ויקם בלילה הוא ויקח את שתי נשיו כו׳…

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The maamar in the Rebbe’s light

The Rebbe’s teachings on this maamar center on Rabbi Akiva, who „נכנס בשלום ויצא בשלום” (“entered in peace and left in peace”), and turn its balance of ratzo and shov into a question of where the return begins. In a sicha of Shabbos Acharei 5722 (Likkutei Sichos vol. 3), building on the Rebbe Rashab’s Acharei Mos 5649, he answers that it begins at the entrance: ratzo undertaken for the Supreme Will already holds its shov, hence the Gemara’s stress on “entered”; his notes there add that Ben Azzai’s not marrying, blameless in halachah, was still ratzo, „ולא הנהגה דקיום העולם” (not the conduct that sustains the world). A notebook entry of 5692 gives the point an image, „מה צבי רץ ומביט לאחוריו” (the deer that looks back as it runs), citing this maamar by name; a Lag BaOmer sicha of 5740 carries it to R’ Akiva’s students, whose ratzo without shov left „והי׳ העולם שמם” (“the world desolate”). Beside these, Lech Lecha 5738 sets „בעבר הנהר” (“beyond the river”) beside its plain sense, and a note of Matos-Masei 5746 cites this maamar’s reading of „דארמי מיא לגו חמרא” (“water poured into wine”) as the inclusion of two levels, against the Pardes’s „להטות הגבורה לצד הרחמים” (“inclining Gevurah toward mercy”). Perhaps (biur b’derech efshar) Yaakov’s union of Tohu and Tikkun then reads as something decided at the start of every ascent.

Paragraph by paragraph

1. ¶1

   Background from the Rebbe

   In the maamar Vayomer Hashem el Avram Lech Lecha, said in his room on Motzaei Shabbos Lech Lecha 5738 (edited), the Rebbe explains two readings of „לך לך מארצך גו׳” (“Go for yourself from your land… to the land that I will show you”), „הילוך מלמעלה למטה והילוך מלמטה למעלה” (a going from above downward and a going from below upward), and ties them to two readings of „בעבר הנהר ישבו אבותיכם מעולם” (“Your fathers dwelt of old beyond the river”).

   The Rebbe sets this paragraph’s reading, which he calls the one „שבפנימיות התורה” (“in the inner dimension of the Torah”) and cites from here (his note 43: Torah Ohr 25a, with Torah Ohr 75d and Derech Mitzvosecha 82b), beside the plain one; both readings, his note 42 says, are already brought in the Tzemach Tzedek’s Or HaTorah. In the inner reading, “beyond the river” is above „ונהר יוצא מעדן” (“the river that goes out of Eden”), Binah of Atzilus („בינה דאצילות”): the Patriarchs’ root is there, above Atzilus, and from there they were drawn down to Z’eir Anpin and on to Malchus, „ואולך אותו בכל ארץ כנען” (“and I led him through all the land of Canaan”), so leaving “beyond the river” is a going from above downward. In the plain reading, “beyond the river” is „מקומו של תרח” (Terach’s place) and is said „לגריעותא” (to their discredit), as in the Haggadah’s „מתחילה עובדי ע״ז היו אבותינו” (“at first our fathers were idol worshippers”), so the going is an ascent from below upward; since both readings are of the one word lech, “Lech Lecha” holds both.

   The Alter Rebbeושרש האבות הוא מעבר הנהר היינו מבחי׳ הכתר שהוא למעלה מהנהר הנ״ל

   The Rebbeוהפירוש (כמו שהוא בפשטות) שעבר הנהר הוא מקומו של תרח, ומ״ש בעבר הנהר ישבו אבותיכם גו׳ הוא לגריעותא

   Sefer HaMaamarim Melukat (new edition), vol. 1 (Tishrei–Cheshvan), vol. א, p. רנג (section ד, notes 42-43; old edition vol. 1 pp. רפד-רפה) · מוצאי ש״פ לך לך – בחדרו – ה׳תשל״ח

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2. ¶6

   The Rebbe explains

   In a sicha of Shabbos Acharei 5722 on the death of Aharon’s two sons “in their drawing near before G‑d”, which Chassidus explains as ratzo with no shov, the Rebbe turns to „ארבעה נכנסו לפרדס” (the four who entered the Pardes).

   Ben Azzai’s „הציץ ומת” (“gazing and dying”) was „רצוא גאר אן שוב” (ratzo with no shov at all), and the Rebbe notes that his whole service was ratzo: hence his „ומה אעשה כו׳” (“What shall I do? My soul longs for Torah”) and his not engaging in having children, like Aharon’s sons, who “had no wives”. Yet he adds that the fault was not that conduct as such: Ben Azzai was occupied with Torah, which draws down from above, and expounded it well, so that, as the Alter Rebbe rules in Hilchos Talmud Torah, one who does so bears no sin. Only, within the conduct of Tikkun itself, „הנהגה דרצוא” (it was the conduct of ratzo), „ולא הנהגה דקיום העולם” (not the conduct that sustains the world).

   The Alter Rebbeולא רצה להיות נשפל בבחי׳ שוב לכך לא רצה לישא אשה

   The Rebbeאלא שבהנהגה דתיקון עצמו — ה״ז הנהגה דרצוא, ולא הנהגה דקיום העולם

   Likkutei Sichos, vol. ג, p. 990 (notes 11-12) · ש״פ אחרי, תשכ״ב

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3. ¶6

   The Rebbe explains

   In his notebook entry headed Simchas Beis HaShoevah 5692, explaining Yehudah ben Teima’s “bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, run like a deer and mighty as a lion” as conditions for serving G‑d, the Rebbe comes to „רץ כצבי” (“run like a deer”): running to do a mitzvah.

   Why a deer? Because „מה צבי רץ ומביט לאחוריו” (the deer runs and looks back) (he cites the Targum on Shir HaShirim and Likkutei Torah), so one’s ratzo „צ״ל ע״ד השוב שאח״כ” (must be in the manner of the shov that follows). He grounds it in this maamar: „שרק ר״ע מפני שנכנס בשלום שהי׳ הרצוא ע״ד השוב יצא בשלום” (“as explained on the four who entered the Pardes, that only R’ Akiva, because he entered in peace, his ratzo being in the manner of the shov, left in peace (Torah Ohr Vayishlach dibbur hamaschil Vayakam)”.

   The Alter Rebbeשהיה המ״ן ומ״ד שלו דהיינו בחי׳ הרצוא ושוב במדה ומזיגה נכונה שלפ״ע הרצוא כן היה השוב אח״כ

   The Rebbeשרק ר״ע, מפני שנכנס בשלום, שהי׳ הרצוא ע״ד השוב, יצא בשלום (תו״א וישלח ד״ה ויקם)

   Reshimos (second edition), volume of Reshimos 158–187, vol. קנח–קפז, p. 93 (first edition: booklet ‘Simchas Beis HaShoevah 5692’, p. כ) · שמחת בית השואבה תרצ״ב

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4. ¶7

   The Rebbe explains

   In the same sicha of Shabbos Acharei 5722, after explaining the sin of Aharon’s sons as ratzo without shov, the Rebbe asks how a person in true, unbounded ratzo, which must be „בכל מאדך” (“with all your might”), can still come back to shov.

   The safeguard, he says, citing what “is known” (his notes point to the Rebbe Rashab’s Acharei Mos 5649, where R’ Akiva’s ratzo held the shov because all his will was the Supreme Will), must be there at the start: if the ratzo comes not from seeking one’s own good in nearness to G‑d but „בכדי צו דורכפירן דעם רצון העליון” (from carrying out the Supreme Will), which wants the world to be settled („לא תהו בראה לשבת יצרה”), then from the outset it is a ratzo after which one holds to shov. From this he explains the Gemara’s wording: the difference between R’ Akiva and the others seems to lie only in leaving the Pardes, so why stress that he „נכנס בשלום” (“entered in peace”)? Because his very entering was to carry out the Supreme Will, to make „שלום בפמליא של מעלה ובפמליא של מטה” (peace above and below), joining the world with G‑dliness; since he entered in peace he left in peace, while Ben Azzai had no shov because his entering was not “in peace”.

   The Alter Rebbeוזהו נכנס בשלום כו׳ הוא בחי׳ קו האמצעי המייחד ומחבר את הב׳ קוין ימין ושמאל שהם בחי׳ רו״ש

   The Rebbeאָבער ר״ע איז „יצא בשלום”, ווייל „נכנס בשלום”, זיין כניסה איז געווען בכדי צו דורכפירן דעם רצון העליון

   Likkutei Sichos, vol. ג, p. 989-990 (the question on p. 989, the answer and ‘entered in peace’ on p. 990; note 15 on p. 991) · ש״פ אחרי, תשכ״ב

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5. ¶7

   The Rebbe explains

   In a sicha of Shabbos Emor, Erev Lag BaOmer 5740, asking how the end of the dying of R’ Akiva’s students connects with the passing of R’ Shimon bar Yochai on the same day, the Rebbe explains the service of R’ Akiva’s students.

   The 24,000 students took from R’ Akiva his longing for „מסירת נפש” (self-sacrifice), so all their service was ratzo, a great elevation but not the full intent, which is that the ratzo come down into shov, drawing G‑dliness below through „עבודה מסודרה” (ordered service) (note 20 cites Torah Ohr 25b). That, he says, is the inner sense of „והי׳ העולם שמם” (“the world was desolate”): G‑dliness had no settled dwelling below. The five later students „הם העמידו תורה” (“established Torah”), the work of shov (note 22: as Torah Ohr says there, R’ Akiva is „מקור כל התורה שבע״פ” (the source of the whole Oral Torah) because Torah is of Tikkun), and in them the self-sacrifice was as in R’ Akiva himself, whose ratzo “entered in peace” so as to bring him to “leave in peace” (note 23: Torah Ohr there, and Likkutei Sichos vol. 3 p. 990).

   The Alter Rebbeולכן היה ר״ע מקור כל התורה שבע״פ

   The Rebbeזיין „רצוא” איז געווען אין אַן אופן פון „נכנס בשלום (ובמילא האָט עס געבראַכט צו) ויצא בשלום”

   Likkutei Sichos, vol. כב, p. 139-140 (notes 20-23 and the quote on p. 140) · ש״פ אמור, ערב ל״ג בעומר, תש״מ

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6. ¶9

   A question the Rebbe raises

   In a sicha of Shabbos Matos-Masei, Shabbos Mevarchim Menachem Av 5746, connecting the study of “Matos” with the cantillation sign merchah kefulah, the „תרי טעמי” (“two te’amim”), the Rebbe’s note 51 cites the Pardes on that sign, and his marginal note takes it up.

   The Pardes explains the sign’s two strokes as Netzach and Hod „נוטי׳ אל הימין” (“leaning to the right”), on the Zohar’s reading that „ויבא לו יין” (“and he brought him wine”), sung with the two te’amim, means „דארמי מיא בההוא יין” (he poured water into that wine) „להטות הגבורה לצד הרחמים” (“to incline Gevurah toward mercy”). The Rebbe notes that elsewhere—Hagahos Maharchu, his father R’ Levi Yitzchak’s Likkutei Levi Yitzchak, and Torah Ohr Vayishlach 25b end, this paragraph—the point of the Zohar’s words is not so much inclining Gevurah to the right as „התכללות ב׳ דרגות” (the inclusion of two levels). He then asks, on the Pardes’s own reading, why in our printed signs the two strokes lean to the left.

   The Alter Rebbeולכן ויבא לו יין כו׳ הוא בתרי טעמי שהוא התכללות הרו״ש מים ויין כו׳

   The Rebbeהדיוק בדברי הזהר (שארמי מיא בההוא יין) הוא לא (כ״כ) על הטיית הגבורה לימין . . כ״א על התכללות ב׳ דרגות

   Likkutei Sichos, vol. כח, p. 283 (marginal note to note 51) · ש״פ מטו״מ, ש״פ מבה״ח מנ״א, תשמ״ו

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Short quotes only, with the place of each so it can be read in full. The Rebbe’s sichos, letters and maamarim are published by Kehot and by Vaad Hanochos B’Lahak (lahak.org).