English translation — מאמר מרגלא בפומיה דרבא תש"מ

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach,

18 Kislev 5740*

"A saying that is regularly in the mouth of Rava: The purpose of wisdom is repentance and good deeds, as it is said,

'The beginning of wisdom is fear of the L-rd; good understanding to all who do them,'

It does not say 'to those who study them,' but rather 'to those who do them.'

And my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, brings this in his maamar beginning "Zeh she'amar" of Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach 5689

(printed in the Kuntres of Wedding Discourses 5689)

[with] Rashi's commentary,

that wisdom is Torah,

and the purpose of wisdom,

the essence of Torah,

is that it should be accompanied by repentance and good deeds.

And the maamar clarifies,

that the essence of Torah is understanding and comprehension,

that one should understand and comprehend what one studies

[and particularly in the Oral Torah,

for when one does not understand what one studies, it is not considered study at all],

and in this statement of our Sages, it says that the essence of Torah is repentance and good deeds.

And it can be said,

that the reason the maamar brings Rashi's commentary on "the purpose of wisdom,"

is,

because the meaning of "purpose" in most places is the ultimate intention,

and the like.

And accordingly,

the meaning of "the purpose of wisdom is repentance and good deeds" is,

that the ultimate intention in the study of Torah

(wisdom)

is that it should lead to repentance and good deeds.

Therefore the maamar brings Rashi's commentary that "the purpose of wisdom" is "the essence of Torah."

For in addition to the fact that the intention of Torah study is that it should lead to repentance and good deeds,

also the very essence of Torah itself

[and moreover, its primary essence]

is repentance and good deeds.

And therefore it clarifies,

that wisdom

(Torah)

and repentance and good deeds are seemingly two different matters.

2)

And perhaps one could add,

that wisdom

(Torah)

and repentance and good deeds,

in addition to being different matters,

are also like opposites.

For in the study of Torah, the existence of the person engaged in Torah is emphasized,

for the mitzvah of Torah study is that one should understand and comprehend

(the subject being studied)

with one's own intellect.

To the extent that even regarding a legal ruling, one must rule specifically according to one's own understanding.

And as our Sages said,

"They differ in the Heavenly Academy... the Holy One, blessed be He, says... and the entire Heavenly Academy says...,"

the reason for this, that the Heavenly Academy ruled the law differently than the Holy One, blessed be He,

is,

because according to the rules of Torah, they must rule the law according to their understanding.

This matter applies even in the study of Torah in the Heavenly Academy.

And all the more so in the study of Torah of man below,

for "the Torah is not in heaven,"

and "the Holy One, blessed be He, laughs and says, 'My children have defeated Me, My children have defeated Me.'"

And in repentance and good deeds, the self-nullification of man is emphasized.

For the matter of repentance is that a person leaves and is nullified from his own existence,

"a sin-offering from here,"

and so it is regarding mitzvos

(good deeds),

for in addition to the fact that the fulfillment of mitzvos must be

(not from intellect,

but rather)

in the manner of the service of a servant,

the action that is accomplished through the fulfillment of mitzvos is that the limbs of the person fulfilling the mitzvah become a chariot for the Supernal Will,

and a chariot is a matter of self-nullification.

And nevertheless,

the essence of Torah

(the purpose of wisdom)

(existence)

is repentance and good deeds

(self-nullification).

3)

And the point of the explanation in this

(in the maamar13)

is based on what is stated in the Zohar14:

"No thought can grasp You at all,

but He is grasped by the desire of the heart."

For thought

[the comprehension of Binah and also of Chochmah which is above the comprehension of Binah,

including also the vision of Chochmah15]

grasps only revelations, not Atzmus,

and through the desire of the heart one grasps Atzmus.

And the explanation is,

that in love there are two levels in general:

love based on reason and understanding,

and essential love that stems from the essence of the soul which is connected to Atzmus.

Like the love of a son for his father, which is an essential love from the essence of the son for the essence of the father.

And this love is called "the desire of the heart."

And this is "He is grasped by the desire of the heart,"

for just as the son arouses the essence of the father,

for when the son cries out "Abba!" the father is stirred in his entire being,

so too in the analogy,

the essential love that stems from the essence of the soul grasps Atzmus.

And this is that "the ultimate and primary purpose of wisdom is repentance and good deeds"16,

for wisdom grasps only revelations

(as above),

and in order to grasp Atzmus it is through repentance and good deeds.

And it must be understood,

that this matter

(that wisdom grasps revelations,

and in order to grasp Atzmus it is through repentance and good deeds)

only explains the superiority of repentance and good deeds over wisdom.

For although in the level of the faculties of the human soul, the study of Torah is more elevated than repentance and good deeds,

for the study of Torah is in his intellect,

and repentance and good deeds are in the emotions of the heart and the power of action

[repentance in the emotions of the heart17,

and good deeds in the power of action],

nevertheless,

there is an advantage in repentance and good deeds, that specifically through them one grasps Atzmus.

But this explanation is seemingly only according to the interpretation that "the ultimate purpose of wisdom" is the ultimate elevation of wisdom.

For since through repentance and good deeds one grasps Atzmus,

therefore,

through the fact that wisdom leads to repentance and good deeds,

an elevation is also effected in wisdom

[like the statement "great is study that leads to action"18,

for through the study leading to action, it is greater than it is in itself].

And from the continuation of the topics in the maamar it seems,

that this matter

(that wisdom grasps revelations,

and in order to grasp Atzmus it is through repentance and good deeds)

is also an explanation of the fact that the essence of Torah is repentance and good deeds.

4)

And it will be understood by prefacing,

that what is stated in the maamar in continuation of the matter of "He is grasped by the desire of the heart," that through repentance and good deeds one grasps Atzmus,

it can be said based on what is explained in many places19,

that the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos that follows the desire of the heart is on a more elevated level

(as will be explained below).

And based on this it can be said,

that what is stated in the Zohar, "He is grasped by the desire of the heart,"

there are two matters in this:

that He is grasped in the desire of the heart itself,

and that the desire of the heart is a prerequisite for the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos, in which Atzmus is actually grasped.

That is,

that in order to grasp Atzmus itself, it is

(primarily)

through the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos20,

except that this grasping of Atzmus through the performance of mitzvos is when the action is performed with self-nullification,

and the self-nullification in the performance of mitzvos is when the love that brings about the fulfillment of mitzvos is an essential love above reason and understanding,

the desire of the heart.

For when the love21

[during prayer]

is based on reason and understanding,

the fulfillment of mitzvos

[throughout the entire day]

is in order to draw down a revelation of G-dliness.

And even when the love is through contemplation of the wondrous nature of Ein Sof,

through which one comes to the great love of "Who22

is for me in heaven?"

that he does not desire any revelations, only Atzmus23,

there is still a request in his fulfillment of mitzvos

(throughout the entire day),

to draw down a revelation of the Atzmus of Ein Sof.

But the fulfillment of mitzvos that follows the arousal of essential love

(the desire of the heart)

is without any request

[even the request for drawing down a revelation of the Atzmus of Ein Sof]

and only to fulfill His will,

in the manner of accepting the yoke.

For the self-nullification in the fulfillment of mitzvos in this manner is even greater than the self-nullification in the desire of the heart24,

and through the fulfillment of mitzvos in this manner, there is a drawing down of Atzmus.

And it can be said,

that the reason for this, that even through heartfelt desire one does not grasp Atzmus itself,

[and in order to grasp Atzmus it is specifically through the fulfillment of the mitzvos that follow the heartfelt desire],

is,

that since Atzmus is separate from every matter,

it is impossible to grasp it through any matter,

but only through His will

(of Atzmus).

And since even the innate love that stems from the essence of the soul

(heartfelt desire)

is the love and will of the human,

Atzmus itself is not grasped through this.

And this is the advantage of the service of kabbalas ol over heartfelt desire,

for heartfelt desire is the will of the human,

and even when his will is in a state of nullification,

so that he does not want anything for himself at all and all his will is

(to fulfill)

the will of the Holy One, blessed be He,

nevertheless,

even this will is the will of the human,

an existence.

And the service of kabbalas ol,

where one accepts upon himself to fulfill the command of G-d even when the command is contrary to his will, like a servant,

for a servant is compelled to fulfill the will of the master,

is not from his own existence

(will)

but rather from the yoke of the kingdom of heaven that is upon him.

However, even so,

the nullification of kabbalas ol also does not grasp Atzmus itself,

and in order to grasp Atzmus it is specifically through the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos,

for since all matters are incomparable and considered as nothing before Him,

it is not possible that there be some matter through which one can grasp Him.

And in order to grasp Atzmus it is specifically through Atzmus desiring this.

And this is that through the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos one grasps Atzmus,

for the mitzvos are the will of Atzmus.

That is,

that this, that through Torah and mitzvos one grasps Atzmus, is not due to the virtue of the Torah and mitzvos themselves,

but because it is the will of Atzmus.

And that the fulfillment of mitzvos must be with nullification

[even though regarding Atzmus, nullification and existence are truly equal],

is,

in order that the drawing down of Atzmus through the fulfillment of mitzvos be in revelation.

For when the performance of the mitzvah by the human is in a manner that his existence is felt,

that he is the one performing the mitzvah,

the feeling of existence is like a contradiction to the revelation of Atzmus.

And since when a person fulfills the mitzvos from his own will,

even when his will is to fulfill the will of the Holy One, blessed be He,

his existence is felt,

therefore,

in order that the drawing down of Atzmus through the fulfillment of mitzvos be in revelation,

it is through the fulfillment of mitzvos being in the manner of kabbalas ol,

not from his own will but from the yoke of the kingdom of heaven that is upon him.

5)

And it is known,

that the two matters of son and servant are, in general, in the study of Torah and the fulfillment of mitzvos.

And perhaps an explanation of this can be said,

that the difference between a son and a servant is,

that the servant is nullified to the master,

and the matter of a son is that his existence is the father.

And as explained in the continuation of 5666,

that what is the will of the father is also the will of the son,

and just as the intellect of the father compels, so does the intellect of the son compel.

And these matters

(son and servant)

that are in every Jew are revealed through the study of Torah and the fulfillment of mitzvos.

For in the fulfillment of mitzvos,

since the fulfillment of mitzvos is to fulfill the command of G-d in the manner of kabbalas ol,

the servant within him is revealed,

and in the study of Torah, which must specifically be with understanding and comprehension,

so that the intellect of the person engaging in Torah be in accordance with the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He,

the son within him is revealed.

And it should be added,

that even this, that the ruling of the person engaging in Torah must be according to the person's understanding,

that the Torah is not in heaven,

is from the aspect of the son within Israel,

and as the saying of our sages, of blessed memory, "The Holy One, blessed be He, laughed and said, 'My children have defeated Me, My children have defeated Me,'"

for the reason for this, that they defeated Me, is because they are sons.

And this is,

for the root of the son is in the Atzmus of the father, above his revealed powers,

and likewise with Israel,

the sons of the Holy One, blessed be He,

whose root is in His Atzmus, above the manner in which He contracted Himself in the attribute of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and therefore they know and comprehend

the true essence of the Torah as it is rooted in Atzmus, above the level of the Torah as it is drawn into the knowledge of the Holy One, blessed be He.

6)

And now, in addition to the two matters of son and servant,

there is another matter in the service of man,

the fulfillment of mitzvos.

And as explained above

(section 4),

that in the fulfillment of mitzvos there are two matters.

The nullification of kabbalas ol within the fulfillment of the mitzvah,

and the fulfillment of the mitzvah itself.

And the primary matter of the drawing down of Atzmus is through the fulfillment of the mitzvah itself—the will of Atzmus,

except that in order for the drawing down of Atzmus that is in the fulfillment of the mitzvah to be in revelation, it is when the fulfillment of the mitzvah is in the manner of kabbalas ol,

servant.

And the perfection of this matter

(that the fulfillment of mitzvos is without any personal motive and only to fulfill His will in the manner of kabbalas ol)

is through the precedence of the arousal of innate love

(heartfelt desire),

son.

And it can be said,

that these three matters are the three matters of wisdom, repentance, and good deeds.

Wisdom

(Torah)

is the matter of a son

(as above in section 5),

repentance, whose matter is that a person goes out and is nullified from his self-existence

(as above in section 2),

is analogous to the matter of accepting the yoke,

a servant,

and good deeds are the mitzvos themselves,

the will of Atzmus.

And this can be connected with the well-known explanation34

of the phrase "repentance and good deeds,"

that through repentance the deeds

(the deeds of the mitzvos)

become good deeds and luminous35,

for the drawing of Atzmus is

(primarily)

in the fulfillment of the mitzvos

(deeds),

and not in the nullification of repentance

(and acceptance of the yoke).

But in order that the deeds be good deeds and luminous,

that the drawing of Atzmus within them be revealed,

this is through the nullification of repentance and acceptance of the yoke.

7)

Now, although the matter of engaging in Torah is that a person's existence

(his understanding and comprehension)

be in accordance with the Torah,

nevertheless,

even in the study of Torah there must be the nullification of a servant,

the yoke of Torah36.

And this is what our sages, of blessed memory, said37

that one who reviews his chapter one hundred times is not comparable to one who reviews his chapter one hundred and one times,

because in this extra time he changes his nature and habit38,

for even in Torah there must be the nullification of a servant39.

And the point of the explanation in this,

that this that a son and a servant are two matters,

is in the soul as it comes in a chain of descent,

but in the root of the soul as it is rooted in the Awtsmoos itself,

the two matters within it are one.

And likewise is it in Torah and mitzvos,

that as they are in the Awtsmoos,

both of them are one matter.

And therefore,

also in the study of Torah there must be also the nullification of a servant.

For through the study of Torah in the aspect of a son alone,

the connection of Yisrael to the Torah

is in the level of Torah as it comes in a chain of descent

[that Torah and mitzvos become two matters],

and in order that the connection be in the essence of Torah as it is rooted in the Awtsmoos

[where Torah and mitzvos are one],

it is through that in his Torah study both matters are emphasized.

For Torah is not in heaven, but rather it is given into his jurisdiction,

therefore his rulings are specifically according to his understanding and we do not pay attention to a Heavenly Voice

— the reality of a son,

and together with this he accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah,

that the Torah is his "master" and he is nullified to the Torah like a servant upon whom the yoke of the master is placed.

8)

And this is "the essence of wisdom is repentance and good deeds,"

that the essence of Torah is that repentance and good deeds be with it.

For in addition to that Torah brings to repentance and good deeds,

repentance and good deeds must be with it,

with the Torah itself,

that in the study of Torah there should also be the nullification of repentance and good deeds.

[And it may be said,

that this that it says that repentance and good deeds be with it,

it is,

because the nullification of repentance

(that a person goes out of his existence,

bound from here),

is from his feeling,

and therefore even in the nullification there is mixed

(in subtlety)

his existence,

and the true nullification is the nullification of good deeds,

for this that the fulfillment of mitzvos is in the manner of acceptance of the yoke is not from his will but from the yoke of the kingdom of heaven placed upon him

(as above end of section 4).

And especially according to the explanation above

(section 6)

that the intention in "good deeds" is to the mitzvos

(deeds)

themselves,

for according to this explanation,

the nullification of good deeds is that there is not felt in it even this that he is nullified to the Master,

and what is felt is only the Supernal Will.

And "the essence of wisdom is that repentance and good deeds be with it,"

that in his Torah study there should be the nullification of repentance and also the nullification of good deeds].

And this matter is the essence of Torah,

for through this one grasps the core and root of Torah as it is rooted in the Awtsmoos.

And it may be added,

that the reason for this that this statement

("the essence of wisdom is repentance and good deeds")

was the constant adage of Rava specifically,

is because in Torah study there are two general modes,

the mode of study of Abaye and the mode of study of Rava

[therefore,

in the disputes of Abaye and Rava are included all the matters of the Oral Torah].

And the difference between the two modes is as stated in the Gemara,

"In the house of Abaye they would gnaw bones; in the house of Rava they would eat fatty meat."

And since the Torah study of Rava was in the manner of "fatty meat"

(clear, expansive laws),

that in study in this manner the existence of the studying person is emphasized,

and especially that his conduct was that before he opened for the sages he would say a humorous word,

therefore the statement "the essence of wisdom is repentance and good deeds" was his constant adage,

that in Torah study there must also be the nullification of repentance and of good deeds.

9)

Now, it is known that all matters in the discourses of our Nesi'im,

including also the time of their delivery,

are with utmost precision.

And based on this, it can be said,

that among the reasons that this discourse was said by my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, on Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach,

the Shabbos before Yud Tes Kislev,

is,

that the above matter is alluded to in the verse,

"He redeemed my soul in peace," etc., which relates to Yud Tes Kislev,

and in the verse, "I am unworthy of all the kindnesses and all the truth," etc., in Parshas Vayishlach,

and also relates to the redemption of Yud Tes Kislev.

And the explanation is,

that the three matters in the above saying of our Sages,

[Wisdom,

Repentance, and good deeds]

correspond to the three pillars

of Torah, service, and acts of kindness.

Wisdom – Torah,

Repentance – service,

because prayer

(service)

is a matter of self-nullification,

that a person who prays is like a servant before his master,

and good deeds – acts of kindness,

for acts of kindness encompass all the mitzvos.

And the statement of our Sages,

"He redeemed my soul in peace," etc.,

"Whoever engages in Torah, acts of kindness, and prays with the congregation," etc., it is as if he redeemed me and my children from among the nations,

that the redemption is through the three matters of Torah, acts of kindness, and prayer

(with the congregation).

And similarly, regarding the verse, "I am unworthy of all the kindnesses and all the truth,"

"kindnesses" in the plural are the two lines of acts of kindness and prayer.

And as is known,

that prayer is included in acts of kindness.

[And it says "kindnesses" in the plural,

because the kindness of acts of kindness

(mitzvos)

and the kindness of prayer,

are two kindnesses.

And particularly according to what is known,

that prayer is in the line of gevurah,

an elevation from below to above.

From this it is understood,

that the kindness in prayer is not like the kindness in acts of kindness].

And "truth" is Torah,

"There is no truth but Torah."

And he says, "I am unworthy of all the kindnesses and all the truth,"

that the matter of self-nullification

("I am unworthy")

is not only from all the kindnesses,

the lines of prayer and acts of kindness

(repentance and good deeds),

but also from all the truth,

Torah

(wisdom).

And similarly, in the statement of our Sages on the verse, "He redeemed my soul in peace,"

that the precise wording is "whoever engages in Torah"

(and not "whoever studies Torah").

For the matter of "engaging in Torah" is

(as explained by my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe),

that in addition to his studying for himself,

he strives with every type of effort to bring the many to the study of Torah.

For this, that he is not satisfied with his own studying and strives to bring the many to the study of Torah,

and particularly when he gives of his time that he could have used to study for himself,

is due to his self-nullification to Torah.

10)

Now, it was explained above

(section 7),

that the connection of the two matters of son and servant is through the revelation of the essence of the soul as it is rooted in the Awtsmoos,

for in the essence of the soul, the two matters of son and servant are completely one.

And based on this, we can explain the order of the above statement of our Sages

("Whoever engages in Torah, acts of kindness, and prays with the congregation"),

that it places Torah before acts of kindness and prayer,

even though in the order of a person's service in general, the study of Torah is

(primarily)

after prayer

[which comes after the precedence of acts of kindness,

as our Sages said,

"He gives a coin to a poor person and then prays"],

because the true matter of "He redeemed my soul in peace" is through the revelation of the Yechidah.

And similarly, regarding the matter of "redeemed me and my children from among the nations,"

that this matter will be specifically at the coming of Moshiach is because Moshiach is the Yechidah of the entirety of Hishtalshelus.

And it can be said,

that the intention here regarding Yechidah is

(not only to the particular level of Yechidah,

but also)

to the essence of the soul.

And therefore it places Torah before acts of kindness and prayer,

because the revelation of the essence of the soul is through one who engages in Torah

[for this, that Torah

(son)

is in the manner of "engaging"

(servant)

is due to the essence of the soul],

and therefore,

this matter is the primary preparation for the coming of Moshiach,

the Yechidah of the entirety of Hishtalshelus.

And to add,

that through the revelation of the Yechidah of all of Hishtalshelus that will be in the future to come,

there will be an additional elevation in all three matters

(wisdom,

teshuvah and good deeds),

even to an elevation that is beyond comparison.

For regarding Torah

(wisdom)

our sages said,

that the Torah of now is vanity compared to the Torah of Moshiach,

and regarding teshuvah it is known

that Moshiach comes to bring the righteous to teshuvah,

for the teshuvah of the righteous is more elevated than simple teshuvah,

and regarding good deeds it is known

that at the coming of Moshiach the fulfillment of the mitzvos will be in ultimate perfection.

And it can be said,

that in the perfection of good deeds and lights that will be then, is also included that all matters of the world of Asiyah will shine,

even to the extent that also night will shine like day,

in the true and complete redemption through Moshiach our righteousness,

and in a manner that immediately they are redeemed.