Torah Ohr · Parshas Vayeishev · Maamar 1
וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו בארץ כנען
“And Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan”
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The big idea
The soul comes down into the body like a merchant who parts with his silver and gold to earn far more: it gives up its open, natural love and awe, and gains the “desire of the heart,” a longing for G‑d beyond all understanding that only a soul in this world can reach.
The maamar in brief
The maamar asks why the verse says both “the land of his father’s sojournings” and “the land of Canaan,” and why the holy land is named after Canaan, son of the cursed Cham. Canaan in holiness is a merchant: like a trader who spends in order to profit, the Jewish people go into exile to raise the sparks of holiness, and each soul leaves its open love and awe (“silver and gold”) above and descends into a body. What it gains here is the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba): contemplating that G‑d is beyond every thought, the soul longs to dissolve into Him, a bond deeper than the love it had before, which was measured by its understanding. In exile this is found “from there,” by contemplating how even what defies G‑d lives from His will. The maamar then reads Yaakov as yud–akev, wisdom drawn down to the heel. “His father’s megurei” is the higher awe that holds supernal Chochmah through Torah study, the higher unity. “The land of Canaan” is the lower unity: drawing kindness into the world through the mitzvos, above all charity.
Outline
- The questions: the doubled land and the name CanaanWhy the verse names the land twice and why the holy land is called after Canaan; every figure has a holy counterpart, and Canaan in holiness means a merchant.¶1–2
- The merchant and the exileLike a merchant who spends to profit, the Community of Israel goes into exile to refine the sparks of holiness.¶3
- The soul’s silver and goldBefore its descent the soul had open love and awe; in the body they are hidden, so why descend? Because the Torah of this world is worth more.¶4–6
- The desire of the heartThrough the higher teshuvah the soul gains the desire of the heart, which comes from contemplating that G‑d is beyond all thought, higher than the love it had before.¶7–10
- Finding G‑d “from there” in exileIn Temple times revelation drew out this desire; in exile it comes from contemplating how even what opposes G‑d lives from His will, and how much more those who do His will.¶11–12
- The analogy completed: Cham and CanaanThe soul is the merchant; the heat of fiery love makes the holy Canaan, but the path begins with the lower awe that comes from G‑d’s kingship.¶13–14
- Calling in truthFeeling that stays in the mind fades; a call from the depth of the heart endures.¶15
- The two voices of YaakovYaakov is yud–akev; the heard voice of Torah rests only on one who first has the unheard voice of bittul, and then G‑d’s word speaks through him as a king.¶16–19
- The verse explained: two settlings“His father’s megurei” is the higher awe that holds supernal Chochmah, the higher unity; “the land of Canaan” is the lower unity, drawing Chesed into the world through the mitzvos and charity.¶20–22
Key concepts
- the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba)רעותא דלבא
- A longing for G‑d from the innermost point of the heart, born from knowing that He is beyond all understanding; it is above intellect and is reached only by a soul in a body.
- Canaan in holiness: the merchantכנען – סוחר
- The soul, like a trader, gives up its open love and awe in order to gain the far greater desire of the heart.
- silver and goldכסף וזהב
- Silver (from “longing”) is love and gold (from the north, the left) is awe: the soul’s natural, open love and awe before its descent.
- the higher teshuvahתשובה עילאה
- A return to G‑d from the depth of the heart, rooted above the world, which turns the heart from one extreme to the other.
- yud–akevיו״ד עקב
- The name Yaakov read as the yud of supernal Chochmah drawn down to the heel, the lowest level, in every world.
- the voice heard and the voice not heardקלא דאשתמע וקלא דלא אשתמע
- The heard voice is Torah, G‑d’s wisdom revealed; the unheard voice is the inner bittul and desire of the heart that must come first.
- the higher and lower unityיחודא עילאה ויחודא תתאה
- In the higher unity one is nullified to G‑d in Torah study; in the lower unity G‑d’s oneness is revealed in the world itself through the mitzvos and kindness.
The questions: the doubled land and the name Canaan ¶1–2
“And Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.” [We need] to understand this matter, and also the doubled wording, “in the land of his father’s sojournings” [and] “in the land of Canaan.”
The maamar opens with the first verse of Parshas Vayeshev, which seems to say the same thing twice: Yaakov lived “in the land of his father’s sojournings” and “in the land of Canaan.” The Alter Rebbe asks why both phrases are needed.
Now, it is written, “I will walk before G‑d in the lands of the living”: [meaning] that there are two lands, which are two levels of vessels for the resting of supernal life
He brings a verse from Tehillim that speaks of “lands” in the plural. He reads it as two “lands,” meaning two kinds of vessels, or receptacles, in which supernal life can come to rest.
(and just as “life” [chayim] is in the plural, so “lands” is in the plural). And to explain the matter, we must understand why throughout the Torah the Land of Israel is called “the land of Canaan.”
The parenthesis notes that the Hebrew word for life, chayim, is itself plural, hinting at many kinds of life. The Alter Rebbe then asks a second question: why does the Torah consistently call the Land of Israel by the name of Canaan?
והרי חם הוא אבי כנען8 ומה הוא היחוס שבח9 א״י בזה (גם להבין מ״ש כנען בידו מאזני מרמה)1011 גם מה שכתוב ולא יהיה כנעני עוד12 בבית ה׳ צבאות ביום ההוא.
Yet Cham is the father of Canaan; what then is the praise of the Land of Israel in this lineage? (Also [we need] to understand what is written, “Canaan: in his hand are scales of deceit.”) Also what is written, “And there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of G‑d of Hosts on that day.”
Canaan was the son of Cham, who was cursed, so naming the holy land after him seems to be no praise at all. The difficulty grows when the prophet calls Canaan a cheat with false scales, and says that in the future there will be no more “Canaanite” in G‑d’s house.
הנה נודע שכל התורה כולה נדרשת בזה לעומת זה כי כמו שיש לבן ועשו בקליפה
Now, it is known that the entire Torah is expounded [in the manner of] “one opposite the other”: for just as there are Lavan and Esav in kelipah,
The answer begins with a principle: everything in the Torah has a counterpart in holiness and in its opposite, kelipah (the forces of concealment). Lavan and Esav, who appear as figures of kelipah, have holy counterparts.
and likewise the chief of the butchers and the chief of the cupbearers, etc., so all these levels exist in holiness, for “G‑d made the one opposite the other.”
The same holds for the chief butcher and the chief cupbearer of the Yosef story. So Canaan too must have a meaning in holiness, and that meaning will explain why the land bears his name.
The opening paragraph poses the questions of the maamar: the doubled phrase in the verse, why the holy land is called after Canaan, and what the prophets mean by Canaan’s scales of deceit. It answers in principle that every figure in the Torah has a counterpart in holiness.
The Kehot note records that the parenthesis on the plural “life” appears in the manuscripts, is absent from one manuscript, and is attributed in Or HaTorah to Maharil, the Alter Rebbe’s brother. Another transcript explains it as “many kinds of life-force.”
Marei mekomos
- 1וישב יעקב · הנחת כ״ק אדמו״ר האמצעי במאמרי אדה״ז פרשיות ע׳ קפג. באחד מכת״י רשום שהוא משנת תקס״ג. ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. המאמר עם הגהות וכו׳ באוה״ת בראשית כרך ב רנא, ב. כרך ה תתפח, א. הערה תתצח, א. תתצט, ב. כרך ז תתתלז, א. תתלז, ב. חלק מהמאמר מובא גם בד״ה וישב יעקב תרל״ט ע׳ נד. בד״ה מי כה׳ אלקינו תרל״ט ע׳ סד. לכללות מאמר זה ראה פלח הרמון בראשית צו, ג. ד״ה זה תשכ״ז. תשמ״א. תשמ״ו.
- 2וישב יעקב · Genesis 37:1
- 3גם כפל לשון · ראה בכלי יקר. ובשיחת ש״פ וישב תשכ״ב. בבוך 633: כפל מלת בארץ תרי זימני: הנה כתיב.
- 4אתהלך לפני ה׳ · Psalms 116:9
- 5שיש שני ארצות · באוה״ת חיי שרה קיח, א. סה״מ תרל״ב ע׳ שצ וע׳ שצח. ד״ה אך בגורל תרמ״ז ע׳ יד מציינים לכאן.
- 6(וכמו חיים לשון רבים · דהיינו רבוי מיני חיות — מאמרי אדה״ז פרשיות ע׳ קפד. ועיין שם. מוסגר זה נמצא גם בכת״י מאמרי אדה״ז. [בבוך 633 ליתא כל המוסגר]. באוה״ת רנא, ב מציין שהגה״ה זו היא ממהרי״ל אחי כ״ק אדה״ז.
- 7בכל התורה ארץ כנען · Genesis 17:8
- 8חם הוא אבי כנען · Genesis 9:18
- 9ומה הוא היחוס שבח א״י בזה · Bereshit Rabbah 36:2
- 10(גם להבין . . מרמה) · מוסגר זה נמצא גם בכת״י מאמרי אדה״ז. בבוך 633 ליתא המוסגר.
- 11כנען בידו מאזני מרמה · Hosea 12:8
- 12גם מה שכתוב ולא יהיה כנעני עוד · ”דאם כפשוטו דכנעני קאי על ארור כנען א״ש, אבל מאחר שנק׳ ארץ ישראל ארץ כנען א״כ מוכרח שזהו כנען דקדושה, א״כ מהו המעלה והשבח ולא יהי׳ עוד כנעני וגו׳” — אוה״ת בראשית כרך ב רנב, א.
- 13כך יש כל בחי׳ אלו בקדושה · באוה״ת בראשית כרך ב רנב, א מציין למקומות שמבואר ענין לבן דקדושה, עשו דקדושה.
- 14זה לעומת זה עשה אלהים · Ecclesiastes 7:14
- 15ולא יהי׳ כנעני עוד בבית ה׳ צבאות · Zechariah 14:21
Now, the three sons of Noach are, above in holiness, three levels: the colours of the rainbow, white, red and green.
The three sons of Noach, Shem, Cham and Yefes, have a root in holiness as the three colours of the rainbow. White, red and green stand in Kabbalah for kindness, restraint and the harmony between them.
אלא שבהשתלשלות העולמות בבחינת נפילה ממדרגה אחר מדרגה נעשה חם גשמי אבי כנען2. ולהבין ענין כנען בקדושה הנה כנען פירושו סוחר345 כמ״ש כנעניה נכבדי ארץ.6
But in the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), by way of a fall from level after level, it became the physical Cham, the father of Canaan. And to understand the matter of Canaan in holiness: “Canaan” means a merchant, as it is written, “her merchants (kin’aneha) are the honoured of the earth.”
Through the descent of divine light from level to level, one of those holy roots fell until it became the physical Cham and his son Canaan. To find Canaan’s holy meaning, the Alter Rebbe turns to the word itself: in Hebrew “Canaan” also means a merchant, as in Yeshayahu’s phrase about the merchants of Tyre.
The paragraph traces Cham and Canaan back to a holy root that fell through the chain of worlds, and it identifies the key to Canaan’s holy meaning: the word means a merchant.
The Kehot note cites the Arizal’s Likkutei Torah on Parshas Noach: Noach himself is Yesod, and the three colours of the rainbow are his three sons, included within him. Or HaTorah develops this.
Marei mekomos
- 1שלשה בני נח . . ג׳ בחי גווני קשת · לקוטי תורה להאריז״ל פ׳ נח. דנח בעצמו הוא היסוד וג׳ גווני הקשת הוא ג׳ בניו כלולים בו כו׳. נתבאר באוה״ת וישב כרך ה תתפח, ב.
- 2
- 3כנען פירושו סוחר · בבא בתרא עה, א. תנחומא מסעי ט. ת״ב שם ז. במדב״ר פכ״ג יו״ד. ע׳ בלקו״ת פ׳ עקב בד״ה להבין שורש טעם וקישור, ובאוה״ת פ׳ בשלח ע׳ תרנ. ובפ׳ ואתחנן ע׳ קכט. ובפ׳ עקב ע׳ תקלג. סה״מ אידיש ע׳ 91 עה״פ ותמת שרה.
- 4כנען פירושו סוחר · Bava Batra 75a:5
- 5כנען פירושו סוחר · Bamidbar Rabbah 23:10
- 6כנעני׳ נכבדי ארץ · Isaiah 23:8
The merchant and the exile ¶3
3וכתיב כנען בידו מאזני מרמה1. היינו עד״מ כמו הסוחר שיפזר ממון כסף וזהב ומוציאם מרשותו כדי להרויח ולהשתכר וכל עיקר כוונתו להיות מפזר ונוסף עוד.2
And it is written, “Canaan: in his hand are scales of deceit.” That is, by way of analogy, like the merchant who scatters money, silver and gold, and lets it out of his possession in order to profit and earn; and his whole intent is to be one who “scatters and yet gains more.”
The merchant who seems to throw away his silver and gold is really investing: he parts with his money only to earn more. This is what King Shlomo calls one who “scatters and yet gains more.”
כך הנה מקור נשמת ישראל שהוא בחי׳ כנ״י נמשלה בגלות לסוחר זה כדכתיב בא אחיך במרמה3 ויקח ברכתך. כי הנה כתיב עת אשר שלט האדם4 באדם לרע לו.
So the source of the souls of Israel, which is the level of the Community of Israel (Knesses Yisrael), is likened in exile to this merchant, as it is written, “Your brother came with deceit and took your blessing.” For it is written, “a time when man ruled over man to his harm.”
The Alter Rebbe applies the analogy to the Community of Israel, the collective root of Jewish souls, in exile. The “deceit” of Yaakov taking the blessing and the verse about man ruling over man “to his harm” describe a loss that is really a gain.
שע״י התלבשות השכינה בבחי׳ גלות בתוכם להשפיע להם ע״י זה מתבררים כל ניצוצות הקדושה כמו שאמרו רז״ל לא גלו ישראל5 אלא להוסיף עליהם6 כו׳ להיות בלע המות7 וכו׳.
For through the enclothing of the Shechinah, in the manner of exile, among them, to give them influence, through this all the sparks of holiness are refined; as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Israel was exiled only so that [converts] would be added to them,” etc., so that “He will swallow up death,” etc.
When the Shechinah, G‑d’s presence, goes into exile among the nations in order to sustain them, the sparks of holiness scattered there are refined and raised up. The Sages said the exile’s purpose is that others be added to Israel, and its end is the verse “He will swallow up death forever.”
The paragraph gives the key analogy of the maamar: Canaan in holiness is the merchant who parts with his wealth to gain more, and the exile of the Jewish people is such an investment, raising the sparks of holiness.
The Kehot note records the Rebbe’s remark (in the maamar Vayeshev 5727) that the whole point of trade is profit, citing the Sages’ saying that one who buys and sells at the same price is hardly called a merchant. It also points to the Arizal’s Shaar HaMitzvos on the mitzvah of tzedakah, where “scatters and yet gains more” is explained.
Marei mekomos
- 1
- 2מפזר ונוסף עוד · Proverbs 11:24
- 3בא אחיך במרמה · Genesis 27:35
- 4עת אשר שלט האדם · Ecclesiastes 8:9
- 5לא גלו ישראל · נסמן לעיל ו, א.
- 6לא גלו ישראל אלא להוסיף עליהם · Pesachim 87b:3
- 7בלע המות · Isaiah 25:8
The soul’s silver and gold ¶4–6
4ואת רוח הטמאה אעביר מן הארץ1 ונגלה כבוד2 ה׳ כי עין בעין יראו3 וגו׳. וכמו שהוא בכללות העולם כך הוא בפרטות בכל נפש מישראל בעבודת ה׳ כי
“And the spirit of impurity I will remove from the land”; “and the glory of G‑d will be revealed”; “for eye to eye they will see,” etc. And just as it is in the world as a whole, so it is in particular in every soul of Israel in the service of G‑d. For
The prophets promise that impurity will be removed and G‑d’s glory openly seen, the end of the exile’s refinement. The Alter Rebbe now says that what happens to the world as a whole happens in miniature in every Jewish soul’s service of G‑d.
הנה הנשמה טרם ירידתה לעולם הזה להתלבש בגוף ונפש החיונית הבהמית היתה קשורה ומיוחדת במקורה ושרשה במאצילה ברשפי אש האהבה בטבע כשלהבת העולה מאליה כו׳
before its descent into this world to be enclothed in a body and in the vital, animal soul, the soul was bound and united with its source and root, in the One who emanated it, with flames of fire of love, by nature, like a flame that rises of itself, etc.
Before coming into a body, the soul was joined to its source in G‑d with a natural, fiery love, like a flame that rises upward of its own accord. The “vital, animal soul” is the life-force that animates the body and its drives.
והיה לה בחי׳ אהבה ויראה טבעי׳ בגילוי רב שהוא בחי׳ כסף וזהב. כסף מלשון נכסף נכספת4 דהיינו בחי׳ אהבה.5
And it had the level of natural love and awe in great revelation, which is the level of “silver and gold.” “Silver” (kesef) is from the expression nichsof nichsafta, “you longed greatly”; that is, the level of love.
That soul had love and awe of G‑d openly and naturally, and these are called “silver and gold.” Silver, kesef, is connected to the verb for longing, as in Lavan’s words to Yaakov, “you longed greatly,” so silver stands for love.
The paragraph moves from the nation to the individual: the soul before its descent had open, natural love and awe, the “silver and gold” that the merchant of the analogy will part with.
Tanya chapter 50 also names love “silver” from nichsof nichsafta; there, the fiery love that comes from contemplating G‑d’s greatness is called “gold.” Here gold is linked to awe, as the next paragraph explains.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואת רוח הטומאה אעביר מן הארץ · Zechariah 13:2
- 2ונגלה כבוד ה׳ · Isaiah 40:5
- 3כי עין בעין יראו · Isaiah 52:8
- 4נכסף נכספת · Genesis 31:30
- 5דהיינו בחי׳ אהבה · ראה לקמן פו, ד. מד, ג. באוה״ת וישב רנג, ב מציין: וכמ״ש נכספה וגם כלתה נפשי.
And “gold comes from the north,” which is the level of the left, which is the level of awe. And afterward, when the soul descended into this world to be enclothed in the physical body,
Gold is linked to the north, and north stands for the left side, the side of restraint and judgment, so gold means awe. The paragraph then turns to what happens when the soul comes down into a physical body.
הנה גם בחי׳ אהבה ויראה שהיה לה הם מסותרות ומכוסות בלב הגשמי ואינה יכולה לראות באהבה ויראה בהתגלות כל כך כבתחלה, ונמצא שנגרעו האהבה ויראה מערכם.
even the level of love and awe that it had is hidden and covered in the physical heart, and it cannot see into love and awe as openly as at first; so it turns out that the love and awe have been diminished from their measure.
In the body the soul’s love and awe are hidden in the physical heart. The soul can no longer feel them as openly as before, so they are reduced from their original level.
The paragraph completes the pairing, gold as awe, and states the problem: in the body the soul’s natural love and awe become hidden and diminished.
The Kehot note cites Or HaTorah, which links gold to awe through the Zohar’s reading of gold as Rosh Hashanah, the day of judgment.
Marei mekomos
- 1וזהב מצפון יאתה · Job 37:22
- 2שהוא בחי׳ שמאל שהוא בחי׳ יראה · באוה״ת וישב שם: וכמ״ש בזח״ב פ׳ תרומה דקל״ה א׳ וזהב דא ר״ה יומא דדינא ור״ה הוא בחי׳ יראה.
6וא״כ למה זה ירדה הנשמה לעוה״ז מאחר שהיא ירידה גדולה וגרעון גדול מבתחילה. אך הנה כתיב טוב לי תורת פיך1 מאלפי זהב וכסף.
If so, why did the soul descend into this world, since it is a great descent and a great loss compared to before? But it is written, “The Torah of Your mouth is better for me than thousands of gold and silver.”
If the descent into a body hides and reduces the soul’s love and awe, why does the soul come down at all? The answer starts with the verse “The Torah of Your mouth is better for me than thousands of gold and silver.”
אלפי לשון לימוד2 כלומר שיש לי יתרון ומעלה בתורת פיך בעוה״ז יותר מבחי׳ זהב וכסף שהיתה הנשמה למודה בהם בתחלה.3
“Thousands” (alfei) is an expression of learning. That is to say: I have an advantage and superiority in “the Torah of Your mouth” in this world, more than the level of “gold and silver” to which the soul was accustomed at first.
The Alter Rebbe reads alfei, “thousands,” as from the root for learning. The verse then means: the Torah learned in this world gives me more than the “gold and silver,” the love and awe, that the soul was used to before it came down.
The paragraph asks the central question, why the soul descends, and begins to answer from a verse: what the soul gains here is worth more than the “gold and silver” it gives up.
Marei mekomos
- 1טוב לי תורת פיך · Psalms 119:72
- 2אלפי לשון לימוד · באוה״ת וישב רנג, ב: כמו אאלפך חכמה.
- 3שהיתה הנשמה למודה בהם בתחלה · ראה לקו״ת שה״ש ו, ג.
The desire of the heart ¶7–10
7והענין כמו שאמרו רז״ל יפה שעה אחת1 בתשובה2 וכו׳ כי ע״י תשובה עילאה מעומקא דלבא תהיה דביקת הנפש באלהים חיים יותר נפלאה ברעותא דלבא
And the matter is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Better is one hour in teshuvah,” etc. For through the higher teshuvah, from the depth of the heart, the cleaving of the soul to the living G‑d will be more wondrous, in the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba),
The Sages said one hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come. Through the higher teshuvah, a return to G‑d from the depth of the heart, the soul cleaves to G‑d more wondrously, with “the desire of the heart” (re’usa deliba), a longing deeper than feeling.
כמ״ש לקמן, ונמצא שאע״פ שיש לה גרעון באהבה ויראה3 טבעי׳ שבחיצונית הלב הגלוים מ״מ יהיה לה יתרון בבחי׳ רעותא דלבא45 בנקודת פנימית הלב כיתרון האור הבא מן החשך6 דוקא.
as will be explained below. So it turns out that although it has a loss in the natural love and awe that are revealed in the outer dimension of the heart, nevertheless it will have an advantage in the level of the desire of the heart, in the point of the inner dimension of the heart, like “the advantage of light [that comes] from the darkness,” specifically.
So the descent is a trade: the soul loses the open, natural love and awe in the outer layer of the heart, but gains the desire of the heart at its inner point. It is like the light that shines brightest because it comes out of darkness.
The paragraph answers why the soul descends: the loss of open love and awe is outweighed by the desire of the heart, a deeper bond reached through teshuvah, like light that comes from darkness.
The Kehot note cites Or HaTorah: the soul’s loss is that its comprehension is reduced, and its gain in the inner heart comes through contemplating that no thought can grasp G‑d. Or HaTorah elsewhere says the desire of the heart is the purpose of the soul’s descent.
Marei mekomos
- 1יפה שעה אחת · אבות ד, יז.
- 2יפה שעה אחת בתשובה · Pirkei Avot 4:17
- 3שיש לה גרעון באהבה ויראה טבעית שבחיצונית הלב · נתבאר בארוכה באוה״ת בראשית כרך ב רנד, ב ד”מ״ש שיש לה גרעון . . הלב היינו מצד שנתמעט השגתה כו׳ ויש לה יתרון בפנימי׳ הלב ע״י אם ישים אליו לבו דלמחתב״כ” ע״ש בארוכה שמבאר מהו טוב לי תורת פיך.
- 4שאע״פ . . בבחי׳ רעותא דליבא · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ וישב רסה, ב.
- 5בבחי׳ רעותא דלבא · בענין רעותא דלבא ראה באוה״ת ואתחנן כרך ו ע׳ ב׳רסט שמציין לכאן ולכמה מקומות בדא״ח: ”בד״ה וישב יעקב בענין רעותא דלבא שהיא תכלית הירידה בעוה״ז כי למתב״כ כ״א ברעו״ד הוא נתפס”.
- 6כיתרון האור הבא מן החשך · Ecclesiastes 2:13
8וביאור הענין כי הנה כתיב אני ראשון1 ואני אחרון ומבלעדי אין אלהים. פי׳ ע״ד מ״ש אני ה׳ לא שניתי2 ואתה הוא קודם שנברא וכו׳
And the explanation of the matter: it is written, “I am the first and I am the last, and besides Me there is no G‑d (Elokim).” Meaning, in the manner of what is written, “I, G‑d, have not changed,” and “You were [the same] before the world was created,” etc.,
The Alter Rebbe begins a deeper explanation from Yeshayahu: G‑d is first and last, and there is no G‑d besides Him. He reads “first and last” as G‑d’s changelessness, as in “I have not changed,” and as the prayer that says G‑d is the same after creation as before it.
בלי שום שינוי כי אין בריאת עולמות עליונים ותחתונים תופסים מקום כלל וכולא קמיה כלא חשיב ממש.
without any change; for the creation of the higher and lower worlds takes up no place at all, and “all before Him is considered as truly nothing.”
Creation causes no change in G‑d, because the worlds take up no “place” before Him at all. Compared to Him they are counted as nothing.
The paragraph introduces the level of G‑d that is entirely unchanged by creation, before whom all worlds are as nothing.
Marei mekomos
- 1אני ראשון · Isaiah 44:6
- 2אני ה׳ לא שניתי · Malachi 3:6
9ומבלעדי פי׳ מה שהוא זולת בחי׳ זו דהיינו באמצעות הזמן שנראה העולם ליש ודבר בפ״ע1 בחי׳ זמן ומקום אין אלהים זולתי שהוא בחי׳ אלהים חיים ומלך עולם2
And “besides Me” means what is other than this level, that is, by means of time, in which the world appears as something existing, a thing unto itself, the level of time and space: [there] “there is no Elokim besides Me,” which is the level of “the living G‑d (Elokim) and eternal King,”
“Besides Me” refers to a different level: the world as it appears within time and space, as a real thing of its own. There G‑d is known as Elokim, “the living G‑d and eternal King,” the aspect of G‑d that relates to the world as its ruler.
כמאמר ומבלעדיך אין לנו מלך גואל וכו׳ שכל העולמות עליונים ותחתונים נתהוו מבחי׳ מלכותו ית׳
as in the saying, “and besides You we have no king, redeemer,” etc.; for all the higher and lower worlds came into being from the level of His sovereignty (malchus), blessed be He,
The prayer “besides You we have no king” points to the same idea. All worlds, higher and lower, came into being from G‑d’s Malchus, His sovereignty, the level through which He creates and rules.
וכדכתיב מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים3 וגו׳ ושם עלו השגת כל הנבראי׳ העליונים ותחתוני׳ אבל בהקב״ה בכבודו ובעצמו לית מחשבה תפיסא ביה45
as it is written, “Your kingship is a kingship over all worlds,” etc. And there reaches the comprehension of all the higher and lower creations. But as for the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and His essence, “no thought can grasp Him,”
The comprehension of every creature, even the highest angel, reaches only as far as this level of kingship. G‑d Himself, in His essence, is beyond the grasp of any thought.
כי הוא רם ונשא מגדר ההשגה ואינו נתפס בתוך עלמין לא בבחי׳ ממלא ולא בבחי׳ סובב בשום שכל והשגה בעולם אלא ברעותא דלבא מקרב איש ולב עמוק.6
for He is exalted and uplifted beyond the bounds of comprehension, and He is not grasped within the worlds, neither in the level of [the light that] fills [all worlds] nor in the level of [the light that] encompasses [them], by any intellect or comprehension in the world, but only by the desire of the heart, “the inward part of man and a deep heart.”
He is not grasped within the worlds, neither as the light that fills each world nor as the light that surrounds them all, by any mind at all. He can be reached only through the desire of the heart, which the verse calls “the inward part of man and a deep heart.”
The paragraph sets two levels side by side: G‑d as King, the source of the worlds that creatures can comprehend, and G‑d’s own essence, beyond all thought, which is reached only by the desire of the heart.
The Kehot note cites Or HaTorah: the source that creates the world as a separate existence is G‑dliness through the tzimtzum and the “vacated space,” and it is called enclothement in the ten Sefiros. Or HaTorah adds that “no thought can grasp Him” holds even for supernal Chochmah.
Marei mekomos
- 1דהיינו באמצעות הזמן שנראה העולם ליש ודבר בפ״ע · ”ובחי׳ מקור המהווה בחי׳ זו הוא אלקותו ית׳ על ידי צמצום ומקום פנוי, ונק׳ התלבשות בעשר ספירות” אוה״ת בראשית כרך ב רנה, ב.
- 2אלהים חיים ומלך עולם · Jeremiah 10:10
- 3מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים · Psalms 145:13
- 4לית מחשבה תפיסא ביה · אפילו חכמה עילאה — אוה״ת וירא כרך ד תשמ, א.
- 5לית מחשבה תפיסא ביה · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:10–12
- 6מקרב איש ולב עמוק · Psalms 64:7
10וכמ״ש ממעמקים קראתיך1 ה׳ מפני כי בחי׳ רעותא דלבא נמשך מהתבוננות זו עצמה אם ישים אליו לבו2 דלית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל והוא רם ונשא למעל׳ מעלה עד אין קץ ותכלית אפילו מבחי׳ חכמה עילאה.
As it is written, “Out of the depths I have called You, G‑d.” For the level of the desire of the heart is drawn from this very contemplation, “if he sets his heart to it”: that no thought can grasp Him at all, and He is exalted and uplifted, higher and higher without end or limit, even beyond the level of supernal Chochmah.
The desire of the heart comes from this very contemplation: that G‑d is beyond all thought, higher even than supernal Chochmah. It is the call “from the depths” of the verse in Tehillim.
Because of this his soul will yearn and pine to be nullified in its existence to Him, blessed be He, to leave the prison of the body, its sheath, and to pour itself out into the bosom of its Father.
Realizing that G‑d is beyond all understanding, the soul longs to dissolve into Him, to leave the body that confines it like a prison, and to pour itself out into its Father’s bosom.
משא״כ הנשמה טרם ירידתה להתלבש בגוף היתה אהבתה ודבקותה בשרשה לפ״ע השגתה וכן לענין היראה:5
This is not so with the soul before its descent to be enclothed in a body: its love and its cleaving to its root were according to [the measure of] its comprehension; and likewise with regard to awe.
Before its descent, the soul’s love and cleaving were measured by what it could understand of G‑d, and so was its awe. The longing born of knowing that G‑d is beyond understanding is therefore something new, which the soul gains only down here.
The paragraph explains how the desire of the heart arises, from contemplating that G‑d is beyond all thought, and why it surpasses the soul’s love before its descent, which was limited by its comprehension.
Tanya chapter 50 describes a love “like flames of fire” from contemplating that all is as nothing before G‑d, which brings the soul to kelos hanefesh, the soul’s expiry in longing, wishing to leave its wick. The Kehot note cites Or HaTorah: the soul reaches the desire of the heart, the will above intellect, in this world specifically through the mitzvos, which are G‑d’s will.
Marei mekomos
- 1ממעמקים קראתיך · Psalms 130:1
- 2אם ישים אליו לבו · Job 34:14
- 3אל חיק אביה · Tanya, Likkutei Amarim 50:6
- 4לצאת . . ולהשתפך אל חיק אביה · Tanya, Likkutei Amarim 50:6
- 5בחי׳ רעו״ד נמשך מהתבוננות זו עצמה · ”הטעם שדווקא בעוה״ז תגיע לבחי׳ רעו״ד שהו״ע הרצון שלמעלה מהשכל, נתבאר בד״ה מי מנה [לקו״ת בלק סז, ד] שהוא ע״י המצות שהם רצה״ע” — אוה״ת וישב (כרך ה) תתצ, ב ע״ש.
Finding G‑d “from there” in exile ¶11–12
11והנה בזמן שהיה בהמ״ק קיים1 היה נמשך בחינה זו רעותא דלבא מגילוי2 אא״ס ב״ה בהיכל קדשי קדשים3 כו׳ כמ״ש בתניא4 להיות בטל רצונו לרצונו ית׳ וכמ״ש כי תהיו לי ארץ חפץ.5
Now, at the time when the Holy Temple stood, this level of the desire of the heart was drawn from the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in the Sanctuary of the Holy of Holies, etc., as explained in the Tanya, so that one’s will be nullified to His will, blessed be He; and as it is written, “For you shall be to Me a land of desire.”
When the Temple stood, the open revelation of G‑d’s Infinite Light in the Holy of Holies drew out this desire of the heart by itself, so that a person’s will was nullified to G‑d’s. Tanya compares the Holy of Holies to the brain, where the soul’s life is revealed before it spreads through the body; Malachi’s “land of desire” names the people as a place of G‑d’s delight.
אך בזמן הגלות הנה כתיב ובקשתם משם את6 ה׳ אלקיך ומצאת וגו׳ משם דייקא דהיינו כשתתבונן על ההיפוך מדרכי ה׳ איך שהוא רחוק מה׳ בתכלית הריחוק
But in the time of exile, it is written, “And from there you will seek G‑d your G‑d, and you will find [Him],” etc. “From there” specifically: that is, when you contemplate the opposite of the ways of G‑d, how it is far from G‑d with the utmost distance,
In exile that open revelation is gone, and the verse says we will find G‑d “from there,” from the place of exile itself. “From there” means contemplating the very opposite of G‑d’s ways, how something can be as distant from Him as possible.
כמו עובר רצונו ומאין נשפע להם שפע וחיות להיות בהם חיות וקיום מרצונו ית׳ שרצונו ית׳ הוא המחיה אותם כמ״ש ואתה מחיה את כלם.7
such as one who transgresses His will; and from where abundance and life-force flow to them, so that they have life and existence from His will, blessed be He; for His will, blessed be He, is what gives them life, as it is written, “And You give life to them all.”
This is like one who transgresses G‑d’s will, yet still receives life and existence from that same will, for it is G‑d’s will that gives life to everything. The contemplation turns on this paradox: even what opposes G‑d lives only from Him.
אך על זה אמרו כמה ארך אפים לפניו89 שמבחי׳ ארך אפים נמשך ונשתלשל ממדרגות עליונות דרך נפילה להחיות העכו״ם אף שהם עוברי רצונו.10
But about this they said, “How great is the patience before Him”: for from the level of patience (erech apayim) it is drawn and descends, by way of a fall, from higher levels, to give life to the idol-worshipping nations, even though they transgress His will.
The Mishnah speaks of G‑d’s great patience, and the Alter Rebbe explains that life-force for the idol-worshipping nations comes down from that attribute of patience, descending by way of a fall through the higher levels. They receive life even though they act against His will.
The paragraph contrasts two ways of reaching the desire of the heart: in Temple times through open revelation, and in exile “from there,” by contemplating how even what opposes G‑d’s will lives from His will.
The Kehot note quotes the Tzemach Tzedek in Or HaTorah: the desire of the heart is the will above intellect explained in the maamar Mi Manah in Likkutei Torah. Or HaTorah also compares the Holy of Holies to the Chochmah, Binah and Daas of the World of Beriah, and says that since the Temple’s destruction the four cubits of halachah play the same role.
Marei mekomos
- 1והנה בזמן שהיה בהמ״ק קיים · קטע מכאן מובא בלקו״ת נשא כד, ב. ע״ש.
- 2דלבא — מגילוי · באוה״ת יתרו שם: וגילוי.
- 3בהיכל קדשי קדשים · באוה״ת יתרו שם: ”וענין היכל קה״ק מבואר בתניא פרק נ״א ונ״ב שהוא עד״מ התגלות החיות מהנשמה במוחין שבראש ששם גילוי כללות החיות וממנו נמשך לכל הרמ״ח אברים כו׳, ועמ״ש ע״פ שבת שבתון בפי׳ קדש הקדשים שהוא ענין מה שלמעלה גם מסוכ״ע כו׳” ע״ש בארוכה עפ״י כהאריז״ל.
- 4כמ״ש בתניא · פרק נב. בבוך 1118 ובבוך 633: בלק״א. בלקו״ת נשא כד, ב מעתיק הלשון מכאן ”בסש״ב”. ”היינו כמ״ש בתניא בענין גילוי השכינה המשל מהתלבשות כללות חיות הנפש במוחי׳, וכך הוא עתה בחי׳ התלמוד כמארז״ל משחרב בהמ״ק אין להקב״ה בעולמו אלא ד״א של הלכה. והיכל ק״ק הוא כחב״ד דבריאה” — אוה״ת בראשית כרך ב ע׳ רנו סע״א ע״ש בארוכה איך זה שייך לארץ חפץ.
- 5כי תהיו לי ארץ חפץ · Malachi 3:12
- 6ובקשתם משם את ה׳ אלקיך · Deuteronomy 4:29
- 7ואתה מחי׳ את כולם · Nehemiah 9:6
- 8כמה ארך אפים לפניו · אבות ה, ב.
- 9כמה ארך אפים לפניו · Pirkei Avot 5:2
- 10בזמן שהי׳ בהמ״ק . . רעותא דלבא · באוה״ת פ׳ ראה ע׳ תשצט מוסיף ע״ז כ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ: פי׳ רעו״ד בד״ה מי מנה עפר יעקב שהוא הרצון שלמעלה מהשכל” עכ״ל. ראה באוה״ת בראשית כרך ה תתצט, ב. יתרו ע׳ תתקג.
12וזהו אם לעוברי רצונו כך1 לעושי רצונו על אחת כמה וכמה2 שיושפע בחינת רצון עליון שהוא למעלה מעלה מגדר עלמין שלא בבחי׳ ירידת והשתלשלות המדרגות בבחי׳ חכמה ומדות
And this is [the reasoning]: if [so] for those who transgress His will, then for those who do His will, how much more so, that there will flow the level of the supernal will, which is far, far above the bounds of the worlds; not by way of the descent and chain of levels, in the level of Chochmah and the emotive attributes (middos),
The Alter Rebbe argues from the lesser to the greater, as the Gemara does: if those who defy G‑d’s will receive life from it, then those who do His will surely receive it. They receive the supernal will itself, which stands above all worlds and does not come down through the ordered levels of intellect and emotion.
אלא בבחי׳ פנימית נקודת הלב שהיא בחי׳ תשובה עילאה שקדמה לעולם. וזהו כי תדרשנו בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך.3
but in the level of the inner point of the heart, which is the level of the higher teshuvah that preceded the world. And this is [the meaning of] “when you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul”:
This supernal will is received in the inner point of the heart, the level of the higher teshuvah that preceded the world. That is why the verse says to seek G‑d “with all your heart and with all your soul.”
דהיינו שיהפך לבו מן הקצה אל הקצה ואתהפכא חשוכא לנהורא ע״י בחי׳ רעותא דלבא זו למאוס בחיי עוה״ז ותענוגים ולמשוך לבו ונפשו לדבקה בו ית׳.
that is, that his heart be turned from one extreme to the other, and “darkness is transformed into light,” through this level of the desire of the heart: to despise the life and pleasures of this world, and to draw his heart and soul to cleave to Him, blessed be He.
Seeking with all the heart means turning the heart from one extreme to the other, transforming darkness into light. Through the desire of the heart a person comes to despise the pleasures of this world and draws his heart and soul to cleave to G‑d.
The paragraph draws the conclusion: those who do G‑d’s will receive His supernal will, above all levels, in the inner point of the heart, through a complete turning of the heart to Him.
Marei mekomos
- 1אם לעוברי רצונו כך · סוף מכות.
- 2אם לעוברי רצונו כך לעושי רצונו על אחת כמה וכמה · Makkot 24b:1–2
- 3כי תדרשנו בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך · Deuteronomy 4:29
The analogy completed: Cham and Canaan ¶13–14
13והנה כל זה ע״ד משל הסוחר הנ״ל שמוציא כסף וזהב מרשותו להיות מפזר ונוסף עוד.
Now, all this is in the manner of the analogy of the merchant mentioned above, who lets silver and gold out of his possession, to be one who “scatters and yet gains more.”
The Alter Rebbe returns to the merchant who lets his silver and gold go in order to earn more.
כך הנשמה אע״פ שמוציאה כסף וזהב שהוא בחי׳ אהבה ויראה הגלוים להתלבש ולהסתיר בגוף ונפש הבהמית הנה עי״ז יש לה יתרון בבחי׳ רעותא דלבא כרשפי אש מן ההפוך.
So the soul: although it lets out “silver and gold,” which is the level of revealed love and awe, to be enclothed and hidden in the body and the animal soul, through this it has an advantage in the level of the desire of the heart, like flames of fire, out of the opposite.
The soul, too, gives up its open love and awe, its “silver and gold,” by hiding them in the body and the animal soul. In return it gains the desire of the heart, a fiery love that rises out of the very opposite of G‑dliness.
The paragraph closes the analogy: the soul is the merchant, whose loss of revealed love and awe buys the greater gain of the desire of the heart.
14וזהו וחם הוא אבי כנען1 בזקף גדול2 שחמימות רשפי אש ושלהבת העולה למעלה מההיפוך הוא העושה בחי׳ כנען לסחור כנ״ל כמ״ש טעמה כי טוב סחרה3 וגו׳.
And this is [the meaning of] “And Cham is the father of Canaan,” with a zakef gadol: for the heat (chamimus) of the flames of fire and of the flame rising upward out of the opposite is what makes the level of Canaan, to trade, as mentioned above; as it is written, “She perceives that her merchandise is good,” etc.
In the verse, “Cham” carries a cantillation mark called zakef gadol, which Chassidus reads as rising up. The Alter Rebbe hears in “Cham” the Hebrew for heat, chamimus: the heat of a flame rising out of its opposite is what makes the soul a “Canaan,” a merchant, whose trade is good, as the verse about the woman of valour says.
אך מתחלה צריך להקדים בחי׳ יראה תתאה שהיא נמשכת מבחינת מלכותו ית׳ שהיא נק׳ בחי׳ כנען העליונה דקדושה שמזה יעלה ויבא ויגיע להיות בחי׳ כנען בידו מאזני מרמה להגיע לבחי׳ רעותא דלבא בחי׳ פנימית הלב כנ״ל.
But first one must precede [this] with the level of lower awe, which is drawn from the level of His sovereignty (malchus), blessed be He, which is called the level of the supernal Canaan of holiness; from this one will rise, come and reach the level of “Canaan: in his hand are scales of deceit,” to reach the level of the desire of the heart, the level of the inner dimension of the heart, as mentioned above.
Before reaching this, one must first have lower awe, the simple fear of G‑d that comes from His Malchus, His sovereignty; this Malchus is the supernal, holy Canaan. From that foundation a person can rise to the level of the merchant with “scales of deceit,” the desire of the heart in its inner point.
The paragraph reads “Cham is the father of Canaan” in holiness: the heat of fiery love gives birth to the holy merchant, but the path starts with the lower awe that comes from G‑d’s kingship, the supernal Canaan.
According to a passage in Torah Ohr on Lech Lecha that the Kehot note cites, zakef gadol signifies Malchus as it rises upward to become Keser.
Marei mekomos
- 1וחם הוא אבי כנען · Genesis 9:18
- 2בזקף גדול · ראה לעיל יג, ב בענין זקף גדול, ”דהיינו כשהיא מתעלית למעלה”. קטע מכאן מובא באוה״ת פ׳ ואתחנן ע׳ קכט ע״ש.
- 3טעמה כי טוב סחרה · Proverbs 31:18
Calling in truth ¶15
15וזהו קרוב ה׳ לכל קוראיו1 לכל אשר יקראהו באמת דהיינו באמתות נקודת לבו שהרי אנו רואים דגנבא אפום מחתרתא2 רחמנא קריא ואעפ״כ עומד ברשעו ואינו שב מידיעתו
And this is [the meaning of] “G‑d is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth”: that is, in the truth of the point of his heart. For we see that “the thief at the mouth of the tunnel calls upon the Merciful One,” and nevertheless he persists in his wickedness and does not turn back from what he knowingly [intends].
G‑d is near to those who call on Him “in truth,” meaning from the true point of the heart. The Alter Rebbe shows why that matters: the Gemara says a thief about to break in prays to G‑d for success, yet he goes on with his crime and does not turn back from what he knowingly intends.
וגם אנו רואים שיש אפילו מי שיוליד אהוי״ר בלבו וחולפת ועוברת כמו אחר התפלה כנ״ל.
And we also see that there is even one who brings forth love and awe in his heart, and it passes and goes away, such as after prayer, as mentioned above.
Even a person who arouses real love and awe in prayer may find that it passes and is gone soon afterwards.
והיינו מפני שאינו נתפס אלא במוחו ושכלו בבחי׳ מקיף אבל אינו נכנס לפני ולפנים שיתפעל הלב באמת לאמתו מעומקא דלבא
And this is because it is grasped only in his mind and intellect, in the manner of an encompassing [light] (makif), but it does not enter within, to the innermost, so that the heart be moved in utter truth, from the depth of the heart.
This is because the feeling was held only in the mind, as something “encompassing” from outside, and never entered the innermost heart. The heart was not truly moved from its depths.
משא״כ כשיקראוהו באמת דהיינו מעומקא דלבא הנה שפת אמת תכון לעד3 ובל תמוט עולם ועד:
Whereas when they call upon Him in truth, that is, from the depth of the heart, then “the lip of truth shall be established forever,” and it shall not falter, forever and ever.
When a person calls to G‑d from the depth of the heart, the verse promises that “the lip of truth shall be established forever.” Such a call endures and does not falter.
The paragraph shows why the desire of the heart must come from its inner point: feeling that stays in the mind fades or even coexists with sin, while a call from the depth of the heart lasts forever.
The Kehot note gives the saying about the thief according to the reading of Ein Yaakov.
Marei mekomos
- 1קרוב ה׳ לכל קוראיו · Psalms 145:18
- 2דגנבא אפום מחתרתא · Berakhot 63a
- 3שפת אמת תכון לעד · Proverbs 12:19
The two voices of Yaakov ¶16–19
16והנה כתיב הקל קול יעקב1 קדמאה חסר ו׳ שהוא בחי׳ קלא דלא אשתמע וקול בתראה מלא ו׳ שהוא בחי׳ קלא דאשתמע כמ״ש בזוהר הקדוש.23
Now, it is written, “The voice is the voice of Yaakov”: the first [kol] is written lacking a vav, which is the level of the voice that is not heard, and the second kol is written full, with a vav, which is the level of the voice that is heard, as explained in the holy Zohar.
In the verse “The voice is the voice of Yaakov,” the first kol is written without a vav and the second with one. Following the Zohar, the Alter Rebbe calls the first an inner voice that is not heard and the second a voice that is heard.
וביאור הדברים הנה בחי׳ יעקב הוא4 יו״ד עקב פי׳ שהיו״ד שהוא תחלת המחשבה ביו״ד נברא עוה״ב5 הוא נמשך לבחי׳ עקב ורגל שהוא בחי׳ הדבור.
And the explanation of the matter: the level of Yaakov is yud–akev (“yud” [and] “heel”). Meaning, that the yud, which is the beginning of thought, “with the yud the World to Come was created,” is drawn down to the level of heel and foot, which is the level of speech.
The name Yaakov is read as yud and akev, the letter yud and a heel. The yud, the smallest letter, is the beginning of thought, through which the Sages say the World to Come was created, and it reaches down to the heel and foot, which stand for speech.
And Yaakov is [the bar that] “runs through from end to end,” “from the head of all levels.” And in all the higher levels there is also the aspect of head and foot,
The Zohar calls Yaakov the central bar of the Mishkan, which ran from one end to the other, from the highest level to the lowest. Every higher level also has a “head” and a “foot.”
כמ״ש ועמדו רגליו ביום ההוא8 וכתיב והארץ הדום רגלי9 וכתיב ומקום רגלי אכבד10 ויעקב הוא בחי׳ יו״ד עקב בכל עולם ועולם לפי ערכו.1112
as it is written, “And His feet shall stand on that day,” and it is written, “and the earth is My footstool,” and it is written, “and the place of My feet I will honour.” And Yaakov is the level of yud–akev in each and every world, according to its measure.
The prophets speak of G‑d’s “feet” and “footstool,” showing that even above there is a lowest part. So Yaakov, yud reaching down to heel, exists in every world at its own level.
The paragraph introduces the two voices of Yaakov and explains his name as yud–akev: the drawing down of the beginning of thought all the way to the “heel,” in every world.
According to the Kehot note, the Tzemach Tzedek in Or HaTorah reads “in each world according to its measure” as meaning that Yaakov reaches even above Atzilus, and also into the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
Marei mekomos
- 1הקל קול יעקב · Genesis 27:22
- 2כמ״ש בזהר הקדוש · באוה״ת וישב כרך ה תתצד, ב מציין עיין ח״א ד״ן ע״ב ל״ב א׳ ויצא קנ״א סע״א וישלח קע״א ע״א . . ויגש רי, א. תורת שמואל מצה זו תר״מ סעי׳ כ ואילך.
- 3הקדוש · בבוך 633 ליתא תי׳ זה.
- 4יעקב הוא י׳ עקב · נסמן לעיל כא, א.
- 5ביו״ד נברא עוה״ב · Menachot 29b:13–14
- 6ויעקב הוא מבריח מן הקצה אל הקצה · Zohar III, 186a
- 7עקב ורגל . . ראש ורגל · הקטע עד שו״ה בחינת — ראש ורגל ליתא בבוך 633.
- 8ועמדו רגליו ביום ההוא · Zechariah 14:4
- 9והארץ הדום רגלי · Isaiah 66:1
- 10ומקום רגלי אכבד · Isaiah 60:13
- 11הנה בחי׳ יעקב . . בכל עולם ועולם לפי ערכו · באוה״ת פ׳ כי תצא ע׳ תתעו מביא קטע מכאן.
- 12ויעקב . . בכל עולם ועולם לפי ערכו · באוה״ת וישב (כרך ה) תתצה, א: ומש״ר בכל עולם ועולם לפי ערכו י״ל דהיינו שבחי׳ יעקב שייך גם למעלה מאצי׳ . . וגם בפי׳ בכל עולם לפי ערכו היינו גם בבי״ע.
17והנה בחינת קלא דאשתמע הוא בחי׳ התורה שהוא בחי׳ המשכה כמשל הקול המחבר וממשיך מצפוני כוונת הלב לבא לידי גילוי בדבור וכך התורה היא בחי׳ חכמה עילאה בחי׳ חכים ולא בחכמה ידיעא
Now, the level of the voice that is heard is the level of the Torah, which is the level of drawing down, like the analogy of the voice that connects and draws the hidden intentions of the heart so that they come to be revealed in speech. And so the Torah is the level of supernal Chochmah, the level of “wise, but not with a known wisdom.”
The heard voice is the Torah: just as the voice carries the heart’s hidden thoughts out into speech, the Torah draws G‑d’s hidden wisdom into revelation. Torah is supernal Chochmah, which is “wise, but not with a knowable wisdom.”
שהרי טעמי המצות לא נתגלו להיות בהתגלות רב להבין כל עמקי סודותיה בפרטי פרטות ונמשכה לבחי׳ גילוי ע״י התלבשותה בדברים גשמיים סדר זרעים מועד וכו׳.
For the reasons of the mitzvos have not been revealed with great openness, so as to understand all the depths of its secrets in their finest details; and it was drawn into revelation through its being enclothed in physical matters: the Order of Zeraim, Moed, etc.
That is why the reasons for the mitzvos are not fully revealed. Instead the Torah comes down into revelation by clothing itself in physical matters, the laws of agriculture, the festivals and the other orders of the Mishnah.
The paragraph identifies the heard voice with the Torah, G‑d’s hidden wisdom brought into the open by enclothing itself in the physical subjects of the law.
18והוא בחי׳ קול והמשכה של יעקב יו״ד עקב דהיינו מבחי׳ יו״ד שהוא חכמה עילאה להיות נמשך עד עקב והוא עשי׳.
And this is the level of the voice and drawing-down of Yaakov, yud–akev: that is, from the level of the yud, which is supernal Chochmah, to be drawn down to the heel, which is Asiyah.
The heard voice of Yaakov is the yud of supernal Chochmah reaching all the way to the heel, the World of Asiyah, the lowest world of action.
אך כדי שיהיה האדם כלי ומכון שיהיה חכמה עילאה שורה ומתגלה בו בעסק התורה צריך להיות תחלה בבחי׳ בטול בבחי׳ רעותא דלבא
But in order for a person to be a vessel and a place in which supernal Chochmah rests and is revealed, in the study of Torah, he must first be in the level of self-nullification (bittul), in the level of the desire of the heart,
For supernal Chochmah to rest in a person while he learns Torah, he must first be in a state of bittul, self-nullification, the desire of the heart. This is the unheard voice that must come first.
והוא בחי׳ קלא דלא אשתמע דרוח אמשיך רוח1 להיות אור ה׳ שורה ומתגלה בו להיות חכמת ה׳ בקרבו בהתגלות וחב״ד שבנפשו בטלים וטפלים אליו והוא ענין אתדבקות רוחא ברוחא.
which is the level of the voice that is not heard; for “spirit draws spirit,” so that the light of G‑d rests and is revealed in him, that the wisdom of G‑d be within him in revelation, and the Chochmah, Binah and Daas of his soul be nullified and subordinate to Him. And this is the matter of “the cleaving of spirit with spirit.”
The Zohar says spirit draws spirit: the inner longing draws down G‑d’s light and wisdom to be revealed within the person. His own intellect, his Chochmah, Binah and Daas, becomes nullified to it, and this is the cleaving of spirit with spirit.
The paragraph links the two voices: the heard voice of Torah can rest in a person only after the unheard voice, the desire of the heart and self-nullification, has made him a vessel.
Marei mekomos
- 1דרוח אמשיך רוח · Zohar II, 162b
19וע״ז נאמר אלוהי בקרבי וכתיב ואשים דברי בפיך.1 דברי ממש כי דבר ה׳ זו הלכה2 היא היא הנגלית בו והיא המדברת מתוך גרונו.
And about this it is said, “My G‑d is within me,” and it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth”: “My words” literally, for “‘the word of G‑d’: this is halachah”; it is this that is revealed in him, and it is this that speaks from within his throat.
When a person is nullified in this way, G‑d is “within” him, and G‑d’s own words are in his mouth. The “word of G‑d” is halachah, so G‑d’s word is revealed in him and speaks from his throat.
ולכן נאמר על התורה בי מלכים ימלוכו.3 ואמרינן מאן מלכי רבנן.4 ומתניתא מלכתא.5 כי להיותו בביטול אל דבר ה׳ ורצונו וחכמתו ואינו תופס מקום מצד עצמו כלל
Therefore it is said of the Torah, “Through me kings reign,” and we say, “Who are the kings? The Rabbis,” and “the Mishnah is a queen.” For since he is nullified to the word of G‑d and to His will and His wisdom, and takes up no place of his own at all,
That is why the Torah says kings reign through it, and the Gemara calls the Rabbis “kings”; the Mishnah is called a queen. Because the scholar is nullified to G‑d’s word, will and wisdom and claims no standing of his own, his ruling carries G‑d’s authority.
הנה דבר המלך הוא השלטון6 והוא בחי׳ מלך שגוזר ואומר שאם יטעון ראובן כך כו׳ יהיה כך.
“the word of the king is sovereign,” and he is on the level of a king who decrees and says that if Reuven claims thus, etc., it shall be thus,
The Rabbi is like a king whose word is law: he rules that if Reuven claims one thing, the judgment will be so.
וכן לעשות כך ושלא לעשות כך וכו׳ ואינו בבחי׳ עבד כ״א בעשיית המצות שהוא כעבד המקיים מצות המלך ועושה דבריו:7
and likewise to do thus and not to do thus, etc. And he is not on the level of a servant, except in the performance of the mitzvos, in which he is like a servant who carries out the king’s commands and does his words.
He rules what is permitted and forbidden as well. In the study of Torah he is a king, and only in performing the mitzvos is he a servant, carrying out the King’s commands.
The paragraph shows the result of nullifying oneself to G‑d’s wisdom: G‑d’s word speaks through the scholar, who rules as a king in Torah, while in the mitzvos he is a servant.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואשים דברי בפיך · Isaiah 51:16
- 2דבר ה׳ זו הלכה · Shabbat 138b:11–12
- 3בי מלכים ימלוכו · Proverbs 8:15
- 4מאן מלכי רבנן · Gittin 62a:14
- 5ומתניתא מלכתא · ראה לקמן מט, ב.
- 6דבר המלך הוא השלטון · Ecclesiastes 8:4
- 7כעבד המקיים מצות המלך ועושה דבריו · מובא בלקו״ש חט״ו ע׳ 315 ומציין שם בהערה 38 ”ולהעיר מתניא פכ״ג”. וראה גם לקו״ש חי״ט ע׳ 401. וראה בד״ה שלום רב תשל״ח בסופו.
The verse explained: two settlings ¶20–22
20וזהו וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו. וישב הוא ענין השפלה וירידה ממקום עמידתו. ופי׳ שבחי׳ יעקב יו״ד עקב נמשך ונשפל להיות בארץ מגורי אביו.
And this is [the meaning of] “And Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s sojournings (megurei).” “Settled” (vayeshev) denotes a lowering and descent from the place where one stood. And the meaning is that the level of Yaakov, yud–akev, is drawn down and lowered to be “in the land of his father’s megurei.”
Now the opening verse is explained. “Settled” means a lowering from one’s place: Yaakov, the yud reaching down to the heel, is drawn down and lowered into “the land of his father’s megurei.”
ומגורי יש בו ב׳ פי׳ הא׳ הוא לשון יראה1 והב׳ הוא לשון אוצר2 כמו מגורה מלאה פירות34 שהוא כלי שאוצרין לתוכו ושניהם עולים בקנה אחד כי יראת ה׳ היא אוצרו5 כתיב.
And megurei has two meanings: the first is an expression of fear, and the second is an expression of a storehouse, as in “a granary (megurah) full of produce,” which is a vessel into which one stores; and both go together, for it is written, “The fear of G‑d is His treasure.”
The word megurei has two meanings, fear and storehouse, as a granary is called a megurah. The two go together, because the verse says “The fear of G‑d is His treasure.”
The paragraph begins to read the opening verse: Yaakov’s settling is a descent, and megurei means both fear and a storehouse, since awe is the vessel that holds G‑d’s treasure.
According to the Kehot note, the Rebbe (in the maamar Shalom Rav 5738) showed that both meanings go back to the Maggid of Mezritch’s Or Torah: megurei as fear of one’s Father in heaven, and as gathering in, as in “he gathers in summer.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ומגורי . . לשון יראה · Zohar I, 180a
- 2והב׳ הוא לשון אוצר · Proverbs 10:5
- 3מגורה מלאה פירות · פסחים ד, רע״ב. וש״נ.
- 4מגורה מלאה פירות · Pesachim 4b:1–2
- 5יראת ה׳ היא אוצרו · Isaiah 33:6
21וכן בדברי רז״ל אוצר של יראת שמים1 שהיא בחי׳ יראה עילאה יראה בשת בבחי׳ בטול הוא כלי קבול לחכמה עילאה שיהא שורה ומתגלה בו ונקרא מגורי אביו
And so too in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, “a storehouse of the fear of Heaven,” which is the level of higher awe, the awe of shame, in the level of self-nullification: it is a receiving vessel for supernal Chochmah, that it may rest and be revealed in it. And it is called “his father’s megurei,”
The Sages speak of a “storehouse of the fear of Heaven,” the higher awe, the awe of shame before G‑d’s greatness, which is bittul. This awe is the vessel in which supernal Chochmah can rest and be revealed, which is why it is called “his father’s megurei.”
כי יעקב הוא בחי׳ יו״ד עקב הוא בחי׳ הארה והמשכה מבחי׳ חכמה עילאה להמשיך עד סוף כל דרגין. ובחי׳ חכמה עילאה נק׳ אביו.2
for Yaakov is the level of yud–akev; he is the level of illumination and drawing-down from the level of supernal Chochmah, to draw [it] down to the end of all levels. And the level of supernal Chochmah is called “his father.”
Yaakov is the drawing down of supernal Chochmah to the lowest level, and supernal Chochmah is called his “father.” So “the land of his father’s megurei” is the higher awe that holds his father’s wisdom.
The paragraph explains “his father’s megurei” as the higher awe of self-nullification, the storehouse that receives supernal Chochmah, Yaakov’s “father.”
The Rebbe noted (Sefer HaMaamarim Melukat) that Torah Ohr says supernal Chochmah is called “his father” and not just “father,” hinting that it is Yaakov’s own father.
Marei mekomos
- 1בדברי רז״ל אוצר של יראת שמים · Berakhot 33b:24
- 2ובחי׳ חכמה עילאה נק׳ אביו · ”י״ל דבלשון התו״א ד”ח״ע נק׳ אביו” (ולא ”נק׳ אב”) — מרומז גם שח״ע נק׳ ”אביו” דיעקב. (סה״מ מלוקט ח״ב ע׳ רז בהערה 104).
22והנה זה הוא בבחי׳ יחודא עילאה ואתדבקו׳ רוחא ברוחא בעסק התורה להיות בטל אליו ית׳ בבחי׳ חכמה עילאה כנ״ל.
Now, this is in the level of the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah) and the cleaving of spirit with spirit in the study of Torah, to be nullified to Him, blessed be He, in the level of supernal Chochmah, as mentioned above.
Everything so far belongs to the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah), where the person is nullified to G‑d in Torah study and his spirit cleaves to G‑d’s spirit. In that unity the world counts as nothing before G‑d.
אך בבחי׳ יחודא תתאה דהיינו להיות כלי ומכון לשבתו ית׳ בבחי׳ קיום העולם בבחי׳ מלכותו שיהיה גם בזה שורה ומתגלה בחי׳ ה׳ אחד.1
But in the level of the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah), that is, to be a vessel and a place for His dwelling, blessed be He, in the level of the world’s existence, in the level of His sovereignty, so that in this too the level of “G‑d is One” rest and be revealed:
There is also the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah): making the world’s ongoing existence, which comes from G‑d’s Malchus, into a dwelling for Him. The goal is that the oneness of G‑d be revealed in the world itself.
הנה זה נמשך ע״י ישיבה והשפל׳ אחרת ממדתו של יעקב להמשיך מדת חסד מראש כל דרגין עד סוף כל דרגין בארץ התחתונה הוא כנען שהוא בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ ומלך במשפט יעמיד ארץ2 והוכן בחסד כסא.3
this is drawn through another settling and lowering of the attribute of Yaakov, to draw down the attribute of Chesed from the head of all levels to the end of all levels, into the lower land, which is Canaan, which is the level of His sovereignty (malchus), blessed be He; and “A king establishes the land through justice,” and “the throne is established through kindness.”
This needs another “settling” and lowering of Yaakov: drawing Chesed, kindness, from the highest level to the lowest, into the lower land, Canaan, which is G‑d’s Malchus. The verses say the king sustains the land through justice and his throne is established through kindness.
שקיום העולם הוא בחסד כמ״ש עולם חסד יבנה4 דהיינו בעשיית המצות בכלל ששרשם הוא בחי׳ חסד ובפרטות הוא מצות הצדקה וחסד שלכן היא נקראת בשם מצוה סתם כו׳ שהיא שקולה כנגד כל המצות5 כמ״ש בתניא:6
For the world’s existence is through kindness, as it is written, “The world is built on kindness”: that is, through the performance of the mitzvos in general, whose root is the level of Chesed, and in particular it is the mitzvah of charity and kindness, which is why it is called simply “the mitzvah,” etc., for it is equal to all the mitzvos, as explained in the Tanya.
The world stands on kindness: in general through all the mitzvos, whose root is Chesed, and in particular through charity. That is why the Sages call charity simply “the mitzvah,” and why it equals all the mitzvos, as Tanya explains.
The paragraph answers the opening question of the doubled wording: “his father’s megurei” is the higher unity reached through Torah and awe, and “the land of Canaan” is the lower unity, drawing kindness into the world through the mitzvos, above all charity.
The Kehot note reports that two manuscripts add an ending: especially charity given to the Holy Land itself, which is the gate of heaven and corresponds to the supernal land of Canaan.
Marei mekomos
- 1ה׳ אחד · Deuteronomy 6:4
- 2ומלך במשפט יעמיד ארץ · Proverbs 29:4
- 3והוכן בחסד כסא · Isaiah 16:5
- 4עולם חסד יבנה · Psalms 89:3
- 5שהיא שקולה כנגד כל המצות · Bava Batra 9a:12
- 6מצות הצדקה . . שהיא שקולה כנגד כל המצות כמ״ש בתניא · בלקו״א פרק לז. בבוך 633 (יב, ב) ובבוך 1118 נוסף בסיום המאמר: ”ובפרט בצדקה שעושים עם אה״ק ממש שהוא שער השמים ומכוונת כנגד ארץ כנען העליונה כמו שאה״כ כעיר שחוברה לה יחדיו וד״ל”.
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
Do not measure your bond with G‑d by how much love and awe you feel: the soul came down precisely to reach a deeper longing, from the depth of the heart, by contemplating that G‑d is beyond all thought, even when facing what seems far from Him. Before Torah study, set yourself aside so that G‑d’s wisdom can rest in you; and bring His kindness into the world through the mitzvos, above all through charity.
Questions for discussion
- Why is a merchant, who seems to “lose” his money, the right image for the soul’s descent into the body?
- How does the desire of the heart differ from the love and awe the soul had before it came down, and why is it higher?
- What does it mean to find G‑d “from there,” in exile, by contemplating what is opposite to Him?
- Why must the unheard voice of self-nullification come before the heard voice of Torah study?
- How do “his father’s megurei” and “the land of Canaan” correspond to the higher and lower unity?
Key terms in this maamar
- Kelipah (the husk)קליפה
- The forces of concealment that oppose holiness. ×1
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×2
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×1
- The animal soulנפש הבהמית
- The soul that animates the body and its drives. ×1
- Love and aweאהבה ויראה
- The two 'wings' of divine service. ×6
- Teshuvah (return)תשובה
- Returning to G‑d; not only repentance. ×3
- The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)חיצוניות
- The external, expressive aspect.
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level.
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting.
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×1
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- ×1
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×10
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×1
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×3
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×1
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×1
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail.
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion.
- The higher unity (yichuda ila'ah)יחודא עילאה
- The world is nothing next to G‑d. ×1
- The lower unity (yichuda tata'ah)יחודא תתאה
- G‑d is present within the world's existence. ×1
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×6