English translation — מאמר ואלה שמות תשל"ז

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbat Parshat Shemot,

25 Tevet,

Rosh Chodesh Shvat,

5737*

(Unedited draft)

"And these are the names of the children of Israel coming to Egypt: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah..."1

And it is known the precise point of the Baal HaHilula

[of 24 Tevet — the Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe]

in his sefer Torah Or, in the discourse beginning with this phrase2,

that in Parshat Vayigash3

it is also stated: "And these are the names of the children of Israel coming to Egypt,"

and it must be understood why the matter of their coming to Egypt is repeated in the Torah.

And the Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, adds further

[in this discourse in Torat Chayim4,

which is an explanation of the above-mentioned discourse of the Alter Rebbe and its elucidation5]

that it is known6

that the Torah is eternal and speaks in every time and in every generation,

meaning that also the matter of the coming to Egypt, etc., exists in every generation,

and likewise there is a lesson from this for every single Jew in every time and in every place,

for Torah is from the word "hora'ah" (teaching)7,

and thus the lesson is eternal.

And so,

since the Torah is eternal, it is understood that also the details of the matters of the Egyptian exile, etc., exist in every generation,

and therefore also the details of the matters of "and they embittered their lives with hard labor, with mortar and bricks... all their work which they worked through them with rigor"8,

also exist in all times.

And the intention in the matter of "and they embittered their lives," etc., is not for its own sake, Heaven forbid,

rather, that this matter exists only for the sake of the redemption, etc., that follows afterward.

And as it is stated9

"I will descend with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you up,"

meaning that the entire intention of the descent into Egypt, etc., is only so that afterward there will be "and I will surely bring you up."

2)

And the explanation is,

for it is written,

“I will surely descend,”

that there are two descents,

and likewise regarding the redemption it is said, “And I will surely bring you up,”

two ascents,

and in general these two

(descents and)

ascents refer to the redemption from Egypt and the future redemption.

And seemingly, what is the connection between the redemption from Egypt and the future redemption

(that they are linked to each other).

And the explanation is,

for it is written,

“As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt I will show him wonders.”

For the simple interpretation of the verse is,

that just as in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt there were wonders, so too in a similar manner I will show him wonders in the future redemption,

and in the Zohar

it is explained that the wonders of the future redemption will be wonders even relative to the wonders that were in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt.

However, from the fact that they compare the two wonders

(of Egypt and the future redemption)

to each other, it is understood that there is a connection between them in their inner content

(and not only that they are similar in that both have wonders),

and because they are similar in their inner content, it follows afterward that they are also similar in that in both redemptions there are wonders

[And this is the connection of the continuation of the maamar

(in Torah Or there,

and likewise in Toras Chayim there)

that after it explained that the two ascents

(of “I will surely bring you up”)

refer to the redemption from Egypt and the future redemption, it continues that it is written, “As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt I will show him wonders,”

for by this it comes to explain the connection between the two redemptions

(that they are linked in the verse “I will surely bring you up”)].

3)

And the explanation of the connection in the content of the two redemptions

(of Egypt and the future redemption)

is,

that just as in the Egyptian exile the intention was not in the exile itself, G-d forbid,

and its inner point was the matter of the redemption that followed,

whose purpose is the receiving of the Torah, as it is written,

“When you bring the people out of Egypt, you will serve G-d on this mountain,”

so too this entire exile is in order to merit the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah that will be in the future,

about which it is said,

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,” etc.

For just as the matter of the bondage of Egypt was to refine the Jewish people and purify and cleanse them so that they could receive the Torah,

analogous to a crucible of iron

that refines silver from waste and dross, leaving the silver pure of any dross, etc.,

so too, through this final exile, we merit the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah

[And it is drawn in a manner of “from it they will be sustained,”

meaning in a manner of sustenance and food,

for this matter is the true sustenance of

(every)

individual of Israel,

and it extends even into his habit,

and effects in him expansion and broadening,

as explained above].

And this is the explanation of the great length of this final exile, which is incomparable to the Egyptian exile,

for the reason for this is,

since the purpose of the intention of the final exile is to merit through it the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah,

unlike the Egyptian exile whose intention was for the revelation of the revealed aspect of the Torah,

as above,

therefore, just as the inner dimension of the Torah,

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,”

is incomparably greater than the revealed aspect of the Torah,

so too the exile

(through which one comes to this revelation)

is also

(analogous to the Torah that is revealed through it)

incomparable to the Egyptian exile, through which they came to the revelation of the revealed aspect of the Torah.

For the revealed aspect of the Torah is a level of Torah that comes with limitation,

unlike the inner dimension of the Torah,

which is incomparably above measure and limitation.

And although even the length of this final exile comes with limitation in quantity

(of years),

nevertheless, the intention in the greatness of the length of this exile is not on the length in time

(alone),

but rather

(also)

on its length in the greatness of the sufferings and troubles, and particularly in the birth pangs of Mashiach

(birth pangs),

for these troubles and sufferings are incomparable to the sufferings of the Egyptian exile.

And the intention is not that there must be, G-d forbid, troubles and sufferings, etc.,

but rather matters that are not in accordance with the habit of a Jew

(that which is not according to the habit of a Jew)

alone,

for this too is considered suffering.

And as it is brought in the Gemara

on the verse,

“And the Egyptians made the children of Israel work with rigor,” that they gave women’s work to men, etc.,

even though women’s work is lighter than men’s work,

for a woman’s strength is weaker,

nevertheless, regarding the men it is considered rigorous labor because it is not according to their habit.

And all the more so regarding a matter of lack of habit for an individual of Israel,

it is considered great suffering.

And all the more so, a fortiori, from Nevuchadnetzar,

that in the merit of taking three steps in honor of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, he merited kingship for himself, his son, and his grandson,

three generations,

and kingship in the ultimate expansion, etc.,

for Nevuchadnetzar ruled by coercion,

now all the more so when it is about an individual of Israel,

“My firstborn son Israel,”

“You are children to the L-rd your G-d,”

the good that comes to them is incomparably greater than what Nevuchadnetzar merited,

and every individual of Israel, even the simplest of the simple, has the ability to demand from the Holy One, blessed be He, all good matters in spirituality

[for this is the main thing of a Jew]

and from this extends also into physicality,

in all matters of blessing, etc., the general principle of which is children, life, and ample sustenance,

and in a manner of ruling by coercion.

And from this it is understood that any matter of lack of habit for a Jew is considered great suffering,

and incomparably more so than regarding Egypt, which was before the giving of the Torah and the level of “one who is commanded and does,”

and through this, the smallest blemishes that remain after all the sufferings and troubles that one has gone through are removed.

4)

Now, all the revelations of the future depend on our actions and service during the six thousand years that the world exists.

And this is the concept of "and they embittered their lives" as it is in spirituality,

"with hard labor" — this refers to difficulty [in Torah study],

"with mortar" — this refers to kal vachomer [logical reasoning],

"and with bricks" — this refers to the clarification of halachah.

That one toils in the study of Torah to produce a clear halachah through much back-and-forth discussion,

And the state of "He has placed me in darkness"

this is the Babylonian Talmud,

until one clarifies

(he washes out)

the difficulties and contradictions, etc., until the halachah shines and radiates.

For this is the essential matter of Torah,

a decided and clear halachah,

for this is the virtue of the Mishnayos, which are a decided halachah, etc.

Therefore, our sages said,

"The exiles are only gathered in the merit of the Mishnayos, as it is said,

'Though they give among the nations, now I will gather them.'"

And likewise, the concept of clarification is also in the service of prayer,

as explained in Toras Chayim.

And through the concept of "and they embittered," etc., in Torah and prayer as above,

they exchange

(they replace)

the sufferings of this final exile.

5)

And this is what is written, "And these are the names of the children of Israel," etc.,

that through the concept of the names of the children of Israel, they effect the redemption that follows.

For the concept of the names of the children of Israel is,

as it is brought in the Midrash,

"Reuven and Shimon went down, Reuven and Shimon came up,"

that they did not change their names,

meaning not only that they stood firmly on the fundamentals of Torah and mitzvos,

and not even just on Torah and mitzvos in general,

but even on matters of stringency, etc., to the point that they did not even change their names.

And certainly, the matters of Torah and mitzvos themselves were as they should be with them.

And likewise now in this exile, they stand firmly even on simple matters, like not changing the name, etc.,

and certainly, etc.

And so it is with Torah,

that its concept is also the concept of names,

for the entire Torah is the names of the Holy One, blessed be He,

they effect the drawing down of the aspect of "and these names,"

and as above, that the entire Torah is the names of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And there are 600,000 letters in the Torah,

names of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and among these combinations — the more holy are the seven names that cannot be erased,

and from them themselves — the aspect of His great Name,

and this is the aspect of the revelation of the future that is effected through the service of the present

(as above).

And the drawing down of the aspect of His great Name already occurred in the days of Chanukah, when it was said,

(in "Al Hanissim")

"to give thanks and praise to Your great Name,"

and in an eternal manner,

for "these lights are never nullified,"

but this drawing down is in concealment,

and the revelation of the aspect of His great Name will be in the future.

6)

And behold, in the descent itself there are two levels,

and by way of example, there is the descent of intellect into the letters of thought,

and lower still, that the intellect also comes into the letters of speech47.

And likewise, in the service of Torah and prayer, there are these two aspects.

For there is the matter of the thought of Torah and also the speech of Torah48,

as it is said49

"They are life to those who find them" and our Sages expounded50

"to those who utter them with the mouth,"

and even more so in all his 248 limbs,

as our Sages said50

"If it is arranged in your 248 limbs, it is preserved."

And similarly in prayer,

for although prayer is the service of the heart51,

and as it is stated in the Gemara52

"What is the service that is in the heart? You must say, this is prayer,"

nevertheless, one must also speak the letters of prayer,

for through this the obstacles and hindrances are removed.

And in the manner explained by the holy Tzemach Tzedek in his Sefer HaMitzvos regarding the mitzvah of confession of repentance53

concerning the matter of uttering the twenty-two letters in confession.

And this is the matter of the redemption, which is the drawing down

(of His great name)

in the two levels,

in the hidden worlds that are not revealed,

the concealed world,

which is analogous to the letters of thought,

and in the revealed world,

which is analogous to the letters of speech,

for the drawing down in the two aspects of the concealed world and the revealed world is the matter of "from the world and until the world"

[as explained in Torah Ohr there54].

Through the first redeemer, he is the final redeemer55

speedily, literally.