Torah Ohr · Parshas Tetzaveh · Maamar 1
ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל ויקחו אליך כו׳
“And you shall command the children of Israel”
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The big idea
Aharon, the “groomsman,” kindles in the soul the joy of the mitzvos, a running toward G‑d that dawns out of darkness; but his power comes from Moshe, from Torah study and the bittul of Chochmah, which reveal G‑d’s unity above time. That is why the oil is brought “to you,” to Moshe, and why Moshe’s lamp is “continual.”
The maamar in brief
Why is the oil for the lamps that Aharon lights brought to Moshe, and why does Moshe’s verse speak of a “continual” lamp while Aharon’s says only “from evening until morning”? Aharon is “the groomsman of the Matrona”: he escorts the souls to union with their source, bringing them a joy from above. That joy comes from the Infinite Light clothed in the mitzvos. The mitzvos are the lamp itself, while all the delights of the upper and lower Gan Eden are only its radiance, “the work of His hands”; so the joy of a mitzvah should exceed “an abundance of everything.” Aharon works in two stages, “arranging” through one’s own contemplation and “raising up” through joy from above, and the light comes gradually, out of darkness. It needs “crushed olive oil”: crushing the animal soul by making oneself like leftovers yields Chochmah, the bittul in which the light endures. Aharon’s joy is “running” outside the curtain, in the lower unity. Its power comes from the letters of the Torah, which come through Moshe, whose Torah is “return to the One,” the higher unity above time.
Outline
- The questionsWhy is the oil for Aharon’s lamps brought to Moshe, and why is Moshe’s lamp “continual” while Aharon’s burns “from evening until morning”? Aharon is the groomsman who escorts the souls to their source.¶1–2
- The groomsman’s joyAharon belongs to the “wedding day”: a joy from above, revealed in the souls, that comes from the Infinite Light clothed in the mitzvos, as the word asher in the blessing over mitzvos suggests.¶3–4
- Gan Eden and the mitzvosThrough the mitzvos a person makes Gan Eden; if the pleasures of this world, which only fell from holiness, are so abundant, its delight is far greater. The mitzvos are lamps, and the joy in them should exceed all the World to Come.¶5–7
- Only the work of His handsBoth Gan Edens, with all their levels and pillars, receive only the radiance of “the work of His hands.” The mitzvos are the lamp itself, vessels of His essence, so the joy in them surpasses “an abundance of everything.”¶8–11
- Arranging and raising upAharon, one of the seven shepherds, draws the joy in two stages, a person’s own contemplation and the joy from above, prepared for by Pesukei deZimrah; the light comes “from evening until morning.”¶12–13
- Crushed olive oilThe bitter olive is the body and animal soul; crushing it, by making oneself like leftovers, yields the oil of Chochmah, the bittul in which the Infinite Light rests and endures.¶14–18
- Outside the curtainHavayah is the higher unity, and Elokim the shield that conceals it; Aharon’s joy is the soul’s running toward the higher unity from outside the curtain, in the lower unity.¶19–20
- Torah through MosheAharon’s power comes from the letters of the Torah, “from es the children of Israel.” Torah comes through Moshe and is “return to the One,” the bittul of the higher unity, reached by seeing creation renewed from nothing.¶21–23
- The answersTetzaveh is “joining”: Israel’s oil goes first to Moshe, and from him comes Aharon’s power. Aharon’s light is “from evening until morning,” Moshe’s is “continual,” above time.¶24–25
Key concepts
- Groomsman (shoshvin)שושבין
- Aharon’s role: escorting the souls, the “bride,” to union with their source, which they cannot reach on their own; it belongs to the “wedding day.”
- The joy of mitzvahשמחה של מצוה
- A joy caused by the Infinite Light clothed in the mitzvos, which should exceed all the delights of the World to Come.
- Radiance and the lampזיו ואור הנר
- The delights of Gan Eden are only the radiance (ziv) of G‑d’s handiwork; the mitzvos themselves are the lamp, the source of that radiance.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- The “oil” of Chochmah, produced by crushing the animal soul; the Infinite Light rests and endures only in one who is nullified.
- Running and returningרצוא ושוב
- Aharon’s joy is the soul’s running toward G‑d from outside the curtain; Moshe’s Torah is “return to the One,” the revelation of the higher unity below.
- The higher and the lower unityיחודא עילאה ויחודא תתאה
- The higher unity (Havayah): there is nothing besides G‑d. The lower unity (Elokim): the world seems to exist, yet it is full of His glory.
- The curtainפרוכת
- The Name Elokim, which conceals the Name Havayah as a shield covers the sun.
The questions ¶1–2
“And you shall command the children of Israel, that they take to you,” etc. “Outside the curtain that is over the Testimony, Aharon shall arrange it,” etc.
The maamar opens with the two verses on the oil for the Menorah: Moshe is to command Israel to bring pure olive oil “to you,” and Aharon is to arrange the lamp in the Mishkan, “outside the curtain that is over the Testimony,” the curtain in front of the Ark.
וצריך להבין מאחר שהמצוה היא באהרן שהוא יעריך את הנרות למה צוה5 ה׳ ויקחו אליך דמשמע שיביאו השמן אל משה.
We need to understand: since the commandment rests with Aharon, that he is the one to arrange the lamps, why did G‑d command “that they take to you,” which implies that they are to bring the oil to Moshe?
The question: arranging and lighting the lamps is Aharon’s task, so why must the oil be brought “to you,” to Moshe? The whole maamar builds toward the answer, that Aharon’s work draws its power from Moshe.
The maamar opens with its question: why is the oil for the lamps, which Aharon lights, brought to Moshe?
The Kehot note records that Or HaTorah, in quoting this maamar, cites the Gemara’s reading of “to you” as “to you, and not to Me: I do not need its light,” and asks how the oil can be “to you,” Moshe’s, when the lamps belong to Aharon.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואתה תצוה · נדפס גם בתו״א לעמבערג ח, ג. הנחת כ״ק אדה״א בסה״מ תקס״ז ע׳ סו. ביאור-הנחת כ״ק אדה״א נדפס לקמן קי, א. ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. ובהערות וציונים לפלח הרמון בראשית ק, א (ד״ה מאי חנוכה) מציין לכאן. המאמר עם הגהות וקיצורים באוה״ת תצוה ע׳ א׳תקמא. הערות ע׳ א׳תקסג. קיצור ע׳ א׳תקסט. ע׳ א׳תקעג. קיצור והגהות ע״ז בכרך ח ע׳ ג׳נו. הגהות ע׳ ג׳נט. ד״ה זה בס׳ מאמרי אדה״א שמות ח״ב ע׳ שטו מיוסד על מאמר זה.
- 2ואתה תצוה · Exodus 27:20
- 3ויקחו אליך · Menachot 86b:5–7
- 4מחוץ לפרכת אשר על העדת יערך אתו אהרן · Exodus 27:21
- 5למה צוה ה׳ ויקחו אליך · ראה תו״כ פ׳ אמור פי״ג ובהגהות מהרי״ד. באוה״ת ע׳ א׳תקמא הביא מגמרא ”פ״ט דמנחות דפ״ו ע״ב אליך ולא לי לא לאורה אני צריך, וקשה איך היא אליך, הרי זה שייך לאהרן ולא למשה”. וראה שם ע׳ א׳תקעה.
2וגם דבפסוק ראשון גבי ויקחו אליך1 אל משה כתיב להעלות נר תמיד2 ובפסוק שני גבי אהרן כתיב מערב עד בקר3 לבד.
Also, in the first verse, concerning “that they take to you,” to Moshe, it is written “to raise up a lamp continually,” while in the second verse, concerning Aharon, it is written only “from evening until morning.”
A second question: the first verse, which speaks of bringing the oil to Moshe, calls the lamp “continual” (tamid), while the second verse, which speaks of Aharon, says only “from evening until morning.” The answer comes at the end of the maamar (paragraph 25).
אך הענין הוא כי הנה אהרן שושבינא דמטרוניתא4 מטרוניתא הוא מקור נש״י כי כל ישראל כו׳.
But the explanation is this: Aharon is “the groomsman (shoshvina) of the Matrona [the Queen],” and the Matrona is the source of the souls of Israel, for all Israel, etc.
The answer begins with a Kabbalistic image: Aharon is “the groomsman (shoshvina) of the Matrona,” the Queen. The Matrona is the Shechinah, also called the Congregation of Israel, the source from which all the souls of Israel come.
ואהרן הוא השושבין5 להם כמו עד״מ חתן וכלה שצריכין שושבין לילך עמהם לפי שא״א להם לילך בעצמם מחמת הבושה וצריכין סעד לתמכם.
Aharon is the groomsman for them, just as, by way of analogy, a groom and bride need a groomsman to walk with them, since they cannot walk by themselves because of their bashfulness, and they need support to hold them up.
The image is taken from a wedding: a groom and bride, overcome with bashfulness, cannot walk to their union on their own, and groomsmen walk with them and support them.
כך להיות התכללות נש״י במקורם באוא״ס ב״ה אין להם כח מצד עצמם רק ע״י בחי׳ אהרן שהוא שושבינא דלהון.
So too, for the souls of Israel to be included in their source, in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, they have no power of their own, but only through the level of Aharon, who is their groomsman.
So too, the souls cannot by their own power rise to be included in their source, the Infinite Light. Aharon, as their groomsman, gives them the support to reach that union.
Aharon is the “groomsman” who escorts the souls of Israel to union with their source in the Infinite Light, a union they cannot reach on their own.
In the parallel at Torah Ohr 32b, Aharon the groomsman is one of the seven shepherds who channel G‑dliness into the Congregation of Israel, so that each soul is lit with a love that rises like a flame of itself; a person clothed in physical matters could not reach this alone, and the help comes as a love from above.
Marei mekomos
- 1
- 2להעלות נר תמיד · Exodus 27:20
- 3מערב עד בקר · Exodus 27:21
- 4אהרן שושבינא דמטרוניתא · נסמן לעיל לב, ב. ראה לקמן קי, א ובמ׳מ לשם. באוה״ת ע׳ א׳תקסג מבאר ענין שושבינא ומביא ראי׳ מהרשב״ם פ״ט דב״ב קמד, ב דמתרגמינן בשמואל-ב סי׳ טז רעה דוד שושבינא דדוד.
- 5ואהרן הוא השושבין · עי׳ באוה״ת פ׳ במדבר ע׳ ט.
The groomsman’s joy ¶3–4
Now, as with groomsmen, by way of analogy, this applies only at the time of the wedding, for from then on they no longer need groomsmen.
Groomsmen are needed only at the wedding itself; once the couple is married, no one needs to escort them.
כך הנה שושבינות של אהרן הוא בבחי׳ ביום חתונתו וביום שמחת לבו23 והוא שמחה של מעלה4 המתגלה בנש״י לשמח לבם בה׳ השוכן בתוך תורתם ועבודתם שצ״ל בשמחה כמ״ש תחת אשר לא עבדת5 בשמחה כו׳.
So too, Aharon’s being a groomsman is at the level of “on the day of his wedding and on the day of the gladness of his heart.” It is a joy from above that is revealed in the souls of Israel, to gladden their hearts in G‑d, who dwells within their Torah and their service, which must be with joy, as it is written, “Because you did not serve with joy,” etc.
Likewise, Aharon’s role belongs to the “wedding day,” the moment of union described in the verse “on the day of his wedding and on the day of the gladness of his heart.” It is a joy from above, revealed in the souls, that gladdens them in G‑d, who dwells in their Torah and their service, and that service must be joyful, as the Torah warns, “because you did not serve with joy.”
Aharon’s role as groomsman belongs to the “wedding day”: it is a joy from above, revealed in the souls of Israel, which makes their Torah and service joyful.
Kehot notes that in the glosses on this maamar in Or HaTorah the reading is “the joy of mitzvah” rather than “a joy from above.” The maamar itself later calls Aharon’s arranging of the lamps “the joy of mitzvah” (19.1).
Marei mekomos
- 1ענין השושבינים . . אלא בשעת החתונה · ראה לקו״ש חכ״ב ע׳ 62.
- 2ביום חתונתו וביום שמחת לבו · Song of Songs 3:11
- 3
- 4שמחה של מעלה · באוה״ת הגהות על מאמר זה הגי׳: של מצוה.
- 5תחת אשר לא עבדת · Deuteronomy 28:47
4ושמחה זו היא באה ע״י אהרן ובשמחה זו הוא שושבין. והענין כי הנה שמחה זו הוא מחמת אוא״ס ב״ה מקור החיים מקור התענוגי׳ המלובש במצות.
This joy comes through Aharon, and in this joy he is the groomsman. The explanation is that this joy is because of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, the source of life, the source of delights, that is clothed in the mitzvos.
The joy that Aharon brings is caused by the Infinite Light itself, the source of all life and all delight, which is clothed in the mitzvos.
וכמאמר אק״ב. אשר הוא לשון תענוג גדול מאד עד להלל וכמו באשרי כי אשרוני בנות1 שהוא לשון שמחה והילול על רוב טוב כו׳.
This is as in the words “Who (asher) has sanctified us with His commandments”: asher is an expression of exceedingly great delight, to the point of praise, as in “In my good fortune (be’oshri), for daughters will call me fortunate (ishruni),” which is an expression of joy and praise over abundant good, etc.
This is hinted in the blessing said over a mitzvah, “asher kideshanu” (“Who has sanctified us with His commandments”): the Alter Rebbe reads asher as related to osher, happiness, as in Leah’s words at the birth of Asher, “In my good fortune, for daughters will call me fortunate.” The word speaks of joy and praise over abundant good.
The joy comes from the Infinite Light clothed in the mitzvos, as the word asher in the blessing over a mitzvah suggests: a word of great delight and praise.
Marei mekomos
- 1באשרי כי אשרוני בנות · Genesis 30:13
Gan Eden and the mitzvos ¶5–7
5וכמ״ש ויניחהו בג״ע1 לעבדה ולשמרה. לעבדה במ״ע2 שע״י המצות הוא עושה הג״ע3 דהיינו שממשיך בו זיו השכינה ליהנות
As it is written, “And He placed him in Gan Eden to work it and to guard it”: “to work it” with the positive commandments, for through the mitzvos one makes Gan Eden, that is, one draws into it the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), to be enjoyed
Adam was placed in Gan Eden “to work it and to guard it,” and the Alter Rebbe reads “to work it” as the positive commandments. Through the mitzvos a person “makes” Gan Eden: he draws into it the radiance (ziv) of the Shechinah, which the souls there enjoy.
בו לצדיקים שמתענגים על ה׳ בג״ע שהוא תענוג נפלא עד אין קץ שלכן אמרו על אחר מוטב דלידייני׳4 כו׳.
in it by the tzaddikim, who delight in G‑d in Gan Eden, which is a wondrous delight without end. This is why they said of Acher, “Better that he be judged,” etc.
That radiance is the delight of the tzaddikim in Gan Eden, a delight without end. Its greatness is shown by what was said of Acher, the Sage who left the path of Torah: it is better that he be judged and then come to the World to Come.
שכל יסורי גיהנם כדאי לסבול בשביל קבלת תענוג עוה״ב וכמארז״ל על ר״ע כשרא׳ כרך גדול של עכו״ם שחק ואמר אם לעוברי רצונו כך לעושי רצונו5 עאכו״כ.7
For all the sufferings of Gehinnom are worth enduring for the sake of receiving the delight of the World to Come. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said of Rabbi Akiva: when he saw a great city of idolaters, he laughed and said, “If it is so for those who transgress His will, how much more so for those who do His will!”
The reasoning is that all the suffering of Gehinnom is worth bearing to receive the delight of the World to Come. Rabbi Akiva’s saying makes the same point: seeing a great city of idolaters at ease, he laughed, for if those who transgress G‑d’s will enjoy such good, how much more will those who do His will.
פי׳ אם יש הרבה תענוגים כ״כ בבחי׳ עוברי רצונו שהם תענוגי עוה״ז שירדו ונתגשמו בגשמיו׳ העוה״ז
That is: if there are so many delights at the level of “those who transgress His will,” namely the delights of this world, which came down and became physical in the physicality of this world
The Alter Rebbe explains the comparison: “those who transgress His will” stands for the pleasures of this world, delights that came down and became physical.
וחומריותו שלא כדרך השתלשלות וירידת המדרגות מאוא״ס ב״ה מדרגה אחר מדרגה כמו מדרגות דקדושה אלא שהם נפלו ממדרגות עליונות דקדושה דרך נפילה מאיגרא רמה6 כו׳.
and its materiality, not by way of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) and the descent of the levels from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, level after level, as with the levels of holiness, but rather they fell from lofty levels of holiness by way of a fall, “from a high roof,” etc.
They did not come down by the orderly chain of levels, step by step, as holiness does; they fell abruptly from high levels of holiness, “from a high roof [to a deep pit].” Even so they are abundant, which shows how much greater is the delight that comes down in holiness’s proper order.
Through the mitzvos a person makes Gan Eden, drawing in the radiance in which the tzaddikim delight; if the pleasures of this world, which only fell from holiness, are so abundant, that delight must be far greater.
Torah Ohr at 5d reads “to work it” as the 248 positive commandments, which draw the Infinite Light into Gan Eden; Likkutei Torah, Sh’lach adds that the radiance of the upper Gan Eden comes from Torah and that of the lower Gan Eden from the mitzvos, “to work it” being the positive commandments and “to guard it” the prohibitions.
Marei mekomos
- 1ויניחהו בג״ע · Genesis 2:15
- 2לעבדה במ״ע · נסמן לעיל ה, ד.
- 3שע״י המצות הוא עושה הג״ע · ראה גם לקו״ת פ׳ שלח לט, ג. נתבאר בארוכה באוה״ת פ׳ חוקת ע׳ א׳תרכב ואילך.
- 4מוטב דלידייני׳ · Chagigah 15b:3
- 5אם לעוברי רצונו כך לעושי רצונו · Makkot 24b:1–2
- 6דרך נפילה מאיגרא רמה · Chagigah 5b:16–17
- 7ר״ע כשראה כרך גדול · נסמן לעיל טו, ד.
6ולכן נק׳ עוברי רצונו שהעבירו את הדרך. ואם לעוברי רצונו כך יש תענוג הרבה שנפל בשבה״כ כ״ש לעושי רצונו
This is why they are called “those who transgress (ovrei) His will”: for they bypassed (he’eviru) the path. And if for those who transgress His will there is so much delight, which fell in the shattering of the vessels (sheviras hakeilim), all the more so for “those who do (osei) His will,”
The pleasures of this world are called ovrei retzono, “those who transgress (literally, pass over) His will,” because they “bypassed the path”: they did not come down through the orderly descent of levels but fell. Their delight fell in the shattering of the vessels (sheviras hakeilim), the Kabbalistic account of how sparks of holy light fell into the lower realms.
דהיינו מה שהוא עשוי ונתון מרצה״ע ב״ה כסדר ירידת המדרגות דקדושה בג״ע העליון והתחתון שהוא התענגות על הוי״ה שבודאי יש בו תענוג נפלא והרבה מיני תענוג אין קץ שהוא מקור החיים ומקור התענוגים:
that is, what is made (asui) and given from the Supernal Will, blessed be He, in the order of the descent of the levels of holiness, in the upper and the lower Gan Eden, which is the delight in G‑d, in whom there is certainly a wondrous delight and many kinds of delight without end, for He is the source of life and the source of delights.
“Those who do (osei) His will” is read as what is “made” (asui) and given by the Supernal Will in the orderly descent of holiness, into the upper and lower Gan Eden. That delight is in G‑d Himself, the source of life and of delights, and so it is wondrous and of endless kinds.
If the fallen delights of this world are so great, then the delight that comes down through holiness’s orderly descent into Gan Eden, the delight in G‑d Himself, is greater all the more.
7והנה תענוג זה נמשך מן המצות שלכן נמשלים המצות לנרות כמו שע״י שמדליקין את הנרות נתמלא הבית אור וזיו.
Now, this delight is drawn from the mitzvos. This is why the mitzvos are likened to lamps: just as, when the lamps are lit, the house is filled with light and radiance,
The delight of Gan Eden is drawn from the mitzvos, which is why they are compared to lamps: a lit lamp fills a whole house with light and radiance.
כך ע״י עשיית המצות נמשך זיו בג״ע כו׳. לכן כתיב תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה׳ אלקיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב מרב כל1.
so through doing the mitzvos radiance is drawn into Gan Eden, etc. Therefore it is written, “Because you did not serve Havayah your G‑d with joy and with gladness of heart, from an abundance of everything (merov kol).”
So too, doing a mitzvah fills Gan Eden with radiance. Therefore the Torah rebukes those who did not serve G‑d “with joy and with gladness of heart, merov kol,” which in its plain sense means “when you had an abundance of everything.”
יותר מרוב כל2 כי רוב כל הם תענוגי העוה״ב והמצות צריך להיות בשמחה יתירה מהם.
[That is,] more than “an abundance of everything”: for “an abundance of everything” is the delights of the World to Come, and the mitzvos must be with a joy greater than them.
The Alter Rebbe reads merov kol as “more than an abundance of everything”: “an abundance of everything” is all the delights of the World to Come, and the joy in the mitzvos themselves should exceed even them.
The mitzvos are lamps that fill Gan Eden with light, so the joy in doing them should be greater than all the delights of the World to Come.
Kehot notes that this reading of merov kol, “more than an abundance of everything,” follows the Arizal’s interpretation, which Tanya, chapter 26, mentions as well known in its discussion of serving G‑d with joy.
Marei mekomos
- 1
- 2יותר מרוב כל · וכפי׳ האריז״ל המובא בתניא פכ״ו.
Only the work of His hands ¶8–11
8והוא כאשר ישים אל לבו כי בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת על כל שבח מעשה ידיך כו׳.
And this [comes about] when one takes to heart that “in the heavens above and on the earth below, for all the praise of the work of Your hands,” etc.
A joy greater than all of Gan Eden comes when a person reflects on the words “in the heavens above and on the earth below, for all the praise of the work of Your hands.”
פי׳ בשמים ממעל זה געה״ע. ועל הארץ מתחת זה געה״ת אין השבח בהם אליך אלא שהם בחי׳ מעשה ידיך
The meaning is: “in the heavens above” — this is the upper Gan Eden; “and on the earth below” — this is the lower Gan Eden. The praise in them does not pertain to You; rather, they are the level of “the work of Your hands,”
“The heavens above” is the upper Gan Eden and “the earth below” the lower Gan Eden. Whatever is praised in them is not praise of G‑d Himself, only of “the work of His hands.”
כמו עד״מ שמשבחין את האדם במעשה ידיו איך שהוא כותב גדול או שמצייר ציור נאה שהשבח הזה אינו נוגע לחכמתו ולא למהותו ועצמותו.
just as, by way of analogy, a person is praised for the work of his hands, how he is a great scribe or paints a beautiful picture: this praise does not touch his wisdom, nor his being and essence.
An analogy: praising a person for fine handwriting or a beautiful painting says nothing about his wisdom or his inner being; it praises only what his hands have made.
כך כל השבח וההילול שנמשך בג״ע לנשמות להתענג על ה׳ בהשכלתם והשגתם אין השבח הזה
So too, all the praise and acclaim that is drawn into Gan Eden for the souls, to delight in G‑d through their understanding and comprehension — this praise is not [found]
Likewise, the delight and praise the souls have in Gan Eden, as they grasp G‑dliness with their understanding, is praise of this kind.
אלא בהמשכת מעשה ידיו של הקב״ה לבד שבזה יש להם השכלה והשגה והיינו זיו הנמשך מן המצות שנק׳ מעשה ידיו של הקב״ה
except in the drawing down of the work of the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He, alone, through which they have understanding and comprehension. And this is the radiance drawn from the mitzvos, which are called the work of the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He,
Only “the work of G‑d’s hands” is drawn down to the souls, which is why they can grasp it at all. This radiance comes from the mitzvos, which are themselves called “the work of the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He.”
כי באתעדל״ת בקיום המצות למטה אתעדל״ע הקב״ה מניח תפלין1 והקב״ה רופא חולים ומברך השנים ומכלכל חיים בחסד כו׳.
for through an arousal from below, in fulfilling the mitzvos below, [there is] an arousal from above: the Holy One, blessed be He, puts on tefillin, and the Holy One, blessed be He, heals the sick and blesses the years and sustains the living with kindness, etc.
The mitzvos are G‑d’s “handiwork” because when we do them below, an arousal from below, G‑d does the same above, an arousal from above. So the Sages say that G‑d Himself puts on tefillin, and the daily prayers speak of Him healing the sick, blessing the years and sustaining the living with kindness.
ומזה נמשך הזיו בג״ע להתענג על הוי״ה בהשכלתם והשגתם בהמשכה זו (וזהו ומעשה ידיו2 מגיד הרקיע3 כי הג״ע נק׳ מתיבתא דרקיע. ועמ״ש בפי׳ הללוהו ברקיע עוזו)45
From this the radiance is drawn into Gan Eden, to delight in G‑d through their understanding and comprehension of this drawing down. (And this is [the meaning of] “and the firmament declares the work of His hands,” for Gan Eden is called “the Academy of the Firmament.” And see what is written in the explanation of “Praise Him in the firmament of His strength.”)
From this divine “doing” the radiance of Gan Eden is drawn, and the souls delight in grasping it. The parenthesis connects this to the verse “the firmament declares the work of His hands”: Gan Eden is called “the Academy of the Firmament,” and what it reveals is only “the work of His hands.”
וכמה מיני מדרגות זו למעלה מזו בהשכלה זו בכמה מיני תענוגים עד אין קץ שיש כמה מיני ג״ע כו׳.
And there are many kinds of levels, one above the other, in this understanding, with many kinds of delights without end, for there are many kinds of Gan Eden, etc.
Within this grasp there are countless levels, each above the other, and so there are many kinds of Gan Eden, each with its own delight.
הגם שלא נזכר בספרים רק ג״ע תחתון ועליון הרי אמרו רז״ל ת״ח אין להם מנוחה6 שנאמר ילכו מחיל אל חיל7 כו׳.
Although the books mention only the lower and the upper Gan Eden, our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Torah scholars have no rest, as it is said, ‘They go from strength to strength,’” etc.
The Alter Rebbe answers an objection: the books speak of only two, a lower and an upper Gan Eden. Yet the Sages said that Torah scholars have no rest, even in the World to Come, for they “go from strength to strength,” rising level after level.
Everything in both Gan Edens is only “the work of G‑d’s hands,” the radiance drawn from the mitzvos, and not His essence; within it there are endless levels of ascent.
Kehot notes that in Or HaTorah (p. 1543) the parenthesis on “the firmament declares” is marked as a gloss, and suggests that its cross-reference to “Praise Him in the firmament of His strength” is to the discourse with that opening in the Siddur (69d).
Marei mekomos
- 1הקב״ה מניח תפלין · Berakhot 6a:17–18
- 2בהשכלתם — (וזהו ומעשה ידיו · באוה״ת ע׳ א׳תקמג מציין קודם זה הג״ה.
- 3ומעשה ידיו מגיד הרקיע · Psalms 19:2
- 4ועמ״ש בפי׳ הללוהו ברקיע עזו · אולי הכוונה לד״ה זה בסידור סט, ד.
- 5הללוהו ברקיע עוזו · Psalms 150:1
- 6ת״ח אין להם מנוחה · Berakhot 64a:12–13
- 7ילכו מחיל אל חיל · Psalms 84:8
9וע״ז נאמר כי כל בשמים ובארץ12 ותרגומו דאחיד בשמיא ובארע׳. והוא ענין שנזכר בספרים3 שיש עמוד בג״ע45 שבו עולין מג״ע עליון לתחתון שהעמוד הוא המחבר ג״ע עליון עם תחתון.
Of this it is said, “For all (kol) that is in the heavens and on the earth,” and its Targum [renders it], “which holds onto heaven and earth.” This is the matter mentioned in the books, that there is a pillar in Gan Eden by which they ascend from the upper Gan Eden to the lower; for the pillar is what joins the upper Gan Eden with the lower.
The verse “For all (kol) that is in the heavens and on the earth” is rendered by its Targum, the Aramaic translation, as “which holds onto heaven and earth”: kol is what binds the two together. This, the Alter Rebbe says, is the pillar described in the books, which stands in Gan Eden and joins the upper Gan Eden to the lower. The printed text says one ascends by it “from the upper Gan Eden to the lower,” but the Zohar, and Torah Ohr itself at 100b, describe souls rising by this pillar from the lower Gan Eden to the upper.
וכמה בחי׳ עמודים לכמה בחי׳ צדיקים יש לכל א׳ כפי מדרגתו וכמה בחי׳ עליות בעילוי אחר עילוי כענין נו״ן אלף יובלות שהכל בחי׳ עליות6 כו׳.
And there are many levels of pillars for many levels of tzaddikim, for each one according to his rank, and many levels of ascents, elevation after elevation, as with the fifty thousand jubilees, all of which are levels of ascent, etc.
There are many such pillars, one for each level of tzaddikim according to his rank, and many ascents one beyond the other, like the “fifty thousand jubilees,” an expression for an immense series of ascents.
The kol that “holds onto heaven and earth” is the pillar joining the upper and lower Gan Eden, and there are many such pillars and endless ascents, each tzaddik according to his rank.
Torah Ohr at 7c explains this pillar between the lower and upper Gan Eden as self-nullification (bittul): to rise to a higher grasp, a soul must first set aside its sense of self and the grasp it had before, and only then can it ascend. Torah Ohr at 100b, on Megillas Esther, returns to this pillar, by which souls rise from the lower Gan Eden to the upper, and recalls this maamar: the pillar is also called kol, the kol of merov kol.
Marei mekomos
- 1כי כל בשמים ובארץ · דברי הימים-א כט, יא.
- 2כי כל בשמים ובארץ · I Chronicles 29:11
- 3ענין שנזכר בספרים · לקמן ק, ב מציין לזח״ב ריא, א. ולפ׳ ויחי ריט, א. וראה בהמצויין לעיל ז, ג. ולקמן ק, ב.
- 4עמוד בג״ע · Zohar, Vayakhel 24:316–325
- 5עמוד בג״ע · Zohar, Vayechi 21:171–23:182
- 6נו״ן אלף יובלות שהכל בחי׳ עליות · ראה לקו״ת קרח ע׳ נב, ג.
10וכל זה הוא בבחי׳ הזיו שנמשך ממעשה ידיו בלבד. אבל בא״ס ב״ה ממש בעצמותו ומהותו ית׳ לית מחשב׳ תפיסא1 המלאכים אומרים קדוש ומובדל כו׳.
All this is at the level of the radiance drawn from the work of His hands alone. But in the Infinite One (Ein Sof) Himself, blessed be He, in His essence and being, may He be blessed, “no thought can grasp [Him]”; the angels say [He is] holy and set apart, etc.
All the delights of both Gan Edens are only the radiance that comes from “the work of His hands.” G‑d’s own essence is beyond all grasp: “no thought can grasp Him” at all, and the angels call Him “holy,” set apart from them.
ומחמת זה האופנים ברעש גדול כו׳. שאומרים איה מקום כבודו. אך המצות עצמן הן בחי׳ אור הנר שמזה נמשך הזיו.
Because of this, “the Ofanim, with a great noise,” etc., for they say, “Where is the place of His glory?” But the mitzvos themselves are the level of the light of the lamp, from which the radiance is drawn.
That is why the Ofanim, a class of angels, rise “with a great noise,” asking “Where is the place of His glory?”: they cannot grasp Him. The mitzvos themselves, however, are “the light of the lamp,” of which the radiance of Gan Eden is only the glow.
Gan Eden receives only the radiance of G‑d’s handiwork, and His essence is beyond even the angels; but the mitzvos themselves are the lamp, the source of that radiance.
The contrast between the radiance (ziv) and the light of the lamp (or haner) grounds the conclusion of the next paragraph: the joy in doing the mitzvos should exceed all the delights of Gan Eden, because the mitzvos hold the light itself, of which Gan Eden has only the glow.
Marei mekomos
- 1לית מחשב׳ תפיסא · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:10–12
11והם מקור הזיו שהם נק׳ אברים דמלכא בחי׳ אברין וכלים לאוא״ס ב״ה ממש. ולכן בכל המצות כתיב לפני ה׳ לפני ה׳ ממש
They are the source of the radiance, for they are called “the limbs of the King,” the level of limbs and vessels for the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) itself, blessed be He. This is why with all the mitzvos it is written “before G‑d” — truly before G‑d,
The mitzvos are the source of the radiance because they are called “the limbs of the King”: limbs and vessels through which the Infinite Light itself acts. That is why every mitzvah is described as done “before G‑d,” truly in His presence.
וכמ״ש אשר אנכי מצוך1 היום. שבבחי׳ היום לעשותם אנכי ממש הוא עצמותו ומהותו ממש מצוך כו׳.
and as it is written, “which I (Anochi) command you today”: for at the level of “today, to do them,” Anochi (“I”) itself, which is His very essence and being, “commands you,” etc.
The verse “which I (Anochi) command you today” is read literally: in the realm of “today, to do them,” the time of action, it is Anochi, “I,” G‑d’s very essence, who commands. The Commander Himself is present in each mitzvah.
ואי לזאת תהיה השמחה בקיום המצות גדולה לאלקים הוא אוא״ס ב״ה ממש המלובש בהן ביתר שאת מרב כל. היינו בחי׳ כל דאחיד בשמיא ובארע׳ וכמרז״ל יפה שעה23 א׳ וכו׳:
Accordingly, the joy in fulfilling the mitzvos shall be great to Elokim, which is the Infinite Light itself, blessed be He, that is clothed in them, with an exaltation greater than “an abundance of everything,” that is, the level of kol (“all”) “which holds onto heaven and earth.” And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Better is one hour,” and so on.
Therefore the joy in the mitzvos should be “great to Elokim,” to the Infinite Light that is clothed and hidden in them, a joy far greater than “an abundance of everything,” the kol that holds heaven and earth, both Gan Edens. So the Sages said, “Better is one hour [of repentance and good deeds in this world than all the life of the World to Come].”
Because the mitzvos are the vessels of G‑d’s very essence, the joy in them should exceed all the delights of both Gan Edens, as one hour of good deeds in this world is better than all the World to Come.
This draws together earlier threads: merov kol (7.3) is now read as “more than kol,” the level that holds heaven and earth (9.1), the pillar uniting both Gan Edens. The joy of the mitzvah surpasses even that, because it reaches the essence of which both Gan Edens receive only the radiance.
Marei mekomos
- 1אשר אנכי מצוך · Deuteronomy 6:6
- 2יפה שעה א׳ · אבות פ״ד מי״ז.
- 3יפה שעה א׳ · Pirkei Avot 4:17
Arranging and raising up ¶12–13
12והנה להיות גילוי שמחה זו מאור א״ס ב״ה בנפש האדם הוא ע״י אהרן שהוא המדליק את הנרות להיות בחי׳ אורה ושמחה. כי אהרן הוא משבעה רועים המפרנסים וממשיכים לכללות נשמות ישראל מלמעלה מאוא״ס ב״ה.
Now, the revelation of this joy from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in a person’s soul comes through Aharon, who is the one who kindles the lamps, so that there be the level of light and joy. For Aharon is one of the seven shepherds who sustain and draw down to the souls of Israel as a whole, from above, from the Infinite Light, blessed be He.
This joy is revealed in the soul through Aharon, who kindles the lamps, so that there be “light and joy.” Aharon is one of the “seven shepherds,” in Kabbalistic tradition Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and David, who sustain the souls of Israel as a whole and draw G‑dliness down to them from the Infinite Light.
The joy of the mitzvos is revealed in a person’s soul through Aharon, one of the seven shepherds who channel G‑dliness to all the souls of Israel.
13ואהרן הוא הרועה ומפרנס וממשיך לכללות נש״י בחי׳ אורה ושמחה הנ״ל ובהמשכה זו יש ב׳ בחי׳ יערוך את הנרות ובהעלות אהרן את הנרות1 יערוך להיות
Aharon is the shepherd who sustains and draws down to the souls of Israel as a whole the level of light and joy mentioned above. In this drawing down there are two levels: “he shall arrange the lamps” and “when Aharon raises up the lamps.” “He shall arrange”: that [it] be
Aharon, as shepherd, draws this light and joy to all the souls, and the drawing has two stages, matching two phrases: “he shall arrange the lamps” and “when Aharon raises up the lamps.” The first, “arranging,” is explained now.
ערוכה ושמורה בלב ונפש האדם בזכרו על ה׳ אלהיו בעמקו׳ הדע׳ מעומק׳ דלבא ביגיעת הנפש בהתבוננות בגדולת ה׳ כאשר תוכל נפשו שאת ובהעלות הוא היא
arranged and kept in a person’s heart and soul, when he remembers Havayah his G‑d with depth of Daas (knowledge), from the depth of the heart, with toil of the soul, in contemplating the greatness of G‑d, as much as his soul is able to bear. And “when [Aharon] raises up” is
“Arranging” means establishing the love within a person’s heart and soul by his own effort: contemplating G‑d’s greatness deeply, with toil, as far as his soul can bear. The second stage, “raising up,” is then introduced.
המשכות השמחה הבאה מלמעלה להעלות את הנפש ולקשרה באלקים חיים הוא חיי החיים ב״ה מקור החיים ומקור התענוגים שלמעלה מעלה מהשתלשלות למעלה מכדי שתוכל נפשו שאת
the drawings down of the joy that comes from above, to raise up the soul and bind it to the living G‑d, who is the Life of life, blessed be He, the source of life and the source of delights, who is far, far above the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), beyond what his soul is able to bear.
“Raising up” is the joy that comes from above, lifting the soul and binding it to the living G‑d, the source of all life and delight, who is far above the chain of descending worlds. It takes the soul beyond what it could reach by its own capacity.
והיא אהבת בכל מאדך2 המתגלה בק״ש ולקיום הק״ש בכל מאדך תקנו פסוקי דזמרה לפניה להיות רוממות אל בגרונם3 וחרב פיפיות בידם
This is the love of “with all your might” that is revealed in the Shema. And to fulfill the Shema “with all your might,” they instituted Pesukei deZimrah before it, so that there be “the exaltations of G‑d in their throat and a two-edged sword in their hand,”
This higher love is “with all your might” (bechol me’odecha), a love without limit, revealed in the Shema. To reach it, the Sages instituted Pesukei deZimrah, the verses of praise said before the Shema, so that “the exaltations of G‑d [are] in their throat and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
for the time of prayer is a time of battle: to make a preparation in a person’s soul first, to strengthen the power of his soul over what hinders and obstructs it, from within and from without.
Prayer is a battle, so Pesukei deZimrah prepare the soul in advance, strengthening it against all the inner and outer obstacles that hold it back.
And this is “from evening until morning,” for “first darkness and then light”: light and joy in G‑d shine in his soul little by little, out of the darkness, etc.
This is why Aharon’s lamp burns “from evening until morning”: as the Sages say, “first darkness and then light.” Light and joy in G‑d dawn in the soul gradually, out of the darkness.
Aharon draws joy into the soul in two stages: “arranging,” the love a person builds through his own contemplation, and “raising up,” the joy from above that lifts the soul beyond its own measure; and the light comes gradually, out of darkness.
For “the time of prayer is a time of battle,” Kehot points to the Zohar (3:243a), which speaks of the battle of prayer. The order of prayer is the order of Aharon’s lamp, “from evening until morning”: first the struggle with what hinders the soul, and only then the light.
Marei mekomos
- 1ובהעלות אהרן את הנרות · Exodus 30:8
- 2אהבת בכל מאדך · Deuteronomy 6:5
- 3רוממות אל בגרונם · Psalms 149:6
- 4שעת צלתא שעת קרבא · Zohar III, 243a
- 5שעת צלותא שעת קרבא · Zohar, Pinchas 85:572–87:582
- 6מערב ועד בקר · Exodus 27:21
- 7ברישא חשוכא והדר נהורא · Shabbat 77b:8
Crushed olive oil ¶14–18
14אך הדלקת אהרן את הנרות הוא בשמן זית כתית1 דוקא וכדאיתא במשנה כותש ונותן לתוך הסל2 כו׳. הראשון למנורה והשאר למנחות.
But Aharon’s kindling of the lamps is specifically with crushed olive oil, as the Mishnah states: “He crushes [the olives] and puts [them] into the basket,” etc.; “the first is for the Menorah and the rest is for the meal-offerings.”
Aharon lights the lamps specifically with “crushed olive oil.” The Mishnah describes how the finest oil was made: the olives were crushed and placed in a basket, and this first oil was for the Menorah, the rest for the meal-offerings.
והענין הוא כי ענין הזית הוא שיש בו מרירות. וכמו שאמרה היונה יהיו מזונתי מרורים כזית3 כו׳.
The explanation is that the nature of the olive is that it has bitterness, as the dove said, “Let my food be bitter as an olive,” etc.
The olive is bitter. As the Sages relate, the dove that brought Noach an olive leaf said, “Let my food be bitter as an olive [but given by Your hand].” The maamar now explains what this bitterness and its crushing mean in the soul.
The lamps are lit with oil that comes from crushing the bitter olive, and the maamar goes on to explain what that crushing means in a person’s service.
Marei mekomos
- 1בשמן זית כתית · Exodus 27:20
- 2כותש ונותן לתוך הסל · Menachot 86a:8–11
- 3יהיו מזונותי מרורים כזית · Eruvin 18b:15
They also said in the Gemara that the olive makes one forget seventy years of his learning, etc., for it is of the level of the world of forgetting, which is of the world of the kelipos (husks).
The Gemara also says that olives make a person forget seventy years of learning. Forgetting belongs to the “world of forgetting,” the realm of the kelipos, the husks that conceal G‑dliness.
והיינו ענין הגוף ונה״ב שמנוגה ומשכא דחויא וכותשים אותו עד שמוציאים ממנו שמן היינו בחי׳ חכמה.
This is the body and the animal soul, which are from Nogah and “the serpent’s skin”; and one crushes it until oil is extracted from it, which is the level of Chochmah (wisdom).
The “olive” in a person is his body and animal soul, which come from Nogah, the kelipah that mixes good and evil, and from “the serpent’s skin.” Crushing it, subduing it, extracts its “oil,” which is Chochmah.
The bitter olive that causes forgetting is the body and animal soul; crushed, it yields oil, which is Chochmah.
Marei mekomos
- 1שהזית משכח תלמודו של ע׳ שנה · Horayot 12b
- 2שהזית משכח תלמודו של ע׳ שנה · Horayot 13b:3–4
As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Just as the olive makes one forget seventy years of his learning, so olive oil restores seventy years of his learning,” etc.,
The Sages taught that just as the olive causes forgetting, olive oil restores seventy years of learning: the same fruit that causes forgetting, once crushed, yields the oil that restores memory.
כי חכמה הוא מוח הזכרון2 כמ״ש בפ׳ קדש שרומזת בחכמה ולזכרון בין עיניך3 כו׳ וענין כתישה זו היינו להיות בבחי׳ אתכפייא סט״א
for Chochmah (wisdom) is the faculty of memory, as it is written in the section of Kadesh, which alludes to Chochmah, “and for a remembrance between your eyes,” etc. And this crushing means being at the level of the subjugation (iskafya) of the sitra achra (the other side)
Oil restores memory because Chochmah is the faculty of memory, as hinted in the tefillin passage Kadesh, which alludes to Chochmah and speaks of “a remembrance between your eyes.” The “crushing” that yields this oil is iskafya, the subjugation of the sitra achra.
ע״י לשארית נחלתו שמשים עצמו כשיריים4 שבחי׳ זו היא המכנעת כל הרצונות שבזלעו״ז שלא יהיה לו חפץ ורצון אחר לעצמו להנות ולהתענג בתענוגי בני אדם בעוה״ז ולא יבקש וירדוף אחריהם כלל
through “the remnant (she’eris) of His inheritance”: one who makes himself like leftovers (shirayim). This level is what subdues all the desires of the opposing side, so that he has no other wish or desire for himself, to enjoy and take delight in the delights of people in this world, and he will not seek or pursue them at all.
This subjugation comes through the quality of “the remnant (she’eris) of His inheritance,” which the Sages read as one who makes himself like shirayim, leftovers. Such a person has no desire of his own for worldly pleasures and does not pursue them.
כי מאחר שמשים עצמו כשיריים ומותרות בעולם וכאלו אין בו צורך בעולם כלל. מה לו ולעולם כו׳.
For since he makes himself like leftovers and superfluities in the world, as if there were no need for him in the world at all, what has he to do with the world? etc.
Since he regards himself as superfluous, as if the world had no need of him, he feels he has nothing to do with the world and its pleasures.
Chochmah, the “oil,” comes from crushing the animal soul through iskafya, and this comes from regarding oneself as “leftovers,” with no desire for the pleasures of this world.
Likkutei Torah, Eikev describes making oneself like leftovers as the “sunken seal” offered from below, the level of bittul and awe, as against the “raised seal” of fiery love.
Marei mekomos
- 1כשם שהזית משכח תלמודו של ע׳ שנים. כך שמן זית מחזיר תלמודו של ע׳ שנה · Horayot 13b:3–4
- 2כי חכמה הוא מוח הזכרון · ראה לקמן קי, סע״ד. לקו״ת ס״פ קדושים. שה״ש לג, א. ובכ״מ.
- 3ולזכרון בין עיניך · Exodus 13:9
- 4לשארית נחלתו שמשים עצמו כשיריים · Micah 7:18
Therefore he will desire neither this world nor the World to Come, as it is written, “Whom do I have in heaven,” etc.; and as it is written, “And the remnant of Yaakov shall be among the nations,” etc.;
Such a person wants neither this world nor the World to Come, as the Psalmist says, “Whom do I have in heaven [but You]?” The prophet too speaks of “the remnant of Yaakov… among the nations.”
וכתיב בתריה תרום ידך על צריך וכל אויביך יכרתו3 שבבחי׳ שארית יעקב שמשים עצמו כשיריים הוא מכרית וירים
and it is written after it, “Your hand shall be raised over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.” For at the level of “the remnant of Yaakov,” one who makes himself like leftovers, he cuts [them] off and will raise
The next verse promises, “Your hand shall be raised over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.” The Alter Rebbe applies it to the soul: one at the level of “the remnant,” who makes himself like leftovers, overcomes and cuts off whatever opposes his service.
ידו על צריו בבחי׳ רוממות אל בגרונם4 להיות חרב פיפיות בידם בהתגלות רוממות אוא״ס על נפשו משא״כ בבחי׳ יש אין אני והוא יכולין לדור5 כו׳.
his hand over his adversaries, at the level of “the exaltations of G‑d in their throat,” so that there be “a two-edged sword in their hand,” through the revelation of the exaltedness of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) upon his soul. Whereas at the level of yesh [a sense of self], “I and he cannot dwell [together],” etc.
He prevails through “the exaltations of G‑d in their throat,” the revelation of the Infinite Light’s exaltedness upon his soul. But one who feels himself a separate “something” (yesh) cannot receive it; of such a person G‑d says, “I and he cannot dwell [together].”
Self-effacement, being “the remnant” and “leftovers,” is what overcomes every inner adversary, because G‑d’s exaltedness is revealed only to one who does not feel himself a separate “something.”
Marei mekomos
- 1מי לי בשמים · Psalms 73:25
- 2והי׳ שארית יעקב · Micah 5:7
- 3תרום ידך על צריך וכל אויביך יכרתו · Micah 5:8
- 4רוממות אל בגרונם · Psalms 149:6
- 5אין אני והוא יכולין לדור · Sotah 5a:14
18ואין אוא״ס ב״ה שורה ומתגלה אלא במי שבטל כו׳. והיינו בחי׳ חכמה הוא בחי׳ שמן הנעשה
And the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, rests and is revealed only in one who is nullified, etc. And this is the level of Chochmah (wisdom), which is the level of oil, produced
The Infinite Light rests only on one who is nullified (batel). This bittul is Chochmah, the “oil” that comes from crushing the olive.
ע״י כתישת הזית שהשמן הוא שנמשך אחר הפתילה ונכלה ונשרף הכל באור הנאחז בפתילה שלא נשאר ממנו כלום
by crushing the olive: for the oil is what is drawn after the wick and is entirely consumed and burned in the light that holds onto the wick, so that nothing of it remains
Oil, unlike the wick, is drawn up after the flame and consumed entirely in the light that holds onto the wick, leaving nothing behind.
(משא״כ מן הפתילה נשאר קצת אפר)1 וכך בחי׳ החכמה הוא בחי׳ הבטול שבטל ונכלל ממש באור הנר של מצוה זו להיות גילוי אוא״ס ב״ה ממש על נפשו.
(whereas of the wick some ash remains). So too, the level of Chochmah is the level of self-nullification (bittul): one is nullified and truly included in the light of the lamp of this mitzvah, so that the Infinite Light itself, blessed be He, is revealed upon his soul.
The wick, by contrast, leaves some ash. So too, Chochmah is complete self-nullification: one is absorbed wholly into the light of the mitzvah, so that the Infinite Light itself is revealed upon his soul.
ועי״ז מתקיים בנפשו אוא״ס ב״ה הנמשך מן המצוה. משא״כ בלא בחי׳ שמן הרי אין אור הנר מתקיים על הפתילה לבדה אלא דולקת מהר וכלה כרגע כו׳.
Through this the Infinite Light, blessed be He, that is drawn from the mitzvah endures in his soul. Whereas without the level of oil, the light of the lamp does not endure on the wick alone; rather, it burns quickly and is gone in a moment, etc.
Through this bittul the Infinite Light drawn from the mitzvah endures in the soul. A wick without oil flares up and is gone in a moment; so too, without bittul the light of the mitzvah does not last.
Chochmah, the “oil,” is complete self-nullification, and only through it does the Infinite Light of the mitzvah rest and remain in the soul, as a flame stays on a wick only while it has oil.
Marei mekomos
- 1(משא״כ . . אפר) · מוסגר זה נמצא גם בכת״י מאמרי אדה״ז.
Outside the curtain ¶19–20
19והנה עבודת אהרן בעריכת הנרות והעלאתם היינו בחינת השמחה של מצוה היא מחוץ לפרכת העדות. וענין הפרכת1 הוא כי הנה כתיב כי שמש ומגן2 הוי״ה אלקים.
Now, Aharon’s service in arranging the lamps and raising them up, which is the level of the joy of mitzvah, is “outside the curtain of the Testimony.” The matter of the curtain is this: it is written, “For a sun and a shield is Havayah Elokim.”
Aharon’s service, arranging and raising up the lamps, is the joy of the mitzvah, and it takes place “outside the curtain of the Testimony.” To explain the curtain, the Alter Rebbe cites “For a sun and a shield is Havayah Elokim.”
פי׳ כי שם הוי״ה הוא ענין יחודא עלאה איך שאין עוד מלבדו3 וכלא קמיה כלא חשיב כו׳
The meaning is: the Name Havayah is the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah), how “there is nothing else besides Him” and “all before Him is considered as nothing,” etc.;
The Name Havayah stands for the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah): from G‑d’s perspective there is nothing besides Him, and all before Him is as nothing.
ושם אלקים הוא המסתיר ומעלים להיות נראה העולם בבחי׳ יש ודבר כו׳ רק אעפ״כ מלא כל הארץ כבודו4 בבחי׳ יחודא תתאה.
and the Name Elokim is what hides and conceals, so that the world appears to be something existent, a thing [in itself], etc.; yet even so, “the whole earth is full of His glory,” at the level of the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah).
The Name Elokim conceals, so that the world appears to exist as a thing in itself; yet “the whole earth is full of His glory.” Recognizing G‑d within a world that seems to exist is the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah).
והנה שם אלקים הוא מגן לשם הוי״ה כמו מגן שעושין לשמש5 שמחמת שא״א להסתכל בשמש מרוב בהירותו כו׳:
Now, the Name Elokim is a shield for the Name Havayah, like a shield that is made for the sun, since it is impossible to look at the sun because of its great brightness, etc.
Elokim is a shield for Havayah, like a cover for the sun: the sun is too bright to look at, and the shield makes its light bearable.
The “curtain” is the Name Elokim, which conceals the Name Havayah as a shield covers the sun; Aharon’s joy belongs outside it, in the lower unity, where the world still seems to exist.
Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha explains the same verse: were the sun not in its sheath, its great light could not be borne, and the sheath is the “shield” that lets us bear it; in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will take the sun out of its sheath.
Marei mekomos
- 1וענין הפרכת . . הפרכת לכם · מובא ביהל אור לסי׳ פד ע׳ שא. ובסה״מ תרל״ט ע׳ ג. ראה במאמרי אדה״א כאן ע׳ שכד בענין הפרכת והפרסא.
- 2כי שמש ומגן ה׳ אלקים · Psalms 84:12
- 3שאין עוד מלבדו · Deuteronomy 4:35
- 4מלא כל הארץ כבודו · Isaiah 6:3
- 5כמו מגן שעושין לשמש · ראה לעיל יב, א. ובהמשך תרס״ו ע׳ רכה.
20וזהו ענין והבדילה הפרכת לכם1 בין הקדש כו׳ ושם הוא ענין עריכת הנרות ושמחה ש״מ מחוץ לפרכת בבחי׳ יחודא תתאה להיות רץ לבך2 ליחודא עלאה
And this is the meaning of “The curtain shall separate for you between the holy,” etc. And there is the arranging of the lamps and the joy of mitzvah, outside the curtain, at the level of the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah), so that “your heart runs” to the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah),
So the verse says, “The curtain shall separate for you between the Holy [and the Holy of Holies].” Outside the curtain, in the realm of the lower unity, are the arranging of the lamps and the joy of the mitzvah, which make “your heart run” toward the higher unity.
כי שמחה זו היא בחי׳ רצוא בנפש מחמת גילוי אור א״ס ב״ה ממש שבמצותיו שעי״ז אליו לבדו ית׳ תכסוף ותכלה הנפש בבחי׳ ובכל מאדך3 בשמחה שהיא בחי׳ ובהעלות אהרן כו׳:
for this joy is the level of ratzo (running) in the soul, because of the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) itself, blessed be He, that is in His mitzvos, through which the soul yearns and pines for Him alone, may He be blessed, at the level of “and with all your might,” with joy, which is the level of “and when Aharon raises up,” etc.
This joy is the soul’s ratzo, its running forth toward G‑d, aroused by the revelation of the Infinite Light that is in His mitzvos. The soul yearns and pines for Him alone, “with all your might,” in joy, and this is “when Aharon raises up” the lamps.
Aharon’s joy is outside the curtain: it is the soul’s running toward the higher unity from within the lower unity, a yearning for G‑d alone aroused by the light in the mitzvos.
Marei mekomos
- 1והבדילה הפרוכת לכם · Exodus 26:33
- 2רץ לבך · Sefer Yetzirah 1:8
- 3ובכל מאדך · Deuteronomy 6:5
Torah through Moshe ¶21–23
21אך הכח הזה שיש לאהרן להעלות את הנפש מחוץ לפרכת להיות בה גילוי אהבה זו שהיא בבחי׳ א״ס הנה ע״ז נאמר חוקת עולם לדורותם1 מאת בני ישראל.
But this power that Aharon has, to raise up the soul outside the curtain so that this love, which is at the level of the Infinite (Ein Sof), be revealed in it: of this it is said, “an eternal statute for their generations, from (me’es) the children of Israel.”
Where does Aharon get the power to raise the soul, from outside the curtain, to this infinite love? From what the verse goes on to say: “an eternal statute for their generations, from (me’es) the children of Israel.”
פי׳ מאת היינו מבחי׳ אותיות התורה2 שמאל״ף ועד תי״ו דהיינו ע״י עסק התורה של בני ישראל שהאדם לומד ומשים לבו ונפשו באותיות שמדבר בהם בדו״ר שאותיות אלו יסודתן בהררי קדש3 חכמה עלאה
The meaning is: me’es means from the level of the letters of the Torah, which run from alef to tav (es), that is, through the Torah study of the children of Israel, when a person studies and sets his heart and soul on the letters he speaks, with awe and love, for these letters have “their foundation in the holy mountains,” supernal Chochmah (wisdom).
Me’es is read as “from es”: alef and tav, the first and last letters, that is, the letters of the Torah. When a Jew studies and puts his heart and soul into the words he speaks with awe and love, he draws on these letters, whose root is in supernal Chochmah, “the holy mountains.”
לכן התורה היא אור שהיא מאירה את הנר שנר מצוה היא כלי לאור התורה והתורה היא אור וחיות המצות והן הגורמות להיות כח
Therefore the Torah is light, for it lights the lamp: the lamp of a mitzvah is a vessel for the light of the Torah, and the Torah is the light and life-force of the mitzvos. And they [the letters] are what bring about the power
So the Torah is the light that lights the lamp: the lamp of the mitzvah is a vessel for the Torah’s light, and the Torah is the light and life-force of the mitzvos. The letters of the Torah are what give Aharon his power.
לאהרן להיות שושבין להמשיך אור וגילוי האהבה בנפש האדם ולהיות בה אורה ושמחה ש״מ. משא״כ ע״ה שאין בו בחינת חכמה ארז״ל ולא ע״ה חסיד45 כו׳.
for Aharon to be the groomsman, to draw light and the revelation of love into a person’s soul, so that there be in it light and the joy of mitzvah. Whereas of an unlearned person (am ha’aretz), in whom there is no level of Chochmah, our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “nor can an unlearned person be pious,” etc.
With this power Aharon serves as groomsman, drawing light and love into the soul and bringing it the light and joy of the mitzvah. Without the Chochmah of Torah this cannot happen, as the Sages said, “an unlearned person cannot be pious (a chassid).”
אך להיות המשכת התורה למטה בישראל הוא ע״י בחי׳ משה וכמ״ש בזהר6 ע״פ מה יתרון לאדם בכל עמלו שיעמל תחת השמש.7
But the drawing down of the Torah below, into Israel, is through the level of Moshe, as is written in the Zohar on the verse, “What profit has a man in all his toil that he toils under the sun?”:
The Torah itself reaches Israel through the level of Moshe, as the Zohar explains on the verse “What profit has a man in all his toil that he toils under the sun?”
“The toil of Torah is different, for it is above the sun.” And there is the rank of Moshe, “heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue,” etc.
The Zohar answers that the toil of Torah is different, for it is “above the sun,” above the level of “a sun and a shield.” That is where Moshe stands, he who was “heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue.”
כי בחי׳ עסק התורה הנה אינו בדרך שמחה ש״מ שהוא בבחי׳ רץ לבך מחוץ לפרכת
For the level of Torah study is not by way of the joy of mitzvah, which is at the level of “your heart runs,” outside the curtain;
Torah study is not of the same mode as the joy of the mitzvah, which is the heart’s “running,” outside the curtain.
אלא היא בבחי׳ שוב לאחד שע״י התורה הוא גילוי יחודו ית׳ למטה כמו למעלה ע״י התורה שהיא דבר ה׳ ממש.
rather, it is at the level of “return to the One,” for through the Torah His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed below as it is above, through the Torah, which is the very word of G‑d.
Torah study is “return to the One”: through it G‑d’s unity is revealed below as it is above, for the Torah is G‑d’s very word. Where “running” is the soul’s yearning upward, “return” is the revelation of the higher unity here below.
Aharon’s power comes from Torah study, from the letters “from alef to tav” rooted in Chochmah; the Torah itself comes through Moshe and is not “running” but “return,” the revelation of G‑d’s unity below.
Likkutei Torah, Pinchas cites this maamar on “from (me’es) the children of Israel” and explains that by speaking words of Torah a person comes to bittul and union, “speech in speech and thought in thought,” and that bittul is the level of Moshe.
Marei mekomos
- 1חוקת עולם לדורותם · Exodus 27:21
- 2לדורותם — מבחי׳ אותיות התורה · ראה לעיל לו, ג. בלקו״ת פינחס עו, א מציין לכאן. וראה גם סידור לו, ג. לקו״ת נשא כו, ב.
- 3יסודתן בהררי קדש · Psalms 87:1
- 4ולא ע״ה חסיד · אבות פ״ב מ״ה.
- 5ולא ע״ה חסיד · Pirkei Avot 2:5
- 6וכמ״ש בזהר · פ׳ ויחי רכג, ב. וראה גם לעיל נו, ד ובמ״מ לשם.
- 7מה יתרון לאדם בכל עמלו שיעמל תחת השמש · Ecclesiastes 1:3
- 8שאני עמל׳ דאורייתא דהיא לעילא מן שמשא · Zohar, Vayechi 31:283–32:294
- 9כבד פה וכבד לשון · Exodus 4:10
22וכמ״ש ודברי אשר שמתי בפיך1 דברי ממש הנה ארז״ל מתניתא מלכתא2 כמלך עצמו שמתאחד עם דבר ה׳ זו הלכה3 שיהא הפסק כך כאלו הפסק הזה יוצא מפי עצמו
As it is written, “And My words that I have placed in your mouth”: My words, truly. Our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The Mishnah is a queen”: like the king himself, for one becomes one with “the word of G‑d — this is halachah,” that the ruling should be thus, as if this ruling came forth from his own mouth.
Torah is G‑d’s very word, as the verse says, “My words that I have placed in your mouth”: truly My words. Hence the Sages’ “The Mishnah is a queen”: one who learns becomes one with “the word of G‑d, which is halachah,” as if the ruling came forth from his own mouth, like a king’s.
והיינו מעלת ומדרגת מי שתורתו אומנתו כמו רשב״י וחביריו (שלכן פטורים מן התפלה שהתפלה היא בחינת בטול בהשתחוואות והמשכת אוא״ס ב״ה המשכות אלו נמשכות ע״י עסק התורה ג״כ)
And this is the distinction and rank of one whose Torah is his occupation, like Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his colleagues (which is why they are exempt from prayer: for prayer is the level of self-nullification (bittul), in the prostrations, and the drawing down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, and these drawings down are drawn through Torah study as well).
This is the level of those whose Torah study is their whole occupation, like Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his colleagues. The parenthesis explains why they were exempt from prayer: prayer brings bittul, expressed in bowing, and draws down the Infinite Light, and their Torah study accomplished these same things.
וכמו שא׳ רשב״י בחד קטירא אתקטרנא45 כו׳ שהוא בחי׳ בטול באוא״ס ב״ה ממש בבחי׳ יחו״ע ולכן ארז״ל ות״ת כנגד כולם.67
And as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said, “With one bond I am bound,” etc., which is the level of self-nullification in the Infinite Light itself, blessed be He, at the level of the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah). This is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “and Torah study is equal to them all.”
Rabbi Shimon said, “With one bond I am bound [to the Holy One, blessed be He]”: complete bittul in the Infinite Light, the higher unity. That is why “Torah study is equal to them all.”
והנה כדי שיגיע לבחי׳ ומדרגת בטול זה כתיב ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך8 בחי׳ חכמה כי איזהו חכם הרואה את הנולד9 דהיינו הנולד מאין ליש.
Now, in order to reach this level and rank of self-nullification, it is written, “that they take to you pure olive oil”: the level of Chochmah (wisdom), for “Who is wise? One who sees what is born (hanolad),” that is, what is born from nothing to something.
To reach this bittul one needs the “pure olive oil” brought to Moshe, which is Chochmah. The Sages define the wise man as “one who sees what is born” (hanolad), which the Alter Rebbe reads as seeing how everything is born, continually, from nothing into something.
Torah study unites a person with G‑d’s word in the higher unity, as with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and the way to this bittul is the “pure oil” of Chochmah: seeing everything as coming into being from nothing.
Marei mekomos
- 1ודברי אשר שמתי בפיך · Isaiah 59:21
- 2מתניתא מלכתא · ראה לעיל מט, ב.
- 3דבר ה׳ זו הלכה · Shabbat 138b:11–12
- 4בחד קטירא אתקטרנא · Zohar III, 288a
- 5בחד קטירא אתקטרנא · Zohar, Idra Zuta 1:29–4:37
- 6ות״ת כנגד כולם · פאה פ״א מ״א.
- 7ות״ת כנגד כולם · Mishnah Peah 1:1
- 8ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך · Exodus 27:20
- 9איזהו חכם הרואה את הנולד · Tamid 32a:7
23וכמאמר המחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית כו׳. כי ההתחדשות מאין ליש הוא תמיד כו׳.
As in the saying, “Who in His goodness renews each day, continually, the work of creation,” etc. For the renewal from nothing to something is continual, etc.
The daily prayer says that G‑d “in His goodness renews each day, continually, the work of creation”: creation from nothing into something happens constantly, not once.
והיינו לפי כי אני הוי״ה לא שניתי1 ואתה הוא קודם שנברא כו׳ רק ההתחדשות להיות יש הוא רק הארה בעלמא כו׳.
That is because “I, Havayah, have not changed,” and “You are He before [the world] was created,” etc.; rather, the renewal so that there be a yesh (something) is only a mere glimmer, etc.
This is so because “I, Havayah, have not changed”: G‑d is the same after creation as before it. What is renewed so that the world exists is only a glimmer of His light, not His essence.
ולכך צ״ל התחדשות ההארה תמיד שלא תבטל במציאות לגמרי כו׳ וכאשר ישים אל לבו הדבר הזה יהיה בבחי׳ בטול אליו ית׳ ורוח אייתי רוח2 ואמשיך רוח כו׳ בטול אוא״ס ב״ה ממש על נפשו בעסק התורה כו׳:
Therefore the glimmer must be renewed continually, so that it not be nullified out of existence entirely, etc. And when one takes this matter to heart, he will be at the level of self-nullification (bittul) toward Him, may He be blessed; and “spirit brings spirit and draws spirit,” etc.: self-nullification [before] the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) itself, blessed be He, upon his soul, in Torah study, etc.
Since a glimmer would cease to exist if not renewed, it must be renewed every moment. One who takes this to heart comes to bittul before G‑d, and since “spirit brings spirit and draws spirit,” his bittul below draws down from above the Infinite Light itself upon his soul in his Torah study (the closing words of the Hebrew are elliptical).
Seeing that the world is renewed from nothing at every moment brings a person to bittul, and this bittul, as spirit draws spirit, draws the Infinite Light upon his soul in his Torah study.
Marei mekomos
- 1אני הוי״ה לא שניתי · Malachi 3:6
- 2ורוח אייתי רוח · Zohar II, 162a
The answers ¶24–25
And this is “And you shall command (tetzaveh) the children of Israel”: tetzaveh is an expression of joining (tzavta) and connection, through “that they take to you pure olive oil,” to the level of Moshe, first.
Now the opening verse is explained: tetzaveh, “you shall command,” is read as tzavta, “joining” and bonding. Israel is bound to Moshe through bringing “pure olive oil,” their Chochmah and bittul, first to the level of Moshe.
ומזה נמשך להיות חוקת עולם מאת בני ישראל3 להיות אותיות התור׳ גורמת שיערוך אהרן את הנרות בחי׳ שמחה של מצוה מחמת כי אותיות התורה הן הנמשכות מבחי׳ משה ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל כו׳.
From this it comes about that there is “an eternal statute from the children of Israel”: that the letters of the Torah bring about Aharon’s arranging of the lamps, the level of the joy of mitzvah, because the letters of the Torah are what is drawn from the level of Moshe: “And you shall command the children of Israel,” etc.
From this bond comes “an eternal statute… from (me’es) the children of Israel”: the letters of the Torah give Aharon the power to arrange the lamps, the joy of the mitzvah. The letters of the Torah come from the level of Moshe, and so the verse says, “And you shall command the children of Israel.”
The opening question is answered: the oil is brought to Moshe first because Israel’s bond with Moshe, through Chochmah and bittul, brings the letters of the Torah that empower Aharon’s joy of mitzvah.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל · Exodus 27:20
- 2מלשון צוותא והתקשרות · באוה״ת בשלח ע׳ תלב מציין ”ע״ד מארז״ל פ״ק דברכות ד״ו סע״ב בענין כל העולם כולו לא נברא אלא לצוות לזה ועמ״ש סד״ה ואתה תצוה [הכוונה לכאן] ובלק״ת בד״ה צו את קרבני הראשון רפ״ד”.
- 3חוקת עולם מאת בני ישראל · Exodus 27:21
Now, of the level of Aharon, which is the level of “your heart runs,” it is written “from evening until morning”: “first darkness and then light.”
This answers the second question. Aharon’s level is “your heart runs,” and of it the verse says “from evening until morning”: “first darkness and then light,” a light that dawns gradually, within time.
אבל בבחי׳ משה שהוא בבחי׳ שוב לאחד וגילוי יחודו ית׳ בבחי׳ יח״ע כתיב להעלות נר תמיד3 שהוא גילוי יחוד עליון שלמעלה מהזמן ולפניו ית׳ כחשכה כאורה4 שהוא השוה ומשוה כו׳ וד״ל:
But of the level of Moshe, which is at the level of “return to the One” and the revelation of His unity, may He be blessed, at the level of the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah), it is written “to raise up a lamp continually”: this is the revelation of the higher unity, which is above time, and before Him, may He be blessed, “darkness is as light,” for He is the One who is equal and makes equal, etc. And this suffices for one who understands.
Moshe’s level is “return to the One,” the revelation of the higher unity, and so of him the verse says “to raise up a lamp continually”: a unity above time, before which “darkness is as light.” G‑d is “the One who is equal and makes equal,” and the Alter Rebbe leaves the rest to the understanding reader.
Aharon’s light, the joy of the soul’s running, comes within time, from darkness to light; Moshe’s light, the Torah’s revelation of the higher unity, is “continual,” above time, where darkness and light are alike.
The two questions of the opening paragraph share one answer: the oil is brought to Moshe because his level, Torah and the higher unity, is the source of Aharon’s power, and his lamp is “continual” because that level is above time.
Marei mekomos
- 1מערב ועד בקר · Exodus 27:21
- 2ברישא חשוכא והדר נהורא · Shabbat 77b:8
- 3להעלות נר תמיד · Exodus 27:20
- 4כחשכה כאורה · Psalms 139:12
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
To do the mitzvos with a joy greater than all the delights of the World to Come, knowing that G‑d’s very essence is clothed in them; to “arrange” that love through deep contemplation of G‑d’s greatness, preparing in Pesukei deZimrah for the battle of prayer; to “crush the olive” by making oneself like leftovers, with no desire for this world’s pleasures, so that the light of the mitzvah endures; and to study Torah with awe and love, taking to heart that the world is renewed from nothing at every moment, which brings bittul and draws the Infinite Light upon the soul.
Questions for discussion
- Why is a groomsman needed only on the wedding day, and what does this say about Aharon’s role in the soul’s service?
- If all of Gan Eden is only “the work of His hands,” why should the joy of doing a mitzvah in this world be greater than its delights?
- How does making oneself like “leftovers” produce Chochmah, the “oil” in which the light of the mitzvah endures?
- What is the difference between “your heart runs” (Aharon) and “return to the One” (Moshe), and why does Aharon’s power depend on Moshe?
- Why does Aharon’s lamp burn “from evening until morning” while Moshe’s is “continual”?
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.
- Delightתענוג
- Pleasure; the inner root of will. ×7
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×1
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×2
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×1
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response.
- An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
- Divine initiative, unprompted by us.
- 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. ×5
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion.
- The animal soulנפש הבהמית
- The soul that animates the body and its drives.
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×8
- Kelipah (the husk)קליפה
- The forces of concealment that oppose holiness.
- The sitra achra (the other side)סטרא אחרא
- The realm opposed to holiness.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d.
- The higher unity (yichuda ila'ah)יחודא עילאה
- The world is nothing next to G‑d.
- The lower unity (yichuda tata'ah)יחודא תתאה
- G‑d is present within the world's existence. ×2
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×1
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- ×4
- The general and collective expression (klalus)כללות
- That which encompasses the particulars as one: their general and collective expression (the klal, as against the prat). Never “sum”, “sum total”, “totality” or “general principle”, as if the particulars were added up (וכללותן היא מצות הצדקה is “their general and collective expression is the mitzvah of charity”). Render by sense: “their general and collective expression”, “that which encompasses them all”, “X in general”, “X as a whole”. Keep התכללות as “inclusion” / “inter-inclusion”. ×2
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×1