English translation — מאמר דבר אל..קדושים תהיו תשכ"א

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbat Parshat Acharei-Kedoshim,

13 Iyar 5721*

– In the morning before prayer,

in his room –

"Speak to the entire assembly of the children of Israel, etc., 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"1

And it is brought in the Midrash:2

"One might think [you could be] like Me,

therefore the verse teaches 'for I am holy'—

My holiness is above your holiness."

And it needs to be understood:3

How is it even possible to have a mere supposition that they could be like Me?

And superficially, one could say,

that the reason for the supposition "one might think [you could be] like Me"

(even though a created being is incomparable to the Creator)

is,

because from the wording of the verse "You shall be holy, for I am holy"

(where "for I am holy" is the reason and explanation for "You shall be holy")

it implies,

that the command "You shall be holy" means that the holiness of Israel must be similar to His holiness—"one might think [you could be] like Me."

[And one could explain this,

since Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one,4

therefore Israel are connected to all matters that are above.]

But based on this, it needs to be understood

(on the other hand)

[regarding] the conclusion of the Midrash, "My holiness is above your holiness"—

how does this align with the wording of the verse "for I am holy"?

And it is explained in Likkutei Torah:5

that "your holiness" is the holiness drawn down through an arousal from below

(the performance of the mitzvot),

and "My holiness that is above your holiness" is a most elevated holiness that no arousal from below

(of the performance of the mitzvot)

reaches there,

and it is drawn down through teshuvah.

And explanation is needed:

After all, teshuvah is also the service of man,

an arousal from below,

so why is it called "My holiness that is above your holiness"?

2)

Now, the matter of "Can I be like you?" etc. in the aforementioned Midrash comes in continuation of what was stated there previously on the verse,

"And you shall be only above, 'Can I be like you?'... My greatness is above your greatness."

And according to what is stated in Likkutei Torah regarding the matter of "My holiness is above your holiness,"

that it is within the ability of Yisrael to draw down also the aspect of "My holiness" which is above "your holiness," except that the drawing down of this holiness is through a more elevated service

(the service of teshuvah which is above the service of Torah and mitzvos),

it must be said,

that similarly, this is also the case regarding the two levels of greatness

("My greatness" and "your greatness"),

that it is within the ability of Yisrael to draw down also the aspect of "My greatness,"

except that for this, a more elevated service is needed.

And to add,

that holiness is above greatness.

For greatness is the matter of expansion and revelation

[therefore, Chessed is called "Gedulah" (Greatness).

And also according to the explanation that greatness is above the attribute of Chessed,

the matter of greatness is Chessed

(expansion),

except that it is above the attribute of Chessed,

and the expansion that comes from greatness is without limit].

And holiness

(from the term holiness and separation)

is the Essence (Atzmus)

that is separate from the matter of expansion and revelation.

And based on this, it can be said,

that also the drawing down of the aspect of "My greatness" which is above "your greatness" is through the service of the tzaddikim

[except that within the service of the tzaddikim themselves, it is a more elevated service],

and that specifically the service of teshuvah is needed for the drawing down of the aspect of "My holiness."

3)

And this can be explained according to what is stated,

"The humble will add joy in Hashem, and the destitute of men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel,"

and it is explained in Likkutei Torah

that "the humble will add joy in Hashem" refers to the service of the tzaddikim,

that through their humility and self-nullification they add joy in the Name Havayah,

and through this the revelation of Havayah is drawn down below,

and "the destitute of men" are the baalei teshuvah

[for Torah and mitzvos are called "Adam" (man),

and therefore baalei teshuvah are called "destitute of men" because they are destitute of the aspect of "Adam" of Torah and mitzvos],

who attain the aspect of "the Holy One of Israel,"

which is holy and separate from the aspect of Yisrael above,

above Havayah.

And it can be said,

that the addition of joy in Havayah, through which there is an addition in His drawing down and revelation, is the drawing down of the aspect of "My greatness" which is above "your greatness."

For the greatness

(the expansion)

of Havayah

as it is in His own essence,

is a greatness that relates to worlds and creations,

"your greatness,"

except that there is a limit to His expansion and revelation.

And the matter of "they will add... in Havayah" is that the greatness of the Ein Sof, which is above relation to worlds, is drawn into Him,

"My greatness,"

and through this there is also an addition in the expansion and revelation of Havayah.

For this drawing down is through the service of the tzaddikim,

the humble ones.

And the matter of "and the destitute of men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel" is

the drawing down of the aspect of "My holiness"

(which is above "your holiness")

through teshuvah.

4)

And this will be understood by first prefacing

what is stated,

"Who would give you as a brother to me, nursing from my mother's breasts,"

and Rashi explained,

"Who would give you as a brother to me,"

that You should come to comfort me in the manner that Yosef did to his brothers, who repaid him with evil, and it is stated about him,

"And he comforted them."

And in the Midrash

it is stated,

"Which brother? ... You must say, like Yosef to Binyamin."

And the Tzemach Tzedek explains,

that the reason for this, that we ask from the Holy One, blessed be He,

(according to the explanation of the Midrash)

that He should be to us like Yosef to Binyamin and not like Yosef to his brothers,

[even though Yosef's conduct toward his brothers is a greater wonder, for although they did not treat him properly, he nevertheless bestowed great good upon them],

is,

that Yosef's conduct toward his brothers was that initially Yosef caused his brothers distress,

in order

that through this the sin of selling him would be atoned for them

(and only afterwards did he bestow good upon them),

and since we ask,

"Forgive in Your abundant mercies, but not through afflictions,"

therefore we say that the Holy One, blessed be He, should be to us like Yosef to Binyamin.

And it needs to be understood,

behold, the request "Who would give you as a brother to me" is that although our conduct was not proper, nevertheless the Holy One, blessed be He, should be to us as a brother,

and how does the example of "like Yosef to Binyamin" apply to this?

Now, it is explained in Likkutei Torah, in the discourse beginning "Who would give you as a brother to me,"

that "Who would give you as a brother to me" refers to the righteous,

and "I would find you"

"outside" refers to penitents.

And superficially, one could say,

that what is said in Likkutei Torah, that "Who would give you as a brother to me" refers to the righteous, is according to the Midrashic interpretation that "as a brother to me" is like Yosef to Binyamin,

unlike according to Rashi's interpretation that "as a brother to me" is like Yosef to his brothers,

the beginning of the verse also speaks of penitents.

But according to what was brought above from the Tzemach Tzedek, that this that the Midrash interprets it as Yosef to Binyamin

(and not as Yosef to his brothers)

is because the request is that the Holy One, blessed be He, erase our sins not through suffering,

it is seemingly understood,

that also according to the Midrashic interpretation the verse speaks of penitents,

and in Likkutei Torah it explains that "Who would give you as a brother to me" refers to the righteous.

5)

Now, it is known

that the intention

(above)

of Yosef's descent to Egypt was in order that he gather all the holy sparks that were in Egypt,

and Yosef gathered all the money found in the land of Egypt,

and through this the exile would be eased for them.

For this, that Yosef's descent to Egypt was the cause of the Egyptian exile,

is in externality,

but in internality it is to the contrary,

that through Yosef's descent to Egypt the exile was eased.

For the decree was that they would be in exile for four hundred years,

and through Yosef descending to Egypt they were in the Egyptian exile only 210 years

(because through Yosef refining the sparks that were in Egypt before the Children of Israel descended to Egypt, they did not need to refine as much),

and moreover,

the difficulty of the bondage was only 86 years.

And from this it is understood,

that this that the tribes sold Yosef to Egypt,

was not only not contrary to the intention,

but to the contrary,

such was the supernal intention, that Yosef descend first to Egypt in order to ease the exile.

However, since they did not know the intention, therefore for them it was considered a sin.

And to note,

that superficially,

the above matter

[that this that the tribes sold Yosef to Egypt was according to the intention]

is,

superficially,

also according to the explanation

(as it is simply)

that the intention of Yosef's descent to Egypt was in order that through this there would be the Egyptian exile,

[as per the exposition of our Sages, of blessed memory,

on the verse,

"And He sent him from the valley of Chevron"].

However,

according to this explanation,

through the tribes selling Yosef to Egypt, the exile was brought about,

an undesirable matter.

For although the intention of the Egyptian exile was in order that through this they would merit receiving the Torah,

nevertheless,

the exile itself is an undesirable matter.

In contrast, according to the explanation that through Yosef's descent to Egypt the exile was eased,

this that the tribes sold

(brought down)

Yosef to Egypt is a desirable matter

(and their sin was only because this was not their intention).

And based on this, we can explain what Yosef said to the tribes,

"And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for it was for sustenance that G-d sent me before you."

For superficially,

behold, all sins

(even though they are contrary to the supernal will)

are by divine providence and by His will, blessed be He,

and nevertheless,

since the performance of the sin by a person is through his free choice

[and as explained in many places

that supernal providence

(regarding matters of Torah and mitzvos)

does not contradict the matter of choice],

it follows that the sinning person has harmed himself and therefore it is fitting for him to weep and lament over his sins,

so why did Yosef say to his brothers, "Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves"?

And the explanation of this can be said,

that regarding all sins,

the matters that a person does are undesirable things,

contrary to the supernal will.

For although from this that even sins are by divine providence one must say that there is intention in them,

the intention is not in the sins themselves, heaven forbid, but in this that through the sins one will later come to repentance,

but the sins themselves are contrary to the supernal will,

and therefore one must weep and lament over them.

But this that the tribes sold Yosef to Egypt,

since the intention in this is

(not in order that they do repentance over this,

but the intention is)

in the descent itself,

"for it was for sustenance that G-d sent me before you"

[and particularly according to what was brought above, that through Yosef's descent to Egypt the exile was eased,

one could say that this matter is hinted at in the continuation of Yosef's words in the verse,

"And G-d sent me before you to place for you a remnant in the land"],

therefore, "do not be distressed... that you sold me here."

However, one could still say,

that even though “for preservation He sent me before you,” nevertheless regarding Yosef himself this was an undesirable matter,

therefore he added:

“It was not you who sent me here, but G-d, and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, etc., and ruler over all the land of Egypt,”

that Yosef’s descent to Egypt was a desirable thing also regarding Yosef.

[And it is noteworthy,

that this is the case in all matters between a person and his fellow.

And as explained in Tanya,

that even when a person does to his fellow the opposite of good,

the truth is that it was from G-d for him,

and one must add,

that from this it is understood that he will have good from it,

for “whatever the Merciful One does, He does for good.”

Except that in the sale of Yosef this was revealed.]

6)

Now, based on the known principle that all matters in the Torah are with utmost precision,

it can be said,

that this that we ask “Who will give you as a brother to me,” in the manner that Yosef acted toward his brothers

[for even though they did an undesirable thing, nevertheless he repaid them with great good],

is,

that every undesirable thing that a person does is analogous to the matter that the tribes did to Yosef when they sold him to Egypt,

and the request “Who will give you as a brother to me” is,

that even though through our deeds, which are not good, we have caused the Holy One, blessed be He, a matter analogous to the sale of Yosef to Egypt

(as will be explained below),

nevertheless He will repay us with good, in the manner that Yosef acted toward his brothers.

And the explanation is,

that the descent of the soul below and its enclothing in the body and the animal soul is actual exile,

and moreover,

that the soul is in captivity and imprisonment

of the body and the animal soul.

And the intention of the soul’s descent below is in order to refine and purify the body and the animal soul and its portion in the world, and to make them vessels for G-dliness, and also so that through the soul’s service below it will ascend to a higher level than it was before its descent.

From this it is understood,

that every moment

that a person does not perform his service,

the pain and suffering of the soul from this, that it is in exile and imprisonment of the body and the animal soul,

are without limit.

For when a person serves G-d,

since through this the intention of the soul’s descent below is fulfilled regarding the two matters mentioned above

[refinement and purification of the body and the animal soul and its portion in the world, and the elevation of the soul],

then the delight of the soul from this, that it fulfills the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, to refine and purify the body, through which the intention of a dwelling place in the lower realms is fulfilled, as well as from its elevation through its service below, is a very great delight,

for which all its suffering from the descent is worthwhile.

But in those moments when a person does not perform his service

[and all the more so in the moments when he does undesirable things],

this that the soul is in exile and imprisonment in the body and the animal soul,

and the pain and suffering it has from this,

are without limit.

And since the soul is literally a part of G-d above,

then the exile and suffering of the soul is

(also)

exile and suffering of the Shechinah.

And this is that through a person’s undesirable conduct

(including also when he does not fulfill his mission,

even when he does not transgress a sin)

he does, as it were, to the Holy One, blessed be He, analogous to what the tribes did to Yosef,

that they sold him as a slave and this later caused him to also be in imprisonment.

And another matter in this,

that regarding the act of the tribes toward Yosef it is stated,

“We are guilty… when he pleaded with us and we did not listen…,”

that this not having mercy on him when he pleaded with them is a greater sin than the sale itself,

similarly in the analogy,

that the soul

[and the Shechinah]

plead with the person that he take them out of exile and imprisonment,

and when a person does not listen to the voice of their plea, he is

(in this matter)

worse than the undesirable conduct itself.

7)

And this is, "Who would give you as a brother to me,"

in the manner that Yosef acted toward his brothers,

for there are several aspects in this.

For just as Yosef sustained his brothers and their children,

and also gave them a possession in the best of the land,

so too we ask from the Holy One, blessed be He, that even though we have sinned before Him, nevertheless He should give us all good.

And just as Yosef had no grudge in his heart against his brothers for having sold him into slavery

[for in addition to the fact that in practice he repaid them with good,

also in his heart he had no grudge against them],

and on the contrary, he endeavored that their sin be atoned,

[as explained above

(section 4)

that his causing them distress was in order that through this their sin would be purged],

so too we ask from the Holy One, blessed be He, that He forgive us all our sins.

For the atonement of the sin of the sale of Yosef came about through their having suffered,

and we ask that the Holy One, blessed be He, forgive us our sins not through suffering.

And as the Tzemach Tzedek said,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, is all-powerful to forgive without suffering.

And it is in the manner of what our sages, of blessed memory, said,

that they asked the Holy One, blessed be He, and He said, "Let him repent and it will be atoned for him."

For from the perspective of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is above the chain of descent, it is possible to have atonement without suffering

(and even without a sacrifice),

but only through repentance alone.

And just as Yosef endeavored that they repent

[for one of the reasons he distressed them was in order that they repent,

for after he distressed them they said, "But we are guilty" etc.],

so too we ask from the Holy One, blessed be He, that He awaken us to return to Him

[and that the awakening to repentance be not through suffering].

And just as Yosef comforted his brothers and said to them, "Do not be distressed etc., for you sold me here, for G-d sent me before you to preserve life,"

informing and revealing to them the inner intention in their having sold him to Egypt,

that not only is this not contrary to the supernal will, but on the contrary, it was the supernal will in order that through this the exile be eased

(as above, section 5),

so too we ask from the Holy One, blessed be He,

that not only should He forgive us our sins, but beyond this, that it be revealed that the inner intention of the sins is the advantage of repentance,

and through the revelation of the intention and purpose of the sins,

they are transformed into merits.

8)

And behold, even though in general the service of repentance is more elevated than the service of Torah and mitzvos,

for therefore, "In the place where penitents stand, even the completely righteous cannot stand,"

nevertheless, the intention of a dwelling place in the lower worlds is specifically completed through the service of the righteous.

And this is what our sages, of blessed memory, said,

that the reason the Holy Temple was specifically in the portion of Binyamin is because Binyamin was not involved in the sale of Yosef,

for at first glance it is not understood,

for behold, the tribes repented for having sold Yosef,

and in the place where penitents stand, even the completely righteous cannot stand,

so why was the Holy Temple built specifically in the portion of Binyamin?

And it is explained in Chassidus,

that the advantage of penitents over the righteous is that through repentance they reach a higher level,

but in order for there to be a drawing down of the revelation of G-dliness below,

a dwelling place in the lower worlds,

it is through the service of the righteous.

And since the Holy Temple is a matter of a dwelling place in the lower worlds,

therefore it was in the portion of Binyamin.

And the explanation is,

that the advantage of penitents over the righteous is that they conquer their evil inclination,

the level of itkafya (subjugation),

and the advantage of the righteous is that they transform their evil inclination,

the level of it'hapcha (transformation).

And among the distinctions between itkafya and it'hapcha is,

that through itkafya there is a drawing down of the Ein Sof light that is above the chain of descent

[as per the statement,

"When the sitra achra is subjugated, the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is elevated in all worlds,"

the drawing down of the light that is equally in all worlds,

a light that is above relation to the worlds],

but the revelation of the drawing down that comes through itkafya is in a manner that the lower being is not a vessel for it

[for from the very fact that the lower being is in a state where it must subjugate itself against its will and nature,

it is understood that it is not a vessel for the revelation of G-dliness],

and in order for the lower being to be a vessel for the revelation, it is through the service of it'hapcha.

And based on the known [concept]

that every single person

(even when he is on the level of a Beinoni, and even below a Beinoni)

who fulfills a mitzvah is called by the name "tzaddik"

[because the totality of mitzvos is called by the name "tzedakah" (charity/righteousness),

and therefore the one who fulfills the mitzvos is called by the name "tzaddik" after the name of tzedakah

(mitzvos)],

it must be said,

that the matter of transformation is not only regarding tzaddikim in their simple sense, but also regarding those who fulfill mitzvos in general.

For since the mitzvos were only given to refine the creations through them

(refinement, from the term clarification and purification),

and each time a person fulfills a mitzvah, a particular detail of the body and the animal soul is clarified,

behold, regarding this particular detail that has been clarified, he is already in the category of tzaddik,

transformation.

9)

And it is possible to connect this with what is explained in the maamar "Lehavin Inyan Pesach Sheni"

(of the Tzemach Tzedek),

that the difference between the first Pesach and the second Pesach corresponds to the difference between the month of Nissan and the month of Iyar.

That the service of the month of Nissan,

whose matter is the Exodus from Egypt,

is the service of "turn away from evil,"

meaning that the evil is in its full strength and the service is to turn away from evil,

to go out and flee from evil,

subjugation.

And the service of the month of Iyar is the service of transformation.

And as is explained in Likkutei Torah

in the explanation of the verse

"On the first of the second month... of their going out from the land of Egypt,"

that the first service of the Exodus from Egypt,

the first month,

is subjugation of the sitra achra,

and after this comes a second service in the Exodus from Egypt,

the second month,

transformation.

And this is that the unique matter of the month of Iyar is the Counting of the Omer,

whose matter is

the clarification of the midos and their transformation into holiness,

transformation.

And based on this, the maamar explains

the reason for this, that on the first Pesach chametz is forbidden under penalty of "bal yera'eh u'bal yimatzeh" (it shall not be seen nor found), and on the second Pesach chametz and matzah are together with him in the house,

because on the first Pesach,

when the midos are not yet clarified

(and the service then is only subjugation),

one must be extremely careful regarding evil — "bal yera'eh u'bal yimatzeh,"

and on the second Pesach

(Iyar),

when he has already gone out from evil

(transformation),

it is possible to clarify, refine, and elevate even the chametz.

[And it is noteworthy,

that similar to this is the distinction between tzaddikim

(transformation)

and baalei teshuvah

(subjugation),

that a tzaddik must say "I desire [it], but what can I do, for my Father in Heaven has decreed upon me,"

unlike a baal teshuvah who must say "I do not desire [it],"

for he needs extra vigilance.]

And from this it is proven that the matter of transformation applies also regarding a particular matter.

For the second Pesach is in the middle of the days of the counting, and there still remain midos that need to be clarified,

and nevertheless the maamar says that on the second Pesach there is the matter of transformation,

because regarding the midos that were clarified in the days before the second Pesach, he has already gone out from evil,

transformation.

And now, the reason for this, that the Exodus from Egypt was in a manner of subjugation and the Counting of the Omer is in a manner of transformation,

is,

because the Exodus from Egypt was from the side of an arousal from above,

and the revelation drawn down from above

(not through man's service)

is not drawn into the interior so much,

and the Counting of the Omer is man's service,

an arousal from below,

and the revelation drawn down from above through man's service

[an arousal from above that comes through an arousal from below]

is internal.

And although the revelation that comes from above is more elevated than the revelation drawn down through man's service

[for a created being through his service can only reach his own root],

and so too it is regarding the Exodus from Egypt and the Counting of the Omer,

that the revelation that was at the Exodus from Egypt was that the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed to them in His very glory,

and the month of Iyar is called the month of "Ziv" (splendor)

because the revelation drawn down in this month is only a radiance

[And it must be said,

that in addition to this, that the revelation drawn down through man's service is lower than the revelation drawn down in the manner of an arousal from above by itself,

regarding the revelation drawn down through the service of the Counting of the Omer, it is even more so.

For since the service of the Counting of the Omer is

(preparation and)

before the Giving of the Torah,

therefore,

the revelation drawn down through the service of the Counting of the Omer is analogous to the revelation through the service of the Patriarchs before the Giving of the Torah

(when there was a decree and partition between the upper and lower realms)

which is lower than the revelation drawn down through service after the Giving of the Torah

(even though also the revelation drawn down through an arousal from below now is lower than the revelation drawn down from above by itself).

And this is that the month of Iyar is called "Ziv" because in it were born the "Zivtanei Olam" (the splendors of the world)

which are the Patriarchs,

whose mitzvos were "fragrances" (not fully actualized)],

nevertheless,

regarding the person,

the revelation that comes from above is felt

(primarily)

only in the G-dly soul and is not felt in the animal soul,

and therefore the service through this revelation is only subjugation,

and through man's service, and particularly through the revelation drawn down through service,

the clarification of the animal soul and its transformation into holiness is accomplished,

transformation.

10)

And 4)

Now, just as it is regarding the revelation that brings about subjugation and transformation,

that the advantage of the revelation that brings about subjugation is that it is a more elevated revelation, and the advantage of the revelation that brings about transformation is that it is drawn into the inwardness of the person

[which is why it is an enduring thing85],

so too is it regarding the revelation drawn through the service of subjugation and transformation,

that the advantage of the revelation drawn through the service of subjugation is a most elevated revelation

[and as mentioned above in section 8, that the light drawn through subjugation is equally in all worlds,

a light that is above relation to worlds],

and the advantage of the revelation drawn through the service of transformation is that its drawing into the person and into the world is in a manner of inwardness.

And based on this, we can explain what Rashi said86

that this month of Iyar is called Ziv because in it were born the radiances of the world

(even though the Patriarchs were born in Nissan87)

— it is because when Iyar was renewed, they had already been born in Nissan,

for it needs to be understood:

Behold, this that in the month of Iyar there were the radiances of the world is only a result of the fact that they were born in the month of Nissan,

so why is Iyar called by the name Ziv88?

And we can offer the explanation of this,

that the concept of the radiance,

the revelation drawn through service,

is that it should illuminate in the world in inwardness and settlement,

and the revelation of the Patriarchs

(the radiances of the world)

in inwardness and settlement in the world was in the month after they were born,

when Iyar was renewed, they had already been born.

10)

A)

And similarly is the distinction between the revelation drawn through the service of the righteous and the revelation drawn through the service of repentance,

that regarding the level of the revelation — the revelation drawn through the service of repentance is more elevated,

but the drawing down below into the world

(in inwardness and settlement)

is through the service of the righteous.

And the concept is,

that since the concept of repentance is that the person exits his own existence,

therefore,

through repentance there is a drawing of the Essence of Ein Sof that is above the category of existence.

For the light drawn through the service of the righteous is a light within the category of revelation.

And even when their service is in self-nullification,

the drawing through this service is a more elevated drawing,

nevertheless,

it is within the category of revelation.

And this is "the humble shall add to be glad in Havayah,"

that through the humility and self-nullification of the righteous, an additional light is drawn in Havayah, because the drawing is from Ein Sof that is above Havayah,

but nevertheless, even this drawing is within the category of revelation

[and as mentioned above in section 3, that the concept of "the humble shall add to be glad in Havayah" is the drawing of the aspect of "My greatness" that is above "your greatness,"

for the concept of greatness

(even the aspect of "My greatness")

relates to expansion and revelation],

and the concept of this drawing is that through it there will be addition in the revelation of Havayah

("shall add... in Havayah").

And the drawing of the aspect of "Holy One of Israel,"

the Essence that is separate from revelation,

is through the service of repentance.

And this can be explained based on what is known89

that the concept of humility is

(not that one does not know his own virtues, but rather)

that even though he knows his virtues, nevertheless he does not take credit for himself because he knows that the virtues he has were given to him from Above.

And since the self-nullification of humility does not negate his existence

(for he knows his virtues)

but rather his existence is not from himself but only from Divinity,

therefore, even the drawing through the self-nullification of humility is a revelation in the world

(existence),

except that the revelation in the world is as it is from its source,

the aspect of "My greatness."

And in order to draw the aspect of "Holy One of Israel" that is separate from revelation,

it is through the self-nullification of "the impoverished of man,"

that through the feeling that he is impoverished,

that he has no virtue whatsoever90,

he is nullified from his existence,

and through this the aspect of "Holy One of Israel" is drawn.

10)

B)

Now, all this is regarding the drawing itself.

But in order for there to be revelation in the world,

a dwelling place in the lower worlds,

it is through the service of the righteous91.

For the concept of a dwelling place in the lower worlds is that there should be a revelation of Divinity as it is in Its existence,

and since the concept of repentance is that one exits his existence

[in addition to the nullification of his existence,

as above],

therefore the concept of a dwelling place in the lower worlds is through the service of the righteous.

And this is "Who would give you as a brother to me, like Yosef to Binyamin,"

that even though the request is that the Holy One, blessed be He, should be to us as a brother even though our conduct was not proper,

nevertheless we ask that it be like Yosef to Binyamin,

and we can say,

that this hints,

that even the service of repentance should be in a manner that the revelation through repentance

(which is above the category of existence)

should be drawn into the world in settlement,

the advantage of the righteous,

like Yosef to Binyamin.

And this is also the connection of the two interpretations of "Who would give you as a brother to me" that it refers to the righteous and that it refers to penitents

(as above in section 4),

that there should be the connection and integration of the two concepts.

10)

3)

And this is: "You shall be holy, for I am holy,"

My holiness is above your holiness,

And it is explained in Likkutei Torah that My holiness which is above your holiness is drawn down not through an arousal from below,

Even though it is drawn down through the service of teshuvah,

For the concept of the service of teshuvah is that it is non-existence,

And consequently this is not a matter of arousal from below.

And this is why the Midrash prefaces the matter of My greatness which is above your greatness

(Even though this seemingly does not relate to this verse),

That just as My greatness,

Even though it is above your greatness,

Is a matter of revelation

(And relates to the lower realm),

So too will it be regarding the drawing down of the aspect of My holiness,

That it will be in revelation in the world

(And there will also be in this the advantage of arousal from below),

Through which the intention of a dwelling place in the lower realms will be completed.