English translation — מאמר אתם נצבים תשל"ט

"With the help of Heaven."

Shabbos Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech,

23 Elul 5739*

"You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem your G-d: your heads, your tribes... from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water."1

And it is brought in Likkutei Torah2

that this portion is always read before Rosh Hashanah,3

and it is hinted in the word "today" which refers to Rosh Hashanah,4

for this5

day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day.

And this is the meaning of "You are standing today, all of you,"

that all of the children of Israel, from your heads, your tribes, etc., down to the hewer of your wood and the drawer of your water, are united together to be as one,6

for the vessel for the blessings and effluences from above is the matter of unity,

as it is said,7

"Bless us, our Father,"

(as)

all of us as one specifically

(as explained at length in Tanya, chapter 32,

Likkutei Torah, discourse "Hachaltzu,"8

and in Sefer HaMitzvos of the Tzemach Tzedek, the commandment of Ahavas Yisrael).

And since on Rosh Hashanah the life-force for the entire year is drawn down,

as is known

(and explained at length in the Sefer HaArachim of the Tzemach Tzedek,9

and hinted at in Likkutei Torah10)

that it is called Rosh Hashanah

(and not the beginning of the year)

because it is analogous to the head, which includes within itself all the limbs of the body,

and also, just as the limbs are in their place, the head is found within them, and it even governs them

(for all the limbs obey its will),

so too is it with the day of Rosh Hashanah,

that on it all the life-force of all the days of the year is drawn down,

and also their conduct afterward is according to the manner of their drawing down on Rosh Hashanah

(and so too is it in the service of man,

that his conduct throughout all the days of the year is according to the manner of the decisions made on Rosh Hashanah).

And this is "You are standing today, all of you,"

for the preparation and vessel for this effluence is "all of you,"

the unification of the children of Israel to be as one,

through which they become vessels for the indwelling of His Oneness, blessed be He.

2)

And the verse specifies ten levels

("your heads, your tribes... from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water"),

just as there are ten levels in the soul of man, namely three intellects and seven emotions,

so too all of Israel are one complete structure that is divided into ten levels.11

And the explanation is,

that the unity of the children of Israel, that they are united to be as one, through which they become vessels for the indwelling of His Oneness, blessed be He,

is not in a manner that there are no distinctions of levels among them

(nor even that from the revelation of the aspect of Yechidah they are nullified from their existence),

but rather,

that even as they are in a state of existence and are divided into ten levels,

nevertheless they are united with a complete unity.

For this unity

(the unity of individual parts)

is like the unity of the aspect of Echad

(which is below the aspect of Yechidah).

And as is known12

the difference between Echad and Yechidah,

that Yechidah is above division, whereas Echad is that there exist things that are divided, except that they become united.

And as is also hinted in the letters of the word Echad,

that the Chet and Dalet allude to the seven firmaments and the earth and the four directions of the world,13

and they are nullified to the Alef.

And the Alef does not negate the existence of the world,

for the Alef itself means the Aluf (Master) of the world,13

and the Alef is the head of the word Echad that includes14

(as above regarding the matter of "head")

the Chet

(seven firmaments and earth)

and the Dalet

(four directions of the world),

and through this unity of the children of Israel

[who are in a state of existence and are divided into ten levels, and together upon this they are as one]

they become a private domain for His Oneness, blessed be He,

that is, for the aspect of Yechidah

(which is above the aspect of Echad),15

the revelation of the aspect of Yechidah that is drawn down into the aspect of the Living One of the worlds, the King,

and even to the existence and division of the levels,16

down to the level of the hewer of your wood and the drawer of your water.

And on the contrary,

through the unity of the children of Israel, even as they are divided into ten levels down to the level of the hewer of your wood and the drawer of your water,

through this they become one with His very Essence (Atzmus), blessed be He.

3)

And this is what the verse continues,

“to pass you into the covenant,”

[For “to pass you into the covenant” is an explanation of what was said before this, “You are standing today, all of you,” etc.,

and as it is brought in Likkutei Torah,

that in this it explains how it is the way of unity and what is the matter of teshuvah and why specifically on Rosh Hashanah],

and as explained in Likkutei Torah,

it is like two lovers who cut a covenant between them, that they are bound to each other as if they became one flesh.

For this is the manner of cutting a covenant, as it is written,

“which they cut with the calf, and they passed between its parts,”

meaning that the fact that both of them pass within one body indicates

that they became one flesh.

And it is precise in Likkutei Torah that they became one flesh,

and likewise both of them pass within one body,

because the unity of the Holy One, blessed be He, with the Jewish people is also from the aspect of the physical body,

and on the contrary,

from the aspect of the intention of a dwelling place in the lower realms, the dwelling place for His Essence and Being is specifically in the lower realms.

And as it is written,

“I have come to My garden,” and our sages said,

“to My garden, etc., for the primary Shechinah was in the lower realms,”

for specifically in the lower realms is the aspect of “My garden” and “My garden,”

for the matter of a garden indicates delight and His pleasure, as it were,

and delight and pleasure are specifically in the lower realms.

And the explanation is,

for behold, it is explained in Iggeret HaKodesh, the discourse beginning “He and His life are one, He and His limbs are one,”

that the coming into being of the created entity is through the power of the Essence, whose existence is from His Essence and is not caused by any cause that preceded it, Heaven forbid,

therefore the revelation of the Essence is

(not in His life-force and also not in His limbs, but rather)

specifically in the created entity.

And as explained in Biurei HaZohar,

that the true existence of the created entity

(what appears as a [separate] entity)

is the true entity.

Therefore, the cutting of the covenant and the bond of the Holy One, blessed be He, with Israel is primarily in the body of Israel,

and as explained in the well-known sichah,

the connection of the Essence specifically to the physical body.

4) And this is the meaning of the statement, “Before the Kingship verses: that you coronate Me over yourselves,”

that His Essence, as it were, invests Himself in all Jews and in every Jew,

“that you coronate Me over yourselves.”

For although He took counsel with the souls of the righteous,

that there arose before Him, as it were, the delight that He would delight in the service of the souls,

and this delight was before creation, as per the teaching of the Maggid of Mezritch in Likkutei Amarim and Beurei HaTorah at their beginning and commencement,

nevertheless, He asks that “you coronate Me over yourselves,”

for He took counsel with the souls of the righteous,

and the ultimate intention is the service of souls in bodies,

through which is brought about “you coronate Me over yourselves,”

to arouse

the revelation of the inwardness of His Kingship from His Essence and Being.

4)

And this is “to pass you into the covenant,” etc.,

that each year before Rosh Hashanah there must be a new cutting of a covenant regarding the acceptance of the Torah, which is analogous to the covenant that was before the entry into the Land of Israel the first time,

aside from the covenant which He cut with them at Chorev,

for at the time of the covenant which He cut with them at Chorev, Israel were righteous,

and after the descent

(caused by sin),

it was necessary to have “to pass you into the covenant of Hashem your God,”

the aspect of teshuvah.

And this covenant

(of “to pass you into the covenant”)

that comes after the descent as above,

a descent for the sake of an ascent,

is superior to the covenant which He cut with them at Chorev,

for “to pass you into the covenant” is

that those who cut the covenant pass between the parts “within one body,” which is the matter of the bond of the Holy One, blessed be He, with Israel, that they become truly one,

to the extent that even the body of Israel is unified with His Essence, as it were,

(as above),

that from the aspect of this bond, it is brought about, “Seek My face; Your face, Hashem, I will seek,”

[and in a manner that “My face”

(of Israel)

and “Your face, Hashem,” become one],

the service of teshuvah

(which is above the service of the righteous).

For the matter of teshuvah is above measure and limitation,

above the limitation of time, therefore teshuvah is in one hour and in one moment,

and above the limitation of place, including also the limitation of spiritual place, for the matter of place in spirituality is level and degree,

therefore even when he is on the lowest level

(due to sins, etc.),

teshuvah is effective.

And this is what the verse continues,

“And Hashem your God will return your captivity,”

it does not say “He will cause to return” but rather “He will return,”

for from the aspect of the cutting of the covenant of the Holy One, blessed be He, with Israel, that they became truly one,

and also from the aspect of the body of Israel, which is a holy nation and in the ultimate holiness,

behold, in every place where Israel is found,

even if you will be driven to the ends of the heavens,

there is found His Essence and Being, as it were,

since they are truly one,

and therefore it does not say “He will cause to return” but rather “He will return.”

5)

And this is: "You are standing today, all of you," etc.,

that all the sparks of souls

(from your heads, your tribes, to the hewer of your wood and drawer of your water)

stand and are elevated to their first source, until before Hashem,

and until they become literally one with

(the aspect of)

"before Hashem"

(as above regarding the matter of "passing you into the covenant"),

[this being] Yisrael and the King alone,

and through this they also stand

(according to the explanation of the Baal Shem Tov)

[meaning] enduring and standing, i.e., they merit [favor] in judgment,

and not only regarding spiritual matters

("judgment for the G-d of Yaakov"),

but also regarding physical matters

("a statute for Yisrael"),

and moreover, the main judgment on Rosh HaShanah

(and that which they merit in judgment)

is regarding physical matters,

that each and every one of Yisrael should have a good writing and sealing for a good and sweet year, in the good that is seen and revealed,

in children, life, and sustenance,

and in all of them, prosperity.