English translation — מאמר ויהיו חיי שרה תשמ"א

With the help of Heaven.

On the eve of the fifth day of the week, Parshat Chayei Sarah,

the 20th of MarCheshvan

— the birthday of the Rebbe,

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory —

the year 5741*

"And the lives of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of Sarah's life."

And the Rebbe

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory, the birthday owner, in his discourse beginning with the words "Zeh" of the year 5652, precisely notes:

What is the meaning of the phrase "the years of Sarah's life"?

After all, it already says "And the lives of Sarah were"

[and it specifies her years in hundreds, tens, and ones],

so why the repetition of saying "the years of Sarah's life"?

And it also must be said,

(as the Zohar precisely notes)

why specifically regarding Sarah is it said "the years of her life"

[to the extent that the entire portion

(Chayei Sarah)

is named after this,

implying

that this is the content of the entire section],

while this is not said regarding the other matriarchs.

And he brings in this regard the statement of the Zohar:

"Chava came into the world and attached herself to the serpent,"

etc. "Noach came

into the world, what is written about him?

'And he drank of the wine and became drunk,' etc. Sarah came and descended and ascended"

[and did not attach herself to him],

as it is said,

"And Avram went up from Egypt, he and his wife," and therefore she merited supernal life.

And it concludes

(in the Zohar there)

"And therefore, the lives were hers."

And based on this, the Rebbe

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory, in his aforementioned discourse, explains

the two aforementioned precise points:

that specifically regarding Sarah it is said "the years of her life"

(which is not said regarding the other matriarchs)

because specifically Sarah,

by means of her descending and ascending,

merited supernal life.

And the reason for the repetition of saying "the years of Sarah's life,"

even though it already stated at the beginning "And the lives of Sarah were,"

is that "And the lives of Sarah were" refers to what she merited—supernal life,

while "the years of Sarah's life" is the matter of "the lives were hers,"

meaning not only that she merited supernal life, but also that the lives became hers,

"they were hers."

And one must understand the content of these two matters.

And also one must understand,

from the language of the Zohar—"Chava came," "Noach came," "Sarah came"—it is understood

that there is a connection between these three matters.

That is, Chava and Noach sought to accomplish the same matter that Sarah accomplished,

but they did not succeed,

and moreover, through this, a descent occurred for them

(she attached herself to the serpent,

he became drunk).

Not so Sarah,

for even though there was also for her

(at first)

a descent,

through this descent there was afterward an ascent—

she descended and ascended.

And one must understand the connection of these three matters.

B)

Now, "the deeds of the Patriarchs are a sign for the children,"

and it is known that the intent of "sign" here is not only a sign and instruction but also the granting of power.

And it is like the known concept

regarding the matter of "Rabbi so-and-so opened," etc.,

that after he opened the channel and the path,

and certainly when he paved the way,

through this, power is given to each and every one to be able to perform this service,

and he does not need such great effort

(as in the first time).

And certainly this is so regarding the deeds of the Patriarchs,

since they are the Patriarchs of each and every Jew,

and the matters and services of theirs are inherited by each and every Jew.

And so it is also regarding the matriarchs,

and particularly regarding Sarah our mother,

the first of the four matriarchs,

and it is written regarding her,

"Everything that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice."

And from this it is understood that the aforementioned matter,

"Sarah came and descended and ascended,"

is

(like all deeds of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs)

an instruction and also a granting of power in the service of each and every Jew.

And one must understand the lesson of "descended and ascended" in the service of the children after the Giving of the Torah.

C)

And the point of the matter is as the birthday owner explains in his aforementioned discourse,

that divine service must be specifically with joy, as it is written,

"Serve the L‑rd with joy."

To the extent that joy in divine service is a great principle,

and as is known the explanation of the Arizal,

brought in the Tanya,

on the verse,

"Because you did not serve the L‑rd your G‑d with joy," etc.

And it is stated in Torah Ohr

that what the Arizal merited—the Holy Spirit—

was through the joy of a mitzvah.

[And since this is a story in the Torah

(the Oral Torah)

from the term "hora'ah" (instruction),

this is an instruction for each and every Jew],

that when the service is with joy,

then the service is perfect

[and through this, perfection is also brought about in the world.

For the purpose of creation is for the sake of Israel, who are called "first,"

and the meaning of "for the sake of Israel" is for the sake of the service of Israel

[for this is their primary existence,

as our Sages said,

"I was not created except to serve my Creator"],

meaning that Israel, through their service, cause the world to be in ultimate perfection.

For although the world was created in its fullness,

and particularly according to the known concept

that one of the reasons for the creation of the world is that it arose in His will, blessed be He, to bestow goodness upon His creations,

for it is the nature of the good to do good,

from which it is understood that the creation of the world

(from the outset)

was in perfection,

nevertheless,

this very matter—to bestow goodness upon His creations—

is one of the reasons for this, that it arose in His will, blessed be He, that creation be for the sake of

Israel and for the sake of the Torah,

so that through this, perfect goodness will be drawn down to the creations,

by means of Israel, who through their service will add perfection to the world,

a perfection loftier than the perfection of the world as it is from the aspect of creation.

And since the perfection of service is when it is with joy,

therefore, through this, additional perfection is also added to the world,

which is brought about through the service of Israel].

And not only is the perfection of service when it is with joy,

but joy in divine service is also an absolute necessity in divine service,

so that when joy is lacking in divine service, punishment, G‑d forbid, comes upon this, as it is written,

"Because you did not serve the L‑rd your G‑d with joy," etc.,

for the matter of service is to draw down a revelation of G‑dliness below, and this is accomplished through joy.

However, together with this it is written,

"Serve the L-rd with fear,"

except that in this same verse it continues, "and rejoice with trembling,"

which implies that there must be joy.

Rather, when joy is in a felt sense,

it is possible that from this one may come to a feeling of self-existence,

and through this to several undesirable things that branch out from it.

Therefore, it must be "Serve the L-rd with fear and rejoice with trembling,"

so that through this the joy will be

(not in the category of felt sensation,

but rather)

in the category of self-nullification and humility,

and in the language of the verse,

"And the humble shall add joy in the L-rd,"

meaning that the joy is together with or stems from humility and self-nullification

(as will be explained in section 6).

4)

And based on this, the Baal HaYom Huledes explains in his aforementioned maamar

the matter of "the wife of Chava... the wife of Sarah...,"

that the common denominator among them is that they wanted to effect the matter of joy.

As our sages said regarding Chava,

"She squeezed a cluster of grapes and gave it to him,"

and regarding Noach it is written,

"And he planted a vineyard and drank of the wine,"

for wine is the matter of joy, as it is written,

"Wine that gladdens G-d and men."

However, with Chava the joy was in the category of felt sensation,

for regarding Chava it is written,

"And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a desire to the eyes," which is the matter of sensation.

And Noach wanted to rectify the sin of the Tree of Knowledge,

which is the matter of sensation,

through sensation,

and he did not succeed.

For "he drank of the wine" brought him

(not to joy in the category of self-nullification,

"wine that gladdens,"

but rather)

to intoxication,

"wine that intoxicates."

And although in intoxication there is an absence of sensation,

nevertheless, this absence of sensation is not from the aspect of humility and self-nullification, but rather from confusion of the mind

(and sensation).

And the rectification for the sin of the Tree of Knowledge

(the matter of sensation)

was accomplished specifically through Sarah,

[as explained in Kabbalah

that Sarah rectified what Chava corrupted],

for Sarah is the aspect of Malchus

[therefore she is called Sarah, from the term

"dominion"],

the matter of self-nullification,

and therefore specifically through her was the rectification accomplished,

joy that is in the category of self-nullification.

And this is "the wife of Sarah, descending and ascending,"

that from the aspect of self-nullification inherent in Malchus, even when it descends below,

the descent

("descending")

is for the sake of the ascent

("and ascending"),

for the descent of Malchus below is in order to refine and rectify the sparks of holiness found below and to elevate them upward.

And likewise is the descent of

(Avraham and)

Sarah to Egypt

(physically),

which was in order that

the ascent from Egypt,

"And Avram ascended from Egypt, he and his wife,"

would be in a manner of "and Avram was very heavy with cattle, silver, and gold,"

which was accomplished through Sarah, as it is written,

"And He did good to Avram for her sake."

And through this she merited supernal life,

to the extent that "her life was life,"

meaning that the life was hers

(also)

in a felt sense,

for because Malchus is inherently in the category of self-nullification, therefore even its felt aspect is in the category of self-nullification.

And in avodah (divine service) this means,

that even when joy is in revelation, nevertheless it is in the category of self-nullification

[similar to a king who, despite being in loftiness and joy,

"strength and gladness are in His place,"

this is not in the category of self-existence].

And therefore, from this joy,

not only is it not possible that there will be undesirable consequences from it

(as was with Chava and Noach),

but on the contrary, it brings to the ultimate elevation,

even to the level that is analogous to the future to come,

and as explained in the maamar

(of the Baal HaYom Huledes)

that the matter of "her life was life" is analogous to "and we shall live before Him"

that will be in the future,

life in ultimate perfection.

5)

And one may connect this with the verse,

"Then our mouth will be filled with laughter,"

that in the future to come joy will be in ultimate perfection,

to the extent that the joy of the present,

even when it is in ultimate perfection

(as much as is possible now),

is incomparable to the joy and laughter that will be in the future to come,

"Then our mouth will be filled with laughter."

And although the joy of the future to come will come

(like all matters of the future)

through serving G-d with joy during the time of exile,

nevertheless, the reward that will come from this in the future to come

("then our mouth will be filled with laughter")

is beyond measure, even beyond any measure at all,

to the extent that it is above the category of reward.

And based on this, one can explain why the son of Sarah,

for whom Sarah prayed and even more so

(even more than Avraham Avinu),

was named Yitzchak, after "G-d has made laughter for me,"

because the matter of "her life was life"

(of Sarah)

is like "and we shall live before Him" that will be in the future

(as above from the maamar of the Baal HaYom Huledes),

and this is that Sarah's son is Yitzchak, whose meaning is laughter and joy,

even to the laughter and joy that is analogous to "then our mouth will be filled with laughter" of the future to come,

therefore in the future to come they will say to Yitzchak

(specifically)

"for you are our father."

6)

And the explanation of the matter of joy that is in the aspect of self-nullification

(to the extent that even when the joy is in a state of revelation, it is nevertheless in the aspect of self-nullification),

behold, the true essence of joy comes from the side of humility and self-nullification,

as it is written,

"The humble will increase their joy in the L-rd."

And the explanation of the connection between humility and joy

(even though superficially they are two opposite matters),

is explained by the Alter Rebbe in the discourse "The humble will increase their joy in the L-rd"

[and in several discourses of our Rebbes and leaders after that,

and also in the aforementioned discourse of the Baal HaYom HaHuledes (the one whose birthday it is)],

that the matter of humility is not that the humble person is mistaken about himself and does not know his virtues,

but rather,

that even though he knows his virtues,

to the extent that he knows all his virtues

[for every Jew,

even those whose conduct is entirely improper,

not only do they have mitzvos, but the mitzvos fill their entire being,

and in the language of our Sages,

"they are full of mitzvos like a pomegranate,"

and especially since "Your people are all righteous"

and "all Jews are presumed to be kosher"],

nevertheless, he does not thereby become a [significant] entity in his own eyes, and certainly not in a state of yeshus (selfhood),

because he knows the truth that the virtues he has are not his own power and the strength of his hand, but rather were given to him

(the powers for this)

from Above,

and if these powers had been given to another, he too would be on this level,

and from the perspective of his humility and self-nullification, he thinks,

that if these powers were with another, he would reveal them even more.

And this humility

[since he knows his virtues,

but he does not thereby become a [significant] entity]

behold, not only does it not lead to the opposite of joy,

but on the contrary,

his humility and self-nullification

(that he thinks he does not deserve anything)

bring him to great and complete joy.

For the completeness of joy is specifically in one who is nullified,

as is explained at length in the discourse.

And since joy comes about because of humility and self-nullification,

therefore even the joy itself

(even when it is in revelation)

is in the aspect of self-nullification.

7)

And this is [the meaning of] "And the life of Sarah was... the years of the life of Sarah,"

"And the life of Sarah was" refers to that which she merited to attain supernal life.

And it specifies in this: one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years, which correspond to all the sefiros.

And as explained in the discourse,

that "one hundred years" is the aspect of Arich [Anpin], as the aspect of Atik shines within it,

therefore it is said

("one hundred")

years in the singular,

and it can be said that in our case it is above the aspect of "one."

And "twenty years" is the aspect of Chochmah and Binah,

and "seven years" is the aspect of the seven emotional attributes,

the seven days of construction.

And afterwards it adds "the years of the life of Sarah,"

"hers were the lives,"

that the lives were hers

(also)

in a felt [conscious] way,

that in [divine] service this is the matter of self-nullification within joy

(also)

as it is in revelation

(as above from the discourse of the Baal HaYom HaHuledes).

And this is also the reason that at the conclusion "the years of the life of Sarah" it does not specify the numbers one hundred, twenty, and seven,

because this [matter] that even the felt [revelation] is in self-nullification,

which is the unification of two opposite matters

(felt [revelation] and self-nullification),

is from an aspect that is above division.

And this is the superiority of "the years of the life of Sarah" over "the life of Sarah was one hundred years, etc.,"

for the matter of one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years,

although it is most elevated,

as is also understood from Rashi's commentary on the verse,

nevertheless, they are three distinct matters,

but not so "the years of the life of Sarah," for they are all equal,

above division.

And from this aspect

(which is above division),

even the felt [revelation] is in self-nullification,

"hers were the lives."

And it can be said,

that through the matter of "hers were the lives" in [divine] service,

that even the felt [revelation]

(joy that is in revelation)

is in self-nullification

(as per the interpretation of the Baal HaYom HaHuledes on "hers were the lives"),

through this, "hers were the lives" is also actualized in its simple sense,

that the lives are hers and she becomes the master of the lives.

For joy breaks all boundaries,

and therefore, through joy in revelation

(and in the aspect of self-nullification)

there is a strengthening of life-force

(above measure and limitation),

and in the manner of the known concept

regarding Yitzchak

[whose concept is laughter and joy,

as above],

that the gevuros (severities) of Yitzchak are the matter of a strengthening of vitality

(and a strengthening of blessings),

to the extent of life in ultimate perfection,

analogous to "and we shall live before Him" which will be in the future to come.

8)

And the deeds of the Forefathers are a sign for the children,

that the service of Sarah is instruction and empowerment for every single Jew

[and even that this matter in every single Jew is

(like all matters of the Forefathers and Matriarchs)

by inheritance73],

so that he can serve G-d with joy in a revealed manner,

and the joy will be founded upon the matter of self-nullification,

and "Let my soul be as dust to all"74.

Therefore there is no concern75

that from this will branch off some undesirable matter, G-d forbid,

and on the contrary,

since joy breaks boundaries,

behold through joy he will increase strength in his service with greater excellence and greater vigor,

until service that is above measure and limitation,

the matter of the intensification of vitality in service.

And through this there is also an intensification of life in its simple sense,

length of days and good years in simplicity.

9)

And one should connect this with the birthday of the Rebbe, of blessed memory, of this year,

(conclusion and seal)

the one hundred and twentieth year76,

for it is stated in the Zohar77

on the verse78

"And his days shall be one hundred and twenty years," that it alludes to Moshe etc., who draws down life to the children of man

(to every single Jew)

from that Tree of Life,

which also includes length of days in simplicity,

and as it is stated in the Zohar there

(before this)

"Inasmuch as"78

"this is Moshe"79

etc. "and from this power, children of man endure in the world for many days."

And this matter Moshe draws down even now,

as the Zohar there states "Moshe did not die" etc.,

and our sages said80

"Just as there he stands and serves, so too here he stands and serves."

And as it is with Moshe Rabbeinu, the Faithful Shepherd,

so too is it with the shepherds of Israel in every generation,

including the one whose birthday it is and his son, the Rebbe, my master, father-in-law, who fills his place,

and as is known the letter of the Rebbe, my master, father-in-law81

(regarding his father.

And from this it is understood that it is also so with him82)

that the shepherds of Israel will not be separated, G-d forbid, from the flock of their pasture,

which is in the manner of the aforementioned statement of our sages regarding Moshe, "Just as there he stands and serves, so too here he stands and serves,"

that even now he

(the one whose birthday it is,

and consequently it is understood—his son who fills his place)

pleads merit for each and every one of Israel,

and draws down for them blessings, successes, and salvations,

and even draws from the aspect of the Tree of Life

(the Tree of Life)

and also length of days in simplicity for each and every one of Israel.

10)

And behold, just as the matter of "her life was life"

(of Sarah)

is analogous to "we shall live before Him" that will be in the future

(as above at the end of section 4 and section 5 of the maamar of the one whose birthday it is),

so too is it regarding the matter of the empowerment that is drawn from this for every Jew for service with joy

(as above in section 8),

that through service with joy we will merit in the very near future the fulfillment of the prophecy52

"On the third day He will raise us up and we shall live before Him."

And the explanation is,

behold it is explained in Likkutei Torah

(the discourse "He will revive us after two days, on the third day He will raise us up and we shall live before Him"83),

that the two days are the aspects of the One Who Fills All Worlds and the One Who Encompasses All Worlds,

and "on the third day" is the aspect that is above even the aspect of the One Who Encompasses All Worlds.

That is to say, that there is in it no measurements or limitations,

not even the measurement of the One Who Encompasses All Worlds.

And since joy breaks boundaries,

and through joy one reaches

(as above in section 8)

service that is above measure and limitation,

therefore joy

(in the service of G-d)

is a close preparation and vessel for the revelation of the aspect of "on the third day"

("He will raise us up and we shall live before Him"),

the aspect that is above

(also)

the aspect of the One Who Encompasses All Worlds,

which revelation will be in the Third Holy Temple,

and as the interpretation84

that "on the third day" refers to the Third Holy Temple,

which will be built by King Moshiach85,

a king from the House of Dovid86.

And also this matter is particularly connected to the matter of joy,

as is understood from the fact that the Rambam87

brings a proof for the matter of joy—that a person should rejoice

(every person)

in the performance of a mitzvah—from Dovid, king of Israel, about whom it is written88

"And the king89

Dovid was leaping and dancing before the L-rd" etc.

And one can explain this,

that Dovid, king of Israel, is the matter of the Sefirah of Malchus90,

and this is that he was in ultimate self-nullification,

"If I did not set [my soul] in stillness and silence"91,

for Malchus is an aspect of self-nullification,

as above

(section 4).

And this is that his service was with great joy,

and "the king Dovid was leaping and dancing before the L-rd,"

for from the perspective of the self-nullification of Malchus, even when joy is in a revealed manner, it is not possible that an undesirable matter will branch off from it.

And since Dovid, king of Israel, lives and endures92,

meaning that he lives and endures

(in every single Jew)

as Dovid, king of Israel

(the self-nullification of Malchus),

therefore he gives the power to every Jew to rejoice in the performance of a mitzvah

(even though it is a great service93),

and that the joy will be in a desirable manner.

10)

A)

And through the joy in performing the mitzvah,

including also the fulfillment of the command,

and all

your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven, and in all

your ways know Him,

they will breach the barriers of the exile,

and with me, from there, the King Moshiach,

Dovid King of Israel,

together with Moshe Rabbeinu, the Faithful Shepherd,

for the first redeemer is the final redeemer,

including also the Faithful Shepherd in every generation, until the Faithful Shepherd of our generation, namely the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Nasi of our generation.

That very soon the promise will be fulfilled: "Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust,"

and together with them we will go to greet our righteous Moshiach,

and "everlasting joy upon their heads,"

speedily in our days, literally.