English translation — מאמר ואברהם זקן תשל"ח

With the help of Heaven.

Motzaei Shabbat Parshat Chayei Sarah,

Erev Rosh Chodesh Kislev – in his room – 5738

"And Avraham was old, coming in days..."

And our master, the Alter Rebbe, brings in his Torah Or, in our parshah, the discourse beginning with the words,

"To understand the matter of what our sages, of blessed memory, said:

'One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is more beautiful than all the life of the World to Come.'"

(And before the discourse—which is "connected to the verse 'And Avraham was old, coming in days'")

[He brings] the statement of the Zohar

on the verse "in those supernal days," etc.,

that they are the garments of Torah and mitzvot

(repentance and good deeds),

through which the soul can enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence in the World to Come.

And this matter also relates to days in their simple sense,

that all the days need to be complete,

meaning that each day should be filled with the performance of a mitzvah

("supernal days").

And it is known the statement of the Baal Shem Tov,

"He should not let any day pass without performing a mitzvah, etc."

And this is "coming in days"—

that Avraham Avinu performed his service each and every day,

so that all his days were complete days

(and not lacking, Heaven forbid),

and through this he "came in days—into those supernal days."

And the precise point in this is known:

After all, the main thing is the garments of the mitzvot

("supernal days"),

so what relevance does the matter of days

(in their simple sense)

—that he should not let any day pass without performing a mitzvah, etc.—have?

Could he not do two mitzvot tomorrow?

For seemingly, even when he performs several mitzvot in one day, he has the same number of mitzvot as if he had performed them over several days,

and if so,

what does it matter that he specifically fulfill a mitzvah each day,

to the extent that when he misses one day, he is missing a garment?

B)

Now, from the fact that this quality of Avraham

("coming in days")

appears in the verse after several of his other qualities mentioned in the preceding verses,

and even in this very verse it first says "And Avraham was old" and then adds "coming in days,"

it is understood that the matter of "coming in days" is a greater quality even than the quality of "old."

For although "And Avraham was old" means that he was in a most wondrous elevation,

as our sages, of blessed memory, said,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Avraham, "Come, don My garments"

(for the Holy One, blessed be He, is called

"Atik Yomin"

[the Ancient of Days]),

meaning that "And Avraham was old" is the quality of Avraham in that he dons the garment of the Holy One, blessed be He, just as the Holy One, blessed be He, is in the aspect of Atik Yomin,

nevertheless, "coming in days" is even more elevated.

And one must understand what is the greatness of the elevation of "coming in days"—

the garments of the mitzvot

[and particularly in the matter of performing a mitzvah specifically each day,

even though this does not add to the number of mitzvot],

to the point that this is more elevated than the matter of

("And Avraham")

"old," which is the aspect of

(the garment of)

Atik Yomin.

3)

And this will be understood by first explaining the well-known concept

in this matter, that the soul needs the garments of Torah and mitzvos in order to be able to delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence,

because the soul is a created being

[and as explained in many places, the soul is like Divinity that has become in the aspect of a created being,

to the extent that its attachment to Divinity is an imperceptible attachment]

and it is impossible for a created being to attain any comprehension of the Ein Sof, blessed is He,

therefore, in order for the soul to delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence, which is an illumination from the Ein Sof, blessed is He,

[and especially to behold the pleasantness of Havayah],

it needs garments.

And this is analogous to a great light

[exceedingly so,

like the light of the sun,

the aspect of "the sun of Havayah"]

which one cannot look at,

but through a screen

(which is like a garment)

one can receive

[and absorb]

the light.

And it is known

that any intermediary that connects two things

must be comprised of both of them.

From this, it is also understood regarding the garments of Torah and mitzvos

[which are like an intermediary connecting the aspect of the radiance of the Divine Presence

(which is an illumination from the Ein Sof, blessed is He, without limit)

with the soul

(which is a created being and has a boundary)],

that they contain both aspects.

For their source

(of Torah and mitzvos)

is from His will and wisdom, blessed is He, which are unified with Him, blessed is He,

(for He

and His wisdom and will are one)

— an aspect of the unlimited

[to the extent that His will and wisdom, blessed is He,

(the source of Torah and mitzvos)

are above even the aspect of the radiance of the Divine Presence],

and by descending below into this physical world, into physical tzitzis made of physical wool and tefillin made of physical parchment, and likewise in all the mitzvos,

[and so too with Torah, which is clothed in human intellect,

even in arguments of falsehood,

and is clothed in ink on a book]

they are in the aspect of measurement and limitation, even to the measurement and limitation of this physical world, below which there is no lower level,

thus, through these two aspects within Torah and mitzvos

[the aspect of the unlimited within them from their source,

and the aspect of limitation within them from their descent below]

they become a garment and an intermediary connecting the soul, which is a created being and has a boundary,

(and as it is clothed in a physical body)

with the aspect of the radiance of the Divine Presence, and even with the aspect of the pleasantness of Havayah, which is above all measurement and limitation.

4)

Now, due to the clothing of Torah and mitzvos in matters of this physical world, which is mostly evil,

they must be cleansed of any dross that falls into them,

as in the study of Torah,

that because the Torah is clothed in human intellect and in physical matters, it is possible

that one's study will be not for its own sake, even to the lowest level of not for its own sake,

and likewise with mitzvos.

And this is why the garments of Torah and mitzvos require washing and laundering,

so that they be clean garments, etc.

(and even if they are not in the manner of "garments of exile"),

similar to a physical garment, which in order to be pure and clean must be washed and laundered.

[And even after a person launders the garments of Torah and mitzvos so that they are clean of all dross, etc.,

in order for them to ascend above,

they need to be refined by the angels,

who "embrace them and kiss them."

And the explanation is that it is written,

"There is no righteous person on earth who does good and does not sin,"

for because a person is on earth in this physical world, therefore he has sin,

"sin" meaning deficiency

(at least).

And although the sin

(the deficiency)

is not due to his fault, G-d forbid,

for "all Your people are righteous,"

but rather as it is said,

"Awesome in deed upon mankind," that the Holy One, blessed is He, desires that people exist in such a world,

[similar to

a king who sent his son to a distant country in order to demonstrate his son's wisdom, that even in the distant country he would recognize the truth,

the aspect of "the truth of Havayah is forever"],

nevertheless,

since in actuality there is in him

(sin meaning)

a deficiency,

and also his Torah and mitzvos are not perfect,

as it is written, "There is no righteous person on earth who does good and does not sin,"

that the deficiency

("does not sin")

is also in his Torah and mitzvos

("who does good")

of his,

therefore, in order for his Torah and mitzvos to ascend above,

he needs the assistance of the angels].

6)

Now, that the commandments and good deeds in this physical world need and require the assistance of the angels is not only because this physical world is for the most part evil,

but

(also39)

because of the physicality of this world40.

For being physical, it is incomparable to the upper worlds

(the spiritual ones).

And this is analogous to what is known regarding the soul of man,

that even a completely righteous person, when ascending to the Garden of Eden, needs immersion in the River of Fire in order to forget the sight of this world,

for because of the incomparability of this physical world to the Garden of Eden, even a small part of the matters of this world prevents one from ascending to the Garden of Eden41

[and this is similar to the ascents among the levels of the Garden of Eden, from the lower Garden of Eden to the upper Garden of Eden, etc.,

that since the ascents are incomparable,

there must first be a nullification of the comprehension of the lower Garden of Eden41.

And this is known from the parable regarding the attainment of the intellect,

that in order to come to a higher attainment that is incomparable to the previous attainment

(even though the higher attainment is also in this physical world)

there must first be a nullification of the previous attainment.

And like Rabbi Zeira, when he ascended to the Land of Israel, he sat42

one hundred fasts

(or forty fasts43)

to forget the Babylonian Talmud so that he could learn the Jerusalem Talmud44],

so too is it regarding the commandments and good deeds of a person,

that because they are clothed in physical matters,

they must first be refined and stripped of their physicality by means of the angels.

7)

And it can be said, as a possibility, that even though the refinement of the commandments and their ascent upward is done by the angels,

nevertheless,

since the ultimate perfection of every matter is when it is done through the service of man

(and therefore a person prefers his own kab [measure] specifically45),

therefore, also the matter of the refinement of the commandments,

its beginning is through the service of man.

And this is what is stated in Torah Or46

that the laundering and refinement of the commandments is through the service of prayer,

and the intention in this is

(not only that through prayer one cleanses the commandments from all waste,

so that they will not be in a manner of not for its own sake and the like,

but rather),

that through prayer there is also accomplished

(the beginning47

of)

their refinement,

that they are refined from their physicality and ascend upward.

For prayer is a ladder planted on the earth whose head reaches the heavens48,

meaning that prayer connects the two extremes of earth and heaven

(below and above49),

and particularly according to what is known50

that "the earth"

(with the addition of the letter hei)

is the very lowest level within this physical earth itself,

and "the heavens"

(with the addition of the letter hei)

is the very highest level within the heavens

(the heaven of heavens),

and "toward the heavens"

(with the addition of the letter hei also at the beginning)

is above even "the heavens."

And this is "a ladder planted on the earth whose head reaches the heavens,"

that through prayer "it is possible for an ascent even

(of the person)

who is on the earth, in the very lowest levels of this physical earth, to the heavens, to the most exalted and wondrous levels"51.

Now, just as prayer affects the person,

that even when he is on the earth he can elevate himself to the heavens

(except that there must also be the assistance of the angels of "embracing," etc.),

so too does it affect all of a person's matters52

and particularly his commandments and good deeds53

,

that through the four rungs of prayer

(which correspond to the four worlds)

they ascend from world to world,

until they ascend to the aspect of "the heavens" that is above the worlds,

and until they ascend to His very Essence and Self, may He be blessed.

8)

And this is one of the explanations of the connection between the garments of the commandments and the matter of days

(in their simple sense),

for the ascent of the commandments is through prayer,

and prayer is "the matter of the service of the day"

[as is also understood from the words of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed54

that prayers were instituted corresponding to the daily offerings,

"the continual burnt-offering that is performed every day,

two each day"55],

that the prayer of each day refines and elevates the sparks that were renewed on that day56,

therefore the commandments

[whose ascent is through prayer]

need the "service of the day"57.

However, this explanation only explains the connection of mitzvos to days.

But it is still not understood the necessity of performing the mitzvos specifically each day,

for seemingly,

even if one misses one day and the next day performs two mitzvos,

the mitzvos will be refined through the prayer of the following day.

And one cannot say that prayer can refine and elevate only the mitzvos belonging to that day,

for there is no reason for this distinction.

Moreover, since there is the concept of completion

(on the following day,

in the prayer adjacent to it)58

"And we do not say that since its day has passed, its offering is void"59,

and even that

(regarding the intention of prayer)

one prayer gathered from the prayers of the entire year elevates the prayers of the entire year60,

this implies also regarding the elevation of mitzvos through prayer,

that prayer elevates even the mitzvos of the adjacent day, etc.

And a support for this matter – the prayers of Shabbos, which elevate the prayers of all the weekdays along with all the Torah and good deeds included in them61.

8)

But the matter is,

behold it is known that the purpose of Torah and mitzvos is to effect clarification and refinement in this physical world.

For this is what "Torah is not in heaven"62 means,

and all Torah was given to make peace in the world63,

and all the more so mitzvos, which were only given to refine the creations through them64.

And even the mitzvah of tzedakah is equivalent to all the mitzvos

(and is called by the name "mitzvah" in general),

for the purpose of mitzvos

[and likewise the purpose of the soul's descent below]

which is

[not for the sake of the soul, but rather]

in order to rectify the body and the Nefesh HaBahamis and its portion in the world,

is completed through the mitzvah of tzedakah

(more so than through all other mitzvos),

as explained in Tanya65.

And this is66

that there must be specifically complete days,

that on each and every day there must be the fulfillment of a mitzvah,

for since the definition of the world is place and time67,

behold it is understood that Torah and mitzvos

(whose purpose is to rectify the world)

must also rectify time.

Therefore it is necessary that on every day there be the performance of a mitzvah

(even though when one misses one day he can make the garment by fulfilling two mitzvos tomorrow),

for in order to rectify the days68

(time)

itself, it is necessary that each69

and every day do its work.

9)

And this is "And Avraham was old, coming in days",

that after "Avraham was old" he is also "coming in days," which is a greater level even than the level of "old."

For behold, the true intention in the creation of the worlds

(in the aspect of Atzmus Ein Sof)

is that which the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place specifically in the lower realms70.

And this intention is completed through the service of man,

"You are called 'man'"71,

that specifically man can complete this intention.

And this is why he is called by the name "Adam",

on account of the two extremes: that he is "similar to the upper one"72

and that he was formed from the earth73,

that his body was made from the earth itself74

and in a manner that it was initially inert by itself

(without any living soul within it)

and as it is written75

"Your eyes saw my unformed body"

(and not like the body of a plant or animal)76,

for also this matter in the description of "man"

(on account of the earth)

indicates his superiority77,

that he clarifies, rectifies, and elevates even the inert, which is the lowest, below which there is no lower.

And this level within him is actualized specifically through the service of "coming in days."

For through the service of "old"

(itself),

even though through it he also clarified and rectified his portion in the world

(place),

nevertheless,

since he has not yet rectified time,

behold he has not yet completed the intention of a dwelling place in the lower realms.

Therefore, even though this service reaches the aspect of Atik Yomin,

which is in abstraction

(and separation)

from the aspect of days,

this is not the ultimate perfection.

However, through the service of "coming in days"78,

when one works to rectify the days,

and even to the extent of "and I will fill the number of your days"79

"number" from the term "sapphire stone"

(and as explained in Torah Ohr80

that "the number of your days" is like "the heavens declare"81

which the Zohar82 interprets

as shining, sparkling, and sapphire-like),

meaning that man illuminates the days

(time)

with the light of Torah and mitzvos,

through this he completes the intention of a dwelling place in the lower realms

(in the lowest of this world itself83),

and this

(the completion of this intention)

is the ultimate perfection of man's level,

as above.