Torah Ohr · Parshas Tetzaveh · Maamar 3
ועשית ציץ זהב טהור ופתחת עליו פתוחי חותם קדש לה׳
“And you shall make a tzitz of pure gold”
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The big idea
The gold tzitz on Aharon’s forehead is the shining of a great love that comes from above. Amalek, the arrogance of the self, is an iron partition that keeps it from the heart; the self-nullification of Moshe, through Torah, breaks the partition, and the steady will to cleave to G‑d that stays on the “forehead” after prayer awakens the Supernal Will, the source of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that bear iniquity.
The maamar in brief
The tzitz bore “Holy to Havayah,” Kodesh below and the Name above; on Aharon’s forehead it “bears iniquity” and brings “favor” (ratzon). Tzitz means shining: the light of ahavah rabbah, a great love above understanding that Aharon draws down, unlike the love a person produces through Daas. Since the Destruction an iron partition made of sin blocks it, and G‑d “peers through the lattices” only where a broken heart and thoughts of teshuvah open cracks. The chief partition is Amalek, brazen self-importance within and in honor-seeking dress; Amalek is “kes Yah,” covering the yud-hei of contemplation so that it never becomes the vav-hei of felt love. The remedy is the “men of Moshe”: Torah learned in Moshe’s self-nullification, G‑d’s own wisdom within and around the learner, which defeats Amalek. Torah and mitzvos draw down Kodesh, the higher Chochmah; above it is Havayah, whose first level, the will of wills, answers from above. The love of prayer fades, but its impression on the “forehead,” a steady will and the heart’s assent, can last all day, and it awakens the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that bear and transform iniquity.
Outline
- The tzitz and its lightThe verses raise three questions: Kodesh below and Havayah above, atonement, and “favor” on the forehead. Tzitz means shining: the great love from above that Aharon draws down, above the love born of Daas. G‑d “peers through the lattices” of the iron partition that sin set up after the Destruction; a broken heart and thoughts of teshuvah open windows and cracks in it.¶1–4
- Amalek, the partitionThe main partition is Amalek, head of the nations: in the soul, brazen arrogance, inwardly and in honor-seeking dress, which the priestly garments “for honor and for splendor” were made to transform. Amalek warred for nothing because he could not bear another’s greatness. He is “kes Yah”: the throne without its alef becomes a covering.¶5–8
- Yud and hei: the covered NameThe hei of Yah is the expansion of the Infinite Light to fill and encompass the worlds; the yud is the tzimtzum that must come first, as the hei is written by drawing out a yud. In a person, yud-hei is contemplating G‑d’s greatness, which should become vav-hei, revealed love; Amalek covers it, so the heart understands but is not moved.¶9–12
- The men of MosheAmalek falls only to the “men of Moshe,” whose quality is “And what are we?” Torah must be “the Torah of Moshe,” learned in self-nullification, not making a chalal; as G‑d’s Chochmah, which is bittul, it removes the world’s concealment and puts His words within and His shadow around the learner. So Moshe makes the tzitz: his bittul breaks the partition through thoughts of teshuvah.¶13–17
- Gold, seal and the two levels of HavayahGold is fiery love, above the cool love of silver. The engravings of a seal are the Torah’s letters, the same letters even when pressed into physical matters. Torah and mitzvos draw down Kodesh, the higher Chochmah, but it is below Havayah; the first Havayah, the will of wills, calls forth the second, the source of the Thirteen Attributes. The arousal from below draws down the arousal from above, until love is revealed even on the forehead.¶18–22
- The foreheadAs the skull covers the brain, the forehead covers Daas, which in prayer binds the soul to G‑d with longing and delight. That love fades, must be renewed daily, and can fall into worldly self-inflation; but an impression stays on the forehead, a simple will and assent that keep work casual and Torah primary. This constant will awakens the Supernal Will and the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which bear iniquity: this is how the tzitz atones.¶23–29
Key concepts
- Tzitzציץ
- The gold plate on the High Priest’s forehead. The maamar reads the word as shining, as in “his crown will shine” and “peering through the lattices”: the light of great love from above.
- Great love (ahavah rabbah)אהבה רבה
- A love for G‑d above Daas, which understanding cannot produce; Aharon, one of the seven shepherds, draws it down. It is also called “the desire of the heart” (re’usa deliba).
- The iron partitionמחיצה של ברזל
- The barrier that has stood between Israel and their Father in Heaven since the Destruction. It stands before the receivers, not before G‑d, and is made of sin; teshuvah opens windows and cracks in it.
- Kes Yahכס י״ה
- The shortened throne and Name of Exodus 17:16. Amalek, arrogance, covers the yud-hei of contemplation so that it does not become the vav-hei of love felt in the heart.
- The men of Mosheאנשי משה
- Those who share Moshe’s self-nullification, “And what are we?” Only they defeat Amalek, chiefly through Torah learned as G‑d’s own wisdom.
- Kodesh below, Havayah aboveקדש למ״ד למטה והוי׳ למעלה
- The layout of the tzitz. Kodesh is the higher Chochmah drawn down through Torah and mitzvos, the arousal from below; above it is Havayah, the arousal from above.
- The will of wills (ra’ava dera’avin)רעוא דרעוין
- The first Havayah, the source of G‑d’s will to create, which calls forth the second Havayah and the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that bear iniquity.
- The foreheadמצח
- The covering over Daas. After prayer it keeps an impression (reshimu) of the love: a simple will and the heart’s assent to cleave to G‑d, which can last all day.
The tzitz and its light ¶1–4
“And you shall make a headplate (tzitz) of pure gold, and engrave upon it, the engravings of a seal, ‘Holy to Havayah.’” And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Kodesh [and the letter] lamed below, and Havayah above.”
The maamar opens with the verse commanding the tzitz, the gold plate the High Priest wore on his forehead, engraved “Holy to Havayah.” The Sages describe how the words were laid out: Kodesh together with the lamed (the “to” of “to Havayah”) on the lower line, and the Name Havayah alone on the line above. The maamar will explain why holiness is “below” and the Name “above.”
ולהבין זה וגם להבין מ״ש והי׳ על מצח אהרן ונשא אהרן את עון הקדשים7 וגו׳ שהציץ מכפר ונושא עון.
To understand this, and also to understand what is written, “And it shall be upon Aharon’s forehead, and Aharon shall bear the iniquity of the holy things,” etc.: that the tzitz atones and bears iniquity.
The next verse says that the tzitz is on Aharon’s forehead and that through it he “bears the iniquity of the holy things,” the offerings the Children of Israel consecrate. The Alter Rebbe sets out to explain how this plate atones and carries iniquity.
וסיפא דקרא והי׳ על מצחו תמיד לרצון להם לפני הוי׳. שבמה שהוא נושא את הציץ על המצח נמשך רצון.
And the end of the verse [says], “And it shall be upon his forehead always, for favor (ratzon) for them before Havayah”: through his bearing the tzitz upon the forehead, will (ratzon) is drawn down.
The verse ends: the tzitz is on his forehead “always, for favor (ratzon) for them before Havayah.” The Hebrew ratzon also means “will,” and the maamar reads it so: wearing the tzitz on the forehead draws down a divine will, a favor from above.
To understand this matter: (but) tzitz is from the expression “his crown will shine (yatzitz)”; “peering (meitzitz) through the lattices”; netz hachamah, “the sunrise.”
Before answering, the Alter Rebbe explains the word tzitz itself. It belongs with three expressions of light breaking forth or appearing: “his crown will shine” (Psalms 132:18), “peering through the lattices” (Song of Songs 2:9), and netz hachamah, the moment the sun’s first light appears.
דהיינו הארת אור וזיו. והוא אור האהבה רבה הבאה מלמעלה11 שהיא בחי׳ אהרן זקן אהרן שיורד12 על פי מדותיו.13
That is, a shining of light and radiance. And this is the light of the great love (ahavah rabbah) that comes from above, which is the level of Aharon: “Aharon’s beard, which flows down over the collar of his garments.”
So the tzitz signifies a shining forth of light. That light is ahavah rabbah, a “great love” for G‑d that comes from above rather than from a person’s own efforts. It is Aharon’s quality, pictured in the psalm by “Aharon’s beard” that flows down: a love that descends from above.
שאהרן הוא רועה משבעה רועים14 המפרנסים לכנס״י המשכות אא״ס ב״ה ואהרן הוא הממשיך בחי׳ אה״ר.
For Aharon is a shepherd, one of the seven shepherds who sustain the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael) with the drawing-down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He; and Aharon is the one who draws down the level of great love (ahavah rabbah).
Aharon is counted among the “seven shepherds” who sustain the Jewish people by drawing down to them the flow of the Infinite Light. His particular task among them is to draw down this great love.
The paragraph sets out the verses of the tzitz and their puzzles, Kodesh below and Havayah above, atonement, and “favor” on the forehead, and begins its answer: tzitz means a shining forth, the light of great love from above that Aharon draws down to Israel.
Torah Chaim, cited in the Kehot note, dates this maamar to 5566 (1805–06), and it is found among the maamarim of that year in the Mitteler Rebbe’s handwriting. Or HaTorah, also cited in the notes, remarks that since the tzitz is Yesod of Abba (as Me’orei Or states), this great love resembles the love drawn from Chochmah, the Chesed of Abba: a love above the intellect that comprehends.
Marei mekomos
- 1ועשית ציץ · ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. הנחת כ״ק אדה״א בתו״ח תצוה [אותיות מרובעות] שנו, א. עוד הנחה בסה״מ תקס״ו ח״א. המאמר עם הגהות וקיצורים באוה״ת ע׳ א׳תרצ. ביאור ע׳ א׳תשיז. שייך לד״ה ועשית ציץ ע׳ א׳תשלב. [קיצורים] כרך ז ע׳ ב׳תשסו. כרך ח ע׳ ג׳פא. ראה גם סה״מ תרכ״ז (הוצאת תש״ס) ע׳ קנב. פלח הרמון שמות ע׳ שנ. ראה ד״ה זה בסה״מ תרנ״א ע׳ קלט. בתורת חיים הנ״ל מציין שהמאמר הוא משנת תקס״ו, וכן נמצא המאמר בגוכתי״ק אדה״א בין מאמרי שנת תקס״ו. וראה רשימת המאמרים בסה״מ תקס״ו הערה 13. אוה״ת ע׳ א׳תשיז.
- 2ועשית ציץ · Exodus 28:36
- 3יציץ · Rashi on Psalms 132:18
- 4קדש למ״ד למטה והוי׳ למעלה · Shabbat 63b:15–16
- 5קדש למ״ד למטה והוי׳ למעלה · Jerusalem Talmud Yoma 4:3–4
- 6קדש למ״ד למטה · Jerusalem Talmud Megillah 1:9
- 7והי׳ על מצח אהרן ונשא אהרן את עון הקדשים · Exodus 28:38
- 8ולהבין ענין זה · בתו״ח יש כאן עוד דיוקים: א) דממשמעות הכתובים משמע דלמשה נצטווה מעשה הציץ שהוא דוקא יעשנו, ב) ושהציץ יהי׳ דוקא על מצח אהרן. ע״ש.
- 9יציץ נזרו · Psalms 132:18
- 10מציץ מן החרכים · Song of Songs 2:9
- 11והוא אור האהבה רבה הבאה מלמעלה · באוה״ת ע׳ א׳תרצ העיר ע״ז ”לפמ״ש במא״א אות צ׳ סי״ט דציץ הוא יסוד אבא, א״כ אהבה רבה זו היא ע״ד אהבה הנמשכת מן החכמה שהוא ענין חסד דאבא והוא בחי׳ אהבה שלמעלה מהשכל המושג”. ע״ש. בלקו״ת שלח מג, ג מציין לכאן. וראה בפלח הרמון.
- 12זקן אהרן שיורד · Psalms 132:2
- 13זקן אהרן שיורד על פי מדותיו · Psalms 133:2
- 14שאהרן הוא רועה משבעה רועים · נסמן לעיל פב, א. לקו״ת בהעלותך כט, ג ואילך.
2והגם שהכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים.1 מ״מ יש אהבה ויש אהבה. יש אהבה שהיא למטה מן הדעת ותולדתה והיא בכח הנפש עצמה.
And although “everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven,” nevertheless there is love and there is love. There is a love that is below Daas (knowledge) and is its offspring, and it lies within the power of the soul itself.
The Sages taught that “everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven”: awe and love of G‑d depend on a person’s own choice and effort. Even so, there are two kinds of love. One is born of Daas, a person’s understanding and contemplation, and so lies within the soul’s own power.
ויש אה״ר שהיא למעלה מן הדעת הוא בחי׳ אהרן הרועה וממשיך לכנס״י והוא בחי׳ רעותא דלבא.
And there is great love (ahavah rabbah), which is above Daas: this is the level of Aharon, the shepherd, who draws [it] down to the Congregation of Israel; and it is the level of the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba).
The other, great love (ahavah rabbah), is above Daas: understanding cannot produce it, and it comes from above. Drawing it down to the Jewish people is Aharon’s work as a shepherd; it is called re’usa deliba, “the desire of the heart,” a longing deeper than reasoned feeling.
Although love and awe are in a person’s own hands, there are two loves: one a person produces through understanding, and a great love above understanding that Aharon draws down from above.
The Kehot note quotes Sefer HaMaamarim 5627: if so, love and awe depend on a person’s service, from below upward. The note also cites the Zohar (1:59a), which gives the same teaching in Aramaic: everything is in the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, except being righteous or wicked.
Marei mekomos
- 1שהכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים · Berakhot 33b:23–24
3וז״ש לאהבה את1 ה׳ אלקיכם וגו׳. ולא כתי׳ לאהוב אלא לאהבה שימשיך האדם את לבו לאהבה עליונה היא רעותא דלבא שיהי׳ רצונו לה׳ לבדו ולדבקה בו בא״ס ב״ה ממש.
And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “To love Havayah your G‑d,” etc. It is not written le’ehov but le’ahavah: that a person should draw his heart to the higher love, which is the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba), so that his will be for G‑d alone, and to cleave to Him, to the Infinite One (Ein Sof) Himself, blessed be He.
This explains the verse “to love Havayah your G‑d.” Instead of the usual infinitive le’ehov the Torah writes le’ahavah, which can be read “to the love”: a person is to draw his heart toward the higher love, re’usa deliba, wanting nothing but G‑d Himself and to cleave to Him.
וכמ״ש מי לי בשמים2 וגו׳ פי׳ שמים ג״ע העליון3 כו׳ דכולא קמי׳ כלא חשיב. אני הוי׳ לא שניתי4 ואתה הוא משנברא העולם ואתה הוא קודם שנבה״ע כו׳.
As it is written, “Whom have I in heaven?” etc.: “heaven” means the upper Gan Eden, etc., for everything before Him is considered as nothing. “I, Havayah, have not changed,” and “You are He since the world was created, and You are He before the world was created,” etc.
The psalmist says, “Whom have I in heaven?”: even the upper Gan Eden, where souls are rewarded, means nothing to him, for before G‑d everything counts as nothing. The quotations that follow describe the One this love seeks: G‑d Himself, who is not changed by creation and is the same before it and after it.
The verse “to love” is read as drawing the heart to the higher love, a desire for G‑d alone that does not want even the upper Gan Eden, since before Him everything is as nothing.
In the Toldos discourse the note cites, “heaven and earth” in this psalm are the upper and lower Gan Eden, where souls delight through “the river that goes out of Eden”; yet the soul’s love is not quenched by them, for Gan Eden is only for a time.
Marei mekomos
- 1לאהבה את ה׳ אלקיכם · Deuteronomy 11:13
- 2מי לי בשמים · Psalms 73:25
- 3פי׳ שמים ג״ע העליון · ראה לעיל יז, ד.
- 4אני הוי׳ לא שניתי · Malachi 3:6
4ועל אהבה זו נאמר מציץ מן החרכים כי הנה זה עומד אחר1 כתלינו. שמשחרב בהמ״ק2 יש כותל ומחיצה של ברזל מפסקת בין ישראל לאביהם שבשמים.
And of this love it is said, “peering through the lattices,” for “behold, he stands behind our wall.” For since the Holy Temple was destroyed, there is a wall and an iron partition that separates between Israel and their Father in Heaven.
The higher love is described in the Song of Songs: the Beloved “stands behind our wall… peering through the lattices.” The Talmud teaches that since the Temple was destroyed an iron wall stands between Israel and their Father in Heaven; that wall is what stands between us and the open shining of this love.
כי הגם שאין דבר חוצץ לפניו ית׳3 ח״ו כי גם חשך לא יחשיך ממך4 הרי באמת לא אמרו בין אביהם שבשמים לישראל אלא בין ישראל לאביהם שבשמים. שהחציצה הוא בפני המקבלים.
For although nothing interposes before Him, may He be blessed, G‑d forbid, for “even darkness does not darken for You,” in truth [the Sages] did not say “between their Father in Heaven and Israel,” but “between Israel and their Father in Heaven”: the interposition is before the recipients.
Nothing can screen anything from G‑d, for “even darkness does not darken for You.” That is why the Sages said the wall is “between Israel and their Father,” not “between the Father and Israel”: the barrier stands before the receivers, not before Him.
עונותיכם היו מבדילין ביניכם וכו׳. שמונע את אור האהבה העליונה מישראל ואעפ״כ הוא מציץ מן החרכים וחלונות. חלונות הם חורים גדולים. וחרכים הם חורים קטנים וסדקים.
“Your iniquities have separated between you,” etc.: [the partition] that withholds the light of the higher love from Israel. And nevertheless, He peers through the lattices and windows. Windows are large holes, and lattices are small holes and cracks.
The barrier is the one Isaiah names: “your iniquities have separated between you [and your G‑d].” It withholds the light of the higher love, yet G‑d still “peers through the lattices” and windows, openings large and small.
דהיינו ע״י שבירת המחיצה לפתוח חלונות וחרכים שהם בחי׳ לב נשבר והרהורי תשובה הבאים לאדם לכל חד וחד לפום שיעורא דיליה:5
That is, through breaking the partition, to open windows and lattices, which are the level of a broken heart and thoughts of teshuvah that come to a person, to each and every one according to his measure.
Those openings are made by breaking the partition through a broken heart and thoughts of teshuvah, which come to every person in his own measure. Through them the light of the higher love shines in, to a greater or lesser degree.
The higher love is G‑d “peering through the lattices”: since the Destruction an iron partition made of sin stands before Israel, but a broken heart and thoughts of teshuvah open windows and cracks in it for the love to shine through.
Or HaTorah, cited in the note, quotes the Maharsha: since the Destruction, prayer for mercy is not heard as it was, but for praising G‑d in Kedushah and Barchu even an iron partition does not separate Israel from their Father in Heaven. The note also points to Tanya, Iggeres HaTeshuvah, chapter 5: nothing physical or spiritual screens anything before G‑d, and it is iniquities that separate.
Marei mekomos
- 1
- 2שמשחרב בהמ״ק · Berakhot 32b:7–8
- 3כי הגם שאין דבר חוצץ לפניו ית׳ · ראה תניא אגה״ת פ״ה. נזכר בלקו״ת בלק עג, ג.
- 4גם חשך לא יחשיך ממך · Psalms 139:12
- 5עונותיכם היו מבדילין · Isaiah 59:2
Amalek, the partition ¶5–8
5והנה עיקר המסך המבדיל ומחיצה המפסקת הוא ראשית גוים עמלק1. שהוא ראש לשבעה גוים.2 וכתיב מלחמה לה׳ בעמלק3 מדר דר אפי׳ בזמן הזה שלא שייך מלחמת עמלק בגשמיות.
Now, the main separating screen and dividing partition is “the first of the nations, Amalek,” for he is the head of the seven nations. And it is written, “G‑d has a war with Amalek from generation to generation”: even in this time, when a war against Amalek does not apply physically.
The chief barrier is Amalek, whom Bilaam called “the first of the nations,” the head of the seven nations of Canaan. The Torah says G‑d’s war with Amalek lasts “from generation to generation,” so it continues even now, when there is no physical Amalek to fight.
מ״מ ברוחניות הנפש יש בחי׳ עמלק והיינו בחי׳ גסות הרוח בחוצפה וגבהות כמ״ש אם תגביה כנשר4 וגו׳ וממנה באות מדות רעות מבית ומבחוץ. מבית בפנימית הנפש גסות הלב ונצחנות וכיוצא בהן.
Nevertheless, in the spiritual life of the soul there is the aspect of Amalek, namely coarseness of spirit with brazenness and haughtiness, as it is written, “Though you soar aloft like the eagle,” etc. And from it come bad traits, within and without. Within, in the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the soul: coarseness of heart, the urge to win, and the like.
In the soul, Amalek is coarse, brazen arrogance, the self that “soars like the eagle.” From it grow bad traits inside and out; inside, in the soul’s inner life, haughtiness, the urge to win, and the like.
The main partition is Amalek, the head of the nations; in the soul Amalek is brazen arrogance, the root of bad traits within and without.
Or HaTorah, cited in the note, uses this to settle a difficulty: Rashi and Ramban on Balak strain to explain how Amalek is “first of the nations.” The seven nations come from what fell, in the breaking of the vessels, from the seven lower attributes, but Amalek from what fell from Daas, the head and source of the attributes; and so it is in the writings of the Arizal.
Marei mekomos
- 1
- 2ראשית גוים עמלק שהוא ראש לשבעה גוים · באוה״ת ע׳ א׳תרצד העיר ”כי רש״י והרמב״ן בפ׳ בלק נדחקו איך עמלק הוא ראשית גוים, אך ע״פ מ״ש אתי שפיר כי שבעה גוים נמשכים ממה שנפל בשבה״כ מז״ת, אך עמלק הוא מבחי׳ מה שנפל מהדעת והדעת הוא ראש ומקור להמדות כו׳ וכן איתא בכתבי האריז״ל”. ”היינו כי שבעה גוים נמשכים מז״ת שהם חג״ת כו׳ שהוא מה שנפלו ממדות דתהו בשבה״כ, משא״כ עמלק הוא ראשית להם כי הוא מבחי׳ הדעת שהוא ראש ומקור להמדות כו׳” — אוה״ת בלק ע׳ א׳נג. וראה בסה״מ תרכ״ז ע׳ קס.
- 3מלחמה לה׳ בעמלק · Exodus 17:16
- 4אם תגבי׳ כנשר · Obadiah 1:4
6ומבחוץ בבחי׳ חיצונית ההנהגת הגוף בפו״מ ברדיפת הכבוד ומלבושי בגדי כבוד ותפארת ולהתנהג בכבוד ותפארת וכיוצא בהן.
And without, in the outer dimension (chitzoniyus): the conduct of the body in actual deed, in the pursuit of honor, dressing in garments of honor and splendor, conducting oneself with honor and splendor, and the like.
Outwardly, Amalek shows in how a person carries his body: chasing honor, wearing garments of honor and splendor, and conducting himself with pomp.
ועל כוונה זו נעשו בגדי כהונה לכבוד ולתפארת1 לאהרן ולבניו וגו׳. להיות בחי׳ אתהפכא מן היש ולגרמיה שהוא בחי׳ עמלק שהוא ענין הגדלת היש בכל דרכיו והנהגותיו.
And for this purpose the priestly garments were made “for honor and for splendor” for Aharon and his sons, etc.: to be the level of transformation (is’hapcha) away from self-existence (yesh) and from [living] for oneself, which is the level of Amalek, that is, the aggrandizement of self-existence in all his ways and conduct.
That is why the priestly garments were made “for honor and for splendor”: to turn this very drive around. Garments of honor worn in G‑d’s service transform (is’hapcha) the self-inflation of the yesh, which is Amalek’s whole way of life.
Amalek’s outward face is the pursuit of honor and splendid dress; the priestly garments, made “for honor and for splendor,” were meant to transform that self-aggrandizement.
Marei mekomos
- 1
7וכך היתה מדתו של עמלק בזמן משה שהרי ישראל לא באו להלחם אתו ולא שמו לבם אליו
And such was the trait of Amalek in the time of Moshe: for Israel had not come to fight him and had paid him no attention;
Amalek’s attack in Moshe’s time shows his nature: Israel had not come to fight him and had paid him no attention.
רק הוא מעצמו ומאיליו בא לעורר מלחמת חנם מפני גדולתן של ישראל והאותות והמופתים שלא הי׳ יכול לסבול שיהיה איזה דבר גדול מבלעדו.
rather, he came of himself and on his own to stir up a war for nothing, because of the greatness of Israel and the signs and wonders, for he could not bear that there be anything great besides him.
He came of his own accord to start a war for nothing, because he could not bear Israel’s greatness and the signs and wonders done for them; nothing great could exist besides him.
וככה הוא בכל אדם שלא יוכל לסבול מי שיהיה גדול ממנו בעיני אלהים ואדם1 כו׳. ועכ״פ שלא יהיה הוא קטן ושפל. לכן מיפה עצמו במלבושי כבוד כו׳.
And so it is in every person: he cannot bear that anyone be greater than he “in the eyes of G‑d and man,” etc., and at any rate, [he insists] that he himself not be small and lowly. Therefore he beautifies himself with garments of honor, etc.
The same Amalek lives in every person: he cannot bear anyone greater than himself, or at least insists that he not be small. So he dresses himself in garments of honor.
Amalek’s unprovoked war shows his essence, intolerance of any greatness but his own; the same trait in a person drives him to dress himself in honor.
Marei mekomos
- 1בעיני אלהים ואדם · Proverbs 3:4
8והנה בבחי׳ זו של עמלק נאמר כס1 י״ה שאין השם שלם2 ואין הכסא שלם. כסא הוא השראת המלך היושב על הכסא להיות ושכנתי בתוכם.3
Now, of this aspect of Amalek it is said, “kes Yah” (“the throne of Yah”): that the Name is not complete and the throne is not complete. A throne (kisei) is the indwelling of the King who sits upon the throne, so that there be “And I will dwell within them.”
After the war with Amalek the verse says “a hand is upon kes Yah,” writing kes instead of the full kisei (throne) and Yah instead of the full Name. This is read to mean that while Amalek exists neither G‑d’s Name nor His throne is complete. A throne is where a king sits and rests: the image of G‑d dwelling among His people, “And I will dwell within them.”
והיינו בבחי׳ כסא באל״ף שאלופו של עולם שורה. משא״כ בהסתלקות האל״ף נעשה כס מלשון כסוי.
That is, at the level of kisei with an alef, for the Master (Aluf) of the world rests [there]; whereas when the alef departs, it becomes kes, from the term kisui (covering).
Kisei is spelled with an alef, the letter of Aluf, “Master,” for there the Master of the world rests. Without the alef it becomes kes, related to kisui, “covering”: G‑d’s presence is covered instead of revealed.
Amalek is “kes Yah”: the throne without its alef becomes a covering, so that the King’s indwelling is hidden instead of revealed.
Marei mekomos
- 1כס י״ה · Exodus 17:16
- 2שאין השם שלם · ראה לקו״ת ראה יח, ג.
- 3ושכנתי בתוכם · Exodus 25:8
Yud and hei: the covered Name ¶9–12
And this covering is over the Name Yah. For in each and every one there is the Name Yah, as it is written, “My strength and song is Yah, and He has become my salvation.”
Amalek’s covering falls on the Name Yah, the letters yud and hei, which is present in each and every one, as in “My strength and song is Yah.” The next paragraphs explain what each of these two letters stands for.
כי הנה ה״א הוא בחי׳ התפשטות אורך ורוחב כו׳. והוא בחי׳ התפשטות והמשכות אור אין סוף ב״ה להיות סובב כל עלמין וממלא כל עלמין.
For the hei is the level of expansion, [in] length and breadth, etc.; and it is the level of the expansion and drawing-forth of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, to be the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) and the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin).
The hei, a letter drawn out in length and breadth, stands for expansion: the Infinite Light spreading out to encompass and to fill all the worlds.
Every person has the Name Yah within him; its hei stands for the expansion of the Infinite Light to encompass and fill all worlds.
Marei mekomos
- 1עזי וזמרת י״ה · Exodus 15:2
10והיו״ד הוא בחי׳ צמצום ישת חשך סתרו1 שכדי להיות התפשטות המשכה להיות ממלא וסובב כ״ע אפי׳ עולמות עליוני׳ אין ערוך כו׳. וכמשל טפה נגד ים אוקיינוס ויותר מכן לאין קץ כו׳.
And the yud is the level of tzimtzum (contraction): “He made darkness His hiding place.” For in order that there be an expansion of the flow, to fill and encompass all worlds (memalei and sovev kol almin): even the higher worlds have no comparison, etc., as in the analogy of a drop against the ocean, and infinitely more than that, etc.
The yud, the smallest letter, a mere point, stands for tzimtzum, G‑d’s concealment of His light, as in “He made darkness His hiding place.” For the light to spread out and fill and encompass the worlds it had first to be contracted, since even the highest worlds bear no comparison to the Infinite Light, less than a drop beside the ocean.
The yud is tzimtzum: because even the highest worlds are as nothing beside the Infinite Light, it must first be contracted before it can fill and encompass them.
Marei mekomos
- 1ישת חשך סתרו · Psalms 18:12
11ולכך הוצרך להיות בחי׳ צמצום תחילה ואח״כ התפשטות כו׳. ולכן בתמונת האותיות בכתיבת שם הוי׳ תמונת ה׳ ראשונה של שם היא ג״כ עד״מ שמתחילה עושין היו״ד ואח״כ ממשיכי׳ ממנה לרוחב ואורך למטה כו׳.1
Therefore there had to be the level of tzimtzum first, and afterwards expansion, etc. And therefore, in the shape of the letters in the writing of the Name Havayah, the shape of the first hei of the Name is also, by way of analogy, [made so] that one first makes the yud and afterwards draws from it breadth, and length downward, etc.
That is why contraction comes first and expansion after. The written shape of the first hei of the Name shows it: the scribe first makes a yud and then draws it out in breadth and down in length.
Contraction precedes expansion, as the hei of the Name is written by first making a yud and then extending it.
Marei mekomos
- 1כי הנה . . ואח״כ התפשטות · מובא באוה״ת בלק ע׳ תתקנג.
12ובחי׳ זו נמשכה בכל אדם להתבונן בגדולת א״ס ב״ה איך שהוא ממכ״ע וסוכ״ע ואיך שכ״ז אינו אלא בחינת צמצום כי אין ערוך כו׳.
And this level is drawn down into every person: to contemplate the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, how He fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) and encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), and how all this is only a level of tzimtzum, for there is no comparison, etc.
The pattern of yud and hei is present in every person as contemplation: thinking how G‑d fills and encompasses all worlds, and how even all that is only a contraction of His light, for the worlds bear no comparison to Him.
ומזה ישוב לאהבה את ה׳ ולדבקה בו ממש בבחינת אהבה העליונה. והיינו המשכת הוי״ו להיות בחינת ו״ה.
And from this he will turn to love G‑d and to cleave to Him truly, with the level of the higher love. And this is the drawing-down of the vav, so that there be the level of vav-hei.
From such contemplation a person should come to love G‑d and cleave to Him with the higher love. In terms of the Name, this is drawing down the vav so that the yud-hei of understanding comes to be revealed as vav-hei, felt in the heart.
But Amalek is kes Yah: he is what covers over the level of yud-hei, so that it is not revealed in the level of vav-hei, so that it does not give birth to love in the revelation of his heart.
Amalek is “kes Yah”: he covers the yud-hei so that it is not revealed as vav-hei, and the person’s understanding does not give birth to love that is revealed in his heart.
שאף שלבבו יבין את כל זאת לא תתפעל הנפש ולא יאיר בה אור האהבה מחמת שנעשה מחיצה של ברזל המפסקת ומונעת את האור:
For even though his heart understands all this, the soul is not stirred and the light of love does not shine in it, because an iron partition has been formed that separates and withholds the light.
So a person can understand all this in his heart and still not be moved; the light of love does not shine in his soul, because the iron partition blocks it.
Contemplating G‑d’s greatness (yud-hei) should give birth to revealed love (vav-hei); Amalek, the iron partition, covers it so that understanding never reaches the heart.
The Likkutei Torah passage on Re’eh cited at paragraph 8 describes the same state: in exile the vav-hei is separated from the yud-hei, so that deep contemplation does not kindle love and awe in the heart.
Marei mekomos
- 1אבל עמלק הוא כס י״ה · קטע מכאן מובא ביהל אור ע׳ תקס.
- 2כס י״ה · Exodus 17:16
The men of Moshe ¶13–17
13והעצה היעוצה לזה הנה במלחמת עמלק כתיב ויאמר משה וגו׳ בחר לנו אנשים.1 לנו דוקא שלכבוש מלחמת עמלק צריכים אנשי משה דוקא2 ובחי׳ משה הוא כמ״ש ונחנו מה3 בחינת בטול והתכללות לגמרי באוא״ס ב״ה.4
And the counsel given for this: in the war against Amalek it is written, “And Moshe said,” etc., “Choose for us men.” “For us” specifically: for to prevail in the war against Amalek, the men of Moshe specifically are needed. And the level of Moshe is as it is written, “And what are we?”: the level of self-nullification (bittul) and complete inclusion in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He.
The remedy is in the account of the war with Amalek: Moshe told Yehoshua, “Choose for us men.” “For us” means Moshe’s own men: only “men of Moshe” can defeat Amalek. Moshe’s quality is expressed in his words “And what are we?”: complete self-nullification (bittul), being wholly absorbed in the Infinite Light.
Amalek’s arrogance is defeated only by the “men of Moshe,” those who share Moshe’s self-nullification, “And what are we?”
In a talk on 10 Shevat 5717 quoted in the Kehot note, the Rebbe explained that “men of Moshe” are people bound to the leader of the generation, the extension of Moshe in every generation; and when there are such “men of Moshe,” the command comes, “go out and fight Amalek.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ויאמר משה גו׳ בחר לנו אנשים · Exodus 17:9
- 2שלכבוש מלחמת עמלק צריכים אנשי משה דוקא · ראה סה״מ תרס״ה ע׳ ריט. ד״ה זכור תשל״ה.
- 3ונחנו מה · Exodus 16:7
- 4בשיחת מוצש״ק פ׳ בשלח י׳ שבט תשי״ז פי׳ כ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע · אנשי משה — הם אנשים שקשורים עם נשיא הדור אתפשטותא דמשה בכל דרא ודרא . . ואז — כשישנם ”אנשי משה” — בא הציווי צא והלחם בעמלק.
14והנה כל התורה על שמו נק׳ תורת משה.1 תורה צוה לנו משה2 וגו׳. והיינו שיהיה כל דרכי התור׳ והעבודה ע״פ בחינת משה.
Now, the entire Torah is called by his name, “the Torah of Moshe”: “Moshe commanded us the Torah,” etc. That is, all the ways of Torah and of [divine] service should be according to the level of Moshe.
The whole Torah is named after Moshe, “the Torah of Moshe,” and “Moshe commanded us the Torah.” This means that all of a person’s Torah study and divine service should be in the manner of Moshe.
וכמארז״ל כל האומר אין לי אלא תורה3 אפי׳ תורה אין לו.4 רק שצריך להיות תורת משה בבחינת בטול באוא״ס ב״ה לגמרי.
As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Whoever says, ‘I have nothing but Torah,’ does not have even Torah.” Rather, it must be the Torah of Moshe, in the level of complete self-nullification (bittul) in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He.
The Sages said that one who says “I have nothing but Torah” does not have even Torah. Torah must be “the Torah of Moshe”: learned in complete self-nullification to the Infinite Light, not held as one’s own achievement.
Torah is “the Torah of Moshe” because it must be learned with Moshe’s self-nullification; Torah held as one’s own possession is not Torah at all.
Or HaTorah, cited in the note, quotes the Yalkut at the end of Malachi: the Torah is called by Moshe’s name because he gave his life for it.
Marei mekomos
- 1נק׳ תורת משה · ראה אוה״ת נ״ך ע׳ תקסא. באוה״ת כרך ז ע׳ ב׳תשסז ”ע״י שנתן נפשו עלי׳” בילקוט סוף מלאכי. וראה בסה״מ תרכ״ז ע׳ תסח עוד ביאור למה נק׳ התורה תורת משה.
- 2תורה צוה לנו משה · Deuteronomy 33:4
- 3כל האומר אין לי אלא תורה · בלקו״ת במדבר ד, ב. מציין לכאן.
- 4כל האומר אין לי אלא תורה אפי׳ תורה אין לו · Yevamot 109b:4–5
15וכמ״ש ולא תחללו1 שלא להיות בחינת חלל. כמאמר דוחק רגלי השכינה2 כביכול אלא כמאמר אתה הוא עד שלא נבה״ע ואתה הוא משנבה״ע.
As it is written, “And you shall not profane (sechalelu),” [meaning] not to be in the state of a void (chalal), as in the saying, “pushing the feet of the Shechinah (Divine Presence),” as it were; but rather as in the saying, “You are He before the world was created, and You are He since the world was created”:
The verse “You shall not profane (sechalelu) My holy Name” is read as “do not make a chalal, an empty space”: do not act as though there were a place void of G‑d. The Talmud says one who walks with haughty bearing “pushes the feet of the Shechinah,” as though there were no room for Him; instead, a person should live by “You are He before the world was created, and You are He since.”
הוא ממש בלי שום שינוי דכמו שהי׳ עד שלא נבה״ע ממלא את הכל וגם המקום הזה שנברא בו העולם כך עתה כו׳.
truly He, without any change at all; for just as before the world was created He filled everything, including this very place in which the world was created, so [it is] now, etc.
G‑d is truly the same, without any change: just as before creation He filled everything, including the very place where the world now stands, so it is now.
Moshe’s self-nullification means not making G‑d’s presence into an absence through self-assertion, and knowing that He fills creation now exactly as He did before it.
Marei mekomos
- 1ולא תחללו · Leviticus 22:32
- 2דוחק רגלי השכינה · Berakhot 43b:19–20
16ואיך הוא זה והרי העולם מעלים כו׳ אלא היינו ע״י עסק התורה דאורייתא מחכמה נפקת וכתיב הוי׳ בחכמה יסד1 וגו׳
But how is this so, when the world conceals, etc.? Rather, this is through occupation with the Torah, for the Torah comes forth from Chochmah (wisdom), and it is written, “Havayah founded [the earth] with Chochmah,” etc.;
How can there be no concealment, when the world plainly conceals G‑d? Through Torah study: the Torah comes from Chochmah, G‑d’s wisdom, as in “Havayah founded the earth with Chochmah.”
שבחכמה שורה אא״ס ב״ה שהחכמה היא היא בחינת בטול כח מ״ה ולכך גם האדם שלומד התורה הרי בכל דבר הלכה או אגדה שלומד מלובש בה בחי׳ חכמה
for the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, rests in Chochmah, since Chochmah is itself the level of self-nullification (bittul), ko’ach mah (“the potential of ‘what’”). Therefore, also for a person who learns Torah: in every matter, whether halachah or aggadah, that he learns, the level of Chochmah is enclothed in it,
The Infinite Light rests in Chochmah because Chochmah is self-nullification: the word is read as ko’ach mah, “the potential of ‘what’,” a power that does not feel itself as anything. So in every law or teaching a person learns, Chochmah is enclothed.
שבה מלובש אוא״ס ב״ה וא״כ הוא בבחי׳ בטול בשעת עסק התורה לחכמתו ית׳ ואין מעלים ומסתיר מאחר שאין נראה ליש ודבר נפרד בפ״ע רק שהיא חכמתו ית׳ הבטלה אליו ואין עוד מלבדו.2
in which the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is enclothed. If so, at the time of occupation with the Torah he is in a state of self-nullification to His wisdom, may He be blessed, and nothing conceals and hides, since [the Torah] does not appear as a something (yesh), a thing separate unto itself, but [only] as His wisdom, may He be blessed, which is nullified to Him, and “there is nothing else besides Him.”
Since the Infinite Light is enclothed in that Chochmah, the learner is nullified to G‑d’s wisdom while he learns. Nothing then hides G‑d, because the Torah does not appear as a separate thing but as His wisdom, nullified to Him: “there is nothing else besides Him.”
Torah study removes the world’s concealment, because the Torah is G‑d’s Chochmah, itself pure self-nullification, in which the Infinite Light rests.
Marei mekomos
- 1הוי׳ בחכמה יסד · Proverbs 3:19
- 2ואין עוד מלבדו · Deuteronomy 4:35
17ועל זה נאמר ואשים דברי בפיך1 דברי ממש ופי׳ דברי בפיך היינו בחי׳ פנימית. ובצל ידי כסיתיך הן בחי׳ מקיפים שאוא״ס ב״ה שורה ומתגלה בו בבחי׳ פנימי׳ ובחי׳ מקיף
And of this it is said, “And I have put My words in your mouth”: My words, literally. And the meaning of “My words in your mouth” is the level of the inner [light] (pnimi); and “in the shadow of My hand I have covered you” is the level of the encompassing [lights] (makifim): that the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, rests and is revealed in him at the level of inner [light] and the level of encompassing [light];
Isaiah says, “I have put My words in your mouth, and in the shadow of My hand I have covered you.” The words of Torah are G‑d’s own words, an inner light the learner takes in; “the shadow of My hand” is encompassing light around him. So the Infinite Light rests on him and is revealed in him, within and around.
וע״י כן הוא כובש מלחמת עמלק שהוא היש כו׳ כי ביטול זה הוא הפך היש והוא המכניע ומשבר המחיצה של ברזל2 כו׳
and thereby he prevails in the war against Amalek, which is the yesh, etc.; for this self-nullification (bittul) is the opposite of the yesh, and it is what subdues and breaks the iron partition, etc.
This bittul is the opposite of Amalek’s yesh, the inflated self, so it wins the war against him and breaks the iron partition.
וזהו ועשית ציץ3 דקאי על משה שהוא הוא העוש׳ את הציץ להיות יציץ נזרו4 של אור האהבה רבה להיות מציץ מן החרכים5 וזורח
And this is [the meaning of] “And you shall make a tzitz,” which refers to Moshe: he is the one who makes the tzitz, so that there be “his crown will shine (yatzitz)” of the light of great love (ahavah rabbah), to be “peering (meitzitz) through the lattices” and shining forth
So “You shall make a tzitz” is addressed to Moshe: he is the one who makes the tzitz, the shining of great love, so that it “peers through the lattices” and shines.
ע״י עשיית חרכים וחלונות שבירת המחיצה שהן הרהורי תשובה מבחי׳ בטול אנשי משה וכמ״ש בחר לנו6 וגו׳ כנ״ל.7
through the making of lattices and windows, the breaking of the partition, which are thoughts of teshuvah from the level of the self-nullification of the men of Moshe, as it is written, “Choose for us,” etc., as mentioned above.
It shines through lattices and windows, openings in the partition made by thoughts of teshuvah that come from the self-nullification of the men of Moshe, as in “Choose for us men.”
Torah puts G‑d’s words within the learner and His light around him; this self-nullification defeats Amalek, and so Moshe, through his men, makes the tzitz, opening the partition for great love to shine.
This answers the question raised in Torah Chaim’s version of the maamar (note on paragraph 1): why the verse tells Moshe himself to make the tzitz.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואשים דברי בפיך · Isaiah 51:16
- 2והוא המכניע ומשבר המחיצה של ברזל · בלקו״ת נשא כה, א מציין לד״ה זה.
- 3ועשית ציץ · Exodus 28:36
- 4יציץ נזרו · Psalms 132:18
- 5מציץ מן החרכים · Song of Songs 2:9
- 6בחר לנו · Exodus 17:9
- 7ואשים דברים בפיך . . ובצל ידי כסיתיך · ישעי׳ נא. טז.
Gold, seal and the two levels of Havayah ¶18–22
18וציץ זה הוא זהב טהור הוא בחי׳ מעלת הזהב על הכסף. ושתיהן הן בחי׳ אהבה
And this tzitz is pure gold: [this] is the level of the superiority of gold over silver. And both of them are the level of love,
The tzitz is of pure gold, which ranks above silver. Both metals stand for love.
as it is written, “Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold,” etc.; only, silver is the level of coolness, and gold is the level of the “flashes of fire” of love.
Both belong to G‑d, “Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold,” but silver is a cool, calm love, and gold is love like “flashes of fire.” The tzitz, the great love from above, is the fiery kind.
The gold of the tzitz is the fiery love, above the cooler love that silver stands for.
Marei mekomos
- 1לי הכסף ולי הזהב · Haggai 2:8
- 2רשפי אש האהבה · Song of Songs 8:6
“And you shall engrave upon it, the engravings of a seal”: these are the letters of the Torah, for “the seal of the Holy One, blessed be He, is truth,” and “there is no truth but Torah.”
The engraving on the tzitz stands for the letters of the Torah. The Talmud calls G‑d’s seal “truth,” and the Jerusalem Talmud says that truth is Torah, so the Torah’s letters are His seal.
ונק׳ בחי׳ חותם כי התורה אשר לפנינו שנתלבשה בענינים גשמיים היא היא בחי׳ חותם כדמיון האותיות שנחקקים5 על השעוה שאינו מערך ומהות האותיות שבמחשבה או בדבור רק מ״מ הן אותיות עצמן שנצטיירו ונתגשמו כו׳.
And it is called the level of a seal because the Torah that is before us, which has become enclothed in physical matters, is itself the level of a seal, like letters impressed in wax, which are not of the order and essence of the letters in thought or in speech; but nevertheless they are the letters themselves, which have taken form and become physical, etc.
The Torah we have, clothed in physical matters, is like a seal’s impression in wax: not of the same order as the letters in thought or speech, yet truly the same letters, given form and made physical.
The Torah as we have it is G‑d’s seal pressed into physical matters: lower than its source, yet the very same letters.
Sefer HaMaamarim 5627, quoted in the note, develops the image: letters engraved on a precious stone cannot be read because of its brilliance until they are pressed into wax, where its coarseness shows them clearly; yet the letters in the wax are exactly those on the stone. So the Torah, though clothed in physical things, is in its root exactly as it is above.
Marei mekomos
- 1ופתחת עליו פתוחי חותם · Exodus 28:36
- 2חותמו של הקב״ה אמת · Shabbat 55a:12
- 3ואין אמת אלא תורה · ירושלמי ר״ה ג, ח.
- 4ואין אמת אלא תורה · Jerusalem Talmud Rosh Hashanah 3:9
- 5כדמיון האותיות שנחקקים · Gittin 20a
20וכך הנה כתיב בצלמנו כדמותנו1 דקאי על התורה שבע״פ שהיא בחי׳ דמות ודמיון בעלמא שהיא בחי׳ חותם עד״מ כאותיות הנחקקין על השעוה כו׳
And so it is written, “In our image, after our likeness,” which refers to the Oral Torah, which is merely the level of a likeness and resemblance, which is the level of a seal, by way of analogy, like letters impressed in wax, etc.
“In our image, after our likeness” is applied to the Oral Torah, which is only a “likeness” of the higher wisdom, like a seal’s impression in wax.
אעפ״כ יסודתה בהררי קדש2 העליון ח״ע שבכל הלכה כו׳ וע״י זה נמשך בחי׳ קדש העליון בעסק התורה והמצות בבחי׳ פנימי׳ ומקיפין שהתורה היא פנימית והמצות הן לבושין ומקיפין
Nevertheless, “its foundation is in the mountains of holiness,” the supernal Kodesh (holiness), the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah) that is in every halachah, etc. And through this the level of the supernal Kodesh is drawn down through occupation with the Torah and the mitzvos, at the level of inner [light] and encompassing [lights]: for the Torah is inner, and the mitzvos are garments and encompassing [lights],
Even so, its foundation is “in the mountains of holiness”: the supernal Kodesh, the higher Chochmah, present in every law. Through it this supernal holiness is drawn down when a person engages in Torah and mitzvos, the Torah as an inner light and the mitzvos as garments and encompassing lights.
כמאמר אשר קדשנו במצותיו והנה המשכה זו היא בחי׳ קדש למ״ד למטה והוי׳ למעלה שבחי׳ קדש עדיין היא נק׳ למטה מבחי׳ הוי׳ כי
as in the saying, “Who has sanctified us with His mitzvos.” Now, this drawing-down is the level of “Kodesh [and the letter] lamed below, and Havayah above”: for the level of Kodesh is still called “below” the level of Havayah. For
Hence the blessing “Who has sanctified us with His mitzvos”: mitzvos bring holiness. This drawing-down is the “Kodesh below” of the tzitz, for holiness, however lofty, is still below the level of Havayah.
הנה יש ב׳ בחי׳3 הוי׳ כמ״ש ויעבר הוי׳ על פניו4 ויקרא הוי׳ הוי׳ ופסיק טעמא בינייהו כי הן ב׳ בחי׳ כי ענין הוי׳ מורה שהוא מהוה כל ההוויות מאין ליש5 כו׳
there are two levels of Havayah, as it is written, “And Havayah passed before him and called: Havayah, Havayah,” and the cantillation separates between them, for they are two levels. For the meaning of Havayah indicates that He brings all beings (havayos) into being from nothing to something, etc.,
There are two levels of Havayah, as in the Thirteen Attributes, “Havayah, Havayah,” where the cantillation separates the two Names. The Name Havayah speaks of “bringing into being” (mehaveh): G‑d brings all beings into existence from nothing.
ע״י שעלה ברצונו כך ויש מקור ושרש לזה להיות עולה כך ברצונו ולהיות מקור להוות כל ההוויות והוא הוי׳ הראשון שהוא לרצון לפני הוי״ה הב׳ ונק׳ רעוא דרעוין:6
through its having arisen thus in His will; and there is a source and root for this, for it to arise thus in His will and to be a source for bringing all beings into being: that is the first Havayah, which is “for ratzon (will) before” the second Havayah, and is called “the will of wills” (ra’ava dera’avin).
He brings them into being because it arose so in His will. That will has its own source, the first Havayah, which is “for ratzon (will) before” the second Havayah and is called “the will of wills.”
Torah and mitzvos draw down Kodesh, the higher Chochmah; yet above it stands Havayah, and within Havayah itself a first level, the will of wills, that precedes the Havayah that creates.
The Beshalach discourse cited in the note likewise speaks of two Names of Havayah, a lower Havayah that brings the worlds into being from nothing, and a higher one. Or HaTorah, quoted in the note, explains mehaveh as bringing all that exists into being, since whatever exists can be called hoveh, as in “Be (hoveh) master over your brothers” (Genesis 27:29).
Marei mekomos
- 1בצלמנו כדמותינו · Genesis 1:26
- 2יסודתה בהררי קדש · Psalms 87:1
- 3כי הנה יש ב׳ בחי׳ הוי׳ · ראה לעיל פ׳ בשלח סא, ד.
- 4ויעבר ה׳ על פניו · Exodus 34:6
- 5שהוא מהוה כל ההוויות מאין ליש · ”ר״ל שהוא מהוה כל הנמצאות, כי כל דבר שנמצא ונברא שייך לקרותו הוה מלשון הוה גביר לאחיך בפ׳ תולדות כז, כט” — אוה״ת תצוה ע׳ א׳תשיא.
- 6הוי׳ הראשון . . הב׳ ונק׳ רעוא דרעוין · ראה בכ״ז בארוכה בד״ה נשא את ראש תער״ב.
21וזהו ויקרא1 הוי׳ הוי׳. שהוי׳ הא׳ קורא וממשיך הוי׳ הב׳ להיות נאצלות ומתגלות י״ג מכילין דרחמי שהן מקורות כל ההוויות2 וכל ההשתלשלות ובחי׳ הוי׳ הא׳ הוא למעלה מעלה מבחי׳ קדש ונקרא רעוא דרעוין.
And this is [the meaning of] “And He called: Havayah, Havayah”: the first Havayah calls and draws forth the second Havayah, so that the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy (yud-gimmel mechilin derachamei) are emanated and revealed, which are the sources of all beings and of the entire chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus). And the level of the first Havayah is far, far above the level of Kodesh, and is called “the will of wills” (ra’ava dera’avin).
So “And He called: Havayah, Havayah” means that the first Havayah calls forth the second, so that the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are emanated and revealed; these are the sources of all beings and of the whole chain of worlds. The first Havayah, far above Kodesh, is the will of wills.
The first Havayah, the will of wills, calls forth the second, the source of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy and of all creation.
Or HaTorah, quoted in the note, adds that the Thirteen Attributes, though very lofty, still belong to the level of “world,” as it is written, “Remember Your mercies and Your kindnesses, for they are from of old (me’olam).”
Marei mekomos
- 1ויקרא הוי׳ הוי׳ · Exodus 34:6
- 2י״ג מכילין דרחמי שהן מקורות כל ההוויות · ”כי באמת יג״מ הרחמים אף שהן מדרגות עליונות מאד מ״מ הן שייכים לבחי׳ עולם כמ״ש זכור רחמיך וחסדיך כי מעולם המה” — אוה״ת תצוה ע׳ א׳תשיא.
22וע״י עסק התורה והמצות הנ״ל בבחי׳ הנ״ל נמשך שיהי׳ קדש למ״ד למטה היא בחי׳ אתעדל״ת והוי״ה למעלה היא אתעדל״ע
And through the occupation with Torah and mitzvos mentioned above, in the manner mentioned above, it comes about that there is “Kodesh [and the letter] lamed below,” which is the level of the arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), “and Havayah above,” which is the arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila).
Through Torah and mitzvos as described, both lines of the tzitz come about: “Kodesh below” is the arousal from below, a person’s own service; “Havayah above” is the arousal from above that answers it.
כי על ידי עסק התורה שהיא חכמתו ורצונו יתברך הרי כמים הפנים1 כו׳ ורוח אייתי רוח ואמשיך רוח רצון עליון רעוא דרעוין
For through occupation with the Torah, which is His wisdom and will, may He be blessed, “as water [reflects] the face,” etc., and “spirit brings spirit and draws down spirit”: the Supernal Will, the will of wills (ra’ava dera’avin).
Since the Torah is G‑d’s wisdom and will, engaging in it works like a reflection in water, face answering face: a person’s spirit draws down a spirit from above, the Supernal Will, the will of wills.
ועל ידי זה נעשה גלוי רעותא דלבא ואור האהבה עליונה בנפש בלי מסך מבדיל מחיצה מפסקת כו׳ עד שיהי׳ על מצח אהרן2 ג״כ גילוי בחי׳ זו:
And through this there comes about a revelation of the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba) and of the light of the higher love in the soul, without a separating screen [or] dividing partition, etc., until there is a revelation of this level upon Aharon’s forehead too.
This reveals the desire of the heart and the light of the higher love in the soul, with no partition in the way, until it is revealed even on “Aharon’s forehead.”
Torah and mitzvos, the arousal from below, awaken the arousal from above, the will of wills, which reveals the higher love in the soul without any partition, even on the forehead.
Likkutei Torah on Tazria, cited in the note on paragraph 1, defines Havayah “above” as the level that the arousal from below does not reach; here it is drawn down as the arousal from above that answers it.
Marei mekomos
- 1כמים הפנים · Proverbs 27:19
- 2על מצח אהרן · Exodus 28:38
The forehead ¶23–29
23וביאור ענין המצח הוא כמו עד״מ בגשמיו׳ שיש בתלת חללי דגלגלתא תלת מוחין חב״ד. ויש גולגלתא דחפיא על מוחא.
The explanation of the matter of the forehead: just as, by way of analogy, in physical terms, there are three brains, Chochmah, Binah and Daas, in the three cavities of the skull, and there is a skull that covers the brain.
To explain the forehead, the Alter Rebbe uses the body as an analogy: the skull has three cavities holding three “brains,” Chochmah, Binah and Daas, and the skull covers them.
כך ברוחני׳ הנה המוחין הם חב״ד והדעת הוא הכח המקשר את חכ׳ ובינה להיות תקועה בחוזק בל ימוט שכאשר נגמר בכח חכמתו ובינתו בגדולת א״ס ב״ה כך תהא נפשו קשורה בה׳ לבדו.
So too in spiritual terms: the intellect (mochin) is Chochmah, Binah and Daas, and Daas is the power that binds Chochmah and Binah, so that [the matter] be fixed firmly, never to be moved; so that, just as [the matter] has been concluded by the power of his Chochmah and Binah regarding the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, so his soul shall be bound to G‑d alone.
In the soul too the intellect is Chochmah, Binah and Daas. Daas binds Chochmah and Binah so that what is understood stays firmly fixed; once a person has grasped G‑d’s greatness, Daas binds his soul to G‑d alone in the same way.
The analogy of the skull and its three brains introduces Daas, the power that binds what the mind has understood to the soul.
24והנה במוחין דחב״ד שם הוא גילוי אא״ס ב״ה בהתבוננות בסדר התפלה וכיוצא בה איך שברוך שאמר והי׳ העולם ויחיד ומיוחד וחי העולמים מלך וישתבח שמך כו׳.
Now, in the intellect (mochin) of Chochmah, Binah and Daas there is the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, through contemplation in the order of prayer and the like: how “Blessed is He Who spoke and the world came to be,” and “Unique and singular, and Life of the worlds, King,” and “May Your Name be praised,” etc.
During prayer the intellect reveals the Infinite Light, as a person contemplates the words he says in the order of the prayers: “Blessed is He Who spoke and the world came to be,” “Unique and singular, Life of the worlds, King,” “May Your Name be praised.”
וכך הוא התקשרות הדעת בגילוי עוצם התשוקה והתענוג. אך יש בחי׳ גלגלתא דחפי׳ על מוחא וכנגד הדעת הוא המצח שהוא הכסוי על הדעת להעלים גלוי הדעת וההתקשרות.
And so is the binding of Daas: with a revelation of the intensity of longing and delight (taanug). But there is the level of “the skull that covers the brain”; and corresponding to Daas is the forehead, which is the covering over Daas, to conceal the revelation of Daas and the binding.
Daas then binds the person to G‑d with intense longing and delight. But just as the skull covers the brain, the forehead, which corresponds to Daas, is a covering over Daas that hides this revelation and bond.
In prayer, Daas binds the soul to G‑d with longing and delight; the forehead is the covering over Daas that hides that bond afterward.
25ולכן אחר התפלה חולפת ועוברת כו׳ וצריך לחזור ולהתפלל בכל יום1 לעורר את האהבה וע״ז נאמר והיו הדברים האלה2 אשר אנכי מצוך היום.
Therefore, after prayer [the love] passes and fades, etc., and one must pray again every day to arouse the love. And of this it is said, “And these words, which I command you today, shall be.”
That is why the love of prayer fades once prayer is over, and one must pray again each day to awaken it. The verse speaks of “these words, which I command you today.”
ואמרו רז״ל בכל יום3 יהיו בעיניך כחדשים לחדש את האהבה. כי לפי שהוא ית׳ מחדש בכ״י תמיד מע״ב לכך גם האהבה מתחדשת כו׳.
And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Every day they shall be in your eyes as new”: to renew the love. For since He, may He be blessed, renews the work of creation every day, constantly, therefore the love too is renewed, etc.
The Sages read “today” to mean that the words should be new in your eyes every day; here that means renewing the love. Since G‑d renews the work of creation every day, the love too is renewed.
Because the love of prayer fades, it must be renewed every day, just as G‑d renews creation every day.
Marei mekomos
- 1בכל יום יהיו בעיניך · Sifrei Devarim 33:1
- 2והיו הדברים האלה · Deuteronomy 6:6
- 3בכל יום יהיו בעיניך כחדשים · Deuteronomy 6:6
26והנה כאשר לבבו פונה זה לכרמו כו׳ יכול להיות מן הנפילים להמשיך לבו אחר תענוגי עוה״ז שהן רבוי והגדלת היש.
Now, when his heart turns, “this one to his vineyard,” etc., he can become one of the fallen (nefilim), drawing his heart after the delights (taanug) of this world, which are the multiplication and aggrandizement of self-existence (yesh).
When people leave prayer and turn each “to his vineyard,” to his own affairs, a person can fall, drawing his heart after the pleasures of this world, which only multiply and inflate the self (yesh).
וכתי׳ תועבת ה׳ כל גבה לב1 אפי׳ בחי׳ חיצוני׳ שהן הנהגת הלבושין כנ״ל וארז״ל אין אני והוא יכולים לדור2 כאחת.
And it is written, “Every haughty heart is an abomination to G‑d”: even the outer level, which is the conduct of the garments mentioned above. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “I and he cannot dwell together.”
Scripture calls every haughty heart an abomination to G‑d, and this includes the outward kind described above, the honor-seeking conduct of dress. The Talmud says that of the arrogant G‑d says, “I and he cannot dwell together.”
Turning from prayer to worldly pursuits can make a person fall into self-inflation, which G‑d abhors and with which He cannot dwell.
Marei mekomos
- 1תועבת ה׳ כל גבה לב · Proverbs 16:5
- 2אין אני והוא יכולים לדור · Sotah 5a:14
27וכמ״ש אין דעת1 אלהים בארץ שכאשר הוא מושקע בארציות וחומריות אין בו דעת אלהים והתקשרות. אך כ״ז הוא בבחי׳ עכו״ם שנקראו כך ע״ש שהם אומות ומקורות לכל עניני עוה״ז.
As it is written, “There is no knowledge of G‑d in the land”: when he is sunk in earthiness and materiality, there is no knowledge of G‑d and no bond [with Him] in him. But all this is at the level of the akum (“worshippers of stars and constellations”), who are so called because they are nations (umos) and sources for all the matters of this world.
“There is no knowledge of G‑d in the land” describes a person sunk in earthiness, with no knowledge of G‑d and no bond with Him. Such total immersion belongs to the level called akum, “worshippers of stars and constellations,” a name the text explains: “they are umos and sources for all the matters of this world.” Beside “sources,” the printed umos (“nations”) may be meant as imos (“mothers”): the stars and constellations, the object of that worship, would then be the “mothers” and sources of all worldly matters.
משא״כ בבחי׳ ישראל יכול להיות עצת חכמינו ז״ל עשה מלאכתך עראי2 וטפל לבד בבחי׳ קרירות כמו שכפאו שד כו׳.
Whereas at the level of Israel, there can be [fulfilled] the counsel of our Sages, of blessed memory, “Make your work casual,” and secondary only, in a manner of coolness, as one compelled by a demon, etc.
At the level of Israel, by contrast, a person can follow the Sages’ counsel to make work casual and secondary, doing it coolly, as though compelled. As the word “level” shows, the text is contrasting two ways a person can stand toward the world.
Being wholly sunk in worldly affairs, without knowledge of G‑d, belongs to the level of akum; at the level of Israel a person can keep his work casual and secondary.
Marei mekomos
- 1אין דעת אלקים בארץ · Hosea 4:1
- 2עשה מלאכתך עראי · אבות פ״א מ״ט.
28וזהו והי׳ על מצח אהרן1 שגם אחר התפלה שחולפת ועוברת האהבה מ״מ נשאר רשימו על בחי׳ מצח שהוא כיסוי שעל הדעת
And this is [the meaning of] “And it shall be upon Aharon’s forehead”: that even after prayer, when the love passes and fades, nevertheless an impression (reshimu) remains on the level of the forehead, which is the covering over Daas,
This is the meaning of “upon Aharon’s forehead”: after prayer the love fades, but an impression (reshimu) of it remains on the forehead, the covering over Daas.
דהיינו בחינת חיצוניות החב״ד והוא ענין רצון פשוט לדבקה בו ית׳ בלי עומק התבוננות כבשעת התפלה רק הסכמת הלב מחיצוניות הדעת אחר אשר נגמר בדעתו כך בשעת התפלה
that is, the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of Chochmah, Binah and Daas. And this is a simple will to cleave to Him, may He be blessed, without depth of contemplation as at the time of prayer, but only the heart’s assent, from the outer dimension of Daas, after he has concluded thus in his Daas at the time of prayer;
That impression is the outer level of the intellect: a simple will to cleave to G‑d, without the deep contemplation of prayer, the heart’s assent that follows from what the person concluded in prayer.
כי הגם שגילוי עוצם התשוקה והתענוג שבדעת חלף ועבר אחר התפלה מ״מ רשימו ניכר להיות רצון והסכמת הלב לדבקה בו ית׳ ולהיות מלאכתו עראי וטפל ותורתו קבע ועיקר.
for although the revelation of the intensity of longing and delight (taanug) that is in Daas has passed and gone after prayer, nevertheless a noticeable impression [remains]: to have a will and the heart’s assent to cleave to Him, may He be blessed, and to make his work casual and secondary and his Torah fixed and primary.
The intense longing and delight pass, but a noticeable impression remains: a will and assent to cleave to G‑d, which keeps work casual and secondary and Torah fixed and primary.
The forehead holds what remains of prayer’s love: a simple will and the heart’s assent, which keep G‑d primary all day.
Marei mekomos
- 1והי׳ על מצח אהרן · Exodus 28:38
And this will and this assent can be constant. And this is [the meaning of] “And it shall be upon his forehead always, for favor (ratzon) for them before Havayah”:
This will and assent can last all day, which is why the verse says the tzitz is on his forehead “always, for ratzon.”
שע״י אתעדל״ת זו אתערותא דלעילא לעורר רצה״ע רעוא דרעוין והתגלות בחי׳ הוי״ה המקור אל הי״ג מדה״ר שעי״ז הגילוי רצה״ע הוא נושא עון הקדשים ואתהפכא כו׳.
that through this arousal from below (isarusa dilesata) [there comes] an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila), to arouse the Supernal Will, the will of wills (ra’ava dera’avin), and the revelation of the level of Havayah that is the source of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy; for through this revelation of the Supernal Will it “bears the iniquity of the holy things,” and [there is] transformation (is’hapcha), etc.
This arousal from below awakens an arousal from above: the Supernal Will, the will of wills, and the revelation of the Havayah that is the source of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. That revelation “bears the iniquity of the holy things” and transforms it.
וכנודע שי״ג מדה״ר רחום וחנון2 נושא עון כו׳ נמשכות מבחי׳ רצון העליון. והיינו כשיהיה גילוי רצון זה גם על בחי׳ מצח אהרן (כי זה לעומת זה3 מצח אשה זונה)45
As is known, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, “compassionate and gracious,” “bearing iniquity,” etc., are drawn from the level of the Supernal Will. And this is when this revelation of will is also on the level of Aharon’s forehead (for “one opposite the other”: “a harlot’s forehead”),
The Thirteen Attributes, “compassionate and gracious… bearing iniquity,” flow from the Supernal Will, and they are revealed when the will is present on the forehead too. In the parenthesis the Alter Rebbe notes the opposite: as there is a holy forehead, so there is “a harlot’s forehead,” brazen and unashamed.
משא״כ כשאין הגילוי רצון אלא בחב״ד דהיינו בשעת תפלה לבדה בשעת התבוננות ולא כל היום כולו:
which is not so when the revelation of will is only in Chochmah, Binah and Daas, that is, only at the time of prayer, at the time of contemplation, and not the whole day long.
It is not so when the will is revealed only in the intellect, during prayer and contemplation, and not all day.
A constant will on the forehead, an arousal from below, awakens the will of wills and the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which bear and transform iniquity: this is how the tzitz atones.
This closes the circle opened in paragraph 1: the tzitz brings “favor” (ratzon) and “bears iniquity” because the steady will that remains on the forehead after prayer awakens the Supernal Will, from which the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy flow.
Marei mekomos
- 1והי׳ על מצחו תמיד לרצון להם לפני הוי״ה · Exodus 28:38
- 2רחום וחנון · Exodus 34:6
- 3זה לעומת זה · Ecclesiastes 7:14
- 4(כי זה . . מצח אשה זונה) · מוסגר זה נמצא גם בכת״י מאמרי אדה״ז.
- 5מצח אשה זונה · Jeremiah 3:3
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
Contemplate G‑d’s greatness in prayer until it becomes love, and know that what keeps understanding from reaching the heart is Amalek, the self’s arrogance, inward and in the pursuit of honor. Learn Torah as G‑d’s own wisdom, in self-nullification, which breaks that partition and opens it through thoughts of teshuvah. When prayer is over and its warmth fades, keep the impression it leaves: a simple, steady will to cleave to G‑d, so that all day your work stays casual and secondary and your Torah fixed and primary.
Questions for discussion
- Why does the maamar insist that the iron partition stands “between Israel and their Father in Heaven” and not the other way around? What does that say about where the work of removing it lies?
- How can a person understand G‑d’s greatness fully and still feel nothing? How does the maamar explain this through the letters yud-hei and vav-hei and the image of “kes Yah”?
- Why is Torah study in particular the answer to Amalek, and what is the difference between “the Torah of Moshe” and a person who says “I have nothing but Torah”?
- Holiness (Kodesh) is written below the Name on the tzitz. What does it mean that even holiness drawn down through Torah and mitzvos is “below” Havayah, and what lies above it?
- What remains on the “forehead” after the love of prayer fades, and how can something so simple atone and “bear iniquity”?
Key terms in this maamar
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being. ×18
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×11
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction. ×1
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion. ×12
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence. ×1
- Teshuvah (return)תשובה
- Returning to G‑d; not only repentance. ×2
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level.
- The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)חיצוניות
- The external, expressive aspect. ×2
- The light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)סובב כל עלמין
- Divine light too great to enter the worlds; it 'surrounds' them and affects them from beyond. ×1
- The 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. ×1
- Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
- The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×3
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×1
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×1
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×5
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- ×1
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×1
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response.
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×1
- The intellect (mochin)מוחין
- Chochmah, Binah and Daas as a whole. ×3
- Delightתענוג
- Pleasure; the inner root of will. ×2
- The reshimu (impression)רשימו
- The trace left after the tzimtzum. ×2
- An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
- Divine initiative, unprompted by us. ×1
- Tiferes (beauty)תפארת
- Harmony of kindness and restraint; associated with compassion. ×3