English translation — מאמר אתם נצבים תשט"ז

With the help of Heaven,

Shabbos Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech,

the 25th of Elul*,

the year 5716

(Unedited draft)

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

Now, this portion

is always read before Rosh Hashanah.

And it is hinted in the word "today" that it refers to Rosh Hashanah,

as it is stated

by our teacher who received from his teacher the Maggid, and his teacher from his teacher the Baal Shem Tov, that "today" refers to Rosh Hashanah,

which is the Day of Judgment,

and as it is stated,

"And it was the day,"

and the Targum translates: "And it was the great Day of Judgment,"

for Rosh Hashanah is the day of judgment and justice,

and this is the blessing: "You are standing today, all of you,"

that you, all of you, from your heads, your tribes, to the hewer of your wood and the drawer of your water,

are standing, enduring and existing,

meaning that they are vindicated in judgment.

2)

And behold, it is brought in the Midrash

on the verse

"And you shall take for yourselves on the first day," it says,

"Let the field exult and all that is in it,"

"Let the field exult" — this is the world, etc.,

"And all that is in it" — these are the creatures, etc.,

Before Whom?

Before Hashem,

Why?

For He comes on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,

What to do?

"He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity."

And it is necessary to understand: what is the joy of "Let the field exult and all that is in it" from the judgment?

Is this not [a matter of] law and judgment?

And superficially, it would be better without any judgment at all.

And even more perplexing,

for our Sages, of blessed memory, said

that even if the entire world tells you that you are righteous, be in your own eyes like a wicked person,

and our Sages, of blessed memory, said

three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah,

the completely righteous are immediately inscribed for life,

the completely wicked, etc.,

and if so,

how is it possible to be in a state of joy?

Also, it is necessary to understand,

is it not written

"For the judgment is for God,"

and regarding the children of Israel it is said

"For whom God is close to him,"

as it is written

"You are children to Hashem your God,"

and it is written

"For the sake of my brothers and companions,"

and behold, a relative is disqualified to judge.

And also, it is necessary to understand what is said: "He will judge the world with righteousness,"

what is the matter of "with righteousness,"

and what is the precise language of "tevel" specifically.

But the explanation is,

for behold, our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Midrash

"All sevenths are beloved,"

In days, the seventh is beloved,

the day of Shabbat,

as it is said

"And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it"

(and our Sages, of blessed memory, said

He blessed it with manna and sanctified it with manna,

and likewise our Sages, of blessed memory, said

He sanctified it with the light of a person's face,

for the light of a person's face on a weekday is not comparable to the light of a person's face on Shabbat),

In months, the seventh is beloved,

the seventh month,

which is satiated with everything, for it is blessed in physicality and spirituality,

as our Sages, of blessed memory, said

"winepresses within it, blessings within it,"

for it is the time of the harvest,

and likewise in spirituality,

for it contains many mitzvos,

Shofar, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkah, the Four Species, and Shemini Atzeres.

Therefore, also in the land, the seventh is beloved,

for just as there are seven firmaments,

Shamayim, Shmei HaShamayim, Rakia, Shechakim, Zevul, Maon, and Aravos,

and it is written

"Pave [a way] for Him who rides through the plains, by Yah is His name,"

meaning,

that Aravos, which is the seventh, is the beloved,

because in it are found the souls of the righteous, etc.,

and therefore it is beloved to the Holy One, blessed be He, to ride upon them,

so too is it in the land,

which has seven names,

Eretz, Adamah, Arka, Gai, Tziyah, Neshiyah, Tevel,

behold, Tevel, which is the seventh, is the beloved,

and concerning this it is said "He will judge the world (tevel) with righteousness,"

specifically tevel.

3)

And to understand this, it is necessary first to preface the matter of judgment,

which is regarding the entirety of the service of the past year in the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos,

in all three lines of Torah, service, and acts of kindness,

which are the three things upon which the world stands,

the totality of which is the matter of tzedakah (charity/righteousness).

For behold,

even Torah is a matter of tzedakah,

for Torah, in its own essence, is beyond comparison, etc.,

and its drawing down into the world is a matter of tzedakah.

And this connection

(that the Torah is drawn down into the world)

is effected by the souls of the Jewish people through their service,

and this is,

because the thought of Israel preceded even the thought of the Torah.

And likewise, service,

which is the matter of the service of the offerings,

and in this time it is the matter of prayer,

behold, it is connected with tzedakah,

as our Sages, of blessed memory, said

Rabbi Elazar would give a coin to a poor person and then pray,

as it is said

"I, through righteousness (tzedek), shall behold Your face."

And this is,

that through tzedakah, there is achieved in prayer the matter of "beholding Your face,"

specifically "Your face,"

the aspect of the innerness of Elokus that is revealed through the innerness of the soul,

and therefore prayer is upon [the name] Havayah

(and Channah prayed upon Havayah),

above the name Havayah.

And this is what is said: "He will judge the world (tevel) with righteousness (tzedek),"

two [instances of] tzedek,

which are two aspects of tzedek,

the aspect of tzedek that is in acts of kindness and prayer,

which is the matter of tzedakah within limitation,

and the aspect of tzedek that is in Torah,

which is the matter of tzedakah without limitation.

4)

And to understand in more detail the superiority of charity, about which our sages said: Rabbi Elazar would give a coin to a poor person and then pray, as it is stated, "I will behold Your face in righteousness,"

Now,

the concept of charity is to revive the spirit of the lowly,

that is, the poor person who has nothing,

and when one gives him charity, he enlivens him,

and through this, he also arouses above the matter of reviving the spirit of the lowly,

which are the three worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah,

which are called "lowly,"

because the source of their coming into being is only from the aspect of Malchus, which is an aspect of mere illumination,

as it is written,

"For His Name is exalted alone"

(and only)

"His glory"

(which is merely radiance and illumination)

"is upon earth and heaven,"

and therefore it is necessary to revive the spirit of the lowly,

meaning,

that even in Biya, the light of Atzilus should be felt,

and this is the concept of charity above, which is effected by charity below.

And through this, afterward in prayer, there is drawn a revelation of light that transcends the chain of descent,

which is the matter of the illumination of Ein Sof from the aspect of "face,"

"I will behold Your face."

And in more detail, regarding the matter of charity itself, there are two modes of service.

For our sages said,

"One who gives a coin to a poor person is blessed with six blessings, and one who appeases him is blessed with eleven blessings."

And the explanation of this is,

that giving a coin to a poor person is for his bodily needs,

and since through this he enlivens only his body,

then also his activity in the matter of charity above is only to draw the light of Atzilus into Biya.

And this is also hinted at in the word "coin" (prutah),

which is "detail" (perat) and "heh,"

meaning to draw and detail the aspect of the vav into the heh,

as explained in the Siddur,

in the discourse "Adon-ai, open my lips," regarding the matter of voice and speech,

that the voice is an aspect of generality,

and speech is an aspect of detail, which details what is in the general,

for the voice is an aspect of encompassing all the letters,

and the letters are an aspect of particularity, etc.

And this is the concept of "coin" (prutah)—to detail the aspect of the vav into the heh.

Therefore, he is blessed with six blessings,

corresponding to the letter vav of the Name Havayah.

However,

appeasing the poor person is not a matter needed only for his body,

but rather a matter of calming his mind,

meaning,

that the poor person, in himself, is in a state of bitterness, etc.,

because he has a complaint about the fact that he is poor,

as it is written,

"A prayer of the afflicted when he wraps himself," etc.,

that his prayer is about the very fact of his being poor,

for although the order of creation is such that there must be a distinction between rich and poor,

nevertheless,

he argues why he must be the poor one.

And when one speaks to the heart of the poor person and calms his mind, etc., until he is appeased,

this is a matter more elevated than merely giving a coin for his bodily needs.

Therefore, through this, one effects

(not only the drawing of the light of Atzilus into Biya,

but also)

the drawing of the inner aspect of G-dliness.

And this is that one who appeases him is blessed with eleven blessings,

as is known, that the number eleven indicates an aspect that transcends the ten Sefiros,

similar to "before Havayah,"

above Havayah.

And this is also that "appeasement" (piyus) has the same letters as "Yosef,"

for regarding Yosef it is written,

"These are the generations of Yaakov, Yosef,"

meaning,

that the matter of Yaakov is in Atzilus,

but the purpose is that it be drawn also into Biya,

and this is the matter of Yosef, who is the provider of bread to all the land,

which is the concept of drawing downward,

and in order for it to be drawn downward, the drawing must be from a most elevated aspect, etc.

And this is the concept of "he would give a coin to a poor person and then pray,"

meaning that first there must be "he would give a coin,"

and through this, afterward one comes to "I will behold Your face,"

an inner drawing,

as through the matter of appeasement.

5)

And now, the two aforementioned modes in the service of charity

(one who gives a coin to a poor person and one who appeases him)

must be before prayer.

And the explanation of this is,

Now,

regarding prayer, our sages said,

"The Patriarchs instituted the prayers,"

and likewise our sages said,

that the three pilgrimage festivals correspond to the three Patriarchs,

Pesach corresponding to Avraham,

Shavuos corresponding to Yitzchak,

and Sukkos corresponding to Yaakov.

And it follows,

that the matter of prayer and the matter of the pilgrimage festivals are of one level.

And now,

regarding the pilgrimage festivals, it is written,

"Three times a year, all your males shall appear before the face of Havayah your G-d in the place He will choose,"

meaning,

that in the Holy Temple, which was aligned opposite the Heichalos,

there was a revelation of "the face of Havayah your G-d,"

and likewise in prayer, whose order was established corresponding to the Heichalos,

there is within it the revelation of "the face of Havayah your G-d."

And now,

the revelation of "the face of Havayah your G-d" in the Holy Temple was effected through the matter of prostration,

as it is written, "to see and to prostrate oneself," etc.

And regarding the matter of prostration, there are two aspects.

External prostration, which is like the prostration of a servant before the master, which is in a manner of coercion and compulsion,

such that it is possible that he has no desire for this at all,

but rather prostrates himself out of fear of the master,

in a manner of accepting the yoke.

And internal prostration, which is in an aspect of desire and will,

and in a manner that all his powers are nullified, etc.

And these two aspects in the matter of prostration are analogous to the two aspects of hearing and sight,

meaning,

that when the service is only an aspect of hearing,

this effects only external prostration,

but when the service is in an aspect of sight,

this effects internal prostration.

And likewise, in prayer there are these two matters,

for,

prayer is "a ladder set upon the earth," etc.,

meaning,

that the beginning of prayer is in a manner of "walk after Havayah your G-d,"

"after Havayah" meaning below Havayah,

and in an aspect of "backsides" and externality alone,

which is the service in a manner of accepting the yoke.

But the end and purpose of the service is to be "I will behold Your face,"

in an aspect of inwardness,

"before Havayah,"

meaning above Havayah.

And these two matters in prayer, whose totality is accepting the yoke and perception,

come about through the two modes of service in the matter of charity,

one who gives a coin to a poor person and one who appeases him.

6)

And with this will be understood what is said, "He will judge the world (Tevel) with righteousness,"

for, behold,

it is explained in Likkutei Torah52

that Tevel is twice Aray,

and this means that in the manner of the service of Aray, which is the matter of the service of love53

(the totality of service,

as per the statement54

"There is no worship like the worship of love"),

there are two levels,

and in general, this is the difference between Seraphim and Ofanim,

that the Seraphim say "Kadosh" because they comprehend how He, blessed is He, is holy and separate from the category of worlds, and therefore they desire to be included and nullified to Him, blessed is He,

and this is due to the reason and comprehension of the greatness of Ein Sof, blessed is He,

but the Ofanim are with great noise due to the absence of comprehension.

And likewise, these two levels exist in the souls of Israel,

there are those of knowledge who comprehend the greatness of the Creator, blessed is He,

and they desire to be included due to comprehension

(this being service in the aspect of sight),

and there is the aspect of the common people who do not comprehend at all,

and nevertheless they desire to be included, etc.,

like the analogy of the Ofanim

(this being service in the aspect of hearing,

acceptance of the yoke),

for every single Jew can come to the aspect of Aray.

And therefore it is said specifically "He will judge Tevel,"

for in the aspect of Tevel are hinted the two aspects in the souls of Israel.

And this is also what is said, "He will judge Tevel with righteousness,"

two [instances of] righteousness,

which are the two aspects of righteousness,

the righteousness of charity and prayer,

and the righteousness of Torah

(as above).

7)

However, the matter of judgment

("He will judge Tevel with righteousness")

is not a matter of strict justice alone,

rather the intention is that through this a revelation of a most exalted light will be drawn down.

And the explanation of this is,

that the entire concept of judgment above is for the sake that through it there will be a revelation of a more exalted light,

and as we find regarding Rosh HaShanah and Sukkos

[which are hinted at in the word Aray

(this being the matter of Tevel,

twice Aray),

as is known55

that Aray is an acronym for Elul, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Hoshana Rabbah],

concerning which it is said56

"His left hand is under my head, and His right hand embraces me,"

meaning,

that the aspect of His left, which is the judgment of Rosh HaShanah, is only for the sake of the revelation of "His right hand embraces me" on the festival of Sukkos.

And moreover,

not only is the matter of judgment for the sake that through it there will be a revelation of a more exalted light,

but rather, from the outset, this is not a matter of judgment at all,

but rather,

in the manner explained in the Zohar57

regarding the verse58

"The heavens are not pure in His eyes,"

that this matter is a virtue,

that because of their preciousness to Him, therefore they are not pure in His eyes,

like the analogy of a person who has a beautiful vessel or a beautiful building,

that the more precious the vessel is to him, the more he refines it, and it seems to him that it has not yet been properly refined and still needs refinement.

And this is also what is said59

"And He will judge Tevel with righteousness,"

specifically "He,"

and it is known from the saying of our sages, of blessed memory,60

"Five times 'He' is for good... we have one 'He' that is better than all of them,

'He is the Lord our God,'61

whose attribute of mercy is forever."

And the explanation of this is,

behold,

the matter of judgment and justice is from the aspect of the Name Elokim,

as it is written14

"For the judgment is God's (Elokim's),"

and nevertheless it is stated here "before the Lord (Havayah), for He comes to judge."

But the explanation is,

as is known, there are62

two aspects of the Name Elokim,

the first,

as it is written63

"And you shall know... that Havayah is Elokim."

And the second,

that the Name Havayah when it ascends to Atik is considered like Elokim.

And this is what is said, "before Havayah, for He comes to judge,"

above the level of the Name Havayah,

and this is because the Name Havayah ascends to Atik,

therefore it is considered like Elokim,

for there is the matter of judgment and justice.

And this is also what is said, "And He will judge Tevel with righteousness,"

specifically "He,"

"He" is Atik,64

and in this aspect, behold, even judgment is a matter of mercy,

meaning that its matter is the polishing of the vessel.

8)

And this is: “Let the field exult and all that is in it,”

meaning that through the judgment and justice of Rosh Hashanah, a most supernal light is drawn down.

And this is also what they said in the Midrash,

brought in the Tur, Laws of Rosh Hashanah:

“This nation knows the character of its God—

for all the nations wrap themselves in black and wear black,

but Israel wears white and wraps themselves in white,

because they know that the Holy One, blessed be He, will perform a miracle for them.”

For at first glance it is not understood: what is the joy of wearing white?

For even though they know that He will perform a miracle for them,

nevertheless,

would it not be better that there be no judgment at all?

But the explanation is,

that the judgment of Rosh Hashanah is for the sake of drawing down a more supernal light,

and therefore there is joy.

And this is what is meant by “He will perform a miracle for them,”

for a miracle is above nature,

meaning a light that is above the chain of descent (hishtalshelus).

For “this day is the beginning of Your works,”

for Malchus is included in the aspect of “the King elevated alone from then,”

the aspect of His Name in the aspect of “He alone is He,”

and from there one must draw down.

However, since a most supernal light is drawn down,

there are accusers that the light should not be drawn down,

therefore He says,

“You are standing today, all of you, before Havayah,”

meaning all the levels within the souls of Israel—

“your heads, your tribes,” etc., meaning those of comprehension whose service is in the manner of the service of the Seraphim,

“from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water,” whose service is in acceptance of the yoke in the manner of the service of the Ofanim—

behold, all the levels stand firm and endure and prevail in judgment,

so that the supernal light will be drawn down to them,

“before Havayah,”

above the level of the Name Havayah,

and this is drawn down below, down into this world, in all the matters of the judgment and justice of Rosh Hashanah,

that there should be a healthy year, a living year, and a joyful year in all particulars,

and in children, life, and sustenance in abundance.