252). ומתרץ שם כ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע שבקו״א לתניא ד״ה להבין מ״ש בפע״ח (קנח, א) ”ע״י מעבר חסד דיצירה ועשי׳ הנק׳ ג״כ התלבשות”. וכ״ה בשעה״ק להרח״ו ח״ג ש״ו. וראה גם בלקו״ש ח״ט ע׳ 204 הערה 7. לקו״ת במדבר ב, ב.
- 3עיקר נבואתו היתה מאצי׳ רק דרך מעבר נמשך על ידי הבריאה · Sha'arei Kedusha, Part 3 6
- 4משא״כ בבי״ע אין הגילוי כלל בהכלים · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ יתרו ע׳ תשמח שצ״ע למ״ש לקמן פו, א. ראה המשך תער״ב ח״ב ע׳ תתקנה.
- 5ולאו איהו וגרמוהי חד בהון · Tikkunei Zohar 3b:9–10
8והוצרכו לזה כי בימי מרע״ה שהיתה נבואתו מאצילות ע״כ המשיך להם למטה התורה משם מבחי׳ אצילות
And they needed this because in the days of Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, whose prophecy was from the World of Atzilus (Emanation), he therefore drew the Torah down to them below from there, from the level of Atzilus.
The prophets needed this new drawing down because of a change in the people. In Moshe’s time his prophecy came from Atzilus, and he brought the Torah down to the people from there.
והוא היה דבר ה׳ בפי משה וקיימו ישראל התורה כו׳. אבל בימי הנביאים שאחריו שלא היו ישראל עושין רש״מ והוצרכו הנביאים להוכיחם.
And it was the word of G‑d in the mouth of Moshe, and Israel kept the Torah, etc. But in the days of the prophets after him, when Israel were not doing the will of the Omnipresent, the prophets needed to rebuke them.
In Moshe’s day the Torah was “the word of G‑d in the mouth of Moshe,” and the people kept it. In the days of the later prophets the people were not doing G‑d’s will, so the prophets had to rebuke them.
The paragraph gives the reason for the change: Moshe’s generation kept a Torah drawn from Atzilus, but later generations strayed and needed the prophets’ rebuke.
9וענין ההפרש בין תוכחה שאומר הנביא לשאר מוכיח הוא כי בהנביא הנה התוכחה היא דבר ה׳ המתלבש בדבורו של הנביא ונמצא הוא ית׳ הוא המוכיח.
And the difference between the rebuke that a prophet speaks and [that of] any other rebuker is this: with the prophet, the rebuke is the word of G‑d clothed in the prophet’s speech, so it turns out that He, may He be blessed, is the one who rebukes.
A prophet’s rebuke is not like anyone else’s. When a prophet rebukes, it is the word of G‑d clothed in his speech, so G‑d Himself is the one rebuking.
ולזאת הוכרח להיות המשכת התורה מאצילות לבי״ע כדי שיקיימו ישראל התורה כי בהיותה באצילות כבימי משה לא היו מקיימים אותה ישראל שבימי הנביאים אחר דורו של משה מצד שנשגבה מהם והית׳ התורה בפ״ע והאדם בפ״ע.
For this reason the Torah had to be drawn down from the World of Atzilus (Emanation) to the Worlds of Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action), so that Israel would keep the Torah. For while it was in Atzilus, as in the days of Moshe, Israel in the days of the prophets, after Moshe’s generation, would not keep it, because it was too lofty for them, and the Torah was a thing by itself and the person a thing by himself.
For the people to keep the Torah, it had to be drawn down from Atzilus into the lower worlds. As long as it remained in Atzilus, as in Moshe’s day, it was too lofty for the generations after him: the Torah stood apart and the person stood apart, with nothing to join them.
The paragraph explains why the Torah had to be drawn into the lower worlds: only there could the word of G‑d reach a later generation, through the prophet’s rebuke.
10ולכך היה צ״ל התלבשות התורה מאצי׳ לבריאה ונמשך שם דבר ה׳ בפי הנביא להזהיר את ישראל שיקיימו התורה כו׳. והגיע להם עי״ז התוכחה מדבר ה׳ ממש המתלבש בכלים דבי״ע ומשם בפי הנביא כו׳:
This is why there had to be a clothing of the Torah from the World of Atzilus (Emanation) into the World of Beriah (Creation), and there the word of G‑d was drawn into the mouth of the prophet, to warn Israel to keep the Torah, etc. And through this the rebuke reached them from the very word of G‑d, clothed in the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action), and from there in the mouth of the prophet, etc.
So the Torah was clothed from Atzilus into Beriah, and there the word of G‑d entered the prophet’s mouth, to warn the people to keep the Torah. The rebuke they heard was G‑d’s own word, clothed first in the vessels of the lower worlds and then in the prophet’s speech.
The paragraph sums up the process: from Atzilus to Beriah, and from Beriah to the prophet’s mouth, so that the rebuke the people heard was the very word of G‑d.
Havayah Tzevaos ¶11
Now, although a prophet is not permitted to introduce anything new, still, this is not an innovation or an addition to the Torah of Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him.
An objection: the Talmud teaches that a prophet may not introduce anything new into the Torah. The answer is that the prophets added nothing to the Torah of Moshe.
רק המשכת התורה בלי תוס׳ וגרעון מאצילות לבריאה.2 וזהו ענין שם צבאות שנז׳ בנביאים כי צבאות הוא לשון חיילות.
It is only the drawing down of the Torah, without addition or subtraction, from the World of Atzilus (Emanation) to the World of Beriah (Creation). And this is the meaning of the Name Tzevaos that is mentioned in the Prophets: for “Tzevaos” is a term for armies.
The prophets only drew the same Torah, without addition or subtraction, down from Atzilus into Beriah. This is what the Name Tzevaos, used by the prophets, refers to, since tzevaos means “hosts” or “armies.”
והם גדודי נשמות ומלאכים דבריאה אשר אין מספר לגדודיו3 והם נבראים ומחודשים מאין ליש ממש.
And these are the troops of souls and angels of Beriah, of which “there is no number to His troops”; and they are created and brought into being from nothing into an actual something.
The “hosts” are the countless troops of souls and angels of the World of Beriah, in words that echo Job’s “Is there any number to His troops?” Unlike Atzilus, these are created beings, brought into existence from nothing.
ואינן אלהות כלל כמו אצילות שהוא בחי׳ אלהות ממש ואעפ״כ הנביאים המשיכו שיתלבש בהם אור א״ס ב״ה בתכלית היחוד
And they are not G‑dliness at all, unlike Atzilus, which is the level of G‑dliness itself. And even so, the prophets drew down that the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, should be clothed in them in the utmost unity,
The souls and angels of Beriah are not G‑dliness, as Atzilus is. Yet the prophets drew the Infinite Light down to be clothed in them in complete unity.
כמו שנתלבש בכלים דאצי׳ עד דאיהו וגרמוהי חד עד שיהיה נק׳ האור א״ס המלובש בהם בשם צב(אות שהוא שם התואר שהוא עצמו הוא בחי׳ הצבאות ממש כענין איהו וגרמוהי חד שבאצי׳ שהוא עצמו הוא הדעה4 כו׳.
Just as it is clothed in the vessels of Atzilus, until “He and His organs are one,” to the point that the Infinite Light clothed in them would be called by the name Tzevaos (which is a descriptive name: that He Himself is truly the level of the hosts, like the concept of “He and His organs are one” in Atzilus, where He Himself is the knowledge, etc.
The unity in Beriah was to be like that of Atzilus, where “He and His organs are one,” and so the Infinite Light within the hosts is called Tzevaos. Tzevaos is a descriptive name, meaning that G‑d Himself is the hosts, just as in Atzilus He does not merely have knowledge but is Himself the knowledge. In the printed Hebrew a parenthesis opens in the middle of the word Tzevaos (צב(אות) and closes only after the verse “And beneath are the arms of the world” in 11.14; the translation opens it right after the word.
כך מתייחד בכלי׳ דבי״ע5 עד שהוא עצמו הוא הצבאות כו׳. ולא שהם נפרדים בפ״ע רק שבטלים אליו אלא שמתייחד עמהן ממש.
So He is united with the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action), until He Himself is the hosts, etc. And [it is] not that they are separate on their own and only nullified to Him; rather, He is truly united with them.
In the same way G‑d unites with the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah until He Himself is “the hosts.” They are not separate beings that are merely nullified before Him; He is truly one with them.
וכמשל יחוד וחבור הנשמה עם הגוף שהגם שהגוף הוא הכלי והעיקר היא הנשמה עכ״ז מתאחדת עם הגוף שנק׳ אדם הנשמה שבגוף ואין להגוף שם בפ״ע כו׳ וכהדין קמצא דלבושי׳ מיניה וביה.6
And it is like the analogy of the union and joining of the soul with the body: although the body is the vessel and the main thing is the soul, nevertheless it becomes one with the body, so that the soul in the body is called “a person,” and the body has no name of its own, etc.; and “like this locust (kamtza), whose garment is of itself and in itself.”
The soul and body show what this means. The soul is the main thing and the body only its vessel, yet they are so united that the soul in the body is called “a person” and the body has no name of its own, like the Midrash’s image of a creature “whose garment is of itself and in itself.”
וכמו שקורין לאדם שלמד חכמה בשם חכם הנה החכמה קודם שלמדה היא מהות בפ״ע זולת האדם שלמדה והאדם מהות בפ״ע.
And just as a person who has learned wisdom is called by the name “wise”: before he learned it, the wisdom is an entity on its own, apart from the person who learned it, and the person is an entity on his own.
A second analogy is a person who learns wisdom. Before he learns it, the wisdom and the person are two separate things.
וכשקנה החכמה נק׳ חכם ע״ש החכמה שהוא שם התואר. כך עד״מ למעלה עם היות הכלים דבי״ע הם מהות בפ״ע בחי׳ נשמות ומלאכים נבראים רק שבטלים אליו ית׳.
And when he has acquired the wisdom he is called “wise” after the wisdom, which is a descriptive name. So too, by way of analogy, above: although the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah are an entity on their own, the level of created souls and angels, which are only nullified to Him, may He be blessed,
Once he acquires the wisdom he is called “wise,” a descriptive name taken from the wisdom. So too the vessels of the lower worlds are in themselves separate, created souls and angels, which are only nullified before G‑d.
אך עכ״ז ע״י שהמשיכו הנביאים להיות גלוי אוא״ס ב״ה בהם ע״ד יחודו באצי׳ אז נק׳ הוא ית׳ הוי״ה צבאות שהוא שם התואר שהוא ית׳ הוא אחד עם הצבאות הנ״ל ואינן נפרדים כו׳.
Yet nevertheless, because the prophets drew down a revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in them, in the manner of His union in Atzilus, He, may He be blessed, is then called “Havayah Tzevaos,” which is a descriptive name: that He, may He be blessed, is one with the hosts mentioned above, and they are not separate, etc.
Once the prophets drew the revelation of the Infinite Light into these vessels as in Atzilus, G‑d is called “Havayah Tzevaos,” a descriptive name. It means that He is one with the hosts, and they are not separate from Him.
ולכן שם הוי״ה מצטרף לשם צבאות כי שם הוי״ה הוא באצי׳ והוא המשכת אוא״ס בכלי׳ דאצי׳ ואם כן כדי שיתמשך אור א״ס בבי״ע הוא על ידי שם הוי״ה בתחלה וזהו הוי״ה צבאות.
And this is why the Name Havayah combines with the Name Tzevaos: for the Name Havayah is in Atzilus, and it is the drawing of the Infinite Light into the vessels of Atzilus. If so, for the Infinite Light to be drawn into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, it is through the Name Havayah first; and this is “Havayah Tzevaos.”
Havayah is joined to Tzevaos because Havayah is the light within the vessels of Atzilus. To bring the Infinite Light into the lower worlds it must first pass through Havayah, and so the Name is “Havayah Tzevaos.”
ולאחר שהמשיכו הנביאים בחי׳ זו אזי הוכיחו את ישראל בשם זה כי מבחי׳ זו שבבריאה נמשך הנבואה להנביא דבר ה׳ ממש הוא המוכיח את ישראל ולא דמי כלל לשאר מוכיח כו׳ שהיא תוכחת הנברא וזוהי תוכחת הבורא ית׳ ממש.
And after the prophets drew down this level, they then rebuked Israel with this Name. For from this level, which is in Beriah, prophecy is drawn to the prophet; the very word of G‑d is what rebukes Israel, and it is not at all like any other rebuker, etc., which is the rebuke of a created being, whereas this is the rebuke of the Creator Himself, may He be blessed.
With this Name the prophets rebuked Israel. Prophecy came to them from this level in Beriah, so their rebuke was the Creator’s own, unlike the rebuke of any other person, which is the rebuke of a created being.
והכח להמשכה זו שיהיה אור א״ס מתלבש בבי״ע ע״ד הנ״ל כבאצי׳ המשיכו הנביאים מבחי׳ העיגול והסוכ״ע אשר שם כחשכה כאורה7 שוין השוה ומשוה קטן וגדול שהוא דוקא יכול לישפל א״ע למטה מטה גם בבי״ע
And the power for this drawing down, that the Infinite Light be clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah in the manner described above, as in Atzilus, the prophets drew from the level of the circle (igul) and of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), where “as the darkness, so the light”: they are equal; “He who is equal and makes equal small and great.” For it is precisely this that can lower itself lower and lower, even into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah,
The power to clothe the Infinite Light in the lower worlds as in Atzilus came from the “circle,” the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). Before that light darkness and light are alike, as the Psalmist says, and it is “equal and makes equal small and great,” in the words of the High Holiday prayers; so it alone can descend to the lowest levels.
כי קמי׳ ית׳ כולם שוים וכמ״ש ומתחת זרועו׳ עולם )(ובזה יובן מ״ש בחנה ותתפלל על ה׳ כו׳
For before Him, may He be blessed, all are equal, as it is written, “And beneath are the arms of the world.”) (And with this we will understand what is written of Chanah, “And she prayed upon (al) Havayah,” etc.,
Before G‑d all levels are equal, as the verse says, “And beneath are the arms of the world”: His highest power reaches the very bottom. Here the long parenthesis closes, and a second one begins, about Chanah’s prayer.
ותאמר הוי״ה צבאות89 שכדי להמשיך בחי׳ צבאות10 הוצרך להמשיך מבחי׳ על הוי״ה היינו למעלה משם הוי״ה כמבואר הפי׳ בזה במ״א. ע׳ בפ׳ משפטים ע״פ לא תהי׳ משכלה ועקרה1112 כו׳):13
“And she said, Havayah Tzevaos.” For in order to draw down the level of Tzevaos, it was necessary to draw from the level of “upon (al) Havayah,” that is, above the Name Havayah, as the explanation of this is given elsewhere. See in Parshas Mishpatim, on [the verse] “There shall be none who miscarries or is barren,” etc.)
Chanah, who first said “Havayah Tzevaos,” “prayed upon (al) Havayah”: to bring down the level of Tzevaos she had to draw from above the Name Havayah. For the explanation the reader is sent to the maamar in Torah Ohr, Parshas Mishpatim, on the verse “There shall be none who miscarries or is barren.”
The paragraph defines Tzevaos: the prophets drew the Infinite Light into the created souls and angels of Beriah so fully that G‑d is called by their name, “Havayah Tzevaos,” and they drew the power for this from the light that encompasses all worlds.
According to the Kehot note, the Rebbe’s maamar Basi LeGani of 5740 cites the Or HaTorah that this idea, G‑d uniting with the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah as in Atzilus, is not found in Etz Chaim; since the Tzemach Tzedek gives no other source, it appears to be the Alter Rebbe’s own new teaching. A maamar of 5640 adds that Tzevaos, the Name Chanah said, is the Name in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
Marei mekomos
- 1שאין נביא רשאי לחדש דבר · Shabbat 104a:2
- 2רק המשכת התורה בלי תוס׳ וגרעון מאצילות לבריאה · Amos 3:7
- 3מספר לגדודיו · Job 25:3
- 4שהוא עצמו הוא הדעה · Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 2:10
- 5כך מתייחד בכלי׳ דבי״ע · בד״ה באתי לגני תש״מ סעי״ז מציין מאוה״ת בא ע׳ שכח שבע״ח לא מצינו זה, שמזה משמע שזהו חידושו של כ״ק אדמו״ר הזקן, כדמוכח ממה שכ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ אינו מציין מקור אחר לזה. וכ״כ בד״ה ויהי בעצם היום הזה תשמ״ג.
- 6וכהדין קמצא דלבושי׳ מני׳ ובי׳ · Bereshit Rabbah 21:5
- 7כחשכה כאורה · Psalms 139:12
- 8ותתפלל על ה׳ . . הוי״ה צבאות · I Samuel 1:10
- 9ותאמר הוי״ה צבאות · I Samuel 1:11
- 10להמשיך בחי׳ צבאות · בהמשך זאת חנוכת המזבח תר״מ סעי׳ ד נוסף: וזה שם צבאות שא׳ חנה שהוא השם שבבי״ע, ע״ש.
- 11ע״פ לא תהי׳ משכלה ועקרה · לקמן עט, ב. ובאוה״ת פ׳ משפטים ע״פ זה.
- 12לא תהי׳ משכלה ועקרה · Exodus 23:26
- 13ומתחת זרועות עולם · Deuteronomy 33:27
The hosts of Havayah who left Egypt ¶12–15
12וז״ש בעצם היום הזה יצאו כל צבאות1 וגו׳. פי׳ צבאות הוי״ה הוא לשון סמוך שהצבאות נטפל לשם הוי״ה אבל אינו לשון שם התואר כמו הוי״ה צבאות.
And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “On this very day all the hosts went out,” etc. The explanation: “the hosts of Havayah” (tzivos Havayah) is a construct form, in which the hosts are subordinate to the Name Havayah; but it is not the language of a descriptive name, as is “Havayah Tzevaos.”
The maamar returns to its opening verse. “The hosts of Havayah” (tzivos Havayah) is a construct form, “hosts belonging to Havayah,” in which the hosts are secondary to the Name; it is not a descriptive name like “Havayah Tzevaos,” in which G‑d Himself is called by the hosts.
והיינו בחי׳ הנצוצים שנתבררו בגלות דמצרים ונתעלו ליכלל בשם הוי״ה הם הנק׳ צבאות הוי״ה כי רפ״ח נצוצים נפלו בשבה״כ ומזה נתברר בגלות מצרים ר״ב נצוצים וע״ז נאמר וינצלו את מצרים.2
That is, the level of the sparks that were refined in the exile of Egypt and rose to be included in the Name Havayah: they are what is called “the hosts of Havayah.” For 288 sparks fell in the shattering of the vessels, and of these, 202 sparks were refined in the exile of Egypt; and of this it is said, “And they emptied out Egypt.”
These hosts are the sparks of holiness refined during the exile in Egypt and raised up into the Name Havayah. Of the 288 sparks that fell in the shattering of the vessels, the primordial breaking described in Kabbalah, 202 were refined in Egypt, and the verse “they emptied out Egypt” alludes to this.
The paragraph sets the “hosts of Havayah” who left Egypt against the prophets’ “Havayah Tzevaos”: these hosts are the sparks refined in Egypt and raised to be included in the Name Havayah.
The same two words carry opposite senses. In “Havayah Tzevaos” the Infinite Light descends and is named after the hosts, while in “tzivos Havayah” the hosts ascend and are absorbed into the Name.
Marei mekomos
- 1בעצם היום הזה יצאו כל צבאות · Exodus 12:41
- 2וינצלו את מצרים · Exodus 12:36
13וז״ש וגם ערב רב עלה אתם.1 וכתיב רב לך2 כו׳. ופי׳ וענין שנק׳ צבאות הוי״ה בחי׳ טפל וסמוך לשם הוי״ה. הענין כי מספר רפ״ח נצוצים הם מבחי׳ שמות ע״ב ס״ג מ״ה ב״ן כו׳.
And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “And also a mixed multitude (erev rav) went up with them”; and it is written, “Enough for you (rav lach),” etc. And the explanation and meaning of their being called “the hosts of Havayah,” the level of what is subordinate and joined to the Name Havayah: the matter is that the number of 288 sparks is from the level of the Names 72 (Av), 63 (Sag), 45 (Mah) and 52 (Ban), etc.
The verse “And also a mixed multitude (erev rav) went up with them” alludes to these sparks, since rav (רב) has the numerical value 202; the text adds G‑d’s words to Moshe, “Enough for you (rav lach).” To explain why the sparks are called the hosts “of” Havayah, the Alter Rebbe notes that the 288 sparks come from the Names 72, 63, 45 and 52, the four ways of spelling out the letters of Havayah.
The paragraph links the Exodus verses to the sparks and begins to explain why, once refined, they are only the hosts “of” Havayah: they come from the Names of Havayah spelled out, 72, 63, 45 and 52.
Marei mekomos
- 1וגם ערב רב עלה אתם · Exodus 12:38
- 2רב לך · Deuteronomy 3:26
14וכאשר נתבררו מבי״ע לחזור לשרשם אז אינם נקראים בשמות אלו כלל מפני שנתכללו במקורם בתכלית היחוד לכך אינם עולים בשם כלל. והמשל בזה כשהאדם משכיל בגדולת ה׳ בהתבוננות והשגה אזי נרגשת ההשגה בבחי׳ יש ודבר.
And when they have been refined out of the Worlds of Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action) to return to their root, they are then not called by these names at all, because they have been included in their source in the utmost unity; therefore they do not bear a name at all. The analogy for this: when a person grasps the greatness of G‑d through contemplation and comprehension, the comprehension is felt as a something (yesh), an entity.
When the sparks are refined out of the lower worlds and return to their root, they lose these names, because they are absorbed in their source in perfect unity. The analogy is a person contemplating G‑d’s greatness: as long as he understands it, he feels his understanding as something real, an entity of its own.
אבל כשנתבטל במציאות לגמרי אז אינו מרגיש ההשגה והבטול בבחי׳ יש ודבר מה כ״א הוא בטל לגמרי בתכלית הבטול בלי הרגשה כלל.
But when he has become entirely nullified in [his] existence, he then does not feel the comprehension and the self-nullification (bittul) as a something, some entity; rather, he is entirely nullified, in the utmost self-nullification, without any feeling at all.
When a person is wholly nullified, he no longer feels his understanding, or even his self-nullification, as anything at all. He is simply nullified, without being aware of it.
כך עד״מ הנצוצים דתהו שנפלו בשבירה יש להן שמות שזה מורה בחי׳ יש ודבר עד שנק׳ בשם שזהו הגילוי לזולתו כמו האדם שבפ״ע א״צ לשם רק שחבירו קוראו בשם.
So too, by way of analogy, the sparks of Tohu (Chaos) that fell in the shattering have names, which indicates the level of a something and an entity, to the point that they are called by a name; for this is the revelation to another, as a person by himself does not need a name, only his fellow calls him by name.
The sparks of Tohu, the world whose vessels shattered, have names because they are separate entities. A name is for others: a person alone needs no name, and it exists only so that others can call him.
The paragraph explains why the refined sparks have no names of their own: a name marks a separate existence, and the refined sparks are wholly nullified in their source, like a person lost in contemplation of G‑d.
15וכיון שנתבררו וחזרו למקורם בתכלית הבטול להתכלל באלקות אזי אין להם שמות כלל. ולכן נק׳ אז צבאות הוי״ה שהם טפלים וסמוכים ונכללים בשם הוי״ה
And once they have been refined and have returned to their source in the utmost self-nullification (bittul), to be included in G‑dliness, they then have no names at all. And therefore they are then called “the hosts of Havayah,” for they are subordinate to, joined to, and included in the Name Havayah.
Once the sparks return to their source in complete self-nullification, they have no names at all. This is why they are called “the hosts of Havayah”: they are secondary to the Name Havayah, joined to it and absorbed in it, with no identity of their own.
ופי׳ הוציא ה׳ את בני ישראל על צבאתם1 היינו שנש״י הן למעלה מבחי׳ ניצוצין הנ״ל:
And the meaning of “G‑d brought out the children of Israel upon (al) their hosts” is that the souls of Israel are above the level of the sparks mentioned above.
The verse “G‑d brought out the children of Israel al tzivosam,” usually read “by their hosts,” is read here as “above their hosts.” The souls of Israel are higher than the sparks: the sparks are the hosts, and Israel stand above them.
The paragraph concludes the maamar: the sparks refined in Egypt are “the hosts of Havayah,” absorbed in the Name, while the souls of Israel stand higher still, above those hosts.
The maamar thus ends where it began, with the hosts of the Exodus, but now three levels are distinct: the prophets’ “Havayah Tzevaos,” in which G‑d is named by the created hosts; the refined sparks, “tzivos Havayah,” absorbed in the Name; and the souls of Israel, above the sparks.
Marei mekomos
- 1הוציא ה׳ את בני ישראל על צבאתם · Exodus 12:51
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
The maamar’s own analogy describes two stages in contemplating G‑d’s greatness. At first a person feels his understanding as something real, an entity of his own; when he is wholly nullified he no longer feels his understanding, or even his self-nullification, just as the refined sparks have no name of their own.
Questions for discussion
- If G‑d’s essence is beyond every description, how can He be called “wise” or “kind,” and how does “where you find His greatness, there you find His humility” answer this?
- What is the difference between the Name Havayah and the other Names that may not be erased, and why does Havayah combine with all of them?
- Why did Moshe have no need to unite the Infinite Light with the lower worlds, while the prophets after him did?
- How do the analogies of the soul in the body and of the person who becomes “wise” explain the descriptive name “Havayah Tzevaos”?
- What separates “Havayah Tzevaos” from “tzivos Havayah,” and where do the souls of Israel stand in relation to the sparks?
Key terms in this maamar
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- ×5
- 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.
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×8
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×2
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×5
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d. ×9
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment. ×2
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail.
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion.
- The Sefirosספירות
- The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation.
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×4
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds.
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level.
- Lights and vesselsאורות וכלים
- Divine revelation and the forms that contain and express it. ×1
- Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א
- The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration. ×6
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence. ×5
- 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. ×1
- 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.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d.