Torah Ohr · Parshas Vayeitzei · Maamar 5
וישכם לבן בבקר וינשק לבניו ולבנותיו ויברך אתהם כו׳
“And Lavan rose early in the morning, and he kissed his sons and his daughters”
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The big idea
The Patriarchs’ open revelation of G‑dliness reaches ordinary souls through the level of the Tribes: compassion for one’s own G‑dly spark, aroused in prayer, draws down supernal mercy from the Supernal Whiteness (“Lavan”) beyond all worlds, which is then carried into Torah and mitzvos through the day.
The maamar in brief
The maamar begins with the attributes of greatness and might, feminine in form because they receive from the Infinite Light. Through the Patriarchs, whose bittul made them a chariot, these attributes were revealed as their love and fear. The goal is that this revelation be felt in every Jewish soul, not held only as belief in thought, which desire can sway. Yet the Patriarchs belong to Atzilus, and most souls cannot bear their revelation. It reaches the lower worlds through the Tribes, who extend the Patriarchs as a branch extends a tree, and Yeshayahu’s plea “Return for the sake of the tribes” expresses this hope in exile. The Tribes’ service is compassion for one’s own soul, aroused by contemplating G‑d’s greatness in prayer. That arousal from below draws mercy from above, bringing felt Daas into the heart. The link itself comes from supernal mercy beyond the chain of worlds, the Supernal Whiteness, “Lavan”. His kiss and blessing are that mercy reaching the Tribes and the two worlds each morning; it withdraws after prayer, and Yaakov carries it into Torah and mitzvos.
Outline
- Greatness and might as recipientsThe attributes of greatness and might receive from the Infinite Light; its revelation in Avraham’s love is an act of divine humility.¶1–2
- The Patriarchs as the chariotThrough bittul the Patriarchs revealed G‑d’s own attributes; the aim is a felt revelation in every soul, beyond unstable belief in thought.¶3–4
- The Tribes carry the revelation downSouls rooted in the lower worlds receive the Patriarchs’ revelation through the Tribes, the twelve extensions of the three Patriarchs, as Yeshayahu’s plea in exile shows.¶5
- Compassion for the soulThe Tribes’ service is compassion for one’s G‑dly spark, aroused by contemplating G‑d’s greatness in prayer; it draws mercy from above and brings felt Daas into the heart.¶6–7
- Lavan, the Supernal WhitenessThe link between below and above comes from supernal mercy beyond all worlds, the unchanging Supernal Whiteness; each phrase of the verse describes its flow in morning prayer and its continuation in Torah and mitzvos.¶8–9
Key concepts
- The Patriarchs as the chariotהאבות הן הן המרכבה
- The Patriarchs were wholly nullified to G‑d’s will, like a chariot to its rider, so G‑d’s own attributes were revealed in their love and fear.
- The level of the Tribesבחינת ומדרגת השבטים
- The extension of the Patriarchs’ revelation into the lower worlds, in a form every Jewish soul can bear; shevet means both a branch and a drawing forth.
- Compassion (rachmanus)רחמנות
- Mercy over the G‑dly spark in one’s soul, which has fallen from its source; it is Yaakov’s attribute as it reaches the Tribes, and it goes hand in hand with Daas.
- Arousal from below and from aboveאתערותא דלתתא ואתערותא דלעילא
- Human initiative that calls forth a divine response; here, compassion aroused in prayer draws down supernal mercy.
- Daas as felt awarenessדעת והרגשה
- Knowledge of G‑d felt in the heart as though one sees, which fixes the will firmly, unlike faith held only in thought.
- The Supernal Whitenessלובן העליון
- “Lavan” of holiness: the light of G‑d’s essence, like white, which is the thing itself rather than a dye; the source of supernal mercy beyond the chain of worlds.
- Ringed and speckledעקודים ונקודים
- Names of levels that exist only as they descend; in their source they have no separate existence, so the source can turn one into the other without change.
For children · ages 9–13
Compassion for our own soul
The big idea
When we think in prayer about how great G‑d is and how far our soul has come down, we feel compassion for it, and G‑d answers with great mercy that we carry into Torah and mitzvos all day.
The Avos, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, set themselves aside so completely that G‑d’s love and fear shone openly in them. Not every soul can hold so great a light. It reaches every Jew through the Shevatim, the Tribes, who grew from the Avos as branches grow from a tree. The service of the Tribes is compassion for one’s own soul. In prayer, especially in Pesukei deZimra, the verses of praise, we think about how great G‑d is. Our soul was once truly part of G‑d above, and it has come down very far. When we feel compassion for it, G‑d answers with great mercy, and we begin to know and feel Him in our heart, not only to believe. That mercy comes from above all the worlds, from the Supernal Whiteness. The maamar reads the name Lavan, “white,” in this holy sense. White is not a dye added to something; it is the thing itself, unchanged. “Lavan rose early in the morning” and kissed his sons and daughters: each morning at prayer that mercy shines. After prayer it withdraws, so we pray every day. Then “Yaakov went on his way”: we carry that light into Torah and mitzvos.
The mashal
When a person bends one branch of a tree, the whole tree is drawn along with it. In the same way, when we awaken compassion below, in our own soul, we draw down G‑d’s great mercy from above.
Questions for the Shabbos table
- Why does feeling compassion for our own soul bring G‑d’s mercy down to us?
- The maamar says white is not a dye but the thing itself. What does this teach us about G‑d, who does not change?
- This week, during the morning prayers, how can you take a moment to think about G‑d’s greatness before you begin the verses of praise?
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.
Greatness and might as recipients ¶1–2
“And Lavan rose early in the morning, and he kissed his sons and his daughters, and he blessed them, etc.” Now, it is written, “Yours, O G‑d, is the greatness and the might, etc.”
The maamar opens with the verse describing Lavan’s departure from Yaakov after their covenant, which it will later read as a description of a supernal level. It then brings a second verse, David’s praise “Yours, O G‑d, is the greatness and the might,” to begin with the divine attributes.
בלשון3 נקבה שהם בחי׳ מקבלים מאור א״ס ב״ה כי באור א״ס ב״ה בעצמו לא שייך לשון גדולה שבמקום גדולתו כו׳.45
[These are] in the feminine form, for they are the level of recipients from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He; for to the Infinite Light, blessed be He, itself, the term “greatness” does not apply, since “in the place of His greatness, etc.”
The Hebrew words gedulah (greatness) and gevurah (might) are feminine, and the feminine signals a recipient: these attributes receive their light from the Infinite Light. The Infinite Light as it is in itself cannot be called “great,” since greatness is a defined quality, and the Sages’ saying “in the place of His greatness” (which continues “there you find His humility”) hints that true greatness lies beyond such terms.
The opening sets out the verse to be explained and introduces the attributes of greatness and might as recipients of the Infinite Light rather than the Infinite Light itself.
The Sages’ full saying in Megillah is that wherever Scripture mentions G‑d’s greatness it mentions His humility beside it; the next paragraph builds on this, describing the Infinite Light’s descent into Avraham’s attribute as an act of divine humility.
Marei mekomos
- 1וישכם לבן בבקר · נוסחא שני׳ בסה״מ תקס״ד ע׳ יד. בבוך 755 רנו, א נמצא ביאור אחר המאמר. ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. ביאור באוה״ת כרך ה תתסט, א. ראה ד״ה וישכם לבן תשמ״ח.
- 2וישכם לבן בבקר · Genesis 32:1
- 3הגדולה והגבורה כו׳, בלשון · בסה״מ תקס״ד ע׳ יד: ”הגדולה כו׳ גדולה בה׳ לשון”.
- 4שבמקום גדולתו כו׳ · Megillah 31a:12–13
- 5לך ה׳ הגדולה · I Chronicles 29:11
2והנה גדולה היא מדת אברהם וכמ״ש ואגדלה שמך.1 וזהו שאומרים אלקי אברהם כו׳ ושבחו של הקב״ה הוא שכך ענוותנותו2 ית׳ כו׳ שנמשך ונתפשט אור א״ס ב״ה כ״כ [כל כך] עד שיהיה שורה ומתגלה במדת אברהם אוהבי3 כו׳.
Now, greatness is the attribute of Avraham, as it is written, “And I will make your name great.” And this is [the meaning of] what we say, “the G‑d of Avraham, etc.” And the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, is that such is His humility, may He be blessed, etc., that the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, is drawn down and extends so far that it rests and is revealed in the attribute of Avraham, “who loves Me,” etc.
Greatness, meaning Chesed or expansive kindness, is the attribute of Avraham, as G‑d promised him, “I will make your name great,” and so the prayer calls G‑d “the G‑d of Avraham.” The Alter Rebbe calls it a mark of G‑d’s humility that His Infinite Light reaches so far down as to rest and be revealed in the love of a human being, Avraham, whom G‑d called “the one who loves Me.”
The paragraph ties the attribute of greatness to Avraham and presents its revelation in him as the Infinite Light’s humble descent.
Calling G‑d “the G‑d of Avraham” is read as praise precisely because the Infinite Light has lowered itself to be revealed in a human attribute; this echoes the Sages’ linking of G‑d’s greatness to His humility cited in the previous paragraph.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואגדלה שמך · Genesis 12:2
- 2ושבחו של הקב״ה הוא שכך ענוותנותו · Megillah 31a
- 3אברהם אוהבי · Isaiah 41:8
The Patriarchs as the chariot ¶3–4
3והנה האבות הן הן המרכבה12 שהיו כל ימיהם בבחי׳ בטול כו׳ ועי״כ [ועל ידי כך] זכו להשראת השכינה אור א״ס ב״ה בגילוי ממש שיהיה אור א״ס ומדותיו הם המתגלים בנפשם3 אברהם אוהבי4 ופחד יצחק5 כו׳.
Now, the Patriarchs are themselves the Chariot, for all their days they were in a state of self-nullification (bittul), etc.; and through this they merited the indwelling of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in actual revelation, so that it was the Infinite Light and its attributes that were revealed in their souls: “Avraham who loves Me,” and “the Fear of Yitzchak,” etc.
The Sages said that the Patriarchs were a “chariot” for G‑d: just as a chariot has no will of its own apart from its rider, they were wholly given over to Him all their lives. Because of this self-nullification, the Divine Presence rested in them openly, so that their very love and fear were the divine attributes themselves revealed in their souls: Avraham’s love and “the Fear of Yitzchak.”
The paragraph explains that the Patriarchs’ complete bittul made them a chariot in which the Infinite Light and its attributes were openly revealed.
Elsewhere in Torah Ohr the Patriarchs are identified with Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes of Atzilus, which is why their attributes are the divine attributes themselves rather than a created reflection of them.
Marei mekomos
- 1האבות הן הן המרכבה · נסמן לעיל ד, ג. וראה לקמן עב, ד.
- 2האבות הן הן המרכבה · Bereshit Rabbah 47:6
- 3ומדותיו הם המתגלים בנפשם · באוה״ת פ׳ ואתחנן כרך ו ע׳ ב׳רסח יש הג״ה לכאן ”נ״ב ע׳ בד״ה וידבר אלקים כו׳ וארא אל אברהם [= תו״א נה, א] ובד״ה וארא אל אברהם [= תו״א נו, א] ובד״ה להבין ענין האבות הן הן המרכבה [= תו״א עג, א] עכ״ה.
- 4אברהם אוהבי · Isaiah 41:8
- 5ופחד יצחק · Genesis 31:42
4והן הן מדות גדולותיו וגבורותיו של הקב״ה עצמו שנמשך ונשתלשל למטה על ידיהם להיות1 גילוי אור א״ס ב״ה בכלל נפשות ישראל בבחי׳ גילוי ממש ולא במחשבה בעלמא שכל ישראל מאמינים2 בני מאמינים3 כו׳
And these are themselves the attributes of greatness and might of the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, which were drawn down and descended below through them, so that there be a revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in the souls of Israel as a whole, as an actual revelation, and not merely in thought, in that all Israel are “believers, the children of believers,” etc.
The Patriarchs’ love and fear are G‑d’s own attributes of greatness and might, and through the Patriarchs these were drawn down so that the Infinite Light could be revealed in all Jewish souls. The goal is an actual, felt revelation, not only the abstract faith that every Jew has as “a believer, the child of believers.”
כי המחשבה היא ברשותו של אדם אל כל אשר יחפוץ יטנו4 והחפץ ימלא את לבו ומחשבתו להטותה פעמים כך ופעמים כך.
For thought is in a person’s own control: “wherever he wishes, he turns it”; and desire will fill his heart and his thought, to turn it sometimes this way and sometimes that way.
Faith held only in thought is not secure, because thought follows desire, and desire pulls it one way and then another. The phrase “wherever he wishes, he turns it” is borrowed from the verse about the king’s heart in G‑d’s hand.
The paragraph states the goal: that the divine attributes revealed in the Patriarchs be revealed as felt experience in every Jewish soul, since mere belief in thought is unstable.
The contrast between faith and felt knowledge anticipates the maamar’s later point that Daas as felt awareness in the heart depends on compassion.
Marei mekomos
- 1וגבורותיו — ידיהם להיות · בבוך תקצ״ה: ידיהם אבל להיות.
- 2שכל ישראל מאמינים · Shabbat 97a:4
- 3שכל ישראל מאמינים בני מאמינים · Shemot Rabbah 23:2
- 4אל כל אשר יחפוץ יטנו · Proverbs 21:1
The Tribes carry the revelation down ¶5
5וצריך שיהיה החפץ והרצון תקוע במקום נאמן1 והוא ע״י הדעת והכרה בבחי׳ הרגשה כאלו רואה כו׳ וכמארז״ל [וכמאמר רבותינו זכרונם לברכה] על אברהם אבינו ע״ה [עליו השלום] שהכיר את בוראו23 כו׳.
And the desire and the will must be fastened “in a sure place,” and this is through Daas (knowledge) and recognition, as a felt awareness, as though one sees, etc.; as our Sages, of blessed memory, said of our father Avraham, peace be upon him, that he recognized his Creator, etc.
For faith to be firm, the will must be fixed “in a sure place,” and this happens through Daas: a felt recognition of G‑d, as vivid as if one saw Him. Avraham is the model, since the Sages say he recognized his Creator by his own understanding.
אך המשכת גילוי זה מבחי׳ מעלת ומדרגת האבות עצמם כו׳ כי האבות היו בבחי׳ מרכבה דאצי׳ דאיהו וגרמוהי חד ולא כל נפש תוכל שאת גילוי זה.
However, the drawing down of this revelation from the level of the rank and degree of the Patriarchs themselves, etc. [is not for every soul]; for the Patriarchs were a Chariot of [the World of] Atzilus, where “He and His vessels are one,” and not every soul can bear this revelation.
The revelation of the Patriarchs themselves comes from Atzilus, the world where G‑d and His attributes are one, and ordinary souls cannot contain a revelation of that intensity. So something is needed to bring it down to a level they can receive.
אבל להיות גילוי זה נמשך ונשתלשל בבי״ע ששם מושרשות נפשות כלל ישראל הוא ע״י בחי׳ ומדרגת השבטים
Most Jewish souls are rooted in the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. The revelation reaches them through the level of the Tribes, the sons of Yaakov.
כי שבט הוא לשון המשכה כמו כוכבא דשביט45 וגם לשון שבט וענף מן האילן הגדול שהם6 בבחי׳ מרכבה לעלמא דאתגליא בבחי׳ (הים)
For shevet (tribe) is a term for drawing forth, as in kochva deshavit (a comet), and it is also the term for a rod and branch of the great tree; for they are a Chariot for the revealed world (alma de’isgalya), in the aspect of (the Sea)
The word shevet (tribe) suggests extension, as the Aramaic for a comet, whose light trails outward, and it also means a branch that extends from a tree. The Tribes are thus the extension of the Patriarchs into the revealed world, as the Sea in Shlomo’s Temple rested on oxen.
“standing upon twelve oxen,” which are the twelve Tribes, corresponding to the four Chayos of the Chariot, the face of a man, etc.
The “Sea” in Shlomo’s Temple stood on twelve oxen, which correspond to the twelve Tribes and to the four faces of the Chayos in Yechezkel’s chariot vision. The oxen carried the Sea as the Tribes carry the Patriarchs’ revelation below.
וכל א׳ כלול מג׳ אבות10 הרי י״ב ומשם נמשך השפעת והמשכת גילוי אלקותו ית׳ בכלל הנפשות של ישראל שבחי׳ ומדרגת השבטים יכולים כל ישראל שאת בנפשם.
And each one comprises the three Patriarchs, making twelve; and from there flows the influence and drawing down of the revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, into the souls of Israel as a whole; for the level and degree of the Tribes all Israel can bear in their souls.
Each of the four faces includes all three Patriarchs, giving twelve, the number of the Tribes. Through this level, which every Jew can bear, the revelation of G‑dliness flows into all Jewish souls.
וזהו שאמר הנביא על הגלות (ונתקן בתקון חצות) למה תתענו11 ה׳ מדרכך תקשיח לבנו מיראתך שוב למען עבדיך12 שבטי נחלתך.
And this is what the prophet said concerning the exile (and it was set into Tikkun Chatzos): “Why, O G‑d, do You make us stray from Your ways, and harden our heart from Your fear? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your inheritance.”
The verse from Yeshayahu, recited in the midnight lament Tikkun Chatzos, asks why G‑d lets us stray from His ways and fear, and pleads that He return for the sake of the tribes. The Alter Rebbe reads it as a lament over exile that finds hope in the Tribes.
פי׳ מדרכך מדת אברהם שנאמר עליו (בראשית יא) הלוך ונסוע הנגבה13 כו׳ ומיראתך מדת יצחק כו׳
Explanation: “From Your ways” is the attribute of Avraham, of whom it is said (Bereishis 11), “going and journeying toward the south,” etc.; and “from Your fear” is the attribute of Yitzchak, etc.
“Your ways” means Avraham’s attribute, since Avraham is described as “going and journeying,” and “Your fear” means Yitzchak’s attribute of awe. The verse cited is in Genesis 12:9, though the text gives chapter 11.
וקובל הנביא למה תתענו ותקשיח לבנו ממדת אברהם ויצחק להיות רחוקים מאור פני ה׳ שיתגלה עלינו ולהיות בגלות אדום הם ענייני עוה״ז כו׳
And the prophet laments: Why do You make us stray and harden our heart from the attribute of Avraham and Yitzchak, so that we are far from the light of G‑d’s countenance being revealed upon us, and are in the exile of Edom, which is the affairs of this world, etc.?
The prophet laments that in the exile of Edom, which is immersion in worldly concerns, we are cut off from the revelation of the Patriarchs’ love and fear and from the light of G‑d’s countenance.
על כל פנים שוב למען עבדיך שבטי נחלתך כלומר שעם היות שבחי׳ מעלות ומדרגת האבות עצמם אינו שורה ומתגלה בנפש האדם בגלות אבל ע״י14 השתלשלו׳ [השתלשלות] בחי׳ ומעלת השבטים יוכל להיות גילוי זה בכל נפש מישראל:1516
At any rate, “Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your inheritance”; that is to say: although the level of the rank and degree of the Patriarchs themselves does not rest and become revealed in a person’s soul in exile, nevertheless through the descent (hishtalshelus) of the level and rank of the Tribes, this revelation can be in every soul of Israel.
Even when the Patriarchs’ own level cannot rest in a soul in exile, the prophet asks G‑d to return “for the sake of the tribes.” Through the Tribes’ level, which extends the Patriarchs downward, the revelation can still reach every Jewish soul.
The paragraph explains that the Patriarchs’ lofty revelation reaches ordinary souls, rooted in the lower worlds, only through the level of the Tribes, and reads Yeshayahu’s lament over exile in this light.
The Tribes correspond to the twelve “diagonal boundaries” of Kabbalah (four faces times three Patriarchs), through which, the Or HaTorah gloss cited in the notes says, love and fear can be drawn below. The same structure appears in the camps of the Tribes around the Mishkan.
Marei mekomos
- 1תקוע במקום נאמן · Isaiah 22:23
- 2אברהם אבינו ע״ה שהכיר את בוראו · Nedarim 32a:17–19
- 3אברהם אבינו ע״ה שהכיר את בוראו · Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 1:3
- 4כוכבא דשביט · Berakhot 58b:11
- 5כוכבא דשביט · Zohar, Pinchas 65:381–67:390
- 6(הים) · בבוך תקצ״ה (רנה, א): והים, בלי סוגריים.
- 7(הים) עמד על י״ב בקר · I Kings 7:25
- 8ולא כל נפש תוכל שאת גילוי זה . . י״ב שבטים כנגד ארבע חיות המרכבה כו׳ · מובא באוה״ת פ׳ ואתחנן כרך ו ע׳ ב׳רסח ומוסיף שם ”נ״ב. ע׳ בד״ה כנשר יעיר [= לקו״ת פ׳ האזינו עז, ד] ובד״ה ויקהל משה בענין כשם שאין בלבך אלא אחד כך אין בלבנו אלא אחד, ועיין ביאור ואלה המשפטים [= תו״א עו, ב] בענין וזרעתי את בנ״י זרע אדם וזרע בהמה. וע׳ בה״ז פ׳ במדבר על המאמר דקי״ח ע״ב, וע׳ בד״ה מחר חדש [= סה״מ תקס״ז ע׳ מט ואילך] בענין פי׳ י״ב גבולי אלכסון שעי״ז דוקא יוכל לבוא המשכות אהוי״ר למטה” ע״ש. ראה גם מאמרי אדה״ז תק״ע ע׳ קג. אוה״ת שמות ע׳ מט.
- 9פני אדם · בבוך הנ״ל: פני שור.
- 10וכל א׳ כלול מג׳ אבות · ראה לעיל כג, א.
- 11למה תתענו ה׳ מדרכך · Isaiah 63:17
- 12כי האבות . . שוב למען עבדיך · ראה אוה״ת בראשית ח, ב. פ׳ משפטים ע׳ א׳רפב. פ׳ מטות ע׳ א׳רצה.
- 13הלוך ונסוע הנגבה · Genesis 12:9
- 14אבל ע״י השתלשלות בחי׳ ומעלת השבטים · ראה לקו״ש כרך ו ע׳ 11 הערה 40.
- 15כלומר שעם היות שבחי׳ מעלות . . גילוי זה בכל נפש מישראל · מובא באוה״ת שה״ש ע׳ סג ע״ש.
- 16
Compassion for the soul ¶6–7
6והנה מדתו של יעקב1 אבינו ע״ה [עליו השלום] היא בחי׳ הרחמים העליונים שאפילו על כל עולמות2 שייך ונופל3 בחינת הרחמנות כו׳
Now, the attribute of our father Yaakov, peace be upon him, is the level of the Supernal Mercies, for even over all the worlds the quality of compassion applies and pertains, etc.,
Yaakov’s attribute is supernal mercy, a compassion so vast that it applies even to the highest worlds. Compared with G‑d’s infinity even they are as nothing, and so they too are objects of compassion.
כמ״ש במ״א ומדרגות השבטים יוצאי ירך יעקב4 הם במדריגה שלמטה הימנו דהיינו לעורר רחמים רבים על ניצוץ אלקות השורה בנפשו
as is explained elsewhere. And the levels of the Tribes, “who came forth from Yaakov’s loins,” are on a level below him; that is, to arouse abundant mercy over the spark of G‑dliness that rests in one’s soul,
The Tribes, Yaakov’s sons, stand a level below him, and their service is to arouse great mercy over the spark of G‑dliness in one’s own soul. This is the kind of compassion an ordinary person can reach.
ע״י התבוננותו בגדולת א״ס ב״ה איך שהוא רם ונשא5 וכולא קמיה כלא חשיבי6 ובטול כל הנבראים במקורם ובכללם גם נפשו כשהיתה במקור חוצבה חלק
through one’s contemplating the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He: how He is exalted and lofty, and “all before Him is considered as nothing,” and the nullification of all created beings in their source; and among them also one’s own soul, when it was in the source from which it was hewn, “a part
The method is contemplation: one considers how exalted G‑d is, that all creation is as nothing before Him and is nullified in its source. Among those creations is one’s own soul, which in its source was hewn from G‑d.
אלוה ממעל7 ממש שהיתה בטלה באור א״ס ממש ואיך ירדה פלאים8 מטה מטה מאיגרא רמא9 כו׳ ולפי רבוי ואריכות ההתבוננות כך תגדל הרחמנות ביתר שאת.10
of G‑d above” truly, when it was nullified in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) truly; and how it has descended wondrously, down, down, “from a lofty peak,” etc. And according to the abundance and length of the contemplation, so will the compassion grow, with ever greater intensity.
In its source the soul, “a part of G‑d above,” was entirely absorbed in the Infinite Light, and it has fallen “from a lofty peak” into a body in this world. The longer and deeper one contemplates this descent, the stronger the compassion for one’s soul becomes.
ועד״ז נתקן כל סדר התפלה ובפסוד״ז [ובפסוקי דזמרה] שכמה פסוקים המספרים בשבחו ש״מ [של מקום] בעילוי אחר עילוי שמזה תגדל הרחמנות על ירידת הניצוץ וריחוקו מאור א״ס ב״ה כנ״ל.
And in this manner the entire order of the prayers was instituted, and in Pesukei deZimra many verses recount the praise of the Omnipresent, blessed be He, in ascent after ascent; from this the compassion grows over the descent of the spark and its distance from the Infinite Light, blessed be He, as mentioned above.
The prayers were arranged for this purpose: Pesukei deZimra praises G‑d in ever higher terms. The more one grasps G‑d’s greatness, the more one feels how far the soul’s spark has fallen and the more compassion grows.
The paragraph distinguishes Yaakov’s all-embracing supernal mercy from the Tribes’ level, which is compassion for one’s own soul aroused by contemplating G‑d’s greatness, especially in prayer.
Tanya, chapter 45, describes the same service: arousing great mercy, Yaakov’s attribute, over the spark of G‑dliness that has descended into the body. The Or HaTorah cited in the notes adds that one who cannot feel compassion for the higher worlds can still feel it for the soul’s descent into the body and the animal soul.
Marei mekomos
- 1והנה מדתו של יעקב · בבוך 1824: והנה בחי׳ ומדריג׳ השבטים שהם בני יעקב. באוה״ת מטות ע׳ א׳רצה מציין לכאן: ”שם [= כאן בתו״א] נת׳ ענין רחמים דיעקב הוא מה שבאמת שייך רחמנות אף על ג״ע העליון משום שכולא קמי כלא חשיב כו׳, וכשאינו משיג הרחמנות הנ״ל אעפ״כ משיג הרחמנות על ירידת הנשמה בגוף ונה״ב”. ע״ש.
- 2שאפילו על כל עולמות · בבוך 1824 נוסף: עליוני׳.
- 3שייך ונופל בחי׳ הרחמנות כו׳ כמ״ש במ״א · ”ע׳ בלקו״ת ד״ה כי ההרים ימושו מא, א וד״ה במדבר ג, א” — הג״ה בגליון התו״א.
- 4יוצאי ירך יעקב · Exodus 1:5
- 5רם ונשא · Isaiah 57:15
- 6וכולא קמיה כלא חשיבי · Zohar, Introduction 20:188–22:199
- 7חלק אלוה ממעל · Job 31:2
- 8ירדה פלאים · Lamentations 1:9
- 9מאיגרא רמא · Chagigah 5b:16–17
- 10ביתר שאת · Genesis 49:3
7והנה ע״י שמתעורר בחי׳ הרחמנות באתעדל״ת [באתערותא דלתתא] אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] כמו למשל השבט וענף של אילן שכופפין אותו כו׳ אזי נמשך כל האילן.
Now, when the quality of compassion is aroused as an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), [there follows] an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila); as, by way of analogy, the rod and branch of a tree which one bends, etc., and then the whole tree is drawn along.
Compassion aroused in a person is an “arousal from below,” and it calls forth an “arousal from above,” a response from G‑d. The analogy is a branch: bend it, and the whole tree is drawn after it.
כך הוא ע״י אתעדל״ת [אתערותא דלתתא] זו שמבחי׳ ומדרגת השבטים גורם אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] בחי׳ רחמים רבים להיות נמשך גילוי אור א״ס ב״ה ובחי׳ מעלות ומדרגות האבות בבחי׳ גילוי ממש בנפשו דהיינו בחי׳ דעת והרגשה כאילו רואה כו׳.
So too, through this arousal from below, from the level and degree of the Tribes, one brings about an arousal from above, the level of abundant mercy, so that there is drawn down the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, and the level of the ranks and degrees of the Patriarchs, as an actual revelation in one’s soul; that is, the level of Daas (knowledge) and felt awareness, as though one sees, etc.
The Tribes’ level, compassion for one’s soul, is the branch; when it is stirred, it draws down great mercy from above. That mercy brings into the soul the revelation of the Infinite Light and of the Patriarchs’ level, felt as vividly as if one saw it.
וכמאמר אבינו אב הרחמן1 רחם נא עלינו ותן בלבנו בינה כו׳ שכדי להיות לבבנו מכון וכסא להשראת בינה ודעת בבחי׳ הרגשה בלב הוא ע״י הרחמנות
As in the prayer, “Our Father, merciful Father, have mercy upon us, and put understanding in our hearts, etc.”; for that our heart be a base and throne for the indwelling of Binah (understanding) and Daas as felt awareness in the heart comes through compassion,
The prayer “Our Father, merciful Father, have mercy upon us and put understanding in our hearts” shows the order: first mercy, then understanding. Compassion is what makes the heart a fit dwelling for Binah and Daas felt in the heart.
כי הרחמנות והדעת תלוי זה בזה.2 וכמארז״ל [וכמאמר רבותינו זכרונם לברכה] (ברכות לג.) כל מי שאין בו דעה3 כו׳:
for compassion and Daas depend on one another. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachos 33a): “Whoever has no knowledge, etc.”
Compassion and Daas depend on each other, as the Sages said, “Whoever has no knowledge, it is forbidden to have mercy on him,” linking the two.
The paragraph shows how compassion aroused below draws down mercy from above, which brings the Patriarchs’ revelation into the soul as felt knowledge.
The branch image plays on shevet (tribe) as a branch of the Patriarchs’ tree; drawing the branch draws the tree. Tanya, chapter 45, similarly links Yaakov’s attribute of mercy with the service that draws G‑dliness into the soul.
Marei mekomos
- 1וכמאמר אבינו אב הרחמן · Tanya, Likkutei Amarim 45:1
- 2כי הרחמנות והדעת תלוי זה בזה · ראה לקו״א להה״מ סי׳ קצג (הוצאת קה״ת). ובאו״ת שם קטו, ד.
- 3
Lavan, the Supernal Whiteness ¶8–9
8אך הנה גם לבחי׳ אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] שיהי׳ [שיהיה] תלוי באתעדל״ת [באתערותא דלתתא] זו צ״ל בחי׳ המשכה מלמעלה והמשכה זו היא ממקור הרחמים עליונים שלמעלה מעלה מסדר ההשתלשלות ששם מקור ושרש הרחמים מה שאינו מושג ונתפס בסדר השתלשלות כלל
However, even for the arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila) to depend on this arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), there must be a drawing down from above; and this drawing down is from the source of the Supernal Mercies, which is far, far above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), for there is the source and root of mercy, which is not grasped or contained within the order of hishtalshelus at all.
Even the rule that the arousal from above depends on the arousal from below must itself come from somewhere higher. It comes from the source of supernal mercy, which lies beyond the whole chain of worlds and cannot be grasped within it.
וכמאמר אלקי עולם ברחמיך הרבים ברחמיך דייקא כו׳ וכמ״ש במ״א1 וזהו וישכם לבן2 בבקר3 פי׳ לבן דקדושה4 הוא בחי׳ לובן העליון דהיינו בחי׳ אור עצמותו
As in the prayer, “G‑d of the world, in Your abundant mercies,” “in Your mercies” specifically, etc., and as is explained elsewhere. And this is [the meaning of] “And Lavan rose early in the morning.” Explanation: Lavan of holiness is the level of the Supernal Whiteness, that is, the level of the light of the essence
The prayer says “in Your abundant mercies,” and the emphasis on “Your” mercies points to G‑d’s own mercy, beyond the ordered levels. The Alter Rebbe now returns to the verse: “Lavan” means white, and “Lavan of holiness” is the Supernal Whiteness, the light of G‑d’s very essence.
ומהותו של אא״ס [אור אין סוף] ב״ה כמשל מראה וגוון לבן5 שאינו דומה לכל המראות וגוונים שהגוונים שלהם נתהוו ע״י צבע משא״כ מראה וגוון לבן הוא עצמות הדבר ומהותו שלא נשתנה ולא נתהוה ע״י צבע.
and being of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He; as in the analogy of the appearance and color white, which is unlike all the [other] appearances and colors, whose colors came about through dye; whereas the appearance and color white is the very essence and being of the thing, which has not been changed and has not come about through dye.
Every other color is produced by dyeing something, while white is the thing itself, unchanged. So the Supernal Whiteness stands for the Infinite Light as it is, before any “color” or defined attribute.
The paragraph traces the whole process back to supernal mercy beyond the chain of worlds, and identifies it with “Lavan,” the Supernal Whiteness of G‑d’s essence.
The notes record a question about this level: here “Lavan” seems to be Keser, while Kabbalistic sources identify Lavan with the supernal Abba (Chochmah); the Or HaTorah and a Likkutei Sichos talk cited in the notes discuss this. Likkutei Torah on Acharei explains white as the essential color, the lights as they are before they enter vessels.
Marei mekomos
- 1שו״ה ברחמיך . . וכמ״ש במ״א · ”ע׳ לקמן [עט, ב]. וע׳ ד״ה שובה ישראל סח, א וע׳ סד״ה כנשר יעיר” — הג״ה על גיליון התו״א.
- 2וזהו וישכם לבן · בבוך 1824 סימן להתחלת קטע חדש.
- 3וישכם לבן בבקר · Genesis 32:1
- 4אך הנה . . לבן דקדושה · ראה אוה״ת במדבר בהוספות ע׳ א׳תקיג. ד״ה תמים תהי׳ תרל״ב: ”וע׳ בתו״א ס״פ ויצא בד״ה וישכם לבן משמע שלבן הוא בחי׳ כתר, ולכן הגם שבמאו״א אות למ״ד ס״ו כ׳ לבן אבא עילאה . . מ״מ לפי׳ רבינו ז״ל מ׳ שהוא בכתר, וכן בלק״ת ס״פ אחרי פי׳ גוון לבן שהוא גוון עצמי מורה על האורות כמו שהן קודם שנתלבשו בכלים”. ראה אוה״ת ויקרא כרך ב ע׳ תרלז, דכאן משמע שלובן העליון הוא בחי׳ כתר, ובמ״א משמע שהוא בחי׳ חכמה. נתבאר בלקו״ש חט״ו ע׳ 262.
- 5מראה וגוון לבן · ראה לקו״ת ס״פ אחרי. עטרת ראש יוהכ״פ פ״ה. דרך מצותיך פו, א. אוה״ת סוכות ע׳ תשיז. בארוכה יותר בסה״מ תקס״ד ע׳ טו.
9וכן הוא עד״מ אור א״ס ב״ה בעצמו ובכבודו דלית בי׳ [ביה] בחינת גוונין כלל דלית מחשבה תפיסא בי׳ [ביה]1 ואני ה׳ לא שניתי2 כתיב.
And so it is, by way of analogy, with the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, in Himself and in His glory, in whom there is no aspect of colors at all, for “no thought can grasp Him”; and it is written, “I, G‑d, have not changed.”
The analogy of white now applies to the Infinite Light in itself: it has no “colors,” no defined attributes, and no thought can grasp it. The verse “I, G‑d, have not changed” expresses that nothing in it alters.
ולכן כתיב והחליף את משכורתי3 עשרת מנים אם כה יאמר נקדים4 כו׳. שכל הבחי׳ עקודים ונקודים נתהוו ונשתלשלו ממנו ובירידתם והשתלשלם הם נקראים בשם עקודים ונקודים
And therefore it is written, “And he changed my wages ten times: if he said thus, ‘The speckled,’ etc.” For all the levels of “ringed” (akudim) and “speckled” (nekudim) came into being and descended from Him, and in their descent and chain of descent they are called by the names “ringed” and “speckled”;
Lavan changed Yaakov’s wages from speckled to ringed sheep and back. In Kabbalah “ringed” (akudim) and “speckled” (nekudim) are also names of early stages of divine emanation, and they receive those names only as they descend from the source.
משא״כ בראשיתם ומקורם הם בטלים ונכללים ואינם עולים בשם כלל ולכן יכול הוא להפך מבחי׳ עקודים לבחי׳ נקודים ומנקודים לעקודים ואין זה שינוי לפניו ית׳ כב״י [כביכול] מאחר
whereas in their beginning and source they are nullified and included, and bear no name at all. And therefore He can turn [them] from the level of ringed to the level of speckled, and from speckled to ringed, and this is no change before Him, may He be blessed, as it were, since
In their source these levels are wholly nullified and have no separate identity or name. That is why the Supernal Lavan can turn one into the other without any change in Himself.
שהם בטלים במציאות ואינם עולים בשם כלל לא שייך שם שינוי כלל (וזלע״ז [וזה לעומת זה] לבן דקליפה מחליף משכורתו ממש ברמאות).56
they are nullified in existence and bear no name at all, the term “change” does not apply there at all. (And opposite this, Lavan of kelipah actually changes his wages through deceit.)
Where something has no existence of its own, turning it from one form to another is not a change at all. The parenthesis contrasts the Lavan of kelipah in the story, whose changing of the wages was plain trickery.
והנה בחינת לבן דקדושה כנ״ל שם הוא מקור הרחמים העליונים מה שלמעלה מעלה מסדר ההשתלשלות ואתערותא דילי׳ [דיליה] בבוקר דאברהם בחי׳ חסד
Now, at the level of Lavan of holiness, as mentioned above, there is the source of the Supernal Mercies, which is far, far above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus); and its arousal is “in the morning” of Avraham, the level of Chesed (kindness),
The Lavan of holiness is the source of supernal mercy, beyond the whole chain of worlds. It is awakened “in the morning,” which is Avraham’s time and his attribute of Chesed.
כמ״ש (בראשית כב) וישכם אברהם בבקר78 להמשיך רחמים להיות אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] תלוי באתעדל״ת [באתערותא דלתתא] המשכת הרחמים היא בבחי׳ חסד דאברהם.
as it is written (Bereishis 22), “And Avraham rose early in the morning,” to draw down mercy so that the arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila) depend on the arousal from below (isarusa dilesata); the drawing down of mercy is in the aspect of Avraham’s Chesed.
Avraham “rose early in the morning” to go to the Akeidah, and the morning is linked with Chesed. Through Avraham’s kindness the higher mercy is drawn down, establishing that a response from above will follow an arousal from below.
וכמאמר אהבת עולם אהבתנו כו׳ אבינו אב הרחמן כו׳. וזהו וינשק לבניו9 הם הם בחי׳ השבטים (שהם בני בניו ובני בנים הרי הם כבנים)101112
As in the prayer, “With an everlasting love You have loved us, etc.; our Father, merciful Father, etc.” And this is [the meaning of] “and he kissed his sons”: these are the level of the Tribes (for they are his sons’ sons, and sons’ sons are like sons),
The morning prayer’s blessing “With an everlasting love You have loved us... our Father, merciful Father” joins love (Chesed) with mercy, as described. The verse’s “he kissed his sons” refers to the Tribes, who were Lavan’s grandsons, since grandchildren count as children.
בחי׳ המשכת אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] כנ״ל ובנותיו הן הן לאה ורחל עלמא דאתכסייא ועלמא דאתגלייא שלכל בחי׳ הללו נמשך בחי׳ לבן העליון בבחינת נשיקין ואתדבקות רוחא ברוחא.13
the level of the drawing down of the arousal from above, as mentioned above. “And his daughters”: these are Leah and Rachel, the hidden world (alma de’iskasya) and the revealed world (alma de’isgalya); for to all these levels the level of the Supernal Lavan is drawn down in the manner of kisses, and “the cleaving of spirit with spirit”:
The Tribes represent the drawing down of the arousal from above. “His daughters,” Leah and Rachel, are the hidden world and the revealed world, and the Supernal Lavan reaches all of them as a kiss, in which spirit cleaves to spirit.
לכל המשפיעים שהם בחי׳ בניו והמקבלי׳ [והמקבלים] שהם בחי׳ בנותיו שיהי׳ [שיהיה] נשפע ונמשך בהם בחי׳ רחמים עליונים להיות אתעדל״ע [אתערותא דלעילא] תלוי באתעדל״ת [באתערותא דלתתא]. ויברך אתהם כו׳.
to all the givers, who are the level of “his sons,” and the recipients, who are the level of “his daughters,” that the level of the Supernal Mercies be bestowed and drawn into them, so that the arousal from above depend on the arousal from below. “And he blessed them, etc.”
The sons stand for those who give influence and the daughters for those who receive it, and supernal mercy flows into both. This is what makes G‑d’s response depend on human arousal; then comes “and he blessed them.”
ענין הברכה כמ״ש (שם א) ויברך אתם אלקים ויאמר להם14 כו׳ ומלאו את הארץ וכבשה כו׳. דהיינו שיהי׳ [שיהיה] תוספת ברכה והמשכה למטה עד דאתהפכא חשוכא לנהורא.
The meaning of the blessing is as it is written (ibid. 1), “And G‑d blessed them, and said to them, etc., fill the earth and subdue it, etc.”; that is, that there be an increase of blessing and a drawing down below, until darkness is turned into light.
Blessing in the Torah means increase, as in the first blessing to humanity to “fill the earth and subdue it.” Here it means drawing G‑dliness further and further down, until even darkness is turned into light.
וכמ״ש (שם יב) ונברכו בך כל15 משפחות האדמה ובזרעך16 שיהיו נברכים ונכללים כל בחי׳ הניצוצים שנפלו בשבה״כ [בשבירת הכלים] בקדושתו של זרע יעקב.
And as it is written (ibid. 12), “And all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you,” and “through your seed”: that all the sparks that fell in the shattering of the vessels be blessed and included in the holiness of the seed of Yaakov.
G‑d’s promise that all families of the earth would be blessed through Avraham and his seed is read as the gathering of the fallen sparks. According to Kabbalah, sparks of holiness fell into the world when the primordial vessels shattered, and they are raised into the holiness of Yaakov’s descendants.
וילך וישב לבן למקומו שזמן הארת בחי׳ זו היא בבוקר זמן תפלת השחר אבל אחר התפלה מסתלק הארה זו
“And Lavan went and returned to his place”: for the time of the illumination of this level is in the morning, the time of the morning prayer, but after the prayer this illumination withdraws.
“Lavan went and returned to his place” means that this supernal illumination shines during the morning prayer and then withdraws when prayer is over.
ולכך צריך להתפלל בכל יום שבכל יום חוזר ונמשך הארה זו וחזר ונסתלק אחר התפלה.
And therefore one must pray every day, for every day this illumination is drawn down anew, and withdraws again after the prayer.
That is why one must pray every day: the illumination comes anew each morning and withdraws again afterward. Daily prayer is needed to draw it down again.
ויעקב הלך לדרכו17 בחי׳ יעקב יו״ד עקב הלך ונמשך בחי׳ תורה ומצות דתורה אקרי דרך18 (קדושין ב:) וד״ל [ודי למבין]:19
“And Yaakov went on his way”: the level of Yaakov, yud [and] akev (heel), went and was drawn into the level of Torah and mitzvos, for the Torah is called “a way” (Kiddushin 2b). And this suffices for one who understands.
The name Yaakov is read as yud and akev (heel): the divine point drawn down to the lowest level. “Yaakov went on his way” means that after prayer the light is carried into Torah study and mitzvos, since the Sages call the Torah “a way.”
The paragraph completes the reading of the verse: Lavan is the unchanging Supernal Whiteness, his kiss and blessing are the flow of supernal mercy to givers and receivers each morning in prayer, and Yaakov’s going on his way is carrying that light into Torah and mitzvos for the rest of the day.
Akudim and nekudim are, in the Arizal’s system, stages of emanation before and at the shattering of the vessels; the maamar uses them to show that the source can turn one level into another without change. A manuscript cited in the notes adds that the Torah after prayer serves to “store away the light,” preserving the morning’s illumination.
Marei mekomos
- 1דלית מחשבה תפיסא בי׳ · Tikkunei Zohar 17a:10–12
- 2ואני הוי׳ לא שניתי · Malachi 3:6
- 3והחליף את משכורתי · Genesis 31:7
- 4אם כה יאמר נקדים · Genesis 31:8
- 5(וזלע״ז . . ברמאות) · בכת״י ממאמרי אדה״ז אינו נמצא. ובסה״מ תקס״ד נמצא, וכנראה שזהו הוספת הצ״צ על הנחה זו.
- 6מחליף משכורתו ממש ברמאות · בד״ה וישכם לבן תשמ״ח מבאר ”יש לפרש הכוונה בזה הוא כדי לבאר שעבודת ישראל פועלת גם בלבן זה שלמטה כי ישראל ע״י עבודתם מעלים גם את החושך ואת המרירות דעולם הזה, להפך חשוכא לנהורא ומרירו למיתקא שזהו ע״י עבודת התשובה” ע״ש.
- 7וישכם אברהם בבוקר · בסה״מ תקס״ד ע׳ טז מבאר שזהו ענין תפילת שחרית.
- 8
- 9וינשק לבניו · Genesis 32:1
- 10(שהם . . כבנים) · ראה לעיל הערה (וזלע״ז.
- 11ובני בנים הרי הם כבנים · Yevamot 62b:2–3
- 12ובני בנים הרי הם כבנים · Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 36:12
- 13ואתדבקות רוחא ברוחא · Zohar I, 124b
- 14
- 15
- 16ונברכו בך כל משפחות האדמה ובזרעך · Genesis 28:14
- 17ויעקב הלך לדרכו · Genesis 32:2
- 18ונמשך בחי׳ תורה . . דרך · בבוך אדה״ז — יבל אבי יושב: ונמשך לדרכו בחי׳ תו״מ שזהו עסק כל היום וד״ל. ובכת״י 954 נ, א נמצא במקומו: ”ובבחי׳ תורה . . כו׳ תורה שלאחר התפילה לגנוז האור כי טוב וד״ל”.
- 19
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
In prayer, especially Pesukei deZimra, contemplate G‑d’s greatness at length until compassion awakens for one’s own soul, which has fallen from its source. That compassion draws down mercy from above and brings felt knowledge of G‑d into the heart. Because this light withdraws after prayer, one must pray every day, and carry the light into Torah study and mitzvos for the rest of the day.
Questions for discussion
- Why does the maamar insist on a felt revelation of G‑d rather than faith alone, and what makes faith held only in thought unstable?
- Why can ordinary souls not receive the Patriarchs’ revelation directly, and how does the level of the Tribes solve this?
- How does contemplating G‑d’s greatness lead to compassion for one’s own soul, and why do compassion and Daas depend on each other?
- What does the analogy of white, a color not made by dye, teach about the Supernal Whiteness and the claim that G‑d does not change?
- Why must the illumination of prayer be renewed each day, and what does “Yaakov went on his way” add about the rest of the day?
Key terms in this maamar
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- ×2
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d.
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×1
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion. ×4
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d.
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence.
- The World of Yetzirah (Formation)יצירה
- The world of the angels and emotions.
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one.
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×3
- The Infinite One (Ein Sof)אין סוף
- G‑d's own boundless essence.
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response.
- An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
- Divine initiative, unprompted by us.
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×2
- Kelipah (the husk)קליפה
- The forces of concealment that oppose holiness. ×1
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×2
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment. ×1
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×1
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×1
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×1
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×1
- “He and His vessels” (ihu vegarmohi)איהו וגרמוהי
- From the Tikkunei Zohar: in Atzilus the Light and the vessels are one. Always “vessels”, never “organs”, “causations” or “bones”. Its companion איהו וחיוהי is “He and His life-forces”. Not מגרמיה (“of itself”). ×1