English translation — מאמר ציון במשפט תפדה תשל"ו

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbos Parshas Devarim,

Shabbos Chazon,

the 4th of Menachem-Av, 5736*

“Tzion shall be redeemed through justice, and her captives through charity,”

And the Alter Rebbe brings in Likkutei Torah, the discourse beginning with this verse,

at its beginning, the statement,

“And these words that I command you today,”

that this refers to every day,

for every day they should be in your eyes as new.

And he explains,

that in order to come to this

(that every day they should be in your eyes as new),

it is through contemplating this very verse – “And these words that I command you today.”

For the coming into being of all the worlds is from the attribute of Malchus, which is only a radiation,

and through the fulfillment of the mitzvos in this world, there is a drawing down of the Essence (Awtsmoos).

For this is “that I command you today,”

“I am that I am.”

Therefore, one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is greater than all the life of the World to Come,

for the World to Come is that they delight in the radiance of the Shechinah,

only a radiance,

and through repentance and good deeds in this world, there is a drawing down of the Essence (Awtsmoos).

And this is “that I command you today,”

specifically today,

“Today to do them, and tomorrow to receive their reward,”

for the reward of the mitzvos in the World to Come

(tomorrow)

is only a radiance,

and through the fulfillment of the mitzvos in this world,

“today to do them,”

they draw down the Essence (Awtsmoos).

And through contemplating the concept of “I command you today,”

that through fulfilling the mitzvos today

(in this world)

the Essence (Awtsmoos) is drawn down

(“I am”),

through this, the mitzvos will be for him in the manner of “today,”

that every day they will be in his eyes as truly new.

And he continues in the discourse,

that all this is as it should be,

but when it is not so,

and his bitterness and joy are over matters of this world,

then,

the G-dly spark within him is in exile within his animal soul,

“like a sheep before its shearers is silent,”

and about this it is written, “Tzion shall be redeemed through justice, etc.”

(as will be explained below, section 9).

And it needs to be understood,

for seemingly,

even when the mitzvos are like an old decree

in his eyes,

it is possible that he fulfills them with vitality,

and even,

that this

(fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos)

is the main thing for him.

And from what is said in the discourse, “but when it is not so, etc.,”

it seemingly implies

that when the mitzvos are not new in his eyes, then surely his bitterness and joy are over matters of this world.

And also, it needs to be understood what is said in the discourse, that in order to come to “every day they should be in your eyes as new,” it is through contemplating the concept of “I command you today,”

that through fulfilling the mitzvos in this world

(“today”)

there is a drawing down of the Essence (Awtsmoos)

(“I am”),

which is vastly superior to the reward of the mitzvos in the World to Come, which is only a radiance,

for seemingly,

since the pleasure

(and delight)

from the radiance of the Shechinah in the World to Come is a very great delight

[and especially that the intent of “World to Come” here is not only the Garden of Eden but also the World of Resurrection,

for the revelation that will be in the World of Resurrection is vastly superior to the revelation of the Garden of Eden],

behold, even through contemplating the superiority of the reward of the mitzvos

(in the World to Come)

he would have great vitality in fulfilling the mitzvos,

and in the discourse it says,

that in order for the mitzvos to be in his eyes as new and not like an old decree, he must specifically contemplate the concept of “I command you today,”

the superiority of “today to do them” which is above “tomorrow to receive their reward.”

2)

And this will be understood by prefacing that in order that each day be as new in your eyes, it is through the revelation of a level that is above changes.

And since the definition of the world is

(place and)

time,

time being change,

therefore,

in order that each day be as new in your eyes, it is through the revelation of the Ein Sof that is above enclothing in worlds,

the encompassing light.

For the light that is enclothed in the worlds,

the filling light,

comes in a limited form to give life to the creations according to their worth.

And as our sages, of blessed memory, said,

"Just as the soul fills the body, so the Holy One, blessed be He, fills His world,"

for just as the life of the soul that is enclothed in the body is according to the manner of the body's limbs,

in each limb the life-force is according to its worth,

so too regarding the life-force of the world, into which the filling light is drawn

(this being that the Holy One, blessed be He, fills His world),

the life-force of each creation is according to its worth.

And from this it is understood, all the more so,

regarding the definition of the world in its entirety

(place and time),

that from the perspective of the filling light,

it is impossible for there to be in the world a matter that is above time and place.

And although even the light that is enclothed in the world is not grasped by the definitions of the world,

and as it is written,

"There is none holy like the L-rd," and it is stated in the Zohar,

"How many holy ones there are, yet there is none holy like the L-rd,"

for the novelty in the holiness of the L-rd is that although He is enclothed

in the creations

and gives them life

(in their inwardness),

nevertheless He is holy and separate from them and is not grasped within them.

[And it can be said that this is the explanation of "He is the place of the world, and the world is not His place,"

for "He is the place of the world" refers to the filling light,

which gives life to the world,

and nevertheless "the world is not His place,"

meaning it is not grasped within this],

nevertheless, this that the light remains in its simplicity

(even after it is enclothed in the world)

is regarding the light,

but regarding the world,

the life-force of the world that is enclothed is measured and limited by the definitions of the world.

Therefore,

in order that each day be as new in your eyes

(a matter above time),

it is through the revelation of the encompassing light.

3)

And now, since the definition of the world is place and time,

it is understood

that this—that through the revelation of the encompassing light, a matter above time and place is drawn into the world—is because the definitions of the world are nullified before the revelation of the light of the boundless, which is above the world.

And this is analogous to will

(for will is a metaphor for the encompassing),

for this that will rules and dominates over the limbs to do contrary to their nature is because they are nullified to the will.

And since the matter of "each day be as new in your eyes" is that one should have vitality in the mitzvos

(as new things),

and vitality is internal,

therefore,

the matter of being above time that shines within the person

(through which they will be as new in your eyes)

must be within him internally.

Therefore,

the empowerment for this—that each day be as new in your eyes—is this: "that which I command you today,"

"I am that I am,"

which is above even the encompassing.

And the explanation is,

that the light of the boundless

(the source of the encompassing light),

is defined by the definition of "boundless,"

and therefore,

this that Ein Sof is without extension and is found in revelation in every place,

even in this physical world,

is because the light is Ein Sof,

but this does not pertain to the world.

And there are two manners in this:

either the light is not felt at all in the world,

or the light is felt in it,

through which a matter above time and place is drawn into it,

but it is in a manner that the definition of the world is nullified before the light.

And in order that the revelation of the light of the boundless in the world be in its inwardness,

it is through the Atzmus

that is not defined by any definition,

neither by the definition of limit nor by the definition of the boundless.

Therefore,

through the revelation of the power of Atzmus,

the union of the boundless and the limited is made,

the unification of the encompassing and the filling,

and the revelation of that which is above time

(drawn from the encompassing)

in the world

(whose life-force is from the filling light)

is in its inwardness.

4)

And it should be added,

that this—that the matter of "each day be as new in your eyes" is through the unification of the encompassing and the filling—is not only so that the matter above time

(the encompassing)

be felt within the person inwardly,

but also because in the matter of "each day as new" itself, there are the two opposites of above time and time.

For the matter of "new"

(and the preciousness and endearment in this)

is change,

that at first the thing was not, and it was renewed only now.

And this that each day they are as new in his eyes is that the renewal

(the change)

is in a constant manner that does not change.

Thus, this that the matter of "each day as new" is through the unification of the encompassing and the filling is not only that the revelation of the encompassing

(that is above time)

is felt by him inwardly

(through which he has vitality in the mitzvos as new things),

but moreover,

that time itself

(which from the perspective of the filling light)

is in a manner above time and change

(the revelation of the encompassing).

And it can be said,

that this—that the fulfillment of the mitzvos must be in a manner of truly as new ones—is not only so that through this the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos will be with greater vitality,

but rather

(also)

this matter itself

(that each day they should be in your eyes as new ones)

pertains to the fulfillment of the mitzvos.

For the matter of the mitzvos is that through them is effected the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah,

the unification of Sovev and Memaleh.

And since the service of man

(the arousal from below)

through which the drawing down is effected

(the arousal from above)

must be commensurate with the drawing down,

therefore, when the fulfillment of the mitzvos of man is in a manner that each day they are in his eyes as new ones,

a connection of time with that which is above time,

through this there is added in the revelation of the unification of Sovev and Memaleh that is effected through the mitzvos.

5)

And behold, the two matters of Sovev and Memaleh are the two names Havayah and Elokim.

And as is explained in many places,

that the name Elokim is not only the shield and sheath that conceals and hides the light of the name Havayah,

but rather also the light of the name Havayah as it is drawn down and contracted through the name Elokim to become a source for created beings,

which in general is the light of Memaleh,

is called Elokim.

And according to the known principle

that the fact that the body conceals the soul is because the source of the soul is from Havayah and the source of the body is from Elokim,

and therefore just as Elokim conceals Havayah, so too the body conceals the soul,

it can be said,

that similarly it is also regarding the matter of Sovev and Memaleh

[that also the light of Memaleh is called Elokim,

as above],

that in order for man to know and feel that the main thing is the matters of the soul and the matters of the body are only secondary,

it is through the unification of Sovev and Memaleh.

For in the light of Memaleh

(as it is in itself)

—since it is a source for created beings and the created beings occupy place relative to it—

there is a place-occupancy for matters of the body,

and through the unification of Sovev and Memaleh,

that also in the light as it becomes a source for worlds, the revelation of the Ein Sof light that is above worlds shines,

for everything before Him is considered as nothing,

through this there is the recognition that matters of the body are only for the sake of the soul.

And based on this, it is possible to explain what is said in Likkutei Torah, that when the matter of "each day as new ones" is not present, then his bitterness and delight are from matters of this world,

because in order for there to be the unification of Sovev and Memaleh,

through which matters of this world do not occupy place for him,

it is through his fulfillment of the mitzvos being in a manner of "each day as new ones."

6)

And based on this, it is possible to explain the connection of exile to forgetfulness,

as it is written,

"Why do You forget us forever,"

for the cause of forgetfulness is that the knowledge that was with him previously was limited,

and therefore over the course of time it ceases.

And from this it is understood regarding the matter of memory and forgetfulness

(as it were)

above,

that the matter of memory is in Sovev,

for since it is without limit,

cessation does not apply there,

and the matter of forgetfulness is in Malchus,

for Malchus is the source of created beings,

Memaleh.

Therefore,

when the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos of man is in a manner of "each day they are as new ones,"

through which the revelation of the light of the Unlimited shines also in the limited light,

the matter of forgetfulness does not apply,

but when the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos of man is in limitation,

then,

when he fulfills that same mitzvah a second and third time, he does not have the same vitality as he had the first time,

which causes also above that in the limited light there will not be the revelation of the light of the Unlimited,

from this the matter of forgetfulness is drawn.

And just as in man,

when his fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos is in a manner of limitation,

it results from this that his delight is in matters of this world,

and this

(delight in matters of this world,

even in permitted desires)

is the opposite of holiness,

so too is it above,

that through Zeir Anpin

(Sovev)

departing,

the Holy One, blessed be He, ascends above,

and only Malchus remains

(Memaleh),

this causes a descent of Malchus to sustain the kelipos,

the exile of the Shechinah.

7)

And this can be connected with what is said in the haftarah of Shabbos Chazon:

"An ox knows its owner... Israel does not know, My people does not contemplate."

And the Arizal explained

[today is the eve of his yahrtzeit],

that "ox" refers to the calf that the Erev Rav made in the desert,

by casting the tablet upon which Moshe had written "Ascend, ox," in order to raise Yosef's coffin.

And he explains,

that on this tablet was written the name Yeli

(the second name of the 72-letter name),

which is the appointee over the power of the supernal ox.

And this is "An ox knows its owner... Israel does not know...",

that the ox itself knew that it came from a holy name,

and Israel did not know, "My people did not contemplate,"

they did not know and did not contemplate this,

and they said that the calf ascended on its own, and therefore they erred after it.

And this is that the initials of "Israel does not know, My people does not contemplate" are Yeli Alah,

that they did not know and did not contemplate that this "ascended"

(the ox)

was through the name Yeli,

and therefore they said that it ascended on its own.

And it can be said,

that this explanation of "Israel does not know, My people does not contemplate" is a merit for Israel.

For the reason that they erred after the calf

was because they did not contemplate the matters

(the name Yeli)

that are above the world,

meaning that even then they served Havayah,

except that since it was before the commandment that "each day they should be as new in your eyes,"

therefore their service was with limitation,

and therefore,

the revelation that shone upon them then was only the light that is enclothed in the world.

And from this it devolved that they erred after the calf.

And this is also that the sin of the calf caused the breaking of the tablets, through which the possibility of forgetting the Torah came about,

meaning that even after the sin their connection with the Torah remained,

and only the study of Torah after the breaking of the tablets is with limitation, therefore interruption applies to it

(forgetting).

And through this the possibility was created that a nation and tongue would rule over them,

for when the revelation is only from the aspect of Malchus,

there is a place for exile,

as above.

8)

And this is what is said:

"Remember, Havayah, what has befallen us,"

and the Tzemach Tzedek explains

that "what" is the name Havayah

(in the spelling of Alpin, its gematria is 45),

and "us" has the gematria of Elokim,

and the explanation of "what has befallen us" is,

that Havayah became in the aspect of Elokim.

And it can be said,

that the matter of "what has befallen us" in man's service is,

that Havayah is above nature and Elokim has the gematria of nature,

that even when a person has success that is above nature, he thinks it is nature.

And moreover,

that sometimes,

the success that is above nature causes him to think that "his power and the might of his hand have made him this wealth,"

[similar to what happened with the calf,

that this that through the name Yeli the ascent of the ox was made

(a matter above nature)

brought them to think that it ascended on its own].

And the advice for this is "Remember Havayah,"

that the service should be in a manner of remembrance,

above limitation

(each day they should be in your eyes as new),

through which the revelation of Havayah shines,

the encompassing light that is also above enclothing.

And one can connect this with the Baal Shem Tov's interpretation of the verse,

"What was for us" is the revelation of the Mah of the soul,

for the Mah of the soul is the essence of the soul, above enclothing,

which is connected to Havayah that is above enclothing in the world,

and through this one comes to the service of "Remember,"

a service above limitation.

9)

And this is "Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her captives through charity,"

which are two levels in the soul.

Zion is the level of the soul that is above enclothing in the body

(the Mah of the soul),

this level cannot be captive in the animal soul,

that its bitterness and joy be from worldly matters,

rather it is only in exile,

that it does not shine in revelation

(in the soul within the body).

And "her captives" is the level of the soul that is in enclothing,

this level can be captive in the animal soul,

that its bitterness and joy are from worldly matters.

And it can be said,

that it is in the manner explained

in the interpretation of the verse

"And Zion said, 'Havayah has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me,'"

that forgetfulness is that there is something that causes forgetfulness, not merely the absence of memory.

And this is "Havayah has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me,"

regarding Havayah, which is the encompassing light above enclothing in the worlds, forgetfulness does not apply, G-d forbid, only the matter of forsaking,

and it is that in exile, the Holy One, blessed be He, ascends above and does not shine in revelation below

(like the exile of the level of Zion,

which does not shine in the soul within the body),

and "my Lord"

(Malchus)

which generally is the filling light,

the matter of forgetfulness can apply to it,

the descent of Malchus to vitalize the husks

(like the captivity of the level of the soul in the aspect of enclothing,

whose bitterness and joy can be from worldly matters).

And this is

"Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her captives through charity,"

that the redemption of the level of Zion from the things that cover it and prevent its revelation in the soul within the body,

is through Torah

[justice is the laws of Torah,

as the Targum renders

"according to the first judgment" as "according to the first law"],

for Torah is light

(Torah is light)

and therefore through it the revelation of the level of Zion is brought about.

And the redemption of the level of the soul that is in enclothing, which is captive in the animal soul

(and her captives)

is through charity,

that is, all the mitzvos which are called charity,

and particularly through literal charity,

for regarding charity it is written

"Your commandment is exceedingly broad,"

that through the mitzvah of charity the revelation of the light of the boundless is drawn,

and the revelation is also in the soul enclothed in the body,

[and likewise above – in the Sefirah of Malchus, which is called the Shechinah, on account of

that it enclothes itself in the lower beings to vitalize them],

and in a manner of enclothing.

And through this is also drawn the revelation of the very essence of the soul,

which is above even the level of the soul that is above enclothing,

and in the manner explained above

(section 3)

that the unification of the encompassing and the filling is through the revelation of the power of the Essence.

And since "He has also placed the world in their hearts,"

behold, through this it is also drawn into the world,

that the revelation of that which is above nature

(drawn from the encompassing)

will be revealed also within nature

(drawn from the filling),

and through this there will also be the revelation of the Essence

(which connects both of them),

through which the intention of a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms will be completed,

for Him, for His Essence.

And may it be His will,

that very soon the promise and assurance "Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her captives through charity" be fulfilled,

that there will arise

a king from the house of Dovid, engrossed in Torah

(justice)

and occupied with mitzvos

(charity),

and he will wage the wars of Havayah and prevail

[for it can be said that this waging of the wars of Havayah is through the service

in the level of the soul enclothed in the body,

that the service in this level

is in a manner of war with the animal soul],

and he will build the Sanctuary in its place

[so that through this there will be revelation also in the entire world,

for the windows of the Holy Temple were narrow within and wide without,

from which light emanates to the entire world]

and he will gather the dispersed of Israel and perfect the world

entirely to serve Havayah,

and all this – very soon and in our time.