Likkutei Torah · Parshas Shemini Atzeres · Maamar 8
להבין ההפרש דבפסח כתיב והקרבתם אשה עולה ריח…
To understand the difference: on Pesach it is written, "You shall offer a fire-offering, a burnt-offering"
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The big idea
The Torah lists the Pesach offerings as isheh (fire-offering) then olah (burnt-offering), and those of Sukkos as olah then isheh, because isheh is the fiery, yearning love that rises from below and draws G‑d down, while olah is the hidden love of utter oneness that 'rises of itself.' On Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres that deeper love leads.
The maamar in brief
The maamar asks why the order of isheh and olah differs between Pesach and Sukkos. The Name Havayah is G‑d contracting His infinite essence; to draw that contraction, the soul must first nullify its own will. This ascent is isheh, 'fire-offering, fragrance', and G‑d's answering descent is nichoach, 'going down a level.' But such love is fiery yearning, and yearning implies distance. Deeper is the hidden love in every Jewish soul, a oneness with G‑d like a person's oneness with his own life, not felt as emotion at all. It is revealed on Shemini Atzeres through a flow from above that becomes inward there, having only encompassed the person during Sukkos. Like rain that must be held in clouds and measured into drops, this kindness needs restraint, which is why the day is called Atzeres. The love it reveals is olah, rising of itself. Olah also stands for the G‑dly soul's own love, the inner heart, the 'sealed fountain' and the 'male' love that wants nothing but G‑d. Both orders join the two hearts, but whichever comes first leads, so Sukkos, with olah first, is higher, and the loftier the ascent, the loftier the revelation it draws down.
Outline
- The question and the Name HavayahWhy isheh olah on Pesach but olah isheh on Sukkos? Self-nullification below draws G‑d's contraction into Havayah (isheh, nichoach); but fiery love implies distance, unlike the hidden love of oneness revealed on Shemini Atzeres.¶1
- Rain: the flow that reveals the hidden loveA flow from above, encompassing on Sukkos and inward on Shemini Atzeres, brings the hidden love out, as rain brings out the earth's growth; it must be held back ('Atzeres') like rain in clouds, and the love it reveals is olah, rising of itself.¶2–3
- Olah above ishehAfter the festivals Havayah is drawn anew until Pesach. Olah ascends to the highest, like the Menorah's self-rising flame; it is the G‑dly soul's own love, the inner heart, the 'sealed fountain' and closed mem, and the 'male' love for G‑d Himself.¶4–5
- Which comes first leadsBoth orders unite outer and inner heart, but the first element dominates, as with intertwined Names and mizmor and shir; so the Sukkos order is higher, and its lofty ascent draws down a revelation from G‑d's most hidden depths.¶6–7
Key concepts
- Isheh (fire-offering)אשה
- The ascent from below through fiery love and self-nullification, especially refining the animal soul's 'fire'; it draws G‑d down as nichoach.
- Olah (burnt-offering, 'ascending')עולה
- The hidden, essential love of the G‑dly soul that rises of itself in utter oneness with G‑d, revealed on Shemini Atzeres.
- Nichoachניחוח
- Read as related to nachis darga, 'going down a level': G‑d's descent and self-contraction into the Name Havayah in response to the ascent from below.
- The hidden loveאהבה מסותרת
- The love latent in every Jewish soul: not a longing across distance but oneness with G‑d as with one's own life.
- Encompassing and inwardמקיף ופנימי
- On Sukkos the flow from above surrounds the person; on Shemini Atzeres it enters within.
- The might of the rainsגבורות גשמים
- Rain is kindness that must be held back and measured into drops; so too the flow of Sukkos needs restraint, hence the name Atzeres.
- Outer and inner heartחיצוניות הלב ופנימיות הלב
- Felt emotion versus the soul's essential core; the offerings' two orders unite them, with the first one leading.
The question and the Name Havayah ¶1
To understand the difference: regarding Pesach it is written, "And you shall offer a fire-offering (isheh), a burnt-offering (olah), a pleasing fragrance (rei'ach nichoach) to Havayah," while regarding Sukkos it is written, "a burnt-offering, a fire-offering." For
The maamar opens with a question of word order. For the Pesach offerings the Torah writes isheh ('fire-offering') before olah ('burnt-offering'), while for Sukkos (and Shemini Atzeres) it writes olah first. The whole maamar explains what each word stands for in a person's service and why the order changes.
הנה הוי׳ הוא בחי׳ צמצום והתפשטות כו׳ כי י׳ הוא בחי׳ צמצום נקודה לבד כי י׳ הוא בחי׳ ח״ע5
The Name Havayah is read letter by letter: the yud, a tiny point, stands for contraction, and the letters that follow stand for expansion. The yud corresponds to supernal Chochmah, the first 'point' of insight before it spreads out into detail.
ואף שנקרא ים החכמה עכ״ז אינו אלא הארה בעלמא לגבי למעלה מן החכמה עד שנחשבת לבחי׳ עשייה גשמיות כו׳
And although it is called "the sea of wisdom," nevertheless it is no more than a mere glimmer relative to what is above wisdom, to the point that it is reckoned as the level of Asiyah (action), physicality, etc.
Chochmah is called 'the sea of wisdom' because of its vastness, yet compared with what lies above it, G‑d's own essence, it is only a faint ray. Measured against G‑d, the highest wisdom and the lowest physical action count as equal.
ולכן הוא בחי׳ י׳ שאינו אלא נקודה קטנה כו׳ לגבי מהותו ועצמותו שממלא כל עלמין וסוכ״ע אינו
Therefore it is the level of the yud, which is only a small point, etc., relative to His very being and essence, for whom [the light that] fills all worlds and [the light that] encompasses all worlds is
This is why Chochmah is shown as a mere yud, a small dot. Even the two great modes of Divine light, the light that fills each world from within and the light that surrounds all worlds from beyond, are tiny relative to G‑d's essence.
אלא בחינת מחשבה אחת לפניו וכדי שיצמצם א״ע כביכול כ״כ צריך לעורר מלמטה באתעדל״ת ע״י בחינת ביטול רצון של נש״י כמ״ש ועמך לא חפצתי6 כו׳
no more than the level of a single thought before Him. And in order that He contract Himself, as it were, to such an extent, one must arouse [Him] from below through an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), by way of the self-nullification (bittul) of the will of the souls of Israel, as it is written, "And besides You I desire nothing [on earth]," etc.:
All the worlds together are compared to 'a single thought' of G‑d, a minute fraction of Him. For G‑d to contract Himself so drastically into the Name Havayah, something must first be stirred from below: the Jewish people setting aside their own will, as the Psalmist says, 'Besides You I desire nothing on earth.'
להיות ביטול עצמותם לגמרי שלא להיות רצון אחר כלל רק רצון ה׳ עי״ז מעוררים למעלה ג״כ שיצמצם עצמו כביכול רק להאיר בבחי׳ הארה מועטת מאד
that there be a complete nullification of their very selves, so that there is no other will at all but the will of G‑d. Through this they arouse [a response] above as well, that He contract Himself, as it were, to shine only as a very slight glimmer.
The self-nullification meant here is total: no will of one's own besides G‑d's will. This human self-effacement below awakens a matching self-contraction above, so that G‑d's light shines in a measured, very slight form that worlds can receive.
כי רוח אייתי רוח ואמשיך רוח78 כו׳ להיות צמצום והתפשטות כו׳ שנקרא הוי׳ ונעשה ע״י אתעדל״ת הנ״ל (ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה ולא אבה9 הוי׳ אלקיך לשמוע אל בלעם)
For "spirit brings spirit and draws down spirit," etc., so that there be contraction and expansion, etc., which is called Havayah; and this comes about through the arousal from below mentioned above. (See also what is explained on this in the maamar beginning "But Havayah your G‑d would not listen to Bilam.")
The Zohar's principle 'spirit brings spirit and draws down spirit' means that a spirit awakened below draws a spirit from above in response. The resulting contraction-and-expansion is the Name Havayah, and it is brought about by the human arousal from below. The parenthesis sends the reader to another maamar on the subject.
וזהו אשה ריח כו׳ שהוא בחי׳ ההעלאה ממטה למעלה באתעדל״ת הנ״ל ועי״ז נעשה אתעדל״ע להיות ניחוח שהוא לשון נחות דרגא10 להיות ירידת עצמותו כו׳
This is [the meaning of] "a fire-offering, a fragrance," etc.: it is the level of the ascent from below to above, through the arousal from below mentioned above. Through this there comes about an arousal from above (isarusa dile'eila), so that there be nichoach, which is a term related to nachis darga (descending a level): that there be a descent of His essence, etc.,
Now the words of the verse are decoded. 'Fire-offering, fragrance' (isheh rei'ach) stand for the upward movement from below; nichoach ('pleasing') is read as related to the Aramaic nachis darga, 'going down a level,' and stands for G‑d's answering descent.
לצמצם עצמו בבחי׳ שם הוי׳ וזהו ניחוח להוי׳ כו׳ והוא כמשל הריח שמשיב את הנפש הנה הריח הוא שמריח מלמטה ועולה למוחו
to contract Himself into the level of the Name Havayah. This is "nichoach to Havayah," etc. It is like the analogy of fragrance, which restores the soul: the fragrance is smelled from below and rises to one's brain,
That descent is G‑d contracting Himself into the Name Havayah, which is why the verse says 'nichoach to Havayah.' The analogy of smell begins: a fragrance is taken in from below and rises to the brain.
אך על ידי זה נעשה השבת הנפש להתפשט בגוף כמ״כ ע״י בחינת אתעדל״ת מלמטה למעלה שנקרא אשה ריח נעשה המשכה מלמעלה למטה להיות ניחוח להוי׳ כו׳ (ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה לבבתני אחותי כלה)11
yet through this the soul is restored, spreading through the body. So too, through the arousal from below, from below to above, which is called "a fire-offering, a fragrance," there comes about a drawing down from above to below, so that there be "nichoach to Havayah," etc. (See also what is explained on this in the maamar beginning "You have captured my heart, my sister, [my] bride.")
Yet a good fragrance revives the whole person; the refreshment spreads down through the body. Likewise the offering's ascent ('fire-offering, fragrance') produces a downward flow of Divine light ('nichoach to Havayah').
אך כ״ז אינו אלא אתעדל״ת בבחי׳ אהבה ורשפי אש12 כו׳ ונודע שאהבה הוא מרחוק דוקא (ע׳ מזה בד״ה וידעת היום)13
But all this is only an arousal from below in the mode of love and "flashes of fire," etc. And it is known that love is specifically from a distance (see on this the maamar beginning "And you shall know this day"),
Now a limit is set. The ascent described so far is love of the fiery, yearning kind, 'flashes of fire' in the words of Song of Songs. Such love implies distance: one yearns only for what one does not yet have.
שלעצמו אינו מרגיש שום אהבה שהוא בבחי׳ יחוד בתכלית וכמ״כ אהבה מסותרת בכל נפש מישראל להיות מיוחד בתכלית היחוד ברוך הוא ולא בבחינת אהבה ותשוקה רק בבחי׳
for toward oneself a person feels no love at all, since he is in a state of complete unity [with himself]. So too, the hidden love in every Jewish soul is to be united with Him, blessed be He, in utter unity, not in the mode of love and longing, but in the mode of
A person does not 'love' himself in the sense of longing, because he is already one with himself. The hidden love latent in every Jewish soul is of this kind: not a yearning across a gap, but a oneness with G‑d as complete as a person's oneness with his own life.
כמו האדם עם חיות עצמו ממש (וכמ״ש בד״ה אין ישראל נגאלין14 אלא בצדקה שזהו פי׳ ומל הוי׳ אלקיך כו׳ לאהבה את ה׳ אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך למען חייך כלומר למען
a person with his own very life-force. (As is explained in the maamar beginning "Israel will be redeemed only through tzedakah," that this is the meaning of "And Havayah your G‑d will circumcise [your heart]," etc., "to love Havayah your G‑d with all your heart and with all your soul, for the sake of your life"; that is to say, for the sake
The parenthesis cites a letter in Tanya (Iggeres HaKodesh 4). There the verse's phrase 'for the sake of your life' is read to mean that G‑d is one's very life, so loving Him is like a person's attachment to his own life-force.
כי ה׳ לבדו הוא כל חייך שלכן אהבה זו הוא מעומקא דלבא מנקודת פנימית ממש ועמ״ש מענין ומל ה׳ אלקיך את לבבך בד״ה ראה אנכי15 נותן ע״ש במש״ש ולא יהיה הרגש האהבה מפני שהיא נקודת עצמיות כו׳)
that G‑d alone is all your life; therefore this love is from the depth of the heart, from the very innermost point. See also what is explained on the subject of "And Havayah your G‑d will circumcise your heart" in the maamar beginning "See, I set [before you]," see there, in what is said there: "and there will be no feeling of love, because it is the point of the very self," etc.)
Because G‑d is all of one's life, this love comes from the innermost point of the heart. A related maamar (on 'See, I set before you') adds that such love is not even felt as love, because it is one's very self rather than an emotion one has.
להיות כי עלה במחשבה כו׳ ומ״ש אחת היא16 כו׳ שהיא מיוחדת בתכלית וזהו תמתי17 רבי ינאי אמר תאומתי בשה״ש רבה1819
This is because [Israel] "arose in [G‑d's] thought," etc., and as it is written, "She is one," etc., for she is united in utter unity. And this is [the meaning of] "my perfect one" (tamasi): Rabbi Yannai said, "my twin" (te'omasi), in Shir HaShirim Rabbah.
This innate oneness goes back to Israel 'arising in G‑d's thought' before creation, and to the verse 'She is one,' said of the Jewish people as G‑d's beloved. The Midrash reads 'my perfect one' (tamasi) as 'my twin' (te'omasi): the relationship is one of equal, inseparable closeness, as between twins.
Now, the revelation of the love is only on Shemini Atzeres, which is the level of the union of groom and bride, as is explained in the maamar beginning "The Torah that [Moshe] commanded."
This innermost love, hidden during the rest of the year, is revealed only on Shemini Atzeres. The festival is described as the union of groom and bride, G‑d and the Jewish people, a theme developed in another maamar.
The paragraph poses the maamar's question (why Pesach has 'fire-offering, burnt-offering' but Sukkos 'burnt-offering, fire-offering') and explains the first order: 'fire-offering, fragrance' is the human ascent of self-nullification and fiery love that draws G‑d down into the Name Havayah. It then contrasts that love, which presupposes distance, with a deeper hidden love of complete oneness that is revealed on Shemini Atzeres.
The reading of Havayah as tzimtzum (the yud) followed by expansion is standard in Chassidus, and the principle that an arousal from below draws down an arousal from above is drawn here from the Zohar's 'spirit brings spirit.' The contrast between love 'from a distance' and a love that is not felt as emotion at all, because it is the soul's own essence, parallels the treatment of the heart's inner point in Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 4, to which the text itself points.
Marei mekomos
- 1
On the words
להבין ההפרש
How it connects
The note says that this maamar was also printed there, without the glosses.our note
Where the note points
Maamarei Admur HaZaken HaKetzarim (the Alter Rebbe's short discourses)מאמרי אדמו״ר הזקן — הקצריםp. 95
Our explanationIt also refers the reader to the edition's list of manuscripts for the date the maamar was said.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
בלי הגהות נדפס בס׳ מאמרי אדה״ז — הקצרים ע׳ צה. וראה אודות תאריך אמירת מאמר זה להלן ברשימת הכתבי-יד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 2
On the words
והקרבתם אשה עולה
How it connects
The Pesach offerings: 'You shall offer a fire-offering, a burnt-offering to G‑d.' The maamar contrasts this word order with that of Sukkos.our note
The source
Numbers 28:19במדבר כ״ח:י״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)18בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ כׇּל־מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ: 19וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם אִשֶּׁה עֹלָה לַה׳ פָּרִים בְּנֵי־בָקָר שְׁנַיִם וְאַיִל אֶחָד וְשִׁבְעָה כְבָשִׂים בְּנֵי שָׁנָה תְּמִימִם יִהְיוּ לָכֶם: 20וּמִנְחָתָם סֹלֶת בְּלוּלָה בַשָּׁמֶן שְׁלֹשָׁה עֶשְׂרֹנִים לַפָּר וּשְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרֹנִים לָאַיִל תַּעֲשׂוּ:
18In the first day shall be a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work; 19but ye shall present an offering made by fire, a burnt-offering unto the LORD: two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven he-lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish; 20and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil; three tenth parts shall ye offer for a …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
במדבר כח, יט. שם כתיב אשה עולה לה׳ פרים וגו׳ — וא״י לישב כמ״ש כאן. ולכאו׳ ג׳ תי׳ אלו ריח ניחוח לה׳ מיותרים. וע׳ זח״ג (רנח, רע״ב). [כ].
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 3
On the words
ובסוכות כתיב עולה אשה
How it connects
The offerings of the first day of Sukkos: 'You shall offer a burnt-offering, a fire-offering, a pleasing fragrance to G‑d,' with olah first.our note
The source
Numbers 29:13במדבר כ״ט:י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
במדבר כט, יג. לו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 4
On the words
ובסוכות כתיב עולה אשה
How it connects
The same order appears for the offering of Shemini Atzeres, the day the maamar goes on to explain.our note
The source
Numbers 29:36במדבר כ״ט:ל״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)35בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם כׇּל־מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ: 36וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם עֹלָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַה׳ פַּר אֶחָד אַיִל אֶחָד כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי־שָׁנָה שִׁבְעָה תְּמִימִם: 37מִנְחָתָם וְנִסְכֵּיהֶם לַפָּר לָאַיִל וְלַכְּבָשִׂים בְּמִסְפָּרָם כַּמִּשְׁפָּט:
35On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no manner of servile work; 36but ye shall present a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: one bullock, one ram, seven he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 37their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 5
On the words
י׳ הוא בחי׳ ח״ע
How it connects
A Kabbalistic dictionary arranged by terms; the note points to its entry on the letter yud, where the yud's association with Chochmah is set out.our note
Where the note points
Kehillas Yaakov (a Kabbalistic lexicon)קהלת יעקבentry יו״ד, at its beginning
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
ראה קה״י בערך יו״ד בתחלתו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 6
On the words
ועמך לא חפצתי
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
תהלים עג, עה.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 7
On the words
רוח אייתי רוח ואמשיך רוח
How it connects
Kehot’s note points to Zohar II, 162b for these words.
The source
Zohar II, 162bזח״ב קסב, בSefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
זח״ב קסב, ב.
ח׳ דברים (יב, ג). וש״נ. [כ].
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 8
On the words
רוח אייתי רוח ואמשיך רוח
How it connects
The Zohar teaches that a spirit awakened below brings and draws down a spirit from above; here it explains how human self-nullification elicits G‑d's self-contraction.our note
The source
Zohar, Terumah 66:669–678ספר הזהר, תרומה ס״ו:תרס״ט-תער״חSefaria (opens in a new tab)Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 9
On the words
בד״ה ולא אבה
How it connects
That maamar asks why it is so remarkable that G‑d would not listen to Bilam and turned the curse into a blessing, and describes accusers above who seek out Israel's faults.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, 38c (Ki Seitzei), maamar beginning ולא אבה הוי׳ אלקיך לשמוע אל בלעם
והנה לשניאה כתיב ביו״ד לשון דבר אחר והיינו הר סיני שירדה שנאה לעכומ״ז למאוס הרע בתכלית על ידי התגלות הרצון ואהבה שלמעלה מהדעת: ולא אבה הוי׳ אלהיך לשמוע אל בלעם ויהפוך ה׳ אלקיך לך את הקללה לברכה כו׳. להבין מהו הפלא הגדול ועצום מה שלא אבה לשמוע בקול איש בליעל כבלעם הרשע וגם מהו ויהפוך ה׳ את הקללה לברכה מאחר שלא שמע אל בלעם כלל. הענין הוא שיש מקטרגים שמקטרגים על ישראל שלכך נוטלין שופר בר״ה לערבב הקטגור והוא שמחפש אחר עוונות בני ישראל ומדקדק אחריהם ללמד עליהם חובה וזהו נק׳ בחי׳ בלעם שכך היה דרכו של בלעם ג״כ שהיה מחפש ג״כ למצוא מקום עון לישראל ראש הפעור הנשקפה ע״פ הישימון וישת אל המדבר פניו מקומות שהיו עתידים שם ישראל לחטוא כו׳ וזהו השבח ששיבח הכתוב כי אע״פ שבא בטענה …
Our explanationIt is cited here for its treatment of how an arousal from below draws the Name Havayah down.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohr, Mikeitz, maamar 10לעיל לח, גpage 38c, ¶8
למעשה בו״ד. שמעשה אנוש הנה כח הפועל ממש הוא בנפעל. כמו עד״מ כשעושה דבר פונה א״ע ומעמיק שכלו בדבר שהוא עושה.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
נדפס לעיל לח, ג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 10
On the words
נחות דרגא
How it connects
The Talmudic idiom 'go down a level' (in choosing a wife); the maamar uses the phrase to read nichoach as G‑d's descent.our note
The source
Yevamot 63a:10–11יבמות ס״ג א:י׳-י״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)טוּם וְלָא תְּשַׁפֵּיץ. שַׁפֵּיץ וְלָא תִּיבְנֵי. שֶׁכׇּל הָעוֹסֵק בְּבִנְיָן — מִתְמַסְכֵּן. קְפוֹץ זְבֹין אַרְעָא, מְתוֹן נְסֵיב אִיתְּתָא. נְחֵית דַּרְגָּא נְסֵיב אִיתְּתָא. סַק דַּרְגָּא בְּחַר שׁוֹשְׁבִינָא. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר אֲבִינָא: אֵין פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הִכְרַתִּי גוֹיִם נָשַׁמּוּ פִּנּוֹתָם הֶחֱרַבְתִּי חוּצוֹתָם״, וּכְתִיב: ״אָמַרְתִּי אַךְ תִּירְאִי אוֹתִי תִּקְחִי מוּסָר״.
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ראה יבמות סג, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 11
On the words
בד״ה לבבתני אחותי כלה
How it connects
That maamar explains how the offerings are called G‑d's 'bread': the life-force of the animal ascends through the offering and is included in its root, rising level after level up to the Infinite Light.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהbelow, Shir HaShirim 28c
כו׳ שהוא בחי׳ ק״ש שהיא מיושב כו׳ שמשם דוקא מביאין ומניפים שתי הלחם להעלותם לבחי׳ העטרה כו׳ והוא מטעם הנ״ל: לבבתני אחותי כלה. לבבתני באחת מעיניך (באחד כתיב באחת קרי). באחד ענק מצוורניך. הנה אמרז״ל ישראל מפרנסין לאביהם שבשמים והענין הוא דכתיב את קרבני לחמי לאשי שהקרבנות שמקריבים חלב ודם מן הבהמה נק׳ בחי׳ לחם אצלו ית׳ כו׳ והוא פלאי. אך הנה ארז״ל ג׳ שותפין יש באדם כו׳. והנה כמ״כ הוא בבהמה רק שבאדם הקב״ה נותן בו נשמה שנשמתו היא חלק אלוה ממעל ובבהמה הנפש היא מבחינת פני שור שבמרכבה וע״י הקרבן עולה החיות של הנפש ונכלל בשרשו בחיות הקדש והחיות נושאות את הכסא ועל דמות הכסא דמות כמראה אדם כו׳. וכולם מתנשאים ומתעלים ומתרוממים ע״י הקרבן בעילוי אחר עילוי עד רום המעלות עד אור א״ס ב״ה ממש כדי להיות …
Our explanationIt develops the same ascent from below that draws down a flow from above.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohr, Vayeishev, maamar 2לקמן שה״ש כח, גpage 28c, ¶30
גבוה כו׳ א״כ איך ישתחוה ליוסף וזה תמוה. אך הענין כי השתחוואה כוללת ב׳ בחי׳. הא׳ בחי׳ בטול שבטל ומשתחוה כו׳ כמו וצבא השמים לך משתחוים שהם מתבטלים כו׳. הב׳ הוא ענין המשכה שמרכין ראשו וממשיכו למטה.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
לקמן שה״ש כח, ג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 12
On the words
אהבה ורשפי אש
How it connects
'Its flashes are flashes of fire': the image for fiery, yearning love, which the maamar contrasts with the hidden love of oneness.our note
The source
Song of Songs 8:6שיר השירים ח׳:ו׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)5מִי זֹאת עֹלָה מִן־הַמִּדְבָּר מִתְרַפֶּקֶת עַל־דּוֹדָהּ תַּחַת הַתַּפּוּחַ עוֹרַרְתִּיךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלַתְךָ אִמֶּךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלָה יְלָדַתְךָ: 6שִׂימֵנִי כַחוֹתָם עַל־לִבֶּךָ כַּחוֹתָם עַל־זְרוֹעֶךָ כִּי־עַזָּה כַמָּוֶת אַהֲבָה קָשָׁה כִשְׁאוֹל קִנְאָה רְשָׁפֶיהָ רִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה: 7מַיִם רַבִּים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְכַבּוֹת אֶת־הָאַהֲבָה וּנְהָרוֹת לֹא יִשְׁטְפוּהָ אִם־יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶת־כׇּל־הוֹן בֵּיתוֹ בָּאַהֲבָה בּוֹז יָבוּזוּ לוֹ:
5… thy mother was in travail with thee; There was she in travail and brought thee forth. 6Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm; For love is strong as death, Jealousy is cruel as the grave; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of the LORD. 7Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can the floods drown it; If a man would give …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 13
On the words
בד״ה וידעת היום
How it connects
The note locates the maamar the text cites for the principle that love is specifically 'from a distance.'our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, Parshas Va'eschanan, maamar beginning וידעת היום · not yet checked
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
לעיל פ׳ ואתחנן.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 14
On the words
בד״ה אין ישראל נגאלין
How it connects
The letter beginning 'Israel will be redeemed only through tzedakah' reads 'for the sake of your life' as a love that comes from the innermost point of the heart, because G‑d is one's very life.our note
Where the note points
Tanya (Iggeres HaKodesh)תניא, אגרת הקודשIggeres HaKodesh, section 4
אין ישראל נגאלין אלא בצדקה, שנאמר ״ושביה בצדקה״. כתיב: ״צדק לפניו יהלך״, והוה ליה למימר: ״ילך״. אך הענין, על פי מה שכתוב ״לך אמר לבי בקשו פני״, פירוש, בקשו פנימית הלב. כי הנה, בלהב יסוד האש האלקית שבלב (נוסח אחר: הנה, בהלב [יסוד האש האלקית שבלב]) יש ב׳ בחינות: בחינת חיצוניות, ובחינת פנימיות. חיצוניות הלב, היא התלהבות המתלהבת מבחינת הבינה והדעת בגדולת ה׳ אין סוף ברוך הוא, (להתבוננן) [להתבונן] בגדולתו, ולהוליד מתבונה זו אהבה עזה כרשפי אש וכו׳. ופנימיות הלב, היא הנקודה שבפנימיות הלב ועומקא דלבא, שהיא למעלה מעלה מבחינת הדעת והתבונה שיוכל האדם להתבונן בלבו בגדולת ה׳, וכמו שכתוב ״ממעמקים קראתיך ה׳״ – מעומקא דליבא (ועל דרך משל, כמו במילי דעלמא, לפעמים יש ענין גדול מאד מאד, שכל חיות האדם תלוי בו ונוגע עד נקודת פנימיות הלב ועד בכלל, …
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
אגה״ק סי׳ ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 15
On the words
בד״ה ראה אנכי
How it connects
That passage distinguishes the outer dimension of the heart from its innermost point, where love is revealed so fully that it becomes complete self-nullification and is no longer felt as love.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, Parshas Re'eh 18d
כו׳ אך בענין התגלות עצמיות האהבה יש ב׳ בחי׳ בחי׳ חיצויות הלב ובחי׳ פנימיות נקודת הלב דהיינו שיתגלה אהבתו כ״כ עד שתהיה בחי׳ ביטול לגמרי ולא יהיה הרגש האהבה מפני שהיא נקודה עצמיות מעומקא דליבא כמ״ש במ״א (באגה״ק ד״ה אין ישראלנגאלין אלא בצדקה וע״ש) המשל מענין אדם אם נוגע אל תוך פנימיות נקודת לבו שלו מעצמותו ומהותו ושכל חייו תלויין בזה. וזו הבחינה היא מבחינת נחל איתן המשמשות לעתיד שלעתיד לבא כתיב אם יהיה נדחך בקצה השמים וגו׳ והביאך וגו׳ והיטבך והרבך מאבותיך שתהיה בעילוי אחר עילוי במדרגה גבוה מאד אפי׳ יותר מהאבות כמ״ש כי הנה ישכיל עבדי ירום ונשא וגבה מאד ירום מאברהם וכו׳ ואז כתיב ומל ה׳ אלהיך את לבבך ערלת לבבך לא כתיב אלא לבבך דהיינו שכל בחי׳ חיצוניות הלב ימול לצאת מן ההעלם אל הגילוי בחי׳ …
Our explanationIt links this to the future 'And G‑d will circumcise your heart.'
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohr, Toldos, maamar 2לעיל פ׳ ראה יח, דpage 18d, ¶23
בוז יבוזו כמ״ש בזוהר דהיינו כי בקרבנות דיום שני וששי ושביעי נרמז נסוך המים כמארז״ל נאמר בשני ונסכיהם כו׳.
And therefore the water libation on the Festival is also alluded to in the expression “boz yavuzu,” as is said in the Zohar. That is, in the offerings of the second, sixth and seventh days the water libation is alluded to, as our Sages said, “It says on the second [day], ‘and their libations,’ etc.”
Read it hereKehot’s note
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 16
On the words
אחת היא
How it connects
'She is one, my dove, my perfect one': applied to the Jewish people's complete unity with G‑d.our note
The source
Song of Songs 6:9שיר השירים ו׳:ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)8שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר: 9אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּהּ בָּרָה הִיא לְיוֹלַדְתָּהּ רָאוּהָ בָנוֹת וַיְאַשְּׁרוּהָ מְלָכוֹת וּפִילַגְשִׁים וַיְהַלְלוּהָ: 10מִי־זֹאת הַנִּשְׁקָפָה כְּמוֹ־שָׁחַר יָפָה כַלְּבָנָה בָּרָה כַּחַמָּה אֲיֻמָּה כַּנִּדְגָּלוֹת:
8There are threescore queens, And fourscore concubines, And maidens without number. 9My dove, my undefiled, is but one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her happy; Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. 10Who is she that looketh forth as the dawn, Fair as the moon, Clear as the …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
שה״ש ו, ט.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 17
On the words
תמתי
How it connects
'My sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one' (tamasi): the word the Midrash reads as 'my twin.'our note
The source
Song of Songs 5:2שיר השירים ה׳:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)1בָּאתִי לְגַנִּי אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה אָרִיתִי מוֹרִי עִם־בְּשָׂמִי אָכַלְתִּי יַעְרִי עִם־דִּבְשִׁי שָׁתִיתִי יֵינִי עִם־חֲלָבִי אִכְלוּ רֵעִים שְׁתוּ וְשִׁכְרוּ דּוֹדִים: 2אֲנִי יְשֵׁנָה וְלִבִּי עֵר קוֹל דּוֹדִי דוֹפֵק פִּתְחִי־לִי אֲחֹתִי רַעְיָתִי יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי שֶׁרֹּאשִׁי נִמְלָא־טָל קְוֻצּוֹתַי רְסִיסֵי לָיְלָה: 3פָּשַׁטְתִּי אֶת־כֻּתׇּנְתִּי אֵיכָכָה אֶלְבָּשֶׁנָּה רָחַצְתִּי אֶת־רַגְלַי אֵיכָכָה אֲטַנְּפֵם:
1… have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. 2I sleep, but my heart waketh; Hark! my beloved knocketh: ‘Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.’ 3I have put off my coat; How shall I put it on? I have washed my …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 18
On the words
בשה״ש רבה
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
(רפ״ה [ב, ב]). [כ].
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 19
On the words
תמתי רבי ינאי אמר תאומתי בשה״ש רבה
How it connects
Rabbi Yannai reads tamasi as te'omasi, 'my twin': G‑d and Israel as inseparable as twins. The Alter Rebbe uses it for the hidden love of utter unity.our note
The source
Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:3שיר השירים רבה ה׳:ג׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)פָּשַׁטְתִּי אֶת כֻּתָּנְתִּי, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אֲפִלּוּ תַּמָּה שֶׁבַּתַּמּוֹת יוֹדַעַת לִפְשֹׁט וְלִלְבּשׁ, וְאַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ פָּשַׁטְתִּי אֶת כֻּתָּנְתִּי, רַבִּי חֲנִינָא וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמְרֵי יוֹם שֶׁנִּזְדַּוֵּג לָהֶם נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר הָרָשָׁע לְיִשְׂרָאֵל פָּשַׁט מֵהֶם שְׁנֵי לְבוּשִׁים גְּדוֹלִים, לְבוּשׁ כְּהֻנָּה וּלְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת. רָחַצְתִּי אֶת רַגְלַי, מִטִּנּוּף עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים, יוֹדַעַת הָיִיתִי שֶׁאָבָק שֶׁל אוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם מַשִּׁיאֵנִי לַעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן דּוֹדִי שָׁלַח יָדוֹ מִן הַחוֹר. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא, וְכִי מַה טִּיבוֹ שֶׁל חוֹר זֶה לִהְיוֹת …
“I have removed my tunic; how can I don it? I have washed my feet; how can I soil them? My beloved extended his hand through the hole, and my core was stirred for him” (Song of Songs 5:3–4). “I have removed my tunic” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Even the simplest of the simple knows how to undress and dress, and you say: “I have removed my tunic”? Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Yoḥanan say: On the day that the wicked Nebuchadnezzar attacked Israel, he removed from them two great garments: the garment of priesthood and the garment of royalty. “I have washed my feet” – from the filth of idol worship. I knew that the dust of that place induces one to idol worship; nevertheless, my beloved extended His hand …
Hebrew: Midrash Rabbah -- TE (Public Domain) · English: The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah, 2022 (CC-BY) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 20
On the words
בד״ה תורה צוה
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהbelow, 94a ff. · not yet checked
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther, maamar 6לקמן צד, אpage 94a, ¶1
עליו מלמעלה נקרא בחינת אהבה זו בשם אסתר. שהיא מסותרת בבחי׳ ביום ההוא שאינה בהתגלות.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
לקמן צד, א ואילך.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 21
How it connects
'Besides You I desire nothing on earth': the Alter Rebbe uses it as the model of complete nullification of one's own will.our note
The source
Psalms 73:25תהילים ע״ג:כ״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)24בַּעֲצָתְךָ תַנְחֵנִי וְאַחַר כָּבוֹד תִּקָּחֵנִי: 25מִי־לִי בַשָּׁמָיִם וְעִמְּךָ לֹא־חָפַצְתִּי בָאָרֶץ: 26כָּלָה שְׁאֵרִי וּלְבָבִי צוּר־לְבָבִי וְחֶלְקִי אֱלֹקִים לְעוֹלָם:
24Thou wilt guide me with Thy counsel, And afterward receive me with glory. 25Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And beside Thee I desire none upon earth. 26My flesh and my heart faileth; But God is the rock of my heart and my …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
- 22
On the words
ומל הוי׳ אלקיך כו׳ לאהבה את ה׳ אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך למען חייך
How it connects
The promise that G‑d will circumcise the heart 'to love … for the sake of your life'; read as a love for G‑d who is one's very life.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 30:6דברים ל׳:ו׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)5וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ: 6וּמָל ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת־לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ לְאַהֲבָה אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ לְמַעַן חַיֶּיךָ: 7וְנָתַן ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֵת כׇּל־הָאָלוֹת הָאֵלֶּה עַל־אֹיְבֶיךָ וְעַל־שֹׂנְאֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר רְדָפוּךָ:
5… shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. . 6And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
Rain: the flow that reveals the hidden love ¶2–3
2ופי׳ יחוד זה היינו להיות מיוחד בתכלית היחוד בה׳ בבחי׳ לאהבה כו׳ למען חייך כנ״ל.
The meaning of this union is to be united with G‑d in utter unity, in the mode of "to love," etc., "for the sake of your life," as explained above.
The 'union' of Shemini Atzeres is defined: complete oneness with G‑d, the love 'for the sake of your life' described in the previous paragraph, where G‑d is one's very life.
והיינו כי יציאת האהבה מסותרת הנ״ל מהעלם לגילוי אינו אלא ע״י גילוי והמשכה מלמעלה למטה מקודם לכל נפש ועי״ז בכחו להוציא האהבה מהעלם לגילוי וההמשכה הוא ע״י בחינת וימינו תחבקני1 שבכל ימי הסוכות
That is: bringing the hidden love mentioned above out of concealment into revelation comes about only through a revelation and drawing down from above to below, beforehand, to every soul; and through this one has the power to bring the love out of concealment into revelation. The drawing down is through the level of "and His right hand embraces me," which is during all the days of Sukkos.
A person cannot draw this hidden love out alone; first G‑d must reveal and draw down light to every soul, and that gives the soul the strength to reveal its love. On Sukkos this comes through 'His right hand embraces me,' the right hand being kindness.
אך בכל ימי הסוכות הוא בבחי׳ מקיף והגילוי בפנימית הוא בשמע״צ וגילוי זה של ההמשכה נק׳ מוריד הגשם
But during all the days of Sukkos it is in the mode of a makif (an encompassing light), while the revelation within is on Shemini Atzeres. And this revelation of the drawing down is called "He causes the rain to fall."
During Sukkos the light is 'encompassing' (makif): it surrounds the person, like the sukkah itself, without entering within. On Shemini Atzeres it becomes an inner revelation, and this is what the prayer 'He causes the rain to fall,' begun on that day, alludes to.
כי כמו הגשם שבא מלמעלה ללחלח את הארץ ועי״ז יוצא כח הצומח שיש בארץ מהעלם לגילוי להיות והולידה והצמיחה ונתן זרע2 כו׳
For just like the rain, which comes from above to moisten the earth, and through it the power of growth that is in the earth emerges from concealment into revelation, so that "it makes it bring forth and sprout, and gives seed," etc.,
The analogy: rain does not create the power of growth; it moistens the earth so that the potential already hidden in the soil comes out. Isaiah describes rain that makes the earth 'bring forth and sprout.'
כמ״כ גילוי והמשכה שבא מלמעלה לכל אחד הוא בכדי להוציא האהבה המסותרת בכל נפש מהעלם לגילוי להיות בחי׳ יחוד בה׳ בתכלית. ולכן מזכירין גבורות גשמים34 בשמ״ע.
so too the revelation and drawing down that comes from above to each person is in order to bring the love hidden in every soul out of concealment into revelation, so that there be the level of utter union with G‑d. And therefore we mention the "might of the rains" on Shemini Atzeres.
So too the Divine flow from above does not create the love but awakens the love already hidden in every soul. This is why the mention of rain in the Amidah begins on Shemini Atzeres.
The paragraph explains how the hidden love is revealed: it needs a prior flow from above, which on Sukkos is only 'encompassing' and on Shemini Atzeres becomes inward. The rain that begins to be mentioned on Shemini Atzeres is the image for that inward flow, which brings out a potential already present.
The distinction between makif and pnimi, surrounding versus internalized light, is the key to why the deepest revelation comes on the eighth day rather than during Sukkos itself.
Marei mekomos
- 1
On the words
וימינו תחבקני
How it connects
'His left hand is under my head, and His right hand embraces me': here the right hand, kindness, is the flow of Sukkos.our note
The source
Song of Songs 2:6שיר השירים ב׳:ו׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)5סַמְּכוּנִי בָּאֲשִׁישׁוֹת רַפְּדוּנִי בַּתַּפּוּחִים כִּי־חוֹלַת אַהֲבָה אָנִי: 6שְׂמֹאלוֹ תַּחַת לְרֹאשִׁי וִימִינוֹ תְּחַבְּקֵנִי: 7הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה אִם־תָּעִירוּ וְאִם־תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת־הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ:
5’Stay ye me with dainties, refresh me with apples; For I am love-sick.’ 6Let his left hand be under my head, And his right hand embrace me. 7’I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, and by the hinds of the …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
שה״ש ב, ו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 2
On the words
והולידה והצמיחה ונתן זרע
How it connects
Rain waters the earth 'and makes it bring forth and sprout, and gives seed': the model for a flow from above that brings out hidden potential.our note
The source
Isaiah 55:10ישעיהו נ״ה:י׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)9כִּי־גָבְהוּ שָׁמַיִם מֵאָרֶץ כֵּן גָּבְהוּ דְרָכַי מִדַּרְכֵיכֶם וּמַחְשְׁבֹתַי מִמַּחְשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם: 10כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יֵרֵד הַגֶּשֶׁם וְהַשֶּׁלֶג מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְשָׁמָּה לֹא יָשׁוּב כִּי אִם־הִרְוָה אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְהוֹלִידָהּ וְהִצְמִיחָהּ וְנָתַן זֶרַע לַזֹּרֵעַ וְלֶחֶם לָאֹכֵל: 11כֵּן יִהְיֶה דְבָרִי אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִפִּי לֹא־יָשׁוּב אֵלַי רֵיקָם כִּי אִם־עָשָׂה אֶת־אֲשֶׁר חָפַצְתִּי וְהִצְלִיחַ אֲשֶׁר שְׁלַחְתִּיו:
9… the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, And returneth not thither, Except it water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, And give seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: It shall not return …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ישעי׳ נה, י.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 3
On the words
מזכירין גבורות גשמים בשמע״צ
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
שו״ע או״ח סתרס״ח, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 4
On the words
גבורות גשמים
How it connects
The note says the Siddur explains there why rains are called 'gevuros' (might, restraint) even though rain is a blessing, the question the next paragraph takes up.our note
Where the note points
Siddur im Dach (the Siddur with Chassidic discourses)סידור עם דאך61d
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Siddur im Dachסידור עם דא״חby the Alter Rebbe · p. 61d
The Alter Rebbe’s siddur with his Chassidic discourses on the prayers.
Find it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
בסידור סא, ד נתבאר למה נקראים גבורות והלא הגשמים הן ברכה ע״ש.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
Now, just as the descent of the rains from above cannot reach the earth except by the rains first being held back and covered in clouds,
The rain analogy is developed: rain cannot fall straight to the earth; it must first be gathered and held back in clouds.
וגם שיתחלקו אח״כ טיפין טיפין2 שלזאת נקרא גבורות גשמים3 לפי שיורדין בגבורה כי מים הוא התפשטות ומה שנעצרים בעבים ומתחלק אח״כ לטיפין כו׳
and also by their dividing afterward into drop after drop—which is why it is called "the might [gevuros] of the rains," because they descend with might [gevurah]; for water is expansion, and the fact that they are held back in clouds and afterward divided into drops, etc.,
It must also be divided into separate drops. That is why the liturgy speaks of the 'might' (gevuros) of rain: water by nature spreads out freely (kindness), and holding it back and measuring it into drops is an act of restraint.
is from the level of gevuros (restraints), and it is the level of the inclusion of gevuros within chasadim (kindnesses) (see also what is explained in the discourse on "The voice of my beloved" and on "And He will give strength to His king")—
Restraint is thus built into kindness: this is 'the inclusion of gevuros within chasadim.' The parenthesis points to two other discourses where the idea is developed.
ובלא ז6 אי אפשר לבא למטה לארץ ללחלחה ולהוציא ממנה את כח הצומח7 שמוסתר בה כמ״כ גילוי והמשכת אלקות שבא מלמעלה בחג הסוכות שהוא מבחי׳ חסד והתפשטות כו׳
and without this they could not come down to the earth to moisten it and bring out of it the power of growth that is hidden within it; so too the revelation and drawing down of G‑dliness that comes from above on the festival of Sukkos, which is from the level of Chesed (kindness) and expansion, etc.,
Without that restraint the rain could not water the earth and bring out its hidden growth; it would flood rather than nourish. So too the flow of G‑dliness on Sukkos, which is kindness and expansion,
בכדי להוציא האהבה המסותרת הנ״ל א״א להיות כ״א ע״י התכללות ג״כ בגבורה שיתעכב ויעצר ההשפעה תחלה.
in order to bring out the hidden love mentioned above, cannot be except through being included also with Gevurah (restraint), so that the flow first be held back and restrained.
cannot reveal the hidden love unless it too is combined with restraint, first held back and gathered in before it is given.
ולזאת נק׳ עצרת כו׳ שהיה בחי׳ עיכוב ההשפעה (וכמ״ש ברבות נשא פ״י8 שהוא מלשון נעצרה נא אותך)9 כדוגמת הגשם שמתכסה בעבים תחלה ומתחלק אח״כ לטיפין כו׳
That is why it is called Atzeres, etc., for it was the level of holding back the flow (as is written in Rabbah, Nasso, chapter 10, that it is from the language of "Please, let us detain you"), like the rain, which is first covered in clouds and afterward divided into drops, etc.
This is why the day is called Atzeres, from the root 'to hold back.' The Midrash links the word to Manoach's words to the angel, 'Please, let us detain you.' The holding back is like the rain gathered in clouds and then measured out in drops.
ואז נעשה היחוד שהוא בחי׳ גילוי האהבה המסותרת הנ״ל ובחינת אהבה זו נקרא בשם עולה10
And then the union takes place, which is the level of the revelation of the hidden love mentioned above; and this level of love is called by the name olah (burnt-offering, [literally, "ascending"]),
Only then does the union take place: the hidden love is revealed. This love is called olah, 'that which ascends,' the same word as the burnt-offering.
לפי שעולה מאליה למעלה בבחי׳ יחוד בתכלית לפי שחלק11 הוי׳ כו׳ אחת היא12 כו׳ ואינה בבחי׳ אהבה ורשפי אש13 כמו בכל הרגלים.
because it ascends upward of its own accord, in the mode of utter union, since "Havayah's portion," etc., "She is one," etc.; and it is not in the mode of love and "flashes of fire," as on all the [other] festivals.
It rises of itself, with no need to be kindled, because the soul is 'G‑d's portion' and 'one' with Him. It is not the fiery, yearning love of the other festivals, which presupposes distance.
The paragraph explains why the revelation needs restraint: like rain that must be gathered in clouds and divided into drops, the kindness of Sukkos must be held back ('Atzeres') before it can bring out the hidden love. That revealed love is called olah because it ascends of itself.
Kehot's notes point to Talmudic and Chassidic parallels: the Talmud (Taanis 2a) calls rain 'gevuros,' and Bava Basra 16a says each drop has its own mold, for if two drops came from one they would ruin the earth. The Ki Savo maamar cited in the notes refers back to this very passage for the love that 'ascends of itself.'
Marei mekomos
- 1
On the words
כ״א ע״י שמתעכבים ומתכסים הגשמים תחלה בעבים
How it connects
The note says this point, that rain must first be held back and covered in clouds, is explained in the Siddur.our note
Where the note points
Siddur im Dach (the Siddur with Chassidic discourses)סידור עם דאך62a
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Siddur im Dachסידור עם דא״חby the Alter Rebbe · p. 62a
The Alter Rebbe’s siddur with his Chassidic discourses on the prayers.
Find it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
נתבאר בסידור סב, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 2
On the words
שיתחלקו אח״כ טיפין טיפין
How it connects
That passage reads 'He causes the rain to fall' as a drawing down likened to the union of groom and bride, and explains that it must be preceded by the 'chuppah,' an ascent of both the Written and Oral Torah.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהbelow, 96a
וזהו שאומרים מוריד הגשם המשכת טפת מ״ד וכמארז״ל גבי גשמים משיצא חתן לקראת כלה כדפי׳ בערוך. אך קודם יחוד זה צ״ל חופה והוא עליית שניהם תשב״כ ותשבע״פ בבחי׳ סובב כל עלמין דקמיה חכמה ועשייה שוין (וע׳ בזהר בראשית דף ח׳ ע״א בפי׳ הרמ״ז שם וסוד החופה כו׳ ונלע״ד כו׳ ע״ש ועמ״ש בביאור ע״פ כי על כל כבוד חופה). וזהו מה שאנו אומרים ברגלים והשיאנו כו׳ אז עי״ז יכול להיות אח״כ יחוד זה שהוא המשכה פנימית ממש ולא הארה בעלמא כמו הקדושין הנ״ל. והענין כי בחי׳ היחוד עד״מ הוא המשכה שלמעלה מבחי׳ נובלות חש״מ כ״א מבחי׳ חכמה שלמעלה ממש היינו מעצמותה ומהותה. דהנה מבואר למעלה מה שנקרא נובלות הוא לפי שהתהוות החכמה דאצי׳ הנקרא תורה מח״ס הנקרא חכמה שלמעלה היא בבחי׳ דילוג גדול מבחי׳ שערות לבד ולא ממהות ועצם הח״ס ועד״מ …
And this is why we say “He causes the rain to fall”: the drawing-down of the drop of mayin duchrin (the masculine waters), as our Sages, of blessed memory, said concerning rain, “once the groom goes out to meet the bride,” as the Aruch explains.
Our explanationIt deepens the link between rain and the union of Shemini Atzeres.
Read it hereMaamarei Admur HaEmtza'i (discourses of the Mitteler Rebbe)מאמרי אדמו״ר האמצעיVayikra, vol. 1, p. 391
Our explanationA parallel discussion of rain being divided into separate drops.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther, maamar 8לקמן צו, אpage 96a, ¶33
וזהו חייב אינש לבסומי בפוריא בבחי׳ יין המשכר עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי. כי ארור המן הוא הקליפה המכסה ומסתיר שם י״ה בחי׳ הלא תעשה. וברוך מרדכי הוא המשכת מצות עשה בחי׳ ו״ה. וע״י בחי׳ יין המשכר הוא בחי׳ בטול ההשגה כו׳ ובחי׳ תשובה עלאה עולה למעלה מבחי׳ י״ה ומבחי׳ ו״ה. ובפורים מתגלה בחינה זו בכל נפש בכלל והארה מבחי׳ זו מתגלה קצת בכל יום בפרט בק״ש …
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
ראה לקמן צו, א. מאמרי אדה״א ויקרא ח״א ע׳ שצא.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
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On the words
נקרא גבורות גשמים
How it connects
The Talmud explains that rain is mentioned in the blessing of 'gevuros' (G‑d's might); the maamar reads the might as the restraint that holds back and measures the rain.our note
The source
Taanit 2a:1–2תענית ב׳ א:א׳-ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)מֵאֵימָתַי מַזְכִּירִין גְּבוּרוֹת גְּשָׁמִים? רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: מִיּוֹם טוֹב הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל חַג. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר: מִיּוֹם טוֹב הָאַחֲרוֹן שֶׁל חַג. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: הוֹאִיל וְאֵין הַגְּשָׁמִים אֶלָּא סִימַן קְלָלָה בֶּחָג, לָמָה הוּא מַזְכִּיר? אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר: אַף אֲנִי לֹא אָמַרְתִּי לִשְׁאוֹל אֶלָּא לְהַזְכִּיר ״מַשִּׁיב הָרוּחַ וּמוֹרִיד הַגֶּשֶׁם״ בְּעוֹנָתוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: אִם כֵּן, לְעוֹלָם יְהֵא מַזְכִּיר!
Mishnah: When is the time, one should begin to mention “the Power of rains?” Rabbi Eliezer says from the first day of the holiday Rabbi Yehoshua says From the last day of the holiday Rabbi Yehoshua said [to Rabbi Eliezer] Since the rain on Succot is a sign of curse, why should it be mentioned in the prayers? Rabbi Eliezer said [to Rabbi Yehushua] Never did I say that one must pray for the rain, but only that it should be mentioned in the following words, "He causes the winds to blow, and the rain to fall in the proper season." He said {Rabbi Yehushua to Rabbi Eliezer} Then should this mention not be said throughout the year?
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · English: Sefaria Community Translation (CC0) · via Sefaria
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, end of Parshas Va'eschanan, 13c
ויאכילך את המן וגו׳ למען הודיעך וגו׳. הנה המן הוא בחי׳ טל כמ״ש ותעל שכבת הטל והוא טל שעתיד להחיות בו את המתים הוא בחי׳ רחמים רבים כמאמר מחי׳ מתים ברחמים רבים ולהבין מהו בחי׳ רחמים רבים למעלה הנה כתיב וזרעתי את בית ישראל זרע אדם וזרע בהמה (בירמיה סי׳ ל״א ועמ״ש מזה ע״פ ואלה המשפטים) פי׳ שיש שני מיני נשמות בחי׳ אדם ובחי׳ בהמה. ויובן זה עם מ״ש פני אריה אל הימין כו׳ שהוא בחי׳ אהבה ובמ״א תכתיב אריה שאג מי לא יירא (בעמוס סי׳ ב׳) וגם ימים נוראים נקראים ע״ש אריה כי אריה אותיות יראה והיינו שבחי׳ אהבה זו של בחי׳ אריה למעלה הוא מבחי׳ התגלות גדולתו של הקב״ה ולגדולתו אין חקר שאינו יכול להתלבש תוך עלמין ולכן תפול עליהם אימתה ופחד בהתגלות גדולה זו מצד המקבל שאינו …
Our explanationThat maamar explains the manna as 'dew,' the dew of resurrection and 'great compassion,' and distinguishes love from awe. It is cited as a parallel treatment of rain and dew as Divine flows.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohrתורה אור107b · not yet checked
Our explanationA parallel place in Torah Ohr on why rain is called 'gevuros.'
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Sefer HaMaamarim 5562ספר המאמרים תקס״בmaamar beginning משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם, p. 32 ff.
Our explanationA maamar devoted to 'He causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall,' treating the same theme.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)The Alter Rebbe’s maamar “משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם בסה"מ” (5562)ד״ה משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם בסה״מ תקס״בA maamar of the Alter Rebbe, 5562
Find it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
תענית ב, א. וראה לעיל ס״פ ואתחנן יג, ג. תו״א קז, ב. ד״ה משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם בסה״מ תקס״ב ע׳ לב ואילך.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
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On the words
והוא בחי׳ התכללות גבורות בחסדים
How it connects
The note quotes Or HaTorah: most rain comes after thunder, which is gevuros, though there is also 'rain of generosity' without thunder.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורהToldos, vol. 1, 141a; also Beshalach, p. 686
Our explanationThis illustrates the inclusion of restraint within kindness.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
”ולכן ע״פ רוב הגשמים באים ע״י רעמים שבתחלה שהם בחי׳ גבורות כו׳ רק יש גשם נדבות בלא רעמים כו׳” — אוה״ת פ׳ תולדות כרך א קמא, א. וראה גם פ׳ בשלח ע׳ תרפו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
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On the words
וע״פ ויתן עוז למלכו
How it connects
That passage explains how, when the Name Havayah is drawn into Z'eir Anpin, kindness prevails in the emotive attributes and restraint is included within it ('including the left in the right'), so that the forces of judgment are nullified.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, Parshas Nasso 25d
וזהו שהנגינה של שם ה׳ יחתו מריביו הוא גרשיים שהם ב׳ תנועות זו למעלה מזו להורות שהיא המשכה ממקום עליון מאד מא״א לז״א שצ״ל בזה ב׳ המשכות הא׳ מחסד דא״א לאו״א. ואח״כ מאו״א נמשך לז״א. ולכך נגינה זו היא ב׳ תנועות [ועמ״ש בד״ה שיר השירים בענין ב׳ בחי׳ חתן חות דרגא כו׳ ובד״ה לבבתני ב׳ לבבות כו׳ ע״ש] ואזי כשנמשך משם הוי׳ דא״א בז״א עי״ז יחתו מריביו שמתבטלים כחות הדין שהן מריביו דז״א. ובזהר פי׳ מריב ו׳ כי הוי״ו הוא ששה מדות דז״א שהחסד גובר בהן דבחי׳ גבורה שבו היא בבחי׳ לאכללא שמאלא בימינא כנ״ל והמקטרגים שלמעלה בהיכלות החיצונים המקטרגים על ישראל הם נגד בחי׳ זו ממש ונק׳ מריביו וכמ״ש בתורה בפ׳ בלעם ויחר אף אלקים כי הולך הוא כו׳ וע״י התגלות שם הוי׳ דא״א בז״א עי״ז יחתו מריביו. והוא …
Our explanationIt is the same inclusion of gevuros within chasadim.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohr, Vayishlach, maamar 4לעיל פ׳ נשא כה, דpage 25d, ¶17
בלב להיות מכילה.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 6
On the words
שיתחלקו . . ובלא זה א״א
How it connects
G‑d created a separate mold for each drop of rain, lest two drops from one mold ruin the earth: the basis for 'without this it could not come down to the earth.'our note
The source
Bava Batra 16aבבא בתרא ט״ז אSefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
ראה ב״ב טז, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 7
On the words
ולהוציא ממנה את כח הצומח
How it connects
A parallel discussion of rain bringing out the earth's hidden power of growth.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורהBeshalach, p. 555
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
ראה אוה״ת פ׳ בשלח ע׳ תקנה.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
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On the words
ברבות נשא פ״י
How it connects
The Midrash on Nasso, cited by the text itself, links the word atzeres to this sense of 'detaining.'our note
The source
Bamidbar Rabbah 10במדבר רבה י׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 9
On the words
נעצרה נא אותך
How it connects
Manoach says to the angel, 'Please, let us detain you': the word shows that atzeres means holding back.our note
The source
Judges 13:15שופטים י״ג:ט״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)14מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יֵצֵא מִגֶּפֶן הַיַּיִן לֹא תֹאכַל וְיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר אַל־תֵּשְׁתְּ וְכׇל־טֻמְאָה אַל־תֹּאכַל כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־צִוִּיתִיהָ תִּשְׁמֹר: 15וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ אֶל־מַלְאַךְ ה׳ נַעְצְרָה־נָּא אוֹתָךְ וְנַעֲשֶׂה לְפָנֶיךָ גְּדִי עִזִּים: 16וַיֹּאמֶר מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֶל־מָנוֹחַ אִם־תַּעְצְרֵנִי לֹא־אֹכַל בְּלַחְמֶךָ וְאִם־תַּעֲשֶׂה עֹלָה לַה׳ תַּעֲלֶנָּה כִּי לֹא־יָדַע מָנוֹחַ כִּי־מַלְאַךְ ה׳ הוּא:
14… or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.’ 15And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD: ‘I pray thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid for thee.’ 16And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah: ‘Though thou detain me, I will not …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
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On the words
ובחינת אהבה זו נקרא בשם עולה
How it connects
That maamar refers back to this very passage ('this level is called olah because it ascends of itself').our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, Parshas Ki Savo 43a
לרוות צמאון נפשם הצמאה לה׳. אלא איזהו חסיד המתחסד עם קונו כו׳ ע״ש. ועיין בד״ה כתיב מה יפית ומה נעמת אהבה בתענוגים. ועמ״ש לקמן סד״ה והקרבתם עולה אשה. גבי ובחינה זו נק׳ בשם עולה לפי שעולה מאליה כו׳ ע״ש). ואהבה השנית הוא שחפץ ומשתוקק לדבקה בו ית׳ וזה יש בלב כל אחד ואחד מישראל. וזהו ואהבת דהיינו שתתאוה שיהיה הוי׳ אלקיך כנודע (משא״כ האהבה הראשונה היא מעלת ומדרגת בני עלייה כמ״ש בסש״ב שם ובד״ה מה יפית הנ״ל וע״ז נאמר שמחו צדיקים בה׳. ועיין סד״ה זה יתנו כו׳ מחצית השקל). וזהו קבלת מ״ש בק״ש רק שא״א לדבקה בו ית׳ כי לית מחשבה תפיסא ביה שהוא ית׳ סתימו דכל סתימין וטמירא דכל טמירין. פי׳ שיש עולמות שנקראים סתימין והם למעלה מבחי׳ עוה״ב והוא ית׳ סתים ונעלם מהם שאינם משיגים אותו וכן טמירא …
Our explanationIt distinguishes a first, higher love, the level of the spiritually elevated, from a second love of longing to cleave to G‑d that is in every Jew's heart.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohr, Mikeitz, maamar 15לעיל פ׳ תבוא מג, אpage 43a, ¶6
ששם הוי״ה מושל על כל בחי׳ אלקים משא״כ פרעה אמר לא ידעתי את הוי״ה שלא ידע רק שם אלקים. ואמר עזב ה׳ את הארץ (ובאמת לא בדעת ידבר כמ״ש בתניא ח״ב שהרי נס של בריאת שמים וארץ גדול מנס של קי״ס כו׳ ע״ש) ולכן אומרים איה אלקיהם. אבל באמת כל אשר חפץ הוי״ה עשה. שזהו ענין יחוד שם הוי״ה עם שם אלקים ויחוד קוב״ה ושכינתיה שיחוד זה היינו בחי׳ המשכה …
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
ראה לעיל פ׳ תבוא מג, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
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On the words
לפי שחלק הוי׳
How it connects
'For G‑d's portion is His people': the Jewish soul as part of G‑d, the reason its love rises of itself.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 32:9דברים ל״ב:ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)8בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם בְּהַפְרִידוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: 9כִּי חֵלֶק Havayah עַמּוֹ יַעֲקֹב חֶבֶל נַחֲלָתוֹ: 10יִמְצָאֵהוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמֹן יְסֹבְבֶנְהוּ יְבוֹנְנֵהוּ יִצְּרֶנְהוּ כְּאִישׁוֹן עֵינוֹ:
8… He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. 9For the portion of the LORD is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance. 10He found him in a desert land, and in the waste, a howling wilderness; He compassed …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
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On the words
אחת היא
How it connects
'She is one': the soul's complete oneness with G‑d.our note
The source
Song of Songs 6:9שיר השירים ו׳:ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)8שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר: 9אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּהּ בָּרָה הִיא לְיוֹלַדְתָּהּ רָאוּהָ בָנוֹת וַיְאַשְּׁרוּהָ מְלָכוֹת וּפִילַגְשִׁים וַיְהַלְלוּהָ: 10מִי־זֹאת הַנִּשְׁקָפָה כְּמוֹ־שָׁחַר יָפָה כַלְּבָנָה בָּרָה כַּחַמָּה אֲיֻמָּה כַּנִּדְגָּלוֹת:
8There are threescore queens, And fourscore concubines, And maidens without number. 9My dove, my undefiled, is but one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her happy; Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. 10Who is she that looketh forth as the dawn, Fair as the moon, Clear as the …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 13
On the words
אהבה ורשפי אש
How it connects
The fiery love of the other festivals, contrasted with the self-rising love of Shemini Atzeres.our note
The source
Song of Songs 8:6שיר השירים ח׳:ו׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)5מִי זֹאת עֹלָה מִן־הַמִּדְבָּר מִתְרַפֶּקֶת עַל־דּוֹדָהּ תַּחַת הַתַּפּוּחַ עוֹרַרְתִּיךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלַתְךָ אִמֶּךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלָה יְלָדַתְךָ: 6שִׂימֵנִי כַחוֹתָם עַל־לִבֶּךָ כַּחוֹתָם עַל־זְרוֹעֶךָ כִּי־עַזָּה כַמָּוֶת אַהֲבָה קָשָׁה כִשְׁאוֹל קִנְאָה רְשָׁפֶיהָ רִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה: 7מַיִם רַבִּים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְכַבּוֹת אֶת־הָאַהֲבָה וּנְהָרוֹת לֹא יִשְׁטְפוּהָ אִם־יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶת־כׇּל־הוֹן בֵּיתוֹ בָּאַהֲבָה בּוֹז יָבוּזוּ לוֹ:
5… thy mother was in travail with thee; There was she in travail and brought thee forth. 6Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm; For love is strong as death, Jealousy is cruel as the grave; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of the LORD. 7Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can the floods drown it; If a man would give …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
Olah above isheh ¶4–5
4ולכן אומרים עולה אשה כו׳ ואח״כ חוזרים וממשיכים שם הוי׳ חדש עד חג הפסח שבכל ו׳ חדשים דחורף אין בהם רגל כלל שכל הג׳ רגלים הן בקיץ כו׳.
Therefore we say "a burnt-offering, a fire-offering," etc. Afterward we once again draw down the Name Havayah anew, until the festival of Pesach; for in all the six months of winter there is no festival at all, since all three festivals are in the summer, etc.
This answers the opening question. On Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres olah, the self-rising love, comes first. From then until Pesach there are no festivals, so the Name Havayah must be drawn down anew, and Pesach's order, isheh first, begins that renewed ascent from below.
ועיין מענין עולה בזח״ג ר״פ צו12 והרמ״ז שם העיר מענין רוח האדם העולה למעלה ועמ״ש בד״ה האזינו השמים3 בענין והרוח תשוב אל
See on the subject of olah in Zohar III, at the beginning of Parshas Tzav, where the Ramaz remarks on the subject of the spirit of man that ascends upward. See also what is explained in the maamar beginning "Listen, O heavens," on "and the spirit returns to
The Zohar at the start of Parshas Tzav explains olah as the ascent of the Jewish people's collective soul (Knesses Yisrael), binding it above in the World to Come; the Ramaz, a Kabbalistic commentator on the Zohar, relates this to the human spirit that rises upward. Another maamar treats the same idea through a verse from Koheles.
האלהים אשר נתנה4 ומשם יובן שעלייה זו היא למעלה מעלה בחינת עד יעבור עמך5 הוי׳ ועמ״ש ע״פ בהעלותך את הנרות6
G‑d who gave it"; from there it will be understood that this ascent is to the very highest, the level of "until Your people pass over, Havayah." See also what is explained on "When you raise up the lamps."
The verse says the spirit 'returns to G‑d who gave it,' to its very source. That source is the level of 'until Your people pass over, Havayah,' which the maamar treats as the height of the olah's ascent. A further discussion is found on the lighting of the Menorah.
והנה אשה הוא ג״כ אש ה׳ וע׳ זח״ג פנחס (דרנ״ב סע״ב)7 וכמ״ש בד״ה את קרבני לחמי8 ובד״ה והיה לכם לציצית9 בענין לזאת יקרא אשה10 כו׳ אך עכ״ז בחי׳ עולה גבוה יותר כנ״ל.
Now, isheh (fire-offering) is also esh H' ("fire of H'"). See Zohar III, Pinchas (252b, end of the column), and as is explained in the maamar beginning "My offering, My bread" and in the maamar beginning "And it shall be to you as tzitzis," on "this one shall be called woman (ishah)," etc. Nevertheless, the level of olah is higher, as explained above.
The word isheh can be divided into esh ('fire') and the letter hei, pointing to a Divine fire. The text lists places where this is explained, including the wordplay on ishah ('woman') from Genesis. Still, it concludes, olah is the higher level.
ואפשר ע״ד שארז״ל גבי בהעלותך חייך שלך גדול משלהם1112 שבחי׳ העלאת הנרות בחי׳ שלהבת העולה מאליה גדול מהקרבנות הנק׳ אשה ריח כו׳.
And perhaps it is in the manner of what our Sages said regarding "When you raise up": "By your life, yours is greater than theirs"; that is, the raising of the lamps, the level of a flame that rises of its own accord, is greater than the offerings, which are called "a fire-offering, a fragrance," etc.
The Midrash, quoted by Rashi, says that when Aharon was dismayed at not joining the princes' dedication offerings, G‑d told him, 'By your life, yours is greater than theirs,' for he would kindle the Menorah. A flame that rises of itself is olah, and so is greater than offerings called isheh.
The paragraph completes the answer: olah comes first on Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres, and after the festivals the Name Havayah is drawn down anew until Pesach. It then gathers sources showing olah as an ascent to the very highest level, above even isheh, the 'fire of G‑d.'
The Kehot note quotes the Zohar (Tzav 26a) that the olah is the ascent and binding of Knesses Yisrael above, cleaving within the World to Come. The comparison with Aharon's lamps sharpens the distinction: the olah-love is like the flame of the Menorah, which 'rises of its own accord,' and so it surpasses the offerings called isheh.
Marei mekomos
- 1
On the words
בזח״ג ר״פ צו
How it connects
The note quotes Or HaTorah citing the Zohar (Tzav 26a) that the olah is the ascent and binding of Knesses Yisrael above within the World to Come, and the Ramaz's comment that this is the human spirit that ascends upward.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורהShemini Atzeres, p. 1810 ff.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
”דכ״ו ע״א ת״ח האי עולה סליקו וקשירו דכנס״י לעילא ודבוקה דילה בגו עלמא דאתי כו׳, ובפי׳ הרמ״ז שזהו ענין רוח האדם העולה הוא למעלה” — אוה״ת שמע״צ ע׳ א׳תתי ואילך.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 2
On the words
ועיין מענין עולה בזח״ג ר״פ צו
How it connects
The Zohar at the start of Tzav: the olah is the ascent and binding of Knesses Yisrael above and its cleaving within the World to Come.our note
The source
Zohar, Vayikra 65:435–66:445ספר הזהר, ויקרא ס״ה:תל״ה-ס״ו:תמ״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 3
On the words
בד״ה האזינו השמים
How it connects
The note locates the maamar 'Listen, O heavens,' cited for 'and the spirit returns to G‑d who gave it.'our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, beginning of Parshas Haazinu · not yet checked
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
לעיל ר״פ האזינו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 4
On the words
והרוח תשוב אל האלהים אשר נתנה
How it connects
'And the spirit returns to G‑d who gave it': the soul's return to its source, used here for the ascent of olah.our note
The source
Ecclesiastes 12:7קהלת י״ב:ז׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)6עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־[יֵרָתֵק] (ירחק) חֶבֶל הַכֶּסֶף וְתָרוּץ גֻּלַּת הַזָּהָב וְתִשָּׁבֶר כַּד עַל־הַמַּבּוּעַ וְנָרֹץ הַגַּלְגַּל אֶל־הַבּוֹר: 7וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל־הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל־הָאֱלֹקִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ: 8הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר הַקּוֹהֶלֶת הַכֹּל הָבֶל:
6… And the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel falleth shattered, into the pit; 7And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it. 8Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; all is vanity.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 5
On the words
עד יעבור עמך הוי׳
How it connects
'Until Your people pass over, G‑d': here a name for the very high level the olah reaches.our note
The source
Exodus 15:16שמות ט״ו:ט״זSefaria (opens in a new tab)15אָז נִבְהֲלוּ אַלּוּפֵי אֱדוֹם אֵילֵי מוֹאָב יֹאחֲזֵמוֹ רָעַד נָמֹגוּ כֹּל יֹשְׁבֵי כְנָעַן: 16תִּפֹּל עֲלֵיהֶם אֵימָתָה וָפַחַד בִּגְדֹל זְרוֹעֲךָ יִדְּמוּ כָּאָבֶן עַד־יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ Havayah עַד־יַעֲבֹר עַם־זוּ קָנִיתָ: 17תְּבִאֵמוֹ וְתִטָּעֵמוֹ בְּהַר נַחֲלָתְךָ מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ פָּעַלְתָּ Havayah מִקְּדָשׁ אֲדֹ־נָי כּוֹנְנוּ יָדֶיךָ:
15… men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them; All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away. 16Terror and dread falleth upon them; By the greatness of Thine arm they are as still as a stone; Till Thy people pass over, O LORD, Till the people pass over that Thou hast gotten. 17Thou bringest them in, and plantest them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, The place, O …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 6
On the words
בהעלותך את הנרות
How it connects
'When you raise up the lamps': the lighting of the Menorah, whose flame rises of itself.our note
The source
Numbers 8:2במדבר ח׳:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)1וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: 2דַּבֵּר אֶל־אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹת אֶל־מוּל פְּנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה יָאִירוּ שִׁבְעַת הַנֵּרוֹת: 3וַיַּעַשׂ כֵּן אַהֲרֹן אֶל־מוּל פְּנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה הֶעֱלָה נֵרֹתֶיהָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת־מֹשֶׁה:
1And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him: When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the candlestick.’ 3And Aaron did so: he lighted the lamps thereof so as to give light in front …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 7
On the words
וע׳ זח״ג פנחס דרנ״ב סע״ב
How it connects
A discussion in Or HaTorah on the Zohar passage in Pinchas about isheh as 'fire of G‑d.'our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורהPinchas, p. 1098
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
ראה אוה״ת פנחס ע׳ א׳צח.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 8
On the words
את קרבני לחמי
How it connects
'My offering, My bread, for My fire-offerings': the opening words of another maamar cited here on isheh.our note
The source
Numbers 28:2במדבר כ״ח:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)1וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: 2צַו אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אֶת־קׇרְבָּנִי לַחְמִי לְאִשַּׁי רֵיחַ נִיחֹחִי תִּשְׁמְרוּ לְהַקְרִיב לִי בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ: 3וְאָמַרְתָּ לָהֶם זֶה הָאִשֶּׁה אֲשֶׁר תַּקְרִיבוּ לַה׳ כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי־שָׁנָה תְמִימִם שְׁנַיִם לַיּוֹם עֹלָה תָמִיד:
1And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Command the children of Israel, and say unto them: My food which is presented unto Me for offerings made by fire, of a sweet savour unto Me, shall ye observe to offer unto Me in its due season. 3And thou shalt say unto them: This is the offering made by fire which ye shall …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 9
On the words
והיה לכם לציצית
How it connects
The opening words of another maamar cited for the reading of isheh.our note
The source
Numbers 15:39במדבר ט״ו:ל״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)38דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִת עַל־כַּנְפֵי בִגְדֵיהֶם לְדֹרֹתָם וְנָתְנוּ עַל־צִיצִת הַכָּנָף פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת: 39וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְצִיצִת וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺת ה׳ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְלֹא־תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּם זֹנִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם: 40לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָי וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים לֵאלֹקֵיכֶם:
38… their garments, and that they put with the fringe of each corner a thread of blue. 39And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray; 40that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 10
On the words
לזאת יקרא אשה
How it connects
'This one shall be called woman (ishah)': the wordplay connecting ishah and isheh with esh (fire).our note
The source
Genesis 2:23בראשית ב׳:כ״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)22וַיִּבֶן ה׳ אֱלֹקִים אֶת־הַצֵּלָע אֲשֶׁר־לָקַח מִן־הָאָדָם לְאִשָּׁה וַיְבִאֶהָ אֶל־הָאָדָם: 23וַיֹּאמֶר הָאָדָם זֹאת הַפַּעַם עֶצֶם מֵעֲצָמַי וּבָשָׂר מִבְּשָׂרִי לְזֹאת יִקָּרֵא אִשָּׁה כִּי מֵאִישׁ לֻקְחָה־זֹּאת: 24עַל־כֵּן יַעֲזׇב־אִישׁ אֶת־אָבִיו וְאֶת־אִמּוֹ וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ וְהָיוּ לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד:
22… God had taken from the man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And the man said: ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 11
On the words
חייך שלך גדול משלהם
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
רש״י ר״פ בהעלותך.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 12
On the words
חייך שלך גדול משלהם
How it connects
Rashi, quoting the Midrash, says Aharon was told his lighting of the lamps was greater than the princes' offerings; the Alter Rebbe applies this to olah above isheh.our note
The source
Rashi on Numbers 8:2:1רש"י על במדבר ח׳:ב׳:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)בהעלתך. לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָרָשַׁת הַמְּנוֹרָה לְפָרָשַׁת הַנְּשִׂיאִים? לְפִי שֶׁכְּשָׁרָאָה אַהֲרֹן חֲנֻכַּת הַנְּשִׂיאִים חָלְשָׁה אָז דַּעְתּוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה עִמָּהֶם בַּחֲנֻכָּה לֹא הוּא וְלֹא שִׁבְטוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁלְּךָ גְדוֹלָה מִשֶּׁלָּהֶם, שֶׁאַתָּה מַדְלִיק וּמֵטִיב אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת (עי' תנחומא):
בהעלתך WHEN THOU LIGHTEST [THE LAMPS] — Why is the section treating of the candelabrum put in juxtaposition with the section dealing with the offerings of the princes? Because when Aaron saw the dedication offerings of the princes, he felt distressed because neither he nor his tribe was with them in the dedication, whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “By your life! Your part is of greater importance than theirs, for you will kindle and set in order the lamps” (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Beha'alotcha 5; see also Nachmanides).
Hebrew: Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann -- corrected vocalization (Public Domain) · English: Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
5ועמ״ש בד״ה תחת אשר לא עבדת. גם י״ל בחי׳ אשה אש ה׳ עיקרו בירור יסוד האש שבנפש הבהמית
See also what is explained in the maamar beginning "Because you did not serve." It may also be said that the level of isheh, esh H', is chiefly the refinement of the element of fire in the animal soul,
After pointing to another maamar, a second distinction is offered: isheh works mainly on the animal soul, refining its 'element of fire,' the source of its heated passions, and turning that heat toward G‑d.
אבל עולה הוא מצד האהבה המסותרת שבנפש האלקית עצמה בחי׳ בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו1 שאין בלעומת זה בחינה זו כלל אפילו לאחר הבירור כמ״ש סד״ה יביאו לבוש מלכות.
whereas olah comes from the hidden love in the G‑dly soul itself, the level of "the crown with which his mother crowned him," a level that does not exist at all on the opposing side, even after the refinement, as is explained at the end of the maamar beginning "Let them bring royal apparel."
Olah, by contrast, comes from the G‑dly soul's own hidden love, likened to the 'crown' in Song of Songs, something above the ordinary faculties. This level has no counterpart on the side opposed to holiness, even after refinement, since it never needed refining.
גם יש להעיר לענין אשה עולה מענין ב׳ בחינות חיצוני׳ הלב ופנימיות הלב הנזכר בד״ה ושאבתם מים שהן ב׳ בחי׳ כלה הנזכר בד״ה שה״ש.
One should also note, regarding isheh and olah, the subject of the two levels, the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the heart and the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the heart, mentioned in the maamar beginning "And you shall draw water," which are the two levels of "bride" mentioned in the maamar beginning "Shir HaShirim."
Another way to see the pair: isheh and olah match the 'outer dimension of the heart' (emotions that can be felt and worked on) and its 'inner dimension' (the soul's core). Other maamarim describe these as two levels of the 'bride,' the Jewish people in relation to G‑d.
גם איתא ברע״מ פ׳ פנחס שם דעצי העולה אינון עץ החיים ועה״ד וא״כ בחינת עולה עצמה היא ממעל לעצים2 היינו למעלה ג״כ מבחי׳ עץ החיים ועמ״ש בפי׳ ממעל לעצים בד״ה וידעת היום.
It is also stated in the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Pinchas, there, that the wood of the olah is the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. If so, the level of olah itself is "above the wood," that is, above even the level of the Tree of Life. See also what is explained on the meaning of "above the wood" in the maamar beginning "And you shall know this day."
The Raaya Mehemna, a section of the Zohar, says the wood on which the olah burns represents the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. Since the olah lies 'above the wood' (as with Isaac on the altar), olah reaches above even the Tree of Life.
ועיין עוד מענין עולה בזח״ג (דרנ״ח ב׳).3 ועמ״ש בד״ה ביום השמיני שלח45 בענין אז תשמח בתולה במחול בחינת אז שהוא בחי׳ קדם כו׳
See further on the subject of olah in Zohar III (258b). See also what is explained in the maamar beginning "On the eighth day he sent," on "Then the maiden shall rejoice in the dance": the level of az ("then"), which is the level of kedem ("before"), etc.
Another maamar, on the eighth day (Shemini Atzeres), reads 'Then (az) the maiden shall rejoice' as pointing to what is 'before' (kedem), a level that precedes and transcends the world. This is where the olah-love comes from.
And this is the meaning of "A locked garden," etc., "a locked spring, a sealed fountain" (in Shir HaShirim, chapter 4, 13): that is, the level of "and you shall not stray after your heart," etc.,
That pure, prior level is 'a locked garden … a sealed fountain': a love kept closed to anything foreign. In practice this is 'you shall not stray after your heart,' the command not to follow one's desires away from G‑d. (The verse is 4:12 in standard numbering; the text cites 4:13.)
שלא להיות בחינת זונה ח״ו וע׳ זח״ג אמור (פ״ט8 א׳) ע״פ ולאחותו הבתולה9 כו׳ והוא ענין מ״ם סתומה כמש״ש בפ׳ אחרי (דס״ב ע״ב) מ״ם סתומה10 כו׳
so as not to be in the state of a harlot, G‑d forbid. See Zohar III, Emor (89a), on "and for his sister, the maiden," etc. And this is the concept of the closed mem, as is explained there in Parshas Acharei (62b): "the closed mem," etc.,
Straying is called 'harlotry,' giving oneself to what is not one's own. The Zohar links this sealed quality to the maiden of Leviticus and to the closed (final) mem, the letter shaped as a closed square.
מעין חתום. כי מ״ם פתוחה היינו שיש פתח ומבוא ליניקת החיצונים11 מצד התלבשות בנפש הבהמית.
"a sealed fountain." For the open mem means that there is an opening and entrance for the external forces to draw nourishment, by way of being enclothed in the animal soul.
The open mem, which has a gap in its shape, stands for a state with an opening through which the 'external forces' (kelipah) can draw nourishment. That opening arises because the soul is clothed in the animal soul.
מה שאין כן מ״ם סתומה היינו כד אתכפיא חשוכא לנהורא ועמ״ש בד״ה כי תצא בפי׳ על אויביך12 שאין לאויב שליטה ואחיזה שם
Not so the closed mem: it means "when darkness is subdued before light." See also what is explained in the maamar beginning "When you go out," on the meaning of "against your enemies": that the enemy has no dominion or hold there.
The closed mem stands for the state in which darkness is subdued before light, so no gap remains. Another maamar reads 'against your enemies' similarly: at that level the enemy has no foothold at all.
והנה עי״ז שיהיה בבחי׳ ולא תתורו כו׳ יבוא לבחי׳ למען תזכרו13 שתהיו בבחינת זכרים כמ״ש במ״א
Now, through being in the state of "and you shall not stray," etc., one will come to the level of "so that you remember" (tizkeru), that you be in the state of males (zecharim), as is explained elsewhere.
By not straying, one reaches 'so that you remember' (tizkeru), read through its root zachar as becoming 'male.' In the maamar's usage, 'male' and 'female' name two modes of love, as the next lines explain.
וזהו ג״כ ענין עולה דכתיב זכר תמים יקריבנו14 ועיין מזה זח״א (ויחי דרמ״ו סע״א)1516 והיינו כמ״ש במ״א בד״ה שוש אשיש17 שכשהאבה הוא ע״מ לקבל פרס בחי׳ לגרמיה נק׳ נקבה נשים דעתן קלות18
And this is also the meaning of olah, of which it is written, "he shall offer a male without blemish." See on this Zohar I (Vayechi, 246a, end of the column). That is, as is explained elsewhere, in the maamar beginning "I will greatly rejoice," that when love is for the sake of receiving a reward, the level of [love] for oneself, it is called female, [as in] "women are of light mind";
The olah must be 'a male without blemish.' Another maamar defines the 'female' mode as love that seeks a reward, love that is ultimately for oneself, and cites the Talmudic phrase quoted here for that mode.
אבל בחינת דכר הוא האהבה רבה למהותו ועצמותו ית׳ כמ״ש ועמך לא חפצתי19 ע״ש. וזהו ענין העולה שעולה למעלה מעלה כנ״ל.
whereas the level of the male is the great love for His very being and essence, blessed be He, as it is written, "Besides You I desire nothing"; see there. And this is the meaning of the olah, which ascends to the very highest, as explained above.
The 'male' mode is the great love for G‑d's very essence, wanting nothing but Him: 'Besides You I desire nothing.' This selfless love is the olah that rises to the very highest.
The paragraph offers further ways of seeing isheh and olah: refining the animal soul versus the G‑dly soul's own hidden love; the outer versus inner heart; and a love 'sealed' against foreign influence, the closed mem, that rises above even the Tree of Life. It ends by identifying olah with the 'male' mode of love, love for G‑d Himself rather than for any reward.
The Kehot note on Zohar I (Vayechi 246a) quotes: 'the supernal world is the world of the male … from where do we know this? From olah.' The notes also relate the Zohar at 258b to olah as 'a locked garden.' Throughout, 'male' and 'female' are used as names for kinds of love, defined by the maamar itself: love for a reward and love for G‑d's very essence.
Marei mekomos
- 1
On the words
בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו
How it connects
'The crown with which his mother crowned him': an image for a level above the ordinary faculties, the source of the olah-love.our note
The source
Song of Songs 3:11שיר השירים ג׳:י״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)10עַמּוּדָיו עָשָׂה כֶסֶף רְפִידָתוֹ זָהָב מֶרְכָּבוֹ אַרְגָּמָן תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה מִבְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם: 11צְאֶנָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה־לּוֹ אִמּוֹ בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ:
10… of it of purple, The inside thereof being inlaid with love, From the daughters of Jerusalem. 11Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, And gaze upon king Solomon, Even upon the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him in the day of his espousals, And in the day of the gladness of his heart.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
שה״ש ג, יא.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 2
On the words
ממעל לעצים
How it connects
Isaac was placed on the altar 'above the wood': read here as olah reaching above the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge.our note
The source
Genesis 22:9בראשית כ״ב:ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)8וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹקִים יִרְאֶה־לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה בְּנִי וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם יַחְדָּו: 9וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר־לוֹ הָאֱלֹקִים וַיִּבֶן שָׁם אַבְרָהָם אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וַיַּעֲרֹךְ אֶת־הָעֵצִים וַיַּעֲקֹד אֶת־יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ וַיָּשֶׂם אֹתוֹ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ מִמַּעַל לָעֵצִים: 10וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְרָהָם אֶת־יָדוֹ וַיִּקַּח אֶת־הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת לִשְׁחֹט אֶת־בְּנוֹ:
8… aprovide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 3
On the words
בזח״ג (דרנ״ח ב׳)
How it connects
The note says the Zohar passage teaches that the level of olah is like 'a locked garden,' and points to Or HaTorah's discussion of it.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורהPinchas, p. 1156
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
דבחי׳ עולה זהו ע״ד גן נעול. ראה אוה״ת פ׳ פנחס ע׳ א׳קנו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 4
On the words
בד״ה ביום השמיני שלח
How it connects
That maamar explains that the soul's descent is for the sake of a higher ascent, reached through teshuvah, which 'preceded the world,' and that on Shemini Atzeres this power brings the joy of Simchas Torah, the joining of the Written and Oral Torah.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, 86c
(ב) והנה ירידת הנשמות בעוה״ז הוא צורך עלייה. והיינו כי אני הוי׳ הוא שמי בחי׳ שם בלבד כמ״ש בביאור ע״פ שובה ישראל. וזהו אז תתענג על הוי׳ ועמ״ש בפ׳ ותתפלל חנה על הוי׳ בד״ה לא תהיה משכלה. והזוכים לגילוי עונג זה הוא ע״י תשובה כי תשובה קדמה לעולם הנמשך משם הוי״ה וזהו ענין יוהכ״פ לפני הוי״ה תטהרו:(ג) ובכח תשובה זו נמשך בשמע״צ להיות שמחת תורה דהיינו לשמח את התורה בהתחברות הבחינה תורה שבכתב ותורה שבעל פה דהיינו אשר תשב״כ שהיא מבחי׳ חכמה שע״ז נאמר אחכמה והיא רחוקה ממני. ונקרא מוסר אביך עיין בהרמ״ש ר״פ פנחס. והיא בחינת ונחנו מה בחינת והחכמה מאין תמצא תהיה מאיר בבחי׳ גילוי כמו בחי׳ תשבע״פ הנק׳ תורת אמך שמבחי׳ בינה וזהו ענין השמחה שהיא גילוי וזהו מאת הוי׳ שהוא חכמה היתה זאת בחי׳ תשבע״פ והיינו …
(2) Now, the descent of the souls into this world is for the sake of an ascent. That is: for “I am Havayah, that is My Name”: [Havayah is] the level of a name alone, as explained in the explanation of the verse “Return, O Israel.”
Our explanationIt is the source for az as the level that precedes the world.
Read it hereTorah Ohr, Ki Sisa, maamar 1לעיל פו, גpage 86c, ¶24
וחסד וגבורה של הקב״ה. פ׳ ראשונה קדש לי כל בכור רמז לחכמה. פ׳ שניה כי ישאלך בנך מה זאת שהוא ענין התבוננות דקיימא לשאלה. פ׳ שמע מפורש בה ואהבת. פ׳ והיה אם שמוע מפורש בה השמרו לכם וגו׳.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 5
On the words
ביום השמיני שלח
How it connects
'On the eighth day he sent the people away': the opening words of the Shemini Atzeres maamar cited here.our note
The source
I Kings 8:66מלכים א ח׳:ס״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)65… קָהָל גָּדוֹל מִלְּבוֹא חֲמָת עַד־נַחַל מִצְרַיִם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וְשִׁבְעַת יָמִים אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם: 66בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי שִׁלַּח אֶת־הָעָם וַיְבָרְכוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֵּלְכוּ לְאׇהֳלֵיהֶם שְׂמֵחִים וְטוֹבֵי לֵב עַל כׇּל־הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה׳ לְדָוִד עַבְדּוֹ וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ:
65… Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days. 66On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown unto David His servant, and to Israel His people.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 6
On the words
גן נעול כו׳ גל נעול מעין חתום
How it connects
'A locked garden is my sister, the bride; a locked spring, a sealed fountain': the image for a love closed to anything foreign.our note
The source
Song of Songs 4:12שיר השירים ד׳:י״בSefaria (opens in a new tab)11נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתוֹתַיִךְ כַּלָּה דְּבַשׁ וְחָלָב תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנֵךְ וְרֵיחַ שַׂלְמֹתַיִךְ כְּרֵיחַ לְבָנוֹן: 12גַּן נָעוּל אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה גַּל נָעוּל מַעְיָן חָתוּם: 13שְׁלָחַיִךְ פַּרְדֵּס רִמּוֹנִים עִם פְּרִי מְגָדִים כְּפָרִים עִם־נְרָדִים:
11… are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. 12A garden shut up is my sister, my bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed. 13Thy shoots are a park of pomegranates, With precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants,
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 7
On the words
ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם
How it connects
'You shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes, after which you go astray': the practical form of the 'sealed fountain.'our note
The source
Numbers 15:39במדבר ט״ו:ל״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)38דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִת עַל־כַּנְפֵי בִגְדֵיהֶם לְדֹרֹתָם וְנָתְנוּ עַל־צִיצִת הַכָּנָף פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת: 39וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְצִיצִת וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺת ה׳ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְלֹא־תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּם זֹנִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם: 40לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָי וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים לֵאלֹקֵיכֶם:
38… their garments, and that they put with the fringe of each corner a thread of blue. 39And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray; 40that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
במדבר טו, לט.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 8
On the words
וע׳ זח״ג אמור (פ״ט א׳)
How it connects
The Zohar on 'and for his sister, the maiden,' cited by the text for the concept of the sealed state.our note
The source
Zohar, Emor 3:12–6:22ספר הזהר, אמור ג׳:י״ב-ו׳:כ״בSefaria (opens in a new tab)Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 9
On the words
ולאחותו הבתולה
How it connects
The verse about the Kohen's maiden sister, which the Zohar expounds.our note
The source
Leviticus 21:3ויקרא כ״א:ג׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)2כִּי אִם־לִשְׁאֵרוֹ הַקָּרֹב אֵלָיו לְאִמּוֹ וּלְאָבִיו וְלִבְנוֹ וּלְבִתּוֹ וּלְאָחִיו: 3וְלַאֲחֹתוֹ הַבְּתוּלָה הַקְּרוֹבָה אֵלָיו אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הָיְתָה לְאִישׁ לָהּ יִטַּמָּא: 4לֹא יִטַּמָּא בַּעַל בְּעַמָּיו לְהֵחַלּוֹ:
2… and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother; 3and for his sister a virgin, that is near unto him, that hath had no husband, for her may he defile himself. 4He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 10
On the words
כמש״ש בפ׳ אחרי (דס״ב ע״ב) מ״ם סתומה
How it connects
The Zohar in Acharei on the closed mem and 'a sealed fountain.'our note
The source
Zohar, Achrei Mot 19:118–20:124ספר הזהר, אחרי מות י״ט:קי״ח-כ׳:קכ״דSefaria (opens in a new tab)Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 11
On the words
מ״ם פתוחה היינו שיש פתח ומבוא ליניקת החיצונים
How it connects
A parallel place in Likkutei Torah pointed to for the idea of an opening through which the external forces draw nourishment.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, Parshas Bamidbar 2b
הערפל כי ב׳ מקיפים חיה יחידה חיה מוחין דאבא והחכמה תחיה. אח״כ יחידה לגלגלתם. ועמ״ש ע״פ ומשה נגש כו׳. וכענין פתחי לי ואזי אפתח כפתחו של אולם שהוא למעלה מבחי׳ עשרים כו׳. ועיין בענין חיי שרה עשרים שנה או״א כתר מאה כו׳. וע״כ מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה דוקא יכולים לישא בחי׳ מוחי׳ שלו לבחי׳ הכתר כי אור החכמה קרוב יותר לכתר ועולה ראשונה וגם עמו עולה כל המסתעפים ממנו כו׳ וכמ״ש והחכמה מאין תמצא כו׳ משא״כ פחות מבן עשרים שאין לו מבחי׳ מוחי׳ דאבא עדיין רק בחי׳ מוחי׳ דאמא עדיין רחוק הוא מבחי׳ אור הכתר ולא יכלו להעלותו לגלגלתם כו׳: וידבר ה׳ אל משה במדבר סיני באוהל מועד וגו׳ שאו את ראש כל עדת בנ״י למשפחותם וגו׳ תפקדו אותם לצבאותם אתה ואהרן. הנה למשפחותם פי׳ לבחי׳ ע׳ משפחות שיצאו מע׳ …
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורהShemini Atzeres, p. 1810
Our explanationA parallel discussion of the open and closed mem.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Torah Ohr, Bereishis, maamar 2לעיל פ׳ במדבר ב, בpage 2b, ¶14
ירידה והמשכה ה״ז כמו היושב על הכסא שמשפיל קומתו. וזהו ואתה קדוש יושב תהלות ישראל. פי׳ שהוא ית׳ קדוש ומובדל מכל העולמות רק ע״י תהלות ישראל נמשך להיות יושב ונשפל למטה וכמאמר שהקב״ה יושב ועוסק בתורה כו׳.
And “The heavens are My throne” is the level of shov, which is descent and drawing down; this is like one who sits on a throne, who lowers his stature. This is [the meaning of] “And You, Holy One, sit [enthroned] upon the praises of Israel.”
Read it hereKehot’s note
ראה לעיל פ׳ במדבר ב, ב. אוה״ת שמע״צ ע׳ א׳תתי.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 12
On the words
על אויביך
How it connects
'When you go out to war against your enemies': read as a level where the enemy has no hold.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 21:10דברים כ״א:י׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)9וְאַתָּה תְּבַעֵר הַדָּם הַנָּקִי מִקִּרְבֶּךָ כִּי־תַעֲשֶׂה הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי Havayah 10כִּי־תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וְשָׁבִיתָ שִׁבְיוֹ: 11וְרָאִיתָ בַּשִּׁבְיָה אֵשֶׁת יְפַת־תֹּאַר וְחָשַׁקְתָּ בָהּ וְלָקַחְתָּ לְךָ לְאִשָּׁה:
9… of thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD. 10When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God delivereth them into thy hands, and thou carriest them away captive, 11and seest among the captives a woman of goodly form, and thou hast a desire unto …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 13
On the words
למען תזכרו
How it connects
'So that you remember (tizkeru) and do all My commandments': read through zachar ('male').our note
The source
Numbers 15:40במדבר ט״ו:מ׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)39וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְצִיצִת וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺת ה׳ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְלֹא־תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּם זֹנִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם: 40לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָי וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים לֵאלֹקֵיכֶם: 41אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹקִים אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם:
39… about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray; 40that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 14
On the words
זכר תמים יקריבנו
How it connects
The olah must be 'a male without blemish': the basis for linking olah with the 'male' mode of love.our note
The source
Leviticus 1:10ויקרא א׳:י׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)9וְקִרְבּוֹ וּכְרָעָיו יִרְחַץ בַּמָּיִם וְהִקְטִיר הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־הַכֹּל הַמִּזְבֵּחָה עֹלָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ־נִיחוֹחַ לַHavayah 10וְאִם־מִן־הַצֹּאן קׇרְבָּנוֹ מִן־הַכְּשָׂבִים אוֹ מִן־הָעִזִּים לְעֹלָה זָכָר תָּמִים יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ: 11וְשָׁחַט אֹתוֹ עַל יֶרֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ צָפֹנָה לִפְנֵי ה׳ וְזָרְקוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת־דָּמוֹ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב:
9… altar, for a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 10And if his offering be of the flock, whether of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt-offering, he shall offer it a male without blemish. 11And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD; and …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ויקרא א, י.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 15
On the words
ועיין מזה זח״א (ויחי דרמ״ו סע״א)
How it connects
The note quotes the Zohar as cited there: 'the supernal world is the world of the male … from where do we know? From olah,' and says Or HaTorah discusses it at length.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורהShemini Atzeres, p. 1811, at length
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
”דעלמא עילאה עלמא דדכורא איהו כו׳ מנלן מעולה כו׳” — אוה״ת שמע״צ ע׳ א׳תתיא ע״ש באריכות.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 16
On the words
ועיין מזה זח״א (ויחי דרמ״ו סע״א)
How it connects
The Zohar: the supernal world is the world of the male, as learned from the olah.our note
The source
Zohar, Vayechi 72:752–73:761ספר הזהר, ויחי ע״ב:תשנ״ב-ע״ג:תשס״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 17
On the words
בד״ה שוש אשיש
How it connects
The note locates the maamar 'I will greatly rejoice,' cited for the 'male' and 'female' modes of love.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורהabove, Parshas Tazria · not yet checked
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)Kehot’s note
לעיל פ׳ תזריע.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 18
On the words
נשים דעתן קלות
How it connects
The Talmudic phrase, quoted here to describe the 'female' mode of love, love that seeks a reward.our note
The source
Kiddushin 80b:5–6קידושין פ׳ ב:ה׳-ו׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)גְּמָ׳ מַאי טַעְמָא? תְּנָא דְּבֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ: הוֹאִיל וְנָשִׁים דַּעְתָּן קַלּוֹת עֲלֵיהֶן. מְנָא הָנֵי מִילֵּי? אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: רֶמֶז לְיִחוּד מִן הַתּוֹרָה מִנַּיִן – שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי יְסִיתְךָ אָחִיךָ בֶן אִמֶּךָ״.
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
קידושין פ, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 19
On the words
ועמך לא חפצתי
How it connects
'Besides You I desire nothing on earth': the 'male' mode of love, for G‑d Himself.our note
The source
Psalms 73:25תהילים ע״ג:כ״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)24בַּעֲצָתְךָ תַנְחֵנִי וְאַחַר כָּבוֹד תִּקָּחֵנִי: 25מִי־לִי בַשָּׁמָיִם וְעִמְּךָ לֹא־חָפַצְתִּי בָאָרֶץ: 26כָּלָה שְׁאֵרִי וּלְבָבִי צוּר־לְבָבִי וְחֶלְקִי אֱלֹקִים לְעוֹלָם:
24Thou wilt guide me with Thy counsel, And afterward receive me with glory. 25Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And beside Thee I desire none upon earth. 26My flesh and my heart faileth; But God is the rock of my heart and my …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
Which comes first leads ¶6–7
6והנה מ״ש ב׳ הבחינוך היינו אשה עולה או עולה אשה היינו התחברות שני הבחינות יחד כמ״ש במ״א בפי׳ ויחד לבבינו1 לאהבה.
Now, what is said of the two levels, namely isheh olah or olah isheh, means the joining of the two levels together, as is explained elsewhere on the meaning of "and unite our hearts to love."
Both orders, isheh olah and olah isheh, mean that the two kinds of love are joined. The morning prayer's plea 'unite our hearts to love' is read the same way: the plural 'hearts' refers to two hearts made one.
דהענין יחוד ב׳ הבחינות דחיצוניות הלב ופנימיות הלב שיהיה נכלל בחי׳ החיצוניות בבחי׳ פנימיות. בד״ה מי מנה עפר יעקב.2
The matter is the union of the two levels, the outer dimension of the heart and the inner dimension of the heart, so that the level of the outer dimension be included in the level of the inner dimension. [See] the maamar beginning "Who can count the dust of Yaakov."
The two are the outer heart and the inner heart. Uniting them means the outer heart's felt emotion is absorbed into the inner heart's essential oneness with G‑d. Another maamar develops this.
ועד״ז הוא ענין והקרבתם אשה עולה או והקרבתם עולה אשה3 לייחד ב׳ הלבבות יחד ועיין בזח״א וישב (דקפ״ג סע״ב)4 בפי׳ שחברה לה יחדיו5 והוא ענין ויחד לבבינו
In the same way is the matter of "you shall offer a fire-offering, a burnt-offering" or "you shall offer a burnt-offering, a fire-offering": to unite the two hearts together. See Zohar I, Vayeshev (183b, end of the column), on the meaning of "that is joined together to it"; and this is the matter of "and unite our hearts."
The two offering orders both express this uniting of 'two hearts.' The Zohar's reading of 'joined together' (said of Jerusalem in Psalms) makes the same point: two things fused into one.
אך עכ״ז בחי׳ והקרבתם עולה אשה הוא בחי׳ גבוה יותר כי כיון שבחי׳ עולה קודמת א״כ בחינה זו היא העיקרית ובחי׳ אשה נכלל ובטל לה משא״כ בבחי׳ אשה עולה.
Nevertheless, the level of "you shall offer a burnt-offering, a fire-offering" is a higher level. For since the level of olah comes first, this level is the principal one, and the level of isheh is included in it and nullified to it; which is not so with the level of isheh olah.
Yet the orders are not equal. Whatever comes first dominates, so in 'olah isheh' (Sukkos) the inner love leads and the outer love is absorbed into it; in 'isheh olah' (Pesach) the outer effort leads.
The paragraph shows that both orders unite the outer and inner heart, as in 'unite our hearts to love,' but that the Sukkos order is higher because the inner love comes first and the outer love is nullified within it.
This refines the answer to the opening question: it is not that Pesach has only isheh and Sukkos only olah, but that both have both, and the order decides which one leads. The next paragraph supports this with the principle that in two intertwined Names the first letter dominates.
Marei mekomos
- 1
On the words
ויחד לבבנו
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
ברכת ק״ש דשחרית.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 2
On the words
מי מנה עפר יעקב
How it connects
'Who can count the dust of Yaakov': the opening words of a maamar on uniting the outer and inner heart.our note
The source
Numbers 23:10במדבר כ״ג:י׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)9כִּי־מֵרֹאשׁ צֻרִים אֶרְאֶנּוּ וּמִגְּבָעוֹת אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ הֶן־עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב: 10מִי מָנָה עֲפַר יַעֲקֹב וּמִסְפָּר אֶת־רֹבַע יִשְׂרָאֵל תָּמֹת נַפְשִׁי מוֹת יְשָׁרִים וּתְהִי אַחֲרִיתִי כָּמֹהוּ: 11וַיֹּאמֶר בָּלָק אֶל־בִּלְעָם מֶה עָשִׂיתָ לִי לָקֹב אֹיְבַי לְקַחְתִּיךָ וְהִנֵּה בֵּרַכְתָּ בָרֵךְ:
9… it is a people that shall dwell alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10Who hath counted the dust of Jacob, Or numbered the stock of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let mine end be like his! 11And Balak said unto Balaam: ‘What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 3
On the words
והקרבתם עולה אשה
How it connects
The Sukkos order, olah first, which the maamar calls the higher level.our note
The source
Numbers 29:13במדבר כ״ט:י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)12וּבַחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם כׇּל־מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וְחַגֹּתֶם חַג לַה׳ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים: 13וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם עֹלָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַה׳ פָּרִים בְּנֵי־בָקָר שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר אֵילִם שְׁנָיִם כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי־שָׁנָה אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר תְּמִימִם יִהְיוּ: 14וּמִנְחָתָם סֹלֶת בְּלוּלָה בַשָּׁמֶן שְׁלֹשָׁה עֶשְׂרֹנִים לַפָּר הָאֶחָד לִשְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר פָּרִים שְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרֹנִים לָאַיִל הָאֶחָד לִשְׁנֵי הָאֵילִם:
12… no manner of servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days; 13and ye shall present a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: thirteen young bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish; 14and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for every bullock of the …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 4
On the words
ועיין בזח״א וישב (דקפ״ג סע״ב)
How it connects
The Zohar in Vayeshev on the phrase 'joined together,' cited for the fusing of two levels into one.our note
The source
Zohar, Vayeshev 10:102–12:112ספר הזהר, וישב י׳:ק״ב-י״ב:קי״בSefaria (opens in a new tab)Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 5
On the words
שחברה לה יחדיו
How it connects
'Jerusalem, built as a city joined together': the phrase the Zohar expounds, applied to the union of the two hearts.our note
The source
Psalms 122:3תהילים קכ״ב:ג׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)2עֹמְדוֹת הָיוּ רַגְלֵינוּ בִּשְׁעָרַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם: 3יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם הַבְּנוּיָה כְּעִיר שֶׁחֻבְּרָה־לָּהּ יַחְדָּו: 4שֶׁשָּׁם עָלוּ שְׁבָטִים שִׁבְטֵי־קָהּ עֵדוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְהֹדוֹת לְשֵׁם ה׳
2Our feet are standing within thy gates, O Jerusalem; 3Jerusalem, that art builded as a city that is compact together; 4Whither the tribes went up, even the tribes of the LORD, as a testimony unto Israel, …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
7וכמ״ש כה״ג במ״א בענין ההפרש בין שילוב אד׳ בהוי׳ ושילוב הוי׳ באד׳ שאות הראשונה היא הגוברת כו׳ ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה שובה ישראל.1
As is explained, in a similar vein, elsewhere, on the difference between the intertwining of Ado-nai within Havayah and the intertwining of Havayah within Ado-nai: that the first letter is the dominant one, etc. See also what is explained on this in the maamar beginning "Return, O Israel."
In Kabbalah the letters of two Names can be interleaved, alternating letter by letter. The maamar cites the rule that whichever Name supplies the first letter is the dominant one, and applies it to isheh and olah.
ועמ״ש כה״ג דבחי׳ ויחד לב בינו בענין מזמור שיר שהם ג״כ ב׳ בחינות חיצוניוץ ופנימיות ולפעמים נאמר כל אחד בפני עצמו ולפעמים מתחברים שניהם יחד
See also what is explained in a similar vein about the level of "and unite our heart" (lev beinu), in the matter of mizmor (psalm) and shir (song), which are also two levels, outer and inner; sometimes each is said by itself, and sometimes both are joined together.
The same pattern appears in 'unite our heart' read as two words, lev beinu, and in the pair mizmor and shir, two kinds of praise that are outer and inner. Sometimes each appears alone and sometimes together.
וגם בענין החיבור פעמים נאמר מזמור שיר ופעמים שיר מזמור. עיין מזה בד״ה מזמור שיר חנוכת הבית.2
And also regarding their joining, sometimes it says "mizmor shir" and sometimes "shir mizmor." See on this the maamar beginning "A psalm, a song for the dedication of the House."
When they appear together, sometimes Psalms says 'mizmor shir' and sometimes 'shir mizmor', and, by the rule just stated, the order tells which one leads.
(See Zohar III, beginning of Parshas Vayikra, page 5a, on "A song, a psalm of the sons of Korach," etc., and page 56b.)
The Zohar at the start of Vayikra comments on 'A song, a psalm of the sons of Korach' (shir first), and the text also points to page 56b.
ועד״ז יובן כמ״כ בענין הנ״ל והנה כאשר ההעלאה הוא בחי׳ עליונה מאד כמ״כ ההמשכה שנמשך עי״ז ריח ניחוח להוי׳ הוא ג״כ בחי׳
In the same way it will likewise be understood in the matter discussed above. Now, when the ascent is of a very lofty level, so too the drawing down that is drawn down through it, "a pleasing fragrance to Havayah," is likewise of a
Applying this to the offerings: the higher the ascent from below, the higher the Divine flow it draws down, the 'pleasing fragrance to Havayah.' The olah-love of Shemini Atzeres therefore draws down a flow from a very lofty level.
גבוה ביותר וכענין מ״ש במ״א בפירוש ממעמקים קראתיך5 הוי׳ שבחי׳ ממעמקים הוא בחי׳ ישת חשך סתרו6 סתימא דכל סתימין ומשם קראתיך להיות גילוי בחינת הוי׳:
most lofty level. This is like what is explained elsewhere on the meaning of "From the depths I call You, Havayah": that the level of "from the depths" is the level of "He made darkness His hiding place," "the most hidden of all hidden," and from there "I call You," so that there be a revelation of the level of Havayah.
The Psalmist's 'From the depths I call You' is read as calling from the deepest, most hidden level of G‑d, 'He made darkness His hiding place,' the one 'hidden beyond all hidden.' Calling from there brings about a revelation of the Name Havayah, and so the maamar closes.
The paragraph supports the principle that the first element dominates, citing the interleaved Names and the pair mizmor and shir. It concludes that because the ascent of olah is so lofty, the flow it draws down is correspondingly lofty, a revelation from G‑d's most hidden depths.
The closing reading of 'From the depths' ties the maamar together: the deeper the source of the call, the deeper the revelation it evokes. The olah-love, rising from the soul's essence, reaches G‑d's most hidden level and draws Havayah down from there, the kind of inner revelation the maamar attributes to Shemini Atzeres.
Marei mekomos
- 1
On the words
שובה ישראל
How it connects
'Return, O Israel': the opening words of a maamar on the intertwining of the Names.our note
The source
Hosea 14:2הושע י״ד:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)1תֶּאְשַׁם שֹׁמְרוֹן כִּי מָרְתָה בֵּאלֹקֶיהָ בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ עֹלְלֵיהֶם יְרֻטָּשׁוּ וְהָרִיּוֹתָיו יְבֻקָּעוּ: 2שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ בַּעֲוֺנֶךָ: 3קְחוּ עִמָּכֶם דְּבָרִים וְשׁוּבוּ אֶל־ה׳ אִמְרוּ אֵלָיו כׇּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֺן וְקַח־טוֹב וּנְשַׁלְּמָה פָרִים שְׂפָתֵינוּ:
1… Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, And their women with child shall be ripped up. 2Return, O Israel, unto the LORD thy God; For thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity. 3Take with you words, And return unto the LORD; Say unto Him: ‘Forgive all iniquity, And …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 2
On the words
מזמור שיר חנוכת הבית
How it connects
'A psalm, a song for the dedication of the House': an example of mizmor before shir, and the opening words of a maamar cited here.our note
The source
Psalms 30:1תהילים ל׳:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)1מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר־חֲנֻכַּת הַבַּיִת לְדָוִד: 2אֲרוֹמִמְךָ ה׳ כִּי דִלִּיתָנִי וְלֹא־שִׂמַּחְתָּ אֹיְבַי לִי:
1A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House; of David. 2I will extol thee, O LORD, for Thou hast raised me up, and hast not suffered …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 3
On the words
ועיין זח״ג ר״פ ויקרא דף ה׳ ע״א
How it connects
The Zohar at the start of Vayikra on 'A song, a psalm of the sons of Korach.'our note
The source
Zohar, Vayikra 3:41–6:51ספר הזהר, ויקרא ג׳:מ״א-ו׳:נ״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 4
On the words
שיר מזמור לבני קרח
How it connects
'A song, a psalm of the sons of Korach': an example of shir before mizmor.our note
The source
Psalms 48:1תהילים מ״ח:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)1שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר לִבְנֵי־קֹרַח: 2גָּדוֹל ה׳ וּמְהֻלָּל מְאֹד בְּעִיר אֱלֹקֵינוּ הַר־קׇדְשׁוֹ:
1A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah. 2Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain,
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
- 5
On the words
ממעמקים קראתיך
How it connects
'From the depths I call You, G‑d': read as calling from the deepest, most hidden level.our note
The source
Psalms 130:1תהילים ק״ל:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)1שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ ה׳ 2אֲדֹ־נָי שִׁמְעָה בְקוֹלִי תִּהְיֶינָה אׇזְנֶיךָ קַשֻּׁבוֹת לְקוֹל תַּחֲנוּנָי:
1A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths have I called Thee, O LORD. 2Lord, hearken unto my voice; let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים קל, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
- 6
On the words
ישת חשך סתרו
How it connects
'He made darkness His hiding place': the image for G‑d's most concealed level.our note
The source
Psalms 18:12תהילים י״ח:י״בSefaria (opens in a new tab)11וַיִּרְכַּב עַל־כְּרוּב וַיָּעֹף וַיֵּדֶא עַל־כַּנְפֵי־רוּחַ: 12יָשֶׁת־חֹשֶׁךְ סִתְרוֹ סְבִיבוֹתָיו סֻכָּתוֹ חֶשְׁכַת־מַיִם עָבֵי שְׁחָקִים: 13מִנֹּגַהּ נֶגְדּוֹ עָבָיו עָבְרוּ בָּרָד וְגַחֲלֵי־אֵשׁ:
11… a cherub, and did fly; yea, He did swoop down upon the wings of the wind. 12He made darkness His hiding-place, His pavilion round about Him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. 13At the brightness before Him, there passed through His thick clouds Hailstones and coals of fire.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים יח, יב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
Self-nullification, setting aside every will but G‑d's, is the arousal from below that draws G‑d's light down. Beyond fiery love, a person should reveal the hidden love that is oneness with G‑d as with one's own life, keep it 'sealed' by not straying after the heart, and love G‑d Himself rather than for any reward, letting the outer heart be absorbed into the inner.
Questions for discussion
- Why does love that is felt as longing imply distance, and what kind of love does not?
- How does the analogy of rain held in clouds and divided into drops explain the name Atzeres?
- What distinguishes isheh from olah in each of the maamar's readings: animal soul and G‑dly soul, outer and inner heart, female and male?
- Why does the order of the words (olah isheh versus isheh olah) decide which level is higher?
- Why is it only after the festivals, from Shemini Atzeres to Pesach, that the Name Havayah must be drawn down 'anew'?
Key terms in this maamar
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- Tzimtzum (contraction)צמצום
- The self-concealment of the Infinite Light that makes room for finite worlds. ×3
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×2
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one.
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response.
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×2
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×3
- An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
- Divine initiative, unprompted by us.
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×1
- Gevurah (restraint)גבורה
- Measure, limitation and judgment. ×2
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×1
- The animal soulנפש הבהמית
- The soul that animates the body and its drives. ×2
- The G‑dly soulנפש האלקית
- The soul that is 'a part of G‑d above'. ×1
- The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)חיצוניות
- The external, expressive aspect. ×2
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level. ×4
- The light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin)ממלא כל עלמין
- Divine light that enters each world and gives it life according to its measure. ×1
- Yesod (foundation)יסוד
- The channel that connects and transmits. ×1
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×1