Torah Ohr · Parshas Mikeitz · Maamar 8
רני ושמחי בת ציון כי הנני בא
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come”
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The big idea
Divine service has two movements: singing, the soul’s longing ascent, born of G‑d’s concealment, which must come first; and joy, the Infinite Light drawn down through Torah and mitzvos. The Chanukah lamp, lit outside the door, shows that this light reaches even one who stands outside, and the prophet promises that G‑d Himself will come even to the “daughter of Zion” in exile.
The maamar in brief
The maamar asks why the Haftorah of Chanukah opens with “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion.” It answers from “Serve G‑d with joy; come before Him with singing” and the Zohar’s “joy in the morning, singing in the evening.” Singing is the service of the angels: a longing to be absorbed in the Infinite Light, voiced in song and directed to Malchus, G‑d’s kingship, the only channel through which life reaches creatures bound by time and space. Because G‑d is hidden in Malchus, the “evening,” the longing grows. The soul shares this ascent, which must come first; but it also has joy, the light drawn down through Torah and mitzvos, which angels lack. The physical mitzvos are “Zion,” signs that point to their spiritual reality and draw it down, and every blessing draws the flow from world to world. When Israel first arouses itself, it is “Zion”; in exile it is only “daughter of Zion,” a recipient. Yet the prophet promises a light from beyond all worlds. The Chanukah lamp, lit outside toward the public domain, carries the Infinite Light to those outside and turns darkness into light.
Outline
- The questionWhy does the Haftorah of Chanukah open with “Sing and rejoice,” rather than with the vision of the golden menorah?¶1
- The angels’ songThe angels’ singing is the outward voice of their longing for G‑d; it is directed to Malchus, “Your righteousness,” the kingship through which all creatures in time and space receive life, of which they grasp only a trace.¶2–7
- Singing in the evening“Evening” is Malchus, where G‑d is hidden; the concealment itself awakens the longing, and the soul’s ascent out of the body is “come before Him with singing.”¶8–9
- Joy in the morningAfter the ascent comes joy: the Infinite Light drawn down through Torah and mitzvos, a service souls have and angels do not, reached only by first coming “with singing.”¶10–11
- Zion: the mitzvos as signsThe physical mitzvos are “Zion,” signs that point to and draw down their spiritual reality, the source of space and time; the blessing over a mitzvah draws Havayah into Elokim so that G‑d’s kingship is revealed.¶12–15
- Zion and the daughter of ZionWith an arousal from below Israel is “Zion”; without it, in exile, only “daughter of Zion,” a recipient whose light stays outer. The morning prayers follow the same order.¶16–17
- The prophet’s comfortAn arousal from above, from the light that encompasses all worlds, will reach even the “daughter”; in the Time to Come G‑d Himself will dwell in her.¶18–19
- The Chanukah lampThe lamp at the outer side of the door brings the Infinite Light to one who stands outside, and even into the public domain, turning darkness into light.¶20
Key concepts
- Singing (rinah, renanah)רנה / רננה
- The voice of longing: the ascent from below to above, born of G‑d’s concealment. It is the whole service of the angels, and the first stage of a person’s service.
- Joy (simchah)שמחה
- The revealing of the innermost: the Infinite Light drawn down from above to below through Torah and mitzvos, a service given to souls and not to angels.
- Evening and morning (ramsha, tzafra)רמשא / צפרא
- The Zohar’s pairing: evening, the attribute of night, is Malchus, where G‑d is hidden; morning, the attribute of day, is the light drawn down from above.
- “Your righteousness” (tzedek)צדקתך / צדק
- Malchus, G‑d’s kingship, the only channel through which creatures in time and space receive life, and the level through which the angels grasp Him.
- Zion (tziyun)ציון
- A sign or marker: the physical mitzvos and Torah, which point to their spiritual reality and draw it down; also Israel when it takes the initiative.
- Daughter of Zionבת ציון
- Israel in exile, without an arousal from below: a recipient only, whose light from above stays outer.
- Arousal from below and from aboveאתערותא דלתתא / אתערותא דלעילא
- Human initiative, which draws the light inward, and divine initiative, which gives even without it; the highest arousal from above, from sovev kol almin, reaches even the “daughter.”
The question ¶1
1רני ושמחי12 בת ציון כי הנני בא. להבין ענין רני ושמחי וגם מה ענין זה להפטורת חנוכה שמתחילין ברני ושמחי וגו׳ והיה להתחיל מן ראיתי והנה מנורת זהב3 וגו׳ שבסוף הפרשה.4
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come.” [We need] to understand the meaning of “Sing and rejoice.” And also, what does this have to do with the Haftorah of Chanukah, which begins with “Sing and rejoice,” etc.? It should have begun from “I have seen, and behold, a menorah of gold,” etc., which is at the end of the passage.
The maamar opens with the first words of the Haftorah read on Shabbos Chanukah, from the prophet Zechariah. It asks two questions: what “Sing and rejoice” means, and why the Haftorah begins here rather than with the vision of the golden menorah later in the same passage, which would seem to suit Chanukah better.
The paragraph quotes the verse and sets the maamar’s two questions: the meaning of “Sing and rejoice,” and its connection to Chanukah.
The Kehot note dates this maamar to the year 5566 (1805–06). It adds that a later maamar, Menoras Zahav 5727, observes that the same question applies to the Haftorah of Shabbos Parshas Behaalosecha, which also begins with “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion.”
Marei mekomos
- 1רני ושמחי · ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. נאמרה בשנת תקס״ו. ראה רשימת המאמרים שם. הנחת ר׳ משה בן אדה״ז יודפס בסה״מ תקס״ו בהוצאה חדשה. ד״ה זה נזכר בסה״מ תרכ״ז (הוצאת תש״ס) ע׳ קסד. לד״ה זה ראה ד״ה רני ושמחי תשכ״ז (סה״מ מלוקט ח״ד ע׳ רפג).
- 2רני ושמחי · Zechariah 2:14
- 3ראיתי והנה מנורת זהב · Zechariah 4:2
- 4והיה צריך להתחיל מן ראיתי והנה מנורת זהב · בד״ה מנורת זהב תשכ״ז הנ״ל מדייק שצ״ל דדיוק הנ״ל הוא גם בההפטורה דשבת פ׳ בהעלותך, שהתחלת ההפטורה היא רני ושמחי בת ציון. ע״ש.
The angels’ song ¶2–7
2והענין הוא דכתיב עבדו את ה׳ בשמחה באו לפניו ברננה.1 ואיתא בזהר שמחה בצפרא ורננה ברמשא.2 וצריך להבין מהו צפרא ומהו רמשא מהו שמחה ומהו רננה.3
The explanation is as follows. It is written, “Serve G‑d with joy; come before Him with singing (renanah).” And it is stated in the Zohar: “Joy in the morning (tzafra), and singing in the evening (ramsha).” We need to understand what “morning” is and what “evening” is, what “joy” is and what “singing” is.
The answer begins with a verse from Psalms that pairs “joy” with “singing,” and a saying of the Zohar that assigns joy to the morning and singing to the evening. The maamar sets out four terms to be explained: morning, evening, joy and singing.
ויובן בהקדים כי מודעת זאת שעבודת המלאכים היא רנה וזמרה בשירות ותשבחות כנודע מענין פרק שירה4 שכל הברואים אומרים שירה.
This will be understood by first stating what is well known: that the service of the angels is singing and melody (rinah ve-zimrah), with songs and praises, as is known from the matter of Perek Shirah, that all created beings say song.
Before answering, the maamar lays a foundation: the angels serve G‑d by singing His praises. Perek Shirah, “the Chapter of Song,” is an early teaching that places verses of song and praise in the mouth of the heavens, the earth, the plants and every living thing.
The paragraph opens the answer with “Serve G‑d with joy; come before Him with singing” and the Zohar’s pairing of joy with morning and singing with evening, and starts from the angels, whose service is song.
The Kehot note records that in the transcript of Rabbi Moshe, the Alter Rebbe’s son, the four terms are listed in the opposite order: singing, joy, evening, morning. That order follows the maamar’s own sequence, which explains singing and evening first (paragraphs 2–9) and joy and morning afterward (paragraphs 10–11).
Marei mekomos
- 1עבדו את ה׳ בשמחה . . ברננה · Psalms 100:2
- 2ואיתא בזהר שמחה בצפרא ורננה ברמשא · Zohar I, 229b
- 3מהו צפרא מהו רמשא מהו שמחה ומהו רננה · בהנחת ר׳ משה בן אדה״ז בסה״מ תקס״ו ח״א: רננה . . שמחה . . רמשא . . צפרא.
- 4פרק שירה · בחסידות מבוארת לד״ה זה מציין שזה ברייתא של פסוקי שירה ותהלה להקב״ה ששומה בפי כל צבא השמים והארץ והצמחים וכל אשר בו רוח חיים, נדפס באוצר מדרשים, ובכמה סידורים ובסידור ר׳ יעקב עמדין ועוד.
3וכן המלאכים שבכל עולם עד רום המעלות כולם אומרים שירות ותשבחות ברנה וזמרה. וענין רנה זו היא גילוי עוצם תשוקתם להיות נכספה
And so too the angels in every world, up to the very highest levels, all say songs and praises with singing and melody. And the meaning of this singing is the revelation of the intensity of their longing, to be [in the state of] “yearning,”
All the angels, in every world, sing. The maamar defines their singing as the outward expression of an intense longing, which it describes in the Psalmist’s words, “My soul yearns, and even pines.”
וגם כלתה נפשם1 לדבקה בו ית׳ ולהתכלל באור א״ס ב״ה ותמיד כל ימיהם עומדים בתשוקה זו בלי הפסק מחמת שאין להם אהבה ותשוקה אחרת וגם אין להם עבודה אחרת
“and even pining” of their soul, to cleave to Him, may He be blessed, and to be absorbed into the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He. And always, all their days, they stand in this longing without pause, because they have no other love and longing, and also no other service,
The angels long to cleave to G‑d and to be absorbed into the Infinite Light, G‑d’s light as it is, beyond all limits. Their longing never stops, because it is their only love and their only service.
כמו תומ״צ שהם בחינת המשכה מלמעלה למטה רק עבודתם היא השתוקקות נפשם ממטה למעלה ותשוקה זו היא ברנה וזמרה כנודע מענין הניגון2 שהוא ענין התפעלות הלב
such as Torah and mitzvos, which are the aspect of drawing down from above to below. Rather, their service is the longing of their soul from below to above. And this longing is with singing and melody, as is known from the matter of melody (niggun), which is a matter of the stirring of the heart
Unlike the souls of Israel, the angels do not have Torah and mitzvos, which draw G‑dliness down from above to below; their service runs only from below to above. This longing finds its voice in song, because melody is the expression of a stirred heart.
(כי יש ניגון של שמחה ויש של מרירות כו׳) והנה זו היא בחי׳ חיצוניות כנודע
(for there is a melody of joy and there is [one] of bitterness, etc.). Now this is the aspect of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus), as is known,
The aside notes that a melody can express joy or bitterness, so it carries whatever the heart feels. The maamar then classes such song as belonging to the outer dimension (chitzoniyus), not to the innermost core.
ע״ד משל מי שהוא עומד בפנים בבית המלך מה לו להגיד ולספר בשבחו רק כשיצא לחוץ ידבר ויספר בשבחו להפליא ולהגדיל גודל עוצם שבח המלך כמה הוא גדול ומתפעל כו׳
by way of an analogy: one who stands inside, in the king’s house, what need has he to tell and recount his praise? Only when he goes outside will he speak and recount his praise, to extol and magnify the great intensity of the king’s praise, how great he is; and he is stirred, etc.
The analogy shows why song is outer. A person inside the king’s palace, in his presence, has no need to describe the king’s greatness; only someone who has gone outside recounts and magnifies his praise and is moved by it.
והוא ענין מ״ש וצדקתך ירננו3 שהרנה היא בבחי׳ צדקתך כי צדק היא מלכותא קדישא45 (מאזני צדק6 פי׳ שיש בחינת מאזנים ששוקלים בחינת עומ״ש שנמשך לכל חד וחד לפום שיעורא דיליה)7
And this is the meaning of what is written, “and they shall sing of Your righteousness”: the singing is in the aspect of “Your righteousness,” for tzedek (righteousness) is the holy Malchus (sovereignty). (“Scales of righteousness” means that there is an aspect of scales which weigh the aspect of the yoke of the kingship of Heaven, which is drawn to each and every one according to his own measure.)
Psalm 145 says “they shall sing of Your righteousness”: the angels’ song is directed to G‑d’s “righteousness” (tzedek), which Tikkunei Zohar identifies with Malchus, G‑d’s kingship. The aside reads “scales of righteousness” as a picture of Malchus, which weighs out to each one his own measure of the yoke of Heaven’s kingship.
וכתיב צדק מלאה ימינך8 כי מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים9 כתיב שאין ערך לבורא עם נברא להיות הנבראים מקבלים חיות מן הבורא ית׳ אלא ע״י בחינת מלוכה שלפי שהוא ית׳ מלך עליהם הם חיים וקיימים.10
And it is written, “Your right hand is full of righteousness”; for it is written, “Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds.” For the Creator bears no relation to a created being, such that created beings could receive life-force from the Creator, may He be blessed, except through the aspect of kingship: because He, may He be blessed, is King over them, they live and exist.
A second verse, “Your right hand is full of righteousness,” prepares the next step. The Creator is infinitely beyond any creature, so creatures can receive life from Him only through His kingship: because He is their King, they live and exist.
The paragraph defines the angels’ singing as the outward expression of their longing to be absorbed in G‑d, and ties it to “Your righteousness,” Malchus, the divine kingship through which every creature receives its life.
The Kehot notes record that both parenthetical remarks in this paragraph also appear in manuscript 1824. The words “tzedek is the holy Malchus” come from Patach Eliyahu in the introduction to Tikkunei Zohar, and Rabbi Moshe’s transcript names them “the saying of Eliyahu.”
Marei mekomos
- 1נכספה וגם כלתה נפשם · Psalms 84:3
- 2כנודע מענין הניגון · ראה אוה״ת וישב ע׳ תתקצ, א. וזאת הברכה ע׳ א׳תתסא.
- 3וצדקתך ירננו · Psalms 145:7
- 4צדק היא מלכותא קדישא · ראה ת״ז בהקדמה יז, ב. בהנחת ר׳ משה בן אדה״ז מציין: כמאמר אליהו [ת״ז בהקדמה פתח אליהו יז, ב].
- 5צדק היא מלכותא קדישא · Tikkunei Zohar 17b:4–6
- 6מאזני צדק · Leviticus 19:36
- 7(מאזני . . דיליה) · המוסגר נמצא גם בבוך 1824.
- 8צדק מלאה ימינך · Psalms 48:11
- 9כי מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים · Psalms 145:13
- 10(כי . . מרירות כו׳) · המוסגר נמצא גם בבוך 1824.
4וזהו מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים וממשלתך בכל דור ודור1 עולמים הם בחינת מקום ודור דור הוא בחי׳ זמן הכל נמשך מבחי׳ מלכותך שהרי הזמן והמקום הם נבראים ומחודשים מאין ליש.
And this is [the meaning of] “Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds, and Your dominion is in every generation and generation”: “worlds” are the aspect of space, and “generation [and] generation” is the aspect of time; all is drawn from the aspect of “Your kingship.” For time and space are created and brought into being anew, from nothing into something.
The verse “Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds, and Your dominion is in every generation” is read as covering space (“worlds”) and time (“generations”). Both flow from G‑d’s kingship, because space and time are themselves created, brought into being from nothing.
שקודם בריאת העולם לא היה בחי׳ זמן ומקום כלל2 ולא היו יכולים להיות נבראים שהם בעלי גבול בבחי׳ זמן ומקום
For before the creation of the world there was no aspect of time and space at all; and there could not have been created beings, which are bounded within time and space,
Before creation there was no time or space at all. Creatures, which by nature exist within the limits of time and space, could not have come to be on their own terms.
אלא ע״י בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ שבה שייך בחי׳ זמן מלך מלך ימלוך כו׳ משא״כ באוא״ס ב״ה עצמו שכשמו כן הוא אין לו סוף3 כו׳.
except through the aspect of His kingship, may He be blessed, to which the aspect of time pertains: “reigns, reigned, will reign,” etc. This is not so with the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, itself, for as His name is, so is He: He has no end (sof), etc.
Creation is possible only through G‑d’s kingship, which relates to time, as in the words “G‑d reigns, G‑d reigned, G‑d will reign.” The Infinite Light itself has no limit at all: as its name Ein Sof (“without end”) says, it has no end.
The paragraph explains why life reaches creatures only through kingship: time and space, the frame of every creature, are themselves created, and only kingship, not the Infinite Light as it is, relates to them.
The Kehot notes point to the Siddur, citing the Maggid of Mezritch, to Derech Mitzvosecha and to Sefer HaChakirah for the idea that there was no time or space before creation, and record that two later maamarim, Chayav Adam Levarech 5638 and Mi Yitencha 5642, quote this whole passage.
Marei mekomos
- 1מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים וממשלתך בכל דור ודור · Psalms 145:13
- 2שקודם בריאת העולם לא היה בחי׳ זמן ומקום כלל · ראה סידור עה א בשם הרב המגיד. דרך מצותיך נז, א ואילך. ספר החקירה קיב, ב בענין שעור זמן.
- 3וזהו מלכותך . . שכשמו כן הוא אין לו סוף · מובא בד״ה חייב אדם לברך תרל״ח פרק יא. ובד״ה מי יתנך תרמ״ב פרק ה.
And because the life-force is drawn from the aspect of His kingship, may He be blessed, which is the aspect of tzedek (righteousness), therefore “Your right hand is full”: the aspect of the right and of Chesed (kindness),
Since life flows from Malchus, which is “righteousness,” the verse says that this righteousness fills G‑d’s “right hand.” The right stands for Chesed, kindness: the life given through kingship is an act of kindness.
כמאמר מכלכל חיים בחסד וכתיב ואתה מחיה את כולם2 וצבא השמים לך משתחוים פי׳ כי לפי שאתה מחיה את כולם לכך וצבא השמים לך משתחוים בבחי׳ בטול והתכללות.3
as it is said, “He sustains the living with kindness”; and it is written, “And You give life to them all, and the host of heaven bows down to You.” This means: because You give life to them all, therefore “the host of heaven bows down to You,” in the aspect of self-nullification (bittul) and absorption.
Two texts support this: “He sustains the living with kindness,” from the daily Amidah, and Nechemiah’s “You give life to them all, and the host of heaven bows down to You.” Because G‑d gives them life, the heavenly hosts bow before Him, setting themselves aside and becoming absorbed in Him.
The paragraph shows that the life-force given through kingship is kindness, and that receiving this life is what moves the heavenly hosts to bow in self-nullification.
The Kehot note records that the closing words, “in the aspect of self-nullification and absorption,” are absent in manuscript 1824.
Marei mekomos
- 1מלאה ימינך · Psalms 48:11
- 2ואתה מחי׳ את כולם · Nehemiah 9:6
- 3בבחי׳ בטול והתכללות · בבוך 1824 ליתא.
Now this self-nullification is to the Infinite Light, blessed be He, which is drawn down and vested in the aspect of kingship to give them life; for [it is] “to Him, and not to His attributes,” etc.
The heavenly hosts’ self-nullification is directed to the Infinite Light itself, as it is clothed in kingship to give them life, not to the kingship as such. The principle “to Him, and not to His attributes,” which Pardes Rimonim cites from the Sifrei, teaches that one turns to G‑d Himself, not to the attributes through which He acts.
וזהו זכר רב טובך3 יביעו וצדקתך ירננו פי׳ טובך הוא השפעה וחיות שנמשך מעולם ועד עולם
And this is [the meaning of] “They shall pour forth the remembrance of Your abundant goodness, and they shall sing of Your righteousness.” “Your goodness” is the flow and life-force that is drawn from world to world,
Psalm 145:7 is now read closely. “Your goodness” is the divine flow and life-force that passes from one world down to the next.
כמ״ש אמרו צדיק כי טוב4 שהטוב הוא בחינת צדיק שהוא המקשר ומשפיע מעולם ועד עולם כמו שכתוב כי כל בשמים ובארץ5 ותרגומו דאחיד כו׳
as it is written, “Say of the righteous one that he is good”: the “good” is the aspect of the righteous one (tzaddik), who is the one that connects and bestows from world to world, as it is written, “For all that is in heaven and on earth,” and its Targum [renders it] “that holds fast,” etc.
Isaiah’s “say of the righteous one that he is good” links “good” with the tzaddik, the righteous one, who connects one world to the next and passes the flow along. The verse “all that is in heaven and on earth,” which the Targum renders with the words “that holds fast,” is brought for this connecting role.
ורב טובך היינו כמה רבוא רבבות מדרגות עד אין קץ שהן בבחינת השתלשלות וירידת המדרגות מעולם ועד עולם עד שיאיר אור א״ס ב״ה בבחינת מלכותו להוות ולהחיות נבראים עד אין קץ.
And “Your abundant goodness” means many myriads of myriads of levels, without end, which are in the manner of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) and the descent of the levels from world to world, until the Infinite Light, blessed be He, shines in the aspect of His kingship, to bring into being and give life to created beings without end.
“Your abundant goodness” refers to the countless levels through which the light descends, world after world. At the end of that descent, the Infinite Light shines through G‑d’s kingship to create and sustain creatures without end.
The paragraph reads “They shall pour forth the remembrance of Your abundant goodness” as the flow of life that descends through countless levels until it reaches creation through kingship.
The Kehot notes trace “to Him, and not to His attributes” to Pardes Rimonim, Gate 32, which quotes it from the Sifrei, and point to Derech Mitzvosecha for more on “the remembrance of Your abundant goodness.”
Marei mekomos
- 1אליו ולא למדותיו · פרדס שער לב רפ״ב בשם הספרי.
- 2אליו ולא למדותיו · Pardes Rimmonim 32:2
- 3זכר רב טובך · Psalms 145:7
- 4אמרו צדיק כי טוב · Isaiah 3:10
- 5כי כל בשמים ובארץ · I Chronicles 29:11
Now the meaning of “the remembrance of Your abundant goodness” is that they “pour forth” only the aspect of a “remembrance” and a glimmer from the aspect of “Your abundant goodness”; and therefore “they shall sing,”
“Remembrance” (zecher) means a mere trace: the angels receive only a glimmer of G‑d’s abundant goodness. That is why they “sing,” longing for what they do not fully have.
שמשתוקקים ונכספים להתכלל באור א״ס ב״ה שאומרים איה מקום כבודו כו׳ רק שאין להם השגה באור א״ס ב״ה עצמו אלא ע״י בחינת מלוכה ובחינת צדקתך.
for they long and yearn to be absorbed into the Infinite Light, blessed be He, as they say, “Where is the place of His glory?” etc. Only, they have no grasp of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, itself, except through the aspect of kingship and the aspect of “Your righteousness.”
The angels long to be absorbed into the Infinite Light, and ask, in the words of the Kedushah, “Where is the place of His glory?” They cannot grasp the Infinite Light itself; they reach it only through kingship, “Your righteousness.”
The paragraph explains why the angels sing: they receive only a trace of the divine goodness and grasp G‑d only through His kingship, so they long for Him.
Marei mekomos
- 1זכר רב טובך · Psalms 145:7
Singing in the evening ¶8–9
8וזהו רננה ברמשא רמשא היא מדת לילה1 היא בחינת מלכותו ית׳ מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים מלשון העלם2 כו׳ וע״ז רמזו בגמרא שצריך להזכיר מדת לילה ביום3
And this is [the meaning of] “singing in the evening.” “Evening” is the attribute of night, which is the aspect of His kingship, may He be blessed: “Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds (olamim),” from the term for concealment (helem), etc. And to this the Gemara alluded [in saying] that one must mention the attribute of night in the day,
Now the Zohar’s “singing in the evening” is explained. Evening, the attribute of night, is Malchus, G‑d’s kingship, because olam, “world,” is related to helem, “concealment”; the Talmud reads the same letters as “to hide.” The Gemara’s rule that one must mention the attribute of night in the day hints at this.
דהיינו כמו שמבואר בזוהר לאכללא כו׳4 שע״י שמשיגים החשך וההעלם של אא״ס ב״ה ישת חשך סתרו5 לכך הם משתוקקים ונכספים אליו ית׳ וכמ״ש נפשי אויתיך בלילה6 פי׳ שאומר להקב״ה הרי נפשי אתה לכך אויתיך.
that is, as is explained in the Zohar, “to include,” etc.: because they perceive the darkness and concealment of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, “He made darkness His hiding place,” therefore they long and yearn for Him, may He be blessed. And as it is written, “My soul, I desire You in the night”: meaning that he says to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Behold, You are my soul; therefore I desire You.”
The Zohar speaks of “including” night within day. Because the angels perceive that G‑d is hidden, “He made darkness His hiding place,” they long for Him all the more; and Isaiah’s “My soul, I desire You in the night” is read as saying to G‑d, “You are my soul, and therefore I desire You.”
מפני שהחיות הזה הוא מוסתר בבחינת לילה והעלם ולכך תגדל התשוקה והכוסף להיות אויתיך וכנודע שלא שייך אהבה ותשוקה להתאות תאוה אלא במי שחסר לנפשו הדבר שמתאוה אליו.
Because this life-force is hidden in the aspect of night and concealment, therefore the longing and yearning grow great, to be [in the state of] “I desire You.” As is known, love and longing, “to crave a craving,” apply only to one whose soul lacks the thing he craves.
Because the life-force is hidden, as in the night, the longing grows. One longs only for what one lacks; there is no craving for what one already has.
The paragraph identifies “evening” with Malchus, the level at which G‑d is hidden, and shows that this very concealment arouses the longing that is expressed in song.
Tanya, chapter 44, which the Kehot note cites, quotes the Zohar on “My soul, I desire You in the night”: one loves G‑d with the love of one’s own soul and spirit. Likkutei Torah on Vaeschanan explains the verse in the same way: because it is night, with the Infinite Light hidden, the soul’s thirst grows, like the thirst “in a dry and weary land.”
Marei mekomos
- 1רמשא היא מדת לילה · קטע מכאן מובא באוה״ת נ״ך כרך ב ע׳ א׳כה.
- 2מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים מלשון העלם · Pesachim 50a
- 3רמזו בגמרא שצריך להזכיר מדת לילה ביום · Berakhot 11b:5–7
- 4שמבואר בזהר לאכללא כו׳ · Zohar III, 178a
- 5ישת חשך סתרו · Psalms 18:12
- 6נפשי אויתיך בלילה · Isaiah 26:9
9וזהו ענין בואו לפניו ברננה1 ממטה למעלה לצאת מנרתק הגוף ולבושי נפש הבהמית לדבקה בו ית׳ ע״י רננה בבחינת רמשא ומדת לילה היא בחינה שמוסתר ומלובש בה אור א״ס ב״ה בבחינת העלם והסתר.
And this is the meaning of “Come before Him with singing”: from below to above, to go out of the sheath of the body and the garments of the animal soul, to cleave to Him, may He be blessed, through singing in the aspect of “evening.” And the attribute of night is a level in which the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is hidden and vested, in the manner of concealment and hiddenness.
“Come before Him with singing” is the ascent from below to above: the soul’s effort to leave the confines of the body and the garments of the animal soul and to cleave to G‑d. This singing belongs to “evening,” the attribute of night, the level at which the Infinite Light is hidden and clothed.
The paragraph applies what was said of the angels to the human soul: its upward striving, born of G‑d’s concealment, is the “singing in the evening.”
Marei mekomos
- 1בואו לפניו ברננה · Psalms 100:2
Joy in the morning ¶10–11
10וזהו ענין בשכמל״ו ואהבת וגו׳ דהיינו שלבבו יבין איך שברוך ונמשך שם הארה מאור א״ס ב״ה להיות כבוד מלכותו והארה ההיא היא לעולם ועד למטה עד אין קץ כו׳
And this is the meaning of “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever,” “And you shall love,” etc.: that is, that his heart should understand how “blessed,” that is, drawn down, is the “name,” a glimmer of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, to become “the glory of His kingship”; and that glimmer is “forever and ever,” downward without end, etc.,
In the Shema, “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever” is followed by “And you shall love.” The maamar reads it word by word: “blessed” means drawn down; the “name” is a mere glimmer of the Infinite Light; it becomes “the glory of His kingship”; and “forever and ever” means that it extends downward without end.
שעי״ז יבוא לאהבה את הוי״ה הוא אור א״ס ב״ה ממש להיות אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך1 וגו׳ לאדבקא רוחא ברוחא.23
so that through this he will come to love Havayah, which is the very Infinite Light, blessed be He, that [He] be “your G‑d,” “with all your heart and with all your soul,” etc., “to cleave spirit to spirit.”
Understanding this brings a person to love Havayah, the Infinite Light itself, “with all your heart and with all your soul.” The Zohar describes such love as cleaving “spirit to spirit.”
אך כל זה הוא בבחינת ממטה למעלה בואו לפניו שאזי הוא ברננה וכך צריך להיות תחילת עבודת האדם כברייתו של עולם בריש׳ חשוכא והדר נהורא4 מדת יום
But all this is in the mode of from below to above, “Come before Him,” which then is “with singing.” And so must the beginning of a person’s service be, like the creation of the world: “first darkness, and then light.” The attribute of day,
This love is still an ascent from below to above, “come before Him,” and so it is “singing.” A person’s service must begin this way, just as the Talmud describes creation: first darkness, then light.
היינו המשכת אור א״ס ב״ה מלמעלה למטה להתלבש בעולמו׳ אבי״ע בחינת עבדו את5 ה׳ בשמחה שזהו יתרון ומעלת הנשמות על המלאכים שהמלאכים אין להם רק בחינת רנה בלבד שהיא בחי׳ העלאה והתכללות ממטה למעלה
that is, the drawing down of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, from above to below, to be vested in the worlds of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah: the aspect of “Serve G‑d with joy.” And this is the advantage and superiority of the souls over the angels: the angels have only the aspect of singing alone, which is the aspect of ascent and absorption from below to above,
“Day” is the opposite movement: the Infinite Light drawn down from above into all four worlds, Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, which is “Serve G‑d with joy.” Here the souls surpass the angels, whose service is only singing, an ascent from below to above.
משא״כ נשמת ישראל יש להם עבודה נוספת בבחי׳ המשכה מלמעלה למטה מההעלם אל הגילוי שכל שמחה היא התגלות הפנימיות וכו׳
whereas the souls of Israel have an additional service, in the mode of drawing down from above to below, from concealment to revelation; for all joy is the revealing of the inner dimension (pnimiyus), etc.,
The souls of Israel have a further service: to draw G‑dliness down and to bring what is hidden into the open. Joy is defined as the revealing of what is innermost.
כנודע שבחי׳ שמחה זו היא מהמשכת אור א״ס ב״ה בתומ״צ (שנתנו לישראל דוקא משא״כ המלאכים בקשו תורה תנה הודך על השמים6 ולא ניתן כו׳).
as is known that this joy comes from the drawing down of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in Torah and mitzvos (which were given specifically to Israel; whereas the angels asked for the Torah, “Set Your majesty upon the heavens,” and it was not given [to them], etc.).
This joy comes from the Infinite Light drawn down through Torah and mitzvos, which were given to Israel and not to the angels. The Talmud tells that the angels asked that the Torah stay in heaven, quoting “Set Your majesty upon the heavens,” but it was not given to them.
וכמ״ש והיו הדברים האלה7 אשר אנכי מצוך היום וגו׳ אנכי מי שאנכי8 כו׳ כי הגם שממטה למעלה כתיב בואו לפניו ברננה שא״א להיות בחי׳ העלאה והתכללות כ״א בבחי׳ צדקתך9 ובחי׳ רננה ברמשא
And as it is written, “And these words which I (Anochi) command you this day,” etc.: “I, Who I am,” etc. For although, from below to above, it is written, “Come before Him with singing,” since there cannot be ascent and absorption except in the aspect of “Your righteousness” and the aspect of “singing in the evening,”
“These words which I (Anochi) command you” is read as saying that the commandments come from “I, Who I am,” G‑d’s very self. In the ascent from below to above, by contrast, the soul can rise only through Malchus, “Your righteousness,” the “singing in the evening.”
אבל מלמעלה למטה אור א״ס ב״ה מאליו וממילא נמשך גם מבחי׳ אנכי מי שאנכי כי לפניו ית׳ כחשיכה כאורה.10
nevertheless, from above to below, the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is drawn down of itself and as a matter of course, even from the aspect of “I, Who I am”; for before Him, may He be blessed, “the darkness is as the light.”
From above to below, however, the Infinite Light flows down of its own accord, even from G‑d’s very self. Before Him “the darkness is as the light,” so concealment does not hold Him back.
The paragraph contrasts the two services: singing, the soul’s ascent through Malchus, which must come first; and joy, the drawing down of the Infinite Light through Torah and mitzvos, which souls have and angels do not.
On “I, Who I am” the Kehot note points to the first maamar of Torah Ohr, which reads “these words which I command you” the same way. On the limit of the ascent, the note adds from the Tzemach Tzedek’s Biurei HaZohar that all reward and punishment, good and its opposite, are nevertheless drawn from very far above.
Marei mekomos
- 1בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך · Deuteronomy 6:5
- 2לאדבקא רוחא ברוחא · Zohar II, 123b
- 3לאדבקא רוחא ברוחא · Zohar, Mishpatim 22:528–536
- 4כברייתו של עולם בריש׳ חשוכא והדר נהורא · Shabbat 77b:8
- 5עבדו את ה׳ בשמחה · Psalms 100:2
- 6המלאכים בקשו תורה תנה הודך על השמים · Psalms 8:2
- 7והיו הדברים האלה · Deuteronomy 6:6
- 8אנכי מי שאנכי · נסמן לעיל א, א.
- 9כי הגם שממטה למעלה כתיב בואו לפניו ברננה שא״א להיות בחי׳ העלאה והתכללות כ״א בבחי׳ צדקתך · ומ״מ כל השכר והעונש והטוב או ההפך נמשך מלמעלה מעלה — ביאוה״ז לצ״צ ע׳ לב בארוכה.
- 10כחשיכה כאורה · Psalms 139:12
11וכמ״ש המשפילי לראות1 בשמים ובארץ שמים וארץ רוחניות וגשמיות הכל שוה לפניו ית׳ השוה ומשוה קטן וגדול.2
As it is written, “Who lowers [Himself] to look upon heaven and earth”: heaven and earth, spirituality and physicality, are all equal before Him, may He be blessed, “Who is equal and makes equal small and great.”
The psalm describes G‑d as looking down on heaven and earth alike: for Him, the spiritual and the physical are equal. The phrase “Who is equal and makes equal small and great” comes from the High Holiday hymn Ha’ochez Beyad.
והמשכה זו היא ע״י תומ״צ הדברים האלה אשר אנכי3 וגו׳ רמ״ח מצות הם רמ״ח איברין דמלכא4 דהיינו כמשל האיברים שבהם מלובשת הנשמה ובהמשכת האברים נמשכת גם הנשמה המלובשת בהם.
And this drawing down is through Torah and mitzvos: “these words which I (Anochi),” etc. The 248 mitzvos are “the 248 limbs of the King”; that is, as in the analogy of the limbs in which the soul is vested: with the drawing of the limbs, the soul vested in them is drawn as well.
This downward flow comes through Torah and mitzvos. The 248 positive commandments are called “the 248 limbs of the King”: just as the soul goes wherever the limbs it fills are moved, G‑d’s light comes along with the mitzvos.
ודרך כלל נחלקים לג׳ קוין חסד דרוע׳ ימינא5 היא בחי׳ צדקה כו׳ ותורה היא קו הממוצע (וכנודע שהתורה היא בחינת אברים הפנימיי׳ ושאר מצות הם אברי׳ החיצונים כו׳).6
In general, they are divided into three lines: “Chesed (kindness) is the right arm,” which is the aspect of charity (tzedakah), etc.; and Torah is the middle line. (As is known, the Torah is the aspect of the inner limbs, while the other mitzvos are the outer limbs, etc.)
The mitzvos fall into three lines: on the right, the line of Chesed, kindness, to which charity belongs; and Torah, the middle line. The aside compares Torah to the inner organs and the other mitzvos to the outer limbs.
וזהו עבדו את7 ה׳ הוא א״ס ב״ה הנמשך אורו מלמעלה למטה בתורה ועבודה כו׳ בשמחה היא שמחה של מצוה ואמרו רז״ל וכן לדבר הלכה8 והשמחה היא מבחי׳ גילוי אוא״ס ב״ה ממש על נפשם כו׳.
And this is [the meaning of] “Serve G‑d”: the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, whose light is drawn from above to below in Torah and [divine] service, etc. “With joy”: this is the joy of a mitzvah, and our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “and likewise for a matter of halachah”; and the joy comes from the revelation of the very Infinite Light, blessed be He, upon their soul, etc.
“Serve G‑d” refers to the Infinite One, whose light is drawn down through Torah and divine service; “with joy” is the joy of a mitzvah, which the Sages extend to the study of halachah. This joy is the Infinite Light itself revealed to the soul.
והיינו ע״י כי באו לפניו ברננה תחלה9 כנ״ל והכתוב מדבר מלמעלה למטה עבדו את ה׳ בשמחה והיאך תבואו למדרגה זו כשתבאו לפניו ברננה:
And this comes about through first “coming before Him with singing,” as [explained] above. The verse speaks from above to below, “Serve G‑d with joy”; and how will you come to this level? When you “come before Him with singing.”
This joy comes only after first “coming before Him with singing.” The verse is read as speaking from above: its first half commands joy, and its second half tells how to reach it, through singing.
The paragraph shows how the Infinite Light is drawn down through Torah and mitzvos, which is the joy of “Serve G‑d with joy,” and adds that this joy is reached through the singing that precedes it.
The Kehot note on the last sentence cites the Tzemach Tzedek’s Biurei HaZohar, which observes that the Zohar itself explains the verse in another way, and concludes, “and there are many facets to the Torah.”
Marei mekomos
- 1המשפילי לראות · Psalms 113:6
- 2השוה ומשוה קטן וגדול · פיוט האוחז ביד — לימים נוראים.
- 3הדברים האלה אשר אנכי · Deuteronomy 6:6
- 4רמ״ח מצות הם רמ״ח איברין דמלכא · Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 30 · 74a:8
- 5חסד דרוע׳ ימינא · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:16–17
- 6(כנודע . . החיצונים כו׳) · המוסגר נמצא גם בבוך 1824.
- 7עבדו את ה׳ בשמחה · Psalms 100:2
- 8וכן לדבר הלכה · Shabbat 30b:5
- 9כי באו לפניו ברננה תחלה · ראה ביאוה״ז להצ״צ כרך ב ע׳ תשעב שבזהר מפרש באופן אחר ומסיים ”וכמה פנים לתורה”.
Zion: the mitzvos as signs ¶12–15
12ובזה יובן מ״ש רני ושמחי בת ציון1 כי כנ״י בגלות נק׳ בת ציון. וביאור ענין ציון יובן בהקדי׳ להבין מ״ש ימלוך ה׳ לעולם אלהיך ציון לדור ודור הללו יה.
With this, what is written, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion,” will be understood, for the Congregation of Israel in exile is called “daughter of Zion.” And the explanation of the matter of “Zion” will be understood by first understanding what is written, “G‑d shall reign forever (le’olam), your G‑d, O Zion, from generation to generation; Halleluyah.”
The maamar returns to its opening verse. In exile the Congregation of Israel, the Jewish people as a whole, is called “daughter of Zion,” and to explain “Zion” it turns to a verse in Psalms that links G‑d’s reign with Zion.
וביאור הענין כי להיות ימלוך ה׳ לעולם בחינת מקום לדור ודור בחינת זמן היינו ע״י בחינת ציון.
The explanation of the matter is that [for there to be] “G‑d shall reign le’olam,” the aspect of space, [and] “from generation to generation,” the aspect of time, is through the aspect of Zion.
In “G‑d shall reign le’olam,” the word olam also means “world,” and so stands for space; “from generation to generation” stands for time. G‑d’s reign over both comes about through “Zion.”
כי הנה כתיב בצלמנו כדמותנו2 הן רמ״ח פקודין רמ״ח אברין דמלכא3 והיינו רוחניות המצות ורוחניות התורה כמן שהן למעלה באור א״ס ב״ה שהן הן בצלמנו ממש.
For it is written, “In our image, after our likeness”: these are “the 248 commandments, the 248 limbs of the King.” That is, the spirituality of the mitzvos and the spirituality of the Torah as they are above, in the Infinite Light, blessed be He, which are truly “in our image.”
“In our image, after our likeness” is read with the Tikkunei Zohar’s teaching that the 248 commandments are “the 248 limbs of the King.” Their spiritual reality, as it exists above in the Infinite Light, is truly the divine “image.”
אך גשמיות המצות כמו שנתלבשו בענינים גשמיים ציצית של צמר ותפלין על הקלף הם רק בחינת ציון מלשון סימן
But the physicality of the mitzvos, as they have been vested in physical matters, tzitzis of wool and tefillin on parchment, are only the aspect of “Zion,” in the sense of a sign (tziyun),
The physical mitzvos, such as woolen tzitzis and tefillin written on parchment, are only “Zion.” A tziyun in Hebrew is a sign or marker.
as in “Zion, the distinguished (ha-metzuyenes)”; that is, the physical mitzvos allude to the spirituality within them, and through them the spirituality of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is drawn down,
As in the phrase “Zion, the distinguished” from the Hoshanos prayers, a tziyun points to something beyond itself. The physical mitzvos point to their spiritual reality, and through them that spiritual light is drawn down.
כמו טלית וציצית של צמר בבחינת עטה אור כשלמה6 לבושיה כתלג חיור7 ושער רישיה כעמר נקא כי ציצית הן בחינת שערות כו׳.8
like a tallis and tzitzis of wool, in the aspect of “He wraps [Himself in] light as a garment,” “His raiment like white snow, and the hair of His head like clean wool”; for tzitzis are the aspect of hairs, etc.
The tallis and its woolen tzitzis recall verses that describe G‑d as wrapped in light like a garment, with raiment white as snow and hair like clean wool. Tzitzis correspond to “hairs”: physical threads that point to a spiritual reality.
The paragraph begins to explain “Zion” as a sign: the physical mitzvos are markers that point to, and draw down, their spiritual reality.
The Kehot notes record that a passage from here is cited in Likkutei Torah on Bamidbar, which explains that the mitzvos, called “the 248 limbs of the King,” are drawn down by number and in order, while teshuvah reaches above number. They also point to Or HaTorah on Re’eh and Vayetzei.
Marei mekomos
- 1רני ושמחי בת ציון · Zechariah 2:14
- 2בצלמנו כדמותנו · Genesis 1:26
- 3רמ״ח פקודין רמ״ח אברין דמלכא · Tikkunei Zohar 74a:8
- 4ציון המצוינת · סדר הושענות ביום ב׳ אבן שתיה.
- 5הם רומזים להרוחניות · ראה גם סה״מ תקס״ד ע׳ צב. וע׳ ערב. אוה״ת בשלח ע׳ תעג.
- 6עוטה אור כשלמה · Psalms 104:2
- 7לבושיה כתלג חיור · Daniel 7:9
- 8ימלוך ה׳ לעולם · Psalms 146:10
13וע״ד זה כל המצות וכן התורה ע״י עסק התורה בגשמיות שנתלבשה בענינים גשמיים נמשך אור תורה העליונה הרוחנית שמדברת בענינים רוחניים.
And so too all the mitzvos, and likewise the Torah: through engaging in the Torah in its physical form, as it has been vested in physical matters, the light of the supernal, spiritual Torah, which speaks of spiritual matters, is drawn down.
The same holds for every mitzvah and for Torah study. The Torah as we learn it deals with physical matters, yet studying it draws down the light of the supernal Torah, which speaks of spiritual realities.
והרי התורה והמצות גשמיות הם סימנים וציונים להרוחניות. ובהן ועל ידן נמשך אור התורה והמצות מרוחניות לגשמיות והן הן בחי׳ מקור להיות בחי׳ מקום וזמן.
Thus the physical Torah and mitzvos are signs and markers (tziyunim) of the spiritual. In them and through them the light of the Torah and mitzvos is drawn from spirituality into physicality; and they themselves are the aspect of the source for the existence of the aspect of space and time.
So the physical Torah and mitzvos are “signs” (tziyunim) of the spiritual. Through them the light passes from spiritual to physical, and they are the source of space and time themselves; that is why G‑d’s reign over space and time comes “through Zion.”
The paragraph extends the idea of “Zion” to all the mitzvos and to Torah study, and concludes that these physical signs are the source of space and time.
14וע״ד זה תקנו רז״ל ברכות המצות לפני כל מצוה ברוך אתה וכו׳ כי ברוך מלשון המבריך הגפן1 שכופף ראש הזמורה לארץ ומשם צומח גפן אחר והיינו בחי׳ השפעה והברכה מעולם ועד עולם
Along these lines our Sages, of blessed memory, instituted the blessings over the mitzvos, before every mitzvah, “Blessed are You,” etc. For baruch (blessed) is from the term “one who layers (ha-mavrich) the vine”: he bends the head of the shoot into the ground, and from there another vine grows. And this is the aspect of bestowal and blessing (berachah) from world to world.
The blessing said before each mitzvah, “Blessed are You,” uses the word baruch, which the maamar connects with the Mishnah’s term for layering a vine: bending a shoot into the earth so that a new vine grows from it. A blessing thus means drawing a flow down from one world into the next.
Therefore it is written regarding Yosef, “And they called out before him, Avrech,” because he was a tzaddik who connects and bestows, and spans (mavriach) from world to world.
So when Yosef was made ruler, they called out before him “Avrech,” which the maamar reads in the sense of berachah. Yosef was a tzaddik who connects the worlds and passes the flow between them.
The paragraph explains the blessing over a mitzvah as a drawing down, like the layering of a vine, and finds the same idea in the title called out before Yosef.
The Kehot notes add that a maamar of the Rebbe (Ki Sisa 5734) defines berachah as a drawing down from a place above, and that Or HaTorah links this reading of “Avrech” to the Zohar (1:196b).
Marei mekomos
- 1כי ברוך מלשון המבריך הגפן · כלאים רפ״ז. ראה ד״ה כי תשא תשל״ד ”דענינו ברכה והמשכה ממקום שלמעלה ממנו” — (מהנחה בלתי מוגה).
- 2ויקראו לפניו אברך · Genesis 41:43
- 3אברך · Zohar, Miketz 5:68–80
- 4אברך . . המקשר ומשפיע · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ שלח ע׳ תפא שמקשר זה לזח״א קצו, ב.
- 5
15וענין ברכה זו1 הוא להיות המשכה והברכה מעולם ועד עולם כדי להיות גילוי מלך העולם להיות בחינת עולם בבחינת מלך
The point of this blessing is that there be a drawing down and blessing from world to world, so that there be a revelation of “King of the world (olam),” that the aspect of “world” be in the aspect of “King,”
The purpose of the blessing is to draw the flow from world to world until G‑d is revealed as “King of the world,” as the blessing’s words say. The “world” is to become a place where His kingship is felt.
דהיינו שיהא גילוי מלכותו ית׳ נראה לעין כל העולם שלא יהא העולם בבחינת העלם והסתר על בחינת מלוכה.
that is, that the revelation of His kingship, may He be blessed, be visible to the eye of the whole world, so that the world not be in a state of concealment and hiding over the aspect of kingship.
The aim is that G‑d’s kingship be visible to the whole world, so that the world no longer hides it.
וכדי להיות גילוי זה אומרים ברוך שיהא ברוך ונמשך בחינת הוי״ה בבחינת אלקינו ומשם יצמח גילוי בחינת מלוכה כמו ענין הברכת הגפן הנ״ל.
And in order for this revelation to come about, we say “Blessed,” so that the aspect of Havayah be “blessed,” that is, drawn down, into the aspect of “our G‑d” (Elokeinu); and from there the revelation of the aspect of kingship will grow, like the matter of layering the vine, mentioned above.
In “Blessed are You, Havayah, our G‑d,” “blessed” means drawing Havayah, the Name that stands for G‑d beyond the world, down into Elokeinu, “our G‑d,” the Name of G‑d concealed within nature. From there His kingship grows into revelation, like the new vine that grows from the layered shoot.
The paragraph explains the aim of the blessing: to draw Havayah into Elokim, so that G‑d’s kingship, now hidden by the world, is revealed in it.
The Kehot note records that this passage is cited in Likkutei Torah on Devarim, which identifies Zion with the level of berachah and refers back to this maamar’s reading of “Avrech.”
Marei mekomos
- 1וענין ברכה זו · מובא בלקו״ת דברים א, ג.
Zion and the daughter of Zion ¶16–17
Now when there is an arousal from below, the Congregation of Israel is called by the aspect of “Zion” and a sign of the spiritual light that flows and is drawn into her.
When the people take the initiative, an “arousal from below,” the Congregation of Israel is itself “Zion”: a marker of the spiritual light that flows into it.
אבל בגלות נקרא׳ בת ציון שהיא רק בחינת מקבל מבחי׳ ציון וכנודע בזוהר2 מענין איש מזריע תחילה יולדת נקבה
But in exile she is called “daughter of Zion,” for she is only in the aspect of a recipient from the aspect of Zion. As is known from the Zohar, regarding [the teaching] “if the man gives seed first, she bears a female,”
In exile, without that initiative, Israel is only “daughter of Zion,” one who receives from Zion. The maamar cites a teaching, known from the Zohar, about conception: when the man gives seed first, a daughter is born.
דהיינו כשאין אתערותא דלתתא שאזי היא בחינת בת משא״כ ולציון יאמר איש ואיש3 וגו׳ אשה מזרעת תחלה יולדת זכר4 בחי׳ חסדים
that is, when there is no arousal from below, then she is in the aspect of “daughter.” This is not so [with] “And of Zion it shall be said, ‘Man and man,’” etc.: “if the woman gives seed first, she bears a male,” the aspect of chassadim (kindnesses),
A “daughter” corresponds to the state with no arousal from below. But of Zion it is said, “man and man was born in her”: when the woman gives seed first, a male is born, which the text links with chassadim, kindnesses.
that is, by first having the aspect of singing and joy, as [explained] above, so as to be [in the state of] “Come before Him with singing,” in the aspect of “singing in the evening,” from below to above.
Israel’s initiative means first offering the singing and joy described above: “come before Him with singing,” the ascent from below to above, the “singing in the evening.”
The paragraph explains the two names: with an arousal from below Israel is “Zion,” a sign of the light it draws down; in exile, without it, Israel is only “daughter of Zion,” a recipient.
Likkutei Torah on Vayikra, cited in the Kehot note, distinguishes an arousal from below that comes through a person’s own effort, which lasts, from one stirred only by an arousal from above, which passes when the light above withdraws; it ties this to the same teaching about conception. The Kehot note records that manuscript 1824 reads here only “that is, by first having the aspect of singing, to go out of the sheath of the body and the garments of the animal soul, etc.,” and continues “and afterward.”
Marei mekomos
- 1אזי נק׳ כנסת ישראל בבחי׳ ציון וסימן לאור הרוחני הנשפע ונמשך בה · באוה״ת פ׳ ראה ע׳ תשצג ”והיינו שאז כנס״י מקבלת כל האורות שלמעלה ממש הנמשכים בז״א בבחי׳ יסוד שלה הנקרא נקודת ציון”. ועי׳ בענין נקודת ציון בלקו״ת תצא לה, כ.
- 2וכנודע בזהר · Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 55
- 3ולציון יאמר איש ואיש · Psalms 87:5
- 4אשה מזרעת תחלה יולדת זכר · Niddah 31a:23–24
- 5שו״ה זכר — דהיינו בהקדים · עד תיבת ואח״כ. בבוך 1824 בשינוי: דהיינו בהקדים בחי׳ רינה לצאת מנרתק הגוף ולבושי הנפש הבהמית כו׳: ואח״כ.
- 6בואו לפניו ברננה · Psalms 100:2
- 7כשיש אתעדל״ת אזי נק׳ כנסת ישראל בבחי׳ ציון · ראה לקו״ת ויקרא ב, ג. וראה באוה״ת בראשית כרך ז תתתנ, א וריש ע״ב מה שהקשה לכאן.
17וע״ד זה תקנו פסוקי דזמרה להקדים שבחו של מקום כדי שיתפעל הלב. וכן יוצר אור וענין קדושת המלאכים איך
Along these lines [the Sages] instituted Pesukei deZimrah (the Verses of Song), to set forth the praise of the Omnipresent first, so that the heart be stirred. And so too [the blessing] Yotzer Or, and the matter of the angels’ Kedushah,
The same order shapes the morning prayers. Pesukei deZimrah, the psalms of praise, come first in order to stir the heart, and then comes the blessing Yotzer Or, which describes how the angels sanctify G‑d.
כי והאופנים ברעש גדול כו׳ הכל הוא בבחי׳ ממטה למעלה בבחינת רינה לצאת מנרתק הגוף ולבושי נפש הבהמית כו׳
how “the Ofanim, with a great noise,” etc.: all of it is in the mode of from below to above, in the aspect of singing, to go out of the sheath of the body and the garments of the animal soul, etc.
The Yotzer Or blessing describes the Ofanim, a class of angels, rising “with a great noise.” All of this is ascent from below to above: singing that lifts the soul out of the body and the garments of the animal soul.
ואח״כ היא עבודת השמחה בגילוי אוא״ס ב״ה ממש על נפשו בק״ש וכו׳ משא״כ כשלא תוקדם בחי׳ הרינה
And afterward comes the service of joy, in the revelation of the very Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, upon his soul, in the reading of the Shema, etc. But when the aspect of singing does not come first,
Only afterward comes the service of joy, the revelation of the Infinite Light to the soul in the Shema. The maamar now asks what happens when the singing has not come first.
אזי לא תשכון גלוי השמחה רק היא בחינת נקבה ומקבל מאתערותא דלעילא שהרי מ״מ מאתערותא דלעילא יורד ונמשך אוא״ס ב״ה בכל מצוה שעשה
then the revelation of joy will not dwell [there]; rather, it is only in the aspect of a female and a recipient from an arousal from above. For in any case, from an arousal from above, the Infinite Light, blessed be He, descends and is drawn into every mitzvah that one has done,
Without the preliminary singing, joy cannot settle in the soul; the person remains a mere recipient, a “female,” of what comes from above. Even so, the Infinite Light still descends into every mitzvah he has done, through G‑d’s own initiative, an arousal from above.
וכדכתיב למעני למעני אעשה1 אלא שאינו כ״א בבחי׳ חיצוניות משא״כ בואו לפניו להיות נכלל בבחי׳ פנימיות אינו אלא ברננה.
as it is written, “For My sake, for My sake, I will do [it].” Except that it is only in the aspect of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus); whereas “Come before Him,” to be absorbed into the aspect of the inner dimension (pnimiyus), is only “with singing.”
As Isaiah says, “For My sake, for My sake, I will do it”: G‑d acts for His own sake. But light that comes this way stays outer; to be absorbed into the inner dimension one must “come before Him with singing.”
The paragraph shows the morning prayers following the same pattern: first the stirring of the heart through praise, then the joy of the Shema. Without the first, the light still comes from above, but it stays outer.
Marei mekomos
- 1למעני למעני אעשה · Isaiah 48:11
The prophet’s comfort ¶18–19
18וזהו שבא הנביא לנחם את בני ישראל אפי׳ בזמן הגלות שנק׳ בת ציון ולא ציון שאעפ״כ רני ושמחי והיינו מפני כי הנני בא1 כו׳ כי
And this is why the prophet came to comfort the children of Israel even in the time of exile, when they are called “daughter of Zion” and not “Zion”: that nevertheless, “Sing and rejoice.” And this is because “for behold, I come,” etc.
Now the prophet’s words are explained. Even in exile, when Israel is only “daughter of Zion,” the prophet tells them to sing and rejoice, because “behold, I come.”
הנה יש אתערותא דלעילא שהיא לעילא לעילא מקום שאין אתערותא דלתתא מגעת שם כלל הוא בחי׳ סובב כל עלמין ומשם יומשך גילוי שפע ואוא״ס ב״ה גם בבחינת בת
For behold, there is an arousal from above that is exceedingly high (le’eila le’eila), a place that an arousal from below does not reach at all: this is the aspect of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). And from there a revelation of the flow and of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, will be drawn down even into the aspect of “daughter.”
There is an arousal from above so high that no human initiative reaches it: the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), too great to enter them. From there light will flow even to the “daughter,” the recipient who has not first aroused herself.
And this will be in the Time to Come, as it is said, “Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up and be very high”; “and the spirit of G‑d shall rest upon him,” etc.; “and he shall sense (ve-haricho),” etc.
This will happen in the Time to Come, as Isaiah’s prophecies say of the servant who will be exalted and of the spirit of G‑d that will rest upon him.
The paragraph explains the prophet’s comfort: a light from beyond all worlds will come even to a people in exile, without their first arousing it.
Marei mekomos
- 1כי הנני בא · Zechariah 2:14
- 2הנה ישכיל עבדי · Isaiah 52:13
- 3ונחה עליו רוח ה׳ · Isaiah 11:2
- 4והריחו · Isaiah 11:3
And this is [the meaning of] “And of Zion it shall be said, ‘Man and man was born in her’”: meaning that all will be in the aspect of “man,” even the aspect of “daughter.”
“And of Zion it shall be said, man and man was born in her” is read as a promise that everything will be at the level of “man,” the giver, even the “daughter.”
והיינו מפני כי הוא יכוננה עליון שהמכון יהיה אור עליון מאד נעלה. וזהו כי הנני בא ושכנתי2 בתוכך. הנני אני בעצמי כביכול אוא״ס ב״ה ממש.
And this is because “He shall establish her, the Most High (elyon)”: that the establishing (machon) will be a supernal (elyon) light, very exalted. And this is [the meaning of] “For behold, I come, and I will dwell in your midst”: “Behold, I,” I Myself, as it were, the very Infinite Light, blessed be He.
This is because “the Most High shall establish her”: her foundation will be a supernal, very exalted light. “Behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst” means G‑d Himself, as it were, the very Infinite Light.
The paragraph reads Psalm 87 together with Zechariah: in the future even the “daughter” will be raised to the level of “man,” because G‑d Himself will dwell in her.
Marei mekomos
- 1ולציון יאמר איש ואיש יולד בה · Psalms 87:5
- 2כי הנני בא ושכנתי · Zechariah 2:14
The Chanukah lamp ¶20
And this is the meaning of the Chanukah lamp, which [the Sages] instituted at the entrance of the house, outside. It is like the matter of “Open for me the gates of righteousness,”
The Chanukah lamp is placed at the entrance of the house, on the outside. The maamar links this to the verse “Open for me the gates of righteousness.”
פי׳ שערי צדק הם בחי׳ מבוא להיות בחי׳ צדקתך ירננו3 שע״ד זה תקנו פסוקי דזמרה
meaning: “the gates of righteousness” are the aspect of an entryway to the aspect of “and they shall sing of Your righteousness,” in keeping with which [the Sages] instituted Pesukei deZimrah.
“The gates of righteousness” are the entryway to “and they shall sing of Your righteousness,” the singing directed to Malchus, which opens the way in. Pesukei deZimrah was instituted for this purpose.
אך מי שהוא מבחוץ לפתח שאין לו בחי׳ רננה והתפעלות הלב לא מפני זה יאבד ח״ו גלוי אוא״ס ב״ה על נפשו
But one who is outside the entrance, who does not have the aspect of singing and the stirring of the heart, will not, G‑d forbid, lose the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, upon his soul because of this.
But a person who stands outside the gate, without that singing and stirring of the heart, does not, G‑d forbid, lose the revelation of the Infinite Light.
אלא תקנו להדליק אור ושמן על הפתח מבחוץ שגם מבחוץ לפתח יומשך אוא״ס ב״ה בכל מצוה שעוש׳ ותורה שלומד.
Rather, [the Sages] instituted the lighting of light and oil at the entrance, outside, so that even outside the entrance the Infinite Light, blessed be He, will be drawn down into every mitzvah that one does and [all] Torah that one learns.
That is why the Sages placed the light and oil at the entrance, outside: even outside the gate, the Infinite Light is drawn into every mitzvah one does and all the Torah one learns.
ולא עוד אלא4 שתקנת חכמים היתה להדליק על הפתח הסמוך לרשות הרבי׳ מבחוץ5 דהיינו ברשות הרבים ממש מקום הקליפות לאהפכא חשוכא לנהורא כו׳ וזהו ונלוו גוים רבים אל6 ה׳:
And not only that, but the Sages’ ordinance was to light at the entrance nearest the public domain, outside, that is, in the very public domain, the place of the kelipos (the husks), to turn darkness into light, etc. And this is [the meaning of] “And many nations shall join themselves to G‑d.”
Moreover, the lamp is placed by the door nearest the public domain, the place of the kelipos, the forces that conceal holiness, so as to turn darkness itself into light. This is the meaning of the next verse in the Haftorah: “And many nations shall join themselves to G‑d.”
The paragraph brings the maamar to Chanukah: the lamp at the outer side of the door carries the Infinite Light even to one who stands outside, without the preliminary singing, and even into the public domain, matching the prophet’s promise to the “daughter of Zion.”
The Kehot note records that the end of this passage, from the door by the public domain to “And many nations shall join themselves to G‑d,” is quoted in Or HaTorah on Nach.
Marei mekomos
- 1נר חנוכה שתקנו על פתח הבית · Shabbat 22a:2–3
- 2פתחו לי שערי צדק · Psalms 118:19
- 3צדקתך ירננו · Psalms 145:7
- 4שו״ה הפתח — ברשות הרבים . . אל ה׳ · מובא באוה״ת נ״ך כרך ב ע׳ תתקו.
- 5על הפתח הסמוך לרשות הרבי׳ מבחוץ · Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 671:5
- 6ונלוו גוים רבים אל ה׳ · Zechariah 2:15
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
A person’s service must begin with “singing”: understanding how G‑d’s light is hidden and clothed in His kingship over the world until the heart longs for Him and is stirred, as in Pesukei deZimrah before the Shema. Only then does the joy of Torah and mitzvos, the revealed light, settle within him. Yet one who stands “outside” and feels no such stirring should not despair: the Chanukah lamp teaches that the Infinite Light still reaches every mitzvah he does and all the Torah he learns, even in the public domain.
Questions for discussion
- Why does the maamar say that the angels’ song is “outer,” like the praise of one who stands outside the king’s palace?
- How can G‑d’s concealment, the “evening,” be the very thing that awakens the longing for Him?
- What do souls have that angels lack, and why must singing still come before joy?
- In what sense are physical tzitzis and tefillin a “Zion,” a sign, and how do they become the source of space and time?
- What does the Chanukah lamp, lit outside toward the public domain, teach a person who feels no stirring of the heart?
Key terms in this maamar
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)חיצוניות
- The external, expressive aspect. ×2
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×3
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×4
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×3
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d.
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×1
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- ×1
- The animal soulנפש הבהמית
- The soul that animates the body and its drives. ×2
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence.
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d.
- 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 inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level. ×2
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence.
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting.
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response. ×3
- An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
- Divine initiative, unprompted by us. ×3
- 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
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion. ×1
- The kav (line of light)קו
- The thin ray of light drawn into the space left after the tzimtzum. ×1