English translation — מאמר על שלושה דברים תשי"ד

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbos Parshas Kedoshim,

Erev Rosh Chodesh Iyar, 5714*.

"Upon three things the world stands: upon Torah, upon service, and upon acts of kindness,"

and my father-in-law, the Rebbe, brings in his maamar beginning with the words "This"

the explanation of our master, the Alter Rebbe,

"Upon three things the world stands" – "upon

three things the concealment stands."

And the maamar explains the connection between the Alter Rebbe's explanation

("the concealment stands")

with the simple explanation

("the world stands"),

for the essence of "world" is concealment.

And the maamar adds,

that the concealment in the world is because the creation of the world is through the concealment of the light.

And as it is brought in Etz Chaim,

that when the light of Ein Sof filled all of reality,

there was no place for the existence of the world,

and in order for there to be a place for worlds, it was necessary for there to be a removal of the light.

And it can be said,

that in this addition, the matter of the concealment of the world is more strongly emphasized.

That its concealment is not like something additional to it,

but rather the creation of the world is through the concealment of the light.

And furthermore,

that from the perspective of revelation, there was not even a place for worlds

(and not only that they would not have come into being in actuality).

And the maamar continues,

that the intention of the concealment is for the sake of revelation.

And through the removal of the concealment,

the inner light that is hidden within the concealment is revealed.

And this is "upon three things the world stands,"

that through the work of Torah, service, and acts of kindness,

they remove the concealment and the inner light is revealed.

And it can be said,

that what the maamar says, that the intention of the concealment is for the sake of revelation,

is in order to explain the Mishnah "upon three things the world stands."

For although through Torah, service, and acts of kindness, a revelation of G-dliness is drawn down,

nevertheless, it says "upon three things the world stands"

("the concealment stands"),

because the intention of the concealment is for the sake of revelation,

for the intention of every thing is its inner essence.

And therefore it says "upon three things the world"

(the concealment)

stands,

for the inner essence of the world

(concealment)

is that into which the revelation of G-dliness is drawn.

Based on this, we can explain the statement, "The world stands on three things,"

for this implies

that for the world to have stability

(the revelation of G-dliness in the world),

it is not only the general matter of Torah and mitzvos that is relevant,

but specifically the matter of the three things,

for the concept of the world's stability is

that the revelation of G-dliness drawn into the world through Torah and mitzvos should not be like an added thing,

but rather that it be revealed that the intention and inner essence of the world

(the concealment)

itself is that there should be a revelation of G-dliness within it,

and this matter within Torah and mitzvos is through their division into three things

(three categories),

Torah, service [prayer], and acts of kindness.

B)

This will be understood by prefacing what was explained above

(in the previous maamar)

in the explanation of the Sages' statement,

"The light of Ein Sof is above, above, without end, and below, below, without limit,"

that "above" and "below" are

(generally speaking)

Atzilus and BY"A [Beri'ah, Yetzirah, Asiyah],

and the meaning of "the light of Ein Sof is above... and below..." is

that the superiority and perfection of the light of Ein Sof is in two matters:

In the matter of the drawing down and descent below to bring into being and vitalize the creations of BY"A,

and within this itself—"below, below, without limit,"

that it is drawn down to vitalize the creations of this physical world, beneath which there is no lower level,

and even to the extent that it is drawn down to vitalize even the kelipos,

and in the matter of loftiness,

that even the highest worlds,

Atzilus and above Atzilus,

"above, above,"

their coming into being is from only an illumination,

which is incomparable relative to His essence.

These two matters are

(generally speaking)

the Or HaMemaleh [the Immanent Light] and the Or HaSovev [the Transcendent Light].

For in the Or HaMemaleh is the matter of descent and drawing down below to vitalize creations according to their level,

and in the Or HaSovev is the matter of transcendence and loftiness,

that all the worlds

(and also the light that is enclothed within them)

are incomparable and considered as nothing relative to His essence.

And from these two matters in the light of Ein Sof, the two matters of "above" and "below" are made in the worlds.

For the matter of "above" and "below" exists in all worlds.

The existence of the worlds

(even the existence in Atzilus and above Atzilus)

is the "below" within them,

and the matter of ratzo [running/striving upward],

the exit from existence

(which exists in all worlds,

even in BY"A)

is the "above" within them.

And these two matters in the worlds derive from the two aforementioned matters in the light of Ein Sof.

For from the Or HaMemaleh, which is in a movement of descent and drawing down below,

is made the "below"

(the existence)

in the worlds,

and the "above" in the worlds

(the ratzo within them, in which they strive to exit their existence)

is from the revelation of the loftiness of the light of Ein Sof

(Sovev).

C)

Now, it is known

that creation is for the sake of man,

the intention of this is not only for the creation of the worlds

(including even the world of Atzilus and the worlds of Ein Sof above Atzilus),

but for all revelations,

even the most sublime revelations.

Based on this, it can be said

that the intention of the two aforementioned matters in the light of Ein Sof—

the matter of the descent and drawing down below of the Or HaMemaleh and the matter of the elevation and loftiness of the Or HaSovev—

including also the root of these two matters as they are in the light of Ein Sof before the tzimtzum

[the light of the ascent of the will, which is the root of the Or HaMemaleh, and the light that precedes the ascent of the will, which is the root of the Or HaSovev],

is

so that there should be

(analogous)

these two matters in the service of man.

In general, they are the two lines of Torah and prayer.

For prayer is an elevation from below to above,

for through the contemplation of prayer, one exits his existence, to the point of coming to divestment from physicality.

And Torah is a drawing down from above to below.

For the matter of engaging in Torah is

(not that a person nullifies his intellect,

but rather, on the contrary),

that the Torah is drawn down and enclothed in the intellect of the person,

a drawing down from above to below.

And furthermore,

the drawing down of Torah

(which is drawn down into the intellect of the person)

occurs even when the person is in a state opposite to purity,

similar to the matter of the light of Ein Sof "below, below, without limit,"

which is drawn down to vitalize not only the creations of this physical world but even the kelipos.

And just as in the matter of "below, below, without limit,"

even when it is drawn down below to vitalize the creations and even the kelipos,

the light is not changed by this,

so too is it with the drawing down of Torah,

that even as it is drawn down into the intellect of the person,

and even when the person is in a state opposite to purity,

it is the word of G-d.

4)

And behold, just as the concept of "above without end" is also in the lower worlds,

as explained above

(section 2)

that even in the creations of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, and even in the creations of this world, the sublimity of Ein Sof shines within them,

that all worlds are incomparable and considered as nothing before Him,

and through this there occurs within them a ratzo toward Elokus,

that they desire to exit their existence,

so too is it regarding the elevation of prayer

(which is analogous to the concept of "above without end"),

that even when a person is in the lowest low, without end,

behold, through prayer he is elevated

(meaning that he is in a state of ratzo and yearning to ascend)

above and above, without end.

And as it is written,

"A ladder is set upon the earth and its head reaches the heavens," and it is stated in the Zohar,

"The ladder is prayer,"

for even when a person is at the very lowest level

("earth"),

through the ladder of prayer he reaches and ascends to the heavens.

However,

in order for him, being in a lowly state,

to be aroused with ratzo and yearning to ascend above,

he must contemplate

(not only the matters of G-d's greatness that are explained in prayer,

but also)

this very matter itself,

that he is in a lowly state.

Both regarding thought, speech, and action,

that sometimes he stumbles

(he falls through)

even in actual deed, and all the more so in speech, and certainly in thought,

and also regarding his intellect and emotions.

For although the primary service of man is to turn from evil and do good in actual deed, in thought, speech, and action,

nevertheless, this matter

(that the main thing is the actual deed)

is regarding the intention from above,

but regarding the state of the person,

since intellect and emotions are united with the soul,

and thought, speech, and action are only garments

(as explained at length in the previous maamar),

the condition of his intellect and emotions

(whether they are in holiness or the opposite)

is more significant than his thought, speech, and action.

And all the more so when he contemplates regarding his essential soul,

that even when his thought, speech, and action, and also his emotions and intellect, are in holiness, it is possible that his essential soul is in the depths of the kelipot,

as is known

regarding the statement of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai,

"I do not know on which path they are leading me,"

behold, through contemplating all this and feeling that he is in a lowly state,

he is aroused with a ratzo to exit his existence and ascend above.

5)

And behold, it was explained above

(in the previous maamar)

that the two aspects in Ein Sof

(above above without end and below below without end)

in their first root

(in the light as it is included in the Atzmus,

which is the matter of ability)

are that it is within His ability to shine and within His ability not to shine.

And since in the aspect of ability, both

(the ability to shine and the ability not to shine)

are one matter,

therefore,

even when they are drawn into revelation and thereby become two matters,

above above and below below,

they are inter-included with each other.

And so it is with Torah and prayer,

that they are inter-included with each other.

For even in Torah, which is a drawing down from above to below, there is within it the aspect of elevation from below to above,

and likewise in prayer,

which is an elevation from below to above,

there is within it also the aspect of drawing down from above to below.

And this will be understood through what our sages said,

"In the first three hours, the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and engages in Torah,"

and the precise point of this is known,

"Anyone who reads and reviews, the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and reviews opposite him,"

and since Israel engages in Torah throughout the entire day

(one learns at this hour and another learns at that hour),

behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, also engages in Torah throughout the entire day,

and nevertheless they said that in the first three hours

(specifically)

the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and engages in Torah.

And the point of the explanation of this is,

that this—"anyone who reads and reviews, the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and reviews opposite him"—is a drawing down from above that comes through an arousal from below

(the person's engagement in Torah),

and therefore,

the drawing down is proportional to the arousal from below.

For this is what they said, "anyone who reads and reviews, the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and reviews opposite him,"

that this—that the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and reviews—is opposite him,

according to the person's learning.

And this—that in the first three hours the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and engages in Torah—is a drawing down from above from its own side,

from a place that arousal from below does not reach there.

And this drawing down is a giving of power to the person so that he can engage in Torah, and that through his engagement in Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, will read and review opposite him.

And this is, "May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech flow as the dew,"

for the difference between dew and rain is,

that the descent of rain depends on the person's service

(as it is written,

"And it will be, if you surely listen...")

(and then specifically)

"and I will give the rain of your land"),

and dew does not depend on the person's service

(as our sages said,

"Dew is not withheld"),

for so it is in spirituality,

that rain is the drawing down that comes through arousal from below, and dew is the drawing down from above from its own side.

And the reason that Torah is compared to dew and to rain is,

because in Torah there are these two aspects.

The level of Torah that is drawn through the person's engagement in Torah—"May my teaching drop as the rain,"

and the level of Torah whose drawing down is from above

(in a manner of arousal from above from its own side)

—"my speech flow as the dew."

And this is the connection of "the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and engages in Torah" to the first three hours, because the root of rain

(matar)

is in the lower seven of Atik

[as is known regarding the matter of "sevenfold, like the light of seven days,"

that "sevenfold" is forty-nine,

and "sevenfold, like the light of seven days,"

forty-nine times seven,

has the numerical value of "geshem" (rain).

From this it is understood,

that rain is related to the seven days, which are the lower seven of Atik],

and the root of dew is in the first three of Atik.

And this is the connection of "the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and engages in Torah"

(the dew of Torah)

to the first three hours,

for the first three

[hours]

are the first three of Atik.

6)

And behold, just as dew

(in its simple sense)

descends and is drawn downward,

so too is it with the dew of Torah,

which is drawn and revealed downward in the Torah that a person learns.

For in addition to the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and engages in Torah

(the aspect of the dew of Torah)

is a granting of power to a person so that he can engage in Torah, and that through his engagement in Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, will read and review opposite him,

behold, also the matter of the dew of Torah itself is drawn and revealed downward in the Torah that a person learns.

For in the drawing down of the Torah above into the Torah that a person learns,

there are two matters.

The Torah as it is in the Z"T of Atik,

[is] the rain of Torah.

And the drawing down of this aspect is through a person's engagement in Torah,

for since the Z"T of Atik are invested in Arich, the root of the chain of descent,

therefore a person's engagement in Torah is an arousal from below that awakens and draws down this aspect.

And the Torah as it is in the G"R of Atik,

[is] the dew of Torah.

And the drawing down of this aspect is from above,

and a person's engagement in Torah is only like a vessel in which the dew of Torah is drawn and revealed.

And it can be said,

that this—that a person's study of Torah is a vessel for the dew of Torah—is primarily in the study of Pnimiyus HaTorah.

For since Pnimiyus HaTorah

(even as it is drawn downward)

is the Tree of Life, which is above the matter of clarifications,

therefore it is like a vessel for the essence of Torah, which is above any connection to the chain of descent

(the G"R of Atik, which are not invested in Arich),

the dew of Torah.

And based on this, we can explain the connection between the two versions in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory,

"Whoever uses the light of Torah, the light of Torah revives him,"

for the version in the Gemara is "light of Torah" and the version in the Yalkut

is "dew of Torah,"

and it can be said,

that "light of Torah" is Pnimiyus HaTorah,

and the study of Pnimiyus HaTorah is a vessel for the dew of Torah.

7)

And similarly is it in prayer,

for although in general it is an elevation from below to above,

it also contains the matter of drawing down from above to below.

And the explanation is,

that the beginning of the prayer of the Silent Amidah

[which is the main prayer]

is the verse,

"Ad-nai, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise,"

for the recitation of this verse is

(not only an introduction to prayer,

but rather)

the beginning of the prayer itself,

as it is stated in the Gemara

that it is like a long prayer.

And behold, in the Targum on the verse "Ad-nai, open my lips," it is translated,

"Open my lips in Torah."

That is,

that the request in this verse at the beginning of prayer is,

that the prayer

(and my mouth will declare Your praise)

should be like Torah

("Ad-nai, open my lips in Torah").

For just as in Torah,

the Torah that a person learns is the word of G-d,

"My words that I have placed in your mouth,"

and the person is like one who responds after the reader,

so too should the prayer be in the manner of "and my mouth will declare Your praise,"

that a person's prayer should be

(not his own prayer,

but rather)

that only through it will be drawn down

("declare" from the term "drawing down")

"Your praise,"

the prayer of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And the explanation of the matter in more detail,

will be understood according to what is brought in the Gemara,

that when Rebbi heard from Eliyahu the prophet that Rabbi Chiya and his sons are comparable to the Patriarchs,

Rebbi stood them before the ark,

he said "Who makes the wind blow" and a wind blew,

"Who brings down the rain" and rain came,

when he reached saying "Who revives the dead" the world trembled.

And the Alshich wrote

that the request "Ad-noy, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise" which is at the beginning of the silent prayer,

is that our prayer should be like the prayer of Rabbi Chiya and his sons.

And it is not understood,

how can it be said that our prayer should be like the prayer of Rabbi Chiya and his sons

[and especially according to what is brought in the Gemara there that Rabbi Chiya and his sons were like the Patriarchs].

Also, it needs to be understood,

that Rabbi Chiya and his sons would pray every day,

and nevertheless the drawing down through the prayer of Rabbi Chiya and his sons

(a wind blew,

rain came,

the world trembled)

was specifically when Rebbi stood them before the ark.

For through their praying before the ark and being the emissaries of the congregation,

their prayer had the power of the congregation,

for regarding the prayer of many

(the prayer of the congregation)

it is written,

"Behold, the Almighty is great and does not despise."

And although the prayer of the congregation exists every day,

and that it was specifically through this prayer that a wind blew etc. is because of the virtue of Rabbi Chiya and his sons who were comparable to the Patriarchs,

nevertheless,

even regarding the prayer of Rabbi Chiya and his sons, in order for there to be a wind blowing etc., it was specifically when they were the emissaries of the congregation.

And ostensibly, it could be explained this way according to what is known,

that from the fact that in every request in the silent prayer we conclude "Blessed are You, Ad-noy",

it is proven,

that even in an individual's prayer there is absolutely no doubt that the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills his request.

Rather, in an individual's prayer it is possible that the influence will be drawn down for him above,

or that it will be drawn down

(also below,

but only)

in spirituality,

and the advantage of congregational prayer

(which is desirable and accepted forever)

is,

that the influence is drawn down also below in physicality.

And behold, in congregational prayer,

there are several levels of gradations,

and the greater the request is,

and especially when the congregation praying are not fitting vessels for it,

a greater prayer is needed,

and also that the emissary of the congregation should be an elder

(or the most distinguished of the congregation)

so that his prayer will be heard.

And based on this, it could ostensibly be explained regarding Rabbi Chiya and his sons,

that this—that through their prayer when they were emissaries of the congregation a wind blew and rain came

(in physicality)

is

(primarily)

due to the advantage of the prayer of many,

except that even in congregational prayer

(and especially for a great request that the congregation is not worthy of it),

it is necessary that the emissary of the congregation be one whose prayer is heard.

But this explanation is insufficient,

for from that which they said that Rabbi Chiya and his sons were comparable to the Patriarchs,

it implies,

that this—that through their prayer a wind blew and rain came—is because of the greatness of their elevation

(that their prayer is heard like the prayer of the Patriarchs),

and nevertheless,

this—that a wind blew etc.—was specifically when they were emissaries of the congregation.

And the matter is,

that this—that the drawing down through prayer is in physicality

[to the extent that through the drawing down a change is made in the creations,

to heal the sick and bless the years,

and unlike the drawing down through Torah and mitzvos which is

(primarily)

above]

is when the drawing down in physicality is from the requests of the needs of the one praying

[except that even then there are several levels of gradations.

For in addition to the difference between an individual's prayer and the prayer of many,

there is also a difference in the level of the person praying

(the individual,

or the emissary of the congregation),

for there is one whose prayer is heard more].

And since the drawings down of "Who makes the wind blow" etc. were not from the requests of the needs of Rabbi Chiya and his sons,

therefore,

through their prayer

(when they prayed by themselves)

they drew down these matters in spirituality

(similar to the drawing down through Torah and mitzvos),

and when Rebbi stood them before the ark and they became emissaries of the congregation of all of Israel,

through this these matters were included in the requests of their needs

[in addition to that through their praying as emissaries of the congregation of all of Israel, the advantage of the power of the many was added to their prayer],

and therefore,

through their prayer then, the matters were drawn down also in physicality.

And there is another matter in this,

that this—that through the prayer of Rabbi Chiya and his sons

[even when they were emissaries of the congregation and the matters of "Who makes the wind blow" etc. became requests of their needs]

a wind blew etc.—is because Rebbi, who was the prince of Torah,

stood them before the ark,

and through this, their prayer also contained the aspect of Torah.

And the matter is,

that in the drawing down through prayer, which is the service of the lower one,

the state of the lower one matters,

and in order for influence to be drawn down to the lower one, it is specifically when he is

(somewhat)

a vessel for the drawing down.

And the drawing down through Torah,

since it is from above,

is drawn down to the lowest level,

even when the lower one is not a vessel

(at all)

for the drawing down.

Therefore,

this—that through the prayer of Rabbi Chiya and his sons the drawing down was in the world

(even though the world was then not a vessel for this)

is through that in their prayer there was

(also)

the aspect of Torah

(through Rebbi standing them before the ark).

And that the drawing down was specifically through the prayer of Rabbi Chiya and his sons

(and not through Rebbi),

is,

for in order for there to be a change in the physical, it is through the drawing down of the Ein Sof light that is above the chain of descent,

for the drawing down of this light is specifically through the elevation of feminine waters of prayer.

And in this matter,

Rabbi Chiya and his sons were greater than Rebbi.

For the advantage of prayer,

which is the elevation of feminine waters to draw down the Ein Sof light that is above the chain of descent,

is the self-nullification in prayer,

that the person praying is like a servant before his master,

and Rabbi Chiya and his sons were comparable to the Patriarchs,

who were a chariot for G-dliness,

for a chariot is utter self-nullification.

And therefore,

the prayer of Rabbi Chiya and his sons was an elevation of feminine waters to draw down a most exalted light,

through which drawing down a change is made in the creations,

even to the change of the revival of the dead.

Except that in order for the drawing down to be in the world

(even though the world is not a vessel for this)

it is through that in their prayer there was

(also)

the aspect of Torah,

a drawing down from above.

And this is that the request in the verse "Ad-noy, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise" is that our prayer should be like the prayer of Rosh Chodesh and his sons,

for in the elevation of the prayer of Rosh Chodesh and his sons,

there are two matters.

The elevation of the prayer

(of theirs)

itself,

that the raising of the Mayin Nukvin of their prayer is much loftier than the raising of the Mayin Nukvin of ordinary prayer,

and that in their prayer there was also the aspect of Torah.

And in the request of the aforementioned verse,

[there are] both matters.

For the request "and my mouth will declare Your praise" is that his prayer should be like one who answers after the caller, after the prayer of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the prayer of the Holy One, blessed be He is no less

than the prayer of Rosh Chodesh and his sons.

And the request "Ad-noy, open my lips" in Torah is that in his prayer there should also be the elevation of Torah,

an influence from above to below.

8)

And behold, through the inter-inclusion of Torah and prayer

[that in Torah, which is an influence from above to below,

the aspect of Ein Sof below without limit,

there is also the aspect of elevation from below to above,

and in prayer, which is an elevation from below to above,

the aspect of Ein Sof above without end,

there is also the aspect of influence from above to below],

through this it is revealed that the two aspects

[of above without end and below without limit]

in their source are completely one.

And as explained above

(section 5)

that the reason for the inter-inclusion of the two aspects is,

because in the ability of the Awtsmoos,

the ability to illuminate and the ability not to illuminate,

are one matter.

However,

now,

the revelation of the root of the two aspects as they are in the ability of the Awtsmoos is only in that they are inter-included one within the other,

and this is a preparation for that in the future to come there will be the connection and unification of the two aspects.

For then He will illuminate in them with actual revelation their first root as they are in the ability of the Awtsmoos,

that the ability to illuminate and the ability not to illuminate are truly one.

9)

And this is "Upon three things the world stands,"

upon three things the concealment stands,

for through the Torah and mitzvos being divided into three types,

for in general they are two lines of influence and elevation,

and also after they are divided into two lines they are inter-included one within the other,

through this it is revealed that the inner matter of the world,

the concealment,

is,

that there will be in it a revelation of G-dliness.

Therefore,

the revelation of G-dliness drawn into the world through the service in the three things—Torah, service, and acts of kindness

(each of which is inclusive of all of them)

is not like something additional to the world, but rather this is the very essence of the world itself,

"the world stands."

And this drawing down is through the service of the three things now.

However, now it is in concealment,

and in the future it will be in revelation,

and as explained earlier

(in the previous maamar63)

that in Moshiach there will be the connection of above and below,

and through him this will also be drawn down throughout the entire world,

that the earth will be filled with knowledge of Havayah64,

that even the physical earth

(inanimate,

lowest low)

will be filled with knowledge of Havayah

(highest high),

with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily and truly.