English translation — מאמר החודש הזה לכם תשמ"ז

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei,

Parshas HaChodesh,

the year 5747*

"This month is for you the head of months; it is the first for you of the months of the year."

And the Rebbe

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory

(whose yahrzeit is the 2nd of Nissan)

in his maamar beginning with these words from the year 5668

precisely notes the phrase "head of months,"

for the verse says

(afterwards)

"first... for the months of the year,"

so why is it necessary to say "head of months"?

And in the maamar he brings the exposition of our sages of blessed memory on the verse,

"This month is for you the head of months—this is Nisan, and there is no other Nisan,"

meaning that when the day that is fitting to be Rosh Chodesh Nisan arrives, we do not intercalate the year.

And he continues in the maamar,

that from this verse we also learn that we do not intercalate the month,

for we intercalate the year when necessary, but we do not intercalate the month when necessary.

And when the day that is fitting to be Rosh Chodesh Nisan arrives,

we do not intercalate

(even)

the year.

And to understand this, the maamar first introduces,

that we must understand why the portion of HaChodesh was specifically said immediately after the Exodus from Egypt.

And he explains,

that the portion of HaChodesh is the essential beginning of the Torah, as Rashi says

that the Torah should have begun only from "This month is for you"

(and that it opened with Bereishis is because of "the strength

of His works He declared to His people").

That is,

that in the portions before the portion of HaChodesh, the discussion is about the revelations within the worlds,

and from the portion of HaChodesh onward, it begins with the matter of the revelations of the Torah

(which are above the revelations within the worlds).

And in order for the revelation of the Torah to be possible, the preparation of the Egyptian exile and the Exodus from Egypt was necessary.

And this is why immediately after the Exodus from Egypt,

the preparation for the Giving of the Torah,

the portion of HaChodesh was said,

the beginning of the revelations of the Torah.

2)

And in order to explain the greatness of the superiority of the revelations of Torah,

[the maamar] first explains the superiority of the revelations in the worlds,

that the revelation which is in the worlds is above the worlds.

For worlds are in measure and limitation,

for just as the heavens and earth below

(in this physical world)

are in measure and limitation,

[the distance] from the earth to the firmament is a journey of five hundred years, the thickness of each firmament, etc.,

so too is it regarding the heavens and earth of the spiritual worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, which are in measure and limitation.

And the root of the limitation of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah is from the vessels of Atzilus,

from which it is understood that even the vessels of Atzilus,

despite being Elokus,

are of the category of limitation.

However, the revelation in the worlds,

namely the light

(the light of the line)

that is drawn into them,

whose root is from the Awtsmoos of the Ein Sof before the tzimtzum,

is in the category of without limit,

except that through its enclothing in vessels it comes in form and division.

But [the fact] that through its enclothing in vessels it comes in form and limitation

is

because even from its own side

(before it was enclothed in vessels)

it is in the category of limitation.

For since its drawing down from the Ein Sof before the tzimtzum is through the interruption of the tzimtzum,

behold, through this it is measured

(in its totality)

according to the value of the vessels and the worlds,

and therefore,

after it is drawn down

(through several screens and partitions before Atzilus)

into the vessels of Atzilus,

it becomes enclothed in them

and comes in a limited form,

and through this it is drawn down and becomes enclothed

(through the partition between Atzilus and Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah)

also in the creations,

to vitalize them with a limited vitality according to their value.

3)

And it can be said,

that what is stated in the maamar, that the revelation in the worlds is the light of the line

(that is drawn into them),

is in order to explain that even the revelation in the worlds is without limit.

For since the light of the line is attached to its source,

in the Ein Sof before the tzimtzum

(even though its attachment is through the interruption of the tzimtzum),

it is of the same kind as its source.

And therefore, even after it becomes enclothed in the vessels

(in their pnimiyus)

and vitalizes them,

it is not grasped within them.

For this [fact] that the light becomes enclothed in the vessels in an internal enclothing,

analogous to the vitality of the soul that becomes enclothed in the body,

is

(primarily)

in regard to the vessels,

that the vessels receive their vitality from the light,

an internal vitality

(like the body that lives from the soul),

but in regard to the light,

even after it becomes enclothed in the vessels,

it is separate from them,

and so too is it regarding the creations,

that the vitality of the creations which is of the category of light,

which is an illumination of an illumination of an illumination from the line,

even though it is enclothed in the creations,

it is holy and separate from them.

And furthermore,

even the vitality of the creations

that is drawn into them from the light,

is unlimited

[And the connection of the vitality that comes from the light with the body of the creations

(whose root is from the vessels)

is a connection of two opposites].

All this is regarding the revelation in the worlds

(the light of the line)

as it is drawn into the vessels and worlds.

And all the more so the light as it is before being drawn into the vessels and worlds

(and this aspect is also included in "revelation in the worlds"),

is unlimited.

And what is called by the name "limitation" is only from the aspect that through the tzimtzum, a measure was made in it so that when it is drawn into the worlds

(through screens and partitions)

the drawing down will be in a manner that the worlds can receive.

And from this is understood the greatness of the superiority of the revelations of Torah over the revelation in the worlds,

for through the Torah, the Awtsmoos of the Ein Sof before the tzimtzum is drawn down and revealed.

4)

And the maamar continues,

that the measurement in the line,

even though it is through the tzimtzum

(as above),

its root is in the Ein Sof before the tzimtzum.

For when it arose in His will, blessed be He, to create the worlds,

He envisioned in Himself, in potential

(before the tzimtzum)

everything that would be in actuality after the tzimtzum,

so that the coming into being of the worlds would be as it arose in His will, blessed be He.

And he explains,

that even the root of the measurement before the tzimtzum

(the envisioning in potential,

and also the ascent of the will)

is included in the revelations in the worlds,

for although the totality of the light before the tzimtzum is not in the value of the worlds,

and in order that a light that is in the category of a source for the worlds

(the light of the line)

be drawn from it, a withdrawal of the light was necessary,

nevertheless,

in His very Essence, so to speak, there is a revelation that pertains to the worlds.

And from this the greatness of the superiority of the revelations of Torah is understood even more,

that through the Torah is the revelation of the Awtsmoos of the Ein Sof, which is above the category of relation to worlds.

And it can be said,

that what is stated in the maamar

(at its beginning24)

that the intention in the giving of the Torah is to draw down the Ein Sof that is before the contraction,

even though the superiority of the Torah is that even within the Ein Sof that is before the contraction itself, the revelation of the Atzmus of Ein Sof that is above the light that relates to worlds is drawn down,

it is,

because also the drawing down of the light that relates to worlds

(that is before the contraction)

is through contraction.

For even though the contraction that occurred in this light

(that relates to worlds)

is called the first contraction,

nevertheless it is explained elsewhere25

that even before the first contraction there were several contractions.

For in addition to the fact that the drawing down of light that relates to worlds from the light that is above relation to worlds is through contraction as above,

behold, also the drawing down of the light that is above relation to worlds is through contraction.

For since this light as well

(that is above relation to worlds)

is in the category of drawing down and revelation,

and before this it was included in the Atzmus of the Luminary itself,26

[and in particular it can be said that this explanation that it was included in the Atzmus of the Luminary itself means that it was included in the Atzmus that is above27

the description of light28],

it is therefore understood29,

that the drawing down of the light that is in the category of revelation from the light that is included in the Atzmus of the Luminary is through an immense contraction.

And based on this it can be said that what is stated in the maamar that the intention in the giving of the Torah is to draw down the light that is before the contraction — the intention in this is

(not only for the light before the first contraction, but)

also for the light that is before all contractions.

5)

And based on this, it is also possible to explain what is stated in the maamar30

that Parshat HaChodesh was said immediately after the Exodus from Egypt,

for this is seemingly perplexing,

for it is explicit in the verse31

that Parshat HaChodesh was said in the land of Egypt,

and it can be said,

that what is stated in the maamar that Parshat HaChodesh was said after the Exodus from Egypt means after the saying and recounting of the Exodus from Egypt

(the Exodus from Egypt as it is in the Torah).

For after all the commands

(in the Torah)

were said to Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of Egypt,

until the final warning of the plague of the firstborn, after which Pharaoh said "Go, you and all the people" etc.32,

behold, immediately after the saying of the Exodus from Egypt, Parshat HaChodesh was said.

And the explanation is,

that the superiority of the revelation of the Torah over the revelation of worlds

(explained in this maamar)

is also over the revelation of worlds as it is in the Torah.

For this is what the maamar brings from Rashi's statement, "The Torah should have begun only from 'This month is for you,' and what is the reason it began with Bereishis,"

that even the matter of "In the beginning He created"

(and likewise the narrative of the Patriarchs etc.33)

as it is in the Torah is only

(like)

an introduction to Parshat HaChodesh,

for this Parsha is the essential beginning of the Torah.

Therefore, also regarding the matter of the Exodus from Egypt, which is a preparation for the Giving of the Torah,

the maamar speaks about the matter of the Exodus from Egypt as it is in the Torah.

And it is possible to connect this matter

[that the revelation of the Torah is higher even than the revelation of worlds as it is in the Torah]

with what was explained above

(section 4)

that the revelation of the Torah is the Atzmus of Ein Sof that is above all contractions

(even from the contractions that are before the first contraction),

based on the known principle that the entirety of the Torah

(even the narratives of the Torah that are before Parshat HaChodesh)

preceded the world,34

and since the beginning of the matter of the world is from the first contraction,35

the Torah that preceded the world is in the Ein Sof that is before the contraction.

And furthermore it can be said,

that since even in the light that is before the contraction there is already the beginning of the root of the measurement of worlds,

the Torah that preceded the world is in the light that is in the category of revelation to itself that is above relation to worlds.

For this is also the case regarding the narratives of the Torah that are before Parshat HaChodesh.

And the superiority of Parshat HaChodesh,

the essential beginning of the Torah,

is,

the revelation of the Atzmus of Ein Sof that is before all contractions.

6)

And this is “This month is for you the head of months,”

that in the month of Nissan is the revelation of the Essence of Ein Sof.

And this is that when Rosh Chodesh Nissan arrives, we do not intercalate the year,

for the aspect of “year” is in the light that relates to the worlds,

and since the drawing down of this light is through the elevation of Mayin Nukvin,

we intercalate the year as needed so that the elevation of Mayin Nukvin will be in its proper manner,

therefore, when Rosh Chodesh Nissan arrives,

[being] the revelation of the Essence of Ein Sof that is above arousal from below,

we do not intercalate the year,

as is explained at length in the maamar [note 36].

And this is also that the month of Nissan is the month of redemption,

for in Nissan they were redeemed and in Nissan they are destined to be redeemed [note 37],

for the concept of redemption is that then “your Teacher will no longer be hidden” [note 38],

the revelation of the Essence of Ein Sof without any garment [note 39].

May it be His will that all this be speedily, in our very own days,

in the month of Nissan of this very year,

and we will eat there from the offerings and from the Paschal sacrifices [note 40],

amidst joy and a good heart.