Likkutei Torah · Parshas Sukkos · Maamar 4

ביום השמיני עצרת תהיה לכם

On the Eighth Day, There Shall Be an Atzeres for You

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The big idea

G‑d hides Himself on Rosh Hashanah the way a father hides from a wise son, only so that we will seek Him and the revelation of Sukkos will bring Him greater joy; on Shemini Atzeres He gives us His own crown, the Torah, and the acceptance of His kingship is gathered in for the whole year with a joy so deep it stays inward.

The maamar in brief

The Torah calls Sukkos “a festival to G‑d,” a festival that brings joy to G‑d Himself. To explain how G‑d can rejoice, the Alter Rebbe uses the verse “A wise son makes a father rejoice”: a father hides to see whether his son understands that the hiding is only so that he will be sought. So G‑d conceals Himself on Rosh Hashanah, the day of judgment, so that we seek His face and His revelation on Sukkos brings greater joy. Sin can hide only G‑d's inner dimension, His inner will, not the outer life-force that sustains everything. Man too has an outer and an inner dimension: “bending the knee” is mere acknowledgment, while “bowing down” is the nullification of the whole self. The days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur raise us from the first to the second; through teshuvah G‑d's inner love is revealed on Yom Kippur and shines openly on Sukkos, as the sukkah, the esrog and the lulav show. Shemini Atzeres, Simchas Torah, goes higher still: G‑d gives His crown, the Torah, and the acceptance of His kingship is gathered in for the year with an inward joy (gilah) held within awe. An abridgment closes the maamar.

Outline

Joy for G‑d: the wise sonSukkos brings joy to G‑d; like a father who hides from his wise son, G‑d conceals Himself on Rosh Hashanah so that He will be sought and revealed with greater joy on Sukkos; the Priestly Blessing read in this light.¶1–3
What sin hides, and two kinds of submissionSin hides only G‑d's inner dimension; in man, too, bending the knee (acknowledgment, Hod) differs from bowing down (nullification of the self, Netzach), and bowing itself can be outer or inner.¶4–6
From the days of awe to SukkosThe service from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur raises us to full bowing; through teshuvah G‑d's inner love is revealed, and the sukkah, esrog and lulav bring it into open joy.¶7
Shemini Atzeres: the crown of TorahOn Simchas Torah G‑d gives His crown, the Torah, higher than the revealed face; the acceptance of His kingship is gathered in for the year, and its joy is inward gilah that holds awe and love together.¶8–9
AbridgmentA summary of the whole maamar, adding the nesirah of Rosh Hashanah, the joy of revealed mochin on Sukkos, the crown above the intellect, and the three crowns of kingship, priesthood and Torah across the season.¶10–16

Key concepts

The inner and outer dimensions (pnimiyus and chitzoniyus)פנימיות וחיצוניות: G‑d's outer dimension sustains all things and nothing can hide it; His inner dimension, His inner will and love, is what sin conceals. In a person, too, outer service is behaviour and inner service is the will itself.
Bending the knee and bowing down (kri'ah and hishtachavayah)כריעה והשתחואה: Bending the knees, which are “outside the body,” is acknowledgment that leaves the self standing; bowing the stature and the head, the seat of Daas, is the nullification of one's whole will before G‑d.
Concealment for the sake of revelationהסתר בשביל הגילוי: G‑d's hiding on Rosh Hashanah is not true anger but a means, like the father who hides from his wise son, so that we seek Him and the revelation brings greater joy.
The crown of Torahכתר תורה: The Torah's root is above divine wisdom, in Keser; on Simchas Torah G‑d gives this crown to Israel, as a king gives his crown to one he loves.
Simchah and gilahשמחה וגילה: Simchah is joy revealed outwardly, the joy of Sukkos; gilah is joy held within, out of awe of the King, the joy of Shemini Atzeres.
Atzeresעצרת: Rendered by the Targum as “gathering”: on Shemini Atzeres the acceptance of G‑d's kingship is gathered and kept for the whole year, and the joy is held within.

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Joy for G‑d: the wise son ¶1–3

1ביום השמיני עצרת1 2 תהיה לכם. ובכל המועדים כתיב ועשית פסח3 לה׳ אלקיך ועשית חג שבועות לה׳ אלקיך.4 ובסוכות כתיב בפ׳ אמור וחגותם אותו חג לה׳.5

“On the eighth day, there shall be an atzeres (assembly) for you.” Now, regarding all the festivals it is written, “You shall make the Pesach to Havayah your G‑d,” [and] “You shall make the festival of Shavuos to Havayah your G‑d.” But regarding Sukkos it is written, in Parshas Emor, “And you shall celebrate it as a festival to G‑d.”

Explanation

The maamar opens with the Torah's verse for Shemini Atzeres and then notes a difference in wording. For Pesach and Shavuos the Torah says “You shall make” the festival “to Havayah your G‑d,” but for Sukkos it says “you shall celebrate it (oso) as a festival to G‑d,” which the maamar will read as making a festival, a celebration, for G‑d Himself.

פי׳ שמביאין שמחה בהקב״ה כמאמר וישמחו בך ישראל מקדשי שמך שישראל מקדשי שמך מביאין השמחה בך ואין שמחה אלא ביין6 כמש״ גבי יין המשמח אלקים ואנשים7 כו׳

This means that [we] bring joy to the Holy One, blessed be He, as in the saying, “And Israel, who sanctify Your Name, will rejoice in You”: that Israel, who sanctify Your Name, bring the joy into You. And there is no joy except with wine, as it is written regarding wine, “which gladdens G‑d and men,” etc.

Explanation

The Alter Rebbe explains the Sukkos wording: on this festival we bring joy to G‑d Himself. The prayer “Israel ... will rejoice in You” is read as “Israel bring joy into You,” and the Talmudic rule that joy comes through wine is linked to the verse about wine that “gladdens G‑d and men.”

ולהבין זה איך הוא השמחה למעלה בו ית׳ שאין לו דמות הגוף8 וכו׳ (ועמ״ש ע״פ שוש אשיש9 בהוי׳. וגבי פורים בפי׳ רננו צדיקים10 בהוי׳) הנה כתיב בן חכם ישמח אב.11

And [we need] to understand this: how is there joy above, in Him, may He be blessed, who has no bodily form, etc.? (See also what is written on the verse “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah,” and, regarding Purim, in the explanation of “Sing joyfully, you righteous, in Havayah.”) Now, it is written, “A wise son makes a father rejoice.”

Explanation

The question: how can one speak of joy “in” G‑d, who has no body and no emotions like ours? The parenthesis points to two other discourses on joy in G‑d, and the answer begins with the verse “A wise son makes a father rejoice.”

פי׳ עד״מ אב שרוצה להבין12 חכמת בנו אזי מסתיר א״ע ממנו בכדי לידע ולהכיר חכמת הבן שיבין שההסתר וההעלם הזה אינו

Meaning, by way of analogy: a father who wishes to understand his son's wisdom hides himself from him, in order to know and recognize the son's wisdom: [whether] he will understand that this hiding and concealment is not

Explanation

The analogy: a father hides from his son to test his wisdom. The test is whether the son grasps that the hiding is not real distance.

אלא בכדי שיבקשנו הבן וימצאנו ואז תגדל השמחה באביו בשביל חכמת בנו והכרתו בזה כי יחפשנו בחפש מחופש לרדוף אחריו.

[for any purpose] except that the son should seek him and find him. And then the father's joy grows great because of his son's wisdom and his recognition of this, for he will search for him with a thorough search, to pursue him.

Explanation

A wise son understands that his father hid only in order to be sought and found, so he searches for him with all his effort. The father's joy is then greater than if he had never hidden, because it is joy in his son's wisdom and understanding.

כך הנה כתיב בכסה ליום חגינו13 שמסתיר ומכסה א״ע בר״ה בשביל שתגדל השמחה במועד חג הסוכות.14

So too, it is written, “In the concealment (bakeseh), for the day of our festival”: that He hides and conceals Himself on Rosh Hashanah so that the joy will grow great at the festival of Sukkos.

Explanation

The analogy is applied to the calendar. The verse about the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, “in the concealment (bakeseh), for the day of our festival,” is read as saying that G‑d conceals Himself on Rosh Hashanah (the new moon is still hidden) for the sake of the festival of Sukkos two weeks later, so that the joy then will be greater.

Paragraph 1 in brief

The opening asks how Sukkos can be a festival that brings joy to G‑d Himself, and answers with the parable of the father who hides from his wise son: G‑d's concealment on Rosh Hashanah exists for the sake of the greater joy of Sukkos.

Deeper

The Kehot note on the opening words records that the Rebbe's source notes connect this discourse with Sefer HaMaamarim Eschalech Liozna, that the listing of the Alter Rebbe's short maamarim suggests it may date from 5558, and that it is sometimes cited by the name “On the day of Shemini Atzeres: A wise son makes a father rejoice.” Its theme of joy (simchah) as revealed gladness returns at the end of the maamar, where Shemini Atzeres is described as inward joy (gilah).

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
ביום השמיני עצרת
How it connects
The Rebbe's notes on this maamar point the reader to Sefer HaMaamarim Eschalech Liozna, where a related discourse appears.our note
Where the note points
The Rebbe's source notes and references to Likkutei Torahהערות וציונים מכ״ק אדמו״ר ללקוטי תורה
on this discourse
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Sefer HaMaamarim Eschalech Lioznaספר המאמרים אתהלך לאזניא
p. 52; and p. 263
Our explanationThis collection contains a discourse on the same theme; the note says its opening should be compared, and that on p. 263 the reader is sent back to this Likkutei Torah discourse with added explanation and glosses. Or HaTorah is said to explain the matters brought there.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
this discourse (81d)
כנגדו. פי׳ לפי שסובב עליו בבחי׳ מקיף [וכמ״ש כמה פירושים במ״א בענין איך הוא סובב על עלמין]. ובזה יובן ענין מארז״ל אלפים שנה קדמה התורה לעולם כי לפי פשוטו אינו מובן שקודם שנברא העולם לא הי׳ בחי׳ זמן כלל. ואיך שייך לומר אלפים שנה. אלא הענין דהנה אורייתא וקוב״ה כולא חד שהיא רצונו חת׳ והוא ורצונו אחד שהוא סובב כ״ע וכדי להתלבש בעולם הוצרכה להתלבש בבחי׳ חו״ב שהן הן בחי׳ אלפים שנה אאלפך חכמה אאלפך בינה כו׳:(וביאור הענין בענין שמע״צ שהוא בחי׳ עצרת תהיה לכם ממש מה שבשביעי של פסח נאמר עצרת להוי׳ אלקיך. הענין כמ״ש והוא כחתן יוצא מחופתו. חתן לשון יחיד. ולפעמים נאמר מצהלות חתנים לשון רבים. והענין כי הבנה ביום חתונתו זה מתן תורה. כי חתן חות דרגא ירידת והמשכת אור א״ס למטה. ולכן ניתנה התורה בה׳ …
The matter is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Whoever reads and studies, the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and studies opposite him.” The meaning is that through an arousal from below [there is] an arousal from above; and “spirit brings spirit” from below upward “and draws down spirit,” and the word of G‑d, from above to below; and this is called “opposite him.”
Our explanationThe pointer is to this very discourse on page 81d. The passage on that page just before it (the end of the preceding maamar) already contains a parenthetical explanation of Shemini Atzeres as “an atzeres for you” in the fullest sense, contrasting it with the atzeres of the seventh day of Pesach.
Read it here
Maamarei Admur HaZaken HaKetzarim (the Alter Rebbe's short maamarim), list of maamarimמאמרי אדמו״ר הזקן הקצרים, רשימת המאמרים
p. 619, note 100
Our explanationAccording to the list of maamarim at the end of that volume, this discourse may be from the year 5558 (1797–98).
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורה
Shemini Atzeres, vol. 5, p. 2155
Our explanationAbridgments of this maamar and an explanation of it are printed there, explaining the matters raised in Sefer HaMaamarim Eschalech Liozna.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
ראה בהערות וציונים מכ״ק אדמו״ר ללקו״ת כאן מציין לסה״מ אתהלך לאזניא ע׳ נב. ובסה״מ הנ״ל ע׳ רסג מציין ”ראה בלקו״ת ד״ה זה (פא, ד) בתוספת ביאור הערות וכו׳”. וע״פ המבואר ברשימת המאמרים שבסו״ס מאמרי אדה״ז הקצרים ע׳ תריט הערה 100 — מאמר זה אולי משנת תקנ״ח.
קיצורים וביאור נדפסו באוה״ת שמע״צ כרך ה ע׳ ב׳קנה. שם נתבארו הענינים שמובאים בסה״מ אתהלך הנ״ל.
בכמה מקומות מצויין לד״ה זה בשם ”ביום השמע״צ בן חכם ישמח אב”. וראה ההתחלה בסה״מ אתהלך שם.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
2
On the words
ביום השמיני עצרת
How it connects
The Torah's command for the eighth day after the seven days of Sukkos. The whole maamar explains why this day is called an atzeres, a gathering.our note
The source
Numbers 29:35במדבר כ״ט:ל״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)
34וּשְׂעִיר חַטָּאת אֶחָד מִלְּבַד עֹלַת הַתָּמִיד מִנְחָתָהּ וְנִסְכָּהּ: 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:
34and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 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 …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
במדבר כט, לה.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
ועשית פסח לה״א
How it connects
The command to keep Pesach “to Havayah your G‑d.” The Alter Rebbe contrasts its wording with the wording used for Sukkos.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 16:1דברים ט״ז:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1שָׁמוֹר אֶת־חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב וְעָשִׂיתָ פֶּסַח לַה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ כִּי בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב הוֹצִיאֲךָ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ מִמִּצְרַיִם לָיְלָה: 2וְזָבַחְתָּ פֶּסַח לַה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ צֹאן וּבָקָר בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַר ה׳ לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם:
1Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God; for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. 2And thou shalt sacrifice the passover-offering unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
דברים טז, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
4
On the words
ועשית חג שבועות לה׳ אלקיך
How it connects
The command to keep Shavuos “to Havayah your G‑d,” again with the verb “make,” unlike the verse for Sukkos.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 16:10דברים ט״ז:י׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
9שִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעֹת תִּסְפׇּר־לָךְ מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה תָּחֵל לִסְפֹּר שִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעוֹת: 10וְעָשִׂיתָ חַג שָׁבֻעוֹת לַה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ מִסַּת נִדְבַת יָדְךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּתֵּן כַּאֲשֶׁר יְבָרֶכְךָ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ: 11וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ וְעַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתֶךָ וְהַלֵּוִי אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ וְהַגֵּר וְהַיָּתוֹם וְהָאַלְמָנָה אֲשֶׁר …
9… the sickle is first put to the standing corn shalt thou begin to number seven weeks. 10And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God after the measure of the freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as the LORD thy God blesseth thee. 11And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
דברים טז, י.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
5
On the words
וחגותם אותו חג לה׳
How it connects
In Parshas Emor, Sukkos is to be celebrated “as a festival to G‑d.” The Alter Rebbe reads this as bringing festive joy to G‑d Himself.our note
The source
Leviticus 23:41ויקרא כ״ג:מ״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)
40וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים וַעֲנַף עֵץ־עָבֹת וְעַרְבֵי־נָחַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים: 41וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַה׳ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי תָּחֹגּוּ אֹתוֹ: 42בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים כׇּל־הָאֶזְרָח בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשְׁבוּ בַּסֻּכֹּת:
40… and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever in your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month. 42Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ויקרא כג, מא.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
6
On the words
ואין שמחה אלא ביין
How it connects
The Talmud teaches that in the time of the Temple there was no rejoicing except with meat, and nowadays none except with wine. The maamar uses this to connect joy with the “wine” that gladdens G‑d.our note
The source
Pesachim 109a:5פסחים ק״ט א:ה׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בְּתֵירָא אוֹמֵר: בִּזְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּים אֵין שִׂמְחָה אֶלָּא בְּבָשָׂר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְזָבַחְתָּ שְׁלָמִים וְאָכַלְתָּ שָּׁם וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ״, וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁאֵין בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּים, אֵין שִׂמְחָה אֶלָּא בְּיַיִן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְיַיִן יְשַׂמַּח לְבַב אֱנוֹשׁ״.
It was taught: R' Yehuda b. Beteira says: "While the Temple is standing, there is no joy unless there is meat, as it says (Deut. 27) 'And you shall sacrifice peace-offerings and eat them there, and you will be joyful before the Lord, your God'. Now that the Temple is not standing, there is no joy without wine, as it says (Psalms 104) ' And wine will rejoice the heart of man.'"
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · English: Sefaria Community Translation (CC0) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
פסחים קט, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
7
On the words
המשמח אלקים ואנשים
How it connects
In Yosam's parable, the vine speaks of its wine “which gladdens G‑d and men.” The maamar takes this as a hint that joy can reach G‑d as well.our note
The source
Judges 9:13שופטים ט׳:י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
12וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָעֵצִים לַגָּפֶן לְכִי־אַתְּ מׇלְכִי עָלֵינוּ: 13וַתֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הַגֶּפֶן הֶחֳדַלְתִּי אֶת־תִּירוֹשִׁי הַמְשַׂמֵּחַ אֱלֹקִים וַאֲנָשִׁים וְהָלַכְתִּי לָנוּעַ עַל־הָעֵצִים: 14וַיֹּאמְרוּ כׇל־הָעֵצִים אֶל־הָאָטָד לֵךְ אַתָּה מְלׇךְ־עָלֵינוּ:
12And the trees said unto the vine: Come thou, and reign over us. 13And the vine said unto them: Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to hold sway over the trees? 14Then said all the trees unto the bramble: Come thou, and reign over us.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
שופטים ט, יג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
8
On the words
שאין לו דמות הגוף
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
תפלת יגדל.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
9
On the words
ע״פ שוש אשיש
How it connects
That discourse distinguishes simchah, joy that is openly revealed (the joy of Sukkos), from gilah, joy still hidden inside the heart and covered by trembling (the joy of Rosh Hashanah).our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
above, 47a ff. (Nitzavim, “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah”)
שוש אשיש בה׳ תגל נפשי באלקי. כי הלבישני בגדי ישע וגו׳. (במדרש הובא פסוק זה בויקרא רבה בפ׳ צו ס״פ עשירית וס״פ ואתחנן. ובשה״ש רבה בפ׳ נגילה ונשמחה בך ועיין בזח״ב בפ׳ יתרו ד״צ ע״ב נשא קל״ג א׳ בלק קצ״ט ב׳) הנה ההפרש שבין שמחה לגילה הוא כי השמחה נקרא בהגלות נגלות השמחה מבחוץ והיא בחינת חג הסוכות זמן שמחתנו. וגילה נקרא כשהשמחה עדיין בפנימית הלב ולא באה לידי גילוי בחיצוניות. וכמ״ש וגילו ברעדה שרעדה תכסה את השמחה שלא תהא נראית ונגלית בחוץ רק תוכו צוף השמחה ובהתגלות נראית ונגלית בחינת רעדה והוא בחי׳ ר״ה וכמשי״ת (וזהו ה׳ מלך תגל הארץ והיינו בחינת ימים נוראים שנקרא הקדוש ברוך הוא המלך הקדוש המלך המשפט הנה אז הוא בחינת גילה תגל הארץ. וזהו גם כן בני ציון יגילו במלכם. ועיין מ״ש לקמן …
Our explanationIt is the background for how joy can be spoken of in G‑d, and for the maamar's closing contrast of simchah and gilah.
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Torah Ohr, Vayechi, maamar 3לעיל מז, א
page 47a, ¶27
אז יהיו כלל ישראל מתעלים במעלה העליונה שיהיה בבחי׳ גפן ויין המשמח בשמחה של מצוה וגם יהי׳ אוסרי אוסר יו״ד שבחי׳ יו״ד היא בחי׳ חכ׳ עילאה הוא אוסר ומקשר לבחי׳ גפן (וענין החכמה הוא בחי׳ בטול שצ״ל בהשמח׳ עמ״ש ע״פ ולא נחם אלקי׳ דרך ארץ פלשתים וע״פ ביום השמע״צ). ועי״ז יהי׳ בבחי׳ עירה. כי הנה עירה סובל ב׳ פירושים לשון עיר פרא אדם ובחי׳ עיר אלהים. וביאור הדבר כי עיר …
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Kehot’s note
לעיל מז, א ואילך.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
10
On the words
וגבי פורים בפי׳ רננו צדיקים
How it connects
A Purim discourse in Torah Ohr that also discusses joy in G‑d; the Alter Rebbe refers to it as a parallel treatment of the question raised here.our note
Where the note points
Torah Ohrתורה אור
99c (Purim, “Sing joyfully, you righteous”) · not yet checked
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Kehot’s note
תו״א צט, ג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
11
On the words
בן חכם ישמח אב
How it connects
“A wise son makes a father rejoice.” The Alter Rebbe builds the parable of the father who hides from his son on this verse.our note
The source
Proverbs 10:1משלי י׳:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה בֵּן חָכָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָב וּבֵן כְּסִיל תּוּגַת אִמּוֹ: 2לֹא־יוֹעִילוּ אוֹצְרוֹת רֶשַׁע וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת:
1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the grief of his mother. 2Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivereth from death.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
משלי י, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
12
On the words
פי׳ עד״מ אב שרוצה להבין
How it connects
A discourse there refers to this passage and its parable of the father who hides to test his son's wisdom.our note
Where the note points
Sefer HaMaamarim 5577ספר המאמרים תקע״ז
p. 9
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Sefer HaMaamarim 5666ספר המאמרים תרס״ו
p. 248
Our explanationThe same parable of the father and son is developed there at length.
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Kehot’s note
בסה״מ עזר״ת ע׳ ט מציין לכאן. וראה בסה״מ תרס״ו ע׳ רמח המשל בארוכה.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
13
On the words
בכסה ליום חגנו
How it connects
“Blow the shofar at the new moon, in the concealment, for the day of our festival.” The Sages apply it to Rosh Hashanah, when the moon is hidden; here the concealment is G‑d's, and its purpose is “the day of our festival,” Sukkos.our note
The source
Psalms 81:4תהילים פ״א:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
3שְׂאוּ־זִמְרָה וּתְנוּ־תֹף כִּנּוֹר נָעִים עִם־נָבֶל: 4תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ: 5כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב:
3Take up the melody, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the psaltery. 4Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon for our feast-day. 5For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים פא, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
14
How it connects
The verse speaks of searching “a thorough search.” The phrase is borrowed to describe the wise son's diligent search for his hidden father.our note
The source
Psalms 64:7תהילים ס״ד:ז׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
6יְחַזְּקוּ־לָמוֹ דָּבָר רָע יְסַפְּרוּ לִטְמוֹן מוֹקְשִׁים אָמְרוּ מִי יִרְאֶה־לָּמוֹ: 7יַחְפְּשׂוּ־עוֹלֹת תַּמְנוּ חֵפֶשׂ מְחֻפָּשׂ וְקֶרֶב אִישׁ וְלֵב עָמֹק: 8וַיֹּרֵם אֱלֹקִים חֵץ פִּתְאוֹם הָיוּ מַכּוֹתָם:
6… in an evil matter; they converse of laying snares secretly; they ask, who would see them. 7They search out iniquities, they have accomplished a diligent search; even in the inward thought of every one, and the deep heart. 8But God doth shoot at them with an arrow suddenly; thence are their wounds.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria

2וביאור הענין הזה כי הנה ר״ה הוא יום הדין ומשפט1 לאלהי יעקב שמראה א״ע כאלו מסתלק השראתו ואינו רוצה כ״א להיות דין ומשפט על אלהותו ית׳ איך לשכון ביעקב ומדקדקין על כל מעשי האדם

And the explanation of this matter: Rosh Hashanah is the day of judgment, “a judgment for the G‑d of Yaakov,” when He shows Himself as though His indwelling departs, and He wishes only that there be judgment and justice concerning His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, [as to] how [it is] to dwell in Yaakov. And all of a person's deeds are scrutinized,

Explanation

Rosh Hashanah is the day of judgment, and the verse calls it “a judgment for the G‑d of Yaakov.” The Alter Rebbe reads this as a judgment about G‑d's own presence: He appears to withdraw it, and the question judged is whether and how His G‑dliness should dwell among the Jewish people.

להביא במשפט כל המשכות אלהותו שהמשיך כל אחד ואחד על נפשו לפי בחי׳ מדרגתו בשנה העבר׳ וכל מה שימשיך עליו עוד על להבא בשנה זוואם הוא ראוי לכך והרי הוא כאלו מסתיר א״ע ממנו כו׳

to bring into judgment all the drawings-down of His G‑dliness that each and every one drew down upon his soul, according to the level of his standing, in the past year, and all that he will yet draw down upon himself in the future, in this year, and whether he is worthy of it. And so it is as though He hides Himself from him, etc.

Explanation

What is judged is how much G‑dliness each person drew into his soul during the past year, according to his level, and how much he will draw in the coming year, and whether he deserves it. Holding back His presence until this judgment is made is what makes it seem that G‑d is hiding.

אבל ואנכי הסתר אסתיר2 פני ביום ההוא כתיב בפ׳ וילך שבחי׳ ההסתר וההעלם בזה אינו בבחי׳ הסתר והעלם אמיתי על צד עצם ההעלם לומר שהוא תכלית כוונת המכוון ח״ו להיות כמו רוגז אמיתי ח״ו.

However, [regarding] “And I will surely hide My face on that day,” written in Parshas Vayeilech: the hiding and concealment in this is not a true hiding and concealment, for the sake of the concealment itself, as if to say that it is the ultimate aim of what is intended, G‑d forbid, like true anger, G‑d forbid.

Explanation

The verse from Parshas Vayeilech, “I will surely hide My face,” might suggest real anger and real distance. The Alter Rebbe says this concealment is not an end in itself and not true anger, G‑d forbid.

אלא שכדי שיבקש פניו3 ולהתגלות גילוי אלקות ית׳ בחג הסוכות עשה כן שיהא שמחתנו שתתגדל השמחה בהתגלות מההעלם אל הגילוי.

Rather, it is so that one will seek His face, and so that a revelation of G‑dliness, may He be blessed, will be revealed on the festival of Sukkos, that He did so: so that it be [the time of] our joy, that the joy grow great through the revealing from concealment to revelation.

Explanation

The hiding has a purpose: that we should seek G‑d's face, so that on Sukkos His G‑dliness will be revealed. Joy is greatest when something hidden becomes revealed, and so Sukkos is “the time of our joy.”

Paragraph 2 in brief

This paragraph applies the parable: on Rosh Hashanah G‑d seems to withdraw His presence for judgment, but the concealment is only a means, so that we seek Him and He is revealed with greater joy on Sukkos.

Deeper

The Kehot note on “so that one will seek His face” records that Or HaTorah on Vayeilech quotes this line and compares it to the verse “On Your behalf my heart said, ‘Seek My face’; Your face, Havayah, I will seek,” which the maamar itself will quote later in section 3.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
ר״ה הוא יום הדין ומשפט לאלקי יעקב
How it connects
“For it is a statute for Israel, a judgment for the G‑d of Yaakov,” the verse following the one on the shofar. The Alter Rebbe reads it as a judgment concerning G‑d's dwelling in Yaakov.our note
The source
Psalms 81:5תהילים פ״א:ה׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
4תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ: 5כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב: 6עֵדוּת בִּיהוֹסֵף שָׂמוֹ בְּצֵאתוֹ עַל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם שְׂפַת לֹא־יָדַעְתִּי אֶשְׁמָע:
4Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon for our feast-day. 5For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. 6He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony, when He went forth against the land of …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ר״ה טז, רע״א. תהלים פא, ה.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
2
On the words
ואנכי הסתר אסתיר
How it connects
In Parshas Vayeilech G‑d says He will hide His face. The maamar explains that this hiding is not an end in itself but leads to a greater revelation.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 31:18דברים ל״א:י״חSefaria (opens in a new tab)
17… לֶאֱכֹל וּמְצָאֻהוּ רָעוֹת רַבּוֹת וְצָרוֹת וְאָמַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא הֲלֹא עַל כִּי־אֵין אֱלֹקַי בְּקִרְבִּי מְצָאוּנִי הָרָעוֹת הָאֵלֶּה: 18וְאָנֹכִי הַסְתֵּר אַסְתִּיר פָּנַי בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל כׇּל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה כִּי פָנָה אֶל־אֱלֹקִים אֲחֵרִים: 19וְעַתָּה כִּתְבוּ לָכֶם אֶת־הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת וְלַמְּדָהּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׂימָהּ בְּפִיהֶם לְמַעַן תִּהְיֶה־לִּי הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לְעֵד בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
17… that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? 18And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. 19Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel; …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
דברים לא, יח.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
אלא שכדי שיבקש פניו
How it connects
Or HaTorah on Vayeilech quotes this line and notes that it apparently follows the verse “On Your behalf my heart said, ‘Seek My face.’” The note also refers to a related discussion in Or HaTorah on Nach.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורה
Vayeilech, p. 1456; Nach, vol. 2, p. 922
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Kehot’s note
מובא באוה״ת פ׳ וילך ע׳ א׳תנו ושם מציין ע״ז ”(נ׳ ע״ד מ״ש לך אמר לבי בקשו פני את פניך ה׳ אבקש)”. וראה באוה״ת נ״ך כרך ב ע׳ תתקכב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.

3וזהו ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני ביום ההוא1 דהיינו בחי׳ ועבד הלוי הוא2 שהוא בחינת יין המשמח אלקים ואנשים3 כמ״ש במ״א.

And this is “And I will surely hide My face on that day”: that is, the level of “And the Levite, he (hu), shall perform [the service],” which is the level of “wine that gladdens G‑d and men,” as is explained elsewhere.

Explanation

The hidden face is linked to the verse “And the Levite, he (hu), shall perform the service,” where the word “he” can suggest the hidden aspect of G‑d. The Levites' song is associated with the “wine that gladdens G‑d and men,” so the hidden level is the very source of joy.

ולכן אנו מבקשים פניו בכל התפלות ותחנונים שמראש השנה ועד יו״כ במלכיות זכרונות ושופרות וצועקים מלך מלך להמשיך מלכותו עלינו מראש השנה ועד יוכ״פ

Therefore we seek His face in all the prayers and supplications from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, with Malchiyos, Zichronos and Shofaros, and we cry out, “King, King,” to draw His kingship upon us, from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur;

Explanation

Because G‑d's face is hidden, the ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are spent seeking it. Malchiyos, Zichronos and Shofaros are the three central sections of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf prayer, and in them we proclaim G‑d King and ask Him to draw His kingship over us.

דהיינו התגלות רצונו כמ״ש יאר ה׳ פניו אליך שהוא עד״מ כמו כאשר יחטא איש לאיש הרי הוא ברוגז עמו וכאשר הו מבקש פניו מוחל לו

that is, the revelation of His will (ratzon), as it is written, “May G‑d make His face shine upon you.” By way of analogy, it is like when a man sins against another man: [the other] is angry with him, and when he seeks his face, he forgives him

Explanation

What we ask for is the revelation of G‑d's will, His favor, as in the Priestly Blessing, “May G‑d make His face shine upon you.” The human parallel: a person who was wronged is angry, but when the offender seeks his face, he forgives.

ומעביר ממנו פניו של זעם ומראה לו פנים של אהבה ורצון להגלות לו אהבתו כך השי״ת מוחל עוונות עמו ומעביר מהם הפנים של הרוגז וההסתר

and removes from him his face of wrath and shows him a face of love and favor (ratzon), to reveal his love to him. So too G‑d, may He be blessed, forgives the sins of His people and removes from them the face of anger and concealment,

Explanation

Forgiveness means more than cancelling the debt: the angry face is replaced by a face of love and favor. So too G‑d forgives His people's sins and removes the face of anger and concealment.

בהגלות נגלות עליהם אור פניו4 כמ״ש יאר ה׳ פניו אליך5 עד שבחג הסוכות נגלה כבוד ה׳ מההעלם אל הגילוי ולכן הוא זמן שמחתנו וז״ש ישא ה׳ פניו אליך.

openly revealing to them the light of His face, as it is written, “May G‑d make His face shine upon you,” until on the festival of Sukkos the glory of G‑d is revealed from concealment to revelation; and therefore it is “the time of our joy.” And this is what is written, “May G‑d lift up His face to you.”

Explanation

Instead He shows them the light of His face, and this revelation reaches its height on Sukkos, when G‑d's glory comes out of concealment into revelation; that is why Sukkos is “the time of our joy.” The Alter Rebbe then turns to the next line of the Priestly Blessing, “May G‑d lift up His face to you.”

ישא מלשון הסתלקות ונשיאות פניו למעלה כלומר שמסלק ע צמו כב יכול ממנו ומתראה בפניו של רוגז ודין וכל כך למה בשביל אליך

“Lift up” (yisa) is from the term for withdrawal and lifting His face upward; that is to say, He withdraws Himself, as it were, from him, and appears with His face of anger and judgment. And why all this? For the sake of “to you”:

Explanation

The word “lift up” (yisa) is read here as “lift away”: G‑d withdraws His face upward and shows a face of anger and judgment. The question is why, and the answer is in the next words, “to you.”

דהיינו שיומשך גילוי אלקוךו ית׳ מההעלם אל הגילוי ואז תהיה השמחה ביתר שאת [ועיין מ״ש

that is, so that the revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, be drawn down from concealment to revelation; and then the joy will be all the greater. [See also what is written

Explanation

The withdrawal is “to you,” that is, for your sake, so that G‑dliness will be drawn down and revealed after being hidden, with far greater joy. The bracketed reference that begins here sends the reader to other places on the same theme.

בד״ה ושאבתם מים מענין בן חכם ישמח אב כו׳ ובזהר ח״א כ״ב א׳ ודף ס׳ ע״ב6 ח״ג ע״ד ב׳. ודף רע״ט סע״ב]:

in the discourse beginning “You shall draw water,” on the matter of “A wise son makes a father rejoice,” etc., and in the Zohar, Part I, folio 22a and folio 60b; Part III, folio 74b, and folio 279, end of side b.]

Explanation

The discourse “You shall draw water” (on Sukkos) discusses “A wise son makes a father rejoice.” The Alter Rebbe also refers the reader to several passages in the Zohar.

Paragraph 3 in brief

This paragraph shows how the days of awe are a search for G‑d's hidden face, like an offender seeking forgiveness, and reads the Priestly Blessing so that even G‑d's withdrawal (“lift up His face”) is “to you,” for the sake of the greater revelation and joy of Sukkos.

Deeper

The reading of yisa as withdrawal turns the second verse of the blessing into a description of the process itself: first the face withdraws, and only then is it revealed “to you.” The same word yields both meanings, so the concealment already contains the purpose of the revelation.

Marei mekomos

1
How it connects
Kehot’s note points to Deuteronomy 31:18 for these words.
The source
Deuteronomy 31:18דברים ל״א:י״חSefaria (opens in a new tab)
17… לֶאֱכֹל וּמְצָאֻהוּ רָעוֹת רַבּוֹת וְצָרוֹת וְאָמַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא הֲלֹא עַל כִּי־אֵין אֱלֹקַי בְּקִרְבִּי מְצָאוּנִי הָרָעוֹת הָאֵלֶּה: 18וְאָנֹכִי הַסְתֵּר אַסְתִּיר פָּנַי בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל כׇּל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה כִּי פָנָה אֶל־אֱלֹקִים אֲחֵרִים: 19וְעַתָּה כִּתְבוּ לָכֶם אֶת־הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת וְלַמְּדָהּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׂימָהּ בְּפִיהֶם לְמַעַן תִּהְיֶה־לִּי הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לְעֵד בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
17… that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? 18And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. 19Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel; …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
2
On the words
ועבד הלוי הוא
How it connects
“And the Levite, he shall perform the service of the Tent of Meeting.” The Alter Rebbe links the word “he” to the hidden aspect of G‑d, which is associated with the wine that gladdens.our note
The source
Numbers 18:23במדבר י״ח:כ״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
22וְלֹא־יִקְרְבוּ עוֹד בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לָשֵׂאת חֵטְא לָמוּת: 23וְעָבַד הַלֵּוִי הוּא אֶת־עֲבֹדַת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְהֵם יִשְׂאוּ עֲוֺנָם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם וּבְתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יִנְחֲלוּ נַחֲלָה: 24כִּי אֶת־מַעְשַׂר בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָרִימוּ לַה׳ תְּרוּמָה נָתַתִּי לַלְוִיִּם לְנַחֲלָה עַל־כֵּן אָמַרְתִּי לָהֶם בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל …
22… of Israel shall not come nigh the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. 23But the Levites alone shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they set apart as a gift unto …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
במדבר יח, כג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
יין המשמח אלקים ואנשים
How it connects
The wine “which gladdens G‑d and men,” here identified with the hidden level from which joy comes.our note
The source
Judges 9:13שופטים ט׳:י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
12וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָעֵצִים לַגָּפֶן לְכִי־אַתְּ מׇלְכִי עָלֵינוּ: 13וַתֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הַגֶּפֶן הֶחֳדַלְתִּי אֶת־תִּירוֹשִׁי הַמְשַׂמֵּחַ אֱלֹקִים וַאֲנָשִׁים וְהָלַכְתִּי לָנוּעַ עַל־הָעֵצִים: 14וַיֹּאמְרוּ כׇל־הָעֵצִים אֶל־הָאָטָד לֵךְ אַתָּה מְלׇךְ־עָלֵינוּ:
12And the trees said unto the vine: Come thou, and reign over us. 13And the vine said unto them: Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to hold sway over the trees? 14Then said all the trees unto the bramble: Come thou, and reign over us.
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
יאר ה׳ פניו אליך
How it connects
The second verse of the Priestly Blessing, “May G‑d make His face shine upon you.” The maamar reads it as the revelation of G‑d's will and favor after forgiveness.our note
The source
Numbers 6:25במדבר ו׳:כ״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)
24יְבָרֶכְךָ Havayah וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ: 25יָאֵר Havayah פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ: 26יִשָּׂא Havayah פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם:
24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; 25The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; 26The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
במדבר ו, כה.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
5
On the words
ישא ה׳ פניו אליך
How it connects
The third verse of the Priestly Blessing, “May G‑d lift up His face to you.” The Alter Rebbe reads “lift up” as withdrawal, whose purpose is “to you,” the coming revelation.our note
The source
Numbers 6:26במדבר ו׳:כ״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)
25יָאֵר Havayah פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ: 26יִשָּׂא Havayah פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם: 27וְשָׂמוּ אֶת־שְׁמִי עַל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַאֲנִי אֲבָרְכֵם:
25The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; 26The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.’
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
במדבר ו, כו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
6
On the words
ודף ס׳ ע״ב
How it connects
A further Zohar passage the text itself cites here, on the same theme.our note
The source
Zohar, Noach 1:12–4:23ספר הזהר, נח א׳:י״ב-ד׳:כ״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.

What sin hides, and two kinds of submission ¶4–6

4ב והנה סיבה הגורמת ההעלם וההסתר הוא מ״ש עונותיכם מבדילים ביניכם1 כו׳ וצריך להבין דהא כתיב גם חשך לא יחשיך2 ממך ולילה כיום יאיר כחשיכה כאורה ואיך העון שהוא חושך יהי׳ הבדל נגד אור ה׳.

2. Now, the cause that brings about the concealment and hiding is what is written, “Your iniquities separate between you, etc.” And [we need] to understand this, for it is written, “Even darkness is not dark for You, and night shines like day; darkness is as light.” So how can sin, which is darkness, be a separation over against the light of G‑d?

Explanation

Section 2 asks what causes the concealment, and answers with Isaiah: “Your iniquities separate between you and your G‑d.” But this raises a difficulty: to G‑d, darkness is like light, so how can sin, which is spiritual darkness, block His light?

אך יש ב׳ בחי׳3 היינו בחי׳ חיצוניות ובחינת פנימיות. חיצוניות הוא שמהווה כל הנבראים מאין ליש ומחיה את כולם שהוא מבחי׳ חיצוניות מלכותו ית׳ כמ״ש במ״א.

But there are two levels: the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) and the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus). The outer dimension is what brings all the created beings into being from nothing to something and gives life to all of them, which comes from the level of the outer dimension of His kingship (Malchus), may He be blessed, as is explained elsewhere.

Explanation

The answer begins with a distinction between two dimensions of G‑d's relation to the world. The outer dimension is the life-force that creates every being from nothing and keeps it alive; it comes from the outer aspect of G‑d's Malchus, His kingship, and this dimension, as the next paragraph says, nothing can block.

Paragraph 4 in brief

The paragraph asks how sin can hide G‑d, since darkness does not darken Him, and introduces the distinction between G‑d's outer dimension, which creates and sustains everything, and His inner dimension.

Deeper

The creative power that sustains all things is described as coming from the outer aspect of Malchus, the lowest of the Sefiros, which relates to the world as a king to his subjects. The inner dimension, G‑d's inner will, is what sin can obstruct, as the following paragraph explains.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
עונותיכם מבדילים ביניכם
How it connects
“Your iniquities have separated between you and your G‑d.” The maamar names this as the cause of the concealment and then asks how it is possible.our note
The source
Isaiah 59:2ישעיהו נ״ט:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1הֵן לֹא־קָצְרָה יַד־ה׳ מֵהוֹשִׁיעַ וְלֹא־כָבְדָה אׇזְנוֹ מִשְּׁמוֹעַ: 2כִּי אִם־עֲוֺנֹתֵיכֶם הָיוּ מַבְדִּלִים בֵּינֵכֶם לְבֵין אֱלֹקֵיכֶם וְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶם הִסְתִּירוּ פָנִים מִכֶּם מִשְּׁמוֹעַ: 3כִּי כַפֵּיכֶם נְגֹאֲלוּ בַדָּם וְאֶצְבְּעוֹתֵיכֶם בֶּעָוֺן שִׂפְתוֹתֵיכֶם דִּבְּרוּ־שֶׁקֶר לְשׁוֹנְכֶם עַוְלָה תֶהְגֶּה:
1… hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, Neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear; 2But your iniquities have separated Between you and your God, And your sins have hid His face from you, That He will not hear. 3For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ישעי׳ נט, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
2
On the words
גם חשך לא יחשיך
How it connects
“Even darkness is not dark for You; night shines like day; darkness is as light.” This verse sharpens the question: if darkness does not hide anything from G‑d, how can sin separate?our note
The source
Psalms 139:12תהילים קל״ט:י״בSefaria (opens in a new tab)
11וָאֹמַר אַךְ־חֹשֶׁךְ יְשׁוּפֵנִי וְלַיְלָה אוֹר בַּעֲדֵנִי: 12גַּם־חֹשֶׁךְ לֹא־יַחְשִׁיךְ מִמֶּךָּ וְלַיְלָה כַּיּוֹם יָאִיר כַּחֲשֵׁיכָה כָּאוֹרָה: 13כִּי־אַתָּה קָנִיתָ כִלְיֹתָי תְּסֻכֵּנִי בְּבֶטֶן אִמִּי:
11And if I say: ‘Surely the darkness shall envelop me, And the light about me shall be night'; 12Even the darkness is not too dark for Thee, But the night shineth as the day; The darkness is even as the light. 13For Thou hast made my reins; Thou hast knit me together in my mother's womb.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים קלט, יב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
אך יש ב׳ בחי׳
How it connects
The note points to a parallel discussion in Or HaTorah on Beshalach of the two levels, outer and inner, that answer the question how sin can separate.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורה
Beshalach, p. 521
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
ראה אוה״ת בשלח ע׳ תקכא.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.

5ובבחי׳ זו אין הבדל והסתר מסתיר ומעלים אורו ית׳ כדכתיב מלא כל הארץ כבודו1 וכתיב ומלכותו בכל משלה2

And on this level there is no separation or concealment that hides and conceals His light, may He be blessed, as it is written, “The whole earth is full of His glory,” and it is written, “And His kingship rules over all.”

Explanation

On the outer level, the life-force that creates and sustains all things, nothing can separate or hide G‑d's light. That is why “the whole earth is full of His glory” and “His kingship rules over all”: even a sinner is kept in existence by it.

אך בחי׳ פנימית הוא ענין המשכות אלקותו וקדושתו עלינו מבחי׳ פנימיות רצונו ית׳ ובבחי׳ זו עוונותיכם מבדילים ביניכם3 דוקא שלא יתגל׳ ויאיר ביניכ׳ בתוך פנימי׳ נקודת הלב

But the inner level is the matter of the drawings-down of His G‑dliness and holiness upon us from the level of the inner dimension of His will, may He be blessed; and it is specifically on this level that “your iniquities separate between you,” so that it is not revealed and does not shine among you, within the innermost point of the heart.

Explanation

The inner level is different: it is G‑d's holiness drawn down to us from His inner will, His true desire. Here sin does separate: it prevents that inner light from being revealed within the innermost point of a person's heart.

(ע׳ באגרת התשובה פד״ה ועמ״ש בפ׳ תצוה ע״פ ועשית ציץ4 בפי׳ וענין מחיצה של ברזל המפסקת בין ישראל כו׳ ועמ״ש סד״ה למנצח על השמינית) כי הנה כתיב פנים בפנים5 וכו׳.

(See Iggeres HaTeshuvah, chapters 4–5; and see also what is written in Parshas Tetzaveh on the verse “And you shall make a tzitz,” in the explanation, and the matter of the iron partition that separates between Israel, etc.; and see also what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “For the conductor, on the Sheminis.”) For it is written, “Face to face, etc.”

Explanation

The parenthesis gives further reading: Iggeres HaTeshuvah (the third part of Tanya; the abbreviation apparently means chapters 4–5), the Torah Ohr discourse on the tzitz with its theme of the “iron partition” that separates Israel from their Father, and the end of the discourse “For the conductor, on the Sheminis.” The verse “Face to face [G‑d spoke with you]” shows that what is above corresponds to what is in man: G‑d's inner face meets man's inner face.

שגם באדם יש בחינות פנימיות וחיצוניות. חיצוניות הוא מ״ש כי פנו אלי עורף6 כו׳ וכמ״ש במ״א ופנימיות נקרא מה

[This means] that in a person, too, there are levels of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) and the outer dimension (chitzoniyus). The outer dimension is what is written, “For they have turned their back to Me, etc.,” as is explained elsewhere; and the inner dimension is the name for what

Explanation

A person also has an outer and an inner dimension. The prophet's complaint “they have turned their back to Me” describes serving G‑d with the outside only, like showing one's back; the inner dimension is what a person truly wants.

שהוא עיקר רצונו ומגמתו וחפצו ויש ב׳ בחי׳ אלו הן בסור מרע הן בועשה טוב כי בסור מרע כתיב עונותיכם מבדילים כו׳ ובועשה טוב

is the essence of his will, his aim and his desire. And these two levels exist both in “turning from evil” and in “doing good.” For regarding turning from evil it is written, “Your iniquities separate, etc.”; and regarding doing good,

Explanation

A person's inner will is what counts. The difference between outer and inner applies both to avoiding sin and to doing good: in avoiding sin, the verse about iniquities that separate applies; in doing good, the prayer quoted next shows two levels.

הנה אומרים כל ברך לך תכרע7 וכל קומה לפניך תשתחוה שיש ב׳ בחי׳ בחי׳ כריעה ובחינת השתחואה כי הנה כולם מקבלים עליהם עול מלכות שמים ומייחדים אותו בק״ש.

we say, “Every knee shall bend to You, and every stature shall bow down before You”: that there are two levels, the level of bending the knee (kri'ah) and the level of bowing down (hishtachavayah). For all of them accept upon themselves the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven and declare His oneness in the Shema.

Explanation

The prayer Nishmas says “Every knee shall bend to You, and every stature shall bow down before You.” These are two levels of submission: bending the knee (kri'ah) and full bowing (hishtachavayah). Everyone who says the Shema accepts G‑d's kingship, but not everyone reaches the same depth.

אך לא כל אפין שוין שיש מי שאינו נתפס כ״כ בלבו מקרב איש ולב8 עמוק עד

But not all faces are alike: there is one who is not so gripped in his heart, “in the inward part of a man and a deep heart,” to the point of

Explanation

“Not all faces are alike”: people differ. Some accept G‑d's kingship without being gripped by it in the depths of the heart, the “inward part of a man and a deep heart.”

כלות הנפש לבטל רצונו ממש עד שלא יהי׳ לו רצון אחר כלל זולת עבודתו ית׳ ותורת ה׳ להיות חפצו9 רק הוא על עמדו ומצבו יעמוד

the soul's expiring (klos hanefesh), to nullify his will completely, until he has no other will at all apart from His service, may He be blessed, and the Torah of G‑d, [so] that his desire be only [in it]; rather, he stays where he stood, and in his [former] state he remains,

Explanation

Such a person does not reach klos hanefesh, the soul's longing that gives itself over entirely, to the point that he wants nothing but G‑d's service and Torah. After the Shema he is the same person he was before it.

כמו קודם ק״ש ואינו אלא בחינת הודאה שמודה ומסכים בלבו שאין עוד מלבדו10 ואפס זולתו וכולא קמיה כלא חשיב11

as before the Shema; and it is only the level of acknowledgment (hodaah), in which he acknowledges and agrees in his heart that there is nothing else besides Him and nothing apart from Him, and that “everything before Him is considered as nothing.”

Explanation

His Shema is hodaah, acknowledgment: he agrees in his heart that nothing exists apart from G‑d and that before Him everything is as nothing. This is real, but it is agreement, not transformation.

אך אל אתכפייא סט״א להיות כל רצון הגוף וכחותיו נכנעים לעשות רצון נפשו האלהית באמת לאמיתו ונקרא בחי׳ זו כריעה (וז״ש בזהר) (בראשית דמ״ב ע״ב) הכא הכרעה

But the sitra achra (the other side) is not subdued, such that all the will of the body and its powers would be subjugated to do the will of his G‑dly soul in absolute truth. And this level is called bending the knee (kri'ah). (And this is what is said in the Zohar) (Bereishis, folio 42b), “Here is bending,”

Explanation

The text reads “אל אתכפייא,” which is apparently a misprint for “לא אתכפייא,” “is not subdued”: acknowledgment alone does not force the sitra achra (the side opposed to holiness) and the body's desires to submit fully to the G‑dly soul. This level is called kri'ah, bending the knee, and the Zohar's words “here is bending” refer to it.

והיינו בהיכל ההוד שהוא12 בחינת הודאה שכורע על ברכיו שהם לבר מגופא13 שהגוף עומד על עמדו משא״כ ביטול רצונו לגמרי וכלות הנפש אליו ית׳

that is, in the Chamber of Hod, which is the level of acknowledgment (hodaah): he bends on his knees, which are “outside the body,” for the body stays standing in its place. By contrast, the complete nullification of his will and the soul's expiring toward Him, may He be blessed,

Explanation

In the Zohar's account of the Chambers (Heichalos) of prayer, bending belongs to the Chamber of Hod, a word related to hodaah, acknowledgment. One bends the knees, which the Zohar calls “outside the body”: the body itself stays upright, as the self stays intact.

לדבקה בו בפנימיות נקודת לבו זה הוא בחי׳ השתחוואה שכופף קמותו וראשו ששם מקור הדעת שרעותא דליבא נמשך מחמת שמקשר דעתו בחוזק בגדולת ה׳

to cleave to Him in the innermost point of his heart: this is the level of bowing down (hishtachavayah), in which he bends his stature and his head, where the source of Daas is. For the desire of the heart (re'usa deliba) is drawn forth because he binds his mind (daas) firmly to the greatness of G‑d,

Explanation

Full bowing is the complete nullification of one's will and the longing to cleave to G‑d from the innermost point of the heart: one bends the whole stature and the head, the seat of Daas. The heart's desire (re'usa deliba) comes from binding one's Daas, one's focused awareness, firmly to G‑d's greatness.

ואזי נכנס בעומקא דליבא ונגע עד הנפש בחי׳ פנימית נקודת לבבו ממש עד שאתכפייא סט״א ואין לו רצון אחר כלל. וזהו וכל קומה לפניך תשתחוה שהקומה זקופה תלוי בנשיאת ראש שהוא ענין הדעת.

and then it enters into the depth of the heart and touches the soul, the level of the very innermost point of his heart, until the sitra achra is subdued and he has no other will at all. And this is “And every stature shall bow down before You”: for an upright stature depends on the lifting of the head, which is the matter of Daas.

Explanation

When Daas is bound to G‑d's greatness, the awareness enters the depth of the heart and touches the soul's innermost point, until the sitra achra is truly subdued. That is why the verse says “every stature” bows: a person stands tall because his head is raised, and the head is Daas, so bowing the head is bowing the self.

(ועיין ממעלת השתחואה ברבות וירא פנ״ו14 ועמ״ש סד״ה והיה ביום ההוא15 יתקע16 בענין ו השתחוו לה׳ וסד״ה והיה מדי חדש17 בענין להשתחוות לפני.18 וצ״ל מ״ש בזהר) (בראשית דמ״ג ב׳) הכא השתחואה

(And see on the virtue of bowing down in [Bereishis] Rabbah, [Parshas] Vayeira, chapter 56; and see also what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And it shall be on that day, [a great shofar] shall be blown,” on the matter of “and they shall bow down to G‑d,” and at the end of the discourse beginning “And it shall be, from one new moon [to the next],” on the matter of “to bow down before Me.” And [we need] to explain what is said in the Zohar) (Bereishis, folio 43b), “Here is bowing down,”

Explanation

The parenthesis refers to the Midrash on the great virtue of bowing, and to two other discourses: one on the verse about the great shofar, when the lost “will bow down to G‑d,” and one on the verse “from one new moon to the next ... all flesh will come to bow down before Me.” The Alter Rebbe then turns to the Zohar's words “here is bowing down.”

דהיינו בהיכל הנצח19 ואפ״ל כי נצח הוא ענף החכמה שהוא בחי׳ ראיה שמזה נמשך השתחואה וביטול כי אינו דומה שמיעה לראיה20

that is, in the Chamber of Netzach. And it can be explained that Netzach is a branch of Chochmah, which is the level of sight, from which bowing down and self-nullification (bittul) are drawn, for hearing is not comparable to seeing.

Explanation

The Zohar places bowing in the Chamber of Netzach. The Alter Rebbe suggests why: Netzach branches from Chochmah, which is like sight, and seeing something brings a far deeper self-nullification than hearing about it, as the Sages say, “hearing is not like seeing.”

והיינו כי הוד ענף הבינה שהיא בחי׳ שמיעה כו׳ וז״ש בפע״ח בכוונת תפלת ערבית דשבת כי בחול איהי בהוד ובערבית דשבת גם איהי בנצח

And this is because Hod is a branch of Binah, which is the level of hearing, etc. And this is what is written in Pri Etz Chaim, on the kavanah of the evening prayer of Shabbos: that on weekdays she is in Hod, and in the evening prayer of Shabbos she is also in Netzach.

Explanation

Hod branches from Binah, which is like hearing: grasping by explanation, which yields acknowledgment. Pri Etz Chaim teaches that on weekdays Malchus (“she”) is in Hod during the evening prayer, but on Shabbos evening she rises to Netzach as well.

והיינו לפי כי בשבת כתיב ויברך אלקים את יום השביעי21 וכנודע דברכה היא למעלה מבחי׳ הודאה וכמ״ש ע״פ ציון במשפט תפדה22 ע״ש.23 24

And this is because regarding Shabbos it is written, “And G‑d blessed the seventh day,” and, as is known, blessing is higher than the level of acknowledgment (hodaah); as is written on the verse “Zion shall be redeemed with justice”; see there.

Explanation

Shabbos reaches Netzach because it was blessed (“And G‑d blessed the seventh day”), and blessing, drawing down from above, is higher than acknowledgment. A discourse on “Zion shall be redeemed with justice” explains this further.

Paragraph 5 in brief

The paragraph explains that sin blocks only G‑d's inner light, and that in man too there is an outer and an inner service: kri'ah, acknowledgment that leaves the self standing (Hod), and hishtachavayah, the bowing of the head and the whole self (Netzach).

Deeper

The pairing of Hod with Binah (hearing) and Netzach with Chochmah (sight) follows the rule that the lower Sefiros are branches of the higher ones. The Kehot note on bowing in the Chamber of Netzach records that a later discourse (Kol Dodi, 5668) questioned why bowing is placed in Netzach and suggested that this Likkutei Torah passage means inner bowing, perhaps linked to Netzach as a branch of Chochmah, sight.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
מלא כל הארץ כבודו
How it connects
The angels' praise, “the whole earth is full of His glory.” Here it proves that G‑d's outer, sustaining light fills everything and cannot be hidden.our note
The source
Isaiah 6:3ישעיהו ו׳:ג׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
2שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ שֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם שֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם לְאֶחָד בִּשְׁתַּיִם יְכַסֶּה פָנָיו וּבִשְׁתַּיִם יְכַסֶּה רַגְלָיו וּבִשְׁתַּיִם יְעוֹפֵף: 3וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל־זֶה וְאָמַר קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ ה׳ צְבָאוֹת מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ: 4וַיָּנֻעוּ אַמּוֹת הַסִּפִּים מִקּוֹל הַקּוֹרֵא וְהַבַּיִת יִמָּלֵא עָשָׁן:
2… covered his face and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3And one called unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory. 4And the posts of the door were moved at the voice of them that called, and …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ישעי׳ ו, ג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
2
On the words
ומלכותו בכל משלה
How it connects
“His kingship rules over all.” The outer dimension of Malchus, which sustains all creation, reaches everything without exception.our note
The source
Psalms 103:19תהילים ק״ג:י״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)
18לְשֹׁמְרֵי בְרִיתוֹ וּלְזֹכְרֵי פִקֻּדָיו לַעֲשׂוֹתָם: 19ה׳ בַּשָּׁמַיִם הֵכִין כִּסְאוֹ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בַּכֹּל מָשָׁלָה: 20בָּרְכוּ ה׳ מַלְאָכָיו גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְּבָרוֹ:
18To such as keep His covenant, And to those that remember His precepts to do them. 19The LORD hath established His throne in the heavens; And His kingdom ruleth over all. 20Bless the LORD, ye angels of His, Ye mighty in strength, that fulfil His word, Hearkening …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים קג, יט.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
עוונותיכם מבדילים ביניכם
How it connects
“Your iniquities separate between you and your G‑d.” The Alter Rebbe limits the separation to G‑d's inner light.our note
The source
Isaiah 59:2ישעיהו נ״ט:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1הֵן לֹא־קָצְרָה יַד־ה׳ מֵהוֹשִׁיעַ וְלֹא־כָבְדָה אׇזְנוֹ מִשְּׁמוֹעַ: 2כִּי אִם־עֲוֺנֹתֵיכֶם הָיוּ מַבְדִּלִים בֵּינֵכֶם לְבֵין אֱלֹקֵיכֶם וְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶם הִסְתִּירוּ פָנִים מִכֶּם מִשְּׁמוֹעַ: 3כִּי כַפֵּיכֶם נְגֹאֲלוּ בַדָּם וְאֶצְבְּעוֹתֵיכֶם בֶּעָוֺן שִׂפְתוֹתֵיכֶם דִּבְּרוּ־שֶׁקֶר לְשׁוֹנְכֶם עַוְלָה תֶהְגֶּה:
1… hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, Neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear; 2But your iniquities have separated Between you and your God, And your sins have hid His face from you, That He will not hear. 3For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken …
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
ע״פ ועשית ציץ
How it connects
The discourse on the tzitz in Torah Ohr discusses the “iron partition” that separates Israel from their Father in Heaven, which parallels the separation that sin causes to G‑d's inner light.our note
Where the note points
Torah Ohrתורה אור
83a (Tetzaveh, “And you shall make a tzitz”) · not yet checked
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh, maamar 2תו״א פג, א
page 83a, ¶23
אליה ונעשים בחי׳ מרכבה. ומדרגה השלישית הוא בחי׳ ועשו סתם של כלל ישראל דלא כתיב בהם לקדשו אלא סתם לכהנו לי שהוא בחי׳ עשיית המצות מעשיות בסתם מאהבה הטבעית המסותרת בלבד ואעפ״כ הם ממשיכים לבוש עליון לאהבה זו דהיינו לבוש מלכות כי שום תשים עליך מלך כתיב בקבלת עומ״ש בשלימות בלב ונפש ונעוץ סופן כו׳ שהלבוש נמשך מבחי׳ ברכה עליונה כו׳. וע״ז נאמר איש אשר כברכתו כו׳. ועל ידי זה …
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
תו״א פג, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
5
On the words
פנים בפנים
How it connects
“Face to face G‑d spoke with you.” Used here to show that G‑d's inner face corresponds to man's inner face.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 5:4דברים ה׳:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
3לֹא אֶת־אֲבֹתֵינוּ כָּרַת ה׳ אֶת־הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת כִּי אִתָּנוּ אֲנַחְנוּ אֵלֶּה פֹה הַיּוֹם כֻּלָּנוּ חַיִּים: 4פָּנִים בְּפָנִים דִּבֶּר ה׳ עִמָּכֶם בָּהָר מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ: 5אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין־ה׳ וּבֵינֵיכֶם בָּעֵת הַהִוא לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם אֶת־דְּבַר ה׳ כִּי יְרֵאתֶם מִפְּנֵי הָאֵשׁ וְלֹא־עֲלִיתֶם בָּהָר לֵאמֹר:
3… our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. 4The LORD spoke with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire— 5I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare unto you the word …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
דברים ה, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
6
On the words
כי פנו אלי עורף
How it connects
“For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face.” It illustrates the outer dimension of a person's relationship with G‑d.our note
The source
Jeremiah 2:27ירמיהו ב׳:כ״זSefaria (opens in a new tab)
26כְּבֹשֶׁת גַּנָּב כִּי יִמָּצֵא כֵּן הֹבִישׁוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה מַלְכֵיהֶם שָׂרֵיהֶם וְכֹהֲנֵיהֶם וּנְבִיאֵיהֶם: 27אֹמְרִים לָעֵץ אָבִי אַתָּה וְלָאֶבֶן אַתְּ יְלִדְתָּנוּ כִּי־פָנוּ אֵלַי עֹרֶף וְלֹא פָנִים וּבְעֵת רָעָתָם יֹאמְרוּ קוּמָה וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ: 28וְאַיֵּה אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ לָּךְ יָקוּמוּ אִם־יוֹשִׁיעוּךָ בְּעֵת רָעָתֶךָ כִּי מִסְפַּר עָרֶיךָ הָיוּ אֱלֹקֶיךָ יְהוּדָה:
26… the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets; 27Who say to a stock: ‘Thou art my father’, and to a stone: ‘Thou hast brought us forth’, for they have turned their back unto Me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say: ‘Arise, and save us.’ 28But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ירמי׳ ב, כז.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
7
On the words
כל ברך לך תכרע
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
תפלת נשמת.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
8
How it connects
“The inward part of a man and a deep heart.” Borrowed to describe the depth of heart that some people's acceptance of G‑d does not reach.our note
The source
Psalms 64:7תהילים ס״ד:ז׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
6יְחַזְּקוּ־לָמוֹ דָּבָר רָע יְסַפְּרוּ לִטְמוֹן מוֹקְשִׁים אָמְרוּ מִי יִרְאֶה־לָּמוֹ: 7יַחְפְּשׂוּ־עוֹלֹת תַּמְנוּ חֵפֶשׂ מְחֻפָּשׂ וְקֶרֶב אִישׁ וְלֵב עָמֹק: 8וַיֹּרֵם אֱלֹקִים חֵץ פִּתְאוֹם הָיוּ מַכּוֹתָם:
6… in an evil matter; they converse of laying snares secretly; they ask, who would see them. 7They search out iniquities, they have accomplished a diligent search; even in the inward thought of every one, and the deep heart. 8But God doth shoot at them with an arrow suddenly; thence are their wounds.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
9
On the words
ותורת ה׳ להיות חפצו
How it connects
“But his desire is in the Torah of G‑d.” It describes one whose whole desire is for G‑d's Torah and service.our note
The source
Psalms 1:2תהילים א׳:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1אַשְׁרֵי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב: 2כִּי אִם־בְּתוֹרַת ה׳ חֶפְצוֹ וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ יֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה: 3וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל־פַּלְגֵי־מָיִם אֲשֶׁר פִּרְיוֹ יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ וְעָלֵהוּ לֹא־יִבּוֹל וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִיחַ:
1… wicked, Nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, that bringeth forth its …
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
שאין עוד מלבדו
How it connects
“There is nothing else besides Him.” The content of the acknowledgment reached in the Shema.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 4:35דברים ד׳:ל״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)
34… בְּאֹתֹת וּבְמוֹפְתִים וּבְמִלְחָמָה וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה וּבְמוֹרָאִים גְּדֹלִים כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה לָכֶם ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם בְּמִצְרַיִם לְעֵינֶיךָ: 35אַתָּה הׇרְאֵתָ לָדַעַת כִּי ה׳ הוּא הָאֱלֹקִים אֵין עוֹד מִלְּבַדּוֹ: 36מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם הִשְׁמִיעֲךָ אֶת־קֹלוֹ לְיַסְּרֶךָּ וְעַל־הָאָרֶץ הֶרְאֲךָ אֶת־אִשּׁוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה וּדְבָרָיו שָׁמַעְתָּ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ:
34… according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before thine eyes? 35Unto thee it was shown, that thou mightiest know that the LORD, He is God; there is none else beside Him. 36Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; 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.
11
On the words
וכולא קמי׳ כלא חשיב
How it connects
The Zohar's statement that everything before Him is considered as nothing. Here it is what the person acknowledges without yet being changed by it.our note
The source
Zohar I, 11bזח״א יא, בSefaria (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
זח״א יא, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
12
On the words
והיינו בהיכל ההוד שהוא בחי׳ הודאה
How it connects
The note points there for a parallel discussion of the Chamber of Hod as the level of acknowledgment.our note
Where the note points
Sefer HaMaamarim 5668ספר המאמרים תרס״ח
p. 152
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Sefer HaMaamarim 5684ספר המאמרים תרפ״ד
p. 281
Our explanationAnother parallel discussion of Hod as acknowledgment, to which the note refers.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Sefer HaMaamarim 5709ספר המאמרים תש״ט
p. 109
Our explanationA further parallel discussion of the same theme cited in the note.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
ראה סה״מ תרס״ח ע׳ קנב. סה״מ תרפ״ד ע׳ רפא. סה״מ תש״ט ע׳ קט.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
13
On the words
שכורע . . לבר מגופא
How it connects
The note points to a footnote there on bending the knees, which are “outside the body,” as a lesser submission than full bowing.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Sichos, by the Rebbeלקוטי שיחות
vol. 5, p. 212, note 45
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Kehot’s note
ראה לקו״ש ח״ה ע׳ 212 הערה 45.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
14
On the words
ברבות וירא פנ״ו
How it connects
Or HaTorah quotes the Midrash cited here: on “we will bow down and return to you,” everything came in the merit of bowing, and the Torah was given only in the merit of bowing, as it says “and bow down from afar.”our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורה
Terumah, p. 1426
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
above, Rosh Hashanah 58a
וע״ש. עוד נזכר פסוק זה בגמרא (פ״ט דברכות נ״ו ב׳ פ״ק דר״ה י״א ב׳. סנהדרין ק״י ע״ב מכות כ״ד סע״א). רבות לך לך פמ״ב בענין והיה. ויצא פרשה ע׳. נשא פי״ג מדרש רות ס״פ ושם האיש אלימלך ובמדרש אסתר ע״פ ויהי בימי ענין השתחואה פ׳ וירא פנ״ו. בירושלים בקהלת רבה ס״פ כל הנחלים ועוד נזכר על פסוק זה והיה ביום ההוא כו׳ בזהר ח״א בפ׳ ויגש (דר״י ע״א) ויחי (דר״נ ע״א). בשלח (דמ״ו ע״ב) ויקרא ד״ו ע״ב] הנה בר״ה אנו אומרים זה היום תחלת מעשיך זכרון ליום ראשון ולכאורה יש כאן סתירה דלאו רישיה סיפיה כי זה היום תחלת מעשיך משמע תחלה ממש היינו שבו מחדש בכל שנה את העולם ואח״כ אומר זכרון ליום ראשון משמע שאינו אלא זכרון לזכור את יום ראשון שנברא בו העולם בששת ימי בראשית. אך …
Our explanationThe same Midrash on bowing in Parshas Vayeira is listed there among the sources for the verse “And it shall be on that day, a great shofar shall be blown,” in the discourse on that verse.
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Torah Ohr, Va’eira, maamar 4לעיל ר״ה נח, א
page 58a, ¶21
הקרי כך והכתיב כך ולכן כל אותיותיה ספורים ומנויים בל יעדוף ובל יחסור. וכל אות ואות צ״ל בדמותו וצלמו מפני שרומזים להמשכה עליונה מח״ע אבל עצמות ההשכלה אינו מתלבש באותיות תורה שבכתב. משא״כ בתורה שבע״פ הן עצמות ההשכלה מלובשת באותיות ההלכה ולכן אין מדקדקין באותיותיה כ״כ רק ההשכלה היא עיקרית המתגלה תוך האותיות גם לפי רבוי ההשכלה כך ירבו אותיותיה.
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Kehot’s note
”ע״פ ונשתחוה ונשובה אליכם כו׳ הכל בזכות השתחואה כו׳ התורה לא ניתנה אלא בזכות השתחואה שנאמר והשתחויתם מרחק כו׳” — אוה״ת פ׳ תרומה ע׳ א׳תכו. נזכר גם לעיל ר״ה נח, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
15
On the words
סד״ה והיה ביום ההוא
How it connects
There bowing is explained as bittul: when the great shofar of the future reveals the source of all inwardness, even the souls lost in “Ashur and Egypt” will come and bow down to G‑d.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
above, Rosh Hashanah 60a
ו ואזי כתיב ובאו כו׳ והשתחוו לה׳. כי הנה גבי שופר סתם כתיב אשרי העם יודעי תרועה באור פניך יהלכון שעם היות שהוא גילוי פנימית מ״מ יש בו בחי׳ הילוך עדיין אבל בגילוי והמשכה שופר גדול דלע״ל שהוא בחי׳ גילוי רעוא דכל רעוין מקור כל הפנימית אזי ובאו כו׳ והשתחוו השתחוואה הוא בחי׳ ביטול כו׳ (ועמ״ש סד״ה וכל העם רואים כו׳ וקול השופר כו׳ גבי ויהי קול מעל לרקיע כו׳ וסד״ה השמים כסאי כו׳) ואזי ג״כ ובאו האובדים בארץ אשור והנדחים בארץ מצרים והשתחוו כ׳ו דהיינו אפילו הנשמות שירדו למטה מטה ונבלעו בתוך אשור ומצרים והשופר דעכשיו אינו מעוררם אבל כאשר יתקע בשופר גדול גם הם יתעוררו כו׳ (כן פי׳ בספר טו״ב סי׳ תקפ״ו. ועמ״ש כה״ג בד״ה שחורה אני ונאוה בפי׳ וירא ישראל את היד הגדולה אשר עשה ה׳ במצרים …
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Torah Ohr, Va’eira, maamar 5לעיל ר״ה ס, א
page 60a, ¶44
ולהיות נודע שבכל יום נמשכין מוחין חדשים למעלה וכן בנפש האדם כמ״ש חדשים לבקרים כו׳ שנעשה בריה חדשה ע״כ צ״ל בכל יום יצ״מ שההמשכה ממוחין למדות הוא ע״י מצר הגרון והיינו ע״י תושב״כ ואח״כ והבאתי אתכם אל הארץ היא התושבע״פ הנק׳ ארץ חפץ כנ״ל:
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Kehot’s note
לעיל ר״ה ס, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
16
How it connects
“On that day a great shofar will be blown ... and they will bow down to G‑d.” The subject of a discourse the Alter Rebbe refers to on bowing.our note
The source
Isaiah 27:13ישעיהו כ״ז:י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
12וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יַחְבֹּט ה׳ מִשִּׁבֹּלֶת הַנָּהָר עַד־נַחַל מִצְרָיִם וְאַתֶּם תְּלֻקְּטוּ לְאַחַד אֶחָד בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: 13וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִתָּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל וּבָאוּ הָאֹבְדִים בְּאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר וְהַנִּדָּחִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַה׳ בְּהַר הַקֹּדֶשׁ בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם:
12… Brook of Egypt, And ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. 13And it shall come to pass in that day, That a great horn shall be blown; And they shall come that were lost in the land of Assyria, And they that were dispersed in the land of Egypt; And they shall worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
17
On the words
וסד״ה והיה מידי חדש
How it connects
That discourse explains that souls continually ascend from level to level, “from one new moon to the next,” and that every ascent comes through song; its end deals with coming “to bow down before Me.”our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
below, V'zos HaBerachah 98a
כן בנשמות ובאמת גם הנשמות אומרים שירה תמיד שהרי יש להם עליות וירידות תמיד מחיל אל חיל וכמ״ש והיה מדי חודש בחדשו כו׳ ואח״כ חוזרים לג״ע התחתון וחוזרים ומתעלים לג״ע העליון כו׳ וידוע דכל הילוך ועלייה היינו ע״י שיר דוקא כענין כל בעלי השיר יוצאין בשיר ונמשכין בשיר כמבואר בלק״א הגדול. אלא שלא מצינו מפורש כן במקרא. והטעם מפני ששירת המלאכים נשמעת באזני הנביא וכמ״ש ואשמע אחרי קול רעש גדול כו׳ בבחי׳ קול ממש וכמ״ש ואשמע את קול כנפיהם כקול מים רבים כו׳ ומשמיעים ביראה יחד בקול כו׳ והאופנים ברעש גדול כו׳ והיינו לפי שיש להם גופים כמ״ש עושה מלאכיו רוחות. משרתיו אש לוהט דלא קאי על הנשמות שלהם שהנשמות הם בעלי שכל והשגות וכמו נשמת האדם שהיא המשכלת ומשגת ולא שייך לקרוא אותם בשם רוחות ואש לוהט אלא דקאי …
To explain this, one must understand the matter of angels and souls. For we find that the angels sing song, but we do not find this of the souls. In truth, however, the souls too sing song constantly, for they constantly have ascents and descents, “from strength to strength,” as it is written, “And it shall be, from month to month…”; and afterwards they return to the lower Gan Eden, and again ascend to the upper Gan Eden, etc. And it is known that every going and ascent is specifically through shir (song), as in the matter of “All that have a shir go out with a shir and are drawn by a shir,” as is explained in the great Likkutei Amarim. Only, we do not find this stated explicitly in Scripture.
Read it here
Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther, maamar 11לקמן ברכה צח, א
page 98a, ¶22
דוקא כי אין התלבשות וגילוי אור א״ס ב״ה שהוא אחד האמת אלא במקום האחדות וההתכללות ולכן בפורים שאז היה הגמר שקבלו מה שהחלו במ״ת לכך נאמר וקבל לשון יחיד כאלו הם איש אחד. אך איך יהיה בחי׳ זו.
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Kehot’s note
לקמן ברכה צח, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
18
On the words
והיה מדי חדש ... להשתחוות לפני
How it connects
“From one new moon to the next ... all flesh will come to bow down before Me.” Also the subject of a discourse referred to here.our note
The source
Isaiah 66:23ישעיהו ס״ו:כ״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
22כִּי כַאֲשֶׁר הַשָּׁמַיִם הַחֲדָשִׁים וְהָאָרֶץ הַחֲדָשָׁה אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה עֹמְדִים לְפָנַי נְאֻם־ה׳ כֵּן יַעֲמֹד זַרְעֲכֶם וְשִׁמְכֶם: 23וְהָיָה מִדֵּי־חֹדֶשׁ בְּחׇדְשׁוֹ וּמִדֵּי שַׁבָּת בְּשַׁבַּתּוֹ יָבוֹא כׇל־בָּשָׂר לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת לְפָנַי אָמַר ה׳ 24וְיָצְאוּ וְרָאוּ בְּפִגְרֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים הַפֹּשְׁעִים בִּי כִּי תוֹלַעְתָּם לֹא תָמוּת וְאִשָּׁם לֹא תִכְבֶּה וְהָיוּ דֵרָאוֹן לְכׇל־בָּשָׂר:
22… make, shall remain before Me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, Saith the LORD. 24And they shall go forth, and look Upon the carcasses of the men that have rebelled …
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.
19
On the words
השתחואה דהיינו בהיכל הנצח
How it connects
That discourse cites the Zohar placing bowing in Netzach and remarks that in this Likkutei Torah passage it seems to mean inner bowing, which needs study; perhaps it is connected with what is said here that Netzach is a branch of Chochmah, the level of sight.our note
Where the note points
The Rebbe Rashab’s maamar “קול דודי” (5668)ד״ה קול דודי תרס״ח
A maamar of the Rebbe Rashab, 5668
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Kehot’s note
ראה בד״ה קול דודי תרס״ח ע׳ קנח שם מציין מ״ש דהשתחואה בנצח מוסיף ”ונראה בלקו״ת שם [— הכוונה לכאן] דהיינו השתחואה פנימית כו׳ וצ״ע. ואפשר זה מקושר עם מ״ש לפני זה דנצח ענף החכמה בחי׳ ראי׳” ע״ש.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
20
On the words
אינו דומה שמיעה לראיה
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
מכילתא יתרו יט, ט. פס״ז שלח יג, יח.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
21
On the words
ויברך אלקים את יום השביעי
How it connects
G‑d blessed the seventh day. Because Shabbos is blessed, and blessing is above acknowledgment, on Shabbos Malchus rises to Netzach.our note
The source
Genesis 2:3בראשית ב׳:ג׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
2וַיְכַל אֱלֹקִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה: 3וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹקִים אֶת־יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים לַעֲשׂוֹת: 4אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם בְּיוֹם עֲשׂוֹת ה׳ אֱלֹקִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם:
2… made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work which God in creating had made. 4These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created, in …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
בראשית ב, ג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
22
On the words
ציון במשפט תפדה
How it connects
“Zion shall be redeemed with justice.” The verse of a discourse where the superiority of blessing over acknowledgment is explained.our note
The source
Isaiah 1:27ישעיהו א׳:כ״זSefaria (opens in a new tab)
26וְאָשִׁיבָה שֹׁפְטַיִךְ כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה וְיֹעֲצַיִךְ כְּבַתְּחִלָּה אַחֲרֵי־כֵן יִקָּרֵא לָךְ עִיר הַצֶּדֶק קִרְיָה נֶאֱמָנָה: 27צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה וְשָׁבֶיהָ בִּצְדָקָה: 28וְשֶׁבֶר פֹּשְׁעִים וְחַטָּאִים יַחְדָּו וְעֹזְבֵי ה׳ יִכְלוּ:
26… as at the beginning; Afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, The faithful city. 27Zion shall be redeemed with justice, And they that return of her with righteousness. 28But the destruction of the transgressors and the sinners shall be together, And they that forsake …
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.
23
How it connects
In the same account, the Chamber of Netzach is the place of bowing down. The Alter Rebbe explains why bowing belongs to Netzach.our note
The source
Zohar, Bereshit 66:99–67:110ספר הזהר, בראשית ס״ו:צ״ט-ס״ז:ק״יSefaria (opens in a new tab)
24
How it connects
The Zohar's description of the Chambers (Heichalos) of holiness, where the Chamber of Hod is the place of bending the knee. The Alter Rebbe identifies it with acknowledgment.our note
The source
Zohar, Bereshit 65:81–66:88ספר הזהר, בראשית ס״ה:פ״א-ס״ו:פ״חSefaria (opens in a new tab)

6ויותר נראה עפמ״ש בד״ה מזמור שיר חנוכת הבית1 שיש ב׳ בחינות בהשתחואה דהיינו השתחוואה חיצוניות שמכניע את הגוף שלא ימרוד במלך בפועל ממש

And it seems more [correct to explain this] according to what is written in the discourse beginning “A psalm, a song of the dedication of the House”: that there are two levels in bowing down. That is, an outer bowing down, which subdues the body so that it will not rebel against the King in actual deed,

Explanation

The Alter Rebbe offers a better explanation, from the discourse on “A psalm, a song of the dedication of the House”: bowing itself has two levels. Outer bowing subdues the body so that it does not rebel against the King in deed.

אבל עיקר רצון ופנימית הנפש אינה מבוטלת כו׳ משא״כ ההשתחואה בבחי׳ פנימיות הוא בחי׳ בטל רצונך מפני רצונו2 3 שאין לו רצון וחפץ אחר כלל:4

but the essence of the will and the inner dimension of the soul are not nullified, etc.; whereas bowing down on the level of the inner dimension is the level of “Nullify your will before His will,” so that he has no other will or desire at all.

Explanation

But outer bowing leaves a person's real will and inner soul untouched. Inner bowing fulfils the Mishnah's “Nullify your will before His will”: one has no other will or desire at all.

Paragraph 6 in brief

The paragraph refines the previous distinction: rather than contrasting bending and bowing, it distinguishes an outer bowing that controls behaviour from an inner bowing that nullifies the will itself.

Deeper

This refinement may resolve the Zohar's placing of bowing in Netzach: the bowing of Netzach, rooted in sight, would be the inner bowing that transforms the will, while outer bowing only restrains the body.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
בד״ה מזמור שיר חנוכת הבית
How it connects
That discourse on the dedication of the Temple discusses the angels' objection to man and the superiority of souls over angels; the column is not marked on Sefaria, and the passage given begins near it.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
below, 98b
המשכן מכפר על מעשה העגל שלכן היה זהב במשכן לכפר על הזהב שבעגל ולכן אמר דוד על בנין בהמ״ק מזמור שיר חנוכת הבית כו ולא שמחת אויבי לי הם המלאכים שקטרגו והיינו שבנין בהמ״ק הוא ענין אחד עם מעשה המשכן (וכה״ג הביא בספר ערכי הכינויים שחיבר בעה״מ סדר הדורות בערך אויב ועיין בגמרא בקדושין) (דף ע״ב) מאי את אויבים בשער כו׳ ועיין בבראשית רבה פנ״ד. ולהבין ענין קטרוג הזה של המלאכים שאמרו מה אנוש כו׳ שאמרו המלאכים שהמה במדרגה עליונה יותר מן האדם. והתשובה היתה שהאדם הוא יותר נעלה. ולביאור זה צריך להבין ענין מלאכים ונשמות כי הנה מצינו שהמלאכים אומרים שירה ולא מצינו כן בנשמות ובאמת גם הנשמות אומרים שירה תמיד שהרי יש להם עליות וירידות תמיד מחיל אל חיל וכמ״ש והיה מדי חודש בחדשו כו׳ ואח״כ חוזרים לג״ע …
“A psalm, a song for the dedication of the House…,” and “You did not let my enemies rejoice over me.” Now, at the time of the creation of man, the ministering angels brought an accusation before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said, “What is man, that You should remember him?” as is written in Midrash Rabbah on Bereishis, section 8. Afterwards, at the time of the giving of the Torah, when Israel put “we will do” before “we will hear,” they conceded. And afterwards, at the time of the sin of the Golden Calf, they rejoiced that it had turned out as they had said: that within forty days after the giving of the Torah, which had been face to face, etc., their heart had turned so far. But at the time of the making of the Mishkan their rejoicing grew dark, because the work of the Mishkan atones for the making of the Calf; that is why there was gold in the Mishkan, to atone for the gold of the Calf. Therefore David said concerning the building of the Beis HaMikdash, “A psalm, a song for the dedication of the House…, and You did not let my enemies rejoice over me”: these are the angels who had accused. That is, the building of the Beis HaMikdash is one matter with the making of the …
Our explanationIt is where the two kinds of bowing are explained.
Read it here
Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther, maamar 12לקמן צח, ב
page 98b, ¶3
ואינו עוסק עליו נאמר כי דבר ה׳ בזה הכרת תכרת הנפש. וזה תמוה לכאורה דמאחר שמי שא״א לו לעסוק בתורה כ״כ יוצא י״ח בפרק א׳ שחרית ופרק א׳ ערבית א״כ למה יהי׳ האפשר לו לעסוק ואינו עוסק גדול עונו כ״כ לומר עליו הכרת תכרת כו׳. אך הענין כי הנה התורה נק׳ משל הקדמוני כמ״ש כאשר יאמר משל הקדמוני מרשעים יצא רשע.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
לקמן צח, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
2
On the words
בטל רצונך מפני רצונו
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
אבות ב, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
בטל רצונך מפני רצונו
How it connects
Rabban Gamliel's teaching, “Nullify your will before His will.” It defines inner bowing: a will wholly given over to G‑d's will.our note
The source
Pirkei Avot 2:4משנה אבות ב׳:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנוֹ כִרְצוֹנְךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כִרְצוֹנוֹ. בַּטֵּל רְצוֹנְךָ מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל רְצוֹן אֲחֵרִים מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנֶךָ. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִשְׁמֹעַ, שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע. וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאִפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה:
He used to say: do His will as though it were your will, so that He will do your will as though it were His. Set aside your will in the face of His will, so that he may set aside the will of others for the sake of your will. Hillel said: do not separate yourself from the community, Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death, Do not judge your fellow man until you have reached his place. Do not say something that cannot be understood [trusting] that in the end it will be understood. Say not: ‘when I shall have leisure I shall study;’ perhaps you will not have leisure.
Hebrew: Torat Emet 357 (Public Domain) · English: Mishnah Yomit by Dr. Joshua Kulp (CC-BY) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
4
How it connects
The heading of Psalm 30, the verse on which the discourse cited here is based.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

From the days of awe to Sukkos ¶7

7ג וזהו ענין כל סדר עבודה שמר״ה ועד יוהכ״פ במלכיות זכרונות ושופרות ותפלות ותחנונים שמר״ה עד יוהכ״פ לעלות מבחינת כריעה לבחי׳ השתחואה

3. And this is the matter of the whole order of service from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, with Malchiyos, Zichronos and Shofaros, and the prayers and supplications from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur: to rise from the level of bending the knee to the level of bowing down.

Explanation

Section 3 applies the distinction to the ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. All their prayers, including the three sections of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf, aim to move us from kri'ah, mere acknowledgment, to hishtachavayah, the full bowing of the self.

ואזי מתגלה ביום הכפורים פנימיות רצונו ואהבתו ית׳ ויאיר פניו1 אלינו אל תוך פנימיות נקודת הלב כמ״ש לך אמר לבי בקשו פני2 את פניך ה׳ אבקש פניך דייקא

And then, on Yom Kippur, the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of His will and His love, may He be blessed, is revealed, and He makes His face shine toward us, into the innermost point of the heart; as it is written, “On Your behalf my heart said, ‘Seek My face’; Your face, G‑d, I will seek”: “Your face” specifically,

Explanation

When we reach that inner bowing, G‑d's inner will and love are revealed on Yom Kippur and shine into the innermost point of our heart. The verse “Your face I will seek” is read with emphasis: we seek G‑d's “face,” His inner dimension, not only His outer, sustaining power.

שהוא בחי׳ פנימיות אהבתו ית׳ ורצונו ית׳ והיינו על ידי התשובה כי עיקר התשובה3 היא חרטה בלב

which is the level of the inner dimension of His love, may He be blessed, and of His will, may He be blessed. And this is through teshuvah (return), for the essence of teshuvah is regret in the heart,

Explanation

G‑d's “face” is the inner dimension of His love and will. It is revealed through teshuvah, whose essence is heartfelt regret.

דהיינו לעקור הרצון שלא ירצה עוד כלל לשוב לכסלה4 ועל ידי זה אתכפייא סט״א ונגלה כבוד5 ה׳ יאר ה׳ פניו

that is, to uproot the will, so that he will no longer want at all to return to his folly. And through this the sitra achra (the other side) is subdued, and “the glory of G‑d is revealed”: “May G‑d make His face shine,”

Explanation

True regret uproots the will to sin, so that one no longer wants to return to folly at all. When the will itself is changed, the sitra achra is subdued, and G‑d's glory is revealed, as in the blessing “May G‑d make His face shine.”

כי רוצה6 ה׳ בעמו כמשל האדם שמוחל לחבירו אחר שמתחרט ומראה לו שאין לו רצון וחפץ עוד בדבר אשר זדה לו ועי״ז ירצה פניו וישוב וירחמהו.

for “G‑d desires His people”; as in the parable of a person who forgives his fellow after [the other] regrets and shows him that he no longer has any will or desire for the thing in which he wronged him; and through this he will win his favor, and he will again have compassion on him.

Explanation

The human parable: a person forgives someone who has wronged him once he sees true regret and that the offender no longer wants what he did. Then he is reconciled and shows him compassion again.

וזהו כל האזרח בישראל ישבו בסוכות.7 פי׳ האזרח מה שזורח ומאיר בישראל בתוך פנימיות נקודת הלב

And this is “Every native (ezrach) in Israel shall dwell in sukkos.” Meaning: “the native” is that which shines (zore'ach) and gives light in Israel, within the innermost point of the heart.

Explanation

The verse commanding every “native” (ezrach) to dwell in the sukkah is read through wordplay: ezrach is related to zore'ach, “shining.” It is the inner light that shines in the innermost point of a Jew's heart.

(עמ״ש ע״פ ראה אנכי8 בפי׳ לאיתן האזרחי9 ובאגה״ק בסופו ע״פ וצדקה כנחל איתן)10 ישבו בסוכות זמן שמחתנו על ידי הארה והתגלות שנתגלה ביום הכפורים כנ״ל.

(See also what is written on the verse “See, I [set before you],” in the explanation of “Of Eisan the Ezrachite,” and in Iggeres HaKodesh, at its end, on the verse “And charity like a mighty (eisan) stream.”) “Shall dwell in sukkos,” “the time of our joy,” through the illumination and revelation that was revealed on Yom Kippur, as mentioned above.

Explanation

The parenthesis refers to explanations elsewhere of “Eisan the Ezrachite” and of “a mighty (eisan) stream,” which also connect ezrach with an inner, enduring light. Dwelling in the sukkah in joy comes from the light revealed on Yom Kippur.

וזהו ענין סדר נטילת לולב והאתרוג. כי הנה ארז״ל (במדרש רבה פ׳ אמור פרשה שלשים)

And this is the matter of the order of taking the lulav and the esrog. For our Sages, of blessed memory, said (in Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Emor, chapter thirty):

Explanation

The same theme is now found in the mitzvah of taking the lulav and esrog, beginning with the Midrash on the four species in Parshas Emor.

פרי עץ הדר זה הקב״ה11 כו׳ וגם אמרו פרי עץ הדר הדר באילנו12 וכו׳ כי האדם עץ השדה.13

“‘The fruit of a beautiful tree (pri etz hadar)’: this is the Holy One, blessed be He, etc.” And they also said, “‘The fruit of a beautiful tree’: [a fruit] that dwells (hadar) in its tree, etc.”; for “man is a tree of the field.”

Explanation

The Midrash reads “the fruit of a beautiful tree” as an allusion to G‑d, and the Sages also read hadar as “that dwells” in its tree: the esrog stays on its tree from year to year. The verse “man is a tree of the field” links the tree with man.

פי׳ האדם זה הקב״ה14 כמ״ש ועל דמות הכסא דמות כמראה אדם15 נמשל לעץ השדה והוא ענין עץ החיים כמ״ש במ״א (ועיין מזה בזהר אמור דצ״ו ע״ב ודצ״ז ע״א).

Meaning: “man” — this is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, “And upon the likeness of the throne, a likeness like the appearance of a man”; He is likened to a tree of the field, and this is the matter of the Tree of Life, as is explained elsewhere. (And see on this in the Zohar, Emor, folio 96b and folio 97a.)

Explanation

“Man” here refers to G‑d, as in Ezekiel's vision of “the appearance of a man” upon the throne, the divine form as it relates to the world. That is the “tree of the field”: the Tree of Life. The text refers to the Zohar on Emor.

והדר באילנו. הוא בחינת פנימיות האילן16 שהוא ענין פנימיות האהבה שיש להוי׳ עלינו כמ״ש לבבתני אחותי כלה17 כו׳ שהאהבה הוא עד״מ בבחי׳ פנימית נקודת הלב ישראל בתוונא דלבא יתבי18 ונפלאה אהבתו להם

And “dwells in its tree”: this is the level of the inner dimension of the tree, which is the matter of the inner dimension of the love that Havayah has for us, as it is written, “You have captured my heart, my sister, [my] bride, etc.” For the love is, by way of analogy, on the level of the innermost point of the heart: “Israel dwell in the chamber of the heart,” and His love for them is wondrous.

Explanation

The fruit “that dwells in its tree” represents the inner dimension of the tree: G‑d's inner love for Israel, as in “You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride.” The Jewish people dwell, as it were, in the innermost chamber of G‑d's heart.

(וזה הוא מ״ש במ״ח מסכת אורות ז״א פ״ג משנה ז׳ ובפנימיותו19 כו׳ ונת׳ מזה לעיל בשה״ש ע״פ ששים20 המה כו׳ אחת היא יונתי תמתי21 ע״ש ביאור דברי המ״ח הנ״ל ותמתי תאומתי22 23 ע״ז מרמז ג״כ התיומת דלולב)

(And this is what is written in Mishnas Chassidim, Tractate Oros Z'eir Anpin, chapter 3, mishnah 7: “And in its inner dimension, etc.” This was explained above in Song of Songs, on the verse “There are sixty, etc.; one is my dove, my perfect one”; see there the explanation of the words of the Mishnas Chassidim cited above. And “my perfect one” (tamasi) [is read] “my twin” (teomasi): to this the twin leaf (tiyomes) of the lulav also alludes.)

Explanation

The abbreviation מ״ח apparently refers to Mishnas Chassidim, a Kabbalistic work arranged as tractates and mishnayos; the Kehot note quotes it: within Z'eir Anpin there is a feminine configuration called Knesses Yisrael, equal to its Tiferes. The Song of Songs discourse explains this, and the Midrash reads tamasi, “my perfect one,” as teomasi, “my twin,” which the double central leaf of the lulav also alludes to.

והאתרוג מחברים אותו עם הלולב שהוא גבוה במינו דהיינו השרש המושרש למעלה העושה פרי למטה בישראל בחי׳ לו לב24 להיות לב

And the esrog is joined with the lulav, which is the tallest of its kind; that is, the root that is rooted above, which makes fruit below in Israel: the level of lo lev (“a heart for Him”), to be one heart

Explanation

The esrog, the fruit, is joined to the lulav, the tallest of the species, which stands for the root above that bears fruit below in Israel. “Lulav” is read as lo lev, “a heart for Him”: a heart devoted to G‑d alone.

א׳ לו ית׳ לבד ולדבקה בו דהיניו לבחינת עצמותו ומהותו ית׳ בדביקה וחשיקה מעומקא דלבא לקרא אליו לבי כמ״ש צור לבבי25

for Him alone, may He be blessed, and to cleave to Him, that is, to the level of His very Essence and Being, may He be blessed, with cleaving and passionate desire from the depth of the heart, to call Him “my heart,” as it is written, “the Rock of my heart”:

Explanation

This devotion reaches G‑d's very Essence, not only His revealed attributes. The person calls G‑d “my heart,” as in the verse “the Rock of my heart.”

שהוא הוא כביכול פנימיות נקודת לבו ואין לו לב אחר אלא צור לבבי ומנענעים את הלולב לששה קצוות26 שהנענוע הוא ענין התעוררות

for He is, as it were, the innermost point of his heart, and he has no other heart but “the Rock of my heart.” And we wave the lulav to the six directions, for the waving is the matter of arousal

Explanation

For such a person G‑d is the innermost point of his heart. The lulav is waved in six directions, and the waving means arousal.

(כמ״ש בספר עמק המלך שער שעשוע המלך27 ועמ״ש בפ׳ שלח ע״פ אני כו׳ דפ׳ ציצית28 בפי׳ ענין מארז״ל בשעה שישראל אומרים אמן יהא שמיה רבה מברך הקב״ה מנענע ראשו29 כו׳)

(as is written in the book Emek HaMelech, Sha'ar Sha'ashuei HaMelech; and see also what is written in Parshas Shelach on the verse “I [am Havayah your G‑d], etc.,” of the section of tzitzis, in the explanation of the matter of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “When Israel say, ‘Amen, yehei shmei rabba mevarach,’ the Holy One, blessed be He, nods His head, etc.”)

Explanation

The parenthesis cites Emek HaMelech, a Kabbalistic work, and a Likkutei Torah discourse on the verse at the end of the section of tzitzis that explains the Talmud's image of G‑d “nodding His head” when Israel respond “Amen, yehei shmei rabba”: movement expresses arousal.

והוא לעורר בהליכה לבחי׳ פנימית הדעת שהוא שורש המדות וקיומן המתגלים בלב שהם נמשכי ם ממנה ובהובאה לחזה של אדם לפנימיות נקודת הלב של האדם בעצמו להיות לה האזרח בישראל שיהא זורח ומאיר בהתגלות לבו.

And [the waving] is to arouse, in the extending outward, the level of the inner dimension of Daas, which is the root and sustenance of the emotive attributes (middos) that are revealed in the heart, for they are drawn from it; and in the bringing back to a person's chest, [to arouse] the innermost point of the heart of the person himself, so that it have “the native in Israel,” that it shine and give light in the revelation of his heart.

Explanation

The two movements of the waving have two effects. Extending the lulav outward arouses the inner dimension of Daas above, the root of the emotions; bringing it back to the chest arouses the innermost point of the person's own heart, so that the “native” inner light shines openly in him.

וזהו ענין המועדים לשמחה שיהא שמחה לפניו ית׳ בהתגלות אהבתו מהעלם אל הגילוי וכמ״ש וחגותם אותו חג לה׳ כנ״ל:30

And this is the matter of “festivals for joy”: that there be joy before Him, may He be blessed, in the revelation of His love from concealment to revelation; and as it is written, “And you shall celebrate it as a festival to G‑d,” as mentioned above.

Explanation

This is why the festivals are “for joy”: G‑d's hidden love is revealed, and that revelation is joy before Him. The paragraph returns to the opening verse, “celebrate it as a festival to G‑d.”

Paragraph 7 in brief

Section 3 shows how the service of the days of awe raises a person from acknowledgment to full self-nullification through teshuvah, so that on Yom Kippur G‑d's inner love is revealed; Sukkos, the sukkah and the lulav with the esrog then bring that inner love into open revelation and joy.

Deeper

The pairing of esrog and lulav mirrors the inner love from both sides: the esrog “dwelling in its tree” is G‑d's inner love for Israel, and the lulav as lo lev is Israel's heart given wholly to G‑d. The waving's two movements then connect the Daas above with the point of the heart below.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
יאר ה׳ פניו
How it connects
The Priestly Blessing, “May G‑d make His face shine,” for the revelation of G‑d's inner favor.our note
The source
Numbers 6:25במדבר ו׳:כ״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)
24יְבָרֶכְךָ Havayah וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ: 25יָאֵר Havayah פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ: 26יִשָּׂא Havayah פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם:
24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; 25The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; 26The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
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
לך אמר לבי בקשו פני
How it connects
“On Your behalf my heart said, ‘Seek My face’; Your face, G‑d, I will seek.” The emphasis on “face” points to G‑d's inner dimension.our note
The source
Psalms 27:8תהילים כ״ז:ח׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
7שְׁמַע־ה׳ קוֹלִי אֶקְרָא וְחׇנֵּנִי וַעֲנֵנִי: 8לְךָ אָמַר לִבִּי בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָי אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ ה׳ אֲבַקֵּשׁ: 9אַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי אַל תַּט־בְּאַף עַבְדֶּךָ עֶזְרָתִי הָיִיתָ אַל־תִּטְּשֵׁנִי וְאַל־תַּעַזְבֵנִי אֱלֹקֵי יִשְׁעִי:
7Hear, O LORD, when I call with my voice, And be gracious unto me, and answer me. 8In Thy behalf my heart hath said: ‘Seek ye My face'; Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 9Hide not Thy face far from me; Put not Thy servant away in anger; Thou hast …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים כז, ח.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
כי עיקר התשובה
How it connects
Tanya ch. 29 deals with the dullness of heart that blocks the G‑dly soul's light and how to break it; Iggeres HaTeshuvah ch. 1 defines the essence of teshuvah as abandoning sin with a firm resolve in the heart, matching the “regret in the heart” here.our note
The source
Tanya, Likkutei Amarim 29:13–14תניא, חלק ראשון; ליקוטי אמרים כ״ט:י״ג-י״דSefaria (opens in a new tab)
וְאַף שֶׁכְּבָר עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה נְכוֹנָה, הֲרֵי עִיקַּר הַתְּשׁוּבָה – בַּלֵּב, וְהַלֵּב, יֵשׁ בּוֹ בְּחִינוֹת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת רַבּוֹת, וְהַכֹּל לְפִי מַה שֶּׁהוּא אָדָם, וּלְפִי הַזְּמַן וְהַמָּקוֹם, כַּיָּדוּעַ לַיּוֹדְעִים. וְלָכֵן, עַכְשָׁיו בְּשָׁעָה זוֹ, שֶׁרוֹאֶה בְּעַצְמוֹ דְּלָא סָלִיק בֵּקהּ נְהוֹרָא דְנִשְׁמְתָא, מִכְּלָל, שֶׁהַיּוֹם לֹא נִתְקַבְּלָה תְּשׁוּבָתוֹ, וַעֲוֹנוֹתָיו מַבְדִּילִים, אוֹ, שֶׁרוֹצִים לְהַעֲלוֹתוֹ לִתְשׁוּבָה עִילָּאָה יוֹתֵר, מֵעוּמְקָא דְלִבָּא יוֹתֵר. וְלָכֵן אָמַר דָּוִד: ״וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד״.
Hebrew: Kehot Publication Society (CC-BY-NC) · via Sefaria
Where the note points
Tanyaתניא
Part I, ch. 29; Iggeres HaTeshuvah, ch. 1; Iggeres HaKodesh, §10
אך עוד אחת צריך לשית עצות בנפשות הבינונים, אשר לפעמים ועתים רבים יש להם טמטום הלב שנעשה כאבן, ולא יכול לפתוח לבו בשום אופן לעבודה שבלב זו תפלה. וגם, לפעמים לא יוכל להלחם עם היצר, לקדש עצמו במותר לו, מפני כבדות שבלבו. וזאת היא עצה היעוצה בזהר הקדוש, דאמר רב מתיבתא בגן עדן: ״אעא דלא סליק ביה נהורא – מבטשין ליה כו׳. גופא דלא סליק ביה נהורא דנשמתא – מבטשין ליה כו׳״. פירוש ״נהורא דנשמתא״, שאור הנשמה והשכל אינו מאיר כל כך למשול על חומריות שבגוף. ואף שמבין ומתבונן בשכלו בגדולת ה׳, אינו נתפס ונדבק במוחו כל כך שיוכל למשול על חומריות הלב, מחמת חומריותן וגסותן. והסיבה – היא גסות הקליפה, שמגביה עצמה על אור קדושת נפש האלהית, ומסתרת ומחשיכה אורה. ולזאת, צריך לבטשה ולהשפילה לעפר, דהיינו, לקבוע עתים להשפיל …
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Kehot’s note
ראה תניא פכ״ט. אגה״ת פ״א. אגה״ק סי׳ י׳.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
4
On the words
לשוב לכסלה
How it connects
“Let them not return to folly.” Borrowed for true regret, which uproots the will to sin again.our note
The source
Psalms 85:9תהילים פ״ה:ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
8הַרְאֵנוּ ה׳ חַסְדֶּךָ וְיֶשְׁעֲךָ תִּתֶּן־לָנוּ: 9אֶשְׁמְעָה מַה־יְדַבֵּר הָאֵל ה׳ כִּי יְדַבֵּר שָׁלוֹם אֶל־עַמּוֹ וְאֶל־חֲסִידָיו וְאַל־יָשׁוּבוּ לְכִסְלָה: 10אַךְ קָרוֹב לִירֵאָיו יִשְׁעוֹ לִשְׁכֹּן כָּבוֹד בְּאַרְצֵנוּ:
8Show us Thy mercy, O LORD, And grant us Thy salvation. 9I will hear what God the LORD will speak; For He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. 10Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear Him; That glory may dwell in our land.
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
ונגלה כבוד ה׳
How it connects
“And the glory of G‑d will be revealed.” Here it describes the revelation that follows teshuvah.our note
The source
Isaiah 40:5ישעיהו מ׳:ה׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
4כׇּל־גֶּיא יִנָּשֵׂא וְכׇל־הַר וְגִבְעָה יִשְׁפָּלוּ וְהָיָה הֶעָקֹב לְמִישׁוֹר וְהָרְכָסִים לְבִקְעָה: 5וְנִגְלָה כְּבוֹד ה׳ וְרָאוּ כׇל־בָּשָׂר יַחְדָּו כִּי פִּי ה׳ דִּבֵּר: 6קוֹל אֹמֵר קְרָא וְאָמַר מָה אֶקְרָא כׇּל־הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר וְכׇל־חַסְדּוֹ כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה:
4… be made low; and the rugged shall be made level, and the rough places a plain; 5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.’ 6Hark! one saith: ‘Proclaim!’ And he saith: ‘What shall I proclaim?’ ’All flesh is grass, And …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ישעי׳ מ, ה.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
6
On the words
כי רוצה ה׳ בעמו
How it connects
“For G‑d desires His people.” It expresses the restored favor after forgiveness.our note
The source
Psalms 149:4תהילים קמ״ט:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
3יְהַלְלוּ שְׁמוֹ בְמָחוֹל בְּתֹף וְכִנּוֹר יְזַמְּרוּ־לוֹ: 4כִּי־רוֹצֶה ה׳ בְּעַמּוֹ יְפָאֵר עֲנָוִים בִּישׁוּעָה: 5יַעְלְזוּ חֲסִידִים בְּכָבוֹד יְרַנְּנוּ עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם:
3… His name in the dance; Let them sing praises unto Him with the timbrel and harp. 4For the LORD taketh pleasure in His people; He adorneth the humble with salvation. 5Let the saints exult in glory; Let them sing for joy upon their beds.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים קמט, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
7
On the words
כל האזרח בישראל ישבו בסוכות
How it connects
The command that every native in Israel dwell in sukkos. Ezrach is read as the light that shines (zore'ach) in the heart.our note
The source
Leviticus 23:42ויקרא כ״ג:מ״בSefaria (opens in a new tab)
41וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַה׳ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי תָּחֹגּוּ אֹתוֹ: 42בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים כׇּל־הָאֶזְרָח בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשְׁבוּ בַּסֻּכֹּת: 43לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם:
41… is a statute for ever in your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month. 42Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths; 43that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ויקרא כג, מב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
8
On the words
ראה אנכי
How it connects
The opening verse of a discourse the Alter Rebbe refers to on the meaning of ezrach.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 11:26דברים י״א:כ״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)
25לֹא־יִתְיַצֵּב אִישׁ בִּפְנֵיכֶם פַּחְדְּכֶם וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם יִתֵּן ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם עַל־פְּנֵי כׇל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תִּדְרְכוּ־בָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָכֶם: 26רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה: 27אֶת־הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־מִצְוֺת ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם:
25… you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as He hath spoken unto you. 26Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I …
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
How it connects
“A maskil of Eisan the Ezrachite.” Its explanation elsewhere also connects ezrach with shining.our note
The source
Psalms 89:1תהילים פ״ט:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1מַשְׂכִּיל לְאֵיתָן הָאֶזְרָחִי: 2חַסְדֵי ה׳ עוֹלָם אָשִׁירָה לְדֹר וָדֹר אוֹדִיעַ אֱמוּנָתְךָ בְּפִי:
1Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. 2I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever; To all generations will I …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
10
On the words
וצדקה כנחל איתן
How it connects
“And charity like a mighty stream,” the verse of the last letter of Iggeres HaKodesh, cited for the meaning of eisan.our note
The source
Amos 5:24עמוס ה׳:כ״דSefaria (opens in a new tab)
23הָסֵר מֵעָלַי הֲמוֹן שִׁרֶיךָ וְזִמְרַת נְבָלֶיךָ לֹא אֶשְׁמָע: 24וְיִגַּל כַּמַּיִם מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה כְּנַחַל אֵיתָן: 25הַזְּבָחִים וּמִנְחָה הִגַּשְׁתֶּם־לִי בַמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל:
23… Me the noise of thy songs; And let Me not hear the melody of thy psalteries. 24But let justice well up as waters, And righteousness as a mighty stream. 25Did ye bring unto Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of 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.
11
On the words
פרי עץ הדר זה הקב״ה
How it connects
The Midrash on Parshas Emor reads the four species as allusions to G‑d, beginning with “the fruit of a beautiful tree.”our note
The source
Vayikra Rabbah 30:9ויקרא רבה ל׳:ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
12
On the words
פרי עץ הדר הדר באילנו
How it connects
The words here quote Sukkah 31b:10–12; the passage is shown below.
The source
Sukkah 31b:10–12סוכה ל״א ב:י׳-י״בSefaria (opens in a new tab)
הַהוּא הַדָּר בְּאִילָנוֹ מִשָּׁנָה לְשָׁנָה. שֶׁל אֲשֵׁרָה וְשֶׁל עִיר הַנִּדַּחַת. וְשֶׁל אֲשֵׁרָה — פָּסוּל? וְהָאָמַר רָבָא: לוּלָב שֶׁל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה — לֹא יִטּוֹל, וְאִם נָטַל — כָּשֵׁר. הָכָא בַּאֲשֵׁרָה דְמֹשֶׁה עָסְקִינַן, דְּכַתּוֹתֵי מְיכַתַּת שִׁיעוּרֵיהּ.
That means [according to Rabbi Yehudah, a fruit] that dwells ['HaDar'] on its tree from year to year. (Mishnah:) [A Lulav] of a worshipped tree or of a wayward city is invalid. (Gemara:) And that of a worshipped tree is invalid? But didn't Rava say, "A Lulav of idol worship should not be taken [for the Mitzvah], but if it was taken, it is valid [as opposed to the Mishnah's ruling]?" Here [ie. in the Mishnah], we are dealing with a worshipped tree [from the days] of Moses, for [it must be burnt, and therefore it is treated as ashes, and so] its size is crushed [to below the minimum size of a Lulav. The worshipped tree of Rava is a tree worshipped after the days of Moses, which does not need …
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · English: Daf Shevui (CC0) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
סוכה לא, ב. וש״נ.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
13
On the words
כי האדם עץ השדה
How it connects
“For man is a tree of the field.” The Alter Rebbe reads “man” as G‑d, likened to the Tree of Life.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 20:19דברים כ׳:י״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)
18לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְלַמְּדוּ אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל תּוֹעֲבֹתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לֵאלֹקֵיהֶם וַחֲטָאתֶם לַHavayah אֱלֹקֵיכֶם: 19כִּי־תָצוּר אֶל־עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתׇפְשָׂהּ לֹא־תַשְׁחִית אֶת־עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה לָבֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר: 20רַק עֵץ אֲשֶׁר־תֵּדַע כִּי־לֹא־עֵץ מַאֲכָל הוּא אֹתוֹ תַשְׁחִית וְכָרָתָּ וּבָנִיתָ מָצוֹר עַל־הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר־הִוא עֹשָׂה עִמְּךָ מִלְחָמָה עַד רִדְתָּהּ:
18… which they have done unto their gods, and so ye sin against the LORD your God. 19When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? 20Only the trees of which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, them thou …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
דברים כ, יט.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
14
On the words
פי׳ האדם זה הקב״ה
How it connects
The note points to a discussion there of reading “man” in “man is a tree of the field” as referring to G‑d.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורה
Shemos, vol. 7, p. 2534
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
ראה אוה״ת שמות כרך ז ע׳ ב׳תקלד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
15
On the words
ועל דמות הכסא דמות כמראה אדם
How it connects
Ezekiel's vision of the likeness of a man upon the throne. It shows that “man” can refer to G‑d's revealed form.our note
The source
Ezekiel 1:26יחזקאל א׳:כ״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)
25וַיְהִי־קוֹל מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשָׁם בְּעׇמְדָם תְּרַפֶּינָה כַנְפֵיהֶן: 26וּמִמַּעַל לָרָקִיעַ אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשָׁם כְּמַרְאֵה אֶבֶן־סַפִּיר דְּמוּת כִּסֵּא וְעַל דְּמוּת הַכִּסֵּא דְּמוּת כְּמַרְאֵה אָדָם עָלָיו מִלְמָעְלָה: 27וָאֵרֶא כְּעֵין חַשְׁמַל כְּמַרְאֵה־אֵשׁ בֵּית־לָהּ סָבִיב מִמַּרְאֵה מׇתְנָיו וּלְמָעְלָה וּמִמַּרְאֵה מׇתְנָיו וּלְמַטָּה רָאִיתִי כְּמַרְאֵה־אֵשׁ וְנֹגַהּ לוֹ סָבִיב:
25… above the firmament that was over their heads, as they stood, they let down their wings. 26And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above. 27And I saw as the colour of electrum, as the appearance of fire round about enclosing …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
יחזקאל א, כו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
16
On the words
והדר באילנו . . פנימית האילן
How it connects
Or HaTorah quotes this line, that the fruit “dwelling in its tree” is the inner dimension of the tree.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורה
Bereishis, vol. 3, 546b
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
מובא באוה״ת בראשית כרך ג תקמו, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
17
On the words
לבבתני אחותי כלה
How it connects
“You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride.” It expresses G‑d's inner love for Israel.our note
The source
Song of Songs 4:9שיר השירים ד׳:ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
8אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן כַּלָּה אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן תָּבוֹאִי תָּשׁוּרִי מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה מֵרֹאשׁ שְׂנִיר וְחֶרְמוֹן מִמְּעֹנוֹת אֲרָיוֹת מֵהַרְרֵי נְמֵרִים: 9לִבַּבְתִּנִי אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה לִבַּבְתִּנִי בְּאַחַת מֵעֵינַיִךְ בְּאַחַד עֲנָק מִצַּוְּרֹנָיִךְ: 10מַה־יָּפוּ דֹדַיִךְ אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה מַה־טֹּבוּ דֹדַיִךְ מִיַּיִן וְרֵיחַ שְׁמָנַיִךְ מִכׇּל־בְּשָׂמִים:
8… From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions’dens, From the mountains of the leopards. 9Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, With one bead of thy necklace. 10How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride! How much better is thy love than …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
שה״ש ד, ט.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
18
On the words
בתוונא דלבא יתבי
How it connects
The Kehot note cites the Talmud for the expression “the chamber of the heart,” used here for Israel's place in G‑d's innermost love.our note
The source
Niddah 20b:8נדה כ׳ ב:ח׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
הֲדַר שַׁדַּרָה לֵקהּ שִׁתִּין מִינֵי דְּמָא, וְכוּלְּהוּ אַמְרִינְהוּ. הַהוּא בָּתְרָא דָּם כִּנִּים הֲוָה, וְלָא יְדַע. אִסְתַּיַּיע מִילְּתָא, וְשַׁדַּר לַהּ סְרִיקוּתָא דִּמְקַטְּלָא כַּלְמֵי. אֲמַרָה: יְהוּדָאֵי, בִּתְוָונֵי דְּלִבָּא יָתְבִיתוּ!
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
נדה כ, ב. וע׳ מגילה (כד, ב). ע״ז (כח, ב) ובפרש״י ז״ל. [כ].
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
19
On the words
במ״ח מסכת אורות . . ובפנימיותו
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
”ובפנימיותו יש לו פרצוף נוקבא אחת הנקראת כנסת ישראל והיא שוה לת״ת שלו כי היא גדולה כמוהו ממש” עכ״ל.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
20
On the words
ונת׳ מזה לעיל בשה״ש ע״פ ששים
How it connects
The note observes that the word “above” shows the Tzemach Tzedek at first planned a different order of the discourses.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
Shir HaShirim 39c ff. (the text says “above,” but it is printed below); and see above 73d
מששת ימי החול שהוא ההארה מעין שבת למס״נ בקריאת שמע כנ״ל יאכל בשבת: באות ד יש ב׳ ענינים. א׳ יבאר כי יוהכ״פ נקרא שבת שבתון כי הוא עיקר יום התשובה ובשבת מאיר הארה ממנו בלבד כי עיקר התשובה ביטול רצון והנה אית רצון ואית רצון. וביוכ״פ מתגלה רצה״ע שהוא בחי׳ לפני הוי׳ ומשם נמשך סלח לנו אך סלחתי כדברך כתיב ר״ל כפי האתעדל״ת רעותא דליבא עי״ז מתגלה אתעדל״ע רצה״ע הנ״ל שלג וצמר כו׳. ב׳ יבאר שלכך נתנו לוחות אחרונות ביוכ״פ כי אנכי ולא יהיה לך כללות מ״ע ול״ת ע״י מ״ע גילוי מהו״ע בחי׳ אנכי נמשך להיות אלקיך ע״י שם הוי׳ ובחי׳ ל״ת שלא יהיה הסתר ולא יבדילו אלהים אחרים וניתנו בחשאי פנימי׳ הלב: באות ה יבא לביאור הפסוק. ויש בו ב׳ ענינים. הא׳ הוא מה שנת׳ איך שע״י תשובה הנ״ל …
Our explanationThe passage on 73d (in Ha'Azinu) explains that on Yom Kippur G‑d's inner will is revealed through teshuvah, the nullification of one's will, and that the second tablets were given “in secret,” in the inwardness of the heart.
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Torah Ohr, Mikeitz, maamar 11לקמן בשה״ש לט, ג
page 39c, ¶13
האור והבטול עד שהשמן הוא חכמה שבשכל אנושי שבנפש השכלית דנוגה נמשך אחר הפתילה.
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Torah Ohr, Yisro, maamar 10לעיל עג, ד
page 73d, ¶3
חנוך מתושלח כו׳. ואברהם קיים כל התורה גם עד שלא ניתנה. כמ״ש וישמר משמרתי רק שהיה זה ברוחניות כו׳. ואיזו שינוי היה בנתינת התורה בגשמיות. אך הנה מעלת אברהם היתה הלוך ונסוע הנגבה שנעשה בחי׳ מרכבה לבחי׳ נגבה. ועד שנעשה מרכבה היה תמיד בבחי׳ הלוך ונסוע דהיינו בחינת רצוא ושוב (רק דגבי חיות המרכבה כתיב והחיות רצוא ושוב. ומדרגת אברהם היתה למעלה מהם נקרא בשם הלוך ונסוע) ומהו ענין רצוא …
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Kehot’s note
הכוונה לקמן בשה״ש לט, ג ואילך. [מציון זה רואים שמתחילה סבר הצ״צ לסדר המאמרים באופן אחר, ואכמ״ל]. וראה לעיל עג, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
21
On the words
אחת היא יונתי תמתי
How it connects
“One is my dove, my perfect one.” The subject of the Song of Songs discourse referred to here.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.
22
On the words
ותמתי תאומתי
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
שהש״ר (פ״ה עה״פ אני ישנה). [כ].
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
23
On the words
ותמתי תאומתי
How it connects
The Midrash reads tamasi (my perfect one) as teomasi (my twin), as if G‑d and Israel were twins. The Alter Rebbe sees this in the lulav's twin central leaf.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.
24
On the words
בחי׳ לו לב
How it connects
The note says the source for reading lulav as lo lev is given there, in a Rosh Hashanah discourse.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
above, 57d
לא היה יכולת להמשיך בינה אלא לגבי עצמו שהוא שער השמים ולא בכל הגבול ין. (ועיין בסש״ב פנ״ג ההפרש בין בית ראשון לבית שני שבבית ראשון היה נמשך ומאיר מבחי׳ האור המקננן ומאיר בעולם הבריאה שהוא מבחי׳ בינה דאצילות משא״כ בבית שני כו׳ ע״ש וכמ״ש במ״א בד״ה ביאור למ״ש בסש״ב פנ״ב נ״ג ועמ״ש סד״ה את שבתותי תשמרו גבי ומקדשי תיראו ועוד יובן זה ע״פ מ״ש במ״א ע״פ ועתה יגדל נא כח אד׳ כח היינו המילוי של שם הוי׳ כמ״ש בפע״ח גבי כוונת אישר״מ וענין המלוי הוא להיות ההמשכה וההשפעה משם הוי״ה למטה זהו ע״י המלוי. והרי פי׳ כח כפשוטו היניו הכח שבהעלם שלמעלה מהגילוי. והוא בחי׳ סוכ״ע. והיינו שכדי להיות בחי׳ התפשטות והמשכה למטה זהו ע״י כח יותר עליון כמו וידבר שלשת אלפים משל דגבי שלמה כמ״ש בד״ה לך לך. …
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
Torah Ohr, Va’eira, maamar 4לעיל נז, ד
page 57d, ¶9
לאויר העולם וחבלי משיח נק׳ בשם חבלי לידה.
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Kehot’s note
נסמן לעיל נז, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
25
On the words
צור לבבי
How it connects
“The Rock of my heart and my portion is G‑d forever.” G‑d as the innermost point of a person's heart.our note
The source
Psalms 73:26תהילים ע״ג:כ״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)
25מִי־לִי בַשָּׁמָיִם וְעִמְּךָ לֹא־חָפַצְתִּי בָאָרֶץ: 26כָּלָה שְׁאֵרִי וּלְבָבִי צוּר־לְבָבִי וְחֶלְקִי אֱלֹקִים לְעוֹלָם: 27כִּי־הִנֵּה רְחֵקֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ הִצְמַתָּה כׇּל־זוֹנֶה מִמֶּךָּ:
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 portion for ever. 27For, lo, they that go far from Thee shall perish; Thou dost destroy all them that …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים עג, כו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
26
On the words
ומנענעים את הלולב לששה קצוות
How it connects
The Siddur gives the order of the waving before Hallel, and its Chassidic commentary discusses the waving further.our note
Where the note points
Siddur of the Alter Rebbe (with Chassidic commentary)סידור אדמו״ר הזקן
before Hallel; and 264b ff.
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
below, 87b
דחשוכא מה שלמעלה מעלה מטורי דנהורא כמ״ש מזה בביאור ע״פ מנורת זהב כולה. ומכ״ז יובן מ״ש בספ״ד (דקע״ו סע״ב) והחיות רצוא ושוב דכתיב וירא אלקים את האור כי טוב פי׳ כי על ידי הרצוא ממשיכים מבחי׳ ישת חשך סתרו להיות בבחי׳ אור וגילוי כנ״ל אך כי טוב היינו כי טוב לגנוז וזהו בחי׳ השוב שהוא לגנוז האור בכלים מכלים שונים דתומ״צ שעי״ז דייקא מתקיים האור משא״כ אור בלי כלי וזהו שאמרו רז״ל שמור זו משנה וע׳ בזהר ח״ג פ׳ בלק (דף ר״ד ע״ס) ע״פ בקר אערך לך ואצפה כד״א ויצפהו כו׳ ע״ש והיינו בחינת האור כי טוב לגנוז: ב והנה סדר העבודה צ״ל תחלה ראש השנה שזה היום תחלת מעשיך זכרון ליום ראשון. ובחי׳ ר״ה הוא בחי׳ שמאלו תחת לראשי בחי׳ שמאל דוחה כו׳ [כמש״ל בד״ה ושאבתם מים בששון ובד״ה …
This is the matter of the utterance “And G‑d said, ‘Let there be light,’” for “the earth was darkness,” etc. For this there must be wholehearted service; and “there is nothing new under the sun” except to bring out from concealment into revelation. For this a set measure was given to the days of man — “the days of his years, in them, are seventy years” — in order to toil in this service. And the verse explained the matter of the seventy years: “the days of our years, in them” — “in them” specifically, for they are the level of the public domain; and in order that there be the level of the private domain for His unity, may He be blessed, much service and toil are needed, [through] many levels and stages, until the level of seventy years is completed, etc., as is explained elsewhere. (See what is explained on this in the maamar beginning “If you walk in My statutes.” Now, in order to draw down a revelation from the level of “He made darkness His hiding place” to come into a state of light and revelation, this is through an arousal from below, by turning darkness into light, as is explained at the end of the maamar beginning “Know this day.” And this is what is said in Zohar II, …
Our explanationA Shemini Atzeres discourse whose passage near that column explains the service of the days of awe as “His left hand under my head,” on the way to the embrace of Sukkos, a parallel to the order of service here. The column is not marked on Sefaria.
Read it here
Siddur im Dachסידור עם דא״ח
by the Alter Rebbe
The Alter Rebbe’s siddur with his Chassidic discourses on the prayers.
Find it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Torah Ohr, Vayakhel, maamar 1לקמן פז, ב
page 87b, ¶12
כי כמו בגשמיות ענין הארה שהוא המשכת זיו השמש על איזה דבר. הנה הרי הזיו הוא רק בחי׳ מקיף על אותו הדבר ואינו נכנס בפנימיותו. נמצא שההארה היא המשכה וגילוי מההעלם. שהרי כשיש ענן ואין השמש מאיר זהו העלם גמור. כשהזיו נמשך ומאיר לארץ ולדרים עליה זהו גילוי.
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Kehot’s note
רמ״א בשו״ע או״ח סתרנ״א, ס״ט. סידור אדה״ז קודם הלל. וראה שם רסד, ב ואילך. ראה לקמן פז, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
27
On the words
שער שעשועי המלך
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
בפ״ב ופ״ג. [כ].
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
28
On the words
ע״פ אני כו׳ דפ׳ ציצית
How it connects
The last verse of the section of tzitzis, the subject of a discourse the Alter Rebbe refers to.our note
The source
Numbers 15:41במדבר ט״ו:מ״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)
40לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָי וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים לֵאלֹקֵיכֶם: 41אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹקִים אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם:
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 be your God: I am the LORD 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.
29
On the words
בשעה שישראל אומרים אמן יהא שמיה רבה מברך הקב״ה מנענע ראשו
How it connects
The Talmud says that when Israel answer “yehei shmei rabba,” G‑d, as it were, nods His head. It supports reading movement as arousal.our note
The source
Berakhot 3a:14ברכות ג׳ א:י״דSefaria (opens in a new tab)
… חַיֶּיךָ וְחַיֵּי רֹאשְׁךָ, לֹא שָׁעָה זוֹ בִּלְבַד אוֹמֶרֶת כָּךְ, אֶלָּא בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם, שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים אוֹמֶרֶת כָּךְ. וְלֹא זוֹ בִּלְבַד אֶלָּא, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל נִכְנָסִין לְבָתֵּי כְּנֵסִיּוֹת וּלְבָתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת וְעוֹנִין ״יְהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ הַגָּדוֹל מְבֹורָךְ״, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְנַעְנֵעַ רֹאשׁוֹ, וְאוֹמֵר: אַשְׁרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁמְּקַלְּסִין אוֹתוֹ בְּבֵיתוֹ כָּךְ, מַה לּוֹ לָאָב שֶׁהִגְלָה אֶת בָּנָיו, וְאוֹי לָהֶם לַבָּנִים שֶׁגָּלוּ מֵעַל שׁוּלְחַן אֲבִיהֶם.
Then he said to me, "My son, what sound didst thou hear in that ruin ?" I answered, "I heard a Bat Kol moaning like a dove, crying, 'Alas for My children for whose iniquities I destroyed My house, burnt My Temple, and exiled them among the nations ! '" He said to me, "By thy life and the life of thy head, not only at this hour does it so cry, but thrice daily it exclaims thus. Moreover, whenever the Children of Israel enter their Synagogues and Houses of Study and respond 'Let His great Name be blessed,' the Holy One, blessed be He, shakes His head and exclaims, 'Happy the King Who is so praised in His house ! Alas for the Father Who has banished His children ! And alas for the children who …
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · English: Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
30
How it connects
The text itself refers here to the Zohar on Parshas Emor, which discusses the four species.our note
The source
Zohar, Emor 31:147–32:155ספר הזהר, אמור ל״א:קמ״ז-ל״ב:קנ״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)

Shemini Atzeres: the crown of Torah ¶8–9

8ד אך ביום השמיני עצרת1 תהיה לכם2 כי יום השמיני הוא שמחת תורה. והתורה נקרא כתר כמאמר רז״ל כתר תורה3 4 וכן תרי״ג מצות דאורייתא וז׳ מצות דרנן עולים תר״ך.5

4. But “On the eighth day, there shall be an atzeres for you”: for the eighth day is Simchas Torah. And the Torah is called a crown (keser), as in the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “the crown of Torah.” And likewise, the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven mitzvos of the Rabbis add up to 620 [the numerical value of keser].

Explanation

Section 4 turns to Shemini Atzeres, which in the Diaspora includes Simchas Torah, the day of rejoicing with the Torah. The Torah is called a “crown” (keser), and the 613 Torah commandments plus the 7 Rabbinic ones make 620, the numerical value of keser (כתר).

וכן אמרו רז״ל דאשתמש בתגא חלף6 7 זה המשתמש במי ששונה הלכות8 שנקראת תגא דמלכא והיינו עד״מ כמו המלך שאוהב אחד מאד ובשביל אהבתו נטול כתרו מעל ראשו ונותן לאוהבו כך

And so too our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “One who makes use of the crown (taga) passes away”: this refers to one who makes use of someone who studies halachos, which is called “the crown of the King.” And this is, by way of analogy, like a king who loves someone very much, and because of his love he takes his crown off his head and gives it to the one he loves. So too,

Explanation

The Sages speak of Torah scholarship as “the crown” and “the crown of the King.” The parable: out of great love a king takes the crown off his own head and gives it to the one he loves.

הנה באהבת ה׳ ובשמחתו ששמח נוטל כתרו כביכול מעל ראשו ונתן להם (ועמ״ש סד״ה יביאו לבוש מלכות9) והיינו כתר תורה דאורייתא מחכמה נפקת אבל שרשה היא למעלה מעלה ממדריגת חכמה עילאה.

in G‑d's love, and in His joy with which He rejoices, He takes His crown, as it were, off His head and gave it to them (and see also what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Let them bring royal garments”). And this is the crown of Torah: the Torah comes forth from Chochmah, but its root is far, far higher than the level of the supernal Chochmah.

Explanation

So too, in His love and joy, G‑d gives Israel His own crown, the Torah. The Torah as we have it “comes from Chochmah,” divine wisdom, but its root is far higher, in Keser, the level above wisdom.

וזהו וירם קרן10 כו׳ שנותן התרוממות גדולה עד אין קץ למעלה מעלה מבחי׳ גילוי אור פניו כו׳

And this is “And He has raised up a horn, etc.”: that He gives a great exaltation, without end, far, far above the level of the revelation of the light of His countenance, etc.

Explanation

The verse “He has raised up a horn for His people” describes this gift: an exaltation beyond the revelation of G‑d's “face” that came on Yom Kippur and Sukkos.

(שבחי׳ הארת פנים הוא הארה בעלמא הנמשך מבחי׳ זו דכרת תורה עמ״ש במ״א בביאור ע״פ אלה מסעי כו׳ ויכתוב משה.11 שבחי׳ אור פניו נקרא תיקון ואמת שנקרא חותמו של הקב״ה והחותם הוא בחי׳ עשיי׳ לגבי עצמיות שמו הגדול.24

(For the level of the shining of the countenance is a mere glimmer, drawn from this level of the crown of Torah. See what is written elsewhere in the explanation on the verse “These are the journeys, etc.,” [on] “And Moshe wrote”: that the level of the light of His countenance is called the tikkun “and truth,” which is called “the seal of the Holy One, blessed be He”; and the seal is the level of Asiyah (action) relative to the essence of His great Name.

Explanation

The printed text reads דכרת, apparently a misprint for דכתר, “of the crown.” The parenthesis explains that the shining of G‑d's face is only a glimmer of the crown of Torah: it is called “truth,” G‑d's “seal,” and a seal is only an outer impression (like Asiyah, the level of action) compared with the essence of His Name.

ועד״ז שמיני עצרת הוא למעלה מבחי׳ החותם דהו״ר. וכמ״ש במ״א ע״פ צדקת פרזונו12 13 כו׳ ועמ״ש בפ׳ וישב בד״ה בכ״ה בכסלו14 בחי׳ כובע ישועה15 להמשיך בחי׳ הדרת פנים.

And in this way, Shemini Atzeres is above the level of the seal of Hoshana Rabbah; as is written elsewhere on the verse “The righteous acts of His open cities, etc.” And see also what is written in Parshas Vayeishev, in the discourse beginning “On the twenty-fifth of Kislev,” [on] the level of “a helmet of salvation,” to draw down the level of “the splendor of the countenance.”

Explanation

Hoshana Rabbah is the day when the judgment begun on Rosh Hashanah is sealed. Shemini Atzeres reaches above that “seal,” to the essence it only imprints; the parenthesis also refers to the discourse on “a helmet of salvation” as the source of “the splendor of the countenance.”

והיינו שבחי׳ כובע ישועה זהו מקור הדרת פנים ונק׳ עטרת תפארת שיבה16 כו׳ עטרת הוא בחי׳ כתר ועטרה) והיינו לפי שישראל עם קרובו.

That is, the level of “a helmet of salvation” is the source of the splendor of the countenance, and it is called “A crown of glory is old age, etc.”; a crown (ateres) is the level of keser and atarah.) And this is because Israel are “the people near to Him.”

Explanation

The “helmet of salvation,” worn on the head, is identified with the “crown of glory” and so with Keser, the crown. The reason Israel receive such an exalted gift is that they are “the people near to Him,” as the same verse in Psalms ends.

וזהו עצרת תהיה לכם פי׳ עצרת כתרגומו כנישו שמתאסף ומתקבץ להיות לכם למשמרת לכל השנה קבלת מלכותו ית׳ בכתר תורה

And this is “there shall be an atzeres for you.” Meaning: atzeres, as its Targum [renders it], kenishu (gathering): that the acceptance of His kingship, may He be blessed, through the crown of Torah, is gathered and collected to be for you a keeping for the whole year.

Explanation

The Targum renders atzeres as “gathering.” On Shemini Atzeres the acceptance of G‑d's kingship through the crown of Torah is gathered and stored up, to be kept by us through the whole year.

והיינו כמ״ש שום תשים עליך מלך17 18 שהוא על ידי התורה הומצות כי מצות המלך היא

And this is as it is written, “You shall surely set a king over yourself”: which is through the Torah and the mitzvos, for it is the King's command.

Explanation

This is the mitzvah to “set a king over yourself”: we crown G‑d as King by keeping the Torah and mitzvos, which are His commands. (The printed הומצות apparently reads והמצות, “and the mitzvos.”)

(וע׳ בזהר אמור דצ״ו סע״ב19 וע׳ לקמן ע״פ ביום השמיני שלח20 כו׳) ותהיה השמחה גדולה לאלהים יותר משמחת הנפש בדבקותה באלהים חיים עד שאין השמחה נקרא

(And see the Zohar, Emor, folio 96, end of side b; and see below, on the verse “On the eighth day he sent away, etc.”) And the joy for G‑d will be great, greater than the joy of the soul in its cleaving to the living G‑d, until the joy is called

Explanation

The parenthesis refers to the Zohar and to a later discourse on the verse from the dedication of Solomon's Temple. The joy of Shemini Atzeres, for G‑d, is greater than the soul's own joy in cleaving to Him, and precisely for that reason it is inward.

אלא בשם גילה (ע׳ בזהר ס״פ פנחס דרנ״ט ע״ב) פי׳ שמחה היא מלשון התגלות החדוה וגילה הוא ענין שמחה אשר בקרבו.

only by the name gilah (see the Zohar, end of Parshas Pinchas, folio 259b). Meaning: simchah is from the term for the revealing of gladness, while gilah is the matter of the joy that is within him.

Explanation

Two kinds of joy are distinguished: simchah is joy that shows outwardly, while gilah is joy held within. The joy of Shemini Atzeres is called gilah.

וכמ״ש בני ציון יגילו במלכם21 כי מפני אימת המלך נאסף השמחה בקרבו ולא תתראה החצוה (ועמ״ש ע״פ שוש אשיש כו׳ תגל נפשי22 כו׳ ועמ״ש סד״ה ויהי בשלח פרעה):23 25

As it is written, “The children of Zion will exult (yagilu) in their King”: for out of the awe of the king the joy is gathered within him, and the gladness is not seen. (And see also what is written on the verse “I will greatly rejoice, etc.; my soul will exult, etc.”; and see also what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And it was, when Pharaoh sent.”)

Explanation

“The children of Zion will exult (yagilu) in their King”: before a king, awe keeps the joy inside, and the gladness does not show (the printed החצוה apparently reads החדוה, “the gladness”). The parenthesis refers to the discourse on “I will greatly rejoice” and to a Torah Ohr discourse on Beshalach.

Paragraph 8 in brief

Section 4 explains that Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah bring down the crown of Torah, which is higher than the revealed “face” of Sukkos, and that the acceptance of G‑d's kingship is gathered and kept for the year, with a joy so deep that it is inward gilah rather than outward simchah.

Deeper

The progression of the maamar is now clear: Rosh Hashanah is concealment, Yom Kippur and Sukkos are the revelation of the inner face, and Shemini Atzeres reaches Keser, the crown above the face. The same verse, “He has raised up a horn for His people ... the people near to Him,” supplies both the exaltation and its reason.

Marei mekomos

1
How it connects
Kehot’s note points to Nehemiah 8:18 for these words.
The source
Nehemiah 8:18נחמיה ח׳:י״חSefaria (opens in a new tab)
17… בַסֻּכּוֹת כִּי לֹא־עָשׂוּ מִימֵי יֵשׁוּעַ בִּן־נוּן כֵּן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד הַיּוֹם הַהוּא וַתְּהִי שִׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד: 18וַיִּקְרָא בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרַת הָאֱלֹקִים יוֹם בְּיוֹם מִן־הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן עַד הַיּוֹם הָאַחֲרוֹן וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־חָג שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת כַּמִּשְׁפָּט:
17… that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. 18Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days;
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
2
How it connects
The verse of Shemini Atzeres, now explained in its own right.our note
The source
Numbers 29:35במדבר כ״ט:ל״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)
34וּשְׂעִיר חַטָּאת אֶחָד מִלְּבַד עֹלַת הַתָּמִיד מִנְחָתָהּ וְנִסְכָּהּ: 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:
34and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 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 …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
3
On the words
כתר תורה
How it connects
The note points to a Torah Ohr passage that explains the phrase “the crown of Torah,” the central idea of this section.our note
Where the note points
Torah Ohrתורה אור
69b, in the explanation of “the crown of Torah” · not yet checked
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Torah Ohr, Yisro, maamar 4בתו״א סט, ב
page 69b, ¶9
בי״ע לאצילות כי שמים כעשן נמלחו כו׳ שמים חדשים וארץ חדשה. שמים חדשים רזין דאורייתא כו׳. דהיינו שלא יהי׳ פנימית ומקיפים דבי״ע כ״א דאצי׳.
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
אבות ד, יג. וראה בתו״א סט, ב בפי׳ כתר תורה.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
4
On the words
כתר תורה
How it connects
Rabbi Shimon's teaching that there are three crowns, the crown of Torah, of priesthood and of kingship. Here it establishes the Torah as a crown.our note
The source
Pirkei Avot 4:13משנה אבות ד׳:י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בַּתַּלְמוּד, שֶׁשִּׁגְגַת תַּלְמוּד עוֹלָה זָדוֹן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁלשָׁה כְתָרִים הֵם, כֶּתֶר תּוֹרָה וְכֶתֶר כְּהֻנָּה וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְכֶתֶר שֵׁם טוֹב עוֹלֶה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן:
Rabbi Judah said: be careful in study, for an error in study counts as deliberate sin. Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty, but the crown of a good name supersedes them all.
Hebrew: Torat Emet 357 (Public Domain) · English: Mishnah Yomit by Dr. Joshua Kulp (CC-BY) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
5
On the words
תרי״ג . . וז׳ דרבנן . . תר״ך
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
פרדס ש״ח, פ״ג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
6
On the words
דאשתמש בתגא חלף
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
אבות א, יג.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
7
On the words
דאשתמש בתגא חלף
How it connects
Hillel's saying, “one who makes use of the crown passes away.” The Talmud explains that it refers to one who uses a Torah scholar.our note
The source
Pirkei Avot 1:13משנה אבות א׳:י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, נָגֵד שְׁמָא, אָבֵד שְׁמֵהּ. וּדְלֹא מוֹסִיף, יָסֵף. וּדְלֹא יָלֵיף, קְטָלָא חַיָּב. וּדְאִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּתָגָא, חָלֵף:
He [also] used to say: one who makes his name great causes his name to be destroyed; one who does not add [to his knowledge] causes [it] to cease; one who does not study [the Torah] deserves death; one who makes [unworthy] use of the crown [of learning] shall pass away.
Hebrew: Torat Emet 357 (Public Domain) · English: Mishnah Yomit by Dr. Joshua Kulp (CC-BY) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
8
On the words
זה המשתמש במי ששונה הלכות
How it connects
The Talmud interprets the crown as one who studies halachos, which it calls “the crown of the King.”our note
The source
Megillah 28b:14–15מגילה כ״ח ב:י״ד-ט״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)
תְּנַן הָתָם: וּדְאִשְׁתַּמַּשׁ בְּתָגָא — חָלֵף. תָּנֵי רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: זֶה הַמִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּמִי שֶׁשּׁוֹנֶה הֲלָכוֹת כִּתְרָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה. וְאָמַר עוּלָּא: לִשְׁתַּמַּשׁ אִינִישׁ בְּמַאן דְּתָנֵי אַרְבְּעָה, וְלָא לִשְׁתַּמַּשׁ בְּמַאן דְּמַתְנֵי אַרְבְּעָה. כִּי הָא דְּרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ הֲוָה אָזֵיל בְּאוֹרְחָא מְטָא עוּרְקְמָא דְמַיָּא, אֲתָא הָהוּא גַּבְרָא אַרְכְּבֵיהּ אַכַּתְפֵּיהּ וְקָא מְעַבַּר לֵקהּ. אֲמַר לֵקהּ: קְרֵית? אֲמַר לֵקהּ: קָרֵינָא. תְּנֵית? תָּנֵינָא אַרְבָּעָה סִידְרֵי מִשְׁנָה. אֲמַר לֵקהּ: פְּסַלְתְּ לָךְ אַרְבְּעָה טוּרֵי וְטָעֲנַתְּ בַּר לָקִישׁ אַכַּתְפָּךְ?! שְׁדִי בַּר לָקִישָׁא …
We have learned in another place: Whoever makes use of a crown, passes away [from the world] and Resh Lakish taught: This applies to one who accepts service from one who can repeat halakhoth, the crown of Torah. And Ulla said One may accept service from one who can repeat the four [orders of the Mishnah] but not from one who can [also] teach them. As in the following story of Resh Lakish, who was once traveling along a road when he came to a pool of water, and a man came up and put him on his shoulders and began taking him across. He said to the man: Can you read the Scriptures? He answered: I can read. Can you recite the Mishnah? [He replied]: I can recite four orders of the Mishnah. Resh …
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · English: Daf Shevui (CC0) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
מגילה כח, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
9
How it connects
“Let them bring royal garments.” The opening words of a discourse the Alter Rebbe refers to on the king giving his own crown.our note
The source
Esther 6:8אסתר ו׳:ח׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
7וַיֹּאמֶר הָמָן אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ: 8יָבִיאוּ לְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת אֲשֶׁר לָבַשׁ־בּוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ וְסוּס אֲשֶׁר רָכַב עָלָיו הַמֶּלֶךְ וַאֲשֶׁר נִתַּן כֶּתֶר מַלְכוּת בְּרֹאשׁוֹ: 9וְנָתוֹן הַלְּבוּשׁ וְהַסּוּס עַל־יַד־אִישׁ מִשָּׂרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַפַּרְתְּמִים וְהִלְבִּישׁוּ אֶת־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ וְהִרְכִּיבֻהוּ עַל־הַסּוּס בִּרְחוֹב …
7And Haman said unto the king: ‘For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, 8let royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and on whose head a crown royal is set; 9and let the apparel and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
10
On the words
וירם קרן
How it connects
“He has raised up a horn for His people ... the people near to Him.” The maamar reads it as the exaltation of the crown of Torah, given because Israel are near to G‑d.our note
The source
Psalms 148:14תהילים קמ״ח:י״דSefaria (opens in a new tab)
13יְהַלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם ה׳ כִּי־נִשְׂגָּב שְׁמוֹ לְבַדּוֹ הוֹדוֹ עַל־אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם: 14וַיָּרֶם קֶרֶן לְעַמּוֹ תְּהִלָּה לְכׇל־חֲסִידָיו לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַם קְרֹבוֹ הַלְלוּ־קָהּ:
13… the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven. 14And He hath lifted up a horn for His people, A praise for all His saints, Even for the children of Israel, a people near unto Him. Hallelujah.
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים קמח, יד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
11
On the words
ויכתוב משה
How it connects
“And Moshe wrote their goings out,” the verse of a discourse cited here for the idea that the light of G‑d's face is His seal of truth.our note
The source
Numbers 33:2במדבר ל״ג:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְצִבְאֹתָם בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן: 2וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֶת־מוֹצָאֵיהֶם לְמַסְעֵיהֶם עַל־פִּי ה׳ וְאֵלֶּה מַסְעֵיהֶם לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶם: 3וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרַעְמְסֵס בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן מִמׇּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח יָצְאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיָד רָמָה לְעֵינֵי כׇּל־מִצְרָיִם:
1… out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2And Moses wrote their goings forth, stage by stage, by the commandment of the LORD; and these are their stages at their goings forth. 3And they journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first …
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.
12
On the words
וכמ״ש במ״א ע״פ צדקת פרזונו
How it connects
The discourse on “The righteous acts of His open cities” that the Alter Rebbe mentions here is printed there.our note
Where the note points
Sefer HaMaamarim 5565ספר המאמרים תקס״ה
vol. 2, p. 989
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
סה״מ תקס״ה ח״ב ע׳ תתקפט.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
13
How it connects
“The righteous acts of His open cities.” The verse of a discourse cited for the level above the seal.our note
The source
Judges 5:11שופטים ה׳:י״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)
10רֹכְבֵי אֲתֹנוֹת צְחֹרוֹת יֹשְׁבֵי עַל־מִדִּין וְהֹלְכֵי עַל־דֶּרֶךְ שִׂיחוּ: 11מִקּוֹל מְחַצְצִים בֵּין מַשְׁאַבִּים שָׁם יְתַנּוּ צִדְקוֹת Havayah צִדְקֹת פִּרְזוֹנוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אָז יָרְדוּ לַשְּׁעָרִים עַם־Havayah 12עוּרִי עוּרִי דְּבוֹרָה עוּרִי עוּרִי דַּבְּרִי־שִׁיר קוּם בָּרָק וּשְׁבֵה שֶׁבְיְךָ בֶּן־אֲבִינֹעַם:
10… Ye that sit on rich cloths, And ye that walk by the way, tell of it; 11Louder than the voice of archers, by the watering-troughs! There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, Even the righteous acts of His rulers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates. 12Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song; Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
14
On the words
בד״ה בכ״ה בכסלו
How it connects
The Chanukah discourse in Torah Ohr that explains the “helmet of salvation” as drawing down the splendor of the countenance.our note
Where the note points
Torah Ohrתורה אור
29d (Vayeishev, Chanukah, “On the twenty-fifth of Kislev”) · not yet checked
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Torah Ohr, Vayeishev, maamar 4תו״א כט, ד
page 29d, ¶27
חיצוניות הלב אינה ברשותו אבל פנימי׳ הלב היא מתאחדת ממש עם המוח. ומחמת הצדקה נעשה בחי׳ ריח המשיב את הנפש ומאיר גילוי המוח להתאחד בפנימית הלב. וזהו שמן וקטורת ישמח לב. זה הקב״ה דכתיב צור לבבי. דכמו שהלב ממשיך חיות לכל האיברים. כך הנה כתיב ואתה מחיה את כלם.
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Kehot’s note
תו״א כט, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
15
On the words
כובע ישועה
How it connects
G‑d puts on “a helmet of salvation” on His head. It is identified here with the crown, the source of the splendor of the countenance.our note
The source
Isaiah 59:17ישעיהו נ״ט:י״זSefaria (opens in a new tab)
16וַיַּרְא כִּי־אֵין אִישׁ וַיִּשְׁתּוֹמֵם כִּי אֵין מַפְגִּיעַ וַתּוֹשַׁע־לוֹ זְרֹעוֹ וְצִדְקָתוֹ הִיא סְמָכָתְהוּ: 17וַיִּלְבַּשׁ צְדָקָה כַּשִּׁרְיָן וְכוֹבַע יְשׁוּעָה בְּרֹאשׁוֹ וַיִּלְבַּשׁ בִּגְדֵי נָקָם תִּלְבֹּשֶׁת וַיַּעַט כַּמְעִיל קִנְאָה: 18כְּעַל גְּמֻלוֹת כְּעַל יְשַׁלֵּם חֵמָה לְצָרָיו גְּמוּל לְאֹיְבָיו לָאִיִּים גְּמוּל יְשַׁלֵּם:
16… no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation unto Him; And His righteousness, it sustained Him; 17And He put on righteousness as a coat of mail, And a helmet of salvation upon His head, And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. 18According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; …
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.
16
On the words
עטרת תפארת שיבה
How it connects
“Old age is a crown of glory.” The word ateres, crown, links the helmet of salvation with Keser.our note
The source
Proverbs 16:31משלי ט״ז:ל״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)
30עֹצֶה עֵינָיו לַחְשֹׁב תַּהְפֻּכוֹת קֹרֵץ שְׂפָתָיו כִּלָּה רָעָה: 31עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת שֵׂיבָה בְּדֶרֶךְ צְדָקָה תִּמָּצֵא: 32טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמֹשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר:
30… eyes, it is to devise froward things; He that biteth his lips bringeth evil to pass. 31The hoary head is a crown of glory, It is found in the way of righteousness. 32He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
משלי טז, לא.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
17
On the words
וזהו עצרת תהי׳ לכם . . כמ״ש שום תשים עליך מלך
How it connects
This passage, reading atzeres as the gathering of the acceptance of G‑d's kingship for the year, is quoted in a note to that talk.our note
Where the note points
Sichah of the night of Simchas Torah 5734שיחת ליל שמחת תורה תשל״ד
note 11
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Kehot’s note
מובא משיחת ליל שמח״ת תשל״ד הערה 11.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
18
On the words
שום תשים עליך מלך
How it connects
“You shall surely set a king over yourself.” Applied here to accepting G‑d's kingship through Torah and mitzvos.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 17:15דברים י״ז:ט״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)
14כִּי־תָבֹא אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשַׁבְתָּה בָּהּ וְאָמַרְתָּ אָשִׂימָה עָלַי מֶלֶךְ כְּכׇל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹתָי: 15שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בּוֹ מִקֶּרֶב אַחֶיךָ תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ לֹא תוּכַל לָתֵת עָלֶיךָ אִישׁ נׇכְרִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא־אָחִיךָ הוּא: 16רַק לֹא־יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ סוּסִים וְלֹא־יָשִׁיב אֶת־הָעָם מִצְרַיְמָה לְמַעַן הַרְבּוֹת סוּס וַה׳ אָמַר לָכֶם לֹא תֹסִפוּן לָשׁוּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה עוֹד:
14… ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me’; 15thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother. 16Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
דברים יז, טו.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
19
On the words
וע׳ בזהר אמור דצ״ו סע״ב
How it connects
The text itself refers to the end of Zohar 3:96b, in Parshas Emor, which speaks of the festivals and Shemini Atzeres.our note
The source
Zohar, Emor 31:147–32:155ספר הזהר, אמור ל״א:קמ״ז-ל״ב:קנ״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
20
On the words
ביום השמיני שלח
How it connects
“On the eighth day he sent the people away,” at the dedication of Solomon's Temple; the verse of a later discourse on Shemini Atzeres.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.
21
On the words
בני ציון יגילו במלכם
How it connects
“The children of Zion will exult in their King.” The joy before a king is gilah, held within out of awe.our note
The source
Psalms 149:2תהילים קמ״ט:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1הַלְלוּ־קָהּ שִׁירוּ לַHavayah שִׁיר חָדָשׁ תְּהִלָּתוֹ בִּקְהַל חֲסִידִים: 2יִשְׂמַח יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֹשָׂיו בְּנֵי־צִיּוֹן יָגִילוּ בְמַלְכָּם: 3יְהַלְלוּ שְׁמוֹ בְמָחוֹל בְּתֹף וְכִנּוֹר יְזַמְּרוּ־לוֹ:
1Hallelujah. Sing unto the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of the saints. 2Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 3Let them praise His name in the dance; Let them sing praises unto Him with the …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
תהלים קמט, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
22
On the words
שוש אשיש כו׳ תגל נפשי
How it connects
“I will greatly rejoice in G‑d; my soul will exult in my G‑d.” The verse of the discourse that distinguishes simchah from gilah.our note
The source
Isaiah 61:10ישעיהו ס״א:י׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
9וְנוֹדַע בַּגּוֹיִם זַרְעָם וְצֶאֱצָאֵיהֶם בְּתוֹךְ הָעַמִּים כׇּל־רֹאֵיהֶם יַכִּירוּם כִּי הֵם זֶרַע בֵּרַךְ ה׳ 10שׂוֹשׂ אָשִׂישׂ בַּה׳ תָּגֵל נַפְשִׁי בֵּאלֹקַי כִּי הִלְבִּישַׁנִי בִּגְדֵי־יֶשַׁע מְעִיל צְדָקָה יְעָטָנִי כֶּחָתָן יְכַהֵן פְּאֵר וְכַכַּלָּה תַּעְדֶּה כֵלֶיהָ: 11כִּי כָאָרֶץ תּוֹצִיא צִמְחָהּ וּכְגַנָּה זֵרוּעֶיהָ תַצְמִיחַ כֵּן אֲדֹ־נָי ה׳ יַצְמִיחַ צְדָקָה וּתְהִלָּה נֶגֶד כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִם:
9… that see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. 10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of victory, As a bridegroom putteth on a priestly diadem, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11For as the earth bringeth forth her growth, And as the garden causeth the things that …
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.
23
On the words
ויהי בשלח פרעה
How it connects
The opening of Parshas Beshalach, the verse of the Torah Ohr discourse cited here.our note
The source
Exodus 13:17שמות י״ג:י״זSefaria (opens in a new tab)
16וְהָיָה לְאוֹת עַל־יָדְכָה וּלְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ כִּי בְּחֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיאָנוּ Havayah מִמִּצְרָיִם: 17וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת־הָעָם וְלֹא־נָחָם אֱלֹקִים דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא כִּי אָמַר אֱלֹקִים פֶּן־יִנָּחֵם הָעָם בִּרְאֹתָם מִלְחָמָה וְשָׁבוּ מִצְרָיְמָה: 18וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹקִים אֶת־הָעָם דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר יַם־סוּף וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם:
16… between your eyes; for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.’ 17And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: 'Lest the people regret when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’ 18But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; …
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.
24
On the words
ואמת שנק׳ חותמו של הקב״ה
How it connects
The Talmud teaches that the seal of the Holy One, blessed be He, is truth. A seal is only an impression of the essence, which is why Shemini Atzeres reaches above it.our note
The source
Shabbat 55a:12–13שבת נ״ה א:י״ב-י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
וְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר: ״תָּיו״ — סוֹף חוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: חוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא ״אֱמֶת״. (אָמַר) רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי [אָמַר]: אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁקִּיְּמוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ מֵאָלֶף וְעַד תָּיו. מֵאֵימָתַי תַּמָּה זְכוּת אָבוֹת? אָמַר רַב: מִימוֹת הוֹשֵׁעַ בֶּן בְּאֵרִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אֲגַלֶּה אֶת נַבְלֻתָהּ לְעֵינֵי מְאַהֲבֶיהָ וְאִישׁ לֹא יַצִּילֶנָּה מִיָּדִי״.
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
שבת נה, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
25
On the words
סד״ה ויהי בשלח
How it connects
The end of that Torah Ohr discourse is cited for the distinction between outward and inward joy.our note
Where the note points
Torah Ohrתורה אור
61d (Beshalach, “And it was, when Pharaoh sent”) · not yet checked
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Torah Ohr, Beshalach, maamar 1תו״א סא, ד
page 61d, ¶15
פיו כרצונו לדבר מה שלבו חפץ והיא שמחה של הוללות לאמר שפתינו אתנו כו׳. ואין מעצור לרוחו. ולכן נק׳ קליפה כי כמו שהקליפה מכסה ומסתרת על הפרי שנראית כמו שהוא עיקר הפרי כך השמחה של הוללות מכסה ומסתרת על אור ה׳ שבה להיות יש ודבר בפני עצמו הפך רוחניות וחיות אלהי שבקרבה לשמוח בה׳ אלהים חיים מחמת הבטול במציאות אליו ית׳.
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Kehot’s note
תו״א סא, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.

9וזהו וכל הלבבות ייראוך1 וכל קרב וכליות יזמרו לשמך מחמת שהלבבות ייראוך ומקבלים עול מלכותך עליהם אין שמחה וזמר רק בקרבו וכליות לבד (ועמ״ש מזה בפ׳ ואתחנן ע״פ וידעת היום)2

And this is “And all hearts shall fear You, and all innards and kidneys shall sing to Your Name”: because the hearts fear You and accept Your kingship upon themselves, there is joy and song only in the innards and kidneys. (See also what is written on this in Parshas Va'eschanan, on the verse “And you shall know this day.”)

Explanation

The Nishmas prayer says the hearts will fear G‑d while the innards and kidneys sing. Because the heart is filled with awe of the King, the joy and song are hidden deep inside, in the “innards and kidneys,” not openly expressed.

וזהו עצרת שנקלטת ומסתתרת השמחה וגילה בתוך בחי׳ אימת עול מלכות שמים שמקבל עליו כל השנה לקיום תר״ך מצות המלך באהבה וברצון

And this is atzeres: that the joy and gilah are absorbed and hidden within the level of the awe of the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven, which one accepts upon oneself for the whole year, to fulfill the 620 commandments of the King with love and good will.

Explanation

That is atzeres, “holding in”: the joy is absorbed within the awe of accepting G‑d's kingship, the yoke one takes on for the whole year, to keep all 620 commandments with love and willingness.

(והמשכת היראה מבחי׳ כתר תורה יובן עוד ממ״ש בפ׳ מקץ בביאור ע״פ כי אתה נרי.3 וגבי שבועות בד״ה וידבר אלקים4 כו׳. וממ״ש בד״ה תקעו בחדש5 בפי׳ כי עמך הסליחה למען תורא.6

(And the drawing down of awe from the level of the crown of Torah will be understood further from what is written in Parshas Mikeitz, in the explanation of the verse “For You are my lamp,” and regarding Shavuos, in the discourse beginning “And G‑d spoke, etc.,” and from what is written in the discourse beginning “Blow the shofar on the new moon,” in the explanation of “For with You is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.”

Explanation

The parenthesis explains how awe, not only joy, flows from the crown of Torah, pointing to discourses on “For You are my lamp,” on the Giving of the Torah, and on “with You is forgiveness, so that You may be feared,” where forgiveness itself leads to awe.

והנה צ״ל דלעיל ע״פ שוש אשיש נתבאר דבחי׳ גילה תגל נפשי זהו בחינת ראש השנה. אך המעיין בזהר) (פ׳ פנחס דרי״ד ע״ב)7 יבין הענין

Now, it must be explained: above, on the verse “I will greatly rejoice,” it was explained that the level of gilah, “my soul will exult,” is the level of Rosh Hashanah. But one who studies the Zohar) (Parshas Pinchas, folio 214b) will understand the matter:

Explanation

A difficulty: the earlier discourse on “I will greatly rejoice” identified gilah, inward joy, with Rosh Hashanah, while here it is identified with Shemini Atzeres. The Zohar resolves it.

כי לפי דבעשי״ת הוא בחינת שמאלו תחת לראשי8 מזה נמשך חרדה ויראה להיות גילו ברעדה9 ובסוכות לפי שהוא בחינת ימינו תחבקני ע״כ הוא בחי׳ שוש אשיש10 ושמחה

for since the Ten Days of Teshuvah are the level of “His left hand is under my head,” from this there is drawn trembling and awe, so that it is “exult with trembling”; and Sukkos, since it is the level of “and His right hand embraces me,” is therefore the level of “I will greatly rejoice” and simchah.

Explanation

During the Ten Days of Teshuvah G‑d's “left hand,” severity, is under our head, so the inner joy is mixed with trembling: “exult with trembling.” On Sukkos His “right hand,” kindness, embraces us, so the joy is revealed simchah.

אמנם שמיני עצרת דהא כדין זיווגא דגופא הוא בחי׳ תפארת וכולל חו״ג שהן תרין דרועין וכמ״ש בזהר תרומה (קע״ה ב׳)

But Shemini Atzeres, since then is the union of the body (zivuga degufa), is the level of Tiferes, which includes Chesed and Gevurah, which are the two arms, as is written in the Zohar, Terumah (175b),

Explanation

On Shemini Atzeres comes a deeper union, at the level of Tiferes, “the body,” which includes both arms, Chesed and Gevurah.

דאחיד להאי ואחיד להאי וע״כ מצד היותו כולל ב׳ הבחי׳ יחד השמחה היא בחי׳ גילה כו׳ כענין וכל הלבבות ייראוך וכל קרב וכליות יזמרו לשמך וכנ״ל

that it “holds on to this one and holds on to that one.” And therefore, because it includes the two levels together, the joy is the level of gilah, etc., like “And all hearts shall fear You, and all innards and kidneys shall sing to Your Name,” as mentioned above.

Explanation

Because Tiferes holds both sides together, the joy of Shemini Atzeres is gilah that includes awe: the heart fears while the innermost self sings. So gilah on Rosh Hashanah comes from awe alone, while on Shemini Atzeres it includes both awe and love.

(ועיין בזהר ח״א ס״ד ב׳11 מענין ביום השע״צ ודף ר״ח ב׳ ובסוף ח״א סס״י כ״ד וכ״ה. ח״ב קל״ה א׳ ח״ג צ״ו ב׳ ק״ד ב׳ רנ״ט ב׳ וד׳ רי״ד ע״ב):12

(And see the Zohar, Part I, 64b, on the matter of “On the day of Shemini Atzeres,” and folio 208b; and at the end of Part I, sections 24 and 25; Part II, 135a; Part III, 96b, 104b, 259b, and folio 214b.)

Explanation

The Alter Rebbe lists further places in the Zohar that discuss Shemini Atzeres and these themes.

Paragraph 9 in brief

The paragraph defines the joy of Shemini Atzeres as inward gilah held within the awe of G‑d's kingship, and reconciles this with the link of gilah to Rosh Hashanah: Shemini Atzeres, as Tiferes, unites the awe of the left with the love of the right.

Deeper

The three stages follow the Song of Songs verse: the left hand under the head (Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days), the right hand's embrace (Sukkos), and the full union of the “body,” Tiferes (Shemini Atzeres), which includes both.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
וכל הלבבות ייראוך
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
תפלת נשמת.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
2
On the words
וידעת היום
How it connects
“And you shall know this day,” the verse of a discourse in Va'eschanan cited on the hidden joy.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 4:39דברים ד׳:ל״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)
38לְהוֹרִישׁ גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִמְּךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ לַהֲבִיאֲךָ לָתֶת־לְךָ אֶת־אַרְצָם נַחֲלָה כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה: 39וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ אֶל־לְבָבֶךָ כִּי ה׳ הוּא הָאֱלֹקִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְעַל־הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת אֵין עוֹד: 40וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת־חֻקָּיו וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתָיו אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לְךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ וּלְמַעַן תַּאֲרִיךְ יָמִים עַל־הָאֲדָמָה …
38… bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day; 39know this day, and lay it to thy heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else. 40And thou shalt keep His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that …
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
כי אתה נרי
How it connects
“For You are my lamp, G‑d,” the verse of a discourse in Mikeitz cited on awe drawn from the crown of Torah.our note
The source
II Samuel 22:29שמואל ב כ״ב:כ״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)
28וְאֶת־עַם עָנִי תּוֹשִׁיעַ וְעֵינֶיךָ עַל־רָמִים תַּשְׁפִּיל: 29כִּי־אַתָּה נֵירִי Havayah וַHavayah יַגִּיהַּ חׇשְׁכִּי: 30כִּי בְכָה אָרוּץ גְּדוּד בֵּאלֹקַי אֲדַלֶּג־שׁוּר:
28… people Thou dost save; But Thine eyes are upon the haughty, that Thou mayest humble them. 29For Thou art my lamp, O LORD; And the LORD doth lighten my darkness. 30For by Thee I run upon a troop; By my God do I scale a wall.
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
וידבר אלקים
How it connects
“And G‑d spoke all these words,” the verse of the Shavuos discourse cited here.our note
The source
Exodus 20:1שמות כ׳:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹקִים אֵת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֵאמֹר: 2אָנֹכִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִ͏ים:
1And God spoke all these words, saying: 2I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out …
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
תקעו בחדש
How it connects
“Blow the shofar on the new moon,” the verse of the Rosh Hashanah discourse cited here.our note
The source
Psalms 81:4תהילים פ״א:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
3שְׂאוּ־זִמְרָה וּתְנוּ־תֹף כִּנּוֹר נָעִים עִם־נָבֶל: 4תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ: 5כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב:
3Take up the melody, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the psaltery. 4Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon for our feast-day. 5For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
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
כי עמך הסליחה למען תורא
How it connects
“For with You is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.” Forgiveness leads to awe, the idea cited here.our note
The source
Psalms 130:4תהילים ק״ל:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
3אִם־עֲוֺנוֹת תִּשְׁמׇר־קָהּ אֲדֹ־נָי מִי יַעֲמֹד: 4כִּי־עִמְּךָ הַסְּלִיחָה לְמַעַן תִּוָּרֵא: 5קִוִּיתִי ה׳ קִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי וְלִדְבָרוֹ הוֹחָלְתִּי:
3If Thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4For with Thee there is forgiveness, that Thou mayest be feared. 5I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.
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
(פ׳ פנחס דרי״ד ע״ב)
How it connects
The Zohar passage in Pinchas that the text itself cites to resolve the question about gilah.our note
The source
Zohar, Pinchas 7:26–9:34ספר הזהר, פנחס ז׳:כ״ו-ט׳:ל״דSefaria (opens in a new tab)
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
8
On the words
שמאלו תחת לראשי
How it connects
“His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.” The left is the days of awe, the right is 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.
9
On the words
גילו ברעדה
How it connects
“Exult with trembling.” The inward joy of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, mixed with awe.our note
The source
Psalms 2:11תהילים ב׳:י״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)
10וְעַתָּה מְלָכִים הַשְׂכִּילוּ הִוָּסְרוּ שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ: 11עִבְדוּ אֶת־ה׳ בְּיִרְאָה וְגִילוּ בִּרְעָדָה: 12נַשְּׁקוּ־בַר פֶּן־יֶאֱנַף וְתֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ כִּי־יִבְעַר כִּמְעַט אַפּוֹ אַשְׁרֵי כׇּל־חוֹסֵי בוֹ:
10Now therefore, O ye kings, be wise; be admonished, ye judges of the earth. 11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12Do homage in purity, lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way, when suddenly …
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
שוש אשיש
How it connects
The verse of the earlier discourse that linked gilah with Rosh Hashanah.our note
The source
Isaiah 61:10ישעיהו ס״א:י׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
9וְנוֹדַע בַּגּוֹיִם זַרְעָם וְצֶאֱצָאֵיהֶם בְּתוֹךְ הָעַמִּים כׇּל־רֹאֵיהֶם יַכִּירוּם כִּי הֵם זֶרַע בֵּרַךְ ה׳ 10שׂוֹשׂ אָשִׂישׂ בַּה׳ תָּגֵל נַפְשִׁי בֵּאלֹקַי כִּי הִלְבִּישַׁנִי בִּגְדֵי־יֶשַׁע מְעִיל צְדָקָה יְעָטָנִי כֶּחָתָן יְכַהֵן פְּאֵר וְכַכַּלָּה תַּעְדֶּה כֵלֶיהָ: 11כִּי כָאָרֶץ תּוֹצִיא צִמְחָהּ וּכְגַנָּה זֵרוּעֶיהָ תַצְמִיחַ כֵּן אֲדֹ־נָי ה׳ יַצְמִיחַ צְדָקָה וּתְהִלָּה נֶגֶד כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִם:
9… that see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. 10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of victory, As a bridegroom putteth on a priestly diadem, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11For as the earth bringeth forth her growth, And as the garden causeth the things that …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ישעי׳ סא, י.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
11
On the words
ועיין בזהר ח״א ס״ד ב׳
How it connects
The text itself cites this Zohar passage on “the day of Shemini Atzeres.”our note
The source
Zohar, Noach 14:110–15:121ספר הזהר, נח י״ד:ק״י-ט״ו:קכ״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
12
How it connects
Kehot’s note points to Zohar, Terumah 94:908–96:918 for these words.
The source
Zohar, Terumah 94:908–96:918ספר הזהר, תרומה צ״ד:תתק״ח-צ״ו:תתקי״חSefaria (opens in a new tab)

Abridgment ¶10–16

10קיצור ע״פ ביום השמע״צ כו׳ ובכל המועדים

An abridgment on [the verse] “On the eighth day, an atzeres, etc.,” [beginning] “And regarding all the festivals.”

Explanation

Here begins a kitzur, an abridgment of this discourse, giving its main points in brief, with some additions.

Paragraph 10 in brief

A heading introducing the abridgment of the maamar.

11(א) פירוש בן חכם ישמח אב1 כשהבן מבין שההסתר שאביו מסתיר א״ע ממנו הוא רק בכדי שיחפשנו.

(1) The explanation of “A wise son makes a father rejoice”: when the son understands that the hiding in which his father hides himself from him is only so that he will search for him.

Explanation

Point (1) of the abridgment restates the parable: the wise son understands that his father hides only so that the son will search for him.

וזהו בכסא ר״ה2 יום הדין והוא ענין הנסירה בר״ה3 שהוא הסתלקות פנימיות המוחין4 מהמדות. אבל כוונת ההתכסות בשביל ליום חגנו הוא הגילוי בחג הסוכות

And this is “in the concealment”: Rosh Hashanah, the day of judgment. And this is the matter of the nesirah (sawing apart) on Rosh Hashanah, which is the withdrawal of the inner dimension of the intellect (mochin) from the emotive attributes (middos). But the purpose of the covering, “for the day of our festival,” is the revelation on the festival of Sukkos,

Explanation

The abridgment adds the Kabbalistic term nesirah, the “sawing apart” on Rosh Hashanah, when the inner intellect (mochin) withdraws from the emotive attributes (middos) of Z'eir Anpin. That withdrawal is the concealment, and its purpose is the revelation of Sukkos.

והיינו ע״י שמחפשים ומבקשים פניו בעשי״ת וזהו ישמח אב שמביאים שמחה בהקב״ה כמ״ש חג לה׳.5

that is, through searching for and seeking His face during the Ten Days of Teshuvah. And this is “makes a father rejoice”: that [we] bring joy to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, “a festival to G‑d.”

Explanation

The revelation comes through our seeking G‑d's face in the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and that is the joy we bring to the “Father,” a “festival to G‑d.”

ועל דרך זה נאמר וחכיתי לה׳ המסתיר פניו6 מבית יעקב:(ב) והגורם ההסתר הוא בחינת עוונותיכם מבדילים7 שלגבי בחי׳ הגילוי מפנימיות זהו מסך מבדיל וכעין משארז״ל בענין אור שנברא8 ביום ראשון וכיון שנסתכל במעשה כו׳

And in this way it is said, “And I will wait for G‑d, who hides His face from the house of Yaakov.” (2) And what causes the hiding is the level of “your iniquities separate”: relative to the level of revelation from the inner dimension, this is a separating screen. It is something like what our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding the light that was created on the first day: since He looked at the deeds, etc.,

Explanation

Isaiah's “I will wait for G‑d, who hides His face” expresses the same waiting and seeking. Point (2): sin is a screen that blocks only the revelation of the inner dimension, like the primordial light of the first day, which G‑d hid when He saw that the wicked would misuse it.

עמד וגנזו מהן ומעין זה יובן בגילוי פנימיות. שצ״ל ע״ד פנים בפנים9 דבר שגם באדם יש חיצוניות ופנימיות.

He arose and hid it away from them. And something similar will be understood regarding the revelation of the inner dimension. For it must be in the manner of “Face to face He spoke”: that in a person, too, there are an outer dimension and an inner dimension.

Explanation

As that light was hidden, not destroyed, so too the inner light is hidden because of sin. “Face to face” teaches that man too has an inner and outer dimension, and G‑d's inner dimension answers man's.

Paragraph 11 in brief

The abridgment restates the first two sections: the concealment of Rosh Hashanah (the nesirah) exists for the sake of the revelation and joy of Sukkos, and sin hides only G‑d's inner light, as the primordial light was hidden away.

Deeper

Nesirah, “sawing,” is the Arizal's term for the separation on Rosh Hashanah of Malchus from Z'eir Anpin so that she can be rebuilt face to face; the abridgment describes it here as the withdrawal of the inner mochin, the concealment the maamar speaks of.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
בן חכם ישמח אב
How it connects
“A wise son makes a father rejoice,” the parable of the whole maamar.our note
The source
Proverbs 10:1משלי י׳:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה בֵּן חָכָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָב וּבֵן כְּסִיל תּוּגַת אִמּוֹ: 2לֹא־יוֹעִילוּ אוֹצְרוֹת רֶשַׁע וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת:
1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the grief of his mother. 2Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivereth from death.
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
בכסא ר״ה
How it connects
“In the concealment, for the day of our festival”: Rosh Hashanah's concealment exists for Sukkos.our note
The source
Psalms 81:4תהילים פ״א:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
3שְׂאוּ־זִמְרָה וּתְנוּ־תֹף כִּנּוֹר נָעִים עִם־נָבֶל: 4תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ: 5כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב:
3Take up the melody, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the psaltery. 4Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon for our feast-day. 5For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
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
והוא ענין הנסירה בר״ה
How it connects
That letter discusses the nesirah of Rosh Hashanah, the concept the abridgment introduces here.our note
Where the note points
Tanyaתניא
Iggeres HaKodesh, §14
לעורר את האהבה הישנה וחבת ארץ הקודש, להיות בוערת כרשפי אש מקרב איש ולב עמוק, כאלו היום ממש נתן ה׳ רוחו עלינו, רוח נדיבה, בהתנדב עם למלאות ידם לה׳, ביד מלאה ורחבה, בריבוי אחר ריבוי, מדי שנה בשנה, הולך ועולה למעלה ראש, כמדת ״קדש העליון״ המאיר לארץ הקודש, המתחדש ומתרבה תמיד, כדכתיב: ״תמיד עיני ה׳ אלהיך בה, מרשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה״; דהאי ״ועד אחרית כו׳״ אינו מובן לכאורה, שהרי באחרית שנה זו מתחלת שנה שניה, ואם כן הוה ליה למימר ״לעולם ועד״? אך הענין יובן, על פי מה שכתוב: ״ה׳ בחכמה יסד ארץ״, שיסוד ה״ארץ העליונה״ – היא בחינת ״ממלא כל עלמין״, והתחתונה – היא ״ארץ חפץ״ המכוונת כנגדה ממש ונקראת על שמה ״ארץ החיים״, הנה הוא נמשך מהמשכת והארת חכמה עילאה, מקור החיים העליונים, כדכתיב: ״החכמה תחיה בעליה …
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
וע׳ בסש״ב באגה״ק סי׳ יד). וש״נ. [כ].
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
4
On the words
הסתלקות פנימיות המוחין
How it connects
The note points to discussions there of the withdrawal of the inner mochin on Rosh Hashanah; the first is next to the Or HaTorah passage cited earlier on seeking G‑d's face.our note
Where the note points
Or HaTorah, by the Tzemach Tzedekאור התורה
Nach, vol. 2, p. 923; and the volume abbreviated למג״א, p. 2301
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
ראה אוה״ת נ״ך כרך ב ע׳ תתקכג. אוה״ת למג״א ע׳ ב׳שא.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
5
On the words
חג לה׳
How it connects
“A festival to G‑d,” bringing joy to G‑d.our note
The source
Leviticus 23:41ויקרא כ״ג:מ״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)
40וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים וַעֲנַף עֵץ־עָבֹת וְעַרְבֵי־נָחַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים: 41וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַה׳ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי תָּחֹגּוּ אֹתוֹ: 42בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים כׇּל־הָאֶזְרָח בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשְׁבוּ בַּסֻּכֹּת:
40… and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever in your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month. 42Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;
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
וחכיתי לה׳ המסתיר פניו
How it connects
“I will wait for G‑d, who hides His face from the house of Yaakov.” It describes seeking G‑d while He is hidden.our note
The source
Isaiah 8:17ישעיהו ח׳:י״זSefaria (opens in a new tab)
16צוֹר תְּעוּדָה חֲתוֹם תּוֹרָה בְּלִמֻּדָי: 17וְחִכִּיתִי לַה׳ הַמַּסְתִּיר פָּנָיו מִבֵּית יַעֲקֹב וְקִוֵּיתִי־לוֹ: 18הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי וְהַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר נָתַן־לִי ה׳ לְאֹתוֹת וּלְמוֹפְתִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעִם ה׳ צְבָאוֹת הַשֹּׁכֵן בְּהַר צִיּוֹן:
16’Bind up the testimony, seal the instruction among My disciples.’ 17And I will wait for the LORD, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him. 18Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me shall be for signs and …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ישעי׳ ח, יז.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
7
On the words
עוונותיכם מבדילים
How it connects
“Your iniquities separate,” the cause of the concealment.our note
The source
Isaiah 59:2ישעיהו נ״ט:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1הֵן לֹא־קָצְרָה יַד־ה׳ מֵהוֹשִׁיעַ וְלֹא־כָבְדָה אׇזְנוֹ מִשְּׁמוֹעַ: 2כִּי אִם־עֲוֺנֹתֵיכֶם הָיוּ מַבְדִּלִים בֵּינֵכֶם לְבֵין אֱלֹקֵיכֶם וְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶם הִסְתִּירוּ פָנִים מִכֶּם מִשְּׁמוֹעַ: 3כִּי כַפֵּיכֶם נְגֹאֲלוּ בַדָּם וְאֶצְבְּעוֹתֵיכֶם בֶּעָוֺן שִׂפְתוֹתֵיכֶם דִּבְּרוּ־שֶׁקֶר לְשׁוֹנְכֶם עַוְלָה תֶהְגֶּה:
1… hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, Neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear; 2But your iniquities have separated Between you and your God, And your sins have hid His face from you, That He will not hear. 3For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken …
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.
8
On the words
משארז״ל בענין אור שנברא
How it connects
The Talmud teaches that the light created on the first day was hidden away when G‑d saw the deeds of the generations of the Flood and the Dispersion. It is a model for the hiding of the inner light.our note
The source
Chagigah 12a:5–6חגיגה י״ב א:ה׳-ו׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
וְאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: עֲשָׂרָה דְּבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּיוֹם רִאשׁוֹן, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ, תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ, אוֹר וָחֹשֶׁךְ, רוּחַ וּמַיִם, מִדַּת יוֹם וּמִדַּת לַיְלָה. שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ — דִּכְתִיב: ״בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ״, תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ — דִּכְתִיב: ״וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ״, אוֹר וָחֹשֶׁךְ, חֹשֶׁךְ — דִּכְתִיב: ״וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם״, אוֹר — דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים יְהִי אוֹר״, רוּחַ וּמַיִם — דִּכְתִיב: ״וְרוּחַ אֱלֹקִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם״, מִדַּת יוֹם וּמִדַּת לַיְלָה — דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם …
And R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav, Ten things were created on the first day, and they are these: Heaven and earth, chaos and desolation, light and darkness, wind and waters, the measure of the day and the measure of the night. "Heaven and earth", as it is written, (Genesis 1:1) "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Chaos and desolation, as it is written, (Genesis 1:2) "And the earth was chaos and desolation." Light and darkness, darkness as it is written, (Genesis 1:2) "and darkness was upon the face of the deep," light as it is written, (Genesis 1:2) "And God said, Let there be light." Wind and water, as it is written, (Genesis 1:3) "and the wind of God floated upon …
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · English: Sefaria Community Translation (CC0) · via Sefaria
Bereshit Rabbah 11:2בראשית רבה י״א:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
חגיגה יב, א. ב״ר יא, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
9
On the words
פנים בפנים
How it connects
“Face to face He spoke with you”: G‑d's inner dimension corresponds to man's.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 5:4דברים ה׳:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
3לֹא אֶת־אֲבֹתֵינוּ כָּרַת ה׳ אֶת־הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת כִּי אִתָּנוּ אֲנַחְנוּ אֵלֶּה פֹה הַיּוֹם כֻּלָּנוּ חַיִּים: 4פָּנִים בְּפָנִים דִּבֶּר ה׳ עִמָּכֶם בָּהָר מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ: 5אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין־ה׳ וּבֵינֵיכֶם בָּעֵת הַהִוא לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם אֶת־דְּבַר ה׳ כִּי יְרֵאתֶם מִפְּנֵי הָאֵשׁ וְלֹא־עֲלִיתֶם בָּהָר לֵאמֹר:
3… our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. 4The LORD spoke with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire— 5I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare unto you the word …
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.

12והיינו אפילו בועשה טוב וזהו ההפרש בין בחי׳ וכל ברך לך תכרע1 שאינו אלא בחינת הודאה.

That is, even in “doing good.” And this is the difference between the level of “And every knee shall bend to You,” which is only the level of acknowledgment (hodaah),

Explanation

The abridgment continues: the outer and inner levels apply even to doing good. Bending the knee is only acknowledgment.

וכורע על ברכיו שהן לבר מגופא. ובין וכל קומה לפניך תשתחוה. שכופף קומתו וראשו ששם מקור הדעת.

and he bends on his knees, which are “outside the body”; and “And every stature shall bow down before You,” in which he bends his stature and his head, where the source of Daas is.

Explanation

In bending, only the knees, “outside the body,” are bent; in bowing, the stature and the head, the seat of Daas, are bent, so that the whole self submits.

ועד״ז ארז״ל שאין השכינה שורה אלא על בעלי קומה2 המכוון שיהיה בו בגילוי כל ע״ס שבנפש בבחינת וכל קומה לפניך תשתחוה:(ג) וזהו סדר העבודה שמראש השנה עד יום הכפורים לעלות מבחינת כריעה לבחינת השתחואה.

And in this way our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the Shechinah (Divine Presence) rests only on people of stature: the intent is that all ten Sefiros of the soul be revealed in him, on the level of “And every stature shall bow down before You.” (3) And this is the order of service from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur: to rise from the level of bending the knee to the level of bowing down.

Explanation

The Sages' teaching that the Shechinah rests only on people of “stature” is read spiritually: a person in whom all ten powers of the soul are revealed and all of them bow to G‑d. Point (3) restates that the days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur raise us from bending to bowing.

וזהו ענין השתחוואות שבסדר עבודה במוסף דיום הכפורים ועי״ז נמשך יאר ה׳ פניו אליך.3 לפני הוי״ה תטהרו4 פנימיות שם הוי׳.

And this is the matter of the prostrations in the order of the [Temple] service in the Musaf of Yom Kippur; and through this there is drawn down “May G‑d make His face shine upon you.” “Before Havayah you shall be purified”: the inner dimension of the Name Havayah.

Explanation

The abridgment adds that this is why the High Priest's service in the Yom Kippur Musaf includes full prostrations. Through them the shining of G‑d's face is drawn down, and the verse “before Havayah you shall be purified” refers to the inner dimension of the Name Havayah.

Paragraph 12 in brief

The abridgment restates the difference between bending the knee and bowing, and adds that the prostrations of Yom Kippur express the ascent to full bowing that draws down the inner dimension of the Name Havayah.

Deeper

“Before Havayah” is read as reaching the inner dimension of the Name itself, matching the maamar's claim that on Yom Kippur G‑d's inner will is revealed.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
וכל ברך לך תכרע
How it connects
“To Me every knee shall bend.” The Nishmas prayer's words about bending echo this verse.our note
The source
Isaiah 45:23ישעיהו מ״ה:כ״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
22פְּנוּ־אֵלַי וְהִוָּשְׁעוּ כׇּל־אַפְסֵי־אָרֶץ כִּי אֲנִי־אֵל וְאֵין עוֹד: 23בִּי נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי יָצָא מִפִּי צְדָקָה דָּבָר וְלֹא יָשׁוּב כִּי־לִי תִּכְרַע כׇּל־בֶּרֶךְ תִּשָּׁבַע כׇּל־לָשׁוֹן: 24אַךְ בַּה׳ לִי אָמַר צְדָקוֹת וָעֹז עָדָיו יָבוֹא וְיֵבֹשׁוּ כֹּל הַנֶּחֱרִים בּוֹ:
22… saved, All the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is none else. 23By Myself have I sworn, The word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, And shall not come back, That unto Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall swear. 24Only in the LORD, shall one say of Me, is victory and strength; Even to Him …
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
שאין השכינה שורה אלא על בעלי קומה
How it connects
The Talmud says the Shechinah rests only on one who is wise, strong, wealthy and tall. Here “tall” is read as a person whose whole stature bows to G‑d.our note
The source
Shabbat 92a:8שבת צ״ב א:ח׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא: מֵאָרוֹן. דְּאָמַר מָר: אָרוֹן תִּשְׁעָה וְכַפּוֹרֶת טֶפַח. הֲרֵי כָּאן עֲשָׂרָה, וּגְמִירִי דְּכֹל טוּנָא דְּמִידְּלֵי בְּמוֹטוֹת — תִּילְתָּא מִלְּעֵיל וּתְרֵי תִּילְתֵי מִלְּרַע, אִישְׁתְּכַח דְּמִלְּמַעְלָה מֵעֲשָׂרָה הֲוָה קָאֵי. וְלִיגְמַר מִמֹּשֶׁה? דִּילְמָא מֹשֶׁה שָׁאנֵי, דְּאָמַר מָר: אֵין הַשְּׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה אֶלָּא עַל חָכָם גִּבּוֹר וְעָשִׁיר וּבַעַל קוֹמָה.
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
שבת צב, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
יאר ה׳ פניו אליך
How it connects
The Priestly Blessing, the revelation drawn down through the Yom Kippur prostrations.our note
The source
Numbers 6:25במדבר ו׳:כ״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)
24יְבָרֶכְךָ Havayah וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ: 25יָאֵר Havayah פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ: 26יִשָּׂא Havayah פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם:
24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; 25The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; 26The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
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
לפני הוי״ה תטהרו
How it connects
“Before G‑d you shall be purified,” the verse of Yom Kippur. The abridgment reads “before Havayah” as the inner dimension of the Name.our note
The source
Leviticus 16:30ויקרא ט״ז:ל׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
29וְהָיְתָה לָכֶם לְחֻקַּת עוֹלָם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ תְּעַנּוּ אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם וְכׇל־מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ הָאֶזְרָח וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכְכֶם: 30כִּי־בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם מִכֹּל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם לִפְנֵי ה׳ תִּטְהָרוּ: 31שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן הִיא לָכֶם וְעִנִּיתֶם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם:
29… and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that sojourneth among you. 30For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the LORD. 31It is a sabbath of solemn rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; it …
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.

13וזהו ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון פרי עץ הדר זה הקב״ה1 כו׳ וגם עץ הדר בחי׳ האדם עץ השדה.2

And this is “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a beautiful tree”: this is the Holy One, blessed be He, etc.; and also “a beautiful tree” is the level of “man is a tree of the field.”

Explanation

The abridgment restates the four species: the “fruit of a beautiful tree” alludes to G‑d, and the tree is the “man” who is a “tree of the field,” the Tree of Life.

ופרי עץ הוא מקור נשמות הצדיקים שהוא בחינת הדר באילנו והלולב לו לב בחינת צור לבבי וחלקי אלקים לעולם3 וגם זאת קומתך דמתה לתמר4 בחינת וכל קומה לפניך תשתחוה.

And the fruit of the tree is the source of the souls of the tzaddikim, which is the level of “dwelling in its tree.” And the lulav: lo lev (“a heart for Him”), the level of “the Rock of my heart and my portion is G‑d forever.” And also “This, your stature, is like a palm tree” is the level of “And every stature shall bow down before You.”

Explanation

It adds that the fruit “dwelling in its tree” is the source of the souls of the tzaddikim. The lulav is “a heart for Him,” and its tall, upright form, like the palm in “your stature is like a palm tree,” stands for the whole stature that bows to G‑d.

ושמחתם לפני5 ה׳ השמחה ע״י גילוי המוחין חב״ד כו׳ כי בן חכם ישמח אב6 שגם מוחין דאבא באים בגילוי כו׳. וזהו ושמחתם כמו בהשכיל שכל חדש מתמלא תענוג ושמחה:7

“And you shall rejoice before G‑d”: the joy through the revelation of the intellect (mochin), Chochmah, Binah and Daas, etc., for “A wise son makes a father rejoice”: that the mochin of Abba also come into revelation, etc. And this is “And you shall rejoice,” as when one grasps a new idea he is filled with delight and joy.

Explanation

The joy of Sukkos comes from the revelation of the mochin, Chochmah, Binah and Daas. “A wise son makes a father (Abba, Chochmah) rejoice” means that even the mochin of Abba are revealed, and a new insight always fills a person with delight and joy.

Paragraph 13 in brief

The abridgment restates the meaning of the four species and adds that the joy of Sukkos is the joy of revealed mochin, even of Abba, like the delight of a new insight.

Deeper

This addition links the opening parable to the Kabbalistic structure: the “father” who rejoices is Abba, Chochmah, and the joy of Sukkos is the revelation of Chochmah itself.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
פרי עץ הדר זה הקב״ה
How it connects
The Midrash reading the esrog as an allusion to G‑d.our note
The source
Vayikra Rabbah 30:9ויקרא רבה ל׳:ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
2
On the words
האדם עץ השדה
How it connects
“Man is a tree of the field,” read as referring to G‑d, the Tree of Life.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 20:19דברים כ׳:י״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)
18לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְלַמְּדוּ אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל תּוֹעֲבֹתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לֵאלֹקֵיהֶם וַחֲטָאתֶם לַHavayah אֱלֹקֵיכֶם: 19כִּי־תָצוּר אֶל־עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתׇפְשָׂהּ לֹא־תַשְׁחִית אֶת־עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה לָבֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר: 20רַק עֵץ אֲשֶׁר־תֵּדַע כִּי־לֹא־עֵץ מַאֲכָל הוּא אֹתוֹ תַשְׁחִית וְכָרָתָּ וּבָנִיתָ מָצוֹר עַל־הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר־הִוא עֹשָׂה עִמְּךָ מִלְחָמָה עַד רִדְתָּהּ:
18… which they have done unto their gods, and so ye sin against the LORD your God. 19When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? 20Only the trees of which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, them thou …
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
צור לבבי וחלקי אלקים לעולם
How it connects
“The Rock of my heart and my portion is G‑d forever,” the devotion that the lulav represents.our note
The source
Psalms 73:26תהילים ע״ג:כ״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)
25מִי־לִי בַשָּׁמָיִם וְעִמְּךָ לֹא־חָפַצְתִּי בָאָרֶץ: 26כָּלָה שְׁאֵרִי וּלְבָבִי צוּר־לְבָבִי וְחֶלְקִי אֱלֹקִים לְעוֹלָם: 27כִּי־הִנֵּה רְחֵקֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ הִצְמַתָּה כׇּל־זוֹנֶה מִמֶּךָּ:
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 portion for ever. 27For, lo, they that go far from Thee shall perish; Thou dost destroy all them that …
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
זאת קומתך דמתה לתמר
How it connects
“This, your stature, is like a palm tree.” The upright lulav, a palm branch, stands for the full stature that bows.our note
The source
Song of Songs 7:8שיר השירים ז׳:ח׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
7מַה־יָּפִית וּמַה־נָּעַמְתְּ אַהֲבָה בַּתַּעֲנוּגִים: 8זֹאת קוֹמָתֵךְ דָּמְתָה לְתָמָר וְשָׁדַיִךְ לְאַשְׁכֹּלוֹת: 9אָמַרְתִּי אֶעֱלֶה בְתָמָר אֹחֲזָה בְּסַנְסִנָּיו וְיִהְיוּ־נָא שָׁדַיִךְ כְּאֶשְׁכְּלוֹת הַגֶּפֶן וְרֵיחַ אַפֵּךְ כַּתַּפּוּחִים:
7How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! . 8This thy stature is like to a palm-tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. 9I said: ‘I will climb up into the palm-tree, I will take hold of the branches …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
שה״ש ז, ח.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
5
On the words
ושמחתם לפני ה׳
How it connects
The command to take the four species on the first day of Sukkos.our note
The source
Leviticus 23:40ויקרא כ״ג:מ׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
39… יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאׇסְפְּכֶם אֶת־תְּבוּאַת הָאָרֶץ תָּחֹגּוּ אֶת־חַג־ה׳ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן שַׁבָּתוֹן וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי שַׁבָּתוֹן: 40וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים וַעֲנַף עֵץ־עָבֹת וְעַרְבֵי־נָחַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים: 41וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַה׳ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי תָּחֹגּוּ אֹתוֹ:
39… day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year; it …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ויקרא כג, מ.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
6
On the words
בן חכם ישמח אב
How it connects
“A wise son makes a father rejoice,” now read as the revelation of the mochin of Abba.our note
The source
Proverbs 10:1משלי י׳:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה בֵּן חָכָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָב וּבֵן כְּסִיל תּוּגַת אִמּוֹ: 2לֹא־יוֹעִילוּ אוֹצְרוֹת רֶשַׁע וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת:
1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the grief of his mother. 2Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivereth from death.
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
לפני ה׳ תטהרו
How it connects
The words here quote Leviticus 16:30; the passage is shown below.
The source
Leviticus 16:30ויקרא ט״ז:ל׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
29וְהָיְתָה לָכֶם לְחֻקַּת עוֹלָם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ תְּעַנּוּ אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם וְכׇל־מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ הָאֶזְרָח וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכְכֶם: 30כִּי־בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם מִכֹּל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם לִפְנֵי ה׳ תִּטְהָרוּ: 31שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן הִיא לָכֶם וְעִנִּיתֶם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם:
29… and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that sojourneth among you. 30For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the LORD. 31It is a sabbath of solemn rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; it …
Hebrew: Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA) · English: JPS 1917 (Public Domain) · via Sefaria
Kehot’s note
ויקרא טז, ל.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.

14(ד) אך ביום השמיני עצרת1 שהוא שמחת תורה היינו שמאיר בחי׳ כתר תורה שהוא למעלה מהמוחין

(4) But “On the eighth day, an atzeres,” which is Simchas Torah: that is, the level of the crown of Torah, which is above the intellect (mochin), shines,

Explanation

Point (4): on Shemini Atzeres, Simchas Torah, the crown of Torah shines, a level above the intellect (mochin) revealed on Sukkos.

כמו גלגלתא דחפיא על מוחא ע״י שהוא מבחינה שלמעלה מהשכל המושג. עמ״ש בביאור ע״פ אני ה׳ אלקיכם דפרשת ציצית.2

like the skull (gulgalta) that covers the brain, since it is from a level that is above graspable intellect. See what is written in the explanation on the verse “I am Havayah your G‑d,” of the section of tzitzis.

Explanation

The crown is compared to the skull (gulgalta) that surrounds the brain: it is above graspable intellect and encloses it from above. The Alter Rebbe refers to the discourse on the last verse of the section of tzitzis.

Paragraph 14 in brief

The abridgment restates that Shemini Atzeres reveals the crown of Torah, which is above intellect as the skull encloses the brain.

Deeper

Gulgalta, the “skull,” is the Kabbalistic name for the outer aspect of Keser (Arich Anpin) that encompasses the intellect, a precise image for a level above understanding that still surrounds and governs it.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
ביום השמיני עצרת
How it connects
The verse of Shemini Atzeres.our note
The source
Numbers 29:35במדבר כ״ט:ל״הSefaria (opens in a new tab)
34וּשְׂעִיר חַטָּאת אֶחָד מִלְּבַד עֹלַת הַתָּמִיד מִנְחָתָהּ וְנִסְכָּהּ: 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:
34and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 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 …
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
אני ה׳ אלקיכם דפרשת ציצית
How it connects
“I am Havayah your G‑d,” the last verse of the section of tzitzis and the subject of the discourse cited here.our note
The source
Numbers 15:41במדבר ט״ו:מ״אSefaria (opens in a new tab)
40לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָי וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים לֵאלֹקֵיכֶם: 41אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹקִים אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם:
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 be your God: I am the LORD 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.

15וזהו וירם קרן.1 ואזי עצרת תהיה לכם כניסת ואסיפת המוחין תחת גלגלתא וכתר החופף עליהם בבחי׳ בטל רצונך2 3 לגמרי.

And this is “And He has raised up a horn.” And then, “there shall be an atzeres for you”: the entering and gathering of the mochin under the skull (gulgalta) and the crown that hovers over them, on the level of “Nullify your will” completely.

Explanation

This is the exaltation of “He has raised up a horn.” Atzeres, “gathering,” is read as the gathering of the mochin under the skull, the crown that hovers over them, in complete nullification of one's own will.

ועמ״ש בד״ה את שבתותי תשמרו בענין כתר לשון כתר לי זעיר.4 ומ״ש סד״ה וידבר כו׳ במדבר סיני.5 6

And see also what is written in the discourse beginning “You shall keep My Shabbosos,” on the matter of keser as in the term “Wait (kaser) for me a little”; and what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And [G‑d] spoke, etc., in the wilderness of Sinai,”

Explanation

Two discourses are cited: one explains keser, crown, through the Aramaic kaser, “wait,” as in “wait for me a little,” and the other, at the beginning of Bamidbar, speaks of the census.

בענין שאו את ראש כו׳ לגלגלתם7 מבן עשרים שנה8 כו׳ ע״ש ופי׳ עצרת שנקלטת ומסתתרת השמחה בתוך בחי׳ אימת עול מלכות שמים עד שאין השמחה נקרא

on the matter of “Lift up the head, etc.,” “by their skulls, from twenty years old, etc.”; see there. And the meaning of atzeres is that the joy is absorbed and hidden within the level of the awe of the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven, until the joy is called

Explanation

The census counted people “by their skulls” (legulgelosam), which that discourse reads as the gulgalta, the crown, and G‑d's will above understanding. The abridgment then restates that atzeres means the joy is absorbed and hidden within the awe of accepting G‑d's kingship.

אלא בשם גילה ע״ד וכל הלבבות ייראוך וכל קרב וכליות יזמרו ועמ״ש מזה בד״ה וידעת היום והשבות.9

only by the name gilah, in the manner of “And all hearts shall fear You, and all innards and kidneys shall sing”; and see also what is written on this in the discourse beginning “And you shall know this day and take to [your heart].”

Explanation

So the joy of Shemini Atzeres is called gilah, inward joy: the heart fears while the innermost self sings. The discourse on “And you shall know this day” is cited again.

Paragraph 15 in brief

The abridgment restates that atzeres is the gathering of the intellect under the crown in complete nullification of self, and that its joy is inward gilah hidden within awe.

Deeper

The passage from the Bamidbar discourse given in the Kehot note connects legulgelosam with “Nullify your will” and the gulgalta, the supernal will that is not grasped at all even by Chochmah, which is exactly the level Shemini Atzeres reaches here.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
וירם קרן
How it connects
“He has raised up a horn for His people,” the exaltation of the crown of Torah.our note
The source
Psalms 148:14תהילים קמ״ח:י״דSefaria (opens in a new tab)
13יְהַלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם ה׳ כִּי־נִשְׂגָּב שְׁמוֹ לְבַדּוֹ הוֹדוֹ עַל־אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם: 14וַיָּרֶם קֶרֶן לְעַמּוֹ תְּהִלָּה לְכׇל־חֲסִידָיו לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַם קְרֹבוֹ הַלְלוּ־קָהּ:
13… the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven. 14And He hath lifted up a horn for His people, A praise for all His saints, Even for the children of Israel, a people near unto Him. Hallelujah.
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
בטל רצונך
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
אבות ב, ד.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
3
On the words
בטל רצונך
How it connects
“Nullify your will before His will,” the complete self-nullification of the crown's level.our note
The source
Pirkei Avot 2:4משנה אבות ב׳:ד׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנוֹ כִרְצוֹנְךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כִרְצוֹנוֹ. בַּטֵּל רְצוֹנְךָ מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל רְצוֹן אֲחֵרִים מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנֶךָ. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִשְׁמֹעַ, שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע. וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאִפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה:
He used to say: do His will as though it were your will, so that He will do your will as though it were His. Set aside your will in the face of His will, so that he may set aside the will of others for the sake of your will. Hillel said: do not separate yourself from the community, Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death, Do not judge your fellow man until you have reached his place. Do not say something that cannot be understood [trusting] that in the end it will be understood. Say not: ‘when I shall have leisure I shall study;’ perhaps you will not have leisure.
Hebrew: Torat Emet 357 (Public Domain) · English: Mishnah Yomit by Dr. Joshua Kulp (CC-BY) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
4
On the words
כתר לי זעיר
How it connects
“Wait for me a little.” The word kaser, related to keser, is used to explain the nature of the crown.our note
The source
Job 36:2איוב ל״ו:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1וַיֹּסֶף אֱלִיהוּא וַיֹּאמַר: 2כַּתַּר־לִי זְעֵיר וַאֲחַוֶּךָּ כִּי עוֹד לֶאֱלוֹהַּ מִלִּים: 3אֶשָּׂא דֵעִי לְמֵרָחוֹק וּלְפֹעֲלִי אֶתֵּן־צֶדֶק:
1Elihu also proceeded, and said: 2Suffer me a little, and I will tell thee; For there are yet words on God’s behalf. 3I will fetch my knowledge from afar, And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
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
סד״ה וידבר כו׳ במדבר סיני
How it connects
That passage explains the census “by their skulls” (legulgelosam) as raising the souls to the gulgalta, the supernal will that is not grasped even by Chochmah, and links it with “Nullify your will.” It is the fuller explanation of the crown above the mochin described here.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Torahלקוטי תורה
above, Parshas Bamidbar 2a
הג׳ בטל רצונך גלגלתא. בכל מאדך. והנה יו״ד במילואו עשרים וענין ו״ד שהם מילוי היו״ד היינו המדות ששרשן מאבא שי״ב והדבור ששרשו מאבא יסד ברתא. ועמ״ש ע״פ כי מראש צורים אראנו. א״נ ו״ד קול ודבור. ועיין מכ״ז בענין מחצית השקל. וגם י״ל תשב״כ ותשבע״פ. ולכן בן עשרים מאיר בו יו״ד עם המלוי מוחין דאבא שלמעלה מבחי׳ ה״א נש״ב שהם שערים הנמשכים מהבינה שכל המושג למדות אזי ההעלאה לגלגלתם רצון העליון מה שאינו מושג כלל בחכמה ע״ד ומשה נגש אל 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׳ …
Open it on Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
Torah Ohr, Bereishis, maamar 2לעיל פ׳ במדבר ב, א
page 2a, ¶8
והוא בחי׳ רצוא הנ״ל לבחי׳ סוכ״ע לדבקה בעצמות אלקות וכמאמר מי לי בשמים כו׳. וזהו ענין ואהבת שבק״ש ופי׳ וענין הרצוא היינו כמ״ש בכה ארוץ גדוד בכה דוקא בעצמותך וארוץ גדוד היינו בחי׳ אלף אלפין ישמשוניה ורבו רבבן קדמוהי יקומון (ועמ״ש במ״א ע״פ ורב כח לתבונתו אין מספר איך ששרש כל גדוד הוא בו״ק דאצי׳ יעו״ש) שבכולם לא יחפוץ רק בה׳ לבדו. ואדלג שור היינו גם בחי׳ כל המקיפים עליונים …
only one will — to cleave to Him, blessed be He. This is the above-mentioned level of ratzo toward the level of sovev kol almin, to cleave to the very essence of G‑dliness, as in the saying, “Whom do I have in heaven,” etc.
Read it here
Kehot’s note
לעיל פ׳ במדבר ב, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
6
On the words
וידבר כו׳ במדבר סיני
How it connects
The opening of Bamidbar, the verse of the discourse cited here.our note
The source
Numbers 1:1במדבר א׳:א׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר: 2שְׂאוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ כׇּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת כׇּל־זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם:
1AND THE LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2’Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, …
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
שאו את ראש כו׳ לגלגלתם
How it connects
“Lift up the head ... by their skulls,” read as raising Israel to the level of the gulgalta, the crown.our note
The source
Numbers 1:2במדבר א׳:ב׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
1וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר: 2שְׂאוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ כׇּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת כׇּל־זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם: 3מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כׇּל־יֹצֵא צָבָא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל תִּפְקְדוּ אֹתָם לְצִבְאֹתָם אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן:
1… month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2’Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls; 3from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in …
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.
8
On the words
מבן עשרים שנה
How it connects
“From twenty years old and upward,” part of the census verse discussed in that discourse.our note
The source
Numbers 1:3במדבר א׳:ג׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
2שְׂאוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ כׇּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת כׇּל־זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם: 3מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כׇּל־יֹצֵא צָבָא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל תִּפְקְדוּ אֹתָם לְצִבְאֹתָם אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן: 4וְאִתְּכֶם יִהְיוּ אִישׁ אִישׁ לַמַּטֶּה אִישׁ רֹאשׁ לְבֵית־אֲבֹתָיו הוּא:
2… their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls; 3from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: ye shall number them by their hosts, even thou and Aaron. 4And with you there shall be a man of every tribe, every one head of his fathers’house.
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
וידעת היום והשבות
How it connects
“And you shall know this day and take to your heart,” the verse of the discourse cited on hidden joy.our note
The source
Deuteronomy 4:39דברים ד׳:ל״טSefaria (opens in a new tab)
38לְהוֹרִישׁ גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִמְּךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ לַהֲבִיאֲךָ לָתֶת־לְךָ אֶת־אַרְצָם נַחֲלָה כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה: 39וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ אֶל־לְבָבֶךָ כִּי ה׳ הוּא הָאֱלֹקִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְעַל־הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת אֵין עוֹד: 40וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת־חֻקָּיו וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתָיו אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לְךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ וּלְמַעַן תַּאֲרִיךְ יָמִים עַל־הָאֲדָמָה …
38… bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day; 39know this day, and lay it to thy heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else. 40And thou shalt keep His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that …
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.

16ואפ״ל מר״ה עד שמע״צ הוא ג׳ כתרים. היינו בר״ה אמרו לפני מלכיות1 2 זהו המשכת כתר מלכות.

And it can be explained that from Rosh Hashanah until Shemini Atzeres there are three crowns. That is: on Rosh Hashanah, “Say before Me [verses of] kingship (Malchiyos)”: this is the drawing down of the crown of kingship.

Explanation

A new suggestion: the season from Rosh Hashanah to Shemini Atzeres corresponds to the three crowns of the Mishnah. On Rosh Hashanah G‑d says, “Say before Me verses of kingship,” so Rosh Hashanah draws down the crown of kingship.

וביוהכ״פ כתר כהונה שנכנס הכה״ג לפני ולפנים3 וממשיך להיות וכל קומה לפניך תששחוה. ועליות הנשמות ע״ד בהעלותך את הנרות4 אל מול פני כו׳

And on Yom Kippur, the crown of priesthood, for the High Priest enters the innermost sanctum and draws down [the level of] “And every stature shall bow down before You.” And the ascents of the souls, in the manner of “When you raise up the lamps, toward the face of [the menorah], etc.”;

Explanation

Yom Kippur is the crown of priesthood: the High Priest enters the Holy of Holies and draws down the full bowing of “every stature.” The souls then ascend, like the lamps of the menorah that the priest raises.

ואח״כ כתר תורה בשמע״צ הוא ההמשכה מלמעלה למטה. וגדול תלמוד שמביא לידי מעשה5 בחינת כתר שם טוב.

and afterward the crown of Torah, on Shemini Atzeres, is the drawing down from above to below. And “Study is great, for it leads to action”: the level of the crown of a good name.

Explanation

Shemini Atzeres is the crown of Torah, which draws down from above to below. Because “study is great, for it leads to action,” Torah that leads to deeds brings the fourth crown, “the crown of a good name.”

ויש להעיר לענין שלשה כתרים הן6 כו׳ וכתר שם טוב מעין מה שנתבאר בד״ה מי מנה7 כו׳ גבי פי׳ רובע ישראל:8

And one may note, regarding the matter of “There are three crowns, etc.,” and the crown of a good name, something similar to what was explained in the discourse beginning “Who can count, etc.,” regarding the explanation of “the fourth part of Israel.”

Explanation

The Mishnah says there are three crowns, while the crown of a good name rises above them all. The Alter Rebbe notes a parallel in a discourse on “Who can count ... the fourth part of Israel,” where a fourth element likewise stands above three.

Paragraph 16 in brief

The abridgment closes by mapping the festival season onto the crowns of the Mishnah: kingship on Rosh Hashanah, priesthood on Yom Kippur, Torah on Shemini Atzeres, and the crown of a good name that comes through Torah leading to action.

Deeper

The first two crowns describe ascents (accepting kingship, the souls rising like the lamps), while the crown of Torah on Shemini Atzeres is a drawing down from above to below, into action.

Marei mekomos

1
On the words
בר״ה אמרו לפני מלכיות
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
טז, א.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
2
On the words
בר״ה אמרו לפני מלכיות
How it connects
G‑d says: on Rosh Hashanah say before Me verses of kingship so that you will make Me King over you. Here it is the crown of kingship.our note
The source
Rosh Hashanah 16a:15ראש השנה ט״ז א:ט״וSefaria (opens in a new tab)
וּמִפְּנֵי מָה אָמְרָה תּוֹרָה נַסְּכוּ מַיִם בֶּחָג — אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: נַסְּכוּ לְפָנַי מַיִם בֶּחָג, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְבָּרְכוּ לָכֶם גִּשְׁמֵי שָׁנָה. וְאִמְרוּ לְפָנַי בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה מַלְכִיּוֹת זִכְרוֹנוֹת וְשׁוֹפָרוֹת. מַלְכִיּוֹת — כְּדֵי שֶׁתַּמְלִיכוּנִי עֲלֵיכֶם, זִכְרוֹנוֹת — כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה זִכְרוֹנְיכֶם לְפָנַי לְטוֹבָה, וּבַמֶּה — בְּשׁוֹפָר.
and why did the Torah say to pour water on Sukkot? The Holy One said: Pour before me water on Sukkot in order that the rain of the year be blessed. And Say before me on Rosh Hashana kingship, remembrance, and shofar kingship in order that you make me king over yourselves, remembrance so that your remembrance comes before me for good, and how? With the Shofar"
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · English: Sefaria Community Translation (CC0) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
3
On the words
שנכנס הכה״ג לפני ולפנים
How it connects
The note points to a talk there about the High Priest's entry into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.our note
Where the note points
Likkutei Sichos, by the Rebbeלקוטי שיחות
vol. 4, p. 1216
Look for it in the Lubavitch Library (opens in a new tab)
Kehot’s note
ראה לקו״ש ח״ד ע׳ 1216.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
4
On the words
בהעלותך את הנרות
How it connects
“When you raise up the lamps, toward the face of the menorah.” The kindling by the priest is an image for the ascent of souls.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
Kehot’s note
במדבר ח, ב.
From “Sources and References”, © Kehot Publication Society (CC BY-NC), via Sefaria.
5
On the words
וגדול תלמוד שמביא לידי מעשה
How it connects
The Sages concluded that study is great because it leads to action. Here Torah that leads to action brings the crown of a good name.our note
The source
Kiddushin 40b:8–9קידושין מ׳ ב:ח׳-ט׳Sefaria (opens in a new tab)
וּכְבָר הָיָה רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן וּזְקֵנִים מְסוּבִּין בַּעֲלִיַּת בֵּית נַתְּזָה בְּלוֹד. נִשְׁאֲלָה שְׁאֵילָה זוֹ בִּפְנֵיהֶם: תַּלְמוּד גָּדוֹל אוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה גָּדוֹל? נַעֲנָה רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן וְאָמַר: מַעֲשֶׂה גָּדוֹל. נַעֲנָה רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְאָמַר: תַּלְמוּד גָּדוֹל. נַעֲנוּ כּוּלָּם וְאָמְרוּ: תַּלְמוּד גָּדוֹל, שֶׁהַתַּלְמוּד מֵבִיא לִידֵי מַעֲשֶׂה. תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: גָּדוֹל תַּלְמוּד שֶׁקָּדַם לְחַלָּה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, לִתְרוּמוֹת וּלְמַעַשְׂרוֹת חֲמִשִּׁים וְאַרְבַּע, לִשְׁמִיטִּים שִׁשִּׁים וְאַחַת, לְיוֹבְלוֹת מֵאָה וְשָׁלֹשׁ.
Hebrew: William Davidson, Vocalized Aramaic (CC-BY-NC) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
6
On the words
שלשה כתרים הן
How it connects
“There are three crowns: of Torah, of priesthood and of kingship; and the crown of a good name surpasses them all.”our note
The source
Pirkei Avot 4:13משנה אבות ד׳:י״גSefaria (opens in a new tab)
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בַּתַּלְמוּד, שֶׁשִּׁגְגַת תַּלְמוּד עוֹלָה זָדוֹן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁלשָׁה כְתָרִים הֵם, כֶּתֶר תּוֹרָה וְכֶתֶר כְּהֻנָּה וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְכֶתֶר שֵׁם טוֹב עוֹלֶה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן:
Rabbi Judah said: be careful in study, for an error in study counts as deliberate sin. Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty, but the crown of a good name supersedes them all.
Hebrew: Torat Emet 357 (Public Domain) · English: Mishnah Yomit by Dr. Joshua Kulp (CC-BY) · via Sefaria
Identified with the English translation and checked against Sefaria; not in Kehot’s notes.
7
On the words
מי מנה
How it connects
“Who can count the dust of Yaakov, or number the fourth part of Israel?” The verse of the discourse cited as a parallel.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.
8
On the words
כתר מל׳ . . כהונה . . תורה . . שם טוב
How it connects
Kehot’s marei makom for these words (its note is below).
Kehot’s note
ראה אבות ד, יג.
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.

Parshas SukkosAll 4 maamarim

In one’s avodah

Seek G‑d's “face” during the days of awe through teshuvah that uproots the will to sin, not only by acknowledging Him but by bowing one's whole self and will; then carry the acceptance of His kingship, gathered on Shemini Atzeres through the Torah, into the whole year, keeping the commandments with love and willingness and with a joy held within awe.

Questions for discussion

How does the parable of the father who hides from his wise son change the way one might experience the solemnity of Rosh Hashanah?
Why can sin hide G‑d's inner dimension but not the outer life-force that keeps every creature in existence?
What is the difference between acknowledging that “there is nothing besides Him” and bowing one's whole will to Him, and where do you see each in your own prayer?
Why is the joy of Shemini Atzeres, which is higher than that of Sukkos, described as inward gilah rather than open simchah?
How does reading atzeres as “gathering” for the whole year shape the way one leaves the festival season?

Key terms in this maamar

The Name Havayahהוי׳: The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
The outer dimension (chitzoniyus)חיצוניות: The external, expressive aspect. ×7
The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות: The innermost core of a level. ×19
Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות: Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds. ×5
Willרצון: Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×10
The sitra achra (the other side)סטרא אחרא: The realm opposed to holiness.
The G‑dly soulנפש האלקית: The soul that is 'a part of G‑d above'.
Hod (splendor)הוד: Acknowledgment and yielding. ×3
Daas (knowledge)דעת: Deep connection to an idea, bridging intellect and emotion. ×4
Netzach (victory)נצח: Perseverance, the drive to overcome. ×4
Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה: The first flash of insight. ×3
Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול: Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d. ×2
Binah (understanding)בינה: Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×1
Teshuvah (return)תשובה: Returning to G‑d; not only repentance. ×3
Z'eir Anpin (the emotive attributes)ז״א: The six emotive Sefiros as one configuration.
The emotive attributes (middos)מדות: Love, awe, compassion and the rest. ×2
Keser (the Crown)כתר: The level above intellect: divine will and delight. ×15
The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה: The lowest world, including our physical one.
Chesed (kindness)חסד: Expansive giving.
Tiferes (beauty)תפארת: Harmony of kindness and restraint; associated with compassion. ×2
Gevurah (restraint)גבורה: Measure, limitation and judgment.
The intellect (mochin)מוחין: Chochmah, Binah and Daas as a whole. ×5
The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה: G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world. ×1
The Sefirosספירות: The ten divine attributes through which G‑d relates to creation.
Delightתענוג: Pleasure; the inner root of will. ×1
The Name Elokimאלקים: G‑d as concealed within nature, measuring and limiting. ×5

ביום השמיני עצרת תהיה לכם

The big idea

The maamar in brief

Outline

Key concepts

Joy for G‑d: the wise son ¶1–3

What sin hides, and two kinds of submission ¶4–6

From the days of awe to Sukkos ¶7

Shemini Atzeres: the crown of Torah ¶8–9

Abridgment ¶10–16

Finished the maamar?

In one’s avodah

Questions for discussion

Key terms in this maamar

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