Torah Ohr · Parshas Megillas Esther · Maamar 3
תוספת ביאור ע״פ יביאו לבוש מלכות
An Additional Explanation on “Let Them Bring Royal Apparel”
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The big idea
In physical things the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) gives not only their boundary but their very substance, while in Chochmah it gives only the boundary. This is why a mitzvah done with a physical object, like the parchment of tefillin, has an advantage over even the higher Chochmah.
The maamar in brief
Continuing the explanation of “Let them bring royal apparel,” the maamar asks why the mitzvos done with physical things have an advantage over Torah study. Torah comes from Chochmah, the head of the chain of descent within the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), while physical things draw from the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). Yet Chochmah too becomes a “something” only through sovev, and Scripture says the world was made through divine speech. The Alter Rebbe answers with two introductions. First, sovev is real life-force: the infinite Supernal Will, “I will reign,” which gives life to every world equally but stays hidden; the ten Sefiros come instead through the kav after the tzimtzum. Second, a vessel forms where encompassing and inner light meet, and sovev, like a formless power, gives each level its limiting vessel. In Chochmah sovev supplies only the vessel; in physical things it supplies their very substance. Impure things live through memalei, sovev lending only the power of physical being. So the parchment of tefillin, made a vessel of holiness through halachah, has an advantage over even the higher Chochmah.
Outline
- The question: Torah study and the mitzvos of actionTorah, coming from Chochmah, belongs to memalei kol almin, while the mitzvos done with physical things draw from sovev kol almin. Yet Chochmah too becomes a “something” through sovev, and sovev surrounds all worlds equally.¶1–3
- Two further difficultiesThe inner lights also come from the kav, which itself is drawn from sovev; and Scripture attributes physical creation to divine speech, which belongs to memalei. Two introductions are announced, and the first begins.¶4–6
- First introduction: sovev as the infinite willSovev is not a distant glow but real, hidden life-force: the primordial will, “I will reign,” which wanted the physical world as much as the highest levels and gives life to all equally. King David’s verses show that G‑d’s desire made every level.¶7–11
- The ten Sefiros and the vessel of ChochmahThe infinite will would yield countless Sefiros; the ten come through the kav after the tzimtzum, beginning with Chochmah. But Chochmah’s vessel, the limit that lets the next Sefirah follow, comes from sovev through the Supernal Will.¶12–14
- Second introduction: how a vessel is formedA vessel arises where the encompassing light strikes the inner light. Sovev, like the formless hyle, gives every level its limiting vessel, but not Chochmah’s first coming into being.¶15–17
- Physical substance comes from sovevSpiritual sources give only souls and intellect; the substance of physical things itself comes from sovev, as the esrog shows.¶18–19
- Impure physical thingsEvil arises through the shattering of the vessels, in memalei; sovev shines only through memalei and gives impure things only the power of physical being.¶20–21
- Tefillin and the advantage of physical mitzvosThrough the laws rooted in the higher Chochmah, the parchment of tefillin becomes a vessel of holiness whose very substance comes from sovev, an advantage over the higher Chochmah itself.¶22
Key concepts
- The light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)סובב כל עלמין
- In this maamar, not a light shining from above but the real life-force of the infinite Supernal Will, present in every world equally yet hidden. It gives every level its limiting vessel and is the source of physical substance itself.
- The light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin)ממלא כל עלמין
- The light that enters each world by measure through the chain of descent. Torah and divine speech belong to it.
- The kav and the chut (the line and the thread)קו וחוט
- The line of light drawn after the tzimtzum: the source of the ten Sefiros and of Chochmah’s power and essence.
- Tzimtzum and a vacated spaceצמצום ומקום פנוי
- The withdrawal of the infinite quality so that limit and measure can be revealed, beginning with Chochmah.
- The Will of all willsרעוא דכל רעוין
- The primordial will, “I will reign,” which comes before even the will to create; the maamar identifies it with sovev kol almin.
- A limiting vesselכלי מגביל
- The boundary that makes a level a defined “something” (yesh) and lets the next level follow it. It comes from sovev kol almin.
- Encompassing light and inner light (Or Makif and Or Pnimi)אור מקיף ואור פנימי
- The maamar’s second introduction: a vessel is formed where the encompassing light strikes against the inner light, from the two together.
- Hyle (hiyuli)כח היולי
- A power with no form or name of its own from which every skill and craft can emerge once trained; the maamar’s analogy for how sovev gives every level its vessel.
The question: Torah study and the mitzvos of action ¶1–3
An additional explanation on the verse “Let them bring royal apparel.”
This short discourse adds to the explanation of Esther 6:8, where the king is advised to honor the man he wishes to honor with “royal apparel that the king has worn.” It continues the discussion of the preceding discourses on this verse, which compare Torah study with the mitzvos done in action.
The heading marks the discourse as a supplement to the explanation of “Let them bring royal apparel.”
The Kehot note dates this discourse to 5572 (1812): in Or HaTorah the Tzemach Tzedek writes that he heard it from his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, at the end of that year. The note adds that Likkutei Torah alone cites it more than sixty times, and that many discourses of Chassidus turn to it when they explain the vessels of Atzilus and the kav; it follows the view of the Pardes (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Pardes Rimonim) on the vessels, while Iggeres HaKodesh 20 explains them according to the Arizal.
Marei mekomos
- 1תוספות ביאור · משנת תקע״ב. נזכר באוה״ת על מארז״ל ע׳ סט: אמ״מ [=אמר מנחם מענדל] ואנחנו שמענו מפ״ק כאאזמו״ר נ״ע בשלהי שנת תקע״ב. בכמה מקומות באוה״ת מציין לד״ה זה בשם ”בת״א גבי פורים”. מאמר זה מצויין יותר מששים פעמים בלקו״ת בלבד. ובהרבה מקומות בדא״ח כשמבארים ענין כלים דאצי׳ וענין הקו, שכאן מבאר לפי שיטת דעת הפרדס בענין הכלים, אבל באגה״ק סי׳ כ מבאר לפי שיטת האריז״ל.
- 2
To understand the difference between the mitzvah of Torah study and the mitzvos of action, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The goal of wisdom,” etc.; “‘To those who study them’ is not said,” etc.
The discourse opens with a question: what is the difference between studying Torah and the mitzvos performed in action? The Sages point to the superiority of the deed: “The goal of wisdom is teshuvah and good deeds,” and the verse praises “all who do them,” not those who only study them.
והטעם כמבואר במ״א כי התורה היא בחי׳ פנימיות2 מבחי׳ ממכ״ע דאורייתא מחכמה נפקת וחכמה היא ראשית הגילוי מבחי׳ ההשתלשלות
And the reason, as explained elsewhere, is that the Torah is the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), for “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah,” and Chochmah (wisdom) is the beginning of the revelation of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus);
The reason, explained elsewhere, is that Torah belongs to the inner dimension of the light that fills all worlds, the divine light that enters each world according to its measure. Torah “comes forth from Chochmah,” and Chochmah is the first point of the ordered chain of descent from level to level, so Torah stands at the head of that chain, but within it.
אבל מצות מעשיות שהן בדברים גשמיים הארתן הוא מבחי׳ סוכ״ע שאינו בגדר ההשתלשלות כי התהוות מרוחניות להיות גשמיות אין זה דרך עו״ע3 כו׳ כנזכר במ״א באריכות.
whereas the mitzvos of action, which are [performed] with physical things — their illumination is from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is not within the bounds of the chain of descending worlds. For the coming into being of physicality out of spirituality is not by way of cause and effect, etc., as mentioned elsewhere at length.
The mitzvos done with physical things draw their light from the light that encompasses all worlds, which is beyond that chain altogether. The reason is that physical matter cannot arise out of spirit the way an effect arises from its cause, so its existence must come from a source outside the chain.
The paragraph sets out the maamar’s starting point: the mitzvos of action have an advantage over Torah study because physical things draw from sovev kol almin, beyond the chain of descent in which Torah, coming from Chochmah, stands first.
Likkutei Torah (Sh’lach) puts the same contrast in terms of the head: Torah comes from the brain (mocha), which has the advantage of being the inner dimension, and the mitzvos from the skull (gulgalta), the outer dimension of a higher level, Keser. Or HaTorah notes that Etz Chaim places Keser’s hidden wisdom above the skull, and explains that this discourse follows another passage of Etz Chaim (the Gate of Arich Anpin, ch. 3), where, following the Zohar, the skull has an aspect higher than the hidden brain (Mocha Stima’ah).
Marei mekomos
- 1תכלית חכמה · Berakhot 17a:11
- 2התורה היא בחי׳ פנימיות · ראה בלקו״ת שלח מט, ד. ובאוה״ת פ׳ שלח ע׳ תרמח דזה סותר למ״ש בע״ח שכ״ב פ״ה שח״ס למעלה מגלגלתא, וכאן מבאר דגם לגבי בחי׳ מו״ס שייך לומר שיש בחי׳ בגלגלתא שהיא גבוה יותר, ומתרץ שהמאמר כאן מיוסד ע״פ מ״ש בע״ח שער א״א פ״ג דשם מבאר ע״פ הזהר דבגלגלתא יש בו בחי׳ שלמעלה ממו״ס. ע״ש בארוכה.
- 3בגדר — אין זה דרך עו״ע · ראה אגה״ק סי׳ כ ובליקוט פירושים — חיטריק שם.
3והנה גם להיות החכמה בבחי׳ יש וראשית הגילוי הלא הוא מאין תמצא1 מבחי׳ סוכ״ע שאל״כ לא היתה החכמה עולה בשם בבחי׳ יש כלל
Now, Chochmah too — that it should be in the state of something (yesh) and the beginning of revelation — is it not so that “from ayin (nothing) it is found,” from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)? For otherwise Chochmah would not bear the name of something (yesh) at all,
Yet Chochmah too, the first point of revelation, is a “something” (yesh) that has come into being. Chassidus reads the verse about wisdom, “from ayin it is found,” as saying that it comes from “nothing,” a source beyond it, which is sovev kol almin; without that source Chochmah would never emerge as a distinct something at all.
אלא היתה כלולה במאציל העליון א״ס ב״ה ממש כו׳ כנזכר שם באריכות. וא״כ עדיין צריך להבין החלוק וההפרש שבין הארת סוכ״ע בבחי׳ חכמה שתהיה יש.
but would be included in the Supernal Emanator, the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, Himself, etc., as mentioned there at length. If so, we still need to understand the distinction and the difference between the illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds in the level of Chochmah, that it should be something (yesh),
Without that source, Chochmah would remain absorbed in its Emanator, the Infinite One, with no separate name or identity. This raises a question: if sovev kol almin makes both Chochmah and physical things into a “something,” how do these two effects differ?
ובין הארת סוכ״ע בדברים גשמיים ממש שהם יש ודבר ממש וא״א לומר שהארת סוכ״ע מאירה יותר ביש גשמי שהרי סוכ״ע מקיף את כל הד׳ עולמות בשוה:
and the illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds in actual physical things, which are something (yesh) and an actual thing. And it is impossible to say that the illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds shines more in a physical something (yesh), since the light that encompasses all worlds encompasses all four worlds equally.
One cannot answer that sovev shines more strongly in physical things, since it surrounds all four worlds (Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah) equally. So the special standing of physical things still needs explaining.
The paragraph sharpens the question: sovev kol almin is also what makes Chochmah a “something,” and it relates to all worlds equally, so why should physical things be more closely bound to it?
Marei mekomos
- 1מאין תמצא · Job 28:12
Two further difficulties ¶4–6
4אך מתחלה צריך להבין ענין ההפרש שבין פנימיי׳ למקיפים שהרי גם הפנימיים הם מהקו״ח שנמשך מסוכ״ע
But first we must understand the matter of the difference between the inner [lights] (pnimiyim) and the encompassing [lights] (makifim). For the inner [lights], too, are from the kav and the chut (the line and the thread), which is drawn from the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).
Before resolving this, another distinction must be explained: inner lights (pnimiyim) enter and fill a level, while encompassing lights (makifim) remain beyond it. The difficulty is that the inner lights too come from the kav, the thin line of light, and the kav itself is drawn from the encompassing light.
שהרי מתחלה היה אור א״ס ב״ה ממלא את כל החלל1 ואח״כ צמצם כו׳ ונמשך הקו״ח כו׳ והרי גם המשכה זו היא מבחי׳ סוכ״ע.
For at first the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, filled the entire space (chalal); afterwards He contracted [it], etc., and the kav and the chut were drawn forth, etc. So this drawing-forth, too, is from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds.
In the Arizal’s account of creation, as Otzros Chaim begins, the Infinite Light first filled all of the space; G‑d then contracted it (tzimtzum) and drew into the space a single line of light, the kav and the chut. Since that line comes from the light that was there before the contraction, even the inner lights derive from sovev, so the difference between inner and encompassing still needs defining.
A second question: if even the kav, the source of all inner lights, is drawn from the encompassing Infinite Light, what is the real difference between inner and encompassing lights?
Marei mekomos
- 1מתחלה הי׳ אור א״ס ב״ה ממלא את כל החלל · אוצ״ח בתחלתו. וראה בלקו״ת ד״ה להבין מ״ש באוצ״ח בהוספות לויקרא נא, ב. ובד״ה וירד ה׳ על הר סיני תרמ״ג.
5וגם להבין מ״ש שהתהוות היש גשמי הוא מבחי׳ סוכ״ע בחי׳ אין ממש והא כתיב בדבר ה׳ שמים
We must also understand what was said, that the coming into being of the physical something (yesh) is from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), the level of true ayin (nothing). But surely it is written, “By the word of G‑d the heavens
A third question: it was said that physical existence comes from sovev kol almin, called true ayin (nothing) because it is beyond all grasp. Yet Scripture says the heavens were made “by the word of G‑d,” that is, through divine speech.
נעשו1 ובע״מ נבה״ע2 שהן צירופי אותיות הדבור יהי אור3 יהי רקיע4 מהם נעשו ונתהוו גשמיות העולם יהי רקיע תדשא הארץ5 כו׳.
were made,” and “By ten utterances the world was created” — which are combinations of the letters of speech: “Let there be light,” “Let there be a firmament.” From them the physicality of the world was made and came into being: “Let there be a firmament,” “Let the earth sprout forth,” etc.
The Sages likewise teach that the world was created through Ten Utterances, such as “Let there be light” and “Let there be a firmament,” and these utterances are combinations of the letters of divine speech. Physical creation therefore seems to come from speech, not from a level beyond it.
The paragraph raises the objection that Scripture attributes physical creation to divine speech, the letters of the Ten Utterances, rather than to the transcendent sovev kol almin.
Marei mekomos
- 1בדבר ה׳ שמים נעשו · Psalms 33:6
- 2ובע״מ נבה״ע · אבות רפ״ה.
- 3יהי אור · Genesis 1:3
- 4יהי רקיע · Genesis 1:6
- 5תדשא הארץ · Genesis 1:11
6ודבר ה׳ ורוח פיו1 הוא בחי׳ ההבל שבהשתלשלות העולמות בבחי׳ ממכ״ע כי הדבור נמשך מבחי׳ המדות יום ראשון חסד דהיינו התלבשות החסד בדבור.
And the word of G‑d and the breath of His mouth are the level of the vapor (hevel) in the chain of descent of the worlds (hishtalshelus), in the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin). For speech is drawn from the level of the emotive attributes (middos): the first day is Chesed (kindness), meaning the enclothement of Chesed in speech.
Divine speech, “the word of G‑d and the breath of His mouth,” is compared to the breath (hevel) that carries human speech, and it belongs within the chain of descent, in memalei kol almin. Speech expresses the emotive attributes: the first day of creation corresponds to Chesed, meaning Chesed clothed in the words spoken on that day.
וכן יום ב׳ גבורה כו׳ וישראל עלו במחשבה דהיינו בחי׳ רוחניות שבבחי׳ ממכ״ע. אמנם לבאר כ״ז צריך להקדים ב׳ הקדמות.
And likewise the second day is Gevurah (restraint), etc. And “Israel arose in thought” — meaning the level of spirituality that is within the level of the light that fills all worlds. However, to explain all this, two introductions must first be given.
The second day likewise corresponds to Gevurah, and so on through the days of creation. Even the Sages’ teaching that “Israel arose in [G‑d’s] thought” refers to the spiritual level within memalei, so both divine speech and divine thought seem to belong to memalei; two introductions are needed to resolve these questions.
The first introduction: there are two kinds of drawing-forth from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He. The first is in the level of the truly infinite (Ein Sof),
The first introduction: the Infinite Light is drawn forth in two ways. The first is truly infinite, without any limit.
The objection is completed: divine speech and even divine thought belong to memalei kol almin, within the chain of descent. The Alter Rebbe begins his answer with the first of two introductions: there are two kinds of drawing-forth from the Infinite Light.
Sefer HaMaamarim 5666 identifies this first, truly infinite drawing-forth with the primordial thought “I will reign,” the Malchus of the Infinite One, which is the general sovev that encompasses the whole chain of descent. A chassid’s gloss in the margin of Torah Ohr points to Likkutei Torah’s discourse “Shabbas Shabbaton,” which likewise places the thought and speech above in memalei kol almin.
Marei mekomos
- 1ודבר ה׳ ורוח פיו · Psalms 33:6
- 2הקדמה אחת . . בחכמה עשית · מובא באוה״ת מג״א ע׳ ער. וראה באוה״ת פ׳ בלק ע׳ תתקפד. ענינים ע׳ קד. רב.
- 3הא׳ היא בבחי׳ א״ס ממש · ראה בסה״מ תרס״ו ע׳ קסב: ”והיינו ההמשכה דבחי׳ מחה״ק דאנא אמלוך שזהו בחי׳ מלכות דא״ס שהוא בחי׳ סובב ומקיף הכללי על כללות ההשתל׳”, ע״ש. וראה בד״ה חביבין ישראל תרע״ו (בסה״מ תער״ב-עו) ע׳ קז.
- 4על גליון תו״א מחסיד · לקו״ת דברים ד׳ ס״ח ב׳ ס״ט א׳ בד״ה שבת שבתון המחשבה והדיבור שלמעלה הן בבחי׳ ממכ״ע ע״ש אות א׳.
First introduction: sovev as the infinite will ¶7–11
and the second is in the level of limit and measure. The explanation is this: as for the meaning and explanation of what the illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) is — “illumination” and “radiance” are not meant as they sound, in their plain sense;
The second kind of drawing-forth is limited and measured. To understand the first kind, which is sovev kol almin, one must know that its “light” and “radiance” are not meant literally, as a glow that merely shines from afar.
רק האור הוא החיות ממש המחיה את הנבראים שחיות זה מתפשט ונמשך מבחי׳ סוכ״ע רק שאינו מחיה בדרך התלבשות דרך עו״ע
rather, the light is the very life-force (chayus) that gives life to the created beings. This life-force spreads forth and is drawn from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds; only, it does not give life by way of enclothement, by way of cause and effect,
The “light” of sovev is actual life-force that sustains the creatures. It does reach them, but not by entering each one in a graded way, as a cause is clothed in its effect.
אלא מחיה את כל העולמות בשוה אפי׳ חומריות העוה״ז וגסותו לית אתר פנוי מניה מניה ממש.
but gives life to all the worlds equally, even the materiality of this world and its coarseness: “There is no place empty of Him” — of Him, truly.
Instead it gives life to every world equally, even to the coarse matter of this world. This is the meaning of the dictum “there is no place empty of Him,” and the added words “of Him, truly” stress that it is G‑d’s own presence that is found in every place.
Sovev kol almin is defined: not a light that shines from afar, but true life-force that gives life to all worlds equally, without being clothed in them by way of cause and effect.
The Alter Rebbe applies the dictum “there is no place empty of Him” to sovev kol almin: the encompassing light is present in every place, and equally, though hidden. Sefer HaMaamarim 5666 explains the second, limited drawing-forth as the kav, drawn in measure so that it can settle as inner light in the vessels of the ten Sefiros, which cannot receive light that is infinite. Later discourses ask how the kav can be limited when “the light is like its source,” note that this follows the Pardes’s view of lights and vessels, and remark that, since this discourse says the kav’s limit comes through the tzimtzum, the kav itself is unlimited light, contracted so that it shines only as its recipients can receive.
Marei mekomos
- 1והב׳ בבחי׳ גבול ומדה · ראה אוה״ת בלק ע׳ תתקפד ובענינים ע׳ רב. בסה״מ תרס״ו ע׳ קסב ”והיינו בחי׳ הקו וחוט הנמשך מאור א״ס שהוא המשכה שבבחי׳ גבול ומדה להיות בבחי׳ או״פ בעולמות שיתיישב בבחי׳ פנימיות בכלים דע״ס כו׳ שא״א שיקבלו האור שבבחי׳ א״ס כ״א כאשר בא בבחי׳ מדה וגבול שזהו בחי׳ הקו כו׳”, ע״ש. ”ולפמ״ש בהביאור דיביאו לבוש מל׳ דהקו הוא בחי׳ גבול, יקשה לכאורה הלא האור מעין המאור כו׳, ויובן עפמ״ש בד״ה אוא״ס למה נק׳ א״ס בהג״ה שם אות ה׳) ד״ה וידעת היום תרמ״ז ע׳ מד. וכנראה הכוונה להנדפס באוה״ת ענינים ע׳ קע. ובד״ה מהרה ישמע תרנ״ב ע׳ פב כ׳ שזהו לפי שיטת הפרדס בענין או״כ בשער עצמות וכלים פ״ד. ובסה״מ תרמ״ו-ן ע׳ שצז מעיר ”וממ״ש בהביאור דהגבול של הקו הוא ע״י הצמצום, נראה שלא נאמר שהקו הוא בחי׳ כח הגבול שבא״ס, אלא הוא ג״כ בחי׳ בבע״ג אלא שנתצמצם עד שנמשך רק בדרך קו שיאיר ויומשך רק לפי ערך המקבלים ומתלבש בתוכן בפנימיותן להחיותן בגילוי כו׳” ע״ש.
8והענין כי מה שאומרים שחיות זה הוא מבחי׳ מלכותו והתנשאותו כמשל המלך המושל במדינה שאין עצמותו מתפשט במדינה כלל אלא שמקבלים התפשטות מלכותו ובטלים אליו אין המשל דומה לנמשל ממש
The explanation is this: as to what is said, that this life-force is from the level of His sovereignty and His exaltedness — like the analogy of a king who rules over a country, whose essence does not spread through the country at all, but [its people] receive the extension of his sovereignty and are nullified before him — the analogy is not truly like the thing it illustrates.
One might compare this life-force to a king’s sovereignty: the king’s own being does not spread through his country, yet the people accept his rule and set themselves aside before him. The Alter Rebbe says the analogy does not truly fit.
שהרי מן המלך אינו נמשך ומתפשט שום חיות כלל אלא שאנשי המדינה בטלים אליו. אבל מאוא״ס ב״ה נמשך ומתפשט חיות הנבראים.
For from the king no life-force at all is drawn forth and spreads; the people of the country are merely nullified before him. But from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, the life-force of the created beings is drawn forth and spreads.
From a human king no life flows to his subjects; they are only subordinate to him. From the Infinite Light, by contrast, the life-force of all creatures actually flows forth.
The paragraph rejects reading sovev’s life-giving as mere rule from a distance: unlike a king, the Infinite Light really gives life to the creatures.
9ואדרבא החיות נמשך לכל עלמין בשוה אפילו בחומרים עבים כנודע. שאין הפי׳ סוכ״ע1 שסובב ומקיף מלמעלה אלא שחיות המתפשט היא מבחינת סובב שאינו בבחי׳ גילוי אלא בבחי׳ העלם.
On the contrary: the life-force is drawn to all worlds equally, even into coarse matter, as is known. For “the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)” does not mean that it surrounds and encompasses from above; rather, the life-force that spreads forth is from the level of “encompassing” (sovev), which is not in a state of revelation but in a state of concealment.
Far from being distant, this life-force reaches every world equally, even the coarsest matter. “Encompassing” therefore does not mean surrounding from above; it means that the life-force is hidden rather than revealed.
והיינו כי גם סוכ״ע הוא בבחי׳ מחשבה שהוא בחי׳ חיות. דהיינו בחי׳ מחשבה הקדומה אנא אמלוך שהוא בחי׳ רעדכ״ר.
That is: the light that encompasses all worlds, too, is in the level of thought, which is the level of life-force — namely, the level of the primordial thought, “I will reign,” which is the level of the Will of all wills.
Sovev too is described as “thought,” which is life-force: the primordial thought expressed as “I will reign,” G‑d’s wish to be King. This is called the Will of all wills, a Kabbalistic term for the highest level of the divine will.
כלומר רצון לרצון דהיינו שעלה במחשבה להיות לו רצון לברוא העולמות שרצון זה אשר לבריאת העולמות הוא מחמת שעלה במחשבה.
That is to say, a will for will: it arose in [His] thought that He should have a will to create the worlds; for this will, which is for the creation of the worlds, is because it arose in [His] thought.
“Will of all wills” means a will that precedes will: it first arose in G‑d’s thought that He should want to create worlds. The desire to create itself flows from that earlier arising in thought.
Sovev is identified as hidden life-force rooted in the primordial divine thought, “I will reign,” the Will of all wills that comes before even the will to create.
Tanya, chapter 48, to which the Kehot note points, says the same: sovev does not surround from above in a spatial sense, since space does not apply to the spiritual; an influence that the worlds grasp is said to be “clothed” in them, while one that stays hidden from them is called “encompassing.”
Marei mekomos
- 1שאין הפי׳ סוכ״ע · ראה תניא פרק מח (סז, ב).
10ועליית מחשבה זו היא בחי׳ רעדכ״ר בשביל להיות אנא אמלוך שהוא גילוי בחינת מלכות דא״ס.
And this arising of thought is the level of the Will of all wills, so that there be “I will reign,” which is the revelation of the level of the Malchus (sovereignty) of the Infinite One (Ein Sof).
This arising in thought, the Will of all wills, is so that “I will reign” be realized, which means the revelation of the sovereignty (Malchus) of the Infinite One. G‑d’s kingship is the purpose for which the worlds are willed.
ורצון עליון זה הוא המחיה ממש כי מחמת שעלה ברצונו כך נמשך החיות כך1 והוא המחיה את כל העולמות בשוה2 שכך עלה ברצונו להיות עולם אצי׳
And this Supernal Will is what truly gives life: because it so arose in His will, the life-force is drawn thus. And it gives life to all the worlds equally, for it so arose in His will that there be the World of Atzilus (Emanation)
This Supernal Will is the true source of life: the life-force flows exactly as His will determined. And His will wanted the lower worlds just as it wanted the World of Atzilus.
כמו בי״ע שאפי׳ בחי׳ ומדרגה התחתונה שבבחי׳ עשייה גשמי׳ עלה ברצונו ובמחשבתו הקדומה אנא אמלוך שבכולם התפשטות מלכותו בשוה כי לפניו ית׳ רוחניות וגשמיות שוין.
just as Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; for even the lowest level and rung, in the level of physical Asiyah, arose in His will and in His primordial thought, “I will reign,” so that in all of them is the extension of His sovereignty equally. For before Him, may He be blessed, spirituality and physicality are equal.
Even the lowest level, physical Asiyah, was included in the primordial thought “I will reign,” so His sovereignty extends to all levels equally. Before G‑d, spiritual and physical are equal.
דהיינו מאחר שהיה רצונו להיות עשייה גשמית כמו שהיה רצונו להיות ח״ע וא״כ גם עשייה גשמית מקבלת חיות מרצונו אלא שרצונו הוא בבחי׳ א״ס ואינו מתגלה ומתלבש ממש בעולמות.
That is: since it was His will that there be physical Asiyah just as it was His will that there be the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), then physical Asiyah, too, receives life-force from His will. Only, His will is in the level of the infinite (Ein Sof), and it is not actually revealed and enclothed in the worlds.
Since G‑d willed physical Asiyah as much as the higher Chochmah, the highest wisdom, physical Asiyah draws life from His will just as directly. That will, however, is infinite, and so it is not openly revealed or clothed within the worlds.
The paragraph explains why sovev gives life equally: it is the Supernal Will to be King, which wanted the physical world exactly as it wanted the highest spiritual levels, though it remains hidden in them.
Later discourses ask how “the life-force is drawn thus,” which implies differences between the worlds, fits sovev, which gives life to all equally. One (“Tik’u,” 5650) answers that these words speak of the inner light, while “it gives life to all the worlds equally” speaks of sovev; another (“U’Mikneh Rav,” 5650) answers that every “something,” the emanated something of Atzilus and the created something of the lower worlds alike, comes into being from sovev, so before it Atzilus and Asiyah are equal.
Marei mekomos
- 1מלכות — ורצון עליון זה . . נמשך החיות כך · בד״ה ומקנה רב תר״ן ע׳ שעח מוסיף: ”(משמע מזה שיש התחלקות בהחיות, והלא בבחי׳ סוכ״ע אין התחלקות וכמ״ש אח״כ והוא המחי׳ את כל העולמות בשוה והוא החיות בהעלם והתחלקות שייך בהחיות בגילוי שמצד ממכ״ע דהיינו ההמשכה בבחי׳ גבול המבואר שם. וי״ל דהנה התהוות היש בכלל הוא מבחי׳ אוא״ס הסוכ״ע ואף שאינו דומה היש דעשי׳ להיש דאצי׳, דהכלים דבי״ע הם בחי׳ יש ממש שנבראו בדרך יש מאין וכמ״ש באגה״ק ד״ה איהו וחיוהי חד משא״כ הכלים דאצי׳ הם אלקות . . אך מ״מ גם הכלים דאצי׳ הם בחי׳ יש . . ולזאת אצי׳ ועשי׳ שוים קמי׳ ית׳ דשניהם הם בחי׳ יש והוא יש הנאצל ויש הנברא, והתהוותם הוא מבחי׳ אוא״ס הסוכ״ע כולם בהשוואה אחת שאין ערוך ביניהם לגבי בחי׳ אוא״ס הסוכ״ע כלל כו׳”, ע״ש. ובד״ה קרוב ה׳ תרס״ח כ׳: ”והוא בחי׳ אוא״ס הסוכ״ע שאינו בגדר התלבשו׳ בעולמות וע״ה שהוא נמצא בכ״מ ולית אתר פנוי מיני׳ כלל .ֿ. אך זהו לא בבחי׳ התלבשות ותפיסא בהם דהגם שנמצא בכ״מ מ״מ אין האור מורגש כלל בנבראים”. ובאוה״ת דרושים למגילת אסתר ע׳ ער ז״ל: ”ופי׳ בחי׳ הא׳ בחי׳ רצה״ע רדכ״ר ורצון עליון זה הוא המחי׳ ממש את כל העולמות בשוה בבחי׳ מקיף וסוכ״ע, ובחי׳ הב׳ זהו״ע הקו״ח שהי׳ ע״י הצמצום ומקו״פ שהוא הסתלקות בחי׳ א״ס שלא להיות בגילוי בחי׳ א״ס אלא בבחי׳ גבול ומדה והוא ראשית הגילוי בחכמה” עכ״ל שם.
- 2והוא המחי׳ את כל העולמות בשוה · בד״ה תקעו תר״ן ע׳ שפ ”הכוונה במ״ש . . כי מחמת שעלה ברצונו כך נמשך החיות כך ר״ל על בחי׳ האו״פ ומ״ש והוא המחי׳ כולם בהשוואה זהו קאי על בחי׳ אוא״ס הסוכ״ע”.
11ולכן נק׳ סוכ״ע והיינו בשביל שהחיות הנמשך הוא בבחי׳ א״ס ממש ואין העולמות יכולים לקבל החיות בבחי׳ המשכה והתלבשות ממש.
Therefore it is called the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). That is, because the life-force that is drawn forth is in the level of the truly infinite (Ein Sof), and the worlds cannot receive the life-force by way of an actual drawing-forth and enclothement.
This is why it is called sovev kol almin, “encompassing all worlds”: the life-force is truly infinite, and the worlds cannot receive it in a revealed, inward way. It gives them life while remaining beyond them.
וז״ש דוד המלך ע״ה למה יאמרו הגוים איה נא אלהיהם1 שהוא בבחי׳ איה שאינו מושג אלא בעולמות עליונים
And this is [the meaning of] what King David, peace be upon him, wrote: “Why should the nations say, ‘Where, now, is their G‑d?’” — that He is in the level of “Where?”, which is not grasped except in the higher worlds.
King David’s verse quotes the nations asking, “Where is their G‑d?” The Alter Rebbe reads the question as treating G‑d as a hidden “Where?”, a level grasped only in the higher worlds.
כי באמת כל אשר חפץ עשה23 שבחפץ עליון עשה הכל וכולל כל הבחי׳ בשוה. וז״ש כל אשר חפץ ה׳ עשה בשמים ובארץ בימים וכל תהומות.
For in truth, “whatever He desired, He has done”: with the Supernal desire He made everything, and it includes all levels equally. And this is [the meaning of] what is written: “Whatever G‑d desired, He has done, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all the depths.”
The next verse answers: “whatever He desired, He has done.” Everything was made by the Supernal desire, which includes every level equally, as another psalm says outright: in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all the depths.
Because the life-force of sovev is infinite it stays hidden, which is why it can seem absent below; yet the verses teach that G‑d’s desire made every level and includes them all equally.
Marei mekomos
- 1למה יאמרו הגוים איה נא אלהיהם · Psalms 115:2
- 2כל אשר חפץ ה׳ עשה · Psalms 135:6
- 3כל אשר חפץ עשה · Psalms 115:3
The ten Sefiros and the vessel of Chochmah ¶12–14
12והנה מבחי׳ סוכ״ע שהוא רצה״ע שבבחי׳ א״ס לא היתה המשכה דרך קו״ח להיות י״ס וראשיתן החכמה כי מאחר שא״ס ב״ה אינו בגדר הספירה.
Now, from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is the Supernal Will that is in the level of the infinite (Ein Sof), there was no drawing-forth by way of the kav and the chut (the line and the thread) to become the ten Sefiros, whose beginning is Chochmah. For since the Infinite One, blessed be He, is not within the bounds of counting (sefirah),
Sovev kol almin, the Supernal Will in its infinite state, is not what produced the ten Sefiros through the kav, beginning with Chochmah. The Infinite One is beyond counting (sefirah), while the Sefiros are a defined number.
לכן גם הרצון שהוא בבחי׳ א״ס ונק׳ נושא עון ועובר על פשע1 כו׳ היה ממשיך רבוא רבבות ספי׳2 וגם באופן ומהות אחר שאינן בגדר ומהות הספירות הנאצלים.
therefore the will, too, which is in the level of the infinite and is called “Who bears iniquity and passes over transgression,” etc., would draw forth myriads upon myriads of Sefiros — and also of another manner and nature, which are not within the bounds and nature of the emanated Sefiros.
That infinite will, called by the words “Who bears iniquity and passes over transgression,” would have brought forth countless Sefiros, and of a kind entirely unlike the ten that were emanated. A numbered, finite order needs another source, which the next paragraph names.
The paragraph shows that the infinite will cannot be the direct source of the ten Sefiros: from it would come countless levels of another order, not the ten that are counted.
Marei mekomos
- 1נושא עון ועובר על פשע · Micah 7:18
- 2הי׳ ממשיך רבוא רבבות ספי׳ · באוה״ת ענינים ע׳ קסה מבאר זה.
13ומה שנאצלו י״ס1 במנין וי׳ כלול מיו״ד כו׳. היינו בבחי׳ הקו והחוט שהיה ע״פ צמצום ומקום פנוי2 שהוא הסתלקות בחי׳ א״ס שלא להיות בגלוי בחי׳ א״ס.
And as for the ten Sefiros having been emanated in number, and ten, [each] comprised of ten, etc. — this is in the level of the kav and the chut (the line and the thread), which came about through tzimtzum (contraction) and a vacated space; that is, the withdrawal of the level of the infinite (Ein Sof), so that the level of the infinite should not be revealed,
The emanation of exactly ten Sefiros, each of them including ten, comes through the kav, the line of light, which required tzimtzum and a vacated space. Tzimtzum is the withdrawal of the infinite quality, so that infinity is no longer revealed.
אלא בחי׳ גבול ומדה34 והיא ראשית הגלוי בחכמה5 וכולם בחכמה עשית6 שבכל הדברים שבעולם יש בחי׳ חכמה כמו אשר יצר את האדם בחכמה.7
but rather the level of limit and measure; and this is the beginning of revelation, in Chochmah. And “You have made them all with wisdom”: in all the things in the world there is an aspect of wisdom, as in “Who formed man with wisdom” —
In place of infinity comes limit and measure, which is first revealed as Chochmah. Hence “You have made them all with wisdom”: everything in the world contains wisdom, as the blessing says that G‑d “formed man with wisdom.”
דהיינו נתוח האברים שהוא ע״פ חכמת הנתוח וכן חכמת התכונה8 שהיא חכמה גדולה מסיבוב הגלגלים שהתוכנים לא השיגו רק אפס קצהו ובאמת היא חכמה רמה.
that is, the anatomy of the limbs, which follows the science of anatomy; and likewise the science of astronomy, which is a great wisdom, concerning the revolution of the celestial spheres, of which the astronomers have grasped only the barest edge, and in truth it is a lofty wisdom.
The wisdom in the human body is the subject of anatomy, and the wisdom in the heavens, the turning of the spheres, is the subject of astronomy. The Alter Rebbe notes that the astronomers have grasped only the barest edge of it, though it is a lofty wisdom.
The ten Sefiros, a fixed number, come from the kav after the tzimtzum, which brings limit and measure, beginning with Chochmah; this is why all of creation is full of wisdom.
Later discourses note that calling the kav “limit and measure” follows the view of the Pardes, in which the lights themselves already have Chochmah, Chesed and the other Sefiros. Most discourses explain that the kav too is unlimited in its root, for it comes from the unlimited Infinite Light and is “like its source.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ומה שנאצלו י״ס · מובא באוה״ת שלח ע׳ תצד.
- 2ע״פ צמצום ומקום פנוי · ”כן הוא גם בדפוס הראשון ”ע"‘". אבל ראה ד״ה יביאו לבוש שבשערי אורה פפ״ד (וכן לקמן בדרוש זה בתו״א): ”ע״י”. לקוטי שיחות ח״ז ע׳ 41 הערה 18.
- 3בבחי׳ הקו . . בחי׳ גבול ומדה · בהביאור לפתח אליהו שבתו״א לכ״ק אדמו״ר מוהרש״ב נ״ע תרנ״ח כ׳ שזהו לשיטת הפרדס שגם בהאור שייך חכמה וחסד. וכ״ה בד״ה מהרה ישמע תרנ״ב ע׳ פב שזהו לפי שיטת הפרדס בענין או״כ בשער עצמות וכלים פ״ד. ובד״ה אדם כי יקריב תרס״ו ע׳ קצד, שזה ע״פ דעת העה״ק והפרדס שבאורות יש ג״כ ע״ס כו׳, אמנם ברוב הדרושים מבואר שהקו הוא ג״כ המשכה שבבחי׳ בלי גבול, והיינו דשרשו הוא מבחי׳ אוא״ס הבלתי בע״ג והוא מעין המאור שהוא ג״כ בבחי׳ א״ס, ע״ש. בסה״מ תרס״ה ע׳ רס מציין לכאן.
- 4שהוא הסתלקות . . אלא בחי׳ גבול ומדה · ראה אוה״ת בראשית כרך ז ד״ה והי׳ ה׳ לי. אוה״ת ענינים ע׳ קנו.
- 5והיא ראשית הגלוי בחכמה · ראה סד״ה החדש הזה תרס״ו. ובלקו״ש ח״ז ע׳ 41 ”ד. ה. אַז דער גילוי וואָס קומט אין חכמה איז געקומען דורך אַ צמצום”.
- 6וכולם בחכמה עשית · Psalms 104:24
- 7אשר יצר את האדם בחכמה · Berakhot 60b:1
- 8נתוח האברים שהוא ע״פ חכמת הנתוח וכן חכמת התכונה · ראה מאמרי אדה״א במדבר כרך ג ע׳ א׳תפט שכ׳ ”כחכמת הרפואה וחכמת התכונה הוא יותר מוברר וחכמת הטבעית מעורב” ע״ש. וראה מאמרי אדה״ז הקצרים ע׳ תפ.
14וכן עד״ז שאר החכמות שהן למעלה עד אין קץ1 ולמטה עד אין תכלית. כי אפי׳ בתולעת ובזבוב יש בחי׳ חכמה בבריאתם ומ״מ היא בחינת גבול לגבי א״ס ב״ה.
And so too, in the same way, the other sciences, which [extend] upward without end and downward without limit. For even in the worm and in the fly there is an aspect of wisdom in their creation; nevertheless, it is a level of limitation in relation to the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He.
The same holds for every other science: wisdom reaches endlessly upward and endlessly downward, and even worms and flies show wisdom in the way they are made. All of it, however, is limited compared with the Infinite One.
ולהיות המשכה זו מא״ס ב״ה ממש הוצרך להיות צמצום ומקום פנוי. אך היינו בבחי׳ התהוות החכמה בכח להיות כח ומהות החכמה.
And for this drawing-forth to be from the Infinite One, blessed be He, Himself, there had to be tzimtzum (contraction) and a vacated space. But this is [only] with respect to the coming into being of Chochmah as a power (koach), to be the power and essence of Chochmah.
Since such limited wisdom must still come from the Infinite One Himself, a tzimtzum and a vacated space were needed. That, however, explains only how Chochmah came into being as a power, with its own essence.
אבל להיות הגבלת החכמה בבחי׳ כלי עד פה תבא2 בכדי להיות ממנה המשכת ספי׳ אחרת
But for there to be the limitation of Chochmah in the level of a vessel — “up to here you shall come” — so that from it there may be the drawing-forth of another Sefirah,
Something else explains why Chochmah has a vessel, a boundary like the one set for the sea: “up to here you shall come.” Such a boundary is needed so that another Sefirah can follow from it.
כמו החסד ענף החכמה שהמשכה זו היא מחמת שנסתיימה וכלתה מדת החכמה ומתחלת ספי׳ אחרת
such as Chesed (kindness), the branch of Chochmah — for this drawing-forth comes about because the measure of Chochmah has ended and is concluded, and another Sefirah begins —
Chesed, for example, is a branch of Chochmah, and it can begin only where Chochmah’s measure comes to an end. The succession of the Sefiros depends on each one being bounded.
הנה הגבלת כלי הוא מחמת אוא״ס הסוכ״ע שלא בדרך הקו וחוט3 אלא מחמת שעלה ברצונו העליון כך
this limitation of a vessel is due to the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), not by way of the kav and the chut, but because it so arose in His supernal will.
That boundary, the vessel’s limit, comes not from the kav but from the Infinite Light that encompasses all worlds, simply because the Supernal Will so desired. The limit is an act of will, not a product of the ordered chain.
כי רצה״ע היה להיות כלי מגביל לבחי׳ חכמה כדי להיות המשכת ספירה אחרת בכדי להיות אנא אמלוך כו׳.
For the Supernal Will was that there be a limiting vessel for the level of Chochmah, so that there be the drawing-forth of another Sefirah, so that there be “I will reign,” etc.
The Supernal Will wanted Chochmah bounded so that further Sefiros would follow it. All of this serves the purpose expressed in the words “I will reign.”
The paragraph divides Chochmah into two: its power and essence come from the kav after the tzimtzum, but its vessel, the limit that lets another Sefirah follow, comes from sovev kol almin through the Supernal Will.
Marei mekomos
- 1למעלה עד אין קץ · ראה בתורת שמואל תרכ״ז (הוצאת תש״ס) ע׳ תנט.
- 2עד פה תבא · Job 38:11
- 3הגבלת כלי הוא מחמת אוא״ס הסוכ״ע שלא בדרך הקו וחוט · ראה בביאורי הזהר לכ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ פ׳ בלק ע׳ תקג. וראה בד״ה אדם כי יקריב תרס״ו ע׳ קצד.
Second introduction: how a vessel is formed ¶15–17
15ונמצא שכח ומהות החכמה הוא מבחי׳ הקו והחוט שהוא ע״י צמצום אבל להיות בבחי׳ גבול וכלי המגביל להיות יש הוא מהארת הסוכ״ע דוקא.
It follows that the power and essence of Chochmah are from the level of the kav and the chut (the line and the thread), which is through tzimtzum (contraction); but for it to be in the level of limit, and a limiting vessel [that makes it] to be something (yesh), is specifically from the illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).
In sum: Chochmah’s power and essence come from the kav through tzimtzum, but its limit and vessel, which make it a defined “something” (yesh), come specifically from sovev kol almin. So sovev is at work even at the head of the chain of descent.
ואף שהארת סוכ״ע הוא מבחי׳ רצון העליון שהוא בבחי׳ א״ס הנה ע״ז צריך להקדים הקדמה הב׳ שהכלי נעשה מהכאת או״מ באו״פ1 ומשניהם יחד נעשה הכלי.
And although the illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds is from the level of the Supernal Will, which is in the level of the infinite (Ein Sof) — regarding this, the second introduction must first be given: that the vessel is made from the striking of the encompassing light (Or Makif) against the inner light (Or Pnimi), and from both of them together the vessel is made.
How can the infinite Supernal Will produce a limiting vessel? The second introduction answers: a vessel is formed when the encompassing light (Or Makif) strikes against the inner light (Or Pnimi), and the two together produce it.
The paragraph sums up the separate sources of Chochmah’s being and of its vessel, and gives the second introduction: every vessel comes from the meeting of encompassing and inner light.
This second introduction bears on the question raised earlier about inner and encompassing lights: neither one alone makes a vessel; the limiting vessel arises from the two together.
Marei mekomos
- 1שהכלי נעשה מהכאת או״מ באו״פ · בסה״מ תרכ״ז (אותיות מרובעות) ע׳ תנה. סה״מ תער״ב ח״א ע׳ קטז מציין לכאן. ראה גם באוה״ת תצוה ע׳ א׳תרח וע׳ א׳תרכו. מג״א (הוצאת תש״נ) ע׳ קד.
16וזהו בדבר ה׳ שמים נעשו.1 ובע״מ נברא העולם2 שמאותיות שבע״מ ממש נבראו השמים והארץ וכל צבאם3 רק שזה נעשה בכח אוא״ס הסוכ״ע ומקיף את כל העולמות בשוה
And this is [the meaning of] “By the word of G‑d the heavens were made,” and “By ten utterances the world was created”: from the very letters of the Ten Utterances the heavens and the earth and all their host were created; only, this was done by the power of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) and surrounds all the worlds equally,
This is how to read “By the word of G‑d the heavens were made” and the Ten Utterances: the letters of the divine utterances truly are what created heaven and earth. But they did so by the power of the encompassing Infinite Light, which surrounds all worlds equally.
כי הוא הנותן כח לכל בחי׳ ובחי׳ להיות לה כלי מגביל כמו עד״מ כח היולי שהוא אינו נתפס ועולה בשם ומ״מ ממנו גלוי כל הכחות וכל החכמות וכל האומנות לכשיתלמד כו׳.
for it is what gives each and every level the power to have a limiting vessel — as, by way of analogy, the power of hyle (hiyuli), which is not grasped and does not bear a name, and nevertheless from it comes the revelation of all the powers, all the wisdoms and all the crafts, once it is trained, etc.
The encompassing light gives every level the power to have a limiting vessel. It is like the hyle (hiyuli), a power with no form or name of its own, from which every skill, every wisdom and every craft can emerge once a person is trained.
Creation does come through the letters of divine speech, but the power that makes what they produce into bounded vessels is the encompassing light, like a formless power from which every skill emerges.
The analogy explains how sovev, though infinite and without form, can be the source of definite, bounded vessels: a power with no form of its own is exactly what can take on every form.
Marei mekomos
- 1בדבר ה׳ שמים נעשו · Psalms 33:6
- 2ובע״מ נברא העולם · Pirkei Avot 5:1
- 3השמים והארץ וכל צבאם · Genesis 2:1
17וכמו״כ עד״מ הארת אוא״ס הסוכ״ע היא הנותנת כח לבחי׳ חכמה אחרי התהוותה בבחי׳ כח ומהות להיות לה כלי המגבילה עד פה תבא.1
And likewise, by way of analogy, the illumination of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) is what gives power to the level of Chochmah, after it has come into being as power and essence, to have a vessel that limits it: “up to here you shall come.”
In the same way, once Chochmah exists as a power and essence, the encompassing Infinite Light gives it a vessel that bounds it: “up to here you shall come.”
משא״כ קודם התהוותה הנה מאוא״ס הסוכ״ע לא היה יכול להיות התהוותה אפי׳ בבחי׳ החכמה בכח כ״א ע״י צמצום ומקום פנוי כנ״ל:
Whereas before it came into being, its coming into being could not have been from the Infinite Light that encompasses all worlds, even in the level of Chochmah as a power, but only through tzimtzum (contraction) and a vacated space, as mentioned above.
But Chochmah’s first coming into being, even as a power alone, could not come straight from the encompassing light; it required tzimtzum and a vacated space. Sovev supplies the vessel, not the substance.
The paragraph restates the division: sovev gives Chochmah its bounding vessel once it exists, but Chochmah’s existence itself comes only through the tzimtzum.
Marei mekomos
- 1עד פה תבא · Job 38:11
Physical substance comes from sovev ¶18–19
18ובזה יובן ההפרש שבין התהוות היש וכלי מגביל לחכמה מאוא״ס הסוכ״ע. ובין התהוות היש גשמי מאוא״ס הסוכ״ע.
With this we will understand the difference between the coming into being of the something (yesh) and the limiting vessel for Chochmah from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), and the coming into being of the physical something (yesh) from the Infinite Light that encompasses all worlds.
Now the opening question can be answered: how does the “something” and vessel that sovev gives Chochmah differ from the physical “something” that sovev brings into being?
כי מרוחניות החכמה נמשך בחי׳ החכמה המלובשת בגשמיות כמו השכל שלנו שאין אנו משיגים אלא גשמיות הענינים.
For from the spirituality of Chochmah is drawn the level of the wisdom that is enclothed in physicality, like our intellect, for we grasp nothing but the physicality of matters.
From the spiritual Chochmah comes only wisdom that is clothed in physical things, such as human intellect, which understands only the physical side of things.
אבל מ״מ לא נתהווה רק הרוחני׳ שהוא השכל והחכמה אבל לא הדברים הגשמיים ממש כי גשמיות לא נתהווה מרוחניות כלל
But nevertheless, nothing came into being [from it] except the spiritual, which is the intellect and the wisdom, but not the physical things themselves; for physicality does not come into being from spirituality at all.
Even so, what comes from spiritual Chochmah is only the spiritual element, intellect and wisdom, never physical objects themselves. Physical matter does not come into being from spirit at all.
כי נפש הבהמה הטהורה שהיא מפני שור1 שבמרכבה ובהמות האסורים הן ממרכבה שבפ׳ שמיני גמל ארנבת שפן2 כו׳ אין זה אלא בבחי׳ הנפש בלבד3
For the soul of the pure animal, which is from the face of the ox in the Chariot, and the forbidden animals, which are from the chariot in Parshas Shemini — the camel, the hare, the hyrax, etc. — this is only in the level of the soul alone,
The same holds for animals: the soul of a pure animal comes from the “face of the ox” in Ezekiel’s vision of the divine Chariot, and the forbidden animals listed in Parshas Shemini (the camel, the hare, the hyrax and the rest) come from what the text calls “the chariot in Parshas Shemini.” Understanding this as a counterpart chariot on the side of impurity follows the Kabbalistic teaching of the Chariot and is an interpretive reading. In both cases the source gives only the animal’s soul, not its physical substance.
אבל לא הגשמיות ממש אלא מהות הגשמיות ועצמותו נתהווה ג״כ מאור א״ס הסוכ״ע להיות יש גשמי ממש כדי להיות כלי מגביל להרוחניות.
but not the actual physicality. Rather, the nature of physicality and its very essence also came into being from the Infinite Light that encompasses all worlds, to be an actual physical something (yesh), in order to be a limiting vessel for the spirituality.
Physical substance itself, its very essence, comes from the encompassing Infinite Light, which makes it a truly physical “something” so that it can serve as a limiting vessel for the spiritual. This is the difference: in Chochmah sovev provides only the vessel, but in physical things it provides their very substance.
The paragraph answers the opening question: spiritual sources give only soul or intellect, while physical substance itself comes from sovev kol almin, so in physical things sovev is the source of their very being.
Iggeres HaKodesh 20, to which the Kehot note points, says the same: however many contractions there are, the chain of spiritual levels, even of the angels, cannot produce coarse matter like earth, but only the animal’s spirit, from the “face of the ox.”
Marei mekomos
- 1פני שור · Ezekiel 1:10
- 2גמל ארנבת שפן · Leviticus 11:4–7
- 3שו״ה גמל — אלא בבחי׳ הנפש בלבד · ראה אגה״ק סי׳ כ. אוה״ת ענינים ע׳ קכז ושם מציין ללקו״ת ואתחנן ב, ב. וראה אוה״ת ואתחנן ע׳ רכז.
And by way of analogy: an esrog, which grows from the tree — the power of growth is from the supernal mazal, “There is no blade of grass,” etc.;
An example: an esrog grows on a tree, and its power of growth comes from the “supernal mazal,” the heavenly force that, as the Sages say, stands over every blade of grass and makes it grow.
אבל האתרוג עצמו3 שהוא עצמות היש וגסותו הוא נמשך מאור א״ס הסוכ״ע דוקא. ולכן ע״י האתרוג גשמי יעורר למעלה מעלה מאד4 כו׳.
but the esrog itself, which is the very essence of the something (yesh) and its coarseness, is drawn specifically from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). Therefore, through the physical esrog one will arouse very, very high above, etc.
But the esrog itself, its physical substance, comes specifically from the encompassing Infinite Light. That is why taking the physical esrog (on Sukkos) arouses a response exceedingly high above.
The esrog shows the principle: its growth comes through spiritual channels, but its very substance comes from sovev kol almin, so the mitzvah done with it reaches exceedingly high.
The Kuntres Acharon of the Tanya, to which the Kehot note points, explains this: the esrog’s life-force comes from the essence of the vessels of Atzilus, which are G‑dliness, so one who holds and waves it as the law requires grasps that life-force itself. And as a seed arouses the earth’s power of growth, the esrog and the parchment of tefillin arouse a response “up to the highest heights.”
Marei mekomos
- 1אין לך עשב · נסמן לעיל ח, ד.
- 2אין לך עשב · Bereshit Rabbah 10:6
- 3אבל האתרוג עצמו · ראה אוה״ת שמע״צ ע׳ א׳תשפב. ד״ה בראשית ברא תרנ״ה ע׳ טז.
- 4ע״י האתרוג גשמי יעורר למעלה מעלה מאד · ראה קו״א לתניא ד״ה להבין מ״ש בפע״ח (קנו, ב).
Impure physical things ¶20–21
20וא״ת א״כ איך נתהוו1 דברים טמאים גשמיים כיון שהתהוות גשמיות הוא דייקא ע״י הסוכ״ע והלא אין רע יורד מלמעלה2 כ״א שנתהווה ע״י שבירת הכלים שזהו הכל בבחי׳ ממכ״ע
And if you will ask: if so, how did impure physical things come into being, since the coming into being of physicality is specifically through the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)? And surely no evil descends from above! Rather, it came into being through the shattering of the vessels, and all this is in the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin),
A question: if physical existence comes from sovev, how do impure physical things exist? Evil does not come down from above; it arose through the shattering of the vessels, the Kabbalistic account of vessels that broke because they could not hold their light, and all of that belongs to memalei kol almin.
דהיינו ז׳ מדות כו׳. אך הענין כי הרי הארת סוכ״ע אינו מאיר בפ״ע אלא הוא נמשך ומאיר בממכ״ע.
that is, the seven attributes (middos), etc. But the explanation is that the illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds does not shine by itself; rather, it is drawn and shines within the light that fills all worlds.
The vessels that shattered were the seven emotive attributes. The answer: sovev does not shine on its own, but only as it is drawn into memalei kol almin and shines within it.
The paragraph raises the problem of impure physical things and begins the answer: sovev works only through memalei, never on its own.
Or HaTorah (Siddur) suggests that the analogy of the grass and its mazal fits here: the grass is not on the level of the mazal, and the influence becomes physical only through the grass that grows from the earth’s power of growth; so too, the divine light that brings the chambers of kelipas nogah into being passes through the letters of the shattered vessels. Iggeres HaKodesh 11, which the Kehot note also cites, explains that in truth no evil descends from above: all is good, only it is not grasped because of its greatness.
Marei mekomos
- 1וא״ת א״כ איך נתהוו · מובא באוה״ת סידור ע׳ קנח ומציין ע״ז ”ואפשר ע״ז יצדק המשל כמו גידול העשב מהמזל שברקיע והרי העשב אינו מערך המזל, ולכן שיתגשם ההשפעה כ״כ הוא ע״י אמצעות העשב שנגדל מכח הצומח אשר בארץ, וכך המשכת אלקות שיבראו היכלות ק״נ הוא ע״י אמצעות האותיות דשבה״כ כו׳”, ע״ש.
- 2אין רע יורד מלמעלה · Bereshit Rabbah 51:3
21ועיקר גילוי ההשפעה נמשך מבחי׳ ממכ״ע רק שאור הסובב נותן בו כח ועוז. וכמשל ההיולי כו׳
And the main revelation of the bestowal is drawn from the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin); only, the light of sovev gives it power and strength — as in the analogy of the hyle (hiyuli), etc.
What is revealed comes mainly from memalei kol almin; sovev only adds power and strength to it, like the formless power (hiyuli) that makes every skill possible without being seen itself.
ונמצא גם דברים טמאים כיון שנמשך חיותן ע״פ השתלשלות מצירופי אותיות דע״מ ע״פ חילופים ותמורות1 ואור הסובב הוא רק הנותן כח ועוז שיתהווה הגשמיות לכל בחי׳ המשכות ונפשות רוחניים הנמשכים מע״מ כו׳.2
So it follows with impure things, too: since their life-force is drawn by way of the chain of descent (hishtalshelus), from combinations of the letters of the Ten Utterances, through substitutions and permutations, the light of sovev is only what gives power and strength for the physicality to come into being, for all the levels of drawings-forth and spiritual souls that are drawn from the Ten Utterances, etc.
So impure things too receive their life-force through the chain of descent, from combinations of the letters of the Ten Utterances that have been exchanged and rearranged. Sovev only gives the power of physical existence to whatever is drawn from the Ten Utterances, so it is not itself the source of impurity.
The life of impure things comes through memalei, by way of altered letter-combinations; sovev only lends the power of physical being to whatever memalei brings forth.
Iggeres HaKodesh 20, to which the Kehot note points, uses the same words: the Infinite Light that encompasses the four worlds equally shines into the inner kav through the vessels of the ten Sefiros of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and by shining within them gives them “power and strength” to create something from nothing. Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, chapter 1, explains the “substitutions and permutations”: creatures not named in the Ten Utterances, such as a stone, receive life from them through letters exchanged and permuted in the 231 gates, step by step, until the life-force is contracted enough to be clothed in each particular creature.
Marei mekomos
- 1ע״פ חילופים ותמורות · Tanya, Sha’ar HaYichud 1:7–8
- 2שאור הסובב נותן בו כח ועוז · ראה אגה״ק סי׳ כ (קלא, ב).
Tefillin and the advantage of physical mitzvos ¶22
22וממוצא דבר נשמע במעשה המצות שהמצות עצמן כתפלין מ״ש בהן פ׳ קדש1 מוח החכמה. ופ׳ והיה מוח בינה ועל קלף כשר בדיו ומעובד כדת וכהלכה שבח״ע
From what has emerged we may understand the performance of the mitzvos: the mitzvos themselves, such as tefillin — what is written in them, the section “Kadesh,” the mind of Chochmah, and the section “Vehayah,” the mind of Binah; and on kosher parchment, with ink, and tanned according to law and halachah, which is in the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah) —
Now the conclusion for the mitzvos. In tefillin the written sections correspond to the mind, the section Kadesh to Chochmah and the section Vehayah to Binah; and the laws for the parchment, the ink and the tanning come from the higher Chochmah, the wisdom of the Torah.
הנה עי״ז נעשה גוף הקלף שמבהמה טהורה שתחת ממשלת נוגה כלי המגביל קדושה וכח הכלי עדיף שלהיות
through this, the body of the parchment, which is from a pure animal that is under the dominion of Nogah, becomes a vessel that limits holiness. And the power of the vessel is superior; for since
Through these laws the parchment, from a pure animal that belongs to the realm of Nogah, where good and evil are mixed, becomes a vessel that holds holiness within bounds. The power of such a vessel is the superior one.
כח הכלי המגביל הוא מסוכ״ע דוקא וזו מעלה יתירה בדברים הגשמיים מבח״ע2 שבדברים גשמיים גם מהות היש ודבר גשמי נמשך ג״כ מהארת סובב כל עלמין.
the power of the limiting vessel is specifically from the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), this is an added superiority in physical things over the higher Chochmah: in physical things, even the nature of the something (yesh) and the physical thing is also drawn from the illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds,
The power of a limiting vessel comes specifically from sovev kol almin. This is where physical things surpass even the higher Chochmah: their very substance as physical “somethings” comes from sovev.
משא״כ חכמה עלאה אין בה הארת סוכ״ע אלא להגביל היש אבל מהותה ועצמותה נמשך מהקו״ח כנ״ל:
whereas in the higher Chochmah there is no illumination of the light that encompasses all worlds except to limit the something (yesh), but its nature and essence are drawn from the kav and the chut (the line and the thread), as mentioned above.
In the higher Chochmah, sovev only sets its limit, while its essence comes from the kav. This answers the opening question about the special standing of the mitzvos done with physical things.
The maamar concludes with tefillin: the parchment, made a holy vessel through the laws rooted in the higher Chochmah, draws its very substance from sovev kol almin, which gives the physical mitzvos an advantage over the higher Chochmah itself.
Or HaTorah infers from this passage that the power and essence of Chochmah, which come from the kav, are not called a creation of something from nothing.
Marei mekomos
- 1פ׳ קדש · Exodus 13:1–10
- 2וזו מעלה יתירה בדברים הגשמיים מבח״ע · באוה״ת בלק ע׳ תתקפד, ובענינים ע׳ רב ”נשמע מזה שכח ומהות החכמה לגבי הקו וחוט אין נק׳ יש מאין”. ראה שם בארוכה.
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
The maamar’s lesson is the worth of the mitzvos done with physical things. Because the very substance of a physical object comes from sovev kol almin, a mitzvah performed with it according to halachah, such as tefillin written on kosher parchment or the esrog taken on Sukkos, makes that object a vessel of holiness and arouses a response exceedingly high above, with an advantage over even the higher Chochmah.
Questions for discussion
- Why can the maamar not say that the light that encompasses all worlds simply shines more strongly in physical things, and what answer does it give instead?
- How does Chochmah depend on sovev kol almin differently from the way a physical object does?
- Why does the analogy of a king and his country not fully fit G‑d’s relation to the worlds?
- If physical existence comes from sovev kol almin, how can impure physical things exist?
- How do the laws of tefillin turn a parchment into a vessel of holiness, and what does this teach about the mitzvos done with physical things?
Key terms in this maamar
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×29
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level. ×1
- The light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin)ממלא כל עלמין
- Divine light that enters each world and gives it life according to its measure.
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×4
- 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. ×1
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence.
- The kav (line of light)קו
- The thin ray of light drawn into the space left after the tzimtzum. ×7
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
- The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×4
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×2
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×3
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment. ×1
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×12
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×7
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×2
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d.
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence.
- 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 Sefirosספירות
- The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation. ×1
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×1