Torah Ohr · Parshas Toldos · Maamar 5
ראה ריח בני כריח שדה אשר ברכו ה׳
“See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field”
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The big idea
Yitzchak wanted to reveal a great encompassing light in Esav himself, but such light can transform darkness only through Yaakov. Yaakov, receiving the blessing “by guile,” drew a light beyond the whole order of the worlds down into physical Torah and mitzvos.
The maamar in brief
The maamar asks why Yitzchak prized Esav, whom he also knew never spoke G‑d’s Name. Esav is the dross of Yitzchak’s Gevurah, yet his “head” rests in Yitzchak’s bosom. Using the eleven spices of the incense, the Alter Rebbe explains: ten correspond to the ten levels of kelipah, whose holy life-force is “in exile” and swallowed up, feeding their pride; the eleventh, frankincense, is an encompassing light that sustains them from above without being swallowed. That encompassing root is Esav’s “head”: hence his pious questions, alongside an inner self empty of G‑d’s Name. Yitzchak, seeing Esav from above, wanted to draw a great light into him to free the sparks he held; but this can only happen through Yaakov, so Esav receives only a residue and must “serve his brother.” Fragrance is a rising from below, and drawing an encompassing light needs an encompassing rising: for Yaakov, this is the teshuvah of “his rebels,” a return beyond any vessel. The blessing brings light from beyond the chain of worlds, through Yitzchak’s power of measure, into physical Torah and mitzvos, and it came through guile, without Yitzchak’s knowledge, to repair the serpent’s guile.
Outline
- The question: how did Yitzchak see Esav?Esav impressed Yitzchak with pious questions, yet never said G‑d’s Name. He is the dross of Yitzchak’s Gevurah, but his “head” rests in Yitzchak’s bosom.¶1
- The eleven spices and the keliposTen spices match the ten levels of kelipah, whose holy life-force is swallowed up in exile; the eleventh, frankincense, is an encompassing light over them. That encompassing root is Esav’s “head.”¶2–4
- Sparks in Esav and Yitzchak’s intentEsav holds holy sparks, great souls to come. Yitzchak wanted to release them from Esav directly with a great added light, the supernal “dew” and “oil.”¶5–6
- Yitzchak’s mistake and Esav’s actual blessingEsav can be refined only through Yaakov; so Esav receives only part of the “richness,” the dew only “from above,” and on condition that he serve his brother.¶7
- Fragrance as the rising from belowEvery flow from above is called by a rising from below; an encompassing light needs an encompassing rising. Fragrance is that rising, and the “field which Havayah has blessed” is the rising of Malchus that needs help from above.¶8–11
- The fragrance of Yaakov: baalei teshuvahRead for Yaakov, “his garments” are “his rebels,” baalei teshuvah, who draw light beyond any vessel by contemplating G‑d’s greatness and crying out over their separation.¶12–14
- What the blessing added, and why by guileThe blessing draws light from beyond the chain of worlds into physical Torah and mitzvos through Yitzchak’s power of measure. It came without Yitzchak’s knowledge, repairing the serpent’s guile by drawing the spiritual into the physical.¶15–16
Key concepts
- Frankincense (levonah)לבונה
- The eleventh spice of the incense: an encompassing light that sustains the kelipos from above without being absorbed by them. It is Esav’s “head,” still within holiness.
- The ten crowns of impurityיו״ד כתרין דמסאבותא
- The ten levels of kelipah, which mirror the ten holy Sefiros and draw a glimmer of life from them.
- Life-force in exileחיות בסוד גלות
- Holy life-force held captive in kelipah, swallowed up so that it breeds pride rather than self-nullification.
- Encompassing and inner lightמקיף ופנימי
- Inner light enters a recipient according to its capacity; encompassing light is too great to be contained and affects it from beyond.
- Raising of mayin nukvinהעלאת מ״ן
- The rising from below (“feminine waters”) that calls forth a flow from above; its kind, inner or encompassing, determines what is drawn down.
- Fragranceריח
- Returning light rising from below, linked to Gevurah and to the refinement of fallen sparks; it “restores the soul” and draws down the encompassing light.
- Botzina dekardinusaבוצינא דקרדוניתא
- The “lamp of darkness,” the root of the Gevuros and the measuring line; Yitzchak’s source, through which added light reaches the physical world.
- Mazal versus meritמזלא / זכותא
- Merit follows the ordered measure of the worlds; mazal is a flow from above all measure, given even to one who does not deserve it.
For children · ages 9–13
The fragrance that rises up
The big idea
Every blessing from above is called down by something that rises from below, and the strongest “fragrance” rising from below is a person who returns to G‑d with all their heart.
When Yaakov came to receive his father’s blessing, Yitzchak smelled his clothes and said, “See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field which G‑d has blessed.” The maamar explains why fragrance matters so much. Every blessing that comes down from above is called down by something that rises up from below, and fragrance is that rising. A sweet apple has no fragrance, while sharp things have a strong one. The Midrash reads “his garments” (begadav) as “his rebels” (bogdav): people who do teshuvah, which means returning to G‑d. When a person thinks about how great G‑d Himself is, and cries out because they feel far from Him, their return rises higher than any measure. A person can return to G‑d in this way even if they have not sinned. Such a fragrance brings down a blessing beyond measure: G‑d’s own light shines into simple, physical things, into the study of Torah and into a sukkah, a lulav, tzitzis and tefillin. Without that blessing, the light of the Torah would have stayed spiritual alone. Through it, the highest light comes into the world we live in. This is the blessing that Yaakov received.
The mashal
A person in a deep sleep cannot think clearly; their mind is hidden. When a strong fragrance reaches them, they wake up, and their mind shines again. In the same way, the fragrance that rises from below wakes a great light above, and it shines down again.
Questions for the Shabbos table
- Why does a blessing from above need something to rise up from below first?
- Why do you think the Midrash reads Yaakov’s “garments” as people who return to G‑d?
- This week, how can you take a quiet moment to think about G‑d’s greatness and want to come closer to Him?
Explanation © likuteitorah.com, CC BY-NC 4.0: retold for children from our translation and explanation, with AI assistance; not yet reviewed by a human editor.
The question: how did Yitzchak see Esav? ¶1
1ראה ריח בני12 כריח שדה אשר3 ברכו ה׳. להבין דהא יצחק הבין שהוא עשו ואיך היה חשוב בעיניו כ״כ [כל כך]. גם באמת אינו מובן איך היה עשו בעיני יצחק.
“See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field which G‑d has blessed.” [We need] to understand: Yitzchak understood that it was Esav, so how was he so esteemed in his eyes? Also, in truth it is not understood how Esav [stood] in Yitzchak’s eyes.
The maamar opens with Yitzchak’s words as he smelled the garments of the son he was blessing. The question: Yitzchak believed it was Esav in front of him, so why would Esav’s “fragrance” move him so much, and what did Yitzchak really think of Esav?
For at one point the verse says, “for [there was] game in his mouth”: that he would deceive him with questions such as how one tithes straw, etc.
The Torah says Yitzchak loved Esav “for [there was] game in his mouth”: the Sages read this as Esav “trapping” his father with his mouth, asking pious-sounding questions such as how to tithe straw (which in fact needs no tithing). So Yitzchak seems to have thought Esav was careful about mitzvos.
ופעם אמר הכתוב הקל קול יעקב6 והיינו לפי שאמ׳ כי הקרה7 ה׳ אלהיך כו׳ וידע שעשו אין ש״ש [שם שמים] שגור בפיו.89
And at another point the verse says, “The voice is the voice of Yaakov”: that is, because he said, “for Havayah your G‑d brought it about [for me],” etc., and he knew that Esav does not have the Name of Heaven fluent on his lips.
Yet when the disguised Yaakov said “Havayah your G‑d brought it about,” Yitzchak became suspicious that this was not Esav, because Esav was not in the habit of saying G‑d’s Name. So Yitzchak also knew Esav’s inner coarseness; the two verses seem to contradict each other.
אך הענין כי הנה עשו סוספיתא דדהבא10 פסולת הגבו׳ [הגבורה] דיצחק שהוא בחי׳ מעלת הזהב על הכסף ומפסולת שלו יצא עשו ורישא דעשו בעטפוי דיצחק.11
But the matter is this: Esav is “the dross of gold” (sosfisa dedahava), the refuse of Yitzchak’s Gevurah (restraint), which is the level of the superiority of gold over silver; and from its refuse Esav came forth. And “the head of Esav [lies] in the bosom of Yitzchak.”
The answer begins with a Kabbalistic image: Esav is the “dross” left over from the refining of gold, and gold stands for Gevurah, Yitzchak’s attribute, which in holiness is higher than the “silver” of Chesed. Esav came from that refuse, yet his “head” rests in Yitzchak’s bosom: something at the top of Esav remains rooted in holiness.
The paragraph poses the maamar’s question: Yitzchak seems both to esteem Esav and to know his coarseness. It answers that Esav comes from the waste of Yitzchak’s Gevurah, while his “head” remains held within Yitzchak.
The phrase “the head of Esav in the bosom of Yitzchak” recalls the tradition, cited by the Kehot notes from Targum Yonasan ben Uziel on the account of Yaakov’s burial, that Esav’s head rolled into the Cave of Machpelah and came to rest in Yitzchak’s lap. The Chassidic reading takes the “head” as the highest, encompassing root of Esav, which never left holiness.
Marei mekomos
- 1ראה ריח בני · ב׳ נוסחאות אחרות בסה״מ תקס״ה ע׳ יז. הנחה אחרת מהמאמר עם הגהות באוה״ת כרך ד תתכט, ב. כרך ז תתתיט, א. ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. מאמר זה נזכר באוה״ת ואתחנן כרך ו ע׳ ב׳תסז. ד״ה זה בסה״מ תרל״ט ח״א ע׳ כו מיוסד על מאמר זה. וראה במ״מ לשם. ראה עבודת הלוי לא, ב.
- 2ראה ריח בני · Genesis 27:27
- 3
- 4כי ציד בפיו · Genesis 25:28
- 5איך מעשרין את התבן · בלקו״ש חכ״ה ע׳ 121 מבאר הטעם שרימה ליצחק במצות מעשר דוקא ע״ש.
- 6הקל קול יעקב · Genesis 27:22
- 7כי הקרה ה׳ אלקיך · Genesis 27:20
- 8אין ש״ש שגור בפיו · Bereshit Rabbah 65:19–20
- 9וידע שעשו אין ש״ש שגור בפיו · Rashi on Genesis 27:21
- 10עשו סוספיתא דדהבא · Zohar I, 137b
- 11ורישא דעשו בעטפוי דיצחק · Genesis 50:17
The eleven spices and the kelipos ¶2–4
2ולהבין ענין רישא הנה יש י״א סממני הקטרת הצרי והצפורן כו׳ והם כנגד יו״ד כתרין דמסאבותא1 שהוא החיות שבקדושה המחי׳ [המחיה] את זלע״ז [זה לעומת זה]
To understand the matter of the “head”: there are eleven spices of the incense, “the balsam and the onycha,” etc., and they correspond to the ten crowns of impurity (kisrin demisaavusa); this is the life-force within holiness that gives life to the “one opposite the other.”
To explain what Esav’s “head” is, the Alter Rebbe turns to the incense of the Temple, made of eleven spices. They correspond to the “ten crowns of impurity,” the structure of the unholy side, and stand for the life-force from holiness that keeps alive the side G‑d made “one opposite the other,” opposite holiness.
Kelipah has ten levels because it receives a glimmer from each of the ten holy Sefiros. Sefer Yetzirah insists holiness has exactly ten Sefiros, “not nine and not eleven,” yet the incense has eleven spices: the eleventh, the frankincense, is explained in the next paragraph.
The paragraph sets up the model of the incense: ten spices matching the ten levels of kelipah, which draw their life from the ten Sefiros of holiness, and an eleventh spice beyond them.
The Kehot note explains that they are called “crowns” because a crown sits above the head and encircles it, the image of an encompassing light. The eleventh element points to a light that sustains the kelipos from above without entering them.
Marei mekomos
- 1כתרין דמסאבותא · ונק׳ כתרין, דכתר הוא עטרה ע״ג הראש שהוא מקיף. ראה ד״ה פתח אליהו תש״ב ע׳ 82. בד״ה ויתן לך תשכ״ח הערה 17 (בסה״מ מלוקט חלק ד ע׳ סד) מציין ”ראה ע״ח שער יא (שער המלכים) פ״י. פע״ח שער ו׳ (שער הקדישים) פ״ד”.
- 2עשר ולא תשע · Zohar II, 187b
- 3עשר ולא תשע · Pardes Rimmonim 1:7–8
- 4עשר ולא תשע ולא י״א · Sefer Yetzirah 1:4
3והענין כי ע״י החיות1 שנמשך בקדושה הנה כתיב וצבא השמים לך משתחוים2 שהם בטלים מחמת שמשיגים החיות שנמשך עליהם מקדושתו ית׳ משא״כ הקליפות הם מגביהים א״ע [את עצמו] כנשר3 כו׳
The explanation: concerning the life-force (chayus) drawn forth in holiness it is written, “and the host of heaven bow down to You,” for they are nullified, because they apprehend the life-force drawn upon them from His holiness, may He be blessed. The kelipos (husks), by contrast, raise themselves up “like the eagle,” etc.,
In holiness, the created beings (“the host of heaven”) bow before G‑d because they perceive the divine life-force that sustains them, and so they are nullified before it. The kelipos, though also kept alive by holiness, do the opposite: they lift themselves up “like the eagle,” in pride.
בחוצפה והיינו לפי שהחיות הנמשך אליהם הוא אצלם בסוד גלות4 ולפיכך הגם שנמשך אליהם מחיות דקדושה אינם בטלים ואדרבה מגביהים א״ע [את עצמו] כנשר כו׳5 והחיות שנמשך להם הוא נבלע בתוכם.6
with brazenness. This is because the life-force drawn to them is, within them, in the mode of exile; therefore, even though they receive life-force from holiness, they are not nullified. On the contrary, they raise themselves up “like the eagle,” etc., and the life-force drawn to them is swallowed up within them.
The reason is that the holy life-force inside them is “in exile”: it is held captive and hidden, so they do not feel it as divine. Instead of making them humble, it is swallowed into them and feeds their sense of self.
אך כיצד הם חיים וקיימים מקדושה מאחר שהחיות נבלע בתוכם הנה זהו ענין לבונה7 שבי״א סממני הקטורת שהוא אור המקיף עליהם מלמעלה8 ואינו נבלע בתוכם.
But how, then, do they live and endure from holiness, since the life-force is swallowed up within them? This is the matter of the frankincense (levonah) among the eleven spices of the incense: it is the encompassing light (Or Makif) above them, which is not swallowed up within them.
This raises a problem: if the holy life-force is swallowed up inside them, what keeps them in existence? The answer is the eleventh spice, the frankincense: an encompassing light that shines on them from above and is never absorbed into them.
The paragraph explains the difference between holiness and kelipah in how they receive divine life, and introduces the frankincense as an encompassing light that sustains the kelipos from above.
The Kehot notes connect this with Torah Ohr, Bereshis, where the frankincense is “wholly good” because it only surrounds the kelipos and never mixes with them; and with Likkutei Torah, Tazria, which cites this maamar for the idea that the Infinite Light shines on the kelipos only as a makif. The Or HaTorah on Nach, as the note reports, adds that this makif is very high, rooted in the encompassing light of the world of Tohu.
Marei mekomos
- 1והענין כי ע״י החיות · בכת״י 1099: על החיות. ראה אוה״ת תבוא ע׳ תתרעב.
- 2וצבא השמים לך משתחוים · Nehemiah 9:6
- 3מגביהים א״ע כנשר · Obadiah 1:4
- 4שהחיות . . אצלם בסוד גלות · ראה הערות וקיצורים לתניא לכ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ לפרק ו. ובליקוט פי׳ שם ובאוה״ת כאן.
- 5שו״ה ואדרבה — א״ע כנשר כו׳ · בבוך 1824 בשינוים: א״ע בחופצה וגסה״ר והיינו לפי שהחיות הנמשך אליהם הוא בסוד גלות נבלע בתוכם: הנה זהו.
- 6הוא נבלע בתוכם · מענין הבליעה — ראה בד״ה פתח אליהו תש״ב ע׳ 80.
- 7הנה זהו ענין לבונה · ראה לעיל ה, ג. המשך זאת חנוכת המזבח תר״מ סעי׳ יז. בלקו״ת שה״ש י, א מציין לכאן. מובא בביאוה״ז להצ״צ כרך ב ע׳ תתקמו. ושם מציין לאוה״ת חנוכה כרך ב רפב, ב.
- 8שהוא אור המקיף עליהם מלמעלה · ראה לקו״ת תזריע כג, ד. ובהמשך תער״ב ר״פ רי. באוה״ת נ״ך כרך א ע׳ תקלג מבאר שכאן נתבאר דזה המקיף הוא בחי׳ גבוה ושרשו ממקיף דתהו שלמעלה מהתיקון ע״ש.
4ולפי שהוא אור המקיף מלמעלה מן הדעת שלהם ואינם מרגישים בו והחיות שנמשך להם בפנימית נבלע כנ״ל לפיכך הם מתגאים ומגביהים א״ע [את עצמו] בחוצפה כנ״ל.
And because it is an encompassing light, above their awareness, and they do not sense it, while the life-force drawn to them inwardly is swallowed up, as explained above, therefore they grow haughty and raise themselves up with brazenness, as explained above.
Because the frankincense light stays above the kelipos’ awareness, they never feel it; and the inner life-force is swallowed up. So nothing in their experience humbles them, and they become proud and brazen.
ובחי׳ לבונה הוא המחבר י״ס [י׳ ספירות] דקדושה להאיר לע״ס [לעשר ספירות] דמסאבותא והוא רישא דעשו דהיינו בחי׳ המקיף מלמעלה הוא נכלל בעטפוי דיצחק ממש בקדושה
The level of frankincense is what joins the ten Sefiros of holiness so that they shine into the ten Sefiros of impurity. And it is “the head of Esav”: that is, the level of the encompassing [light] from above is included in “the bosom of Yitzchak,” truly within holiness.
Frankincense is the link that lets the holy Sefiros shine into the unholy ones. This encompassing light is “the head of Esav”: the highest point of Esav, which remains inside holiness, in Yitzchak’s bosom.
ולכן מצד בחינת המקיף עשו שואל איך מעשרין את התבן ומצד הפנימיות אין ש״ש [שם שמים] שגור בפיו:
Therefore, from the side of the level of the encompassing [light], Esav asks how one tithes straw; and from the side of the inner dimension (pnimiyus), the Name of Heaven is not fluent on his lips.
This resolves the opening question. From his encompassing root Esav really did have a pull toward mitzvos, like asking about tithing; but his inner self, where holy life-force was swallowed up, left him without G‑d’s Name on his lips.
The paragraph applies the model to Esav: his “head” is the encompassing light that stays in holiness, and his inner self is where the holy life-force is swallowed. This explains both sides of Yitzchak’s view of him.
Sparks in Esav and Yitzchak’s intent ¶5–6
Now it is known that the life-force in the ten crowns of impurity is because “he swallowed wealth, and he will vomit it up,” and “[there is] a time when man rules over man to his harm.”
The kelipos have life because they have “swallowed” holy sparks which they will eventually have to give up (“he swallowed wealth and will vomit it up”). Likewise, the time when evil rules over man is “to its harm”: its power will end by yielding the good it holds.
והוא מפני הנצוצות שנפלו בהם בתחלת בריאת העולם בשבה״כ [בשבירת הכלים] וימלך וימת3 כו׳ וגם4 מחמת חטא עה״ד [עץ הדעת]
This is because of the sparks that fell into them at the beginning of the world’s creation, in the shattering of the vessels (“and he reigned, and he died,” etc.), and also on account of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge,
The sparks fell into the kelipos in two ways: through the “shattering of the vessels” at the start of creation, which the Torah alludes to in the kings of Edom who “reigned” and “died,” and through Adam’s sin with the Tree of Knowledge.
כמ״ש בס׳ הגלגולים5 ולפיכך נמשך להם החיות בם6 שהוא בסוד גלות כמארז״ל [כמאמר רבותינו זכרונם לברכה] לא גלו ישראל7 אלא כדי להוסיף עליהם גרי׳ וכן בעשו היו ניצוצות כמו ר״מ [רבי מאיר]
as is written in Sefer HaGilgulim. Therefore the life-force is drawn to them, being in them in the mode of exile, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Israel was exiled only so that converts would be added to them.” So too in Esav there were sparks, such as Rabbi Meir
Because the sparks are held captive, the life-force in the kelipos is “in exile.” The Sages say Israel was exiled to gather converts, meaning to raise the sparks scattered among the nations. Esav, too, contained holy sparks, which the tradition identifies with great souls who descended from him or came from his side, starting with Rabbi Meir.
ואונקלוס ושמעי׳ [ושמעיין] ואבטליון ועובדיה ומהם הי׳ [היה] ציד בפיו והי׳ [והיה] רוצה יצחק להוציא ממנו בעצמו שלא ע״י יעקב
and Onkelos, Shemayah and Avtalyon, and Ovadyah; and from them came the “game in his mouth.” And Yitzchak wanted to draw them out from [Esav] himself, not through Yaakov.
Other such souls were Onkelos the convert, the sages Shemayah and Avtalyon, and the prophet Ovadyah. These sparks were the source of Esav’s “game in his mouth,” his talk of mitzvos, and Yitzchak wanted to release them from Esav directly, without Yaakov’s involvement.
כי הרי גם עכשיו חיל בלע ויקיאנו רק שהוא ע״י יעקב שהוא בחי׳ ז״א שכל האורות שלמעלה נכללים בו והוא מתלבש ביצי׳ [ביצירה] ביומין דחול בחי׳ עבדו זקן ביתו8 להעלות משם ולברר כנ״ל.9
For even now “he swallowed wealth, and he will vomit it up,” only it is through Yaakov, who is the level of Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), in which all the lights above are included. He enclothes himself in Yetzirah on the weekdays, the level of “his servant, the elder of his house,” to raise up from there and to refine, as explained above.
Normally the sparks are recovered through Yaakov, who represents Z’eir Anpin, the configuration that holds all the higher lights. On weekdays it goes down into the world of Yetzirah (the level of Eliezer, “his servant, the elder of his house”) to lift and refine the sparks there.
אך יצחק רצה שיהי׳ [שיהיה] זה שלא ע״י ז״א רק שיהי׳ [שיהיה] התגלות האורות העליונים בעשו עצמו והוא ענין תוס׳ [תוספת] ורבוי האור
But Yitzchak wanted this to be not through Z’eir Anpin, but that there be a revelation of the supernal lights in Esav himself; and this is the matter of an addition and increase of light.
Yitzchak wanted a different path: that the higher lights be revealed within Esav himself, not through Z’eir Anpin. This would require an extra, greater measure of light.
כי הרי לברר הטוב מן הרע צריך להאיר שם אור רב כדי שיע״ז [שעל ידי זה] יקלוט וילקט כל הניצוצו׳ הנשפעים שמה.
For to refine the good from the evil one must shine a great light there, so that through this it will absorb and gather in all the sparks that have flowed down there.
Such extra light is needed because separating good from evil requires a strong light, strong enough to draw out and collect every spark that has fallen there.
The paragraph explains why Esav holds holy sparks, and why Yitzchak wanted to draw them out from Esav himself by a great added light rather than through Yaakov.
The two causes of fallen sparks, the shattering of the vessels and the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, are both cited by the Kehot note from Sefer HaGilgulim, ch. 2. The idea that Yaakov (Z’eir Anpin) descends into Yetzirah on weekdays to refine is contrasted with Shabbos, when the worlds ascend.
Marei mekomos
- 1חיל בלע ויקיאנו · Job 20:15
- 2ועת אשר שלט האדם · Ecclesiastes 8:9
- 3וימלך וימת · Genesis 36:33
- 4שו״ה וימלוך — כו׳ וגם · בבוך 1824 במקומו: והוא.
- 5בס׳ הגלגולים · פ״ב.
- 6שו״ה נמשך — בם · בבוך 1824: גם.
- 7לא גלו ישראל · Pesachim 87b
- 8עבדו זקן ביתו · Genesis 24:2
- 9שו״ה ביתו — כנ״ל · בבוך 1824: כו׳.
6וזהו ויתן לך האלקים מטל השמים1 הוא טלא דעתיקא דנטיף לז״א בחי׳ שמים. ומשמני הארץ שמן הוא חכמה2 ואבא יסד ברתא34 הנקרא ארץ ורצה להמשיך בחי׳ הטל והשמן דלעילא שעי״ז יהי׳ [יהיה] העלאת הניצוצים
This is [the meaning of] “And may G‑d give you of the dew of the heavens”: this is “the dew of Atika that drips to Z’eir Anpin,” the level of “heavens.” “And of the richness of the earth”: oil is Chochmah (wisdom), and “Abba founded the daughter,” who is called “earth.” He wanted to draw down the level of the supernal dew and oil, so that through this there would be the raising of the sparks,
Yitzchak’s blessing is read as a map of supernal lights. “Dew of the heavens” is the Zohar’s “dew of Atika” that drips into Z’eir Anpin (called “heavens”); “richness of the earth” is oil, symbol of Chochmah, which founds Malchus, “the daughter,” called “earth.” Yitzchak wanted to draw these supernal lights down so that the sparks would rise.
as we see, by way of analogy, when the sun shines upon the earth, as in the heat of the day, it draws up the moisture of the earth, and “a mist would rise from the earth”;
The first analogy: the heat of the sun draws the earth’s moisture up as vapor. A strong light from above lifts what is below toward itself.
וכן בנר לפני האבוקה הגדולה שואבת אור הנרות כך ע״י הארה עליונה הבאה בתוס׳ [בתוספת] ורבוי מלמעלה שואב ולוקט כל הניצוצין שנפלו למטה.
and likewise with a candle before a great torch, [the torch] draws in the light of the candles. So too, through a supernal illumination that comes with addition and increase from above, all the sparks that fell below are drawn up and gathered.
The second analogy: a small flame placed near a great torch is drawn into it. So a great added light from above would draw the fallen sparks up and gather them.
אך הארה זו צריך להיות בתוס׳ [בתוספת] ורבוי דייקא בחי׳ ברכה שהיא למעלה מסדר ההשתלשלות שלפי סדר ההשתלשלות לא הי׳ [היה] עשו כדאי לו.
But this illumination must come specifically with addition and increase: the level of “blessing,” which is above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus); for according to the order of hishtalshelus, Esav would not have been worthy of it.
Such a light cannot come by the normal order of the worlds, since by that order Esav would never deserve it. It must be a “blessing,” a gift from above the ordered chain of hishtalshelus.
The paragraph explains the content of Yitzchak’s intended blessing: supernal “dew” and “oil,” a great light from above that would lift the sparks by its own strength.
The Kehot note gives Me’orei Or (letter shin, 48) for oil as Chochmah. The analogy of a candle before a torch matches Torah Ohr, Bereshis 6a, where in Temple times the sparks were gathered in by themselves.
Marei mekomos
- 1ויתן לך האלקים מטל השמים · Genesis 27:28
- 2שמן הוא חכמה · מאו״א אות ש, מח.
- 3ואבא יסד ברתא · Zohar III, 248b
- 4ואבא יסד ברתא · Zohar, Pinchas 108:751–111:761
- 5שו״ה שאנו — כשהשמש · בבוך 1824: כמו ע״י שהשמש.
- 6ואד יעלה מן הארץ · Genesis 2:6
Yitzchak’s mistake and Esav’s actual blessing ¶7
7וזהו ואברככה לפני1 ה׳. לפני הוי׳ דוקא והרצון שהי׳ [שהיה] ליצחק להמשיך לעשו עצמו שלא ע״י יעקב הוא מפני שראה אותו מלמעלה למטה
This is [the meaning of] “and I will bless you before G‑d”: specifically “before Havayah.” Yitzchak’s wish to draw [the blessing] to Esav himself, not through Yaakov, was because he saw him from above downward,
Yitzchak told Esav he would bless him “before Havayah,” the Name that stands above the order of the worlds. He wanted to give Esav this directly because he viewed Esav from above, from Esav’s highest root.
ע״י בחי׳ לבונה2 שהוא בחי׳ המקיף ע״כ רצה להמשיך בו בחי׳ גלוי המקיף בתוס׳ [בתוספת] ורבוי אור.
through the level of frankincense, which is the level of the encompassing [light]; therefore he wanted to draw into him the revelation of the encompassing [light], with addition and increase of light.
Yitzchak saw Esav through his frankincense, his encompassing root in holiness; so he wanted to reveal that encompassing light in Esav with a great increase of light.
אך מ״מ טעה בזה שאין עשו כדאי בבחי׳ זו כ״א ע״י יעקב שלפי שאם הי׳ [היה] החיות נמשך אל עשו יבלע ח״ו [חס ושלום] כמקדם או שלא יהיה מבחי׳ עשו כלום
Nevertheless, he erred in this, for Esav is not worthy of this level except through Yaakov. For if the life-force were drawn to Esav, it would be swallowed up, G‑d forbid, as before, or else nothing at all would remain of the level of Esav;
But Yitzchak was mistaken: Esav could receive this only through Yaakov. Given directly, the light would either be swallowed up in Esav as before, feeding his pride, or overwhelm him so that nothing of him would remain.
אבל שיהא לאהפכא חשוכא לנהורא ומרירו למיתקא א״א כ״א ע״י יעקב ז״א דקדושה שע״י יתברר מעשו ויוכלל בקדושה
but for there to be the “turning of darkness to light and of bitterness to sweetness” is impossible except through Yaakov, Z’eir Anpin of holiness, through whom [what is in] Esav will be refined and included in holiness.
The true goal is to transform darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness, so that what is in Esav is refined and becomes part of holiness. That can happen only through Yaakov, the holy Z’eir Anpin.
ולכן הסכים יצחק ג״כ לברכת יעקב אח״כ ולעשו אמר הנה משמני הארץ3 כו׳ משמני מקצת שמני45 (וליעקב א׳ ומשמני בתוס׳ [בתוספת] וא״ו)
That is why Yitzchak afterward also agreed to Yaakov’s blessing. And to Esav he said, “Behold, of the richness of the earth,” etc.: mishmanei, [meaning] a part of the richness (whereas to Yaakov he said “and of the richness,” u-mishmanei, with an additional vav),
So Yitzchak later agreed to Yaakov’s blessing. The difference in wording shows the difference in the blessings: Esav got mishmanei, “of the richness,” only part of it, while Yaakov got u-mishmanei, “and of the richness,” with an extra vav, meaning more.
דהיינו מתמצית הנשאר משמן שנמשך אל הארץ שם יהיה מושבך בחי׳ פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] ומטל השמים של יעקב יומשך לך ג״כ
that is, from the residue left of the oil drawn down to the earth: there “shall be your dwelling,” the inner level. And “of the dew of the heavens” of Yaakov, [something] will be drawn to you as well,
Esav’s share of the “oil” is only what is left over after it has come down to the earth, and that is his “dwelling,” his inner level. He will also receive something of Yaakov’s “dew of the heavens.”
אבל אינו אלא מעל דהיינו בחי׳ מקיף בלבד (משא״כ6 ביעקב ויתן לך) ובתנאי ואת אחיך תעבוד7 שתהי׳ [שתהיה] בטל אל בחי׳ יעקב שע״י יהי׳ [יהיה] עליי׳ [עלייה] דוקא כנ״ל:8910
but only “from above”: that is, the level of the encompassing [light] alone (unlike Yaakov: “And may [G‑d] give you”); and on the condition “and you shall serve your brother”: that you be nullified before the level of Yaakov, for through this specifically there will be an elevation, as explained above.
But this comes to Esav only “from above,” as an encompassing light, while Yaakov is actually “given.” And it comes on condition that Esav “serve his brother”: only by yielding to Yaakov can Esav be raised.
The paragraph explains Yitzchak’s mistake and its correction: Esav can be elevated only through Yaakov, and the actual blessings Yitzchak gave each of them reflect this.
The phrase “turning darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness” is the Zohar’s language for refining evil rather than just destroying it. The Kehot note (20:69) confirms that the parenthesis “unlike Yaakov: And may He give you” is also in manuscripts written in the Alter Rebbe’s lifetime.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואברככה לפני ה׳ · Genesis 27:7
- 2שו״ה יעקב — לבונה · בבוך 1824 נוסף: שבו.
- 3הנה משמני הארץ · Genesis 27:39
- 4משמני מקצת שמני · ראה ב״ר פ׳ ס״ז.
- 5משמני מקצת שמני · Bereshit Rabbah 67:6
- 6(משא״כ . .) · המוסגר נמצא גם בכת״י שנכתבו בחיי אדה״ז.
- 7ואת אחיך תעבוד · Genesis 27:40
- 8שו״ה אחיך — שע״י יהי׳ עלייה דוקא כנ״ל · בבוך 1824: שע״י דוקא יהי׳ עלי׳ כו׳. וזהו ויתן לך האלהי׳ גם בבחי׳ צמצום וקאי על בחי׳ הוי׳ שלמעלה בפסוק אשר ברכך הוי׳ ועתה מבואר הכתבו הנה יצחק רצה להמשיך בחי׳ מ״ן בבחי׳ פנימי׳ אבל להמשכת המקיף צ״ל בעלאות מ״ן: כנודע.
- 9שו״ה יהיה — מבחי׳ · בבוך 1824: בבחי׳.
- 10וליעקב אמר ומשמני · Genesis 27:28
Fragrance as the rising from below ¶8–11
8ועתה יבואר1 הכתוב ראה ריח בני כו׳. כי הנה יצחק רצה להמשיך בחי׳ מקיף ולבונה כנ״ל וכל המשכה הוא ע״י העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] כנודע.2
Now the verse “See, the fragrance of my son,” etc., will be explained. Yitzchak wanted to draw down the level of the encompassing [light] and the frankincense, as explained above; and every drawing-down comes through a raising of mayin nukvin (feminine waters), as is known.
Now the maamar returns to the verse itself. Yitzchak wanted to draw down the encompassing light, the “frankincense”; and in Kabbalah every flow from above (“masculine waters”) is called forth by a matching rising from below, the “feminine waters” (mayin nukvin).
והנה להמשכת מ״ד [מיין דוכרין] של פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] די בהעלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] בבחי׳ פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] אבל להמשכ׳ מ״ד [מיין דוכרין] של מקיף צ״ל העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] ג״כ בבחי׳ מקיף.3
Now, to draw down mayin duchrin (masculine waters) of the inner [level], a raising of mayin nukvin at the inner level suffices; but to draw down mayin duchrin of the encompassing [level], there must be a raising of mayin nukvin at the encompassing level as well.
The rising from below must match what it calls down. An inner light needs only an inner arousal, but to draw down an encompassing light the arousal from below must itself be of an encompassing kind.
The paragraph states the principle for the rest of the maamar: drawing down an encompassing light needs an “encompassing” rising from below.
Marei mekomos
- 1שו״ה ועתה יבואר · בבוך 1824: ועתה מבואר.
- 2רצה להמשיך . . כנודע · בבוך 1824 הנוסח במקומו: ”רצה להמשיך בחי׳ מ״ן בבחי׳ פנימי׳ אבל להמשכת המקיף צ״ל העלאות מ״ן כנודע”.
- 3בהעלאת מ״ן בבחי׳ פנימי׳ . . העלאת מ״ן ג״כ בבחי׳ מקיף · ראה לקמן כ, ד במ״מ ד״ה ויש.
9והנה ריח הוא העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] שהוא בחי׳ אור חוזר.1 והוא מהגבורות כמו שרואים שתפוח מתוק אין בו ריח.
Now fragrance is the raising of mayin nukvin, which is the level of returning light (or chozer). It comes from the Gevuros, as we see that a sweet apple has no fragrance;
Fragrance is the rising from below, “returning light” that goes back up toward its source. It comes from Gevurah, the side of strength and severity: a sweet apple has no scent.
רק החמוץ וכל הדברים החריפים יש בהם ריח חזק. והוא לפי שהעלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] הוא בירורים מניצוצות שנפלו בשבה״כ [בשבירת הכלים].
only the sour, and all sharp things, have a strong fragrance. This is because the raising of mayin nukvin consists of the refinements (beirurim) of sparks that fell in the shattering of the vessels.
Only sour and sharp things smell strongly. The reason: the rising from below is made of the refinement of fallen sparks, which come from the shattering of the vessels, a matter of severe judgment, so fragrance belongs with the sharp and the severe.
ולכן בכל המצות לא נאמר ריח ניחוח2 כמו בקרבנות שהוא ע״י שמעלין נפש הבהמה ומתהפך ועולה ונכלל באש שלמעלה.
Therefore, of all the mitzvos “a pleasing fragrance” is not said, as it is of the offerings, which [work] by raising up the soul of the animal, so that it is transformed and rises and is included in the fire above.
That is why the Torah says “a pleasing fragrance” of offerings and not of other mitzvos. An offering lifts up the animal’s life-soul, which is transformed and absorbed into the fire from above: a refinement from below, and so a “fragrance.”
The paragraph identifies fragrance with the rising from below and with the refinement of sparks, which is why the Torah links it to sacrifices.
Marei mekomos
- 1העלאת מ״ן שהוא בחי׳ אור חוזר · בלקו״ת נשא כט, א מציין לכאן.
- 2ריח ניחוח · Leviticus 1:9
10והנה הריח משיב את הנפש דהיינו מה שהיה בתחלה בבחי׳ הסתלקות המוחין חוזר ומאיר כאדם שהוא נרדם וע״י הריח הוא חוזר ומקיץ.
Now fragrance restores the soul: that is, what was at first in a state of withdrawal of the intellect (mochin) shines again, like a person who has fallen into a deep sleep, and through a fragrance comes back and wakes.
Fragrance “restores the soul”: someone who has fainted, whose mind has withdrawn, is revived by a scent.
דהיינו ע״י השינה היה השכל בהעלם. ואח״כ כשניער משנתו הנה השכל מאיר בו בגילוי והכל נעשה ע״י הריח שהוא אור החוזר ממטה למעלה.
That is, through the sleep the intellect was hidden; and afterward, when he awakes from his sleep, the intellect shines in him openly. And all this is done through the fragrance, which is returning light, from below upward.
In sleep the mind is hidden; on waking it shines openly again. The fragrance, a light rising from below, is what brings this about.
וזהו ענין נח״ר [נחת רוח] לפני שאמרתי ונעשה רצוני. והנה עשו לא היה בו בחי׳ גילוי פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] כי הפנימי׳ [הפנימיות / הפנימית] שלו נבלע כנ״ל רק שהוא בחי׳ המקיף ולבונה.
This is the matter of “satisfaction before Me, that I spoke and My will was done.” Now Esav had in him no revealed inner level, for his inner [level] was swallowed up, as explained above; he is only the level of the encompassing [light] and frankincense.
The Sages call the offering’s “pleasing fragrance” G‑d’s satisfaction that His will was done: a response from below that “wakes” the pleasure above. Esav, however, had no revealed inner holiness, since it was swallowed up in him; all he had was his encompassing root, the frankincense.
וזהו וירח את ריח בגדיו1 הוא בחי׳ המקיפים שיהיה מזה ריח הוא העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] להמשיך המקיף מטל השמים:2
This is [the meaning of] “and he smelled the fragrance of his garments”: [the garments] are the level of the encompassing lights, from which there would come fragrance, that is, a raising of mayin nukvin, to draw down the encompassing [light] from “the dew of the heavens.”
So Yitzchak smelled Esav’s “garments”: garments surround the body, and they stand for the encompassing lights. From them would come a fragrance, a rising from below, that could draw down the encompassing light of “the dew of the heavens.”
The paragraph shows how fragrance revives hidden life, and reads Yitzchak’s smelling of the “garments” as an encompassing arousal meant to draw down the encompassing blessing.
Marei mekomos
- 1וירח את ריח בגדיו · Genesis 27:27
- 2והנה ריח · לקמן פ, ג מציין לכאן.
11כריח שדה אשר ברכו1 ה׳. הנה השדה הוא בחי׳ מל׳ דאצי׳ שיש בה ג״כ בחי׳ העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] ויש בזה ב׳ בחי׳2 הא׳ היא העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] בטבעה ומאליה וממילא כמ״ש למען יזמרך3 כבוד ולא ידם.
“Like the fragrance of a field which G‑d has blessed”: the field is the level of Malchus of Atzilus, in which there is also a raising of mayin nukvin. And in this there are two levels. The first is a raising of mayin nukvin by its nature, of itself and as a matter of course, as it is written, “So that [my] glory may sing to You and not be silent.”
“The field” stands for Malchus of Atzilus, the receiving level, which also rises upward to G‑d. It does so in two ways. One is natural and constant, like the verse “so that [my] glory may sing to You and not be silent.”
קארי תדיר4 לנהורא עלאה ולא שכיך כו׳ והוא העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] לפנימי׳ [לפנימיות / לפנימית] דהיינו לעורר המשכת הקו. ויש העלאת5 מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] שצריך סיוע מלמעלה שאין כח בה להעלות מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] מעצמה.
“It calls constantly to the supernal light and is not still,” etc. This is a raising of mayin nukvin to the inner [level], that is, to arouse the drawing-down of the kav (line of light). And there is a raising of mayin nukvin that needs assistance from above, since it has no power to raise mayin nukvin by itself.
The Tikkunei Zohar describes Malchus as always calling to the higher light and never resting; this rising draws down the kav, the ordered line of light that enters the worlds. The second kind of rising needs help from above, because Malchus cannot produce it by itself.
והוא בחי׳ מקיף שהוא בחי׳ גילוי אור א״ס ב״ה בעצמו (שהקו6 מאיר לתוך מקום החלל עצמו)
This is the level of the encompassing [light], which is the level of the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, itself (for the kav shines into the place of the empty space itself).
This second rising is aimed at the encompassing light: the revelation of the Infinite Light itself, which, as the parenthesis says, shines into the empty space itself, not only through the measured kav.
והנה העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] של בחי׳ פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] הוא בחי׳ בארה של מרים7 שהוא מעיין הנובע מאליו משא״כ העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] של המקיף כתיב באר חפרוה שרים.8
Now the raising of mayin nukvin of the inner level is the level of Miriam’s well, a spring that flows of itself; whereas of the raising of mayin nukvin of the encompassing [light] it is written, “A well, which princes dug.”
An inner rising is like Miriam’s well, which flowed by itself. An encompassing rising is like a well that had to be dug by “princes”: it needs effort and help from above.
ויכרו שם עבדי יצחק9 באר. עבדי יצחק הן המשכות מבחי׳ יצחק שהוא עיקר האבות10 מבחי׳ בוצינא דקרדוניתא11 מקור הגבורות כמ״ש כי אתה אבינו.1213
“And there Yitzchak’s servants dug a well.” Yitzchak’s servants are the drawings-forth from the level of Yitzchak, who is the chief of the Patriarchs, from the level of the botzina dekardinusa (the “lamp of darkness”), the source of the Gevuros, as it is written, “For You are our Father.”
Yitzchak’s servants who “dug a well” are the powers that flow from Yitzchak, chief of the Patriarchs, rooted in the “lamp of darkness” (botzina dekardinusa), the source of the Gevuros and of all measure. The Sages apply “For You are our Father” to Yitzchak.
ולכן כתיב ויריבו רעי גרר14 לאמר לנו המים שבחי׳ המקיף נמשך גם אליהם מלמעלה שאינו נבלע כמו בחי׳ פנימי׳ [פנימיות / פנימית] שלהם כנ״ל. וזהו אשר ברכו הוי״ה שהוא ע״י סיוע מלמעלה כנ״ל:
Therefore it is written, “And the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled, saying, ‘The water is ours’”: for the level of the encompassing [light] is drawn to them too, from above, since it is not swallowed up as their inner level is, as explained above. And this is “which Havayah has blessed”: it comes through assistance from above, as explained above.
The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled over the water because the encompassing light reaches even the unholy, from above, without being swallowed as their inner life is. And “which Havayah has blessed” means that this second kind of rising comes through help from above.
The paragraph distinguishes a natural, inner rising of Malchus from an encompassing rising that needs help from above, and reads “a field which Havayah has blessed” and Yitzchak’s wells in that light.
The Kehot note cites Derech Mitzvosecha, which, referring here, identifies the encompassing rising with serving G‑d “with all your might” (bechol me’odecha). The phrase “calls constantly to the supernal light” is from the Tikkunei Zohar, tikkun 5, as the note records.
Marei mekomos
- 1כריח שדה אשר ברכו ה׳ · Genesis 27:27
- 2ויש בזה ב׳ בחי׳ · ”שם [הכוונה לכאן] נת׳ ג״כ ענין ב׳ מיני העלאת מ״ן, הא׳ לעורר בחי׳ מקיפים, הב׳ לעורר בחי׳ פנימיים, ונת׳ שם [הכוונה לכאן] ג״כ שענין העלאת מ״ן דמקיפים היינו בחי׳ מאדך, ולפענ״ד ג״כ שזהו כענין ב׳ מיני העלאת מ״ן דאו״כ הנ״ל ודו״ק כי בשניהם הכוונה א׳ רק שהלשון מחולק” — דרך מצותיך קסה, ב. באוה״ת חוקת ע׳ תתפ [שם מציין לד״ה זה משנת תקס״ה], דברים כרך ז ע׳ ב׳רסז מציין לכאן.
- 3למען יזמרך · Psalms 30:13
- 4קארי תדיר · Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 5
- 5שו״ה מ״ן — המשכת הקו. ויש העלאת . . · בבוך 1824 הקטע זה בשינוי: ויש העלאת מ״ן של המקיף וכתיב באר חפרוה שרים ויכרו שם עבדי יצחק שצריך סיוע מלמעלה שאין כח בה להעלות מ״ן בעצמו והוא לבחי׳ המקיף שהוא בחי׳ אוא״ס עצמו כשהקו מאיר לתוך מקום החלל: והנה מ״ן.
- 6(שהקו . .) · בבוך 1824 בלי מוסגר.
- 7בארה של מרים · בלקו״ת חקת סד ג מציין לכאן. בענין בארה של מרים ראה בלקו״ת חקת סד, ג הנסמן לעיל. אוה״ת חקת ע׳ תתסו ואילך.
- 8באר חפרוה שרים · Numbers 21:18
- 9ויכרו שם עבדי יצחק · Genesis 26:25
- 10מבחי׳ יצחק שהוא עיקר האבות · Zohar III, 99b
- 11בוצינא דקרדוניתא · ראה במ״מ לקמן לט, א.
- 12והנה העלאת . . אתה אבינו · ראה קטע זה באוה״ת פ׳ חקת ע׳ תתמג ע״ש.
- 13כי אתה אבינו · Isaiah 63:16
- 14ויריבו רעי גרר · Genesis 26:20
The fragrance of Yaakov: baalei teshuvah ¶12–14
12והנה כ״ז [כל זה] הוא הבנת הפסוק לפי דעתו של יצחק שהבין שעשו היה לפניו. אך באמת היה זה יעקב. ואיך יבואר בחי׳ זו על יעקב:
Now all this is the understanding of the verse according to Yitzchak’s view, for he understood that Esav was before him. But in truth it was Yaakov. How, then, is this level to be explained with regard to Yaakov?
Everything so far read the verse from Yitzchak’s point of view, since he thought he was blessing Esav. But it was really Yaakov, so the maamar now asks how “fragrance” and the encompassing blessing apply to Yaakov.
A turning point: the maamar moves from Yitzchak’s intention toward Esav to what the blessing meant for Yaakov, who actually received it.
It is stated in the Midrash: “And he smelled the fragrance of his garments (begadav)”: [read] bogdav, “his rebels”; [this is] the level of baalei teshuvah (those who return), which is the level of the encompassing [light], for they draw Him with greater strength.
The Midrash reads “his garments” (begadav) as “his rebels” (bogdav): even the sinners among Yaakov’s descendants give off a fragrance. These are baalei teshuvah, those who return to G‑d, who belong to the encompassing level because they draw down divine light with greater force.
שבזוהר אמר3 ע״פ ואברהם זקן4 בא בימים5 כו׳. זכאין אינון מארי דתיובתא דמשכין כו׳. פי׳ למעלה מכדי שתוכל הנפש שאת שאין לו בחי׳ כלי להכיל.
For in the Zohar it says on “And Avraham was old, advanced in days,” etc.: “Fortunate are the masters of teshuvah, who draw,” etc. This means [they draw] above what the soul is able to bear, for which there is no level of a vessel to contain it.
The Zohar praises baalei teshuvah, who draw down the light with greater force. That is, they reach above what the soul can hold, a light that has no “vessel” to contain it; that is what “encompassing” means.
The paragraph applies the idea of the encompassing “fragrance” to Yaakov: his “garments” are the baalei teshuvah, whose return draws down light beyond measure.
Or HaTorah, as the Kehot note reports, connects “garments” and “rebels”: because of the betrayal (begidah) of the Tree of Knowledge, people came to need garments.
Marei mekomos
- 1אי׳ במדרש . . ריח בגדיו, בוגדיו · Sanhedrin 37a:7–8
- 2וירח את ריח בגדיו. בוגדיו · Bereshit Rabbah 65:22–23
- 3שבזהר אמר · Zohar I, 129b
- 4שבזוהר אמרו ע״פ ואברהם זקן · נסמן לעיל טז, א.
- 5ואברהם זקן בא בימים · Genesis 24:1
14וכמעשה דר״א [דרבי אלעזר] בן דורדייא.1 משא״כ באברהם כתיב בא בימים.2 בחי׳ כלי ולבוש כו׳. והעלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] כזה שהוא בחי׳ מקיף3 הוא מפני שמתבונן בגדולת א״ס ב״ה בעצמו ובכבודו.
And as in the story of Rabbi Elazar ben Durdaya. Whereas of Avraham it is written “advanced in days”: the level of a vessel and a garment, etc. And such a raising of mayin nukvin, which is the level of the encompassing [light], comes because one contemplates the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, in His essence and His glory.
Rabbi Elazar ben Durdaya, after a life of sin, repented so intensely that he died weeping and was declared destined for the World to Come: a return beyond any “vessel.” By contrast, Avraham was “advanced in days,” his days forming a measured vessel and garment. The encompassing rising comes from contemplating the greatness of the Infinite One Himself.
כי אני הוי״ה לא שניתי4 כתיב רק הודו על ארץ ושמים.5 וירם קרן לעמו6 כו׳. ונק׳ בחי׳ בע״ת [בעלי תשובה] אף מי שאין עבירות בידו.7
For it is written, “For I, Havayah, have not changed”; only “His splendor is over earth and heaven, and He has raised up a horn for His people,” etc. And one is called a baal teshuvah even if there are no sins in his hand,
G‑d Himself does not change; His “splendor” is only reflected over earth and heaven, and He “raised a horn for His people.” Contemplating this, a person can be called a baal teshuvah even without any sins.
רק צועק על הפירוד כו׳. והוא בחי׳ ריח שהיא העלאת מ״ן [מיין נוקבין] לבחי׳ מקיף להמשיך בחי׳ מקיף דלעילא מטל השמים כו׳:
but he cries out over the separation, etc. And this is the level of fragrance, which is the raising of mayin nukvin to the encompassing level, to draw down the supernal encompassing level, from “the dew of the heavens,” etc.
Such a person cries out over being separate from G‑d. That cry is the “fragrance”: an encompassing rising that draws down the encompassing light from above, the “dew of the heavens.”
The paragraph shows what an encompassing rising looks like in a person’s service: teshuvah beyond measure, born of contemplating G‑d’s essence, open even to someone who has not sinned.
Teshuvah here is “return” in the full sense: not only regret for sin but crying out over distance from G‑d, as in Tanya’s broader idea of teshuvah.
Marei mekomos
- 1וכמעשה דר״א בן דורדייא · Avodah Zarah 17a:12
- 2באברהם כתיב בא בימים · Genesis 24:1
- 3והעלאת מ״ן כזה שהוא בחי׳ מקיף · מובא בלקו״ת שה״ש לז, ב.
- 4אני ה׳ לא שניתי · Malachi 3:6
- 5הודו על ארץ ושמים · Psalms 148:13
- 6וירם קרן לעמו · Psalms 148:14
- 7בע״ת אף מי שאין עבירות בידו · Shabbat 153a
What the blessing added, and why by guile ¶15–16
15אך להבין כ״ז [כל זה] והלא יעקב הוא בחי׳ קדושה ובלא״ה [ובלאו הכי] נמשכים בו כל האורות עליונים א״א ואו״א [ואבא ואימא] כנ״ל.
But to understand all this: is not Yaakov the level of holiness, and even without this all the supernal lights, Arich Anpin and Abba and Imma, are drawn into him, as explained above?
A question: Yaakov is holy and already receives all the supernal lights, Arich Anpin (the “Long Face,” the inner level of Keser) and Abba and Imma. What more could the blessing add?
אך הברכה היא בתוס׳ [בתוספת] ורבוי המשכה מלמעלה מסדר ההשתלשלו׳ [ההשתלשלות] שאינו לפי ערך ההשתלשלו׳ [ההשתלשלות] כדי להיות ורב דגן ותירוש1 אלו הלכות ואגדות שנתלבשו בלבושים גשמיים זרעים בחסד כו׳
But the blessing is an addition and increase of drawing-down from above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), not in proportion to hishtalshelus, so that there be “an abundance of grain and wine”: these are the halachos and aggados, which are enclothed in physical garments: “Zera’im” in Chesed, etc.
The answer: a blessing brings an added light from beyond the ordered chain of worlds, out of proportion to it. “An abundance of grain and wine” are the Torah’s laws and lore, clothed in physical garments, such as the order of Zera’im (Seeds) which corresponds to Chesed.
וכן כל התורה ספורי מעשיות כו׳ וכן נביאים שופטים מעשה דשמשון ופלגש בגבעה וכן כל מעשה המלכים וספורי מעשיות שבגמ׳ [שבגמרא] דרבב״ח [דרבה בר בר חנה]2 ודומיהן הכל מרומז בהן סודות התורה, ועד״ז ג״כ מעשה המצות
And likewise the whole Torah, the narratives, etc.; and likewise the Prophets, Judges, the story of Shimshon and of the concubine in Givah; and likewise all the deeds of the kings; and the narratives in the Gemara of Rabbah bar bar Chanah and the like: in all of them the secrets of the Torah are alluded to. And in the same way, too, the practical deeds of the mitzvos,
The same is true of the Torah’s stories, the accounts in the Prophets (Shimshon, the concubine at Givah, the deeds of the kings), and the strange tales of Rabbah bar bar Chanah in the Gemara: in all of them the Torah’s secrets are hidden. The same holds for the mitzvos done with physical objects.
שע״י סוכה ולולב וציצית ותפילין גשמיים יהיה המשכת אוא״ס [אור אין סוף] ב״ה שלמע׳ [שלמעלה] מעלה מהשתלשלו׳ [מהשתלשלות] שלפי ערך וסדר השתלשלות בעשי׳ [בעשיה] החיות מצומצם מאד ובכדי שיאיר אור רב מאא״ס [מאור אין סוף] ב״ה בעצמו ובכבודו הוא
that through a physical sukkah and lulav, tzitzis and tefillin there will be a drawing-down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which is above, higher than hishtalshelus. For according to the measure and order of hishtalshelus, the life-force (chayus) in Asiyah is very contracted; and for a great light to shine from the Infinite One, blessed be He, Himself, in His essence and His glory, it is
Through a physical sukkah, lulav, tzitzis and tefillin, the Infinite Light from above the chain of worlds is drawn down. By the normal order, the life-force that reaches the world of Asiyah is very limited.
ע״י יצחק דייקא שהוא שרש הגבורות בוצינא דקרדוניתא שהוא קו המדה3 שמודד להיות חכם כו׳ ומשם נמשך תוס׳ [תוספת] אור וגילוי גם בעשי׳ [בעשיה] הגשמי׳ [הגשמיים / הגשמיות / הגשמית].4
through Yitzchak specifically, who is the root of the Gevuros, the botzina dekardinusa, which is the measuring line that measures out “to be wise,” etc.; and from there an addition of light and revelation is drawn also into physical Asiyah.
For a great light from the Infinite One Himself to shine there, it must come through Yitzchak, the root of the Gevuros, the botzina dekardinusa: the “measuring line” that fixes each person’s portion, such as whether he will be wise. From that source of measure comes the power to bring an added light even into physical Asiyah.
The paragraph answers what the blessing added for Yaakov: a light beyond the chain of worlds, brought down through Yitzchak’s power of measure into the physical Torah and mitzvos.
The Kehot note records that Likkutei Torah, Nasso quotes this passage and explains it there differently, leaving it as a question; it suggests the two may agree: the source of this light is above the “measuring line,” yet it must come down through it.
Marei mekomos
- 1ורב דגן ותירוש · Genesis 27:28
- 2וספורי מעשיות שבגמ׳ דרבב״ח · Bava Batra 73b
- 3ובכדי שיאיר אור רב . . שהוא קו המדה · בלקו״ת נשא כז, ד מביא קטע זה דשם מבואר באופן אחר והניח בצ״ע. ביהל אור ע׳ תנט מציין לכאן ”בענין הברכה של יצחק שורש קו המדה שיהי׳ בבחי׳ ברכה” וע״ז מציין קודם מגמרא ב״ב דף פח, ב.
- 4בעשי׳ הגשמי׳ . . ואף גם זאת · בבוך 1824: בעשי׳ הגשמי׳ כי זאת הי׳ בלי דעתו של יצחק רק בא במרמה כו׳ שא״א להתלבש.
The blessing opens “May Elokim give you”: Elokim is the Name of tzimtzum, G‑d’s self-limiting, so the blessing reaches even into the contracted, physical level. “Give” carries down the light of Havayah, named in the verse just before (“which Havayah has blessed”), the light from beyond the chain of worlds. And Yaakov received it without Yitzchak’s knowing, by “guile.”
שא״א להתלבש בבחי׳ הדעת וכענין שאמרו לאו בזכותא תליא מילתא6 אלא במזלא תליא מילתא כי ענין בזכותא הוא לפ״ע [לפי ערך] ההשתלשלות שכך ראוי לו
for it cannot be enclothed in the level of Daas (knowledge); as in the saying, “The matter does not depend on merit; rather, the matter depends on mazal.” For [the matter of] “merit” is according to the measure of hishtalshelus: that this is what is fitting for him,
It had to come without Yitzchak’s knowledge because so high a light cannot be held in Daas, conscious knowledge. The Talmud teaches that some things depend not on merit but on mazal, a higher root: merit follows the ordered measure of the worlds, what a person deserves.
משא״כ במזלא הוא למעלה מלפ״ע [מלפי ערך] אף שאינו ראוי כו׳ והיה צריך לזה לתקן חטא עה״ד [עץ הדעת]78 שהיה ג״כ במרמה ופתוי של נחש
whereas mazal is above what is according to measure, even though he is not fitting, etc. And this was needed in order to rectify the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, which was also through the guile and enticement of the serpent,
Mazal gives from above all measure, even to one who does not deserve it. The guile was needed to repair the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, which also came through guile, the serpent’s enticement.
שע״י נתגשמו העולמות ונעשה עירוב גשמיות ברוחניות9 ולתקן זה עשה מהפוך אל הפוך והמשיך רוחניות ואורות העליונים שיהיה נמשך גם לגשמיות.
through which the worlds became physical, and there came about a mixture of physicality with spirituality. And to rectify this, he did [it] from one opposite to the other, and drew down spirituality and the supernal lights so that they would be drawn also into physicality.
That sin made the worlds physical and mixed the physical with the spiritual. To repair it, Yaakov turned the thing into its opposite: guile against guile, drawing spirituality and the supernal lights down into the physical itself.
משא״כ אלו לא קבל יעקב הברכות היה נמשך מן התורה רק ברוחניות לבד כמו שהוא למעלה וכדה על שכמה10 כו׳:1112
Whereas had Yaakov not received the blessings, [the light] from the Torah would have been drawn only in spirituality alone, as it is above, “and her pitcher upon her shoulder,” etc.
Without Yaakov receiving the blessings, the Torah’s light would have remained purely spiritual, as it is above: like Rivkah’s pitcher carried high “upon her shoulder.” Through the blessings it comes down into physical Torah study and physical mitzvos.
The closing paragraph explains why the blessing came through guile and without Yitzchak’s knowledge: a light beyond measure cannot pass through conscious knowledge, and Yaakov’s guile repaired the serpent’s guile by drawing the highest light into the physical world.
Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah cites this passage and compares it to the Tosefta’s “a mitzvah that comes without our knowledge,” since the root of these blessings is the “dew that drips from Atika.” Or HaTorah, as the Kehot note quotes it, infers from this passage that before the serpent good and evil were not mixed: the kelipos were below the holy worlds, and rose only through Adam’s sin.
Marei mekomos
- 1ויתן לך האלקים · Genesis 27:28
- 2ויתן לך האלקים גם בבחי׳ צמצום · ראה סידור שער התקיעות. ד״ה פדה בשלום תש״ג.
- 3אשר ברכו ה׳ · Genesis 27:27
- 4ואף גם זאת בלי דעתו של יצחק · בלקו״ת ברכה צט, ג מציין לכאן, שזהו ע״ד התוספתא פ״ג דפיאה שמצוה זו שלא לדעתנו ומסיים ”והיינו לפי ששרש ברכות אלו הוא ג״כ מבחי׳ טלא דנטיף מעתיקא” ע״ש.
- 5בא אחיך במרמה · Genesis 27:35
- 6לאו בזכותא תליא מילתא · Moed Katan 28a:13
- 7והי׳ צריך לזה לתקן חטא עה״ד · Zohar II, 141b
- 8לתקן חטא עה״ד · Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 7
- 9ונעשה עירוב גשמיות ברוחניות · Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 40 · 80a:6
- 10וכדה על שכמה · Genesis 24:15
- 11וכדה על שכמה כו׳ · בבוך 1824 נוסף: ”כמ״ש במ״א” ראה לקו״ת ברכה צה, ד.
- 12בעשי׳ הגשמי׳ . . ואף גם זאת · בבוך 1824: בעשי׳ הגשמי׳ כי זאת הי׳ בלי דעתו של יצחק רק בא במרמה כו׳ שא״א להתלבש.
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
An encompassing “fragrance” rises from the baal teshuvah: one who contemplates the greatness of the Infinite One Himself and cries out over being separated from Him. Anyone can be called a baal teshuvah this way, even without sins. And through physical Torah study and mitzvos (sukkah, lulav, tzitzis, tefillin) a light from beyond the whole order of the worlds is drawn into the physical world.
Questions for discussion
- How does the model of the eleven spices explain both Esav’s pious questions and the absence of G‑d’s Name from his lips?
- Why does holy life-force make the host of heaven humble but make the kelipos proud?
- What was Yitzchak’s mistake in wanting to bless Esav directly, and how do the actual words of Esav’s blessing show it was corrected?
- Why does drawing an encompassing light require an encompassing rising from below, and how is teshuvah such a rising even for someone without sins?
- Why did the blessing have to come through guile and without Yitzchak’s knowledge, and how does this repair the sin of the Tree of Knowledge?
Key terms in this maamar
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment.
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×12
- The Sefirosספירות
- The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation.
- Kelipah (the husk)קליפה
- The forces of concealment that oppose holiness. ×2
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level. ×1
- Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א
- The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration. ×4
- The World of Yetzirah (Formation)יצירה
- The world of the angels and emotions.
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×1
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×4
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being. ×1
- The intellect (mochin)מוחין
- Chochmah, Binah and Daas as a whole. ×1
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds.
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d.
- The kav (line of light)קו
- The thin ray of light drawn into the space left after the tzimtzum. ×3
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- Teshuvah (return)תשובה
- Returning to G‑d; not only repentance. ×1
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence.
- Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah)אבא ואמא
- The intellectual configurations.
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×1
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one.
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×2
- Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
- The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×1
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion. ×2
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×1