Torah Ohr · Parshas Vayeishev · Maamar 5
כה אמר ה׳ צבאות אם בדרכי תלך כו׳…
Thus says G‑d of Hosts: If you will walk in My ways
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The big idea
Angels and souls above “stand,” fixed at one level; only a soul clothed in a body and an animal soul can “go,” and through its service it gives movement both upward and downward even to the angels. This requires first “judging” the animal soul in a war that lasts through the exile, and will reach its fullness in the Time to Come.
The maamar in brief
Zechariah’s promise to Joshua the High Priest, “I will give you goings among these that stand,” opens the maamar. Angels, and souls before their descent, are called “standing” because they are made from Divine letters, which are passive like stones. The angels move only when Israel says the Kedushah below. To explain this, the Alter Rebbe distinguishes the light that fills all worlds from the light that encompasses them. The soul descends to transform the animal soul, whose root in the holy Chayos, and higher, in the world of Tohu, is loftier than the G‑dly soul’s. Like a horse carrying its rider farther than he could walk, the transformed animal soul lifts prayer so powerfully that the angels are moved upward. Through Torah and the 620 commandments, equal to keser, Israel also draws the encompassing light downward, and the angels receive this too. These are the two “goings.” They depend on “walking in My ways,” the Torah and mitzvos, and on “judging” the animal soul firmly. In the Time to Come even the “return” will be a going, as Chanukah’s festival follows its war.
Outline
- The question: goers among those that standAngels and souls above are “standing” because they come from Divine letters, which are passive like stones; only souls in bodies are “goers.”¶1–2
- The angels’ Kedushah and the two lightsThe angels move only in response to Israel’s Kedushah; the light that fills all worlds comes from G‑d’s sovereignty, while the threefold “Holy” draws down the encompassing light.¶3–4
- The soul’s descent and the war with the animal soulThe soul descends to transform the animal soul; through the Shema and the blessings before it, which reach the animal soul’s high root in the Chayos, it is subdued and transformed, in a war that lasts the whole exile.¶5–9
- Horse and rider: the ascent from belowRidden by the G‑dly soul, the animal soul rises with greater force and draws the angels upward in prayer.¶10–11
- Torah and Keser: the drawing down from aboveThrough Torah and the 620 commandments Israel draws the encompassing light down; the angels receive both movements, the “goings” within “those that stand.”¶12–14
- The conditions: My ways and judging My houseIsrael’s power comes from Jacob, the middle bar, and passes through all the Torah and mitzvos; the animal soul must be ruled firmly, like the sweat of the Chayos that becomes a river of fire, and guarded like an open courtyard.¶15–20
- The Time to Come and ChanukahNow service is running and returning; in the Time to Come even the return will be a going, but first comes the war, as with Chanukah and Purim.¶21
Key concepts
- standing and goingעומדים ומהלכים
- Beings fixed at one level (angels, and souls above) versus souls in bodies, who can rise from level to level.
- the light that fills all worlds and the light that encompasses all worldsממלא כל עלמין וסובב כל עלמין
- Divine light measured to each creature, versus light too great to enter the worlds that affects them from beyond.
- subjugation and transformationאתכפיא ואתהפכא
- Subduing the animal soul, and then turning it so that it too desires only G‑d.
- horse and riderסוס ורוכבו
- The parable for the animal soul, which, carrying the G‑dly soul, reaches farther than the G‑dly soul could alone.
- the 620 commandments as Keserתר״ך בגימטריא כתר
- The 613 Torah and 7 rabbinic commandments equal keser, the level above the chain of worlds, from which Israel draws the encompassing light.
- running and returningרצוא ושוב
- The upward yearning and downward return of service now; in the Time to Come both will be “going.”
The question: goers among those that stand ¶1–2
1כה אמר12 ה׳ צבאות אם בדרכי תלך כו׳ ונתתי לך מהלכים בין העומדים האלה. להבין מהו ענין מהלכים3 בין העומדים.
“Thus says G‑d of Hosts: If you will walk in My ways, etc., and I will give you goings among these that stand.” [We need] to understand what is meant by “goings among those that stand.”
The maamar opens with G‑d’s promise to Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah’s vision: if he walks in G‑d’s ways, he will be given “goings” among “those that stand.” The question is what it means to be a “goer” among beings who “stand.”
Now it is known that the angels are called “standing,” as it is written, “Seraphim stood.” The souls too, before they come into this world, are likewise called “standing,”
Angels are described as “standing” because they stay at one fixed level. Souls, before they come down into a body, are also in this fixed, “standing” state.
כמ״ש חי ה׳ אשר עמדתי לפניו.6 רק אחרי ירידת הנשמות לעוה״ז בהתלבשותן בגוף ונפש הבהמית נק׳ מהלכים.
as it is written, “As G‑d lives, before Whom I have stood.” Only after the souls descend into this world, when they are enclothed in a body and an animal soul, are they called “goers.”
The prophet’s words “before Whom I have stood” show that a soul in its heavenly state is called “standing.” Only once it is clothed in a body and an animal soul can it become a “goer,” one who moves and rises from level to level.
The paragraph poses the maamar’s question: what are the “goings among those that stand”? It sets up the contrast between angels and souls above, who “stand,” and souls in bodies, who “go.”
The point is that the soul gains the capacity for real ascent only through its descent into a body; above, its level is fixed like an angel’s. The maamar will show that this movement is passed on from Israel to the angels themselves.
Marei mekomos
- 1כה אמר ה׳ צבאות · נדפס גם בסה״מ תקע״א ע׳ ו. ביאור שם ע׳ י. הנחה אחרת מהביאור שם ע׳ יט. וראה באוה״ת פ׳ משפטים ע׳ א׳רפ קטע מהנחת מהרי״ל. ראה לעיל בציונים לכ״ק אדמו״ר זי״ע. המאמר עם הגהות וביאורים וקיצורים באוה״ת בראשית כרך ה תתקיג, א ועם שינוים באוה״ת בהעלותך ע׳ תז. ביאור עם הגהות באוה״ת בראשית כרך ה תתקיח, א. תתקכו, ב. וראה גם מאמרי אדמו״ר הצ״צ הנחות תרי״ד-תרט״ו ע׳ קמט. לקמן קיב, ב מציין לכאן בענין ב׳ מיני הילוך. נזכר בלקו״ת ויקרא ז, ב. בחקותי מה, ב מט, ד נשא כה, ב. שלח לח, ד. מסעי צא, ד. ראה כ, ג. כז, ד. שה״ש כט, ב. לג, ג.
- 2כה אמר ה׳ · Zechariah 3:7
- 3להבין מהו ענין מהלכים · ראה מאמרי אדה״א ויקרא ח״ב ע׳ עתר. ובסה״מ תרנ״ד ע׳ רסג בענין מהלך.
- 4שרפים עומדים · Isaiah 6:2
- 5וגם הנשמות . . נק׳ ג״כ עומדים · ראה לקו״ת בחוקתי מה, א. נשא כ, ג. שלח לח, ד. בלק סז, ד. מסעי צא, ג. סה״מ תקס״ב ע׳ קיז ואילך. ביאוה״ז לאדה״א ע׳ פ, ד. מאמרי אדה״א ויקרא ח״ב ע׳ תרסז. בסה״מ תרנ״ד ע׳ רסג כ׳ ”לכאורה יש סתירה לזה שהרי גם הנשמות נק׳ עומדים כמ״ש אליהו חי ה׳ אשר עמדתי לפניו, הרי שגם הנשמה הוא בבחי׳ עמידה . . אך הענין הוא דמ״ש חי ה׳ אשר עמדתי לפניו קאי על הנשמה כמו שהיא למעלה קודם התלבשותה בגוף . . ואז נק׳ עומדים, ומ״ש ונתתי לך מהלכים כו׳ שהנשמות נק׳ מהלכים זהו בירידת הנשמה בגוף דוקא ועבדה עבודת ה׳ בתורה ומצות אז זכתה להיות בחי׳ מהלך בעילוי אחר עילוי באמת”.
- 6חי ה׳ אשר עמדתי לפניו · II Kings 5:16
2והטעם שהמלאכים ונשמות נק׳ עומדים כי שרש התהוותם הוא מבחי׳ אותיות והמלאכים הם מאותיות הדבור1 כמ״ש וברוח פיו כל צבאם.2
The reason the angels and the souls are called “standing” is that the root of their coming into being is from the level of letters. The angels are from the letters of speech, as it is written, “And by the breath of His mouth, all their host.”
Angels and souls “stand” because they were created from Divine “letters.” Angels come from G‑d’s speech, as the verse says the heavenly hosts were made by the breath of His mouth.
וישראל עלו במחשבה34 הם מאותיות המחשבה והאותיות הם בחי׳ דומם כמ״ש בס״י שתי אבנים בונות5 כו׳ לפי שהן בטילות לגבי השכל המנהיגן
And Israel, who “arose in [G‑d’s] thought,” are from the letters of thought. The letters are the level of the inanimate, as is said in Sefer Yetzirah, “Two stones build [two houses],” etc., because they are nullified before the intellect that directs them,
The souls of Israel come from a higher source, G‑d’s thought, but thought too is made of letters. Sefer Yetzirah calls letters “stones,” something inanimate, because letters have no will of their own; they are simply shaped by the idea they carry.
כי האותיות הן לפי השכל כו׳ ולכך נק׳ עומדים כבחי׳ דומם שאין להם בחי׳ הילוך.
for the letters follow the intellect, etc. Therefore they are called “standing,” like the level of the inanimate, which has no quality of going.
Since letters only follow the intellect that moves them, beings made from letters are like the inanimate. They stay where they are and cannot move themselves from level to level.
The paragraph explains why angels and souls above are “standing”: they are rooted in Divine letters, which are passive like stones and are moved only by the intellect behind them.
Sefer Yetzirah’s image of letters as stones that “build houses” (words) underlies the whole argument: a letter is a fixed, lifeless form. Movement comes only from the idea within the letters, and later the maamar shows that it reaches the angels only through Israel’s service.
Marei mekomos
- 1והמלאכים הם מאותיות הדבור · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ משפטים ע׳ א׳רפ.
- 2וברוח פיו כל צבאם · Psalms 33:6
- 3וישראל עלו במחשבה · ב״ר בתחילתה.
- 4וישראל עלו במחשבה · Bereshit Rabbah 1:4
- 5כמ״ש בס״י שתי אבנים בונות · פ״ד מט״ז. ראה לעיל כא, א. כב, א.
The angels’ Kedushah and the two lights ¶3–4
3ומ״ש ובשתים יעופף1 הרי שמצינו להם בחי׳ הילוך הוא ע״י אתעדל״ת2 כשישראל אומרים קדושה למטה גם המלאכים אומרים קדוש למעלה ואזי נאמר ובשתים יעופף וקרא זה אל זה3 כו׳.
As for what is written, “And with two it would fly,” where we do find a quality of going in them: this comes through an arousal from below. When Israel says the Kedushah below, the angels too say “Holy” above, and then it is said, “And with two it would fly,” and “One called to another,” etc.
Yet Isaiah says the seraphim “fly,” which is movement. This movement is not their own: it is roused when Israel says the Kedushah below, and then the angels say “Holy” above and are set in motion.
אך להבין ביאור הדבר איך הוא אתעדל״ע ע״י אתעדל״ת הנה נודע שיש ב׳ בחי׳ ממכ״ע וסוכ״ע.
But to understand the explanation of how there is an arousal from above through an arousal from below: it is known that there are two levels, the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) and the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).
To see how Israel’s initiative below can bring about a response from above, the Alter Rebbe introduces two kinds of Divine light. One enters and fills each world; the other is too great to enter and surrounds all the worlds.
פי׳ ממכ״ע היינו לפי סדר המדרגות בהשתלשלות וירידות המדרגות מעילה לעילה כו׳ ומהוה ומחיה לכאו״א לפי מזגו ותכונתו בבחי׳ השתלשלות ממש והשפעת והמשכת חיות זה הוא מבחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ מלכותך מכ״ע4 וכבוד הדר מלכותו.5
The meaning of “fills all worlds” is: according to the order of the levels in the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), the descent of the levels from cause to cause, etc. It brings into being and gives life to each one according to its temperament and nature, in the manner of an actual chain of descent. This flow and drawing down of life-force is from the level of His sovereignty, blessed be He: “Your kingship is a kingship over all worlds,” and “the glorious splendor of His kingship.”
The light that fills all worlds comes down step by step, each level causing the next, and gives life to every creature according to its own nature. This graded giving of life comes from G‑d’s sovereignty (Malchus), as the verses about His kingship over all worlds say.
פי׳ הדר הוא תפארת גדולתו ית׳ ברבוא רבבות עולמות אלף אלפין ישמשונה6 כו׳ ולגדודיו אין מספר7 שכל זה יקר תפארת גדולתו ית׳ ואין זה
The meaning of “splendor” (hadar) is the beauty of His greatness, blessed be He, in myriads upon myriads of worlds: “A thousand thousands serve Him,” etc., and “Is there any number to His legions?” All this is the precious beauty of His greatness, blessed be He, and it is none other
The “splendor” of His kingship is the vastness of the worlds and the countless angels who serve Him. All this vastness is only the glory of His greatness as King.
אלא מבחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ וכל המלאכים זמירות יאמרו רק למלך אל חי וקים כי הוא לבדו פי׳ בבחי׳ עצמותו ית׳ מרום וקדוש כו׳.
than from the level of His sovereignty, blessed be He. All the angels “utter songs” only “to the King, the living and enduring G‑d,” for He alone (meaning, in His very Essence, blessed be He) is “exalted and holy,” etc.
All of this comes only from His sovereignty, the level of G‑d as King over creation. The angels sing to Him as King, but He alone, in His very Essence, is “exalted and holy,” beyond anything they can reach.
The paragraph finds the angels’ one kind of “movement” in their response to Israel’s Kedushah, and begins to explain it through the two lights, the light that fills all worlds and the light that encompasses them. The light that fills all worlds, with all its vast splendor, comes only from G‑d’s sovereignty.
“Fills all worlds” is G‑d’s life-force as measured to each creature; its source, Malchus, is the lowest of the Sefiros. The contrast with G‑d’s Essence, “exalted and holy,” prepares for the next paragraph: the threefold “Holy” draws down light from beyond the ordered chain of worlds.
Marei mekomos
- 1ובשתים יעופף · Isaiah 6:2
- 2ומ״ש ובשתים יעופף הרי שמצינו להם בחי׳ הילוך הוא ע״י אתעדל״ת · בסה״מ תרנ״ד ע׳ רסא: ”היינו מה שנעשה בהם ע״י עבודת הנשמות כו׳ כמ״ש במ״א”. ראה אוה״ת נ״ך כרך א ע׳ קס.
- 3וקרא זה אל זה · Isaiah 6:3
- 4מלכותך מכ״ע · Psalms 145:13
- 5וכבוד הדר מלכותו · Psalms 145:12
- 6אלף אלפין ישמשונה · Daniel 7:10
- 7ולגדודיו אין מספר · Chagigah 13b:13
4וע״ז אומרים ג״פ קדוש להיות המשכת קדושה עליונה מאא״ס ב״ה1 הסוכ״ע עד שיהיה הוי״ה צבאות ולהיות מכה״כ.2
For this reason they say “Holy” three times: so that there be a drawing down of supernal holiness from the Infinite Light, blessed be He, that encompasses all worlds, until it becomes “Havayah Tzevaos,” and so that “the whole earth is full of His glory.”
The three-fold “Holy” draws a higher holiness from the light that encompasses all worlds down into the worlds. It becomes “Havayah Tzevaos” (G‑d as L‑rd of the hosts) and fills the whole earth with His glory.
ופי׳ כבודו התלבשותו וגם כבוד בגימ׳ ל״ב הם ל״ב נ״ח שבחי׳ התלבשות אא״ס ב״ה היא בחכמה וכמ״ש (תהלים קד) מה רבו מעשיך ה׳ כלם בחכמה עשית3 וכתיב מלאה הארץ קניניך.
The meaning of “His glory” is His enclothing. Also, kavod (glory) is numerically thirty-two: the thirty-two paths of wisdom. For the enclothing of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is in Chochmah, as it is written (Psalms 104), “How many are Your works, O G‑d! You made them all with wisdom,” and it is written, “The earth is full of Your possessions.”
“Glory” (kavod) means G‑d clothing Himself within creation. Its numerical value, 32, hints at the thirty-two paths of wisdom, because G‑d’s light clothes itself in the world through Chochmah, as “You made them all with wisdom” says.
קניניך הם בחי׳ קנה חכמה קנה בינה4 והן הן מלא כל הארץ שהוא ענין התלבשות אא״ס ב״ה בבחי׳ ממכ״ע ונק׳ יחוד קוב״ה ושכינתיה:5
“Your possessions” (kinyanecha) are the level of “Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding,” and these are what “fill the whole earth.” This is the enclothing of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, as the light that fills all worlds, and it is called the union of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah.
The “possessions” that fill the earth are wisdom and understanding, as Proverbs says, “Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding.” This light clothed within the world is the light that fills all worlds, and its joining with the world is called the union of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah.
The paragraph explains what the angels’ “Holy, holy, holy” achieves: it draws the encompassing light down so that it clothes itself in the world through Chochmah, filling the earth with G‑d’s glory.
Kavod = 32 (kaf = 20, beis = 2, vav = 6, dalet = 4) corresponds to the thirty-two paths of wisdom of Sefer Yetzirah, which is why G‑d’s enclothing is said to be in Chochmah. The “union of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah” is the bond between transcendent G‑dliness and His presence within the worlds.
Marei mekomos
- 1ג״פ קדוש . . המשכת קדושה עליונה מאא״ס ב״ה · מובא באוה״ת נ״ך כרך א ע׳ קסח ושם מצויין להמקומות בדא״ח שמובא שם בענין ג״פ קדוש.
- 2הוי״ה צבאות ולהיות מכה״כ · Isaiah 6:3
- 3
- 4קנה חכמה קנה בינה · Proverbs 4:5
- 5כבוד בגימט׳ ל״ב · ראה מאו״א כ, ו.
The soul’s descent and the war with the animal soul ¶5–9
Now it is known that as for the purpose of the soul’s descent into this world, it did not descend for its own sake, for the soul needs no rectification for itself.
The soul did not come down into this world for its own benefit. In itself it is already perfect and needs no correction.
אלא עיקר ירידתה להתלבש בנה״ב כדי להיות בחי׳ אתכפייא ואתהפכא בנה״ב עד שלא יהיה לה כ״א רצון א׳ לאביה שבשמים וכמ״ש מי לי בשמים ועמך לא חפצתי3 בארץ.
Rather, the main [purpose] of its descent is to be enclothed in the animal soul, so that there be subjugation and transformation (iskafya and is’hapcha) in the animal soul, until it has no will but one, for its Father in heaven, as it is written, “Whom do I have in heaven? And besides You I desire nothing on earth.”
Its purpose is to clothe itself in the animal soul and refine it: first subduing it (iskafya), then transforming it (is’hapcha). The goal is that even the animal soul wants only G‑d, as the Psalm says, “besides You I desire nothing on earth.”
The paragraph states the purpose of the soul’s descent: not its own perfection but the subjugation and transformation of the animal soul until it too desires only G‑d.
Etz Chaim’s teaching that the soul needs no rectification for itself is brought in Tanya chapter 37 as the basis of the soul’s descent to refine the body and animal soul. This refinement is what makes the soul a “goer.”
Marei mekomos
- 1הנשמה א״צ תיקון לעצמה · ע״ח שער כו פ״א. הובא בתניא פרק לז. ראה לקו״ת תצא לד, ג.
- 2כי הנשמה א״צ תיקון לעצמה · Sefer Etz Chaim 26:2
- 3מי לי בשמים ועמך לא חפצתי · Psalms 73:25
6והיינו ע״י נפש האלקית המתלבשת בה המשכלת ומתבוננת בה׳ אחד בק״ש שמע ישראל1 שמע ל׳ הבנה2 איך הוא ית׳ אחד בשמים וארץ.
This is through the G‑dly soul enclothed in it, which reflects and contemplates “G‑d is One” in the Shema, “Shema Yisrael” (“shema” is a term for understanding): how He, blessed be He, is One in heaven and earth.
The G‑dly soul refines the animal soul by contemplating G‑d’s oneness in the Shema. “Shema” means “understand”: one is to grasp that G‑d is One in heaven and on earth.
והח׳ והד׳ שהם ז׳ רקיעים והארץ וד׳ רוחות העולם כולם בטלים לבחי׳ האל״ף הוא יחודו ית׳ כי הוא לבדו הוא כמו קודם שנברא העולם כי אני ה׳ לא שניתי3.
The ches and the dalet, which are the seven heavens and the earth and the four directions of the world, are all nullified to the aleph, which is His unity, blessed be He. For He alone exists as before the world was created: “For I, G‑d, have not changed.”
The word echad (One) is read letter by letter: ches (8) is the seven heavens and the earth, dalet (4) is the four directions, and all of them are nullified to the aleph, G‑d’s unity. G‑d remains alone exactly as before creation, as “I have not changed” says.
The paragraph describes the Shema’s contemplation of G‑d’s oneness: all of creation is nullified to Him, and He is unchanged by it.
This is the “higher unity” (yichuda ila’ah): from G‑d’s perspective the world adds nothing and changes nothing. The letters of echad, aleph (1), ches (8) and dalet (4), map the whole of space onto G‑d’s unity.
Marei mekomos
- 1שמע ישראל · Deuteronomy 6:4
- 2שמע ל׳ הבנה · נסמן לעיל א, א. לקמן לח, ב.
- 3
7וברוך שאמר והיה העולם באמירה אחת. רק בשכמל״ו שבחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ הוא שמחיה ומהוה את כל העולמות מאין ליש להיות נראה ונגלה לעיני בשר ליש ודבר בפ״ע כו׳. ועי״ז ואהבת בכל לבבך1 בשני יצריך.2
And “Blessed is He Who spoke, and the world came into being” with a single utterance. Only “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever” [refers to] the level of His sovereignty, blessed be He, which gives life to and brings into being all the worlds from nothing to something, so that they appear and are revealed to eyes of flesh as a something, a thing unto itself, etc. And through this [comes] “You shall love [G‑d] with all your heart”: with both your inclinations.
The world came into being through a single Divine utterance. Only G‑d’s sovereignty, praised in “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom,” makes the worlds appear to physical eyes as separate things. Contemplating both leads to loving G‑d “with all your heart,” which the Sages read as loving Him with both the good and the evil inclination.
אך קודם ק״ש תקנו חכמים3 שתים לפניה4 לקיום הק״ש ומתחילין תחלה לספר מענין המלאכים איך שהם מקדישים ומעריצים כו׳ והאופנים ברעש גדול כו׳.
But before the Shema the Sages instituted two [blessings] before it, for the fulfillment of the Shema. They begin by first recounting the matter of the angels, how they sanctify and extol, etc., and “the Ofanim, with a great noise,” etc.
Before the Shema the Sages set two blessings. The first describes how the angels sanctify G‑d and how the Ofanim (a class of angels) rise with a great noise.
כי הנה להיות קיום ואהבת בשני יצריך שגם היצה״ר ישוב לאתכפיא ולאתהפכא הוא ע״י מלחמה גדולה
For the fulfillment of “You shall love” with both your inclinations, that even the evil inclination should come to subjugation and transformation, comes about through a great war,
To love G‑d even with the evil inclination, that is, to subdue it and then transform it, requires a great battle.
וכמ״ש ולאום מלאום יאמץ5 וכתיב ויאבק איש עמו67 עד עלות השחר שעד עלות השחר לע״ל כל ימי משך זמן הגלות הכל היא בבחי׳ מלחמה.
as it is written, “And one nation shall be stronger than the other nation,” and it is written, “And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn”: until the break of dawn of the Time to Come, all the days of the length of the exile, everything is in a state of war.
The verses about Jacob and Esau struggling show this battle. “Until dawn” alludes to the Time to Come: all through the exile, the service of G‑d is a war.
The paragraph connects the Shema’s love of G‑d “with both inclinations” to the blessings before it, which describe the angels, and explains that transforming the evil inclination is a war that lasts the whole exile.
The Alter Rebbe asks why the blessings before the Shema describe angels at all. The answer, given in paragraph 9, is that the animal soul is rooted in the holy Chayos, so their praise can move it.
Marei mekomos
- 1ואהבת בכל לבבך · Deuteronomy 6:5
- 2בכל לבבך בשני יצריך · Berakhot 54a:6
- 3אך קודם ק״ש תקנו חכמים · ראה לקו״ת תצא לד, ד.
- 4תקנו חכמים שתים לפניה · Berakhot 11a:24–25
- 5ולאום מלאום יאמץ · Genesis 25:23
- 6וכתיב ויאבק איש עמו . . וכתיב ורב יעבוד צעיר · נעתק באוה״ת במדבר ע׳ מג ומסיים שם: ”ומבואר שם דמבחי׳ ויאבק הנ״ל שנלחם עם הנה״ב ומהפכו מזה נעשה העלי׳ לע״ל כענין סוס ורוכבו”.
- 7ויאבק איש עמו · Genesis 32:25
And it is written, “And the elder shall serve the younger.” The level of “elder” (rav) is the level of “before any king reigned,” etc., except that it descended and fell in the shattering of the vessels, as is known.
“The elder shall serve the younger” is read as the animal soul serving the G‑dly soul. The animal soul is the “elder” because its root is from the world of Tohu, “before any king reigned,” which is higher than the ordered world; it fell in the shattering of the vessels.
וירידה זו מאיגרא רמא3 כו׳ היא צורך עליי׳ ע״י ישראל בנפשות אלקיות שבהם למשול ולשלוט על רוח הנה״ב עד שתשוב להיות בבחי׳ אתכפיא ואתהפכא כו׳ ואין הדינין נמתקין אלא בשרשן.4
This descent “from a high roof [to a deep pit]” is for the sake of an ascent, through Israel, with the G‑dly souls within them, ruling and governing the spirit of the animal soul until it returns to be in a state of subjugation and transformation, etc. For judgments are sweetened only in their root.
This fall from a great height is for the sake of an ascent: when the G‑dly soul rules the animal soul and transforms it, it is raised higher than before. Harsh forces are sweetened only by reaching their root, so the animal soul must be reached through its source.
The paragraph explains that the animal soul comes from a very high root that fell in the shattering of the vessels, and that its fall is for the sake of the ascent that comes when Israel transforms it.
“The kings who reigned before any king reigned over Israel” (Genesis 36:31) is the Kabbalistic source for the world of Tohu, whose vessels shattered. The principle that judgments are sweetened only in their root is also in Tanya chapter 31.
Marei mekomos
- 1ורב יעבד צעיר · Genesis 25:23
- 2לפני מלך מלך · Genesis 36:31
- 3מאיגרא רמא · Chagigah 5b:16–17
- 4ואין הדינין נמתקין אלא בשרשן · ראה פע״ח שער השופר פ״א. שער יוהכ״פ פ״א. לקו״ת להאריז״ל וישב. תניא ריש פל״א.
9ולכך א״א להכניע ולכבוש את רוח הנה״ב תחת ממשלת הנה״א1 כ״א ע״י שרשה של הנה״ב שמקור חוצבה ויסודתה בהררי קדש2 הוא מחיות הקדש שבמרכבה פני ארי׳ פני שור3 כו׳.
Therefore it is impossible to subdue and conquer the spirit of the animal soul under the rule of the G‑dly soul except through the root of the animal soul, whose quarry and foundation is “in the holy mountains”: from the holy Chayos of the Chariot, “the face of a lion, the face of an ox,” etc.
The G‑dly soul cannot overpower the animal soul directly. It must reach the animal soul’s root, which is holy: the Chayos of the Divine Chariot seen by Ezekiel, with the face of a lion and the face of an ox.
ולכך צריך להזכיר לפניה תחלה איך שהמלאכים וחיות הקדש מקדישים וממליכים כו׳. ומזה יבא לקיום הק״ש4 להיות ואהבת בכל לבבך בשני יצריך.
Therefore one must first mention, before it, how the angels and the holy Chayos sanctify and proclaim [His] kingship, etc. From this one comes to the fulfillment of the Shema, “You shall love [G‑d] with all your heart”: with both your inclinations.
That is why the blessings before the Shema first describe how the angels and Chayos sanctify G‑d and proclaim His kingship. Hearing how its own root is nullified before G‑d moves the animal soul, and this leads to loving G‑d with both inclinations.
והנה בק״ש ממשיכים לה בחי׳ בטול ממש בה׳ אחד במס״נ ממש באור א״ס ב״ה הסוכ״ע עד שתתפשט לצאת מנרתקה כו׳:
And in the Shema one draws down to it a state of true self-nullification in “G‑d is One,” with actual self-sacrifice, in the Infinite Light, blessed be He, that encompasses all worlds, until it would expand to leave its sheath, etc.
In the Shema one draws into the soul a true nullification before G‑d’s oneness, with self-sacrifice. This comes from the light that encompasses all worlds, and it is so intense that the soul would long to leave the body, its “sheath.”
The paragraph explains why the blessings before the Shema speak of angels: the animal soul is rooted in the holy Chayos, so their nullification before G‑d moves it. The Shema then brings a nullification with self-sacrifice.
In Chassidus, the lion and the ox on the left and right of the Chariot are the roots of the natural love and fear in the animal soul. Reaching them lets the animal soul’s own passion be turned toward G‑d.
Marei mekomos
- 1תחת ממשלת הנה״א · ראה לקו״ת פ׳ ראה ל, א.
- 2ויסודתה בהררי קדש · Psalms 87:1
- 3פני ארי׳ פני שור · Ezekiel 1:10
- 4ומזה יבא לקיום הק״ש · ראה לקו״ת ויקרא ב, ב. ד״ה וילך תרס״ו.
Horse and rider: the ascent from below ¶10–11
The matter is as it is written, “The horse and its rider He cast into the sea.” The horse is nullified before its rider; without the rider, the horse’s virtue is nothing.
The Song at the Sea gives the image of horse and rider. A horse is subordinate to its rider, and without the rider its strength achieves nothing.
אבל כשיש רוכב עליו ניכר מעלת הסוס ביותר שיכול לרוץ למקום שאין הרוכב יכול לילך מצד עצמו.
But when there is a rider on it, the horse’s virtue is recognized all the more, for it can run to a place where the rider could not go on his own.
With a rider, the horse’s strength shows all the more: it can carry the rider to places he could never reach on foot. This is the model for the animal soul carrying the G‑dly soul.
The paragraph gives the parable of horse and rider: the horse’s power is nothing alone, but with a rider it reaches farther than the rider could on his own.
Marei mekomos
- 1סוס ורכבו רמה בים · Exodus 15:1
11וכך בחי׳ נה״ב מצד עצמה היא מקושרת למטה אבל כשרוכב עליה הנה״א המתלבשת בה הנה זאת תהיה העלאת הנפש הבהמית ביתר שאת וביתר עז1 במס״נ ממש.
So too the animal soul, of itself, is bound to what is below. But when the G‑dly soul that is enclothed in it rides upon it, this becomes the elevation of the animal soul, with “greater eminence and greater power,” with actual self-sacrifice.
Left to itself, the animal soul is drawn to physical things. When the G‑dly soul “rides” it, the animal soul is raised with a force greater than the G‑dly soul’s own, even to the point of self-sacrifice.
והיינו לפי ששרשה ממקום עליון יותר מלפני מלך מלך2 כו׳ ורב יעבד3 כו׳. ואזי גדול ורב כחה עד שבתפלת י״ח היא הממשכת ומשפעת המשכת בטול אא״ס ב״ה במלאכים עד
This is because its root is from a higher place, from “before any king reigned,” etc., and “the elder shall serve,” etc. Then its power is great and abundant, so much so that in the Shemoneh Esreh prayer it is what draws down and bestows a flow of self-nullification toward the Infinite Light, blessed be He, into the angels, until
It has this force because its root is higher, from the world of Tohu “before any king reigned”; this is why “the elder” serves. Its power is so great that in the Shemoneh Esreh (the Amidah prayer) it draws a flow of nullification before G‑d down to the angels.
שהם אומרים קדוש כשישראל אומרים למטה. וזהו ענין באתעדל״ת אתעדל״ע שממטה למעלה להיות בטול באא״ס ב״ה ממטה למעלה:
they say “Holy” when Israel says [it] below. This is the meaning of “through an arousal from below [comes] an arousal from above”: from below upward, that there be self-nullification in the Infinite Light, blessed be He, from below upward.
As a result the angels say “Holy” when Israel says the Kedushah below. This is the arousal from below that brings an arousal from above: a movement from below upward, bringing the angels to nullify themselves in the Infinite Light.
The paragraph applies the parable: the transformed animal soul, with its higher root, gives Israel’s prayer the power to move even the angels upward in nullification before G‑d. This is the first of the two “goings,” from below upward.
“Greater eminence and greater power” (Genesis 49:3) is used in Chassidus for the added strength of what is transformed from below. Here that strength is what makes the angels’ Kedushah follow Israel’s.
Marei mekomos
- 1ביתר שאת וביתר עז · Genesis 49:3
- 2לפני מלך מלך · Genesis 36:31
- 3ורב יעבד · Genesis 25:23
Torah and Keser: the drawing down from above ¶12–14
12והנה כך הוא בענין המשכת אא״ס ב״ה מלמעלה למטה הוא ע״י ישראל בעסק התורה שהיא חכמתו ורצונו ית׳ בתרי״ג מצות דאורייתא וז׳ דרבנן
Likewise with the drawing down of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, from above downward: it comes through Israel, in their occupation with the Torah, which is His wisdom and will, blessed be He, in the 613 commandments of the Torah and the seven of the Rabbis,
The second movement is from above downward: drawing the Infinite Light down into the worlds. This is done by Israel’s study of Torah, which is G‑d’s wisdom and will, expressed in the 613 commandments of the Torah and the seven rabbinic commandments.
שהם תר״ך בגימ׳ כת״ר1 שהן הם בחי׳ כתר עליון בחי׳ כותרת ומקיף שלמעלה מעלה מבחי׳ סדר ההשתלשלו׳ ומשם ממשיכים ישראל הארת אא״ס ב״ה הסוכ״ע.
which are 620, numerically equal to keser (crown). These are the level of the supernal Keser, the level of a crown and an encompassing [light] that is far above the order of the chain of descending worlds. From there Israel draws down the radiance of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, that encompasses all worlds.
Together they are 620, the numerical value of keser (crown). This alludes to the supernal Keser, a “crown” that surrounds the head and so is above the ordered chain of worlds; through the Torah and mitzvos, Israel draws the encompassing light down from there.
The paragraph introduces the second “going,” from above downward: through Torah and the 620 commandments, which correspond to Keser, Israel draws down the light that encompasses all worlds.
Keser (620: kaf 20, tav 400, reish 200) is the level of will above wisdom, above the whole chain of descending worlds. The same number of commandments reappears in paragraph 16 as “620 pillars of light.”
Marei mekomos
- 1בתרי״ג . . בגימ׳ כתר · ראה של״ה יתרו שטז, א. מאו״א ת, נו. מאמרי אדה״ז פרשיות ח״א ע׳ שלח ובמ״מ שם.
13וזהו שאחר ואהבת בכל לבבך ממטה למעלה אומרים והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך1 כו׳ המשכת הדברים האלה מבחי׳ אנכי ממש מלמעלה למטה כו׳ שלא יסתיר ולא יעלים כו׳.
This is why, after “You shall love [G‑d] with all your heart,” [which is] from below upward, we say, “And these words which I (Anochi) command you,” etc.: the drawing down of “these words” from the level of Anochi itself, from above downward, etc., so that it neither hides nor conceals, etc.
The order of the Shema reflects the two movements. “You shall love” is the ascent from below upward; then “these words which I (Anochi) command you” is the drawing down of the Torah from G‑d’s own “I,” His very Self, from above downward, so that nothing conceals Him.
והמלאכים מקבלים מהם המשכת התורה הנמשכת בג״ע כמ״ש היושבת בגנים2 כו׳ וגם בעסק התורה בעוה״ז ארז״ל על יש מהחכמים הגדולים שנתקבצו מלאכי השרת כבמזמוטי חתן וכלה3 כו׳.
The angels receive from them the drawing down of the Torah that is drawn into the Garden of Eden, as it is written, “You who dwell in the gardens,” etc. And also regarding Torah study in this world, our Sages said of some of the great sages that the ministering angels gathered as at the rejoicing of a groom and bride, etc.
The angels receive this drawing down of Torah from Israel, both in the Garden of Eden, where souls study, and in this world. The Talmud tells that when great sages studied the mystical teachings, ministering angels gathered as at a wedding.
The paragraph shows that the Shema contains both movements, love from below upward and the drawing down of Torah from above downward, and that the angels receive the Torah’s light from Israel.
Anochi (“I”) is read in Chassidus as G‑d’s Essence, beyond any Name. The angels, who have no Torah of their own, gather to receive what Israel draws down.
Marei mekomos
- 1והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך · Deuteronomy 6:6
- 2היושבת בגנים · Song of Songs 8:13
- 3ארז״ל על יש מהחכמים . . כבמזמוטי חתן וכלה · Chagigah 14b:5
14ונמצא שהשפעת המלאכים מישראל היא בין מלמטה למעלה ובין מלמעלה למטה.1 וזהו ונתתי לך מהלכים2 ב׳ מיני הילוך3 ממטה למעלה וממעלה למטה. בין העומדים.
It follows that the angels’ flow from Israel is both from below upward and from above downward. This is “I will give you goings”: two kinds of going, from below upward and from above downward. “Among those that stand”:
So the angels receive from Israel in both directions: the ascent from below upward and the drawing down from above downward. These are the two “goings” of the verse, which Israel is given “among those that stand.”
פי׳ בפנימיות העומדים.4 הם המלאכים להיות השפעת בחי׳ הילוך בבחינת פנימית המלאכים בין ממטה למעלה ובין מלמעלה למטה:567
meaning, in the inner dimension of those that stand, who are the angels: that there be a flow of the quality of going into the inner dimension of the angels, both from below upward and from above downward.
“Among” means “within”: Israel brings movement into the inner dimension of the angels. The angels remain fixed in their level, but inwardly they are moved, both upward and downward, through Israel.
The paragraph answers the opening question: the “goings among those that stand” are the two movements, up and down, that Israel brings into the inner dimension of the fixed angels.
Elsewhere in Likkutei Torah this is linked to Jacob’s ladder, with angels “ascending and descending”: the two kinds of going named here.
Marei mekomos
- 1ונמצא שהשפעת המלאכים . . בין מלמטה למעלה ובין מלמעלה למטה · בלקו״ת האזינו עח, א מציין לכאן.
- 2ונתתי לך מהלכים · Zechariah 3:7
- 3ב׳ מיני הילוך · ראה לקו״ת ראה כז, ד.
- 4פי׳ בפנימיות העומדים · ראה אוה״ת פ׳ נשא ע׳ רמא.
- 5כל ארחות ה׳ חסד ואמת · Psalms 25:10
- 6כל האומר אין לי אלא תורה · Yevamot 109b:4–5
- 7ונהר די נור · Daniel 7:10
The conditions: My ways and judging My house ¶15–20
15אך הנה כ״ז אם בדרכי תלך כו׳. והענין הוא כי הנה הכח הזה הניתן לישראל להיות בהם
But all this is “if you will walk in My ways,” etc. The explanation is that this power given to Israel, that in them
The whole promise depends on its condition, “if you will walk in My ways.” The Alter Rebbe now explains where Israel’s power to raise and to draw down comes from.
ועל ידם העלאה והמשכה זו הוא לפי שהם בני יעקב הבריח התיכון מבריח מן הקצה אל הקצה.1
and through them there be this ascent and drawing down, is because they are the children of Jacob, “the middle bar that runs through from end to end.”
Israel are the children of Jacob, who is compared to the “middle bar” of the Tabernacle that ran through all its boards from end to end. Like that bar, Jacob and his children join the highest and the lowest.
The paragraph grounds Israel’s power to raise and draw down in their being the children of Jacob, the “middle bar” that joins one end to the other.
In Kabbalah Jacob is Tiferes, the central line joining right and left, above and below.
Marei mekomos
- 1הבריח התיכון מבריח מן הקצה אל הקצה · Exodus 26:28
And [it is] through the Torah and mitzvos, which are 620 pillars of light, like a pillar that joins above and below, etc. This is “if you will walk in My ways.”
This joining happens through the Torah and mitzvos, the 620 “pillars of light” that connect above and below like a pillar. That is the meaning of “if you will walk in My ways.”
דרך הוא המחבר מעיר לעיר כו׳. וכל התורה והמצות נק׳ דרך2 שבהם ועל ידם ע״י כולם דוקא עוברת ההשפעה.
A way is what joins one city to another, etc. The whole Torah and the mitzvos are called a way, for in them and through them, through all of them specifically, the flow passes.
A road connects one city to another, and so the Torah and mitzvos are called a “way”: the Divine flow passes through them. It passes through all of them together, so every mitzvah is needed.
The paragraph explains “My ways”: the Torah and mitzvos are the road and the pillars along which the Divine flow passes between above and below.
Marei mekomos
- 1וזהו אם בדרכי תלך · Zechariah 3:7
- 2וכל התורה והמצות נק׳ דרך · Zohar I, 175b
17וכנודע שהטפה יורדת דרך כל האיברים כו׳. ועז״נ כל ארחות1 ה׳ חסד ואמת. שאין הילוך ההשפעה אלא בבחי׳ חסד דוקא. ובבחי׳ אמת דוקא.
As is known, the drop descends by way of all the limbs, etc. Of this it is said, “All the paths of G‑d are kindness and truth”: the flow goes only by way of kindness specifically, and by way of truth specifically.
The flow must pass through all the mitzvos, as a drop of seed is drawn from all the limbs of the body. The verse “All the paths of G‑d are kindness and truth” teaches that the flow moves only by way of kindness and truth.
אך א״א להיות מלמעלה למטה כ״א שיהי׳ תחלה ממטלמ״ע כל האומר אין לי אלא תורה2 כו׳.
But it cannot be from above downward unless it is first from below upward: “Whoever says, ‘I have only Torah,’” etc.
But the drawing down from above cannot happen unless there is first an ascent from below. The Talmud says that whoever claims to have “only Torah” does not even have Torah: Torah study alone, without the service that rises from below, draws nothing down.
The paragraph adds that the flow travels through all the mitzvos, by way of kindness and truth, and that drawing down from above depends on first rising from below.
The ruling from Yevamot is read here as a spiritual principle: Torah’s descent requires the upward service of prayer and deeds.
Marei mekomos
- 1כל ארחות ה׳ · Psalms 25:10
- 2כל האומר אין לי אלא תורה · Yevamot 109b:4–5
And further: “And you too shall judge My house.” “Judge”: “the law of the kingdom is law.” For “a servant will not be corrected by words”: this is the animal soul.
The verse’s next clause, “you too shall judge My house,” adds a further requirement. “Judge” here means ruling with firm law, because the animal soul is like a servant who will not be corrected by words alone.
וצריך להכותה בשבט4 לעולם ירגיז5 כו׳. והיא בחי׳ זיעתן של חיות.6 כענין זיעה שבאדם שהיא שמחמת פחדו נעשה תגבורת האש על המים שבו.
It must be struck with a rod: “A person should always incite,” etc. This is the level of the sweat of the Chayos, like a person’s sweat, which comes when, from his fear, the fire in him overpowers the water in him.
The animal soul must be struck, as the Talmud says one should always incite the good inclination against the evil one. This is compared to the “sweat of the Chayos”: when a person is afraid, the fire in him overpowers the water in him and pushes it out as sweat.
The paragraph adds the second condition, “you shall judge”: the animal soul must be ruled firmly, not only persuaded. It introduces the image of sweat as water pushed out by an overpowering fire.
Sweat is used as a model for the harsh energy that comes from awe: fire (Gevurah) forcing out water (Chesed). The next paragraph traces this from the Chayos down to the “river of fire.”
Marei mekomos
- 1וגם אתה תדין את ביתי · Zechariah 3:7
- 2דינא דמלכותא דינא · Gittin 10b:12–14
- 3בדברים לא יוסר עבד · Proverbs 29:19
- 4וצריך להכותה בשבט · ראה סד״ה ואתה הרם — בהמשך והחרים תרל״א. וככה תרל״ז פקי״ט, פקכ״ח. ד״ה לא יצא האיש לא בסייף לכ״ק אדמו״ר מהר״ש (ברוקלין, תשט״ז).
- 5לעולם ירגיז · Berakhot 5a:2
- 6ועוד זאת . . זיעתן של חיות · ע׳ באוה״ת פ׳ שופטים ע׳ תתכא.
19ודוחה האש את המים לחוץ בבחינת זיעה. כך הנה כתיב ונהר די נור כו׳. שהוא מזיעתן של חיות1 שהם בבריא׳ ומשם יורד ליצירה ועשיה ונעשה נהר די נור על ראש רשעים יחול23
And the fire pushes the water outward as sweat. So too it is written, “A river of fire,” etc., which comes from the sweat of the Chayos, which are in Beriah; from there it descends to Yetzirah and Asiyah and becomes the river of fire [of which it is said], “It shall fall upon the head of the wicked.”
Just as fear pushes water out of the body as sweat, the Chayos, angels of the World of Beriah, “sweat” from their awe of G‑d. This sweat descends through Yetzirah and Asiyah and becomes the “river of fire” of Daniel’s vision, which comes down as judgment on the wicked.
דהיינו הזיעה שהיא בחי׳ המים שדוחה בחי׳ האש שלהם שזעים וחלים מאימת כסא. ומגודל הפחד4 יוצא׳ מהם בחינת הזיעה שהיא בחינת המים.
That is, the sweat, which is the level of water, which their fire pushes out, for they tremble and quake from the dread of the Throne. From the greatness of the fear, sweat, which is the level of water, comes out of them.
The sweat is the “water” that the Chayos’ own fire pushes out, since they tremble in dread before G‑d’s Throne. Their great fear drives out this “water.”
שהיא בחינת השפעה והמשכה כמים. ומזה נעשה נהר די נור כו׳. וכענין כעס על ההפוך הנמשך מחמת המשכת האהבה כו׳:
[Water] is the level of flow and drawing down, like water. From this the river of fire is made, etc. It is like anger at the opposite, which comes from the drawing down of love, etc.
Water stands for flowing and drawing down, yet here it becomes a river of fire, a force of judgment. It is like anger against what opposes G‑d, which comes from the very love drawn down to one who loves Him.
The paragraph traces the “river of fire” to the sweat of the Chayos: their awe forces out a flow that, lower down, becomes judgment on the wicked. So too anger against evil comes from love of good.
The Talmud and Midrash say the river of fire issues from the sweat of the Chayos. In Likkutei Torah this is tied to the angels of Gavriel’s camp, rooted in awe (Gevurah). The same pattern applies to a person: holy anger at evil is love of G‑d, turned outward.
Marei mekomos
- 1ונהר די נור כו׳ שהוא מזיעתן של חיות · Daniel 7:10
- 2על ראש רשעים יחול · Jeremiah 23:19
- 3על ראש רשעים יחול · Jeremiah 30:23
- 4מאימת כסא ומגודל הפחד · ראה גם סה״מ אתהלך ע׳ לה.
“You shall judge My house”: this is the level of the G‑dly soul, for “they are the sanctuary of G‑d.” “And they shall make Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell within them”; it does not say “within it,” etc.
“My house” is the G‑dly soul, since Israel themselves are G‑d’s sanctuary. The verse says “I will dwell within them,” not “within it,” meaning G‑d dwells within each person.
וגם אתה הוא יהושע הכהן הגדול הוא שושבינא דמטרוניתא3 בהעלותך את הנרות4 כו׳. כהנא רבא חסד עלאה ואעפ״כ תדין בבחי׳ גבורות ועי״ז תשמור את חצרי.5 חצרי הוא בחי׳ נה״ב.
“And you too”: this is Joshua the High Priest, who is the “groomsman of the Queen”: “When you kindle the lamps,” etc. The High Priest is supernal Chesed, and nevertheless “you shall judge” with the level of Gevuros, and through this “you shall guard My courtyards.” “My courtyards” is the level of the animal soul.
“You” refers to Joshua the High Priest, who is called the Queen’s “groomsman” and who kindles the lamps. Though the High Priest stands for supernal Chesed (kindness), he must “judge” with Gevuros (severities), and this protects “My courtyards,” the animal soul.
כי ההפרש שבין בית לחצר הוא שבית מקורה בגג שהוא ענין פריסת אהל ומקיף מבחי׳ סוכ״ע. משא״כ חצר אינה מקורה כו׳. וצריך שמירה.
For the difference between a house and a courtyard is that a house is covered by a roof, which is the spreading of a tent and an encompassing [light] from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds. A courtyard, however, is not roofed, etc., and needs guarding.
A house has a roof, which stands for the light that encompasses all worlds, sheltering what is inside; that is the G‑dly soul. A courtyard is open to the sky and exposed, so it needs guarding; that is the animal soul.
The paragraph interprets “judge My house” and “guard My courtyards”: the G‑dly soul is the roofed house, sheltered by the encompassing light, while the animal soul is the open courtyard that must be guarded with firm judgment.
The High Priest, the embodiment of kindness, is told to judge: even one rooted in Chesed must use Gevurah to protect the animal soul.
Marei mekomos
- 1כי היכל ה׳ המה · Jeremiah 7:4
- 2ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם בתוכו לא נאמר · Exodus 25:8
- 3שושבינא דמטרוניתא · ראה לקמן לב, ב.
- 4בהעלותך את הנרות · Numbers 8:2
- 5תשמור את חצרי · Zechariah 3:7
The Time to Come and Chanukah ¶21
21והנה אחר כ״ז ונתתי לך מהלכים1 ב׳ בחי׳ הילוך כו׳. והוא לע״ל כי כהיום נק׳ בחי׳ רצוא ושוב. רצוא ממטה למעלה. ושוב מלמעלה למטה.
After all this, “I will give you goings”: two kinds of going, etc. This is in the Time to Come. For nowadays it is called “running and returning” (ratzo vashov): running from below upward, and returning from above downward.
After the judging and guarding comes the promise of “goings,” and its full form belongs to the Time to Come. Now, service is “running and returning” (ratzo vashov): the soul runs upward toward G‑d, then returns downward to its task.
אבל לע״ל כשיתגלה2 בחי׳ סוכ״ע כחשכה כאורה.3 ואין בו מעומ״ט יהי׳ הכל בחי׳ הליכה. שיהי׳ גם השוב בחי׳ הליכה כמו הרצוא כו׳.4
But in the Time to Come, when the light that encompasses all worlds is revealed, “darkness is as light,” and there is no above and below in it, everything will be a state of going: even the returning will be a going, like the running, etc.
In the Time to Come, the encompassing light will be revealed, darkness will be like light, and there will be no “above” and “below.” Then even the returning will be a going forward, like the running.
רק שמקודם צ״ל בחי׳ תדין כנ״ל. וזהו ענין הנס שהי׳ בחנוכה (וכן בפורים) שהי׳ תחלה מלחמה ואח״כ הנס ביום מנוחה:5
Only, beforehand there must be the level of “you shall judge,” as said above. This is the meaning of the miracle that occurred on Chanukah (and likewise on Purim): first there was war, and afterward the miracle on a day of rest.
First, though, there must be “judging,” the war with the animal soul. Chanukah (and Purim) show this: there was first a war, and the festival was set on the day the fighting ended, the day of rest.
The paragraph concludes that the full “goings” will come in the Time to Come, when even the return will be an ascent; but first comes the war of “judging,” as on Chanukah and Purim, whose festivals mark the day of rest after the battle.
In Likkutei Torah (Tzav) the Alter Rebbe asks why Pesach falls on the day of the miracle, while Chanukah and Purim fall on the day of rest after it, and refers to this maamar. The rest after the war is the revelation of the encompassing light that follows the struggle.
Marei mekomos
- 1ונתתי לך מהלכים · Zechariah 3:7
- 2אבל לע״ל כשיתגלה · ראה לקו״ת אמור לה, ב.
- 3כחשכה כאורה · Psalms 139:12
- 4שיהי׳ גם השוב בחי׳ הליכה כמו הרצוא כו׳ · תי׳ אלו נוספו בסה״מ תקע״א ע׳ ט בגוכתי״ק הצ״צ.
- 5ואח״כ הנס ביום מנוחה · Shabbat 21b
Finished the maamar?
Mark it as learned; it counts toward the week and the year’s siyum.
In one’s avodah
The maamar asks a person to use the animal soul rather than simply suppress it: first to rule it firmly (“you shall judge”), through the blessings before the Shema and the Shema itself, and then to let its strength carry love of G‑d further than the G‑dly soul alone could. This means walking in all of G‑d’s ways, Torah study together with prayer and every mitzvah, and knowing that the struggle of the exile precedes the rest.
Questions for discussion
- Why are angels and souls above called “standing,” and what makes a soul in a body able to “go”?
- How can the animal soul, the lower of the two, carry the G‑dly soul higher than it could reach alone?
- Why do the blessings before the Shema describe the angels and the Chayos before we come to “You shall love”?
- What are the two “goings,” and how does the order of the Shema reflect them?
- Why must there be war (“you shall judge”) before the rest, and how do Chanukah and Purim show this?
Key terms in this maamar
- The animal soulנפש הבהמית
- The soul that animates the body and its drives. ×2
- An arousal from belowאתערותא דלתתא
- Human initiative that draws down a divine response.
- An arousal from aboveאתערותא דלעילא
- Divine initiative, unprompted by us.
- The light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin)ממלא כל עלמין
- Divine light that enters each world and gives it life according to its measure.
- The light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin)סובב כל עלמין
- Divine light too great to enter the worlds; it 'surrounds' them and affects them from beyond.
- The chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)השתלשלות
- The step-by-step descent of divine light from the highest level down to this world. ×2
- Life-forceחיות
- The divine vitality that sustains every creation. ×5
- Malchus (sovereignty)מלכות
- Kingship: the level through which G‑d's word creates and rules the worlds.
- The Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof)אור אין סוף
- G‑d's light as it is, beyond all limits, before any contraction.
- The Name Havayahהוי׳
- The Tetragrammaton: G‑d as transcending time and bringing all into being.
- Chochmah (wisdom)חכמה
- The first flash of insight. ×3
- Binah (understanding)בינה
- Developing and grasping an insight in detail. ×1
- The Holy One, blessed be Heקב״ה
- The Shechinah (Divine Presence)שכינה
- G‑d's presence as it dwells in the world.
- Willרצון
- Desire; in G‑d, the level above intellect. ×1
- The G‑dly soulנפש האלקית
- The soul that is 'a part of G‑d above'. ×1
- Self-nullification (bittul)ביטול
- Setting aside one's own sense of self before G‑d.
- Self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh)מסירות נפש
- Giving oneself over entirely to G‑d.
- Keser (the Crown)כתר
- The level above intellect: divine will and delight. ×1
- The inner dimension (pnimiyus)פנימיות
- The innermost core of a level. ×1
- Chesed (kindness)חסד
- Expansive giving. ×3
- The World of Beriah (Creation)בריאה
- The first world of separate existence.
- The World of Yetzirah (Formation)יצירה
- The world of the angels and emotions. ×1
- The World of Asiyah (Action)עשיה
- The lowest world, including our physical one. ×1
- Tiferes (beauty)תפארת
- Harmony of kindness and restraint; associated with compassion. ×2