English translation — מאמר פדה בשלום תשל"ט

With the help of Heaven.

Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Vayeitzei,

the 9th of Kislev,

the eve of the 10th of Kislev,

the year 5739*

"He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for many were with me."

And the Baal HaGeulah explains in his discourse beginning with these words

(printed in his book Shaarei Teshuvah)

that the explanation of "He redeemed in peace"

(specifically in peace)

is that the redemption is in a manner that the opponent is completely nullified,

so that there is no need for war at all.

And this is analogous to what was in the days of Shlomo,

that all the nations were nullified before Shlomo without war,

therefore he was called Shlomo because there was peace in his days.

And he makes a precise point in the discourse,

that when one is in a state where there are no opponents at all,

why is redemption needed?

And one can say the explanation of this precision,

for the explanation of "He redeemed in peace" is not that peace comes after the redemption

(i.e., that the redemption is through war and afterwards there is peace),

but rather,

that the redemption

(itself)

is in peace,

and therefore he makes the precise point,

that in a state of peace there seemingly is no need for redemption.

And one can add another precision,

that in this same verse it is written "He redeemed... from the battle that was against me,"

that this redemption of my soul is from the wars that come upon me,

and how can it be that the redemption from wars is a redemption in peace,

for seemingly they are two opposite matters.

B)

And one can add,

that these two matters

("He redeemed in peace" and "from the battle that was against me")

are not merely two opposites

(simply),

but rather they are opposites from one extreme to the other.

For, behold, the reason that war is called "krav" from the term "kiruv" (closeness)

(even though war is the opposite of closeness),

is

(as understood from the discourse),

because the essence and intensity of war is when it is in a manner of closeness.

For, behold, in war there are two modes.

That the two combatants are at a distance from each other,

and they throw

(at one another)

stones, arrows, catapults, and the like.

Or that the two combatants draw close to each other

(in proximity of place)

until they grapple with each other,

"And a man wrestled with him,"

that they draw close to each other

(not only in place,

but)

also in their bodies,

to the point that the two combatants embrace each other.

And this war

(the ultimate closeness)

is the most difficult war.

And likewise, on the other hand,

that also the peace in this verse is

(not ordinary peace,

but rather)

the ultimate perfection of peace.

And as the Baal HaGeulah explains in the maamar,

that the true essence of the matter of "He redeemed my soul in peace" is that those who were previously enemies and opponents "become complete lovers,"

for this matter is above even the peace that was in the days of Shlomo,

for the peace that was in the days of Shlomo is that all were nullified due to the revelation of light

(but they were not transformed into holiness),

and the true essence of peace

(that even the opponent is transformed into holiness)

will be in the future,

as it is written,

"For then I will turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the L-rd, to serve Him with one accord,"

and likewise regarding animals — "and the wolf shall dwell with the lamb," etc.,

and even the serpent

(the viper and the adder)

will be transformed to good,

as it is written,

"He will also make peace with him" — this is the serpent,

and as it was at the beginning of creation

(before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge)

when there was a "great luminary."

And even more than this can be said,

that since every descent is for the sake of an ascent,

it must necessarily be said

that the refinement and ascent of the serpent in the future will be even higher than the level of the "great luminary" that existed before the descent.

And based on this, one must understand even more what is written, "He redeemed my soul in peace... for He drew me near,"

and yet nearness and peace in this verse are two opposites from one extreme to the other,

and how can it be "He redeemed my soul in peace... for He drew me near"?

3)

And this will be understood by prefacing what is explained in the maamar of the Baal HaGeulah,

that the two matters of nearness and peace exist in the service of prayer.

And to note,

that in many places

it is explained that the refinement of prayer is through the way of war,

"the time of prayer is a time of battle,"

and refinement through the way of rest

(peace)

is through the occupation with Torah.

But in this discourse of the Baal HaGeulah it is explained,

that also in the service of prayer there are both matters.

The love

of "with all your heart,"

which is from the aspect of Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah,

even though through this love he also causes that the Nefesh HaBahamis will also have love for G-d,

"with all your heart, with both your inclinations,"

nevertheless,

since the love of "with all your heart" is from comprehension and understanding

(that Elokus is good),

and since intellect is an aspect of pnimi

(which becomes invested in the thing it affects),

it is therefore understood that the action of the Nefesh HaElokis upon the Nefesh HaBahamis, that it love G-d, is through the Nefesh HaElokis becoming invested in the Nefesh HaBahamis,

for the contemplation of the Nefesh HaElokis must be about such matters and in a manner that the Nefesh HaBahamis can also grasp,

this investment

(that the Nefesh HaElokis becomes invested in the Nefesh HaBahamis)

is a matter of war.

And also the love of "with all your soul,"

which is from the aspect of Chayah,

although Chayah is an aspect of makif,

and the refinement of the Nefesh HaBahamis through this love is

(not through the way of investment,

but rather)

that from the intensity of the will of the Nefesh HaElokis

(a will that is above reason)

the wills of the Nefesh HaBahamis are automatically nullified,

nevertheless,

since the nullification of the wills of the Nefesh HaBahamis is only from the overpowering of the will of the Nefesh HaElokis,

meaning that even now the Nefesh HaBahamis has alien wills in concealment, but due to the overpowering of the will of the Nefesh HaElokis they do not come into actuality,

therefore this is included in the service of refinement through the way of war.

And the matter of "He redeemed my soul in peace" is in the love of "with all your might,"

which is from the aspect of Yechidah.

For since the aspect of Yechidah has no opposite counterpart,

"the slightest reflection of it they do not have,"

therefore,

when the aspect of Yechidah is revealed,

the opposite side is nullified.

For the aspect of Chayah,

since it has an opposite counterpart,

therefore the revelation of the aspect of Chayah does not negate and nullify the alien wills of the Nefesh HaBahamis,

and it is only through the way of overpowering,

that the will for Elokus

(from the aspect of Chayah)

overpowers the wills of the Nefesh HaBahamis,

and in order for there to be a nullification of the wills of the Nefesh HaBahamis, it is through the revelation of Yechidah.

4)

And one can connect this with the well-known concept

regarding the power of self-sacrifice (mesiras nefesh) in every Jew

(for the power of self-sacrifice is from the aspect of Yechidah),

that his sacrificing his soul so as not to be separated, G-d forbid, from His Oneness, is not from his will

(meaning that it could be otherwise but he chooses this way),

but rather because he is unable to be separated, G-d forbid, from His Oneness.

And based on this, one can explain what is explained in many places,

that the love of "with all your might" is the matter of self-sacrifice.

For at first glance it is not understood,

for also the love of "with all your heart" and "with all your soul" seemingly obligate the matter of self-sacrifice,

for when one loves G-d with all his heart, and certainly when his love for G-d is with all his soul, he will surely sacrifice his soul for Him,

and what is the superiority and novelty in the love of "with all your might"?

And the explanation of this is,

that the self-sacrifice that comes from the love of "with all your heart" and "with all your soul" is in a manner that he wants to sacrifice his soul for G-d

(in the love of "with all your heart,"

Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah — a will based on reason and understanding,

and in the love of "with all your soul,"

Chayah — a will above reason),

in contrast, the self-sacrifice that comes from the love of "with all your might,"

Yechidah,

is in a manner that he is unable to be separated, G-d forbid.

And this is that the matter of self-sacrifice is in the love of "with all your might,"

for self-sacrifice is the matter of nullification,

and the true essence of nullification is when the self-sacrifice is not from his will

(existence)

but rather from the Elokus.

And it can be said,

that this is also one of the explanations in this, that the nullification of the alien wills of the Nefesh HaBahamis is specifically through the love of "with all your might,"

for the love of "with all your heart" and "with all your soul,"

since from this love there is a possibility not to sacrifice his soul

(and that he does sacrifice his soul is only from his will),

this proves that the existence of the opposite side still remains.

And the nullification of the opposite side

(complete nullification)

is through the love of "with all your might,"

for from this love it is impossible to be otherwise, G-d forbid.

5)

And behold, in the aforementioned maamar of the Baal HaGeulah, at the beginning of the matter,

it is explained that the matter of the war

(of the Nefesh HaElokis with the Nefesh HaBahamis)

is in the Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah that are clothed in the body and the Nefesh HaBahamis,

but regarding the encompassing levels of Chayah and Yechidah, war does not apply.

However, afterwards, in the continuation of the maamar,

he explains in more detail that also in the aspect of Chayah there is the matter of war,

and the matter of peace is specifically in Yechidah.

And it can be said,

that it is in the manner of what the Holy One, blessed be He, said to King Dovid

(when he wanted to build the Holy Temple)

"You have shed much blood..."

(and therefore)

"You shall not build a house for My Name... behold, a son will be born to you, he will be a man of rest... he will build a house for My Name..."

But nevertheless, the pattern of the Temple was made by Dovid

("The hand of Hashem was upon me, He made me understand"),

"And Dovid gave to Shlomo his son the pattern of the hall..."

And it needs to be understood,

since the Holy Temple is connected with rest

and peace specifically,

therefore it was said to Dovid, "You shall not build a house for My Name, for you are a man of wars,"

why were the preparations for the Holy Temple made by Dovid, who was a man of wars?

And the explanation of this can be said,

for then

(when Dovid wanted to build the Holy Temple,

and certainly when he prepared the pattern, etc.)

Dovid was in a state of rest,

and Hashem had given him rest from all his enemies around.

But since the rest of Dovid came through the wars he waged,

therefore the building of the Holy Temple had to be through Shlomo,

a man of rest,

rest in essence.

And it can be said,

that this which is explained in the maamar

(at the beginning of the matter)

that also in the aspect of Chayah war does not apply, is in the manner of the rest of Dovid after he had conquered all the wars.

For in the aspects of Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah that are clothed in the body and the Nefesh HaBahamis,

since the activity of the Nefesh HaElokis upon the Nefesh HaBahamis is in a manner of clothing and engagement,

for the perception of the animal soul is in the good of physical things,

and the G-dly soul engages with it to explain to it the good of G-dliness,

this is a matter of actual war.

But not so the aspect of Chayah,

since its activity upon the Nefesh HaBahamis is

(not in a manner of clothing, but)

that due to the revelation of the intensity of the will for G-dliness of the Nefesh HaElokis, the desires of the Nefesh HaBahamis are automatically nullified,

this is not a matter of war.

And in general,

it is a matter of rest.

But this rest is

(not rest in essence,

but only)

due to the overpowering of the will of the Nefesh HaElokis,

analogous to the rest of Dovid after Hashem had given him rest from all his enemies,

that his rest was due to the fact that he had conquered all the wars.

But not so the nullification of the desires of the Nefesh HaBahamis through the revelation of the Yechidah, which is

(not that through the revelation of the Yechidah the nullification of desires is brought about,

but rather)

that from the perspective of the Yechidah

(for which there is no opposite, Heaven forbid)

there is no place from the outset for alien desires,

analogous to the rest of Shlomo,

which was

(not through conquest,

but)

rest in essence.

6)

And now, similar to this is the matter of the service that is through the path of war, which has many levels.

For the war in prayer,

"the time of prayer is a time of war,"

since during prayer he is abstracted from worldly matters and his engagement is to contemplate matters of G-dliness and to arouse love of Hashem and fear of Hashem,

but the contemplation

(and the love and fear)

must be in a way that is also grasped in the intellect of the Nefesh HaBahamis,

this is not an actual war

(and this is called a "sword"

of peace).

And the service through the path of war is primarily during eating and drinking,

"bread before the sword shall he eat,"

and similarly regarding other bodily needs.

And within this itself,

the primary war is during the engagement in business dealings,

commerce.

For the war of eating

(and similarly regarding other bodily needs)

is that his eating should be for the sake of Heaven and not to fulfill the desire of his soul,

meaning he fights against the lust and pleasure in the food

(and is not clothed in it),

but not so the engagement in business dealings, which must be

(according to Torah)

in a manner of clothing,

"your business dealings in faith."

[And it can be said,

that this is also the reason that all the clarifications are called by the name "Canaan,"

for the meaning of Canaan is merchant,

because the primary clarifications that are in a manner of clothing are in business dealings.]

And it follows,

that the war of eating is analogous to war with a sword

("bread before the sword shall he eat"),

for although the war of the sword is specifically when he is close to the enemy

(for this is the difference between a sword and a bow),

this closeness is only in place.

But not so the war in business dealings, which is analogous to the war called "krav," from the term closeness,

for the closeness of "krav" is

(not only in place,

but)

that the two combatants embrace each other,

as explained above

(section 2)

at length.

7)

And this is "He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me,"

that even the service of clarifications that is in the manner of "krav" (close combat)

(and not only in the manner of war, but in the manner of "krav")

will be in a manner of "He redeemed in peace,"

peace with ultimate perfection, like the peace that was in the days of Shlomo,

and even higher—like the peace that will be in the future.

And the reason for this is as the continuation of the verse: "for many were with me."

For through the service of "many were with me,"

which is the arousal and revelation of the Yechidah, as explained at length in the aforementioned discourse of the Baal HaGeulah,

that each and every Jew has the power to arouse and reveal the Yechidah within him,

behold, through this is accomplished "He redeemed my soul in peace,"

the soul of the serving person,

for although he engages in worldly matters in order to clarify them in a manner of "krav,"

nevertheless, he will not be caught up in this, and his redemption will be in peace,

even to peace with ultimate perfection.

And furthermore, even the redemption of the sparks within worldly matters will be in peace,

"many were with me,"

that even the sparks that were initially in the aspect of "many"

(for they were in exile in the public domain, mountains of separation)

are included in the soul of the person who clarifies them,

"were with me,"

even to the point that they are included in the Yechidah within him.

8)

And it can be said that this is also the connection and relevance of the redemption of Yud Kislev and Yud-Tes Kislev to the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace"49,

for although the redemption was from close quarters,

it also includes the fact that the imprisonment came through the informing of those who had a relationship of closeness,

and this

(that the imprisonment came through them)

is a great descent and pain,

nevertheless the redemption was in peace and completeness,

to the extent that this became a preface and preparation for the ultimate perfection that will be in the future.

For through "your springs will spread forth outward," which began primarily on Yud-Tes Kislev50,

and especially through the work of the master of the redemption of Yud Kislev, whose spreading of his springs was in the manner of "the expanses of the river"51,

meaning that he drew down the spring in a manner of "the expanses of the river,"

behold through this "the man, King Moshiach, will come"52,

when there will be true peace and tranquility in ultimate perfection.

And "those who taste it merit life"53,

who begin to taste a foretaste of this even in the days of the final exile,

that they can engage from a state of rest, joy, and goodness of heart in the work of "your springs will spread forth outward" in a manner of increasing and adding light.

And very soon we will merit "the night will shine like the day"54,

with the coming of our righteous Moshiach.