Torah Ohr · Parshas Shemos · Maamar 6
הבאים ישרש יעקב יציץ ופרח ישראל
Those Who Came, Yaakov Will Take Root
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The big idea
The mitzvos are seeds: G‑d’s will, buried in physical deeds and in the soil of Israel, grows into a revelation of His hidden, infinite light that no comprehension, even in Gan Eden, could reach. Egypt and every exile are the planting that comes before the blossoming.
The maamar in brief
The maamar asks why Isaiah calls the descent into Egypt a “taking root,” and why a Midrash gives “creation” to Yaakov and the lesser “formation” to the greater name Yisrael. The answer begins with the mitzvos, which the Zohar calls garments, the Gemara fruits and Scripture sowing. G‑d’s desire for a dwelling below is explained through His encompassing light (sovev), present in everything but hidden: blessings, and above all physical mitzvos, draw it into revelation. Like a tasteless seed that yields fruit only in fertile soil, tefillin on parchment reveal G‑dliness only when a Jew puts them on, for Israel, the most “separate” of beings, whose bittul reveals G‑d’s kingship, is the “land of desire.” Yaakov (yud-akev, the yud in the heel) is the Torah and mitzvos taking root below; Yisrael is the blossoming. Prayer, beginning in bitterness and joined to joy by Yaakov’s compassion, draws this down. Egypt’s bitterness prepared Israel for Sinai, and today’s exile prepares for the inner Torah of the time to come. “Creation” is the matter planted below; “formation” is the form that grows from it.
Outline
- The questionsWhy is coming into Egypt a “taking root,” and why is “creation” said of Yaakov and “formation” of the greater Yisrael? Souls descend to do mitzvos, and the world was made for Israel, “the first of His produce.”¶1–2
- Mitzvos as garments, fruits and sowingThe Zohar calls the mitzvos garments for the soul, the Gemara calls them fruits, and verses call them sowing; G‑d’s desire for a dwelling below is the key.¶3–5
- Two lights and the hundred blessingsMemalei kol almin gives life openly; sovev kol almin is present but hidden. Blessings (baruch, from breichah, a pool) draw it into revelation, and only Israel can do this.¶6–8
- The analogy of sowingPhysical mitzvos are like a tasteless seed that grows into fruit; tefillin reveal G‑dliness only when a Jew wears them, for Israel is the “land of desire.”¶9–11
- Kingship and the bride’s aweEin Sof is unchanged by creation; worlds exist through kingship, revealed most when separate beings are nullified. Israel’s awe, like a bride’s, becomes light.¶12–13
- Yaakov takes root, Yisrael blossomsYaakov (yud-akev) is G‑d’s will planted below in mitzvos, charity and absorbed Torah; Yisrael is the limitless revelation that grows from it, above all the “waters” of Gan Eden.¶14–19
- Prayer: bitterness, joy and compassionPrayer draws down this revelation; it begins with bitterness over one’s distance and joy in the soul’s bond with G‑d, joined by Yaakov’s compassion, the middle bar.¶20–23
- Egypt, exile and the answerEgypt prepared for Sinai and exile prepares for the inner Torah to come; “creation” is the matter planted below (Yaakov), “formation” the form that grows (Yisrael), and awe must come first.¶24–25
Key concepts
- Sowing (zeriah)זריעה
- The maamar’s central image for the mitzvos: G‑d’s will, planted in physical deeds, grows into a revelation far greater than the deed itself, as a tasteless seed yields fruit.
- Memalei kol almin and sovev kol alminממלא כל עלמין וסובב כל עלמין
- The light that openly gives life to every creature, and the infinite light present in everything but hidden; the mitzvos draw the hidden light into revelation.
- Baruch as breichahברוך — בריכה
- A blessing is like a pool whose hidden waters flow outward: it draws G‑d’s light from concealment into revelation.
- A land of desireארץ חפץ
- Israel as the soil in which the mitzvos grow; the same act brings no revelation without it.
- No king without a peopleאין מלך בלא עם
- G‑d’s kingship requires beings that feel separate (am, from omemos); it is revealed most when such beings nullify themselves before Him.
- Yaakov: yud-akevיעקב — יו״ד עקב
- The yud, G‑d’s supernal will, descending into the “heel,” the physical world, through Torah and mitzvos.
- Yisrael: li roshישראל — לי ראש
- The revealed blossoming, “a head to Me,” that grows from what Yaakov has planted.
- Matter and formחומר וצורה
- “Creation” here is the bringing of matter into being below (Yaakov); “formation” is the form and revelation that grow from it (Yisrael).
The questions ¶1–2
1הבאים ישרש1 יעקב234 יציץ ופרח ישראל. הנה צ״ל השייכות5 בחי׳ השרשה לביאת מצרים. הנה כתיב כה אמר6 ה׳ בוראך יעקב ויוצרך ישראל כו׳.
“Those who came, Yaakov will take root; Yisrael will bud and blossom.” Now, we need to understand how the aspect of taking root is connected with the coming into Egypt. It is written, “Thus says G‑d, who created you, Yaakov, and who formed you, Yisrael,” etc.
The maamar opens with a verse from Isaiah which, as Rashi reads it, speaks of those who came down to Egypt: there Yaakov struck root, and Yisrael budded and blossomed into a nation. The Alter Rebbe asks why the coming into Egypt should be called a “taking root,” and brings a second verse that pairs the names Yaakov and Yisrael with creating and forming.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the world, “Who created you? Yaakov created you, and Yisrael formed you,” as it is said, “Your Creator [is] Yaakov, and your Former [is] Yisrael.”
A Midrash reads Isaiah’s words not as G‑d creating Yaakov but as Yaakov creating the world: G‑d tells the world that it was created through Yaakov and formed through Yisrael. On this reading Yaakov is the world’s “Creator” and Yisrael its “Former.”
The paragraph sets out the maamar’s two questions: how the descent into Egypt amounts to a “taking root,” and what the Midrash means in calling Yaakov the world’s creator and Yisrael its former.
The opening verse begins the haftarah of Parshas Shemos in the Ashkenazi and Chabad custom; a maamar of 5739 cited in the Kehot note explains that the parsha tells of the literal descent into Egypt, and the haftarah reveals that through it specifically “Yisrael will bud and blossom.” The notes also record two other transcripts of this maamar and later maamarim built on it, by the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek.
Marei mekomos
- 1הבאים ישרש · הפטרת פ׳ שמות ע״פ מנהג אשכנז, וכ״ה מנהג חב״ד. ”מה שפסוק זה הוא בההפטרה דפ׳ שמות, דכללות ענין פרשה זו הוא ענין הבאים מצרימה כפשוטו גלות מצרים וע״ז מגלה ההפטרה שעי״ז דוקא יהי׳ יציץ ופרח ישראל” — ד״ה הבאים תשל״ט. ד״ה זה נזכר בלקו״ת אחרי כו, ב.
- 2הבאים ישרש יעקב · ב׳ הנחות אחרות במאמרי אדה״ז נביאים ע׳ פג. וע׳ צד. ובתוס׳ הגהות וביאורים באוה״ת שמות כרך א ע׳ עז. כרך ז ע׳ ב׳תקלב. ב׳תקלט. הנחה אחרת מהמאמר ובהגהות אחרות בכרך ח ע׳ ב׳תתנד. קיצורים נדפסו שם ע׳ ב׳תתסב. וראה גם ד״ה זה בסה״מ הנחות תרט״ו מהצ״צ ע׳ נד. ובמ״מ לשם. וע׳ קפז. נזכר בלקו״ת אחרי כו, ב. ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. ראה ד״ה זה במאמרי אדה״א שמות כרך א ע׳ א שמיוסד על מאמר זה. במאמרי אדמו״ר הצ״צ הנחות תרי״ד-תרט״ו ע׳ נד מיוסד על מאמר זה. חלק מהמאמר בד״ה קדש ישראל תרמ״א ע׳ יח. לד״ה זה ראה הבאים ישרש תשל״ח. תשל״ט. תשמ״ג. תשמ״ח (נדפס בסה״מ מלוקט ח״ד ע׳ קכה ואילך). פלח הרמון שמות ע׳ כא.
- 3הבאים ישרש יעקב · Isaiah 27:6
- 4הבאים ישרש יעקב · Rashi on Isaiah 27:6
- 5צ״ל השייכות · ראה ד״ה הבאים תש״ל, תשל״ט ותשמ״ז.
- 6כה אמר ה׳ בוראך יעקב · Isaiah 43:1
- 7אמר הקב״ה לעולם מי בראך יעקב בראך · במ״ר פ׳ בחוקותי פט״ו גבי ד״א וזכרתי את בריתי יעקב. — אוה״ת שמות ע׳ עח. וראה ילקוט שמעוני לנ״ך רמז תנב.
- 8מי בראך יעקב בראך וישראל יצרך · Vayikra Rabbah 36:4
And we need to understand why “creation” is said of Yaakov and “formation” is said of Yisrael. Is not the level of Yisrael greater than the level of Yaakov, etc.?
Beriah, “creation,” is a higher level than Yetzirah, “formation,” and Yisrael is the loftier name, given to Yaakov after he prevailed. One would expect the higher term to go with Yisrael, yet the verse gives “creation” to Yaakov.
הנה ידוע שיריד׳ הנשמה לעוה״ז הוא בשביל היום לעשותם.2 ותכלית בריאת העולמות נאמר בראשית בשביל ישראל3 שנקראו ראשי׳ כמ״ש קדש ישראל לה׳4 ראשית תבואתה.5
Now, it is known that the soul’s descent into this world is for the sake of “today, to do them.” And of the purpose of the creation of the worlds it is said, “Bereshis” (“In the beginning”): for the sake of Israel, who are called “reishis” (“first”), as it is written, “Israel is holy to G‑d, the first of His produce.”
The answer begins from a known principle: the soul comes down into this world in order to fulfill the mitzvos, “today, to do them.” The Midrash reads the Torah’s first word, Bereshis, as “for the sake of reishis,” that is, for Israel, whom Jeremiah calls “the first (reishis) of His produce.”
The paragraph sharpens the question of why the lower term is given to the higher name, and lays the groundwork for the answer: souls descend in order to do mitzvos, and the world was created for Israel, “the first of His produce.”
A parallel transcript cited in the Kehot note spells out the question in Kabbalistic terms: Beriah corresponds to Chochmah, Binah and Daas, the level of Yisrael (whose letters spell li rosh, “a head to Me”), while Yetzirah corresponds to the emotive attributes and Tiferes, the level of Yaakov.
Marei mekomos
- 1והלא בחי׳ ישראל הוא גדול מבחי׳ יעקב כו׳ · ”וכמובן גם מפשטות הענינים דהשם יעקב הוא ע״ש וידו אוחזת בעקב עשו [תולדות כה, כו] משא״כ ישראל הוא ע״ש כי שרית עם אלקים ועם אנשים ותוכל [וישלח לב, כט] ובפרט ע״פ הרמזים שבשמות אלו דיעקב הוא אותיות יו״ד עקב וישראל אותיות לי ראש” — ד״ה הבאים תשל״ט (מהנחה בלתי מוגה).
- 2היום לעשותם · Deuteronomy 7:11
- 3בראשית בשביל ישראל · Bereshit Rabbah 1:4
- 4קדש ישראל לה׳ · Jeremiah 2:3
- 5במאמרי אדה״ז נביאים ע׳ צד · ”הלא מדריגות ישראל גבוה ממדריגות יעקב וכמ״ש לא יעקב יקרא עוד שמך כ״א ישראל והל״ל בחי׳ בריאה לישראל ויצירה ליעקב (כידוע דהבריאה בבחי׳ חב״ד והוא בחי׳ ישראל לי ראש והיצירה בבחי׳ חג״ת שהוא בבחי׳ יעקב בחי׳ הת״ת)”. ראה בספר הליקוטים ממאמרי הצ״צ ערך יעקב ע׳ א׳ק.
Mitzvos as garments, fruits and sowing ¶3–5
3ולהבין מהו השייכות לישראל1 להיו׳ ראשית תבואת׳ וגם מה הוא ענין התבואה למעלה כו׳. הנה על המצות נאמר בזהר
To understand what connection Israel has with being “the first of His produce,” and also what the “produce” above is, etc.: now, it is said in the Zohar concerning the mitzvos
If Israel is the “first” of G‑d’s produce, something must be growing, so the Alter Rebbe asks what this spiritual “produce” is. He begins with a teaching of the Zohar about the mitzvos.
שהם בחי׳ לבושין2 שכ״א3 מישראל צריך לקיים כל התרי״ג מצות לבד מצות המלך4 שהמלך הוא מוציא כל ישראל וכל המצות מחוייב5 כ״א לקיים
that they are the aspect of garments (levushin), [and] that each and every Jew must fulfill all 613 mitzvos, except for the mitzvos of the king, for the king discharges [the obligation of] all Israel; but all [the other] mitzvos each one is obligated to fulfill.
The Zohar calls the mitzvos garments for the soul. Since every mitzvah forms a garment, every Jew is obligated in all 613, apart from those that apply only to a king, whose performance counts for the whole people.
וצריך להיות בגלגול6 או בבחי׳ עיבור בכדי שיהיה לבוש מן כל התרי״ג מצות7 וכשחיסר8 מצוה אחת חיסר לבוש כו׳.
And he must come in a reincarnation (gilgul) or in the form of ibbur (“impregnation”), so that there will be a garment from all 613 mitzvos; and when he is lacking one mitzvah, he is lacking a garment, etc.
A soul that has not fulfilled them all must return, either in a new life (gilgul) or by joining another person’s soul for a time (ibbur), so that its garment will be complete. A missing mitzvah means a missing garment.
The mitzvos are introduced as garments for the soul, so essential that a soul must return to this world until it has a garment from each of the 613.
The Kehot note points to Iggeres HaKodesh, epistle 19, which brings this teaching in the name of the Arizal, and to Sefer HaGilgulim, ch. 4. In the Tzemach Tzedek’s manuscript the reason is spelled out: a soul returns in gilgul or ibbur to fulfill mitzvos that depend on priesthood, Levites and the like, so that its garments in Gan Eden are complete.
Marei mekomos
- 1ולהבין מהו השייכות לישראל · ראה גם בלקו״ת פ׳ פנחס עט, ב.
- 2על המצות נאמר בזהר שהם בחי׳ לבושין · Zohar II, 211b
- 3לבושין שכ״א · בבוך 1113 גוכתי״ק הצ״צ: לבושים לנפש ולכן כל א׳ מישראל.
- 4לבד מצות המלך · ראה לקו״ש חי״ח ע׳ 192 הערה 52 בשולי העמוד.
- 5וכל המצות מחוייב · בגוכתי״ק הצ״צ: וכל התרי״ג מצות מחוייב.
- 6וצריך להיות בגלגול · ראה אגה״ק סי׳ יט (דף קכח, ב) בשם האריז״ל. ספר הגלגולים פ״ד. לקו״ת בהר מב, ב. בארוכה בלקו״ש חי״ח ע׳ 192 הערה 55. וראה בליקוט פי׳ לאגה״ק — חיטריק שם.
- 7שיהיה לבוש מן כל התרי״ג מצות · במאמרי אדה״ז נביאים ע׳ צה: ”וגם שיש הרבה מצות שא״א שיקיים אדם כמו מצות כהונה בישראל או מצות רבים וכה״ג הנה הוא בא בכמה גלגולים. ויש להעיר שבגוכתי״ק הצ״צ אחר תי׳ ”התרי״ג מצות” נוסף: ואפילו להיות כהן או לוי ע״י גלגול”: לבד — ואח״כ העביר ע״ז קולמוס.
- 8בגלגול או בבחי׳ עיבור . . וכשחיסר · בגוכתי״ק הצ״צ: בבחינת גלגול או עיבור לקיים מצות התלויות בכהונה ולויה וכיוצא. וכ״ז הוא כדי להיות שלימות הלבושים לנפש בג״ע שיהי׳ לבוש מן כל התרי״ג מצות: וכשחיסר.
4וע״י מעשה המצות נעשה לבוש בג״ע התחתון וע״י כוונת המצות נעשה לבוש בגן עדן העליון
Through the performance of the mitzvos a garment is made in the lower Gan Eden, and through the intention (kavanah) of the mitzvos a garment is made in the higher Gan Eden.
The garments come from two sides of a mitzvah. The physical deed forms a garment in the lower Gan Eden, and the intention (kavanah) behind it forms a garment in the higher Gan Eden.
ולכן בקש משה ליכנס לארץ1 לקיים המצות התלויין בה2 כו׳. ובגמ׳ המשילו מעשה המצות לפירות גבי עגלה ערופה כו׳ שלא הניחוהו לעשות פירות.3
Therefore Moshe asked to enter the Land, to fulfill the mitzvos that depend on it, etc. And in the Gemara they likened the performance of the mitzvos to fruits, in connection with the eglah arufah (the heifer whose neck is broken), etc.: [the slain man,] whom they did not let produce fruits.
Because each mitzvah adds a garment, Moshe pleaded to enter the Land of Israel, where he could fulfill the mitzvos that apply only there. The Gemara also calls mitzvos “fruits”: the heifer brought for an unsolved murder atones for a victim who was not allowed to “produce fruits.”
The mitzvos are garments for the soul in both Gan Edens, and the Sages also call them “fruits,” which leads to the question of what this produce is.
The Kehot note cites a parallel transcript that develops at length the analogy of sowing, and Likkutei Torah on Shir HaShirim, which explains why mitzvos are compared to fruits growing from a seed.
Marei mekomos
- 1ולכן ביקש משה ליכנס לארץ · באוה״ת פ׳ שמות ע׳ פ מציין ללקו״ת פ׳ שלח לו, ג.
- 2בקש משה ליכנס לארץ לקיים המצות התלויין בה · Sotah 14a:7–8
- 3ובגמרא המשילו · Sotah 46a:22
5ופריך בגמ׳ מאי פירות אילימא בנים א״ה זקן וסריס לא לבעי עגלה ערופה והתורה לא חילקה.
And the Gemara asks: “What are ‘fruits’? If you say children, then if so, an old man or a eunuch should not require an eglah arufah”; yet the Torah made no distinction.
The Gemara tests the meaning of “fruits”: if it meant children, an old man or a eunuch, who would have no more children, would need no such atonement. Yet the Torah makes no distinction between victims.
אלא מאי פירות מצות1 כו׳. וכן בלשון הפסוק נאמר זרעו לכם לצדקה2 כו׳ אשריכם זורעי על כל מים3 כו׳ זורע צדקות45 כו׳
“Rather, what are ‘fruits’? Mitzvos,” etc. So too, in the language of Scripture it is said, “Sow for yourselves for righteousness (tzedakah),” etc.; “Fortunate are you who sow upon all waters,” etc.; “He sows righteous deeds (tzedakos),” etc.
The Gemara concludes that the “fruits” are mitzvos. Scripture and the liturgy also use the language of sowing for good deeds: “Sow for yourselves for righteousness,” “Fortunate are you who sow upon all waters,” and the morning blessing’s “He sows righteous deeds.”
Thus the performance of the mitzvos is called “sowing.” To understand this: our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place among the lower realms.
Mitzvos are therefore called both fruits and sowing. To explain why, the Alter Rebbe turns to the Midrash that G‑d desired a dwelling place among the lower realms, that is, in this physical world.
From the Gemara and from verses the Alter Rebbe shows that the mitzvos are called both fruit and sowing, and introduces G‑d’s desire for a dwelling below as the key to explaining it.
The Kehot note cites the Tzemach Tzedek’s manuscript listing three names for the mitzvos: garments, fruit, and the sowing of the fruit. Likkutei Torah on Ha’azinu adds that this sowing takes place specifically when the G‑dly soul is enclothed in the animal soul.
Marei mekomos
- 1אלא מאי פירות מצות · Sotah 46a:22
- 2זרעו לכם לצדקה · Hosea 10:12
- 3אשריכם זורעי על כל מים · Isaiah 32:20
- 4זורע צדקות · בברכת ק״ש.
- 5
- 6נק׳ מעשה מצות בשם זריעה · בלקו״ת האזינו עד, ג נתבאר שענין הזריעה הוא ע״י נפש הבהמית, ואין זה סותר למש״כ שכנס״י נק׳ ארץ חפץ דמ״מ זריעה זו היא דוקא בהיות הנפש האלקית מלובשת בנפש הבהמית ע״ש. וראה אוה״ת שמות כרך ח ע׳ ב׳תתנה ובהנסמן שם.
- 7שו״ה זריעה — ולהבין זאת · ”ענין ג׳ שמות של המצות היינו בחי׳ לבושים ובחי׳ פירי ובחי׳ זריעה של הפרי” — (מגוכתי״ק הצ״צ) אוה״ת כרך ח ע׳ ב׳תתנה.
- 8נתאוה הקב״ה להיות לו דירה בתחתונים · תנחומא נשא טז. ועייג״כ במדבר רבה יג, ו. — הערת כ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע באוה״ת פ׳ שמות ע׳ פא. וראה תניא פרק לו ובליקוט פי׳ שם.
- 9נתאוה הקב״ה להיות לו דירה בתחתונים · Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso 16:1
- 10נתאוה הקב״ה להיות לו דירה בתחתונים · Bamidbar Rabbah 13:6
Two lights and the hundred blessings ¶6–8
6והנה לכאורה אינו מובן ענין דירה זו דהלא לית אתר פנוי מיניה.12 וכתיב הלא את השמים3 ואת הארץ אני מלא כו׳.
Now, at first glance this idea of a dwelling is not understood, for “there is no place empty of Him,” and it is written, “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” etc.
If no place is empty of G‑d and He fills heaven and earth, it is hard to see what it means for Him to gain a “dwelling” below. He is already everywhere.
אך הנה יש שני בחי׳ בחי׳ ממכ״ע ובחי׳ סוכ״ע. בחי׳ ממכ״ע נק׳ הבחי׳ המתלבש׳ בנבראים בגילוי להחיותם ואתה מחיה את כולם4 ע״י בחי׳ אתה אותיות כו׳.5
But there are two levels: the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), and the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). The level of memalei kol almin is the name for the level that is enclothed in the created beings in a revealed way, to give them life: “And You (Atah) give life to them all,” through the aspect of Atah, the letters, etc.
The answer distinguishes two kinds of divine light. Memalei kol almin is the light that enters each creature openly and gives it life; the verse “You (Atah) give life to them all” is read through the word Atah, the letters of speech by which G‑d creates.
To answer how G‑d, who fills everything, can “dwell” below, the paragraph introduces the two levels of divine light, beginning with memalei kol almin, the light that openly gives every creature its life.
A parallel transcript cited in the Kehot note explains Atah as alef to tav, the twenty-two letters, together with hei, the five places in the mouth where they are formed, while the vav of ve’Atah stands for the drawing down from sovev into memalei.
Marei mekomos
- 1לית אתר פנוי מיני׳ · Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 57 · 91b:6–92a:1
- 2לית אתר פנוי מיניה · Shemot Rabbah 2:5
- 3הלא את השמים · Jeremiah 23:24
- 4ואתה מחי׳ את כולם · Nehemiah 9:6
- 5ע״י בחי׳ אתה אותיות כו׳ · במאמרי אדה״ז נביאים ע׳ צו: ”א״ת וה׳ מוצאות הפה והוי״ו דואת״ה הוא בחי׳ המשכות מן בחי׳ סובב לממלא כמ״ש כי ה׳ הוא אלקים כו׳, ובחי׳ סובב שהוא בחי׳ עצמות אוא״ס שלפני התפשטות אורו באבי״ע בבחי׳ קו כו׳” ע״ש.
7ובחי׳ סוכ״ע הוא ג״כ בכל הנבראים אך הוא בבחי׳ העלם שאינו מתלבש בבחי׳ גילוי כו׳. ולכן ארז״ל שחייב אדם לברך מאה ברכות בכל יום.1 להמשיך מההעלם אל הגילוי.
The level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) is also in all the created beings, but it is in a state of concealment, not enclothed in a revealed way, etc. Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said that a person is obligated to recite one hundred blessings every day: to draw down from concealment into revelation.
Sovev kol almin is present in every creature too, but hidden, not openly enclothed in it. The Sages’ requirement of a hundred blessings a day serves to draw this hidden light into revelation.
The second level, sovev kol almin, is present but concealed, and the daily hundred blessings are meant to bring it into the open.
An earlier maamar of Torah Ohr cited in the Kehot note explains why the number is specifically a hundred: the blessings draw from sovev into memalei through Keser, the intermediary, from the ten Sefiros of Arich Anpin, each made up of ten.
Marei mekomos
- 1שחייב אדם לברך מאה ברכות בכל יום · Menachot 43b:15–17
8וזהו בחי׳ ברוך בחי׳ בריכה123 שהיא מההעלם אל הגילוי ולהיות הבריכה מבחי׳ העלם להיות הוי׳ בבחי׳ גלוי שהוא אותיות הוי״ה יו״ד צמצום4 ה׳ התפשטות כו׳.
And this is the aspect of baruch (“blessed”), the aspect of breichah (a pool), which is from concealment into revelation. And the pool is from the level of concealment, so that Havayah will be in a state of revelation; that is, the letters of Havayah: yud, tzimtzum (contraction); hei, expansion, etc.
Baruch, “blessed,” is read as breichah, a pool, where water is gathered and drawn forth. A blessing likewise draws the hidden into the revealed, so that the Name Havayah is revealed, its yud standing for contraction and its hei for expansion.
But the drawing down from concealment into revelation is specifically through Israel, as it is written, “House of Israel, bless G‑d.”
Only Israel can draw this hidden light into revelation. That is why the verse calls specifically on the “House of Israel” to bless G‑d.
והיינו לפי שיש בכאו״א מישראל בכח למסור נפשו7 כו׳ ולכן נאמר דוקא בית ישראל ברכו כו׳
That is because in each and every Jew there is the potential to give over his soul, etc. Therefore it says specifically, “House of Israel, bless,” etc.
Their power comes from the potential, present in every Jew, to give up his very life for G‑d. Because of that hidden capacity, it is the House of Israel that is called on to “bless.”
וזהו אלקינו דוקא וימי שנותינו שבעים שנה8 כל שנה שס״ה ימים הכל הוא בכדי להמשיך ע״י מאה ברכות הנ״ל מההעלם אל הגלוי ולעתיד יהיה תכלית הגלוי כי עין בעין יראו9 כו׳:
And this is “our G‑d” (Elokeinu) specifically. And “the days of our years are seventy years,” each year of 365 days: it is all in order to draw down, through the hundred blessings mentioned above, from concealment into revelation. And in the time to come there will be the ultimate revelation, for “eye to eye they will see,” etc.
So too the blessing says specifically “our G‑d” (Elokeinu): the drawing down comes through Israel. A lifetime of seventy years, each of 365 days, exists to draw from concealment into revelation through the daily hundred blessings, until the complete revelation of the time to come, when “eye to eye they will see.”
A blessing (baruch, from breichah, a pool) draws the hidden light into revelation; this is Israel’s task alone, rooted in every Jew’s capacity for self-sacrifice, and it is the purpose of every day of a lifetime until the full revelation of the time to come.
Likkutei Torah (Eikev) cites this maamar for reading baruch as breichah, adds that Rabbeinu Bachya says the same, and concludes that “blessed” can be said even of sovev kol almin as it is drawn from concealment into revelation. Or HaTorah traces the capacity for self-sacrifice to the root of the soul, its “mazal” above, for Israel “arose in thought.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ברוך בחי׳ בריכה · ”מקום ריכוז של מים” — ע״פ ישעי׳ כב פסוק ט. יא. וראה גם בלקו״ת עקב טז, ב. מציין לכאן ומוסיף ”וכ״כ הבחיי פ׳ עקב”.
- 2בחי׳ בריכה · Isaiah 22:9
- 3בחי׳ בריכה · Isaiah 22:11
- 4יו״ד צמצום ה׳ התפשטות · ראה אגה״ת פ״ד.
- 5ע״י ישראל · באוה״ת שמות ע׳ פג: ע״י הנשמות.
- 6בית ישראל ברכו את ה׳ · Psalms 135:19
- 7שיש בכאו״א מישראל בכח למסור נפשו · ”שזהו מצד שרש נשמתו בחי׳ מזלי׳ חזי שישראל עלו במחשבה” — אוה״ת כרך ח ע׳ ב׳תתנו.
- 8וימי שנותינו שבעים שנה · Psalms 90:10
- 9כי עין בעין יראו · Isaiah 52:8
The analogy of sowing ¶9–11
9והנה המאה ברכות הנ״ל הוא בדבור אך ע״י מה יהיה ההמשכה מההעלם אל הגלוי הנה הוא ע״י מעשה המצות1 וכמשל הזריעה שרוב מיני זריעה הוא זרעוני גינה שאינן נאכלין
Now, the hundred blessings mentioned above are in speech. But through what will the drawing down from concealment into revelation come about? It is through the performance of the mitzvos, as in the analogy of sowing. For most kinds of seed are garden seeds, which are not eaten:
The hundred blessings are words. The fuller drawing of the hidden into the revealed comes through the physical performance of the mitzvos, which the Alter Rebbe explains through sowing: most seeds that are sown are garden seeds that no one eats.
שהוא רק גרעין שאין בו שום טעם מאכל וכשנזרע הגרעין בארץ ומתלבש בו כח הצומח שבארץ נצמח מזה פרי מאכל הגם שלא היה עצם הגרעין בחי׳ מאכל כלל.
it is only a kernel with no taste of food at all. Yet when the kernel is sown in the earth, and the earth’s power of growth is enclothed in it, edible fruit grows from it, even though the kernel itself was not in the category of food at all.
Such a seed is a tasteless kernel, yet once buried in the earth, the earth’s power of growth enters it and edible fruit grows. What emerges is of a different order from the seed itself.
Speech draws the light down only so far; the physical deed of a mitzvah is like a tasteless seed that, buried in the ground, brings forth edible fruit it never contained.
Marei mekomos
- 1והנה המאה ברכות . . ע״י מעשה המצות · ראה באוה״ת כרך ח ע׳ ב׳תתנו שיש הפרש בין ברכו לקדושה ובע׳ ב׳תתסג. ובאוה״ת בראשית פ׳ ויחי תתשכה, א.
10וגם זרעוני תבואה הנאכלין אעפ״כ ע״י הזריעה נתוסף התבואה כהנה וכהנה וכו׳. וכמו״כ הוא מעשה המצות שירדו ונתלבשו בדברים גשמיים
And even with grain seeds, which are eaten, nevertheless through the sowing the grain increases many times over, etc. So too is the performance of the mitzvos, which descended and were enclothed in physical things,
Even seeds that are themselves food, like grain, multiply many times over when sown. So too the mitzvos came down and were enclothed in physical things.
כמו תפלין על קלף גשמי וציצית מצמר גשמי וכדומה בשאר המצות וכשאיש ישראל מניח אותם1 על ראשו נתהוה בחי׳ גלוי אלקותו קדש בחכמה והיה כי יביאך בבינה כו׳ וכמאמר הזוהר2 טלית3 פריסו דמלכא כו׳.
such as tefillin on physical parchment and tzitzis of physical wool, and likewise with the other mitzvos. And when a Jew places them on his head, there comes into being a revelation of His G‑dliness: “Sanctify” (Kadesh) in Chochmah, “And it shall be when He brings you” (Vehayah ki yeviacha) in Binah, etc.; and as the Zohar says, “The tallis is the spread of the King,” etc.
Tefillin are written on parchment and tzitzis are made of wool, ordinary physical materials. Yet when a Jew puts on tefillin, G‑dliness is revealed: the first two passages in them, “Sanctify” and “And it shall be when He brings you,” correspond to Chochmah and Binah, and the Zohar calls the tallis the King’s spread.
Like seed in the earth, the mitzvos are clothed in physical objects such as parchment and wool, and through them a revelation of G‑dliness grows that far exceeds the materials themselves.
Or HaTorah, quoted in the Kehot note, sharpens the point: how can tefillin of physical parchment and ink draw the Infinite Light into supernal Chochmah and Binah, which are beyond any known wisdom? The answer is the seed, which has no taste yet yields fine fruit, and this is “Sow for yourselves for righteousness.”
Marei mekomos
- 1וכשאיש ישראל מניח אותם · ראה דרך מצותיך קסח, א. אוה״ת ויקרא כרך ג ע׳ תתפא. וראה הערת כ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע באוה״ת פ׳ שמות ע׳ פו. ויש להוסיף שבאוה״ת שמות כרך ח ע׳ ב׳תתנז הגי׳: שאדם מישראל. בלקו״ת בהעלותך לד, ב מציין לכאן.
- 2וכמאמר הזהר · Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 6
- 3טלית · Tikkunei Zohar 55b
11וזהו דוקא כשאיש ישראל מניח אותם על ראשו משא״כ כשמונחים על השולחן לא נתהווה מזה שום גלוי כלל הגם שמצח האדם הוא ג״כ דבר גשם1 כמו השולחן
And this is specifically when a Jew places them on his head. But when they lie on the table, no revelation at all comes into being from this, even though a person’s forehead is also a physical thing, like the table.
The growth happens only when a Jew puts the tefillin on. Lying on a table they reveal nothing, though a forehead is no less physical than a table.
וגם כשעכו״ם מניח אותם2 לא יצמח מזה ג״כ שום גלוי כלל והיינו כמשל כח הצומח שבארץ שלא בכל מקום נצמח הפרי ובמדבר אינו נגדל צמחים כלל כמו״כ דוקא לישראל נאמר כי תהיו אתם לי ארץ חפץ.34
And also when an idolater puts them on, no revelation at all will grow from it either. This is like the analogy of the earth’s power of growth: fruit does not grow in every place, and in the desert no plants grow at all. So too, it is to Israel specifically that it is said, “For you shall be to Me a land of desire.”
Nor does anything grow when tefillin are put on by someone outside Israel, to whom these mitzvos were not given. The earth’s power of growth works only in fertile soil, not in a desert; so too the mitzvos grow only in Israel, whom the prophet calls “a land of desire.”
The revelation depends not on the physical object alone but on the soil it is planted in: only through Israel, “a land of desire,” do the mitzvos bear fruit.
A maamar of 5743 on this verse notes that these two examples seem unusual but are exact, since the Tzemach Tzedek reviewed the maamarim before they were printed: the mitzvos must be in Israel specifically. Maamarim of 5738 and 5739 link this with the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching that, as the earth holds every precious treasure, so Israel holds all treasures.
Marei mekomos
- 1הגם שמצח האדם הוא ג״כ דבר גשם · בגוכתי״ק ובאוה״ת כרך ח שם: הגם שראש האדם וידו שמניח בהם התפילין הוא ג״כ: דבר גשמי.
- 2משא״כ כשמונחים על השולחן . . וגם כשעכו״ם מניח אותם · בד״ה הבאים ישרש תשמ״ג מעיר ע״ז שב׳ דוגמאות אלו בלתי רגילות לכאורה, אף שהספר תו״א נדפס מרשימת השומעים שרשמו את לשון אדמו״ר הזקן, מ״מ הרי כ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ הגי׳ את המאמרים טרם שנמסרו לדפוס, הרי מובן שדוגמאות אלה הם בדיוק, דכאשר התפילין מונחים על השולחן או שעכו״ם מניח אותם אין בזה שום ענין כלל, כי המצות צריכים להיות בישראל דוקא שנקראו ארץ חפץ. במאמרי אדה״ז נביאים ע׳ צז מביא ב׳ הדוגמאות הנ״ל, אבל שם ע׳ פו (הנחה אחרת). בלקו״ת שמע״צ פג, ב מביא רק הדוגמא מעו״ג, ושם ציין לכאן.
- 3כי תהיו אתם לי ארץ חפץ · Malachi 3:12
- 4כי תהיו אתם לי ארץ חפץ · מובא בלקו״ת האזינו עד, ג: ”ועמ״ש בד״ה הבאים ישרש יעקב דלשם נתבאר שכנס״י נק׳ ארץ חפץ והמצות נזרעו בארץ זו דייקא ע״ש באריכות ואין זה סותר למש״כ דמ״מ זריעה זו היא דוקא בהיות הנפש אלקית מלובשת בנפש הבהמית”.
Kingship and the bride’s awe ¶12–13
12והיינו כידוע שבחי׳ א״ס נק׳ קדוש ומובדל אני הוי׳ לא שניתי.1 ואתה הוא קודם שנברא העולם ואתה הוא לאחר שנברא העולם כו׳.
That is, as is known, the level of the Infinite One (Ein Sof) is called holy and separate: “I, Havayah, have not changed”; and “You are He before the world was created, and You are He after the world was created,” etc.
Why must it be Israel? Because Ein Sof in Itself is holy and utterly apart: “I, Havayah, have not changed,” and G‑d is the same before creation and after it, so creation makes no difference to Him.
והכל ירוממוך סלה. ושיוכל להתהוות עולמות הוא רק ע״י מלכותך מכ״ע2 אין מלך בלא עם345 כו׳. ישתבח שמך לעד6 כו׳.
“And all will exalt You, Selah.” And that worlds can come into being is only through “Your kingship, a kingship over all worlds”: “there is no king without a people,” etc. “May Your Name be praised forever,” etc.
Worlds can come into being only through G‑d’s kingship, and “there is no king without a people.” The lines of prayer quoted here speak of G‑d as exalted above all and praised by His creations.
Ein Sof Itself is unchanged by creation; worlds exist only through G‑d’s kingship, and kingship requires a “people” over whom to reign.
The Kehot note gives the sources of “there is no king without a people,” among them Emek HaMelech, Sefer HaChaim, Rabbeinu Bachya and Tanya, Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah 7, which explains am (“people”) from omemos: beings separate, alien and distant from the king, for over sons or ministers alone there is no kingship.
Marei mekomos
- 1אני הוי׳ לא שניתי · Malachi 3:6
- 2מלכותך מכ״ע · Psalms 145:13
- 3אין מלך בלא עם · Tanya, Sha’ar HaYichud 7:2
- 4אין מלך בלא עם · Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 38:30
- 5אין מלך בלא עם · Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 3:5
- 6ישתבח שמך לעד · Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Pesukei Dezimra, Yishtabach
13וכמשל ענין המלך שמהפך מיש לאין להיות הכל בטלים נגדו. וכמו״כ למעלה אין מלך בלא עם מלשון עוממות שהוא בחי׳ יש ונפרד להתהוות בבחי׳ בטול ואין וכמו במלאכים כתיב וצבא השמים לך משתחוים.1
As in the analogy of a king, who turns [his subjects] from something into nothing, so that all are nullified before him. So too above: “there is no king without a people (am),” from the word omemos (“dimmed”), which is the level of something (yesh) and separateness, so that it may come into a state of self-nullification (bittul) and nothingness. As with the angels, of whom it is written, “And the hosts of heaven bow down to You.”
A king’s rule makes his subjects set aside their own importance before him. So too above: am, “people,” is read as related to omemos, “dimmed,” beings that feel separate from G‑d, and His kingship is revealed when such beings become nullified before Him, as the angels bow before Him.
אך מלאכים הם אינם בבחי׳ נפרד כ״כ ודוקא ישראל למטה שהם בתכלית בחי׳ עוממות ונפרד ושם הוא עיקר בחי׳ גלוי המלוכה ע״י בחי׳ הביטול מיש לאין2 כו׳.
But angels are not so very separate. It is specifically Israel below who are at the utmost level of omemos and separateness, and there is the main revelation of kingship, through the self-nullification from something into nothing, etc.
Angels are not truly separate, so their bowing reveals relatively little. Israel here below, who feel the most separate of all, reveal G‑d’s kingship most when they nullify themselves before Him.
(Not so with “a son is his father’s leg”: [that is] not in the manner of a king.) Therefore specifically “you shall be a land of desire,” for there is the main revelation of the will and the desire, etc.
A son is like an extension of his father (“his father’s leg”), so a father’s relation to his son is not kingship. Israel is called “a land of desire” because it is in them that G‑d’s will and desire are mainly revealed.
וע״י ישראל דוקא במעשה המצות הגשמיים יוכל להתהוות בחי׳ צמיחה הנ״ל. וזהו אשה יראת7 ה׳ היא תתהלל שהקב״ה נק׳ חתן.
And through Israel specifically, in the performance of the physical mitzvos, the growth mentioned above can come into being. And this is [the meaning of] “A woman who fears G‑d, she shall be praised (tis’halal)”: for the Holy One, blessed be He, is called the groom,
Only through Israel, and through physical mitzvos, can the growth described above take place. The verse “A woman who fears G‑d, she shall be praised” is read as speaking of G‑d, the groom, and His bride.
וכנס״י נק׳ בשם בחי׳ כלה בחי׳ אשה יראת ה׳ שהוא בחי׳ יראה ובטול. ועי״ז היא תתהלל שנעשה בחי׳ הארה וגלוי מלשון בהלו נרו8 כו׳:
and the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael) is called by the name “bride,” the aspect of “a woman who fears G‑d,” which is the aspect of awe and self-nullification. And through this “she shall be praised (tis’halal)”: there comes about illumination and revelation, from the expression “when His lamp shone (behilo),” etc.
The Congregation of Israel is the bride, the “woman who fears G‑d,” marked by awe and self-nullification. Through this she “shall be praised” (tis’halal), a word read as related to behilo, “when His lamp shone”: her bittul becomes a source of light and revelation.
G‑d’s kingship is revealed most where separateness is greatest, in Israel below; Israel’s bittul, like a bride’s awe, makes them the “land of desire” in which the mitzvos grow into revelation.
The Tzemach Tzedek notes in Or HaTorah that the parenthetical gloss here is by Maharil, the Alter Rebbe’s brother. Likkutei Torah on Shir HaShirim points back to this maamar’s reading of “a woman who fears G‑d,” and elsewhere explains the name Hillel from behilo nero, “when His lamp shone.”
Marei mekomos
- 1וצבא השמים לך משתחוים · Nehemiah 9:6
- 2ע״י בחי׳ הביטול מיש לאין · ראה לקו״ת אחרי כו, ב.
- 3ברא כרעא דאבוה · Yevamot 3a:2–4
- 4ברא כרעא דאבוה · Tosafot on Yevamot 3a
- 5(משא״כ . . בבחי׳ מלך) · באוה״ת פ׳ שמות ע׳ צא מציין הצ״צ שהגה זו היא ל”מהרי״ל” — אחי כ״ק אדה״ז.
- 6תהיו אתם ארץ חפץ · Malachi 3:12
- 7אשה יראת ה׳ · Proverbs 31:30
- 8מלשון בהלו נרו · Job 29:3
Yaakov takes root, Yisrael blossoms ¶14–19
14וזהו הבאים ישרש יעקב1 היינו השרשה למטה הוא בחי׳ המצות2 שירדו מבחי׳ רצה״ע להתלבש בדברים גשמיים הוא בחי׳ יעקב יו״ד עקב.345
And this is [the meaning of] “Those who came, Yaakov will take root”: the taking root below is the mitzvos, which descended from the level of the Supreme Will to be enclothed in physical things. This is the level of Yaakov: yud, akev (“heel”).
Now the opening verse is explained. “Taking root” below is the mitzvos, which came down from G‑d’s Supreme Will and were enclothed in physical things; this is Yaakov, whose name divides into yud and akev, “heel.”
בחי׳ יו״ד שירדה בבחי׳ עקב למטה.6 ועי״ז יציץ ופרח ישראל להיות בחי׳ צמיחה מההעלם אל הגילוי כו׳.
The level of the yud that descended into the level of the heel, below. And through this, “Yisrael will bud and blossom”: there comes to be growth from concealment into revelation, etc.
The yud, which stands for the highest level, descends into the “heel,” the lowest level, here below. Through this “Yisrael will bud and blossom”: what was hidden grows into revelation.
“Yaakov will take root” is the mitzvos planted in the physical world, the yud in the heel, and “Yisrael will bud and blossom” is the revelation that grows from them.
The reading of Yaakov as yud-akev is given in Etz Chaim and in the Pardes. Likkutei Torah (Balak) points here: the Infinite Light rests in mitzvos made of physical things, the yud enclothed in the heels, but to draw it down through the mitzvos, prayer must come first.
Marei mekomos
- 1הבאים ישרש יעקב · Isaiah 27:6
- 2היינו השרשה למטה הוא בחי׳ המצות · באוה״ת כרך ז ע׳ ב׳תקלו מציין שכאן נתבאר בפי׳ ישרש יעקב שהמצות הם אור זרוע לצדיק ונקלטים ונשרשים בבחי׳ יעקב שהוא בחי׳ ארץ חפץ כו׳ הצומח להצמיח האור זרוע כו׳ שלכאורה זה ההיפך ממארז״ל כל מי שמעשיו מרובין מחכמתו דומה לאילן שענפיו מועטין ושרשיו מרובין הרי האדם נשרש ע״י מעשה המצות, ומבאר דשניהם אמת ע״ש.
- 3יעקב יו״ד עקב · ע״ח ש״ג ספ״ב. פרדס שעה״כ בערכו. קהלת יעקב בערכו.
- 4יעקב יו״ד עקב · Sefer Etz Chaim 3:2
- 5יעקב יו״ד עקב · Pardes Rimmonim 23:10:31
- 6בחי׳ יו״ד שירדה בבחי׳ עקב למטה · בלקו״ת בלק עא, ד מציין לכאן.
And this is [the meaning of] “He sows righteous deeds (tzedakos), makes salvations grow”: through the sowing, which is the mitzvos. And the charity (tzedakah) that each one gives is only to grant us merit,
The morning blessing describes G‑d as one who “sows righteous deeds” and “makes salvations grow.” The sowing is the mitzvos, and the charity each person gives is only so that G‑d may grant us merit.
כי בודאי הקב״ה בעצמו היה יכול לפרנסם ואינו אלא רק לזכותנו להיות מצמיח ישועות בחי׳ צמיחה מההעלם אל הגלוי ע״י מעשה המצות כנ״ל.
for certainly the Holy One, blessed be He, could Himself provide for them; it is only to grant us merit, so that He “makes salvations grow”: growth from concealment into revelation, through the performance of the mitzvos, as explained above.
G‑d could certainly provide for the poor Himself; He lets us give so that the merit is ours. Our giving is the sowing from which “salvations grow,” revelation emerging from concealment.
The blessing “He sows righteous deeds, makes salvations grow” describes the same process: G‑d lets us sow mitzvos and charity, which He does not need, so that revelation can grow from them.
Marei mekomos
- 1זורע צדקות מצמיח ישועות · בברכת יוצר אור.
- 2זורע צדקות מצמיח ישועות · Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Blessings of the Shema, First Blessing before Shema 8
And this is the intent of the saying of King David, peace be upon him: “To every longing (tichlah) I have seen an end; Your commandment is exceedingly (me’od) broad.” His intent is not about physical desires,
King David says he has seen an end to every tichlah, while G‑d’s commandment is “exceedingly broad.” The Alter Rebbe first rules out reading tichlah as physical desire.
but about the level of comprehension and the soul’s pining away (kelos hanefesh), from the expression “my soul pines away (kalesah nafshi),” etc., which is in the category of end and limit, for every soul has a limit to its comprehension;
Tichlah refers to the soul’s spiritual comprehension and its yearning to the point of expiry (kelos hanefesh), as in “my soul pines away.” However lofty, these have an end, because every soul’s grasp is limited.
משא״כ מצותך היא רחבה מאד היינו שבחי׳ מצותך היא רחבה בבחי׳ כלי קבול לקבל בחי׳ מאד בלי גבול שע״י מעשה המצו׳ יוכל לצמוח בבחי׳ גלוי בלי גבול.
whereas “Your commandment is exceedingly broad”: that is, Your commandment is broad as a receptacle to receive the level of me’od (“exceedingly”), without limit; for through the performance of the mitzvos there can be growth in a revealed manner, without limit.
The mitzvah, by contrast, is “broad” enough to receive me’od, “exceedingly,” the level without limit. Through physical deeds a revelation without limit can grow.
Comprehension and spiritual yearning are bounded by the soul’s capacity, but the mitzvah is a vessel for the limitless, and through it a limitless revelation grows.
The Kehot note shows that Iggeres HaKodesh, epistle 17, explains the verse the same way, and points to Or HaTorah and to later Sefer HaMaamarim volumes on it.
Marei mekomos
- 1לכל תכלה ראיתי קץ · Psalms 119:96
- 2על בחי׳ השגות וכלות הנפש · וכן פי׳ באגה״ק סי׳ יז. וראה באוה״ת בראשית כרך ג תקה, ב בפי׳ הפסוק לכל תכלה. אוה״ת פ׳ תרומה ע׳ א׳שעז. ראה סה״מ תר״מ כרך ב ע׳ תשכט. סה״מ תרכ״ט (הוצאה חדשה) ע׳ רט.
- 3לשון כלתה נפשי · Psalms 84:3
17וזהו רחבה מצותך מאד. וזהו אשריכם זורעי על כל מים12 שכל בחי׳ השגות שבג״ע העליון וג״ע התחתון נק׳ בשם מים
This is “Your commandment is exceedingly broad.” And this is [the meaning of] “Fortunate are you who sow upon all waters”: all the levels of comprehension in the higher Gan Eden and the lower Gan Eden are called “water,”
This also explains “Fortunate are you who sow upon all waters.” All the comprehension that souls enjoy in the higher and lower Gan Eden is called “water.”
כמ״ש ונהר יצא מעדן3 כו׳ משא״כ מעשה המצות נעשה זריעה על כל מים למעלה מעלה מבחי׳ מים כנ״ל.
as it is written, “And a river went out of Eden,” etc. Whereas the performance of the mitzvos becomes a sowing “upon all waters,” far, far above the level of water, as explained above.
The image comes from the river that goes out of Eden to water the garden. The sowing of the mitzvos is “upon all waters,” far above every level of comprehension in Gan Eden.
The comprehension enjoyed in Gan Eden is “water,” and the mitzvos are a sowing that reaches far above it.
Marei mekomos
- 1אשריכם זורעי על כל מים · Isaiah 33:20
- 2אשריכם זורעי על כל מים · Isaiah 32:20
- 3ונהר יוצא מעדן · Genesis 2:10
18וכמו״כ ע״י לימוד התורה שירדה ג״כ להתלבש בענינים גשמיים נעשה ג״כ מזה בחי׳ צמיחה ולכן ארז״ל אשרי מי שבא לכאן ותלמודו בידו.1
So too through the study of the Torah, which also descended to be enclothed in physical matters: from this too there comes about growth. Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Fortunate is he who comes here with his learning in his hand.”
Torah study too came down into physical subjects, so it too produces growth. Hence the words heard in the upper world: “Fortunate is he who comes here with his learning in his hand.”
ולכאורה הוא תמוה והלא למעלה אין נצרך שם כלל הדבור גשמי אלו מציאות2 וכדומה. רק שלהיות בחי׳ צמיחה הנ״ל צריך להיות דוקא נשרש ונקלט בארץ ואז יוכל לצמוח.
At first glance this is puzzling: above, there is no need at all for physical speech, [such as] “Eilu metzios” (“These are the found objects”) and the like. But for the growth mentioned above to come about, [the seed] must specifically be rooted and absorbed in the earth, and then it can grow.
This seems strange, since in the higher world no one needs physical discussions such as the laws of found objects. The answer is the analogy again: a seed grows only if it is rooted and absorbed in the earth.
כמו״כ כשנקלט אצלו בחי׳ התורה בבחי׳ קליטה ממש להיות תלמודו בידו דוקא אזי נעשה מזה בחי׳ צמיחה גלוי רב למעלה הרבה מבחי׳ ההשגות שבג״ע ששם הוא רק נהנין מזיו השכינה3 כו׳.
So too, when the Torah is absorbed within him with real absorption, so that “his learning is in his hand” specifically, then from this there comes about growth, a great revelation, far above the level of the comprehension in Gan Eden, where they only “delight in the radiance of the Shechinah,” etc.
When the Torah is truly absorbed in a person, “his learning in his hand,” it yields growth, a revelation far above the comprehension of Gan Eden, where souls only “delight in the radiance of the Shechinah.”
Torah study, clothed in physical subjects, works like a seed: when it is truly absorbed in the learner it brings a revelation greater than the comprehension of Gan Eden.
Marei mekomos
- 1אשרי מי שבא לכאן ותלמודו בידו · Pesachim 50a:7–8
- 2אלו מציאות · Mishnah Bava Metzia 2:1
- 3נהנין מזיו השכינה · Berakhot 17a:12
19וזהו ישרש יעקב שהיא ע״י בחינת שרישה וקליטה בחי׳ יעקב שהוא בחי׳ תורה ויקם עדות ביעקב1 כו׳ תתן אמת ליעקב2 כו׳ ואין אמת אלא תורה34 כו׳.
And this is “Yaakov will take root”: it is through the aspect of rooting and absorption, the level of Yaakov, which is the level of Torah: “He established a testimony in Yaakov,” etc.; “Grant truth to Yaakov,” etc.; and “there is no truth but Torah,” etc.
Yaakov stands for Torah: G‑d “established a testimony in Yaakov” and gave “truth to Yaakov,” and “there is no truth but Torah.” So “Yaakov will take root” means Torah and mitzvos rooted and absorbed below.
הנה עי״ז יציץ ופרח ישראל בבחי׳ גלוי בחי׳ לי ראש כו׳ כנודע. וזהו ומלאו פני תבל5 תנובה.
Through this, “Yisrael will bud and blossom,” in a revealed manner: the level of “li rosh” (“a head to Me”), etc., as is known. And this is “and they will fill the face of the world (tevel) with produce (tenuvah).”
From this rooting “Yisrael will bud and blossom,” revealing the level of Yisrael, whose letters spell li rosh, “a head to Me.” The verse goes on: they “will fill the face of the world with produce.”
תנובה הוא ענין הפרי גם תנ״ו ב״ה (להיות נקלט) בבחי׳ תבל שהוא בחי׳ כנ״י הנק׳ ארץ חפץ להיות נקלט ונשרש בה בבחי׳ גלוי הוא ע״י בחי׳ יעקב וישראל הנ״ל:
Tenuvah means fruit; it is also “tenu bah,” “place into it” (to be absorbed), into the level of tevel, which is the level of the Congregation of Israel, called “a land of desire”: to be absorbed and rooted in it in a revealed manner. This is through the levels of Yaakov and Yisrael mentioned above.
Tenuvah, “produce,” is also read as tenu bah, “place into it”: the mitzvos are placed into tevel, the world, meaning the Congregation of Israel, the “land of desire,” to be absorbed and rooted there and then revealed. This comes about through Yaakov and Yisrael.
Yaakov is Torah taking root below, Yisrael is the revelation that blossoms from it, and the Congregation of Israel is the soil in which it is planted.
Marei mekomos
- 1ויקם עדות ביעקב · Psalms 78:5
- 2תתן אמת ליעקב · Micah 7:20
- 3ואין אמת אלא תורה · ירושלמי ר״ה ג, ח.
- 4ואין אמת אלא תורה · Jerusalem Talmud Rosh Hashanah 3:9
- 5ומלאו פני תבל · Isaiah 27:6
Prayer: bitterness, joy and compassion ¶20–23
But in order that the levels of Yaakov and Yisrael mentioned above be drawn down, there must be three levels, namely the levels of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, for “the Patriarchs instituted the prayers.”
Drawing down the levels of Yaakov and Yisrael requires all three Patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, who are bound up with prayer, since the Sages say that the Patriarchs instituted the prayers.
וזהו ענין התפלה שמבקשים ברוך אתה הוי׳ מההעלם אל הגילוי כו׳ כנודע. אך צריך להיות מקודם בחי׳ מרירות על הריחוק מאלקות בתכלית.
This is the matter of prayer, in which we ask, “Blessed are You, Havayah”: [to draw] from concealment into revelation, etc., as is known. But first there must be the aspect of bitterness over the utter distance from G‑dliness.
Prayer’s refrain, “Blessed are You, Havayah,” asks that the hidden be drawn into revelation. Yet prayer must begin with bitterness over how utterly far one is from G‑dliness.
The revelation of Yaakov and Yisrael is drawn down through prayer, instituted by the Patriarchs, and prayer must begin with bitterness over one’s distance from G‑d.
Marei mekomos
- 1תפלות אבות תקנום · Berakhot 26b:4–5
21וכמאמר מים תחתונים בוכין1 כו׳. להתבונן בגדולת ה׳ ברוך שאמר23 כו׳ שבאמירה אחת נתהוו כל העולמות וכו׳
As it is said, “The lower waters weep,” etc. [One is] to contemplate the greatness of G‑d, “Blessed is He who spoke,” etc.: that with a single utterance all the worlds came into being, etc.,
The lower waters “weep” at being far from G‑d, and a person should feel the same. He contemplates G‑d’s greatness: as the blessing “Blessed is He who spoke” says, all the worlds came into being through a single utterance.
and that it is worth all the sufferings of Gehinnom, etc., as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Better that he be judged and come into the World to Come,” to delight in the radiance of the Shechinah.
He also considers that delighting in G‑d’s presence is worth all the sufferings of Gehinnom, as in the Sages’ words, “Better that he be judged and come into the World to Come.” Such thoughts make his present distance bitter to him.
The bitterness comes from contemplating G‑d’s greatness and the worth of closeness to Him, worth even the sufferings of Gehinnom.
Marei mekomos
- 1מים תחתונים בוכין · Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 5 · 19a:15–16
- 2ברוך שאמר · ראה גם לקמן סז, א.
- 3
- 4מוטב דלידייני׳ · Chagigah 15b:3
- 5נהנין מזיו השכינה · Berakhot 17a:12
22ועי״ז יתמרמר נפשו מאד על ריחוקו בתכלית. אך בכי׳ תקיעא בלבאי מסטרא דא וחדוה מסטרא דא. היינו שבאמת מצד הגוף הוא רחוק בתכלית.
Through this his soul will become very embittered over his utter distance. But “weeping is lodged in my heart on one side, and joy on the other side.” That is: in truth, from the side of the body he is utterly distant;
Such contemplation makes a person bitter over his distance. Yet the Aramaic saying describes weeping lodged on one side of the heart and joy on the other: as a body, a person is indeed utterly far from G‑d.
אך מצד נש״י יש בחי׳ שמחה רבה לשמוח בה׳ בשמחה של מצוה שהוא מבחי׳ מהותו ועצמותו כביכול למעלה מבחי׳ סוכ״ע כו׳.
but from the side of the souls of Israel there is great joy, to rejoice in G‑d with the joy of a mitzvah, which is from the level of His very being and essence, as it were, higher than the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), etc.
As a soul, though, he can rejoice in G‑d with the joy of a mitzvah. That joy comes from G‑d’s very essence, higher even than sovev kol almin.
אך ע״י מה נתחברו בחי׳ שני הפכים האלו בתכלית בכיה וחדוה כו׳. הנה הוא ע״י בחי׳ יעקב שהוא בחי׳ רחמנות1
But through what are these two utter opposites, weeping and joy, joined together, etc.? It is through the level of Yaakov, which is the level of compassion,
Weeping and joy are complete opposites. What joins them is Yaakov, whose attribute is compassion.
וכמאמר ברחמיך הרבים רחם עלינו וע״י בחי׳ רחמנות כנ״ל יוכל להיות בחי׳ שמחה של מצוה שהוא בחי׳ גילוי כו׳ כנ״ל.
as it is said, “In Your great compassion, have compassion on us.” And through compassion, as mentioned, there can be the joy of a mitzvah, which is revelation, etc., as mentioned above.
Compassion, as in the prayer “In Your great compassion, have compassion on us,” bridges the bitterness and the joy. Through it the joy of the mitzvah, which is revelation, can come about.
Bitterness over the body’s distance and joy in the soul’s bond with G‑d’s essence exist together, joined by Yaakov’s attribute of compassion.
The Kehot note gives the Zohar for Yaakov as the attribute of compassion.
Marei mekomos
- 1יעקב שהוא בחי׳ רחמנות · Zohar I, 87b
And this is [the meaning of] “The voice is the voice of Yaakov.” As in the analogy of the voice, which is also a revelation of what is concealed; and the voice is produced through three elements: fire and water,
“The voice is the voice of Yaakov”: a voice brings out what is hidden within a person. It is formed from three elements, and the first two are fire and water.
שהם דברים הפכיים ובחי׳ הרוח הוא הממוצע ומחברו כמו״כ להיות בחי׳ גילוי מעשה המצות למטה הוא ג״כ ע״י בחי׳ יעקב בחי׳ רחמנות כנ״ל
which are opposite things, and air (ruach), which is the intermediary that joins them. So too, for there to be the revelation of the performance of the mitzvos below, this is also through the level of Yaakov, the level of compassion, as mentioned above.
Fire and water are opposites, and air (ruach), the third element, stands between them and joins them. So too the revelation brought by the mitzvos below comes through Yaakov, compassion, which joins opposites.
ולכן נק׳ יעקב בריח התיכון3 שמבריח מן הקצה4 העליון אל הקצה התחתון כו׳ לחבר הקרשים שלא יתפרדו והיו לאחדים5 כו׳:
Therefore Yaakov is called the middle bar, which runs through from the upper end to the lower end, etc., to join the boards so that they will not come apart, “and they shall become one,” etc.
Yaakov is called the “middle bar” of the Mishkan, which ran through all the boards from end to end and held them together so that they would not separate. Like that bar, Yaakov joins the highest level to the lowest.
Like a voice formed from fire, water and the air between them, the revelation through mitzvos depends on Yaakov, compassion, which joins opposites as the middle bar joined the boards of the Mishkan.
The Zohar calls Yaakov the middle bar. The Kehot note also points to the Siddur with Chassidic discourses, to Biurei HaZohar and to Or HaTorah for the theme of the voice.
Marei mekomos
- 1הקל קול יעקב · מענין קול עיין בסידור בד״ה הקל קול יעקב. ובבה״ז פ׳ פנחס למאמר לדף רנד. אוה״ת בראשית כרך ד פ׳ תולדות ד״ה זה.
- 2הקל קול יעקב · Genesis 27:22
- 3יעקב בריח התיכון · Zohar III, 186a
- 4בריח התיכון שמבריח מן הקצה · Exodus 26:28
- 5והיו לאחדים · Ezekiel 37:17
Egypt, exile and the answer ¶24–25
24וזהו הבאים ישרש יעקב. היינו שבכדי שיקבלו ישראל התומ״צ1 שהוא בחי׳ יעקב וישראל כו׳ ולהיות פב״פ דבר2 ה׳ כו׳ באו מקודם למצרים שהוא בחי׳ המרירות כו׳ בחומר ובלבנים3 כו׳.
And this is “Those who came, Yaakov will take root.” That is: in order that Israel receive the Torah and mitzvos, which are the levels of Yaakov and Yisrael, etc., and that there be “face to face G‑d spoke,” etc., they first came to Egypt, which is the aspect of bitterness, etc., “with mortar and with bricks,” etc.
The opening verse is now applied to Egypt itself. For Israel to receive the Torah and mitzvos, the levels of Yaakov and Yisrael, and to hear G‑d speak “face to face” at Sinai, they first had to come to Egypt and the bitterness of “mortar and bricks.”
ואח״כ קבלו התורה להיות ישרש יעקב יציץ ופרח4 כו׳ וזה היה במצרים בכדי לקבל את התורה בגשמיות בבחי׳ חיצוניות.
And afterward they received the Torah, so that “Yaakov will take root; [Yisrael] will bud and blossom,” etc. And this was in Egypt, in order to receive the Torah in physicality, in the aspect of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus).
Only afterward did they receive the Torah, so that Yaakov would take root and Yisrael bud and blossom. The descent into Egypt prepared them to receive the Torah in physical form, in its outer dimension.
The maamar’s opening question is answered: the bitterness of Egypt, like a seed buried in the ground, was the preparation for receiving the Torah at Sinai.
The Kehot note refers to the Rebbe’s explanation of this passage in the maamar Habaim Yashresh of 5748.
Marei mekomos
- 1וזהו הבאים ישרש . . שיקבלו ישראל התומ״צ · ראה ביאור כ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע בד״ה הבאים ישרש תשמ״ח הנ״ל ע׳ קכו.
- 2פב״פ דבר ה׳ · Deuteronomy 5:4
- 3בחומר ובלבנים · Exodus 1:14
- 4ישרש יעקב יציץ ופרח · Isaiah 27:6
25וגם עתה בגלות ושעבוד פרנסה הוא ג״כ בכדי שלעתיד יוכלו לקבל בחי׳ פנימיות התורה להיות עין בעין יראו1 כו׳.8
And now too, [being] in exile and in the servitude of [earning a] livelihood is likewise in order that in the time to come they will be able to receive the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the Torah, so that “eye to eye they will see,” etc.
The present exile and the burden of making a living serve the same purpose as Egypt. They prepare Israel to receive the inner dimension of the Torah in the time to come, when “eye to eye they will see.”
And this is “Your Creator [is] Yaakov, and your Former [is] Yisrael,” as it is written, “He forms light and creates darkness.” That is: in everything there is matter and form.
The opening question about Yaakov as “Creator” and Yisrael as “Former” is now resolved with the verse “He forms light and creates darkness,” where “creating” goes with darkness and “forming” with light. Everything is made of matter and form.
ובחי׳ בריאת החומר שירדה למטה הוא בחי׳ יעקב ויוצרך הוא בחי׳ הצורה וגילוי הוא בחי׳ ישראל כנ״ל.
The creation of the matter, which descended below, is the level of Yaakov; and “your Former” is the form and the revelation, which is the level of Yisrael, as mentioned above.
Here “creation” means bringing matter into being, the dark substance that descended below; that is Yaakov. “Forming” gives shape and revelation, the light; that is Yisrael, so the question from the beginning falls away.
וזהו ענין מארז״ל כל שיראת חטאו קודמת5 לחכמתו חכמתו מתקיימת6 היינו להיות חכמתו מתקיימת בבחי׳ צמיחה כנ״ל צ״ל מקודם בחי׳ יראת חטאו כו׳ וכמבואר למעלה אשה יראת7 ה׳ דוקא היא תתהלל כו׳:
And this is the meaning of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “Anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom endures.” That is: for his wisdom to endure, in the manner of growth mentioned above, there must first be fear of sin, etc., as explained above: specifically “a woman who fears G‑d, she shall be praised,” etc.
The Mishnah teaches that wisdom endures only when fear of sin comes first. In the maamar’s terms, wisdom “endures” and grows like a planted seed only after the preparation of awe, as in “a woman who fears G‑d, she shall be praised.”
Exile prepares for the revelation of the Torah’s inner dimension, and the verse about Yaakov and Yisrael is resolved: Yaakov is the matter created below, Yisrael the form and revelation that grows from it, and that growth requires awe first.
Likkutei Torah (Balak) cites this maamar: the growth of the time to come is the level of Yisrael, and so too the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah, the inner core and essence of supernal Chochmah, will come in the time to come.
Marei mekomos
- 1עין בעין יראו · Isaiah 52:8
- 2וזהו בוראך יעקב · באוה״ת פ׳ שמות ע׳ ק מציין כ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע ”ראה בכ״ז לעיל [באוה״ת שם] ע׳ מה ואילך”.
- 3בוראך יעקב ויוצרך ישראל · Isaiah 43:1
- 4יוצר אור ובורא חושך · Isaiah 45:7
- 5כל שיראת חטאו קודמת · אבות ג, ט. זח״ג ערה, ב.
- 6כל שיראת חטאו קודמת לחכמתו חכמתו מתקיימת · Pirkei Avot 3:9
- 7אשה יראת ה׳ · Proverbs 31:30
- 8בכדי לשעתיד יוכלו לקבל בחי׳ פנימיות התורה · בלקו״ת בלק עה, א מציין לכאן. ”שבחי׳ הצמיחה שלעתיד זהו בחי׳ ישראל וכך התגלות פנימיות התורה שהיא פנימית ועצמות ח״ע יהי׳ לעתיד”.
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
The maamar draws the lesson that before prayer a person should feel bitterness over his distance from G‑d, contemplating G‑d’s greatness, yet rejoice in the soul’s bond with Him; Yaakov’s compassion joins the two. The physical mitzvos, charity and Torah truly absorbed are seeds of revelation, and fear of sin must precede wisdom for wisdom to endure. Exile and the burden of earning a living are themselves a preparation for the revelation of the Torah’s inner dimension.
Questions for discussion
- Why would a tasteless seed be a better image for the mitzvos than grain that is already edible?
- The maamar says tefillin on a table reveal nothing, though a forehead is just as physical. What, then, makes the act fruitful?
- Why is G‑d’s kingship revealed more through Israel, who feel separate, than through the angels?
- How can weeping and joy be lodged in the heart at the same time, and how does compassion join them?
- How does reading “creation” as the making of matter answer the question of why Yaakov is called the Creator and Yisrael the Former?
Key terms in this maamar
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- ×4
- A dwelling place among the lower realmsדירה בתחתונים
- The purpose of creation: that G‑d be at home in this world. ×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 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.
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being. ×3
- Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
- The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×1
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×1
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×1
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×1
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×1
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×2
- The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)חיצוניות
- The external, expressive aspect. ×1
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level. ×1
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence. ×1
- The World of Yetzirah (Formation)יצירה
- The world of the angels and emotions. ×1