Torah Ohr · Parshas Yisro · Maamar 3
ביאור על הנ״ל
“An explanation of the above”
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The big idea
Through the mitzvos Avraham drew the Infinite Light into Z’eir Anpin, but only through the intellect of nursing, and so only within Atzilus. Moshe, rooted in the hidden Chochmah of Arich Anpin, could bring the light of Torah and mitzvos down into the lower worlds, because only the highest source can descend lowest.
The maamar in brief
This explanation of the preceding maamar on “Moshe speaks” asks what Avraham drew down when he kept the Torah before it was given, and why its revelation below needed Moshe. The 248 positive commandments are the 248 limbs of Z’eir Anpin: nine Sefiros of nine, each with three vessels, make 243, and the five chassadim that cause growth complete 248. Z’eir Anpin grows through gestation, nursing and intellect; the intellect of nursing serves the emotions, as a reason feeds a love, and so still counts as emotion. That is what Avraham, “the limb of Mah,” drew down: through kindness he drew the Infinite Light into the vessels of the attributes and into Malchus, and was the first to call G‑d “L‑rd.” But it remained in Atzilus. Moshe, rooted in the hidden Chochmah of Arich Anpin, could bring the light into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, since the highest descends lowest, as the three worlds issue from the first tikkun, “Who is a G‑d like You.” That tikkun, the Name El, includes the higher and lower unities, so through Moshe’s voice Elokim “answers” below as above.
Outline
- The questionAn explanation of the previous maamar: Avraham’s mitzvos drew G‑dliness down above, while Moshe brought the revelation even into Asiyah. The 248 positive commandments are the 248 limbs of Z’eir Anpin, nine Sefiros of nine.¶1–2
- How Z’eir Anpin growsThree vessels in each Sefirah and the five chassadim make 248. Z’eir Anpin grows through gestation, nursing and intellect; the intellect of nursing serves the emotions and counts as part of them, unlike Chochmah, Binah and Daas proper.¶3–4
- Avraham in Atzilus, Moshe belowAvraham, “the limb of Mah,” drew the Infinite Light into the seven attributes and into Malchus through kindness, but only within Atzilus. Moshe, from the hidden Chochmah, brings it into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, for the three worlds issue from the first tikkun: the highest descends lowest.¶5–6
- The Name El and the two unitiesThe first tikkun, the Name El, includes the higher and the lower unity. From it comes the power for revelation below as above, so that Elokim “answers” below to the measure of Moshe’s voice.¶7–8
Key concepts
- The 248 limbs of the Kingרמ״ח אברים דמלכא
- The 248 positive commandments, identified with the 248 “limbs” of Z’eir Anpin: nine Sefiros, each including nine, each with three vessels, make 243, and the five chassadim that cause growth bring the number to 248.
- Gestation, nursing and intellectעיבור יניקה מוחין
- The three stages in which Z’eir Anpin grows, named after a child’s development. In nursing it reaches its six emotive attributes, each including six; only with intellect proper does it receive Chochmah, Binah and Daas.
- The intellect of nursingמוחין דיניקה
- Intellect that serves the emotions and makes them grow, like a reason that feeds a love, and is therefore counted as part of the emotions. Avraham drew the light into Z’eir Anpin through this intellect.
- The hidden Chochmahחכמה סתימאה
- The concealed wisdom within the Keser of Arich Anpin, the root of Moshe’s soul. Because it is so high, it can descend further than Avraham’s root and reach the lower worlds.
- The first tikkun of the beardתיקון הראשון מי״ג תיקוני דיקנא
- The first of the thirteen “arrangements” of the beard of Arich Anpin, the level of “Who is a G‑d like You” and of the Name El. The Idra Rabba teaches that three worlds issue from it, which the Alter Rebbe identifies as Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
- The higher and lower unityיחודא עילאה ויחודא תתאה
- The two “knowledges” of “a G‑d of knowledges.” In the higher unity everything before G‑d is as nothing; in the lower, the world is “something from nothing.” The Name El includes both.
The question ¶1–2
The heading marks this as an explanation (biur) of the maamar just before it, which opened with the verse “Moshe speaks, and G‑d answers him with a voice.” It takes up that maamar’s question about Avraham’s keeping of the Torah and works it out in Kabbalistic detail.
The heading presents what follows as a further explanation of the preceding maamar on “Moshe speaks.”
Marei mekomos
- 1ביאור על הנ״ל · הנחת כ״ק אדמו״ר האמצעי בסה״מ תקס״ו ע׳ רטז. המאמר עם הגהות באוה״ת פ׳ יתרו ע׳ תתנא. ראה לקמן עג, ד.
An explanation of [the verse] “Moshe speaks,” etc.: although Avraham fulfilled the entire Torah, all of it, before it was given, the main drawing-down was above,
The Alter Rebbe restates the point of the earlier maamar: Avraham kept the whole Torah before it was given, but what he drew down through it was chiefly “above,” in the higher spiritual levels.
אבל משה ידבר וימשיך להיות הגילוי למטה גם בעשיה.6 וצ״ל מהו הענין שהמשיך אברהם ע״י המצות למעלה.
but “Moshe speaks” and draws down, so that the revelation will be below, even in the World of Asiyah (Action). And [we] need to understand what it is that Avraham drew down above through the mitzvos.
Through Moshe, by contrast, the revelation is drawn all the way “below,” even into Asiyah, the lowest world, which includes our physical one. To see the difference, the maamar first asks what exactly Avraham drew down above through his mitzvos.
אך הוא כי רמ״ח מ״ע נקראים רמ״ח אברים דמלכא היינו רמ״ח אברים דז״א. כי ז״א הוא בעל ט׳7 ספירות ט׳ פעמים ט׳ הוא פ״א.
But [the explanation] is that the 248 positive commandments are called “the 248 limbs of the King,” that is, the 248 limbs of Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes). For Z’eir Anpin possesses nine Sefiros; nine times nine is eighty-one.
The answer starts from a known teaching: the 248 positive commandments are “the 248 limbs of the King,” meaning the limbs of Z’eir Anpin, the configuration of G‑d’s emotive attributes. To count these limbs, Z’eir Anpin is taken as a full structure of nine Sefiros, each containing all nine, which makes eighty-one.
The paragraph states the maamar’s question: Avraham’s mitzvos drew G‑dliness down only “above,” while through Moshe it was revealed even in Asiyah. It begins the answer by linking the 248 positive commandments to the 248 “limbs” of Z’eir Anpin, built of nine Sefiros of nine.
Kuntres Acharon in the Tanya, to which a note here refers, likewise says that Torah and mitzvos add light in Atzilus: all the mitzvos serve to perfect the 248 limbs of Z’eir Anpin, while in the lower worlds this light is only clothed in the physical Torah and mitzvos.
Marei mekomos
- 1משה ידבר · Exodus 19:19
- 2דעם היות . . מוחין דיניקה · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ תרומה ע׳ א׳תקכד.
- 3דקיים אברהם כל התורה כולה · Yoma 28b:9
- 4כל התורה כולה עד שלא נתנה · Kiddushin 82a:10
- 5עיקר ההמשכה למעלה · ראה קו״א לתניא ד״ה להבין מ״ש בפע״ח שכל המצות הם תוספות אור באצילות.
- 6עיקר ההמשכה למעלה . . הגילוי למטה גם בעשי׳ · ראה המשך תער״ב ח״ג ע׳ א׳תיד.
- 7כי ז״א הוא בעל ט׳ ספי׳ ט׳ פעמים ט׳ · ראה לקו״ת במדבר יז, ב. אוה״ת יתרו ע׳ תתקמ. קטע מובא בסה״מ תרל״ב ח״ב ע׳ תרכב.
How Z’eir Anpin grows ¶3–4
3וכל בחינה יש בה ג׳ כלים פנימיים תיכונים חיצוניים הנק׳ סת״ר סוף תוך ראש.
And each level has three vessels in it, inner, middle and outer, which are called SeTaR: sof, toch, rosh (end, middle, head).
Each of these Sefiros has three vessels, inner, middle and outer, known by the acronym SeTaR (sof, toch, rosh). So each of the eighty-one is itself threefold.
הנה ג״פ פ״א הוא רמ״ג וה״ח המגדילים הרי רמ״ח אברי ז״א שהן שרש רמ״ח מ״ע ולהמשיך בחינת זו שיהי׳ הגדלת אברי ז״א ע״ד הנ״ל להיות טפ״ט כו׳
Now, three times eighty-one is 243, and [with] the five chassadim (kindnesses) that bring about growth, this makes the 248 limbs of Z’eir Anpin, which are the root of the 248 positive commandments. And drawing down this level, so that there is the growth of the limbs of Z’eir Anpin in the manner described above, to be nine times nine, etc.,
Three times eighty-one gives 243; adding the five chassadim, the powers of kindness that make Z’eir Anpin grow, gives 248. These 248 limbs of Z’eir Anpin are the root of the 248 positive commandments, and the question now is how this full growth, “nine times nine,” is drawn into it.
הוא ע״י בחי׳ עבור יניקה מוחין1 כי בבחי׳ עבור הוא תלת כלילן מתלת. ואח״כ בחי׳ יניקה הוא שמתגדל ז״א בבחי׳ ו״ק וכל א׳ כלול מששה מספר ל״ו.
is through the levels of ibbur (gestation), yenikah (nursing) and mochin (intellect). For at the level of ibbur it is “three comprised of three.” And afterward, the level of yenikah is that Z’eir Anpin grows into the level of the six extremities (vav ketzavos), each one comprising six: the number thirty-six.
Z’eir Anpin develops in three stages, named after a child’s growth: gestation (ibbur), nursing (yenikah) and mature intellect (mochin). In gestation it is only “three comprised of three,” its six attributes still contained within three; in nursing it grows into its six emotive attributes, the “six extremities,” each of which includes all six, making thirty-six.
וזהו ענין מי ברא אלה.2 מי הוא בחי׳ בינה ברא אלה הן ו״ק דז״א כל א׳ כלול מששה כו׳.
And this is [the meaning of] “Who created these.” “Who” (mi) is the level of Binah (understanding); “created these” (eleh): these are the six extremities of Z’eir Anpin, each one comprising six, etc.
The verse “Who created these” alludes to this. “Who” (mi) stands for Binah, which brings forth Z’eir Anpin, and “these” (eleh), whose letters add up to thirty-six, stands for the six attributes of Z’eir Anpin, each including six.
The paragraph derives the number 248 from the structure of Z’eir Anpin and explains that its full growth comes in stages, gestation, nursing and intellect, with nursing bringing it to six attributes each including six, as alluded to in “Who created these.”
Marei mekomos
- 1עיבור יניקה מוחין · ראה דרך מצותיך מצות קרבן פסח. ספר המאמרים תש״ג בד״ה ביום השמיני עצרת ע׳ נה.
- 2מי ברא אלה · Isaiah 40:26
4והנה אף שביניקה יש ג״כ מוחין ונק׳ מוחין דיניקה. עכ״ז נק׳ רק ו״ק כי מוחין אלו הם בכלל המדות יחשבו עד״מ השכל של המדה שיאהב מחמת טעם ושכל שזה השכל מגדיל המדה כחלב שמגדל את הולד.
Now, although in yenikah there is also the intellect (mochin), which is called “the mochin of yenikah,” nevertheless it is called only the six extremities. For these mochin are counted as part of the emotive attributes (middos): by way of analogy, the intellect of an attribute, that one loves because of reason and intellect, for this intellect makes the attribute grow, like milk, which makes the infant grow.
Even in the nursing stage Z’eir Anpin has a kind of intellect, the “mochin of yenikah,” yet it still counts only as the six emotive attributes, because this intellect belongs to the emotions. The analogy is a person who loves something for a reason: the reason feeds and enlarges the love, as milk makes a baby grow.
ולכן בכלל המדה יחשב שהוא מדה ממש ע״כ נק׳ רק ו״ק. ואח״כ בחי׳ מוחין ממש הוא על דרך משל השכל שבפ״ע כמו הלומד חכמה ונק׳ חב״ד דאצילות כו׳:
Therefore it is counted as part of the attribute, being an actual attribute; therefore it is called only the six extremities. And afterward, the level of mochin proper is, by way of analogy, intellect in its own right, like one who studies wisdom, and it is called Chochmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding) and Daas (knowledge) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), etc.
Since this intellect is part of the emotion, the stage is still called only the six extremities. Only afterward comes intellect proper, thought in its own right, as when a person studies a branch of wisdom; above, this is Chochmah, Binah and Daas of Atzilus.
The paragraph distinguishes the intellect of nursing, which serves and enlarges the emotions and so still counts as part of them, from intellect proper, Chochmah, Binah and Daas of Atzilus. The distinction will define the limit of what Avraham achieved.
Avraham in Atzilus, Moshe below ¶5–6
And this is [the meaning of] the mitzvos that Avraham fulfilled: that is, that he drew the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) into Z’eir Anpin. For Avraham is the level of “ever Mah” (“the limb of Mah”), so called for his being the Yesod (foundation)
Now the maamar applies this to Avraham: the mitzvos he kept drew the Infinite Light into Z’eir Anpin. His name is read as ever Mah, “the limb of Mah” (Mah being a Kabbalistic name associated with Z’eir Anpin), because he is the Yesod, the channel through which Abba, the configuration of Chochmah, flows into Z’eir Anpin.
אבא שבז״א השכל של המדה כנ״ל וממשיך אורות בכלים שמתחלה עד שלא נברא העולם2 היה הוא ושמו בלבד.3 ועתה נתחלק לז׳ שמות כו׳ חסד כו׳.
of Abba that is within Z’eir Anpin, the intellect of the attribute, as mentioned above. And he draws lights into vessels: for at first, before the world was created, there was He and His Name alone, and now it has divided into seven Names, etc., Chesed (kindness), etc.
This Yesod of Abba within Z’eir Anpin is the “intellect of the emotion” described above. Avraham drew lights into vessels: before creation there was only “He and His Name,” but now His Name divides into seven Names corresponding to the seven attributes, beginning with Chesed.
(פי׳ כי הז׳ שמות4 הם בחי׳ אורות5 של הז׳ מדות6 היינו בחי׳ האור א״ס המתלבש בכלי החסד נק׳ אל כמ״ש חסד אל כל היום7 ואור המתלבש בגבורה נק׳ אלקים כו׳ ולכן הם ז׳ שמות
(This means that the seven Names are the level of the lights of the seven emotive attributes (middos); that is, the level of the Infinite Light that is vested in the vessel of Chesed is called El, as it is written, “The kindness of El is all day long,” and the light that is vested in Gevurah (restraint) is called Elokim, etc. Therefore they are seven Names,
In a parenthesis the Alter Rebbe explains that the seven Names are the lights of the seven attributes. The Infinite Light as it clothes itself in the vessel of Chesed is called El, as in “the kindness of El is all day long,” and as it clothes itself in Gevurah it is called Elokim, and so on.
משא״כ קודם שנברא העולם ולא היה עדיין אצילות המדות היה בחי׳ האור א״ס כמו שהוא למעלה מבחי׳ התלבשות בכלים והוא ענין היה הוא ושמו בלבד) והיינו בבחי׳ גמ״ח ממשיך האור במל׳ בת היתה לאברהם ובכל שמה.89
whereas before the world was created, when there was not yet the emanation of the attributes, there was the level of the Infinite Light as it is, above the level of being vested in vessels; and this is [the meaning of] “there was He and His Name alone.”) And that is, through the level of acts of kindness (gemilus chassadim) he draws the light into Malchus (sovereignty): “Avraham had a daughter, and Bakol (‘with everything’) was her name.”
Before the world was created, before the attributes were emanated, the Infinite Light was above any clothing in vessels; that is the meaning of “He and His Name alone.” Through acts of kindness Avraham drew this light into Malchus, the “daughter” of the Sages’ saying that Avraham had a daughter named Bakol, “with everything.”
Therefore he said, “Ado-nai, please do not pass on,” etc. And never had [anyone] called the Holy One, blessed be He, the Infinite Light, “L‑rd” (Adon), that it be drawn into Malchus, except Avraham, etc.
This is why Avraham addressed G‑d as Ado-nai, “L‑rd,” and why the Sages say that no one called G‑d “L‑rd” before Avraham. Calling Him L‑rd means drawing the Infinite Light into Malchus, G‑d’s sovereignty over the world.
ואמנם כל המשכות אלו דאברהם הי׳ נשאר באצילות היינו גידול רמ״ח אברי ז״א ע״י מוחין דיניקה כנ״ל.
However, all these drawings-down of Avraham remained in the World of Atzilus (Emanation); that is, the growth of the 248 limbs of Z’eir Anpin through the mochin of yenikah, as mentioned above.
Yet all of Avraham’s drawing-down remained within Atzilus, the world still one with G‑d. In the terms set out above, he brought about the growth of the 248 limbs of Z’eir Anpin through the intellect of nursing.
אבל כדי שיומשך בבי״ע12 הוא ע״י משה שהוא מבחי׳ ח״ס שבכתר13 דא״א אלא שנשפל ביסוד אבא והורד שמה ולהיותו גבוה יושפל יותר למטה.
But in order that it be drawn into the worlds of Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action), it is through Moshe, who is from the level of the hidden Chochmah (Chochmah Stima’ah) that is in the Keser (the Crown) of Arich Anpin, except that he was lowered into the Yesod of Abba and brought down there; and because he is high, he will be lowered further down.
Bringing the light down into the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah required Moshe, whose root is the hidden Chochmah (Chochmah Stima’ah) within the Keser of Arich Anpin, the configuration of the divine will, far above Avraham’s root. He was lowered into the Yesod of Abba, and because his source is so high he can descend further down.
כענין שכתוב ועברתי בארץ מצרים אני ולא מלאך141516 כו׳. וכמ״ש באדרא רבא17 (ד׳ קל״ב ע״א) בענין תלת עלמין דנפיק18 מתקונא קדמאה19 כו׳.
As in the matter of what is written, “And I will pass through the land of Egypt”: “I, and not an angel,” etc. And as it is stated in the Idra Rabba (folio 132a) concerning “three worlds that issue from the first tikkun (arrangement),” etc.
Two parallels show that the higher the source, the lower it reaches. At the Exodus G‑d passed through Egypt Himself, “I, and not an angel”; and the Idra Rabba of the Zohar speaks of three worlds that issue from the very first tikkun.
שהתלת עלמין הם ג׳ עולמות בי״ע והם נמשכים מהתקון הראשון מי״ג ת״ד דא״א20 דאצי׳ שהוא בחי׳ מי אל כמוך21 כו׳.
That is, the three worlds are the three worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and they are drawn from the first tikkun of the thirteen tikkunim of the beard of Arich Anpin of Atzilus, which is the level of “Who is a G‑d (El) like You,” etc.
The Alter Rebbe identifies these three worlds as Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. They are drawn from the first of the thirteen tikkunim, the “arrangements” of the beard of Arich Anpin in Atzilus, which Kabbalah links with the thirteen attributes of mercy; this first tikkun is the level of “Who is a G‑d like You.”
וזה פליאה לכאורה איך יהיה דילוג המדרגה מבחי׳ י״ג ת״ד דא״א שהיא מקור האצי׳ שיומשך מזה ג׳ עולמות בי״ע.
Now, at first glance this is a wonder: how could there be a skipping of levels, from the level of the thirteen tikkunim of the beard of Arich Anpin, which is the source of Atzilus, so that the three worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah should be drawn from it?
This seems puzzling: how could the lowest worlds be drawn directly from the thirteen tikkunim of Arich Anpin, the source of all of Atzilus, skipping every level in between?
אך הענין הוא משום דאדרבה כי כדי שיבא האור עד למטה כ״כ בעולמות בי״ע צריך שיבא ממקום הנעלה ביותר כי לעוצם הרוממות יוכל להשפיל א״ע למטה יותר כו׳.
But the explanation is that, on the contrary, in order for the light to come so far down, into the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, it must come from the most exalted place; for by the very greatness of [its] loftiness it is able to lower itself further down, etc.
The answer is that, on the contrary, for light to reach so far down it must come from the highest place, since only what is truly exalted has the power to lower itself that far.
The paragraph defines Avraham’s achievement: through his mitzvos and acts of kindness he drew the Infinite Light into Z’eir Anpin and into Malchus, but only through the intellect of nursing and only within Atzilus. Reaching Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah required Moshe, rooted in the hidden Chochmah of Arich Anpin, since only the highest source can descend lowest, as the Idra teaches of the three worlds that issue from the first tikkun.
A gloss in Or HaTorah, quoted in the notes, puts the contrast in these terms: Avraham drew the mochin of yenikah into Z’eir Anpin, which could only add light in Atzilus, while through Moshe the mochin of gadlus (mature intellect) were drawn into it. In the Idra itself the first tikkun is tied to the Name El: its thirty-one locks equal the numerical value of El, a link the maamar takes up in paragraph 7.
Marei mekomos
- 1ענין המצות שקיים אברהם · ראה בסה״מ תרכ״ז ע׳ כט דאברהם המשיך להיות גדלות ז״א שהוא ענין רמ״ח אברים דמלכא ט׳ ספירות טפ״ט כו׳ וה׳ חסדים המגדילים שהם שרש רמ״ח מ״ע. ע״ש.
- 2עד שלא נברא העולם · פדר״א פ״ג. ראה לקמן עט, ב. וראה לעיל סג, ב. לקו״ת בהר מג, ב ובמ״מ לשם.
- 3עד שלא נברא העולם היה הוא ושמו בלבד · Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 3:2–3
- 4כי הז׳ שמות · ראה בד״ה מאי חנוכה תרע״ג (בהמשך תער״ב).
- 5הם בחי׳ אורות · וי״ל שזהו להשטה שגם בהאור שייך ע״ס — ד״ה והי׳ עקב עטר״ת ע׳ תקצה.
- 6היינו שהמשיך אוא״ס בז״א . . (פי׳ כי הז׳ שמות . . אורות של הז׳ מדות · הג״ה זו נתבאר בד״ה ויצב שם תרנ״ה ע׳ נ מבאר שזהו״ע המשכת האורות בכלים ומציין שם להגה״ה שנדפס באוה״ת יתרו ע׳ תתנב. וראה בד״ה ראה נתתיך עזר״ת ע׳ קלא.
- 7חסד אל כל היום · Psalms 52:3
- 8בת היתה לאברהם ובכל שמה · בבא בתרא טז, ב.
- 9בת היתה לאברהם ובכל שמה · Bava Batra 16b:10
- 10אדנ״י אל נא תעבור · Genesis 18:3
- 11ומעולם לא קראו להקב״ה . . אדון . . אלא אברהם · Berakhot 7b:1
- 12אבל כדי שיומשך בבי״ע · באוה״ת לך לך כרך ד תרפח, א מציין לכאן בענין הארון המשכת התורה ע״י משה דוקא.
- 13משה . . ח״ס שבכתר · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ תצוה ע׳ א׳תרב.
- 14ועברתי . . אני ולא מלאך · Exodus 12:12
- 15אני ולא מלאך · Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Pischa 7:6
- 16אני ולא מלאך · Zohar, Vayera 27:410–413
- 17וכמ״ש באדרא רבא · ראה לקו״ת אמור לט, א. שה״ש כג, א שמציין לכאן. וראה המשך תער״ב ח״ג ע׳ א׳שפז. באוה״ת פ׳ יתרו ע׳ תתנג מבאר ”וי״ל דהיינו לפי שאברהם המשיך מוחין דיניקה בז״א ומזה לא יכול להיות עדיין השפעה למטה בבי״ע רק תוס׳ אור באצי׳, אבל ע״י משה נמשך מוחין דגדלות לז״א”, ע״ש. בסה״מ תרל״ה פרק קצו. ובסה״מ תרס״ה ע׳ קפז מביא קטע מכאן.
- 18באד״ר . . בענין תלת עלמין דנפיק · בלקו״ת אמור לט, א ובשה״ש כו, א מציין לכאן.
- 19תלת עלמין דנפיק מתקונא קדמאה · Zohar, Idra Rabba 11:100–112
- 20מהתיקון הראשון מי״ג ת״ד דא״א · ראה אוה״ת במדבר בהוספות (כרך מטות-מסעי) ע׳ א׳תלב.
- 21מי אל כמוך · Micah 7:18
6ולכן שיהיה התהוות עולמות בי״ע שהוא דוקא ע״י המשכה מתיקון הראשון די״ג ת״ד. וזהו פי׳ מי אל כמוך1 שיוכל לישפל א״ע כ״כ למטה מטה כו׳.
Therefore, for the worlds of Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action) to come into being, it is specifically through a drawing-down from the first tikkun of the thirteen tikkunim of the beard. And this is the meaning of “Who is a G‑d (El) like You”: that He is able to lower Himself so very far down, etc.
Therefore the lower worlds come into being specifically through a flow from the very first tikkun. That is the meaning of “Who is a G‑d like You”: no one can lower himself as G‑d can, so very far down.
ועד״ז יובן ג״כ בהמשכת האור ע״י התומ״צ בעולמות בי״ע שהוא ע״י משה דייקא להיותו ממקום גבוה יותר משרש בחינת אברהם. ע״כ יכול להמשיך האור למטה ביותר גם בבי״ע משא״כ המשכות אברהם היו רק באצילות:
And in the same way it will also be understood regarding the drawing-down of the light through Torah and mitzvos into the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah: that it is specifically through Moshe, because he is from a place higher than the root of the level of Avraham. Therefore he is able to draw the light down to the very lowest, even into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, whereas the drawings-down of Avraham were only in the World of Atzilus (Emanation).
The same applies to drawing the light into the lower worlds through Torah and mitzvos: it required Moshe, whose root is higher than Avraham’s. That is why Moshe could bring the light all the way down into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, while Avraham’s drawing-down stayed in Atzilus.
The paragraph concludes that the lowest is reached only from the highest and applies it: Moshe, rooted above Avraham, could draw the light of Torah and mitzvos into the lower worlds, while Avraham’s reached only Atzilus.
Marei mekomos
- 1מי אל כמוך · Micah 7:18
The Name El and the two unities ¶7–8
7וזהו כי אל דעות1 הוי׳. ופי׳ ב׳ דעות הן יחו״ע ויחו״ת. יחו״ע מלמעלה למטה כולא קמיה כלא ולמעלה היש כו׳.
And this is [the meaning of] “For Havayah is a G‑d (El) of de’os (knowledges).” The explanation: the two de’os are the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah) and the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah). The higher unity is from above to below: “All before Him is as nothing,” and above is the yesh (existence), etc.
This explains “For Havayah is a G‑d (El) of knowledges”: the plural points to two kinds of knowledge, the higher unity and the lower unity. In the higher unity, seen from above looking down, everything before G‑d is as nothing, and only He above is true existence (yesh).
ויחו״ת הוא בהפך היינו יש מאין שלמטה היש. ובשם זה שם אל הוא בחי׳ תקון הראשון מי״ג ת״ד כולל הב׳ דעות.
And the lower unity is the reverse, that is, something from nothing (yesh me’ayin), so that below is the yesh. And as to this Name, the Name El: it is the level of the first tikkun of the thirteen tikkunim of the beard, which includes the two de’os.
The lower unity is the reverse: seen from below, the world is “something from nothing,” and the created world is the yesh. The Name El, the level of the first tikkun, includes both kinds of knowledge.
The paragraph ties the Name El, the first tikkun, to the verse “a G‑d of knowledges”: El includes both the higher unity, in which the world is nothing before G‑d, and the lower unity, in which the created world is the existing “something.”
Marei mekomos
- 1כי אל דעות הוי׳ · I Samuel 2:3
8והוא כמ״ש היוצר יחד לבם המבין אל כל מעשיהם.1 בוחן כליות. וע״כ משם נמשך הכח שיהיה הגלוי גם למטה להיות שוים
And this is as it is written, “He who fashions their hearts together, who discerns all their deeds”; “who tests the kidneys.” And therefore from there is drawn the power for the revelation to be below as well, so that they are equal,
The Alter Rebbe adds verses describing G‑d as fashioning all hearts “together,” discerning every deed and testing the “kidneys,” a person’s innermost self. From the Name El, which includes both kinds of knowledge, comes the power for the revelation to be below as well, so that above and below are equal.
פי׳ שלא יסתיר בחי׳ יחודא תתאה הדעה שממטה למעלה על בחי׳ גלוי דעה עליונה ויהיה הגלוי למטה כמו למעלה.
meaning, that the level of the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah), the knowledge that is from below upward, should not conceal the level of the revelation of the higher knowledge, and the revelation will be below as [it is] above.
“Equal” means that the lower unity, the knowledge that looks from below upward and sees the world as real, should not hide the revelation of the higher knowledge. G‑dliness should then be as revealed below as it is above.
וז״ש והאלקים יעננו2 פי׳ אלקים הוא בחי׳ המסתיר להיות נראה למטה היש כו׳ והוא בחי׳ יחו״ת יעננו למטה כפי שנמשך אליו בקולו של משה3 מלמעלה למטה וע״ז ארז״ל יושב ושונה כנגדו4 ממש:
And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “And Elokim answers him.” Meaning: Elokim is the level that conceals, so that below the yesh is seen, etc., and it is the level of the lower unity. “Answers him” below, according to what is drawn to it by the voice of Moshe from above to below. And about this our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “He sits and studies opposite him,” literally.
So the verse at Sinai says, “And Elokim answers him.” Elokim, the Name that conceals and lets the world appear as yesh, is the lower unity, and it “answers” below to the measure that Moshe’s voice draws the higher revelation down to it; the Sages’ expression that He “sits and studies opposite him” describes this exact correspondence.
The paragraph returns to the opening verse: through Moshe the higher revelation is drawn into the lower unity, so that Elokim, the concealing Name, “answers” below just as Moshe’s voice draws it down, and G‑dliness is revealed below as above.
Marei mekomos
- 1היוצר יחד לבם המבין אל כל מעשיהם · Psalms 33:15
- 2והאלקים יעננו · Exodus 19:19
- 3בקולו של משה · Berakhot 45a:8
- 4יושב ושונה כנגדו · Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah 18:1–2
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
Questions for discussion
- Why is the intellect of nursing counted as part of the emotions, and how does that mark the limit of what Avraham achieved?
- How do nine Sefiros, three vessels and the five chassadim add up to the 248 positive commandments?
- Why must light that reaches the lowest worlds come from the highest place, and how do “I, and not an angel” and the Idra’s three worlds illustrate it?
- What are the two kinds of knowledge in “a G‑d of knowledges,” and how does Moshe’s voice bring the higher one into the lower?
Key terms in this maamar
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one. ×1
- Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א
- The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration. ×9
- The Sefirosספירות
- The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation. ×1
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×3
- The intellect (mochin)מוחין
- Chochmah, Binah and Daas as a whole. ×6
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×1
- The emotive attributes (middos)מדות
- Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×3
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×1
- Daas (knowledge)דעת
- Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion.
- The World of Atzilus (Emanation)אצילות
- The highest world, still one with G‑d. ×4
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- Yesod (foundation)יסוד
- The channel that connects and transmits. ×2
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence.
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment. ×1
- The Name Elokimאלקים
- G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×3
- 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
- The World of Yetzirah (Formation)יצירה
- The world of the angels and emotions.
- Keser (the Crown)כתר
- The level above intellect: divine will and delight. ×1
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being. ×1
- The higher unity (yichuda ila'ah)יחודא עילאה
- The world is nothing next to G‑d.
- The lower unity (yichuda tata'ah)יחודא תתאה
- G‑d is present within the world's existence. ×1