English translation — מאמר ונקדשתי תשכ"ה

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbos Parshas Emor,

the 13th of Iyar,

the year 5725 (1965).

"And I will be sanctified amidst the children of Israel; I am the L-rd who sanctifies you."

And the Alter Rebbe explains in Likkutei Torah, the discourse beginning with the word "Zeh,"

that "And I will be sanctified amidst the children of Israel"

(the revelation of His holiness within the heart

of Israel)

is in a manner of from below to above,

that the heart of Israel burns like fiery flames to be included in His holiness,

and through this, afterward is drawn "I am the L-rd who sanctifies you,"

the drawing down of His holiness from above to below.

And in this itself

(in the drawing down from above to below)

there are two matters,

the drawing down through Torah and the drawing down through mitzvos.

For the drawing down that is through Torah is in the inwardness of the worlds

(in spirituality),

and in order for the drawing down to be in the externality of the worlds

(in physicality),

it is through the performance of mitzvos.

And this is the meaning of what is said, "Holy, holy, holy,"

that the first "holy" is an elevation from below to above,

and the second and third "holy" are drawings down from above to below,

through Torah and through mitzvos.

2)

And he continues in

(the explanation of)

the maamar,

that the three times "holy" are three levels.

The first "holy" is Kesser

(which is above Chochmah),

the second "holy" is the Kesser of Zeir Anpin,

and the third "holy" is the Kesser of Malchus.

And one can explain this based on what is known,

that "holy"

(in general)

refers to the Surrounding Light, which is holy and separate from the chain of descent.

Therefore, the primary concept of "holy"

(the first "holy")

is in Kesser, which is above Chochmah

(for Chochmah is the beginning of the chain of descent).

And that which even the Kesser of Zeir Anpin and the Kesser of Malchus are called by the name "holy,"

is

because the descent of the Kessarim is not like the descent of cause and effect, where the effect is a different entity from the cause,

but rather,

all the Kessarim are one essence,

and even after the descent of the Kesser to become the Kesser of Zeir Anpin or of Malchus,

it is in its essence as it was before

(the Kesser that is above Chochmah).

And one could say,

that this which is explained in the maamar, that the three times "holy" are distinct in their level

(that the first "holy" is the Kesser above Chochmah,

and the second and third "holy" are the Kesser of Zeir Anpin and of Malchus),

is also an explanation of the difference in their manner

(that the first "holy" is in a manner of from below to above, and the second and third "holy" are in a manner of from above to below).

For the Surrounding [Light]

(Kesser)

itself,

since it is completely holy and separate,

its revelation in a person is in a manner that he recognizes and feels that this is a matter that is wondrous and separate from him,

and therefore he yearns to go out of his existence and be included in that wondrous matter,

and when the Surrounding [Light] descends to become the Kesser of Zeir Anpin or of Malchus,

then its revelation is in a manner that it is drawn downward.

And likewise, regarding the second and third "holy,"

the difference in the manner of their drawing down is because they are distinct in their level.

For the second "holy,"

since its descent is that it becomes the Kesser of Zeir Anpin

(for Zeir Anpin is the end of Atzilus),

its drawing down is

(only)

in the inwardness of the worlds

(through Torah),

and the third "holy,"

which descends to become the Kesser of Malchus

(for Malchus is the root of the created beings),

its drawing down is

(also)

in the externality of the worlds

(through the performance of mitzvos).

3)

And it continues in

(the explanation of)

the maamar,

that this is what is stated in the Midrash

(regarding the three times "Kadosh"),

a parable of the citizens of a province who made three crowns for the king.

What did the king do?

He placed one on his own head and two on the heads of his sons.

So too, every day the supernal beings crown the Holy One, blessed be He, with three sanctifications.

What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do?

He places one on His head and two on the heads of Israel.

As the verse states,

"For I am holy, and you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy."

That is, "For I am holy" is the crown He places on His head,

and "you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy" are the two crowns He placed on the heads of Israel.

And it is noteworthy,

that in the Midrash before us it states the verse: "Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel: You shall be holy, and you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy,"

for ostensibly from this it implies that the two crowns placed on the heads of Israel are "You shall be holy"

(which is adjacent to "For I am holy")

and "you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy"

(which are both considered one crown).

But in Likkutei Torah it explains

that the two crowns placed on the heads of Israel are "you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy,"

and "You shall be holy"

(which is adjacent to "For I am holy")

is not counted among the crowns.

4)

And this can be explained based on what is stated in the Midrash there,

"You shall be holy" — perhaps [you could be] like Me? The Torah says, "For I am holy" — My holiness is above your holiness.

My holiness is above your holiness.

And the Tzemach Tzedek wrote

(in Ohr HaTorah, beginning of Parshat K'doshim)

that this is perplexing.

And the intention in this

(simply)

is,

for how is it even conceivable that Israel could be like Me?

And in Likkutei Torah, Parshat Nitzavim,

it is explained,

that "your holiness" is the holiness drawn through arousal from below of the performance of mitzvos,

and "My holiness" which is above your holiness is a most elevated holiness that the arousal from below of the performance of mitzvos does not reach there,

and it is drawn through teshuvah.

And this is why baalei teshuvah are higher than completely righteous individuals,

for through teshuvah they draw from the aspect of "My holiness" which is above "your holiness,"

as explained in Likkutei Torah there.

And ostensibly it must be said,

that the superiority of baalei teshuvah over completely righteous individuals,

even though among the righteous there is also the service of the three times "Kadosh" and the first "Kadosh" is "Kadosh Ani"

("My holiness is above your holiness"),

is,

that the revelation of the first "Kadosh" among the righteous is in a manner of ascent upward,

that they yearn to depart from their existence and be included in His holiness, may He be blessed

(and that which is drawn to them while they are below is only the second and third "Kadosh"),

and among baalei teshuvah,

even the first "Kadosh" is in a manner of drawing downward.

And it must be understood,

how is it possible for the holiness of "Kadosh Ani" to be drawn downward?

And even more so it is not understood,

for in Ohr HaTorah it is stated,

that even the possibility that they could be like Me is perplexing,

and in Likkutei Torah it is stated

(even according to the conclusion),

that through teshuvah they draw the holiness of "Kadosh Ani,"

for ostensibly these are contradictory notions.

And one can explain the elucidation of this,

that what the Tzemach Tzedek said, that this is perplexing,

the intention in this is,

that there is no place for this in intellect,

nor even in the wisdom above.

For since according to the order of the chain of descent

[which is established as His wisdom, blessed be He, decreed]

the created being is created as having no comparison to the Creator,

it is not relevant even to entertain the thought that they could be like Me.

But regarding the Atzmus of Ein Sof, no limitations apply,

for "who can say to Him, what have You done?"

And since through teshuvah one reaches the Atzmus of Ein Sof which is above wisdom

[as is known regarding the matter: they asked the Torah... they asked the Holy One, blessed be He... He said, let him do teshuvah and it will be atoned for him,

for the answer "let him do teshuvah" comes specifically from the Holy One, blessed be He, who is above the wisdom of Torah],

therefore,

through teshuvah,

"like Me" is possible.

And based on this, what is implied by the simple language of the verse "You shall be holy, for I am holy"

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

is sweetened, implying that the command "You shall be holy" is that the holiness of Israel must be similar to His holiness, blessed be He,

for through the service of teshuvah one reaches this holiness.

And to note from the interpretation

regarding "like Me" – "like Me" [is read] with a tone of certainty.

E)

And one can say,

that the two explanations regarding the verses in which the two crowns that He placed on the heads of His children are alluded to

(whether the verse "You shall be holy" is included in this)

and the two interpretations of "like Me,"

are dependent on each other.

For according to the interpretation that "like Me" is in the form of a question – the holiness of "You shall be holy" is included in your holiness which is lower than My holiness,

and therefore,

"You shall be holy" is among the crowns that He placed on the heads of His children,

and according to the interpretation of "like Me" with certainty – the holiness of "You shall be holy" is the holiness of "I am holy"

(which is the crown that He took for Himself),

and the two crowns that He placed on the heads of His children are "and you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy."

And what the Midrash says, that the holiness of "I am holy" is the crown that He took for Himself,

even though this holiness is also drawn down to Israel,

one can say,

that the drawing down of the holiness of "I am holy" to baalei teshuvah is

(not from the aspect of their existence

but rather)

because through teshuvah the root of the soul, which is one with the Atzmus, is revealed,

and it is found,

that even after the crown exists within Israel,

it is on the head of the King

(and was not given to another,

not even to His children).

Vav)

And one can say,

that this matter of the drawing down of "My holiness" which is above "your holiness" is explained explicitly in the discourses of Parshat Nitzavim, whereas in the discourses of our Parsha this matter comes only as a hint

(and what is stated explicitly in these discourses is that the revelation of the first "holy" in a person is in a manner of elevation from below to above,

that he desires to go out of his existence and be included in the Holy One),

it is,

because in Parshat "Atem Nitzavim Hayom,"

which is read before Rosh Hashanah,

it is the time of teshuvah.

And particularly according to what is explained in Likkutei Torah

that the teshuvah of "Atem Nitzavim Hayom, all of you before Hashem..." is that all souls ascend above to their source.

Therefore, in the discourses of Parshat Nitzavim, the drawing down of "My holiness" which is above "your holiness" is explained explicitly,

for by the souls of Israel ascending to their source, the crown that He took for Himself is also drawn down to them

(as above, section E).

And in the discourses of the parshiyot that are read during the days of Sefiras HaOmer,

where the service of Sefiras HaOmer is

(not in a manner of skipping

(teshuvah)

but rather on the contrary)

in order and gradation

(one day,

two days,

etc.),

this matter of the drawing down of "My holiness" which is above "your holiness" comes only as a hint.

And one can say,

that this matter being brought in these discourses as a hint, at least,

is,

because Sefiras HaOmer is a matter of refining the animal soul,

and the refinement of the animal soul is like the matter of teshuvah.

And one may add,

that Parshat Emor is read in most years on the Shabbos adjacent to Pesach Sheni,

and Pesach Sheni is a matter of teshuvah.

And as is explained at length elsewhere

that Pesach Rishon is a matter of the service of the righteous and Pesach Sheni is a matter of the service of teshuvah.

Therefore, also in the discourses of Parshat Emor, the matter of the drawing down of "My holiness" which is above "your holiness" is hinted at,

"like Me" with certainty.