Torah Ohr · Parshas Vayigash · Maamar 3
ביאור על הנ״ל
“An explanation of the above”
Biur · an explanation of maamar 2Kept on this device only. Sign in to save it on every device
The big idea
In the present era the bond between G‑d and Israel is a betrothal: only the Torah’s outer side is revealed, and Malchus, the “bride,” silently receives through Z’eir Anpin, the “groom.” In the Time to Come the inner dimension of the Torah will be revealed, the bond will become a full marriage, and the bride will rise to be “the crown of her husband,” giving of her own: “the voice of the bride.”
The maamar in brief
This short maamar explains further a teaching of the earlier maamar of Parshas Vayigash: in the Time to Come Malchus will rise above Z’eir Anpin. It starts from the wedding blessings. The sixth ends “who gladdens the groom and the bride”; the last, after praying that the voices of groom and bride soon be heard in Yerushalayim, ends “who gladdens the groom with the bride.” The first wording refers to the present, the second to the time after the Redeemer comes. Marriage has two stages, betrothal and marriage. Now we are in betrothal: at Sinai only the outer side of the Torah, its laws, was revealed, while its inner delight stayed encompassing, like a ring around the finger. In the future the inner Torah will be revealed and enter within, and that is marriage. Now Malchus receives through Z’eir Anpin, who receives from Imma; then she will be “a woman of valor, the crown of her husband.” So now the bride is silent, as at the kiddushin, and the Shemoneh Esreh is whispered; then she will give, and the prayer will be said aloud: “the voice of the bride.”
Outline
- The two wedding blessingsTo explain Malchus’s future rise above Z’eir Anpin, the maamar asks why “the groom and the bride” becomes “the groom with the bride” in the last wedding blessing, and what “the voice of the bride” means; the first wording refers to the present.¶1–3
- Betrothal and marriage“With the bride” comes after the redemption. The present era is a betrothal: at Sinai only the Torah’s outer side was revealed, while its inner delight stayed encompassing, like the kiddushin ring; in the Time to Come the inner Torah will be revealed within, and that is marriage.¶4–5
- The crown of her husbandNow Malchus receives through Z’eir Anpin, who receives from Imma; in the Time to Come Malchus will rise above him as his crown, for “their end is wedged in their beginning.”¶6
- The voice of the brideHence the righteous will have “Holy” said before them. Now the bride receives and is silent, as at the kiddushin and in the whispered Shemoneh Esreh; in the future G‑d will gladden the groom through the bride, who will give, and the prayer will be said aloud.¶7–8
Key concepts
- Betrothal (erusin)אירוסין
- The first stage of marriage, which binds the couple before they live together. The maamar compares it to the present era, when only the outer side of the Torah is revealed.
- Marriage (nisuin)נשואין
- The completion of marriage. It stands for the Time to Come, when the inner dimension of the Torah will be revealed and the light will enter within.
- Encompassing light (makif)מקיף
- Light that affects a person from beyond, without being taken in, pictured by the round ring that encircles the finger. The Torah’s inner delight is now in this state.
- The inner dimension of the Torahפנימיות התורה
- The supernal delight within the Torah, beyond its laws of forbidden and permitted. It was not revealed at Sinai and will be revealed in the Time to Come.
- Malchus and Z’eir Anpinמלכות וז״א
- The bride and groom among the Sefiros. Now Malchus receives through Z’eir Anpin, who himself receives from Imma (Binah); in the Time to Come Malchus will rise above him.
- A woman of valor, the crown of her husbandאשת חיל עטרת בעלה
- The verse the maamar uses for the future rise of Malchus above Z’eir Anpin, as a crown rests above the head, because “their end is wedged in their beginning.”
- The voice of the brideקול כלה
- The future state in which Malchus, silent now, will herself give. It is also the Shemoneh Esreh, now whispered, said aloud.
The two wedding blessings ¶1–3
This short maamar is a further explanation of an idea from the earlier maamar of this parshah, on “And he approached (Vayigash).” That maamar taught that in the Time to Come Malchus will rise above Z’eir Anpin, and the heading tells the reader that what follows clarifies it.
The heading marks the maamar as a supplement that explains further a teaching of the earlier maamar of Parshas Vayigash.
The Kehot note dates this maamar to 5567 (1806–07) and lists other transcripts of it under the opening words “Meheirah Yishama” (“Speedily may there be heard”): one in Avodas HaLevi and one by the Mitteler Rebbe in the Siddur. A gloss in Or HaTorah records that the maamar “Va’achaltem Achol” in Likkutei Torah, Parshas Tzav, was said on the same Shabbos, and the note adds that the Tzemach Tzedek in several places calls this maamar by the name “Va’achaltem Achol.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ביאור · נמצא בעבודת הלוי כרך ג בליקוטים פו, א בד״ה מהרה ישמע. הנחת אדה״א בסידור קלח, ב ומתחיל מהרה ישמע. והוא משנת תקס״ז. הגהות לסידור באוה״ת סידור ע׳ רכב ושם בע׳ רכה מציין שד״ה ואכלתם אכול שבלקו״ת פ׳ צו ”שא׳ אדמו״ר ז״ל בו בשבת שאמר הדיבור מהרה ישמע”. ראה גם ד״ה אשר ברא במאמרי אדה״א דרושי חתונה כרך ב ע׳ תרב מיוסד על הסידור. בכמה מקומות מציין כ״ק אדמו״ר הצ״צ למאמר זה בשם ”ד״ה ואכלתם אכול”. ראה לקו״ת שה״ש מח, ב.
2ולתוספת ביאור במש״ל ע״פ ויגש כו׳. בענין שלעתיד יהיה עליית המלכות למעלה מז״א כו׳. יובן ממ״ש בברכה אחרונה דנשואין מהרה ה׳ אלהינו ישמע בערי יהודה1 ובחוצות ירושלים2 כו׳. בא״י משמח חתן עם הכלה.3
As a further explanation of what was said above on “And he approached (Vayigash),” etc., regarding [the teaching] that in the Time to Come there will be an ascent of Malchus (sovereignty) above Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), etc.: this will be understood from what is said in the last of the marriage blessings, “Speedily, G‑d our G‑d, may there be heard in the cities of Yehudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim,” etc., “Blessed are You, G‑d, who gladdens the groom with the bride.”
The idea to be clarified is that Malchus, the last of the Sefiros, which now receives from Z’eir Anpin, will in the Time to Come rise above it. The key is the last of the seven wedding blessings, which prays that joy and the voices of groom and bride soon be heard again in the cities of Yehudah and the streets of Yerushalayim, and closes, “who gladdens the groom with the bride.”
The paragraph states the idea to be explained, the future ascent of Malchus above Z’eir Anpin, and introduces the wedding blessing through which it will be explained.
The maamar reads the blessing on two levels at once: the human groom and bride, and the supernal groom and bride, Z’eir Anpin and Malchus, as paragraph 7 states outright.
Marei mekomos
- 1
- 2ישמע בערי יהודה ובחוצות ירושלים · Jeremiah 33:10–11
- 3משמח חתן עם הכלה · Ketubot 8a:6
3וצ״ל הטעם לשינוי לשון הברכות. שמתחלה אמר משמח חתן וכלה ואח״כ אמר עם הכלה. וגם צריך
Now, we need to understand the reason for the change in the wording of the blessings: first it says, “who gladdens the groom and the bride,” and afterward it says, “with the bride.”
The sixth wedding blessing ends “who gladdens the groom and the bride,” while the seventh ends “who gladdens the groom with the bride.” The maamar asks why the wording changes from “and” to “with.”
להבין ענין קול חתן וקול כלה. והענין הוא מ״ש משמח חתן וכלה קאי אזמן הזה.
We also need to understand the meaning of “the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.” The explanation is that what is said, “who gladdens the groom and the bride,” refers to the present time.
A second question concerns “the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride” in the last blessing: what does the bride’s voice signify? The answer begins here: the earlier wording, “the groom and the bride,” describes the present era.
The paragraph poses two questions, the change from “and the bride” to “with the bride” and the meaning of “the voice of the bride,” and begins its answer: the first wording refers to the present time.
Betrothal and marriage ¶4–5
4ומ״ש עם הכלה קאי אלעתיד דהיינו אחר שכבר אמר מהרה ישמע דהיינו בביאת הגואל אז אח״כ אומר עם הכלה.
And what is said, “with the bride,” refers to the Time to Come; that is, after it has already said, “Speedily may there be heard,” which means at the coming of the Redeemer, then afterward it says, “with the bride.”
The last blessing first prays for the redemption, “Speedily may there be heard,” and only then says “with the bride.” Its order shows that “with the bride” describes the era after the coming of the Redeemer.
ולהבין הטעם מפני מה אמר על לעתיד דוקא עם הכלה. הענין כי יש אירוסין ונשואין.1
To understand the reason why, of the Time to Come, it says specifically “with the bride”: the explanation is that there is betrothal (erusin) and there is marriage (nisuin).
To explain why the future calls for “with the bride,” the maamar turns to the two stages of Jewish marriage. Erusin (betrothal, also called kiddushin) binds the couple, but they do not yet live together; nisuin (marriage) completes the union.
For in the present time it is the level of betrothal, as it is written, “Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance (morashah)”; do not read morashah but me’orasah, “betrothed.”
Our present bond with G‑d through the Torah is like a betrothal. The Sages read the verse “Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance (morashah)” as though it said me’orasah, “betrothed,” teaching that the Torah and Israel are bound as in a betrothal.
The paragraph places “with the bride” after the redemption and introduces the distinction on which the maamar turns: betrothal and marriage. The present era, with its Torah, is a betrothal.
Marei mekomos
- 1יש אירוסין ונשואין · ראה באוה״ת סידור ע׳ רל ההפרש ביניהם.
- 2תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה · Deuteronomy 33:4
- 3א״ת מורשה אלא מאורשה · Berakhot 57a:4
5וכמ״ש ביום חתונתו זה מ״ת1 בחי׳ אירוסין כי במ״ת אף שהיה גילוי פב״פ היינו רק בבחי׳ חיצוני׳ בלבד באיסור והיתר
And as it is said, “‘On the day of his wedding’: this is the Giving of the Torah,” [which is] the level of betrothal. For at the Giving of the Torah, although there was a revelation face to face, it was only in the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) alone, in [matters of] the forbidden and the permitted.
The Sages read “on the day of his wedding” as the Giving of the Torah; the maamar specifies that Sinai was a betrothal. Though G‑d spoke there “face to face,” what was revealed was the outer side of the Torah, its laws of what is forbidden and what is permitted.
אבל פנימית התורה שהוא בחי׳ ענג האלהי שבתורה לא נתגלה אז עדיין ונשאר בבחי׳ מקיף מלמעלה וה״ז דומה לבחי׳ אירוסין שגם שם אינו נמשך עדיין בבחינת פנימית
But the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the Torah, which is the level of the divine delight within the Torah, was not yet revealed then, and it remained as an encompassing [light] (makif) from above. And this resembles the level of betrothal, for there, too, [the light] is not yet drawn in inwardly.
The inner dimension of the Torah, the divine delight within its laws, was not revealed at Sinai; it remained “encompassing,” a light that surrounds a person from above without entering within. Betrothal is similar: the bond exists, but it has not yet been drawn inward.
רק הארה חיצוני׳ וכל עיקר האור בבחינת מקיף כמו טבעת קדושין שהוא עגול ומקיף ע״ג היד
Only an outer illumination [is drawn in], while the main body of the light is encompassing (makif), like the kiddushin ring, which is round and encircling, [worn] upon the hand.
In betrothal only an outer glimmer of the bond is felt, while most of it stays around and above. The maamar’s image is the kiddushin ring: being round, it encircles the finger from outside, a fitting picture of an encompassing light.
אבל לעתיד שיהיה בחי׳ גילוי פנימי׳ התורה שהוא ענג העליון שבתורה אז יהיה בבחי׳ נשואין
But in the Time to Come, when there will be the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah, which is the supernal delight within the Torah, then it will be the level of marriage (nisuin).
In the Time to Come the inner dimension of the Torah, its supernal delight, will be revealed. Then the bond between Israel and G‑d will become nisuin, a full marriage.
For “your Maker is your Husband”; “a woman is acquired,” etc. For marriage, too, comes after the light has already entered inwardly.
The prophet calls G‑d Israel’s bo’el, “husband,” a word that refers to marital union, and the laws of marriage open, “a woman is acquired…,” listing union among the ways a marriage is made. Marriage, unlike betrothal, comes once the bond has entered within, and so it describes the Time to Come.
The paragraph defines the two stages: at Sinai only the Torah’s outer side was revealed while its inner delight stayed encompassing, which is betrothal; in the Time to Come that inner dimension will be revealed and enter within, which is marriage.
The contrast between an encompassing light (makif) and an inner light (pnimi) runs through Chassidus: a makif affects a person from beyond his grasp, while an inner light is taken in and understood. Here the two stages of marriage correspond to them, and the ring, worn around the finger, becomes the emblem of a makif.
Marei mekomos
- 1ביום חתונתו זה מ״ת · Taanit 26b:6–7
- 2כי בועליך עושיך · Isaiah 54:5
- 3האשה נקנית · Mishnah Kiddushin 1:1
The crown of her husband ¶6
6והנה ידוע דכעת בגלות המל׳ מקבלת האור ע״י ז״א שהוא מקבל בעצמו מאימא.
Now, it is known that at present, in exile, Malchus (sovereignty) receives the light through Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), who himself receives from Imma (Binah).
The maamar now states a known principle about the order in which light flows. In exile Malchus receives its light only by way of Z’eir Anpin, and Z’eir Anpin itself receives from Imma, “Mother,” the configuration of Binah.
וכמ״ש בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו1 והוא משפיע אח״כ למל׳ אבל לעתיד נאמר א״ח עט״ב שתהיה המל׳ עט״ב ז״א שתתעלה יותר למעלה הימנו כי נעוץ סופן בתחלתן2 כו׳.3
As it is written, “with the crown with which his mother crowned him,” and afterward he bestows upon Malchus. But of the Time to Come it is said, “A woman of valor is the crown of her husband”: Malchus will be “the crown of her husband,” Z’eir Anpin, in that she will rise even higher, above him; for “their end is wedged in their beginning,” etc.
The verse “with the crown with which his mother crowned him” pictures Z’eir Anpin, the King, crowned by Imma, and only afterward giving to Malchus. In the Time to Come, “a woman of valor is the crown of her husband”: Malchus will be a crown above Z’eir Anpin, because “their end is wedged in their beginning,” the last level is rooted in the first.
The paragraph sets out the present order, from Imma to Z’eir Anpin to Malchus, and the future reversal, in which Malchus becomes the crown above Z’eir Anpin because the end is rooted in the beginning.
“Their end is wedged in their beginning” means that the lowest level has its root in the highest, so that its final ascent returns it to its source. A crown rests above the head, so Malchus as “crown” means a level above Z’eir Anpin, not merely beside it.
Marei mekomos
- 1בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו · Song of Songs 3:11
- 2נעוץ סופן בתחלתן · Sefer Yetzirah 1:7
- 3שתהי׳ המל׳ . . ז״א שתתעלה יותר למעלה · בלקו״ת במדבר ז, ד מציין לכאן.
The voice of the bride ¶7–8
7וזהו הטעם למשארז״ל עתידים צדיקים1 שיאמרו לפניהם קדוש. ולכן עתה בזה״ז נאמר משמח חתן וכלה2 שהכלה היא המל׳ מקבלת האור ע״י החתן ז״א.
And this is the reason for what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The righteous are destined to have ‘Holy’ said before them.” Therefore now, in the present time, it is said, “who gladdens the groom and the bride,” for the bride, who is Malchus (sovereignty), receives the light through the groom, Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes).
The Sages’ saying that in the future “Holy” will be said before the righteous has the same reason: the lower will rise above the higher. Today the blessing says “the groom and the bride” because the bride, Malchus, receives everything through the groom, Z’eir Anpin.
ולעתיד אחרי שכבר תתעלה אז נאמר משמח חתן עם הכלה שעל ידי הכלה הוא משמח את החתן מפני שא״ח היא עט״ב כנ״ל וז״ש מהרה ישמע כו׳ קול כלה כו׳.
And in the Time to Come, after she has already risen, it is said, “who gladdens the groom with the bride”: that through the bride He gladdens the groom, because “a woman of valor is the crown of her husband,” as mentioned above. And this is what is said, “Speedily may there be heard,” etc., “the voice of the bride,” etc.
After the redemption, when Malchus has risen, the blessing says “the groom with the bride”: G‑d gladdens the groom by means of the bride, since she has become “the crown of her husband.” That is why the last blessing joins the prayer for redemption with “the voice of the bride.”
כי עתה בגלות נאמר נאלמתי דומיה3 שהיא בחי׳ שתיקה וכאלם לא יפתח פיו4 כו׳ ולכך החתן הוא אומר הרי את מקודשת לי והכלה שותקת אבל לעתיד כשתתעלה מעלה מעלה אז תהיה ג״כ משפעת ונק׳ קול כלה.
For now, in exile, it is said, “I was mute with silence,” which is the level of silence, and “like a mute who does not open his mouth,” etc. Therefore it is the groom who says, “Behold, you are consecrated to me,” and the bride is silent. But in the Time to Come, when she rises higher and higher, she too will then bestow, and [this] is called “the voice of the bride.”
In exile Malchus is silent, as in “I was mute with silence”: she receives and does not give. The wedding shows this, for the groom says “Behold, you are consecrated to me” and the bride says nothing; in the future she too will give, and that giving is “the voice of the bride.”
The paragraph applies the reversal to the blessings: now the bride receives through the groom and is silent, hence “the groom and the bride”; in the future she will give, hence “the groom with the bride” and “the voice of the bride.”
In Chassidus Malchus is the supernal speech, the divine word that brings the worlds into being, yet it has nothing of its own and receives everything from above; this is its “silence.” The future “voice of the bride” is Malchus speaking with a light of its own.
Marei mekomos
- 1עתידים צדיקים · Bava Batra 75b
- 2ולכן עתה בזה״ז נאמר משמח חתן וכלה · מכאן עד הסיום נמצא גם באוה״ת ויקרא כרך ד ע׳ תתקסה עם הוספות הצ״צ. ראה ד״ה להבין מה שבברכת שמח תשמח בס׳ דרושי חתונה לכ״ק אדמו״ר מהר״ש ע׳ סט ובהערה 2 שם. ראה לקו״ת צו ט, סע״א. שה״ש מח, ב. סידור קלב, א. קלח, ג. סה״מ תרל״ד ע׳ כד.
- 3נאלמתי דומי׳ · Psalms 39:3
- 4וכאלם לא יפתח פיו · Psalms 38:14
8וכמו״כ יובן ענין שמו״ע צלותא בחשאי הוא רק בזה״ז שהנוק׳ היא בחי׳ מקבל ולא משפיע.
In the same way one will understand the matter of the Shemoneh Esreh [being] “a prayer in a whisper”: this is only in the present time, for Nukva (the feminine / Malchus) is at the level of a recipient and not a bestower.
The maamar links the whispered Shemoneh Esreh, the standing prayer, to Nukva, that is, Malchus. Because in the present era she only receives and does not give, the prayer is said in a whisper.
אבל לעתיד כשתתעלה להיות בבחי׳ משפיע כמו הדכר עצמו אז יהיה שמו״ע בקול רם1 ויהיה קול כלה וד״ל:
But in the Time to Come, when she rises to be at the level of a bestower like the male (dechar) himself, then the Shemoneh Esreh will be [said] in a loud voice, and there will be “the voice of the bride.” And this is sufficient for the understanding.
In the Time to Come Malchus will rise to give like the male, Z’eir Anpin, and then the Shemoneh Esreh will be said aloud; this too is “the voice of the bride.” The closing words, “this is sufficient for the understanding,” invite the reader to think the idea through.
The paragraph extends the idea to prayer: the Shemoneh Esreh is whispered now because Malchus only receives, and it will be said aloud in the Time to Come, when she gives; that is “the voice of the bride.”
The Kehot note cites Likkutei Sichos, which finds a hint to this in the Zohar on this parshah: “A voice is heard on high (beramah)” (Jeremiah 31:14) is read there as the World to Come, when prayer will be “on high,” in a loud voice. Likkutei Torah on Shir HaShirim says the same: after the refinement the bride will have “a great voice,” the Shemoneh Esreh will be said aloud, and Malchus will be “a woman of valor, the crown of her husband,” and it refers the reader to this maamar.
Marei mekomos
- 1אז יהי׳ שמו״ע בקול רם · Jeremiah 31:14
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
Questions for discussion
- Why does the sixth wedding blessing end “the groom and the bride,” and the last one “the groom with the bride”?
- In what sense was the Giving of the Torah only a betrothal, though G‑d spoke there “face to face”?
- Why is the kiddushin ring a fitting image of an encompassing light?
- How does “their end is wedged in their beginning” explain Malchus becoming the crown of Z’eir Anpin?
- What links the bride’s silence at the kiddushin with the whispered Shemoneh Esreh, and what will change in the Time to Come?
Key terms in this maamar
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×1
- Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א
- The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration. ×4
- The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)חיצוניות
- The external, expressive aspect.
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level.
- Delightתענוג
- Pleasure; the inner root of will.
- Nukva (the feminine / Malchus)נוקבא
- Malchus as the receiving configuration.