English translation — מאמר ויהיו חיי שרה תנש"א

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbos Parshas Chayei Sarah,

22 Marcheshvan 5751

"And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah."

And the precise points in the discourses of our Nesi'im are well known,

[beginning with the discourses of our Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe,

and with the addition of glosses and explanations in the discourses of our Nesi'im that followed,

and also in the discourses of the Rebbe

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory,

the one whose birthday is on 20 Marcheshvan],

that regarding the number one hundred and the number twenty, the verse uses "year"

("one hundred years and twenty years")

in the singular form,

while regarding the number seven, it uses "years"

("seven years")

in the plural form.

Also,

what is the meaning of its saying "the years of the life of Sarah,"

when it already said "And the life of Sarah was"

(and it specifies the number of 127 years),

why does it repeat "the years of the life of Sarah"?

Also, one must understand the lesson and instruction from "the years of the life of Sarah" in the service of every single Jew,

as is known that all matters of the Torah

(even the stories of the Torah)

are instructions for every single Jew,

and especially the deeds of the Forefathers

(and Foremothers)

are a sign

(and empowerment)

for the children.

B)

And it is explained in the discourses,

that in this verse is included the entire order of Hishtalshelus

(above and also)

in the soul of man,

in every single Jew,

that his service must be in all the details of the matters of "one hundred years and twenty years and seven years,"

as in Sarah.

And the explanation of the matter:

It is stated in the Zohar,

"And the life of Sarah was... one hundred years, the general principle of all, the Holy One Blessed be He, who is included from the supernal place, the hidden of all hidden, in one hundred, in the secret of one hundred blessings each day,

and likewise twenty years,

and therefore it is written 'year,' the secret of unity that thought and the Jubilee never separate,

seven years, these are separated and emerge from the general principle... in judgment and mercy, in many sides and paths... and therefore... it is written of them 'years' and not 'year,'

and all of them are called 'life'..."

And the concept in this:

That "one hundred years" refers to Kesser

(for Kesser includes all ten Sefiros,

and each one of them is comprised of ten,

and ten times ten is one hundred),

whose concept in the soul of man is will

(the externality of Kesser)

and delight

(the internality of Kesser).

And "twenty years" refers to Chochmah and Binah

(for each of them is comprised of ten),

the aspect of the intellect

[And in several discourses

it is explained that also "one hundred years" is the aspect of the intellect

(as is known that units are in Malchus,

tens in Z'eir Anpin,

and hundreds in Abba and Imma

(Chochmah and Binah),

and thousands in Kesser),

and based on this it can be said,

that "one hundred years" is intellect in its essence,

and "twenty years" is intellect that relates to the emotions

(tens in Z'eir Anpin)].

And regarding both of them, the verse says "year"

("one hundred years and twenty years")

in the singular form,

because,

in Kesser

(one hundred)

all the Sefiros are included together,

and also Chochmah and Binah

(twenty)

are "two companions that never separate,"

therefore they are included together.

And "seven years" refers to the seven emotional attributes,

and because they are in a manner of division, even into opposite lines of Chessed and Gevurah

(judgment and mercy),

of them it says "seven years,"

in the plural form.

And it adds and concludes "the years of the life of Sarah,"

that through the completeness of the service of "one hundred years and twenty years and seven years," one comes to a more elevated level that is above division,

therefore no number is mentioned in this

(in the manner of "before the One, what do you count").

3)

And it needs to be understood,

for according to this explanation,

that "the years of Sarah's life" is a matter in itself that is above the three divisions of one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years,

whereas the simple meaning of the verse is that the years of Sarah's life are the 127 years themselves,

and not a matter in itself that is above them.

And as emphasized in Rashi's commentary:

"The years of Sarah's life—all of them were equally good,"

for the matter of "equally good"

(which is above division)

is in all of them,

that is,

in the three divisions of one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years

(and not in a level above them).

Also, it needs to be understood what is said in Rashi's commentary: "At one hundred years old, she was like a twenty-year-old, and at twenty, like a seven-year-old,"

for from this it implies that there is an advantage in seven over twenty

("at twenty, like a seven-year-old")

and in twenty over one hundred

("at one hundred, like a twenty-year-old"),

even though Kesser

(one hundred)

is above the intellect

(twenty),

and intellect is above the emotions

(seven).

4)

And it will be understood with the preface of what is explained in several discourses:

The continuation of the Zohar's statement: "One hundred years is the general principle of all,"

that one hundred years is the secret of one hundred blessings each day,

that a person is obligated to bless one hundred blessings every day,

as our Sages learned

from the verse,

"And now, Israel, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you?"

Do not read "what" (mah) but "one hundred" (me'ah).

And the point of the explanation is,

that "one hundred years" is also the general principle of twenty years and seven years,

the general principle of all.

For in addition to this, that all one hundred levels

(ten Sefiros, each of which includes ten)

that are in Kesser are one general principle above division

[above also the general principle of twenty years,

which has two levels

(Chochmah and Binah)

except that they are "two companions that never separate"],

it is also the general principle of all three divisions,

even of twenty years and seven years.

And as explained in the discourses,

that "one hundred years"

(the general principle of all)

is drawn down and becomes invested within the particulars of twenty years

(intellect)

and seven years

(emotions).

And it can be said,

that this—that one hundred is

(also)

the general principle of twenty and seven—

is,

not only according to the explanation that one hundred is Kesser,

for since Kesser is a makkif (encompassing light), it is the general principle of all ten Sefiros,

but also according to the explanation that one hundred is the essence of the intellect,

for even though the intellects are internal powers,

it can be said,

that the essence of the intellect is also the general principle of the levels below it,

therefore,

the essence of the intellect is drawn down and becomes invested

(afterward)

in the intellects that are related to the emotions,

which are divided

(generally)

into two lines

(twenty years),

affirmative and negative

(positive and negative commandments),

and even until it is drawn into the emotions themselves

(seven years)

in which is the primary service.

5)

And the explanation of the matter of "one hundred years is the general principle of all," which is the secret of one hundred blessings each day,

will be understood according to what is explained in several discourses,

that the matter of blessings is the entirety of divine service.

For behold,

"blessing" (berachah) is a term meaning drawing down (hamshachah),

and the meaning of "Blessed are You, Hashem" is to draw down the Name Havayah,

so that He will be blessed and drawn down in revelation below.

And the order of the drawing down is,

that first the Name Havayah is drawn into the soul of man,

"Hashem our G-d,"

to be a revelation of Ein Sof in the soul of every Jew, so that the faith of Hashem in their hearts will be strengthened in revelation until He becomes "our G-d,"

our power and our vitality,

and after it is drawn down and revealed in Israel,

it is drawn down through them in revelation also below, to be "King of the world."

And it should be added,

that the drawing down and revelation below are also emphasized in the content of the blessings,

for,

in addition to the fact that

(most)

blessings are connected with worldly matters

(for even the blessings over commandments are connected with the worldly matters through which the commandments are fulfilled,

tzitzis from physical wool and tefillin from physical parchment, etc.),

behold, the blessings themselves are about worldly matters,

such as the blessings of dawn,

which the Sages instituted according to the order of the world and its conduct, for the things from which creatures benefit each day, that they should bless the Holy One, blessed be He, for this the first time they benefit from that benefit each day,

and similarly the blessings for requesting one's physical needs, "Healer of the sick" and "Bless the years" and the like,

and all the more so the blessings of enjoyment, which are recited before eating and drinking,

for through the blessing the item becomes permitted for eating and drinking,

as our Sages said,

"Whoever benefits from this world without a blessing, it is as if he benefited from the holy things of Heaven,"

as it is stated,

"To Hashem is the earth and its fullness,"

after a blessing, it is for man,

that is,

the effect of the blessing is

(not to nullify, G-d forbid, the superiority of the holy things of Heaven that are in this thing,

but rather)

that the holy things of Heaven become his,

that his eating and drinking are in the category of holy things of Heaven,

since through the blessing the refinement and purification of the physical things is accomplished, so that the revelation of

("Hashem our G-d")

"King of the world" is drawn into them.

And this is the explanation of the Zohar's statement: "One hundred years is the general principle of all, in the secret of one hundred blessings each day,"

for the matter of one hundred blessings is the entirety of all the service to draw down G-dliness below,

and this is the matter of "one hundred years is the general principle of all,"

the entirety of the service to draw down G-dliness below,

through the drawing down and investment within the intellects that are related to the emotions

(twenty years)

and even to the level of the emotions

(seven years),

the seven days of building,

through which the world was created,

and in them

(in the level of the emotions)

is the primary service in this time.

6)

Now,

through the drawing down and investment of the hundred years, the general inclusive principle of all, into the intellects that relate to the emotions

(twenty years)

and into the emotions

(seven years)

until the work in actual deed, in order that there be a revelation of G‑dliness in the world,

then there is also brought about

(in addition to the clarification and refinement of the lower)

a greater elevation in the aspect of the hundred years, the general inclusive principle of all,

as is known,

that through the descent of the higher to influence the lower, the higher also receives the virtue of the lower

(therefore the entire order of the chain of descent is in a manner that their beginning is embedded in their end,

that the higher also needs to receive from the lower).

And moreover,

since the drawing down below is because the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms,

therefore,

through the drawing down below, the intent of the Awtsmoos, which is above any attribute and limitation, is completed,

therefore,

upper and lower,

without limit and with limit,

are truly equal.

And the difference between these two modes in service,

is that in the first mode there is a distinction between the upper

(service in matters of holiness)

and the lower

(service in worldly matters),

and the service below is a matter of descent,

except that this descent is a necessary prerequisite for the ascent.

But in the second mode,

since his entire purpose is only to fulfill the desire and will of the Holy One, blessed be He, who desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms,

therefore,

from the perspective of the intent of the Awtsmoos, there is no difference between the upper

(service in matters of holiness)

and the lower

(service in worldly matters),

and consequently,

the service below is not a matter of descent,

because the general point

(the general inclusive principle of all)

is felt in it, which is present in all matters of service in exactly the same way,

the intent of the Awtsmoos.

And this is also the secret of the hundred blessings each day,

as our Sages learned from the verse "What does the L‑rd your G‑d ask of you,"

do not read "Mah" (what) but "Me'ah" (hundred),

as explained in the discourses,

that "hundred" (me'ah) is "what" (mah) with the addition of the letter aleph,

"Mah" is the matter of self-nullification

("and we are nothing"),

and through the self-nullification of "Mah" they draw down the aleph,

the aspect of Kesser

(hundred),

that it be drawn down in revelation below through the blessings.

For since his service is from the aspect of self-nullification and acceptance of the yoke, in which the essence of the soul is revealed,

then his entire purpose is only to fulfill the will and desire of the Holy One, blessed be He,

which is the general point of all matters of service,

the intent of the Awtsmoos.

7)

Based on this, we can explain the statement "And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah,"

that "the years of the life of Sarah"

(is not a separate matter above the three divisions of one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years,

but rather)

they are the very same 127 years,

that all of them are equal for good.

For,

at the beginning of the verse, the elevation that occurs in the hundred years through the drawing down below is explained,

which is the matter of "a hundred-year-old is like a twenty-year-old, and a twenty-year-old is like a seven-year-old,"

that in the hundred, the elevation of twenty is also added,

and in the twenty, the elevation of seven is also added.

Afterwards, the verse adds "the years of the life of Sarah,"

that all the types of service of one hundred years

(Kesser)

twenty years

(intellect)

and seven years

(emotions)

are equal for good,

that their entire purpose is to complete the intent of the Awtsmoos,

which is present in all matters of service equally.

And we should add in the explanation that "all of them are equal for good,"

that "good" alludes to the essence and source of good and the nature of good to do good,

as it is drawn down and revealed in the soul of each and every Jew, which is "literally a part of G‑d from above,"

a part of the essence, through which one grasps the essence,

and when the service is from the aspect of the essence of the soul,

which is the matter of self-nullification and acceptance of the yoke,

then all matters of service are equal,

and the equality is for good,

that all matters of service are permeated with the general point of drawing down and revealing the essence of good below,

to make a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms.

8)

May it be His will,

that since in these days of ours all our deeds and service in all the particular matters of one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years have been completed,

and in the manner of "the years of the life of Sarah" that all of them are equal for good,

as stated by his holy honor, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, the leader of our generation, that they have already polished the buttons,

and stand ready

to greet the face of our righteous Moshiach,

and especially since after this many more decades have passed in which the children of Israel have cried out "Until when?"

(which surely must also have a limit),

may the true and complete redemption come immediately and at once through our righteous Moshiach,

and then the matter of "the generations of Yitzchak" will be revealed

(as we begin to read in the Torah at Minchah),

as our Sages said,

that in the future, they will specifically say to Yitzchak "for you are our father,"

because the delight and laughter

(Yitzchak)

that was brought about through our deeds and service throughout the entire time of the exile

will be revealed in the future,

when

"our mouth will be filled with laughter,"

and then the matter of one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years will be in a more elevated manner,

both the matter of one hundred years,

one hundred blessings,

and the matter of 27 years,

which alludes

(also)

to the 27

letters of the Torah,

since all matters of Torah and mitzvos will be in ultimate perfection,

as "the mitzvos of Your will,"

and "a new Torah will go forth from Me,"

the reasons of the Torah that will be revealed in the future in the Torah of Moshiach,

including also the new Torah of our Nesi'im, up to the Baal HaYom HaHuledes of the 20th of MarCheshvan,

and his only son, his successor, his holy honor, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, the leader of our generation,

that "they will awaken and sing, those who dwell in the dust,"

and they, at their head,

will say new Torah,

a novelty even for the Holy One, blessed be He,

so to speak,

in the manner of our Sages' statement,

"My children have defeated Me, My children have defeated Me,"

up to "a new Torah will go forth from Me,"

"from Me"

specifically,

and in a manner that "they will no longer teach a man his fellow... for they will all know Me,"

"Me"

specifically,

and furthermore, and this is the main point,

that all this will be immediately and at once,

truly immediately.