Emes (אמת) — Truth

Core definition

Emes — truth — is what is not interrupted: unceasing, unbroken being. The corpus distinguishes two truths: truth as such, which belongs even to the lights of Atzilus, and emes la'amito — "the truth of truth" — which belongs to the Essence of the Ein Sof alone, the necessary existence. Created things, however sustained, are falsehood beside it; only the Essence is truth in the absolute sense [15962/maamar_007 :: Overview; 15911/maamar_016 :: Overview].

How the Rebbeim develop it

The maamar on "katonati mikol hachasadim umikol ha'emes" asks: why must truth be given to Yackov, whose own middah is truth — and why the language of a gift, implying something new? The answer: there are two truths. "Truth" is what is not interrupted — but Atzilus, though Divinity and cleaving, is only possibly liable to interruption (each sefirah ends; the Kav ends in Malchus), so it is truth but not "the truth of truth." The truth of truth is the Essence of the Ein Sof, the necessary existence — drawn through Atika, the inwardness of Keter, where "the light of the king's face" is Chesed itself, boundless literally [15962/maamar_007 :: Overview].

The gift to Yackov is this truth of truth drawn into Tiferes, the middle line — which alone resembles it, through its inclusion of Chesed and Gevurah [15962/maamar_007 :: Overview]. "Katonati" is then read in two: "from all the kindnesses" — Rav Chesed, the outwardness of Keter; "from all the truth" — the inwardness of Keter — bringing the two nullifications: "all is as nothing before Him" and "there is none besides Him" [15962/maamar_007 :: Overview].

The companion exposition sharpens the definition: truth = unceasing — like living waters, and the Rambam's rule that whatever is possible in a species will certainly come to be. Created things are limited and composed; even when sustained by the Creator's will they are kazav (falsehood). Lights are truth — but only the Essence, the mechuyav hametzius (necessary existence), is emes la'amito; between them lies an ein aroch (incomparable) difference [15911/maamar_016 :: Overview].

In avodah, truth demands the nullification of the yesh: not answering the mockers — and then "there is none besides Him" shines. In ikvesa diMeshicha (the heels of Mashiach), when avodah is of the heart in deed with mesirus nefesh, this is easy [15962/maamar_007 :: Overview]. The Rebbe's Yiddish charge closes the teaching: nothing is closed before a Jew; through Chassidus one can reach even the truth of truth — seeing the Divinity wrapped in physicality [15962/maamar_007 :: Overview].

Key distinctions

In Atzilus itself the two truths map onto the sefiros' structure: the two lines of Chesed and Gevurah stand opposed, while the middle line — Yackov's "nachalah bli metzarim" (inheritance without straits) — alone resembles the truth of truth [15911/maamar_016 :: Overview]. The mercy-middah itself is examined for its apparent boundlessness: it seems without gevul, yet it has its real boundary — "ein merachamim badin" (there is no mercy in judgment) [15911/maamar_016 :: Overview].

A textual caveat: the hosafah developing "katonati" at length — on truth as unceasing, created things as kazav, and the ein aroch between lights and Essence — breaks off mid-sentence ("vechimo kein yuvan lema'alah deTiferes...") and never resolves its opening questions ("mikol ha'emes," "titen emes leYackov") [15911/maamar_016 :: Overview].

Related concepts

Tiferes (Yackov's middah), Keter (Atika), Bitul, Ein Aroch, Mechuyav HaMetzius.

Sources