English translation — מאמר פדה בשלום תשל"ח

B'Siyata Dishmaya.

19 Kislev 5738*

"He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me"1,

And it is known what was said by the Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe, author of the redemption, in his holy letter2

(regarding the redemption of 19 Kislev),

When I read in the book of Tehillim the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace,"

before I began the verse after it,

I went out in peace from the One of peace,

that his redemption is connected to the matter of "He redeemed my soul in peace."

And from this it is understood also regarding the redemption of his son and successor, the Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe

(on 10 Kislev),

that it is connected to the matter of "He redeemed my soul in peace"3,

for this verse is in the monthly portion of Tehillim for the tenth day of the month4.

[And one can connect this also with the length of the explanation etc. in his discourse beginning "He redeemed my soul in peace"5].

And also the redemption of 12 and 13 Tammuz of the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe,

their successor

(of the Alter Rebbe and the Mitteler Rebbe),

is connected to the matter of "He redeemed my soul in peace"6,

as is also proven from the fact that several of the maamarim of 12 and 13 Tammuz7

begin with this verse.

And it can be said,

that this matter

[the connection of the redemption to "He redeemed my soul in peace"]

is also connected to the fact that the redemption of 19 Kislev was on the third day in which "it was good" was repeated8

[i.e., Tuesday]9

and in the third month

(of the winter months)10

[And also the redemption of 10 Kislev and of 12 Tammuz were on the third,

the redemption of 10 Kislev – in the third month,

and the redemption of 12 Tammuz – on the third day in which "it was good" was repeated],

for the main novelty in the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace" is

(not so much the matter of redemption,

but rather)

that the redemption is in peace11

and the third12

is the matter of peace13.

2)

Now, in this verse there are two interpretations.

The simple interpretation of "He redeemed my soul in peace" is that the Holy One, blessed be He, redeems the righteous

[both according to the simple meaning of the matter, which refers to the redemption of Dovid,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed him from the wars that came upon him,

and as it is brought in the Yerushalmi

that "He redeemed my soul in peace" refers to the redemption of Dovid from the war of Avshalom,

and so too regarding the "He redeemed my soul in peace" of the redemptions of Yud-Tes Kislev, Yud Kislev, and Yud-Beis Tammuz,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed the righteous],

and the second interpretation is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said:

The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Whoever engages in Torah, acts of kindness, and prays with the congregation, etc., it is as if he redeemed Me, etc.,

that man

(who engages in Torah, etc.)

redeems the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were.

And one must understand the connection between these two interpretations,

for in addition to the known fact that all interpretations of a single verse are related to each other,

behold, in the discourses of Yud-Tes Kislev

and Yud-Beis Tammuz

(when the matter of "He redeemed my soul in peace" occurred in its simple sense,

as above)

it is brought

(in many of them)

at their beginning and start, the aforementioned teaching of our Sages,

behold this emphasizes even more that these two interpretations are related to each other.

And one must understand the connection between the two interpretations.

And even though according to the aforementioned teaching of our Sages, the verse also speaks

(also)

about the matter of the redemption of Israel,

"He redeemed me, me and my children"

[And in the Chiddushei Aggados of the Maharsha

there, that the Shechinah said "He redeemed my soul in peace" with "those close to me," meaning my children],

behold this is regarding the one being redeemed,

but regarding the redeemer,

behold according to the simple interpretation,

"He redeemed," etc., refers to the Holy One, blessed be He,

and according to the aforementioned teaching of our Sages,

"He redeemed," etc., refers to the man who engages in Torah, etc.

3)

And this will be understood by prefacing that the three matters of Torah, charity, and prayer

(in a congregation),

through which "He redeemed me, me and my children,"

are the three pillars upon which the world stands

(as stated in the Chiddushei Aggados of the Maharsha there

and likewise in the Rashba there).

And since the existence and standing of the world is upon these three pillars,

it must be said

that these three matters also existed at the beginning of creation.

And even though it is known that the creation of the world was from the aspect of "for

He desires kindness"

(and only now does it depend on an arousal from below),

nevertheless,

since the purpose of creation from the outset is for the sake of Israel and for the sake of the Torah,

it must be said

that these three matters are the pillars of the world even at the beginning of its coming into being.

And the explanation is,

behold, the teaching of the Maggid of Mezeritch is known

and the teaching of our master, the Alter Rebbe

[which is called

(also)

by his name]

on the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory,

"Know what is above from you,"

that everything that is above is all from you.

And from the continuation of the matter there, it is understood

that through the service of man, the matter above is effected even before the service.

And as the Maggid of Mezeritch said

on the verse

"Let us make man in our image," etc.,

that it is like the parable of a man who has a son,

that from the greatness of his love for him,

the form of the son is engraved in his thought.

And since with Him, blessed be He, the past and the future are one,

therefore the form of Israel was engraved

(as the souls of Israel are in the aspect of created beings,

and more than that, as they descend below)

in His thought, blessed be He, even before they were created.

For this is also the matter of "He took counsel with the souls of the righteous,"

that what was known before Him, blessed be He, that He would delight, as it were, in the service of the righteous,

behold this delight arose before Him, blessed be He, even before creation

(and through this, creation came about).

And this is what the three pillars

(Torah, service, and charity)

were also at the beginning of creation,

for since the Holy One, blessed be He, contracted Himself into the form of Israel

(even before they were created),

behold, through the service of Israel of Torah, service, and charity,

which are the three lines of Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferes

(and the three matters of thought, speech, and action),

there is effected above

(even before creation)

the form of Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferes

(and of thought, speech, and action),

and all the worlds come into being.

4)

However, nevertheless,

the matters that are done above

(through the service of Israel)

before the service,

are not at the same level of elevation as they are after the service.

And this is analogous to the well-known matter regarding the statement, "He declares His words to Yaakov, His statutes and judgments to Israel."39

[The explanation of "His words, statutes and judgments" is that the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills the mitzvos40],

that there are two aspects to this.41

The first aspect is,

as the Sages, of blessed memory, expounded on the verse, "What He does, He tells Israel to do,"

meaning that initially the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills the mitzvos, and this gives strength to Israel that they should fulfill the mitzvos,

an arousal from above that precedes the arousal from below.

And the second aspect is,

that through Israel fulfilling the mitzvos, it is thereby drawn forth above that the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills the mitzvos,42

an arousal from above that comes through the arousal from below.

And this aspect of the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, that is brought about through the fulfillment of the mitzvos by Israel,

is more elevated than the fulfillment of the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is in and of itself.43

And this is analogous to the arousal from above that comes through the arousal from below, which is more elevated than the arousal from above that precedes the arousal from below.44

And just as the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, that are brought about through Israel fulfilling the mitzvos are more elevated than the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, as they are in and of themselves,

so too can it be said regarding the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, that are brought about through the fulfillment of the mitzvos by Israel itself,

that the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, after the fulfillment of the mitzvos by Israel in actual practice,

are more elevated than the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He

(that were brought about through the fulfillment of the mitzvos by Israel)

before the fulfillment of the mitzvos by Israel in actual practice.

5)

And with this will be understood what the Sages, of blessed memory, said45

on the verse,46

"And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day,"

that the sixth day of the act of Creation

[for the primary matter of the act of Creation is on the sixth day,

the day when Adam was created,

as we say on Rosh HaShanah,47

"This day is the beginning of Your works."48

And so too is it regarding the 19th of Kislev,

the Rosh HaShanah for the Torah of Chassidus and the ways of Chassidus,

that "this day is the beginning of Your works" — the completion of the true intention in the creation of man49]

is dependent on the sixth day of Sivan, on which the Torah was given,50

for the Holy One, blessed be He, stipulated51

with the act of Creation, saying, "If Israel accepts the Torah

(only then)

you will endure," etc.

For from the fact that the verse makes the sixth day of the act of Creation dependent on the sixth day of Sivan,

it is implied

that the fact that the enduring strength of the act of Creation was actualized on the sixth day of Sivan is

(not only because of the doubt that existed in the land, lest they not accept it,52

but rather)

also according to the truth,

as it was revealed before Heaven

(even beforehand)

that Israel would accept the Torah.

[And it should be added,

that since "if Israel accepts the Torah" is a condition for the act of Creation,

therefore

(even when it is known beforehand that the condition will be fulfilled)

the strength of the act is when the condition is fulfilled in actual practice.53]

And even though this matter

(that Israel actually received the Torah)

also existed with Him, blessed be He, from the beginning,

nevertheless, in addition to the fact that this matter is only from the perspective of the Supernal One

(since with Him, blessed be He, the past and future are one),

as opposed to in the world,54

where this matter did not exist,55

and therefore there was no strength for the existence of the world until the sixth day of Sivan,

behold, through Israel actually receiving the Torah in this physical world

(on the sixth of Sivan),

a more elevated elevation was brought about even in the aspect of the receiving of the Torah as it is in His thought, blessed be He, before creation.56

6)

And the matter is,

as explained above

(in the discourse "Mayim Rabim"57)

regarding the elevation that is brought about in the souls specifically through their descent below,

even though before this they were rooted in His Essence, blessed be He, and He consulted with them, etc.,

that when they are in the aspect of consultation, they are in the category of tzaddikim

(as per the precise wording, "Whom did He consult? With the souls of the tzaddikim"58),

and through the service of Torah and mitzvos

(in actual practice)

in their descent below, they become in the level of baalei teshuvah,

the matter of "And the spirit shall return to G-d Who gave it."59

As explained at length in the aforementioned discourse.

And based on the well-known teaching60

that the ultimate intention of the soul's descent below is in order to rectify the body, the animal soul, and its portion in the world,

it can be said,

that also the effect in the world

(in the body, the animal soul, and its portion in the world,

and even in the entire world)

that is brought about through the service of the soul,

is the matter of teshuvah,

the elevation of all the sparks in the aspect of the returning light of teshuvah.61

And on the contrary,

the ultimate intention of the soul's descent below is

(not for the sake of the elevation of teshuvah that is brought about in the soul,

but rather)

in order to effect the refinement and elevation of the sparks in the world

(the matter of the teshuvah of the world,

and this is higher than the teshuvah of the soul62).

7)

And this can be connected with the teaching of the Maggid

(whose yahrtzeit is observed)

on the verse,

"And Yaakov settled in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan,"

[namely,] that Yaakov's descent from his supernal level to settle in the land, in materiality

(that is,

the descent of the soul below)

[even to the degree of "vayeishev,"

for "yeshivah" (sitting) is only an expression of delay],

is for the sake of "megurei aviv,"

"megurei" being an expression of gathering and ingathering, like "oger bakayitz" (one who gathers in summer),

to gather and collect the holy sparks

(that are in this world)

and to bring them in and elevate them upward.

And behold, in the teaching of the aforementioned Maggid, at its beginning,

he explains

that "megurei aviv" is the fear of his Father in Heaven

("megurei" being an expression of terror and fear),

and the interpretation of "And Yaakov settled in the land of his father's sojournings, etc." is

that although he is in the land,

in the materiality and physicality of this world

[and moreover,

that in this world itself he is in the land of Canaan, from the expression "Canaan, in his hand are deceitful scales,"

meaning that he is found among the wicked],

nevertheless, he is in "megurei aviv,"

in the fear of his Father in Heaven.

And after this, he adds another interpretation,

that "megurei aviv" is the gathering of the sparks, as above.

And it can be said

that these two interpretations are the two matters

(of section 6 above)

that are accomplished through the descent of the soul below.

For first, he explains the elevation that occurs in the soul through its descent below,

that by the fact that even when it is in the materiality and physicality of this world

[and moreover—in the land of Canaan]

it is in fear of Heaven,

through this it is elevated more than it was before its descent.

[And particularly according to what is explained in Torah Ohr, the discourse "Vayeishev Yaakov"

(and in the glosses of the Tzemach Tzedek there),

that by the soul overcoming the concealments and veils of the body and the time of exile and arousing itself with love and fear,

the love and fear themselves are also more elevated than the love and fear before its descent.]

And afterwards, he explains a more exalted matter that is accomplished through the descent of the soul below,

for this matter is the ultimate purpose of the descent,

to gather and collect the holy sparks and elevate them upward.

8)

And it can be said

that the interpretation of "megurei aviv" as the gathering and ingathering of the sparks comes in continuation and connection with the interpretation that "megurei aviv" is the fear of his Father in Heaven.

[And the connection of the two interpretations is also understood from what is explained in Torah Ohr there,

that the two interpretations of "megurei,"

an expression of fear and an expression of a treasury,

both coincide.

And although in Torah Ohr there,

even according to the interpretation that "megurei" is an expression of a treasury,

"megurei" refers to fear

(as it is written,

"Fear of Hashem is His treasury,"

and likewise in the words of our sages,

"a treasury of fear of Heaven"),

it can be said

that the connection of the two interpretations is also according to the explanation in the teaching of the Maggid that "megurei," an expression of gathering and ingathering

(a treasury),

refers to the gathering of the sparks].

For the perfection of the refinement and elevation of the sparks

("megurei," an expression of gathering)

is through the service of fear,

the self-nullification of a servant,

whose entire intention in his service is

(not for himself,

nor even in order to cleave to Him, etc.,

but only)

to serve his Master,

to make a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms,

and through this the refinement is in perfection.

9)

And behold, the actual refinement of the world is accomplished through the service in the three lines of Torah, service, and acts of kindness.

[However, the service in all three lines must be with fear,

the beginning of service and its essence and its root77].

For just as the coming into being of the world was through the three lines of Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet,

so too the refinement of the world

(until the world becomes a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He)

is through the service in all three lines.

And this is "And Yaakov dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings,"

for the matter of his father's sojournings

(the refinement of the world)

is through Yaakov,

the third and the tripartite among the Patriarchs78,

the chosen among the Patriarchs79,

because he is comprised of all three lines

(for Yaakov is Tiferet which includes also the attributes of Chesed and Gevurah),

as it is written80

"The God of my father Avraham and the Fear of Yitzchak was with me,"

for he had within him also from the attribute of Chesed

(Avraham)

and Gevurah

(the Fear of Yitzchak)81.

And this is also that the Torah is a tripartite light,

and also many matters in the Giving of the Torah relate to the concept of tripartite82,

for the purpose of the Giving of the Torah is to effect refinement in the world

(as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said83

that the Torah was given to make peace in the world),

and this is accomplished through service in the three lines,

the concept of tripartite.

And this is also what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said

(on the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace")

"Whoever engages in Torah, and acts of kindness, and prays with the community, it is as if he redeemed Me, etc.,"

that the redemption of the sparks in this physical world

[through which is accomplished "He redeemed me and my children from among the nations of the world" in its simple sense]

is through engagement in the three lines84

of Torah, service, and acts of kindness85.

10)

And behold, since the ultimate intent of the descent of the soul below is

(not for the elevation of repentance that is effected in the soul,

but rather)

in order to effect refinement and elevation of the sparks in the world

(as above, section 6),

it must be said,

that this, that through the service of man in the three lines of Torah, service, and acts of kindness an elevation is effected in the three lines of Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet above

(as above, section 3),

is primarily from the aspect that through service in these three lines the refinement of the world is accomplished,

which is the ultimate intent.

And based on this, the connection between the two explanations of "He redeems in peace My soul" will be understood

[the simple explanation that "He redeems" etc. refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, and the explanation of our Sages that "He redeems" etc. refers to the person who engages in Torah, acts of kindness, and prays with the congregation],

for this—that the Holy One, blessed be He redeems Israel—

[even to the matter in its simple sense,

that even during the time of exile, behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps86,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, guards Israel both spiritually and physically,

so that no thing should be able to touch them, G-d forbid,

and as is explained in detail in the Psalm "He who dwells in the shelter"87.

And even that

(afterwards)

He will redeem Israel from the exile]

is brought about through man

(through his service in the three lines),

"He redeemed me for me and for my sons."

And through this,

the redemption from Above

(the first explanation of "He redeems in peace")

is in a manner more elevated than it is in and of itself.

9)

A)

And it emphasizes "all who engage in Torah" etc.,

that his service in Torah

(and acts of kindness and prayer)

is in the manner of "occupation"88.

For just as a businessman is busy and occupied with this all day,

even at a time when he is not engaged in the body and essence of his business,

so too is the matter of one who is occupied with Torah,

that he is occupied with this throughout the entire day

(even when not during his study time),

meaning that even when he deals with mundane matters, he does so for the sake of Heaven89

and even in the manner of "know Him"90,

that even at the time of his involvement in physical matters, he is occupied with matters of

(knowledge of Havayah)

Torah91.

And through this, "He redeems in peace My soul" is brought about,

peace in all matters

(and faculties)

of his soul,

peace in the supernal retinue and peace in the lower retinue92

[and these two matters also exist in the soul of man93

[even to the point that there is peace in its perfection between the created and the Creator,

that Israel becomes

(through the Torah)

and the Holy One, blessed be He, one entity94],

and also in his portion in the world.

For in addition to the fact that worldly matters do not prevent him from serving G-d,

rather they themselves agree and assist,

for "many are with me,"

that even the sparks of holiness stand with immense yearning

(and pray)

that they be refined,

similar to the matter of "for many are with me" in its simple sense,

that even the men of Avshalom prayed95

for the victory of Dovid.

And it says "He redeems in peace,"

"in peace" is two peaces

(similar to what is explained in Torah Or, discourse "And I will return in peace to my father's house"96),

peace from Above downward,

the drawing down from Above downward through Torah and mitzvos,

and peace from below upward,

the service of teshuvah,

until the teshuvah of "and the spirit shall return to G-d who gave it"—the soul in the body

(for length of days and good years),

and even while he is in the body, he is in the aspect of "and the spirit shall return" etc.,

and in the manner of "you shall see your world in your life"97.

And these two modes are connected to the three lines of Torah, acts of kindness, and prayer

(in a congregation),

Torah and acts of kindness are a drawing down from Above downward,

and prayer is an elevation from below upward.

10)

2)

And behold, the true essence of the matter of peace is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said

on the verse

"And I will grant peace in the land... and a sword shall not pass through your land, even a sword of peace."

And it is known

that the "sword of peace" is the service of prayer,

and peace

(that there is not even a sword of peace)

is the service of Torah.

And with this will be understood

the order of the aforementioned statement of our Sages, of blessed memory,

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

that they place Torah before acts of kindness and prayer,

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

(primarily)

after prayer

[which comes after the precedence of acts of kindness,

as our Sages, of blessed memory, said,

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

for the true essence of the matter of peace is specifically through the Torah,

the life of the world,

in a manner of "his Torah is his craft,"

that this manner in the study of Torah

(in the inwardness of the matters)

is relevant to every single person in every place and every day,

meaning that at the time he studies Torah, his study is in a manner of "his Torah is his craft,"

for at that time he has nothing in his world except the Torah alone,

and then his study is also in a manner of an eternal effect,

that affects all his affairs throughout the entire day,

and even throughout all the days of his life,

that they become a life of Torah.

And this becomes an immediate preparation for the time of the days of Moshiach, when the entire world's occupation will be solely to know G-d alone,

that the true essence of the matter of knowing G-d is in the manner of the statement of the Rebbe,

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory,

that when one studies Likkutei Torah, "he hears Atzmus,"

and through this, the power is given for something similar to this for all who walk in his paths,

and as is known what the Rebbe,

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory, said

regarding the matter of "Yedativ, Hayisiv,"

that "every single one of Anash who engages in the study of Chassidus and in the service of the heart...

each one hears and feels the 'Hayisiv' that comes from the 'Yedativ' that is in the soul."

10)

3)

And this is "He redeemed in peace my soul... The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Whoever engages in Torah, and acts of kindness, and prays with the congregation... it is as if he redeemed Me...,"

and the statement of the Holy One, blessed be He, is an action,

except that initially the action is in a manner of "as if he redeemed Me"

(with the prefix "kaf" of comparison),

because this is not yet visible to fleshly eyes,

but afterwards this is drawn also into the action of the world of Asiyah, below which there is no lower world,

the redemption of the Holy One, blessed be He, and Israel from among the nations of the world

(redemption in its simple sense,

without the "kaf" of comparison),

that then the engagement in Torah, acts of kindness, and prayer with the congregation will be in ultimate perfection,

as the commandment of "Your will,"

with the coming of Moshiach our righteousness,

may he come and redeem us and lead us upright to our land,

and very soon,

and also in the translation language,

speedily in our days.