English translation — מאמר מים רבים תשי"ז

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbos Parshas Toldos,

Rosh Chodesh Kislev,

5717

Mighty waters*1

cannot quench the love, and rivers cannot wash it away; if a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, they would utterly despise him.

And it is explained in the Targum

(and in Midrash Rabbah*2

and Rashi),

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the children of Israel,

If all the nations of the world gather,

a multitude of many peoples like the roar of mighty waters,

they cannot quench

(G-d forbid)

the love between Me and Israel.

And if all the kings of the earth and their princes gather,

the mighty and numerous river waters,

they cannot erase

(G-d forbid)

you from the world.

If a man gives all the wealth of his house to acquire the Torah in exile,

I will repay him double in the World to Come, and all the plunder and spoil of the camp of Gog will be his.

We have a little sister, etc. At that time, the heavenly angels judged: one nation—this is Israel—is in the land, and she is small in merits;

what shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken of by the nations to go up to war against her?

And Michael, the prince of Israel, answered,

If she is a wall, etc.,

If this nation stands like a wall among the nations, not intermarrying with them,

for if she holds fast to her faith and fear to acquire the unity of His blessed Name, we will be a fortress for her, and the nations will have no power to rule over her,

And if she is a door, etc., and even if she is impoverished in mitzvos, we will seek mercy for her before Hashem, and He will remember for her the merit of the Torah of the schoolchildren, which is written on the tablets of their hearts.

And in the Midrash it concludes,

The nations of the world say: We sin, and Israel does not sin

(in astonishment),

We have a little sister. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Just as with this little girl, when she is small and sins against her parents, her parents do not complain against her because she is small,

so too are Israel,

And it concludes: But against your will you will be Mine, as it is said, "You will not be what you say, 'We will be like the nations,' etc." Rather, what will I do? With a strong hand, etc., I will reign over you.

From this you learn the belovedness of Israel before the Omnipresent.

B)

And it is necessary to understand how this explanation fits with the explanation of our Rebbe on this portion regarding the verse "mighty waters,"

And it is based on what is written in the Zohar,

That "mighty waters" refers to the contemplation one contemplates on the greatness of Hashem, that He fills all worlds and encompasses all worlds, and everything before Him is considered as nothing,

Which is the contemplation of "Shema Yisrael" and "Baruch Shem,"

From which is drawn "And you shall love" with all your heart, etc., until one reaches the level of "with all your might" without limit, and he cannot quiet and quench the thirst of this love through the mighty waters themselves, which are the contemplation and knowledge, and even not through the comprehensions of Gan Eden,

And rivers cannot wash it away,

For "rivers" refers to the revelation in Gan Eden, as it is written, "And a river goes out*3

from Eden to water the garden,"

For although the revelation in Gan Eden is a revelation of a most exalted light, and there are countless types of levels within it,

For even though in general only the Lower Gan Eden and the Upper Gan Eden are mentioned in the books, our sages of blessed memory said,*4

"Torah scholars have no rest, etc., as it is said, 'They go from strength to strength,' etc." Nevertheless, "rivers cannot wash it away,"

For all the revelation of light in Gan Eden cannot satisfy the thirst,

Only specifically through Torah and mitzvos,

About which it says,

"If a man gives all the wealth of his house for love,"

"A man" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He,

When He gives all the wealth of His house,

That is the Torah and mitzvos,

Behold, "they would utterly despise him" — a term of plunder and spoil,

Like the plundering of precious treasures that one plunders and snatches due to his great desire for it,

And as our sages of blessed memory said,*5

"In this world from which we depart, snatch and eat, snatch and drink,"

For specifically through Torah and mitzvos can one satisfy the thirst,

For they are above the level of a river,

Rather, they are the level of a wellspring,

"And she went down to the wellspring and filled her pitcher" — the twenty-four books of the Torah,

Which will be revealed in the future, as it is written, "And a wellspring will go out from the House of Hashem," etc.,

But although this is not in revelation, this level is actually drawn down now through Torah and practical mitzvos,

And therefore, specifically through this will one satisfy the thirst.

For according to this explanation, the verse explains the level of Israel, that they are on a most exalted level, and their love for G-dliness is so powerful that even the most sublime revelations cannot satisfy their thirst,

And according to the explanation of the Targum and Midrash, the verse speaks when Israel is in the lowest state,

"We have a little sister,"

Small in merits, and they sin, to the point that the nations of the world want to equate themselves with Israel.

And in truth, these two explanations are not only not contradictory, but they actually support and explain each other.

3)

And to understand all this, one must understand

the statement of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, in Berachot

(6,

a)

"You have made Me a single entity in the world, and I will make you a single entity in the world."

"You have made Me a single entity—'Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One'—and I will make you a single entity,

'And who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation on earth,' for in both it is stated 'One': 'the L-rd is One' and 'a unique nation.'

Now, regarding "one," there are three matters:

In the Midrash it is said: "One—there is none like Him."

And one must understand what the praise of "there is none like Him" is, for how could it enter a person's mind that there is something like Him, that we need to say there is none like Him?

And the second matter in "the L-rd is One" is that which is stated in the Midrash Rabbah:

"From where did Israel merit the Shema? From the Giving of the Torah.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said: 'Hear O Israel, I am the L-rd your G-d.' Israel answered: 'The L-rd is our G-d.'

'You shall have no other gods...' Israel answered: 'The L-rd is One.'

And this means that He is One, to exclude the matter of idolatry."

And the third is that "the L-rd is One" is a commandment in itself,

which is the commandment to unify Him, and this is from the verse "Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One,"

and this is to exclude the matter of partnership.

For behold, the descendants of Noah are not commanded regarding partnership, according to the opinion of the Rema in Orach Chaim, section 156.

Although they are commanded regarding idolatry, for Adam the First was commanded about this, as it is written "And He commanded..." and "command"

refers only to idolatry, etc.,

nevertheless, regarding partnership they were not commanded,

and only Israel was commanded regarding partnership.

And the difference between idolatry and partnership is:

Idolatry is that which they call

"the G-d of gods."

For behold, "High above

all nations is the L-rd; above the heavens is His glory"—they say

that He is high and exalted, and therefore His glory is only above the heavens,

but regarding the lower and lowly creations, it is a degradation for Him to supervise them, and "the L-rd has forsaken the earth" to the hands of the stars and constellations of the heavens.

And this is according to their reasoning that the creation of the world

is in the manner of cause and effect, which is in the aspect of proportion, etc., as is known,

and therefore they say that the heavens, i.e., the upper creations, are worthy for Him to supervise them,

but the lower effects are not worthy of His supervision, only "He has forsaken the earth and all that is in it" to the hands of the stars and constellations of the heavens.

But in truth it is not so, for "He who dwells on high, humbles Himself to behold the heavens and the earth"—

because He dwells on high, in the aspect of separation, therefore He humbles Himself regarding the heavens and the earth equally,

for even the heavens are a degradation relative to Him,

because creation is not in the manner of cause and effect,

for in the manner of cause and effect, it would be impossible for even the most elevated levels to exist, for even the existence of light is specifically through the contraction that occurred in the Ein Sof,

for the light that is included in His Essence is not in the category of light at all, as stated in the Zohar: "They are not lights," etc., and as stated in Sefer Shemuel

with the analogy of the light and radiance of the sun within the sun, which is not called by the name "light" and "radiance" at all, etc.

Therefore, the revelation of the line

from the Ein Sof is called "yesh me'ayin" (something from nothing), because in its source in the Ein Sof, blessed be He, it is in the aspect of nothingness, etc., as stated in Likkutei Torah, in the discourse beginning "Tiku," in the gloss.

And all the more so the creation of the vessels and the worlds, which are in a manner of incomparability,

and therefore Adam Kadmon is called the "man of the creation of the totality," because there is there the aspect of vessels, which is the aspect of creation, in the aspect of the renewal of something, etc., as stated elsewhere.

And the Ramak, of blessed memory, in the book "Elimah,"

wrote that more than the incomparability of Asiyah relative to Keter, is the incomparability of Keter relative to the Ein Sof.

(And see what is stated in the Pardes, in the Gate of Tztachtzachot, that Keter is the root of the vessels,

for from the Ein Sof the aspects of lights were emanated, and from Keter, which bears the Ein Sof and is concealed within it, the vessels were emanated, etc., and this is as stated in the Tikunei Zohar:

"The Ein Sof is within, Keter is the supernal crown without," etc.).

And it is found that even the most elevated levels are an aspect of degradation relative to Him.

And just as "above the heavens is His glory," so too is His providence upon the earth, over the creations, for He supervises every single detail, as stated in the Gemara, Chullin 63a: "When he saw a cormorant, he said, 'Your judgments are like the great deep,' and when he saw an ant, he said, 'Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains.'" And Rashi explains: "An ant has vitality like a large creature,

and 'Your judgments' are even in the great deep, for You have prepared the cormorant to judge and execute Your vengeance upon the fish of the sea, to kill those destined to die."

And from this, our master, the Baal Shem Tov, brought a response to those who say that Divine providence is only over the human species,

for behold, among the fish of the sea there is judgment and justice, and He prepares the cormorant to judge and execute His vengeance upon those destined, etc. And in the Midrash:

"And He sent"—even a bird is not caught without Heaven, for a heavenly voice goes forth and proclaims 'Demos' or 'Sekula,' etc.

And what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said

in Avodah Zarah 4a, on the verse "And You make man like the fish of the sea"—just as fish in the sea, every larger one swallows its fellow, etc., so too among human beings, etc.,

this is not without judgment and justice, for it is all with providence and with judgment and justice,

and the proof is that we learn from this that it is also so with man, and regarding man, everyone agrees that there is individual providence.

And this is why "Pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear of it, a man would swallow his fellow alive"—this is with providence, and nevertheless, "pray for its welfare," etc., for such is the supernal conduct,

and it is found from all this that there is individual providence over the creations, over every single detail of theirs.

And those who worship the sun, the moon, and all the host of heaven, which I did not command, and do not believe, etc., and remove His providence entirely from the earth and all that is in it, and say "The L-rd has forsaken," etc.—this is idolatry, regarding which Adam the First was commanded, "And He commanded," etc.

4)

However, the matter of partnership is a different matter.

For behold, our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said:

"There are three partners in a person: father, mother, and the Holy One, blessed be He, who gives him a soul."

And behold, the main part is the portion of the Holy One, blessed be He,

for when the soul departs from the body, the portion of father and mother remains like a silent stone, for the vessel of intellect does not think, the eye does not see, the ear does not hear, etc., everything is nullified,

and also in the portion of father and mother themselves, the main thing is the Divine power, as stated by our Rabbis, of blessed memory:

"There is no rock like our G-d, there is no artist like our G-d, who forms a form within a form."

And the entirety of the matter of birth is through the power of the Ein Sof, as it is written: "Male and female He created them... and He blessed them," etc.

And just as we see empirically that there are several people for whom, from a natural perspective, there is no impediment to birth, yet they do not give birth,

this is because birth is through the power of the Ein Sof.

Nevertheless, father and mother are called "partners," and this is the commandment in the Ten Commandments to honor them, as it is written: "Honor your father and your mother," etc.

And this is because they possess free will, as Ben Azzai said:

"What can I do, for my soul yearns for Torah?"

Behold, the cause of his existence is nevertheless dependent on father and mother, who have free will in this,

therefore they are called "partners."

And if so, it is understood from this that regarding that which does not have free choice and acts in a compelled manner, one cannot ascribe to it the matter of partnership.

And like the earth, from which bread comes forth,

for when one sows wheat in the earth and rains fall, it sprouts through the vegetative power in the earth,

behold, the earth does not have free will in this, that the wheat should not sprout,

for from the vegetative power in the earth, which is the Divine utterance "Let the earth sprout forth," it automatically sprouts when one sows in it,

and similarly, what is written:

"With the precious things of the sun's produce and the precious things of the moon's yield"—behold, this is not in the choice of the sun and moon, as it is written:

"He who commands the sun, and it does not shine"—that it is not in the choice of the sun not to radiate light, or that the light should not be hot,

and similarly regarding the light of the moon, that it should not be cold,

and therefore, although the influence comes through them, one cannot ascribe to them the matter of partnership, for they are like an axe in the hand of the hewer,

and just as an axe that hews stones from the mountain, one cannot ascribe to it partnership in the craft, for it has nothing in this except that the person hews through it,

so too the sun, moon, and all the host of heaven, since they have no free will at all, they are only like an axe, etc., and one cannot ascribe to them the matter of partnership.

However, regarding this, only Israel was commanded, as it is written: "Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One,"

and the descendants of Noah are not commanded regarding this,

for "He set the boundaries

of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel"—seventy souls, the descendants of Yaakov,

and this means that the reception of their influence is through the seventy princes,

and only the souls of Israel, regarding which it is written: "The L-rd's portion is His people,"

they were commanded regarding partnership, not to associate the Divine Name with anything, as it is written: "And you shall know this day... that the L-rd is G-d... there is none else"—that there is nothing besides Him at all,

and as it is written: "See

now that I, I am He, and there is no god with Me"—there is no partner with Me.

And the outcome of this, in the negation of partnership, is that regarding father and mother, who are partners because of their free will as above, one must honor them, since they are nevertheless a cause for his existence,

but the negation of partnership from the stars and constellations, which have no free will in the influence and have no partnership at all in this,

consequently, one should not honor them nor consider them, and similarly, one should not consider the physical things with which he occupies himself, since they are not the cause of his influence, for it is Divinity that influences him, and "He is the One who gives you strength to make wealth,"

and the physical thing is only a vessel through which the influence passes, like an axe in the hand of the hewer.

If so, the vessel must be in the ultimate state of fitness,

that it be worthy of G-d's blessing,

and one should not be sunken and troubled in it,

and he should not bow his head—meaning his intellect—to it, and there should be no confusion or any hindrance or impediment to Torah and prayer,

and on the contrary, his main focus should be on Divine matters, and in the physical things themselves, there should be a Divine intention, that he can perform a mitzvah and guide his children in the way of the L-rd,

and through this, he draws down the revelation of "the L-rd is One," meaning that there will be a revelation of Divinity in the world.

5)

And the matter is that in the Zohar, it is asked:

"What is 'See now'? And behold, 'I, I am He' refers to the future, so what is 'See now'?"

And one must first explain what is the matter of the two times "I,"

for behold, now it is stated once "I," like "I am the L-rd,"

and what is the matter that regarding the future, two times "I" are stated?

And the implication is that there will be a unification of the two times "I," which is the matter of "I, I am He."

And behold, the two times "I" are "I am the first and I am the last," and one must explain what is the matter that in the future there will be two times "I" in unification.

And one must briefly explain the root of the difference

between Gan Eden and the World to Come, i.e., the World of Resurrection,

for Gan Eden is the pleasure of souls without bodies,

and there are different levels in Gan Eden,

the Upper Gan Eden and the Lower Gan Eden,

although there are many levels in Gan Eden, and as above, "Torah scholars have no rest, neither in this world nor in the World to Come, as it is said: 'They go from strength to strength,'"

nevertheless, in general, they are two levels that are distinct from each other, in the manner of the hidden world and the revealed world,

and in each there are several levels,

and there are souls whose all ascents are in the Lower Gan Eden and they do not merit the Upper Gan Eden, for it is a level unto itself.

And the World to Come is one level, and as the statement: "All of Israel have a portion in the World to Come,"

although each one is singed by the canopy

of his fellow, nevertheless, in general, it is one level, unlike Gan Eden, which is two levels as above,

and the World to Come will be for souls specifically in bodies.

And one must explain why souls that have been in Gan Eden for more than three thousand years, like the Patriarchs and Moshe,

will need to clothe themselves in bodies—why was this so before Him, blessed be He, that they should return and clothe themselves in bodies?

And what is the preciousness of the pleasure that it is worthwhile for this to clothe oneself in a body?

However, the matter is that Gan Eden is the pleasure of souls in the study of the laws in spirituality,

for those laws that below are "Two are holding a tallit" and "One who exchanges a cow for a donkey," they study there in spirituality and comprehend the essence of the thing, and this is that they enjoy the radiance of the Shechinah, as stated elsewhere.

And this is a wondrous pleasure without end, and the revelation of Gan Eden is through the study of Torah below, for through those below who engage in Torah, through this they merit the study and comprehension of Torah in Gan Eden, and as the statement:

"Fortunate is he who comes here with his learning in his hand"—the learning he learned in this world, through this is the revelation of Gan Eden.

However, the revelation of the future is through the clarifications below,

and this means not only from the occupation with Torah, but from the clarifications that one clarifies through the power of Torah,

and similarly in mitzvot, from the performance of mitzvot with physical things, which are clarified through this.

And therefore it is called "a day that is entirely Shabbat," for the revelation of Shabbat is through the preparation of the six weekdays, for "one who toils

on Erev Shabbat will eat on Shabbat," and this is through the work of clarifications during the six days of the week, as it is written: "Six days shall you work," etc., and like the revelation of the future, "a day that is entirely Shabbat," is after the completion of the clarifications of the six thousand years, etc.

6)

For behold, from the supernal delight, it fell into the Holy Shechinah and became physical delights.

And Rabban Gamliel and Rabbi Akiva, when they saw a great city*35

of Rome, Rabban Gamliel wept, Rabbi Akiva laughed. Rabban Gamliel wept over the descent of the supernal delight that had descended so low,

and Rabbi Akiva laughed: if for those who transgress His will it is so, for those who do His will, all the more so.

And it is the waste of the supernal delight, and as it is said, "And all my innards [praise] Your holy name," for there are angels*36

called "innards" that refine the influx.

And just as the innards refine the food, where the choice part becomes vitality for the brain and heart, and the waste is expelled outward,

so too the angels called "innards" refine the influx, so that the waste is expelled outward and becomes physical delights.

And likewise, the elevations from below are also refined, whatever can ascend, etc. And this is the matter of "angels of God ascending and descending" on the ladder, in Torah and prayer, as explained elsewhere.*37

And the souls of Israel below refine the waste of the supernal delight,

for this is the descent of souls below—to refine the physical delights so that they become included in Divinity, and through this, an advantage of light is made, for the advantage of light is from the darkness, whereby there shines the revelation of the aspect of the Ein Sof that encompasses all worlds.

This is the entire difference between the Garden of Eden and the World to Come.

For the revelation of the Garden of Eden is from the aspect of the One who fills all worlds, and therefore there are distinctions of levels, as is known, for the One who fills all worlds is an aspect of division, etc. And because the light of the One who fills all worlds shines in revelation and in a revelation of essence,

this is a wondrous delight indeed, and it is better that I be judged*38

and come to the World to Come, for all the sufferings of Gehinnom are worthwhile, and it is known*39

that the sufferings of Iyov for seventy years are not comparable to the sufferings of Gehinnom for one hour,

yet all the sufferings of Gehinnom are worthwhile even for a glimpse of the Torah, and certainly for a glimpse of the Garden of Eden, because it is a delight beyond measure.

Nevertheless, this is a revelation of the aspect of the One who fills all worlds.

Therefore, the revelation is only for souls without bodies,

because the One who fills all worlds is an aspect of light in a vessel,

and the vessel must be according to the measure of the light,

and although according to the manner of the vessel is the manner of the light,

or according to the manner of the light and revelation is the coming into being of the vessel's existence,

for in truth both are true, as explained elsewhere,*40

nevertheless, however it may be, the vessel must be fit to receive the light, and the body is not a vessel for the revelation of the light of the One who fills all worlds,

and therefore the revelation is for souls without bodies.

But the World to Come is a revelation of the aspect of the One who encompasses all worlds, where there is no division of levels, therefore it is only one level,

and although each one is singed by the canopy of his fellow, this is because even in the encompassing lights there are particular encompassing lights,

nevertheless, it is all one level.

And it is known that in the One who fills all worlds there is a division of higher and lower, which are divided in their level and in their essential superiority, and this is that in the Garden of Eden there is an upper and a lower,

but not so the aspect of the One who encompasses all worlds; although there are particular encompassing lights,

nevertheless, in their essential essence, it is one essence, as explained elsewhere.

And the revelation of the World to Come will be specifically for souls in bodies, because their beginning is wedged in their end specifically, for the end of action arose in thought first, for the ultimate intention is in the existence of the yesh (somethingness), that the yesh be nullified to the Ayin (nothingness),

and therefore physical yesh has a connection to the aspect of the One who encompasses all worlds, as explained elsewhere in the explanation that they will bring a royal garment,

and therefore the revelation of the future will be specifically below, for souls in bodies,

and on the contrary, the primary revelation will be to the body, and the soul will receive through the body, as explained at length in the discourse "Eileh Toldot Noach" (p. 237).

7)

And this is "I, I am He"—two times "Ani." This is the matter of "I am first" and "I am last." "I am first" is the aspect of the One who encompasses all worlds, and "I am last" is the aspect of the One who fills all worlds.

And now, there is one "Ani," the aspect of the One who fills all worlds,

and in the future there will be two times "Ani," meaning the revelation of the aspect of the One who encompasses all worlds,

and there will be a union of the two times "Ani," meaning that there will be a revelation of the aspect of the One who encompasses all worlds in the aspect of the end of action, the aspect of Malchut,

and it says "See now," meaning that the preparation for this is now, for through the work now in the matter of refinements, through this, in the future, "I, I am He" will be.

And this will be understood from the matter of Seraphim and Ofanim.*41

For the Seraphim say "Kadosh" (Holy), for they perceive how the Ein Sof is holy and separate. For the Seraphim are in the world of Beriah, where Imma Ila'ah nests in the Throne, therefore they perceive their vitality—how it is merely an illumination, and how the Ein Sof is holy and separate from the worlds.

And this is "Seraphim stand above Him" for the Name Ado-nai, because they perceive their vitality, as explained in Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, Part 1, Chapter 5, regarding the matter of the laws of the Torah, which is in the aspect of makif (encompassing) and mukaf (encompassed), for when one perceives the matter of the law, he encompasses it,

even though the matter of the law is the wisdom of the Torah, which is infinitely higher than his intellect,

nevertheless, his intellect encompasses it when he perceives it.

And likewise with the Seraphim, because they perceive*42

their vitality, they stand above Him,

and the Ofanim and the Holy Chayot are in great tumult due to the lack of perception,

for the Chayot are in Yetzirah, where there is the beginning of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which conceals and hides, so that they do not have perception of the aspect of "Kadosh,"

and all the more so the Ofanim in Asiyah, where the concealment and distance are greater, as it is written, "And behold, one ofan (wheel)*43

on the earth," and the Targum translates it as "from below," as explained in Likkutei Torah in the discourse "Haazinu,"

and from this comes their tumult,

and through the tumult they draw from a higher level, which is the matter of "Blessed be the glory of God from His place," and in the manner of "from His place He is inclined,"*44

for they draw the aspect of the glory of God from its root and source. And all the more so the delights below, which conceal and hide the most, for they conceal the Divine intention within them, since in every thing there is a Divine intention,

and the physical conceals this, and moreover, the totality of the concealment that conceals Divinity, and from this comes a very great tumult,

meaning that it is very distressing to him that he is in such a world, where the influx comes through many concealments and veils,

and likewise in himself, in particular, that he is in a state where his influx must specifically come through intermediaries that conceal, and also that he greatly desires that nevertheless it should not conceal and hide from him, and that he be given over and devoted to matters of Divinity, and that in every thing there be a Divine intention, and through this an advantage of light is made. And as in teshuvah (repentance), a baal teshuvah draws upon himself a greater power, for in the place where baalei teshuvah stand, completely righteous individuals cannot stand, and this is because it comes from the distance, which awakens in the innermost part of his soul.

And likewise is the tumult that comes through concealment and distance, for the tumult is greater, and "tumult" (רעש) has the letters of "gate" (שער), the aspect of "This is the gate to God,"

for there is a gate on the right and a gate on the left.*45

The gate on the right is the matter of "This is the gate to God,"

the gate on the left is the aspect of hairs (שערות), which is an external drawing,

and just as the hairs, although they draw from the brain,

their vitality is very constricted, due to the interruption of the skull bone,

and therefore when one cuts the hairs, he does not feel pain.

8)

And the allegory for this is what is said, "His locks are curls"*46

—these are mounds upon mounds of halachot,

for through curling the hairs to separate the halachot so that they do not contradict each other,

behold, "Curl it and it will exalt you," for the soul is exalted through this to the aspect of "the hair of His head like clean wool," as explained in Likkutei Torah in the discourse "Ki Bayom Hazeh Yechaper" (the second).

Nevertheless, all this is only the aspect of hairs,

for "the Torah emanates from Chochmah," and the illumination of delight in Chochmah is through the Mazalot and hairs, for Abba draws from the Mazal of "Notzer" (the eighth). But the gate on the right is a wide gate,

and it is like the matter of "He answered me with a broad [space of] Yah," in the aspect of the essential breadth of the Ein Sof,

meaning that through "From the straits I called out," through this "He answered me with a broad [space of] Yah."

And likewise, in the aspect of the tumult that comes from the concealments of physical things,

when one performs a mitzvah with them, such as tzitzit with physical wool, tefillin with physical parchment, shofar with the physical horn of a ram, sukkah with physical roofing, the four species in the lulav with physical plants, etc.,

behold, "Your mitzvah is exceedingly broad," for they become broad vessels to receive the aspect of the supernal "exceedingly," which is without limit.

And likewise, through the negation of partnership (shituf), meaning that even when engaged in physical things, he does not consider them at all, and he is devoted only to Divinity, and through this he makes an advantage of light, etc. And just as a person*47

does not see from the white of the eye but from the black of it, so too the advantage of light is specifically from the darkness. For through the work now, the revelation in the future will be the aspect of the Essence of the Ein Sof, blessed be He. And this is what is said in the Midrash Rabbah: "But in the future, I alone." And it can be said that this is like the matter of "You are He, God, alone," the aspect of "He" and "Havayah" as it is in the aspect of "alone."

And the matter is that through the refinements of Tohu alone, by which one inherits the aspect of the lights of Tohu, there is also drawn from the aspect of the Essence of the Ein Sof, which is above the aspect of Tohu and Tikkun,

for the construction of Tohu was in order to destroy,

and the breaking of Tohu was in order to build. Therefore, through the refinement of Tikkun, there is drawn from the aspect of the Ein Sof that is above Tohu and Tikkun, for in the first root is the aspect of "alone," and in the future it will be "I alone." And this is also the matter of "I, I am He, and there is no god with Me," for there is no partner with Me, meaning the aspect of the Singular One, the aspect of "One and not in number,"

and it is through the negation of the matter of partnership below, through this there will be in the future a revelation of the aspect of the Singular One. And this is "You have made Me a single entity in the world," "God is One," to exclude the matter of idolatry, which is complete separation,

and also to exclude the matter of partnership (shituf), meaning "there is no god with Me." And below, this means that one should not think that physical things are the source of livelihood, for that is complete separation, God forbid,

but also this: that he should not consider them as anything at all

(and it can be said that the sign of this is the matter of equanimity, that yes and no are equal).

And this is the negation of partnership, and through this one draws the revelation of the aspect of "One" below, the aspect of "You are One."

9)

Now we must explain the meaning of "One, there is none like Him"—how could it enter one's mind that there is one like Him, such that it is necessary to say there is none like Him?

The explanation is as follows: It is written,

"And You are He, and Your years will not end."

At first glance, this is not understood: how can "Your years" be said of the Most High, for this implies time and limitation, while the blessed Creator is unbounded?

Moreover, the phrase "Your years will not end" seems to contain a contradiction within itself.

The Rashba, of blessed memory,

explained that because a bounded human being cannot grasp the unbounded, having no mental image at all of the unbounded—

just as we have no image of the non-spatial and the timeless,

even more so, we have no image of the aspect of the limitless—

therefore it says "Your years," which a person can grasp, and then says "will not end," that the years do not cease; in this way it is possible to give a person some intellectual satisfaction.

This is like "to break the ear," similar to "the eyes of G-d," "the ears of G-d,"

"Let Your ear be attentive"

"and Your eyes open," etc.

In Chassidic terms, the matter can be understood through Abba and Imma.

For it is known that time exists in the aspect of Malchut, as it is written, "Your kingdom is a kingdom of all worlds, and Your dominion is in every generation"—past, present, and future belong to the aspect of Malchut: "He reigned, He reigns, He will reign."

This is "the day of the Holy One, blessed be He, is a thousand years,"

for units, tens, and hundreds are in Biyah, and thousands in Atzilut,

and this is in the aspect of Malchut; but above the aspect of Malchut, there is no aspect of time.

Nevertheless, it cannot be said that there is no root and source for the aspect of time there,

for

the Ein Sof, just as He has power in the unbounded, so too does He have power in the bounded.

This is the aspect of the vessels of the Ten Sefiros of Atzilut, which are the first limitation that emanates from Him.

This is the Name Sha-dai, whose root is the aspect of the Reshimu, which is the power of limitation within the Ein Sof, and it is the root and source of the vessels, as explained elsewhere in the discourse "Vayetzavem" of 5567.

But the Name Havayah is "He was, He is, and He will be as one," that is, the aspect of the Ein Sof, the unbounded.

From the aspect of the Name Havayah, the worlds would have been in a state of actual infinity,

and through the Name Sha-dai, who said to His world "enough," the worlds came into being in a state of existence and limitation.

Nevertheless, it is written "Havayah reigns, Havayah reigned, Havayah will reign," for within the limitation of past, present, and future, the aspect of the Ein Sof, the unbounded, shines.

Therefore, the creation that comes from the aspect of Malchut is in a state of boundlessness,

for although the creatures are bounded and should have had limitation in their existence, they are in a state of boundlessness—like the multitude of the inanimate and the vegetative, trees, grasses, fruits, and grain, which are truly without measure,

and this is from the aspect of the Ein Sof, the unbounded, that shines within the aspect of Malchut.

This is "there is none like Him"—the union of two opposites: the boundless and the bounded.

This is like the concept of "impossibilities are nullified in the bosom of the Creator,"

for there are some philosophers who say that impossibilities have a fixed nature, such as "riding and not riding," which is impossible, heaven forbid, even in the bosom of the Creator.

But in truth, it is not so; rather, impossibilities are nullified, and He can be both riding and not riding, even though in our intellect it is not understood how this is.

And we see with our senses the aspect of bounded and boundless together in the multitude of creations, without measure and without end, even though they are bounded.

From this we understand that in the power of the Ein Sof is the ability for two opposites—bounded and boundless—to exist, and likewise riding and not riding.

This is "One, there is none like Him."

10)

Now we must explain what is the concept of "One, there is none like Him" in relation to Israel.

The explanation is as follows: Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that the Holy One, blessed be He, dons tefillin.

And in the tefillin of the Master of the world, what is written? "And who is like Your people Israel, one nation."

The explanation: "The Holy One, blessed be He, dons tefillin" refers to the aspect of Zeir Anpin,

and "dons tefillin" means the drawing down of mochin to Zeir Anpin.

Now, our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said

on the verse "He declares His words to Yaakov"—that what He does as a mitzvah, He commands Israel to do; meaning that through Israel doing, He does.

For when a Jewish man dons tefillin below, through this the Holy One, blessed be He, dons tefillin—the drawing down of mochin to Zeir Anpin, which are the four sections of tefillin: Kadesh and Vehayah Ki Yevi'acha (Chochmah and Binah), Shema (Da'at), and Vehayah Im Shamoa (Da'at divided into Chessed and Gevurah).

And through his donning tzitzit, through this the Holy One, blessed be He, wraps Himself in tzitzit; and so with all the mitzvos—specifically through the Jewish person performing the mitzvah below, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, performs the mitzvah.

This is "and to guard all His commandments"—that they perform and cause His commandments above.

And this is a great praise for Israel, that through the mitzvos they perform, they cause Him, blessed be He, to perform the mitzvos.

The concept of "One, there is none like Him" is as found in the Midrash Rabbah on the verse "Jerusalem has sinned a sin"—do the nations of the world not sin? Rather, the nations of the world are nothing, for their actions do not matter at all.

But Israel, any good thing they do, even if it is not a mitzvah per se, they thereby draw down a drawing of G-dliness, as it is stated in the Zohar

regarding the child who said to them, "I smell from the fragrance of your garments that you have not recited the Shema,"

and this was because they were occupied with the wedding procession, and through this they drew down that same drawing that comes through the Shema—"Havayah our G-d, Havayah is One," which is the unification of Abba and Imma and the unification of Zeir Anpin and Nukvah.

Similarly, through the union of a man and a woman, the union above is effected, as it is said,

"A man and a woman—if they are worthy, the Divine Presence rests between them," and therefore seven blessings are recited over this.

And even in matters that are not a mitzvah at all, if they are done with intention for the sake of Heaven, they thereby draw down a revelation of G-dliness, as when one

puts on shoes and recites the blessing "Who has provided for all my needs,"

for through the wearing of shoes, they draw down the aspect of "How beautiful are your feet in sandals"—that Metatron is called the shoe of the Shechinah, and likewise the sandal, as explained in Likkutei Torah on the discourse "Mah Yafu Pa'amayich," that this is the aspect of the Parsa that separates between Atzilut and Biyah, which covers the foot, the aspect of Malchut, so that the worlds are in a state of limitation, etc.

And "How beautiful are your feet in sandals" means that even in the sandals there should be the beauty of your feet, that there should be the aspect of revelation, and through the sandals it becomes possible to receive,

(similar to "and He guided them in sandals," as explained elsewhere).

Thus, even in matters that are not mitzvos, they draw down a revelation of G-dliness through them.

And this is specifically in Israel, as mentioned above in the name of the Midrash,

and this is "One, there is none like Him."

And all this is because "Havayah has chosen you to be a people for Him," etc., and it is known that this is the essential choice in the souls of Israel, not due to the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos, as it is written, "Only in your fathers did Havayah delight"

Havayah.

Therefore, they have the power to draw down, through their mitzvos, the aspect of the mitzvos above, and also in every matter they do with intention for the sake of Heaven, even if it is not a mitzvah, they draw down a revelation of G-dliness through it,

for they are "one nation in the land" in matters of the land,

and through a call from the straits of matters of the land, "answer me in the wide expanse of Yah"—the essential expanse of the Ein Sof.

11)

A)

And this is "Many waters cannot extinguish the love, and rivers will not wash it away."

"Many waters" are contemplation, comprehension, and understanding—

all these cannot extinguish the love and quench the thirst of the souls of Israel for G-dliness,

and "rivers" are the revelations of Gan Eden,

the lower and upper Gan Eden cannot wash it away.

And even when Israel are in a lowly state, "we have a little sister" whose merits are few, and the nations of the world argue that Israel also sin,

nevertheless, even then, through their service in practical mitzvos and in action with simple intention for the sake of Heaven, they reach the aspect of the essential expanse, which is above all revelations,

and therefore contemplation, and even the revelations of Gan Eden, cannot extinguish nor wash away the love of Israel for their blessed Maker, in whom the souls of Israel are rooted,

for "no thought"

can grasp Him at all,

even the primordial thought of Adam Kadmon,

except when it grasps and is clothed in Torah and its mitzvos,

as explained by our master, the Alter Rebbe.

And because of this, even "many waters," which are the nations of the world, and "rivers," which are the kings of the nations and their ministers, cannot wash away the love of the Holy One, blessed be He, for the children of Israel,

as explained in the Targum and the Midrash,

that even though they sin, they are not rebuked,

and the reason is because "Havayah has chosen you"—the essential choice in the souls of Israel,

for they are rooted in the very Essence, which is above even the root of Torah and mitzvos.

Like a little girl who does not do the will of her parents, they do not rebuke her,

because the little girl's essence is rooted in the essence of the father and mother,

in a place where all other matters of the father and mother have no place,

and so too with the souls of Israel, who are rooted in the very Essence, as it were,

and therefore they are not rebuked,

and even those who say, "Let us be"

like the nations, like the families of the lands—behold, thus says my Lord Havayah: "You shall surely not be,"

"if not with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, etc., I will reign over you, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant, and you shall know that I am Havayah."

And He will give them—this is the Holy One, blessed be He, from the aspect of the essential expanse—all the wealth of His house,

"With wisdom a house is built, and with understanding it is established, and with knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant wealth,"

and He will also give them all the spoils and plunder of the war of Gog,

for ours is the victory, speedily in our days, through our righteous Moshiach.