English translation — מאמר ונחה עליו רוח ה' תשכ"ה

With the help of Heaven.

The last day of Pesach,

the year 5725.

"And the spirit of Hashem shall rest upon him... and he shall scent the fear of Hashem... and the wolf shall dwell with the lamb..."

And my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, explains in his maamar beginning with the words "This"

that in these verses the prophet describes the coming of Mashiach our righteousness, who will come to redeem us speedily in our days,

and he states several things regarding King Mashiach and his conduct.

First, he explains the virtue of King Mashiach himself—"And the spirit of Hashem shall rest upon him,"

and afterwards he explains his conduct—"and he shall scent the fear of Hashem"

[for even "and he shall scent" is a matter of his conduct,

as in "he smells"

"and judges"],

and afterwards he adds "and the wolf shall dwell with the lamb,"

that the conduct of Mashiach will be in a manner that he will bring about

a revelation of G-dliness throughout the entire world,

not only in the speaking species but also in the living species

(wolf and leopard, etc.)

and even in the inanimate species,

and as the verse continues,

"For the earth shall be filled with knowledge of Hashem,"

that even the physical earth

(inanimate)

will be filled with knowledge of Hashem.

And the maamar points out,

that one must understand,

since the earth will then be filled with knowledge of Hashem,

why will a king be needed?

And the point of the explanation is

that kingship is a matter of exaltation,

that the king is separate and elevated from the people.

And even the commands of the king

(although ostensibly they are a movement of closeness,

that the king draws near to the people to lead them according to his will)

are

in a manner of elevation and separation,

in the way of a decree and command.

And so it is also from the side of the people,

that their fulfillment of the king's command is not because they know and comprehend the reason for the command,

but rather,

because of the fear and awe of the king,

that his awe be upon you.

Thus,

even the influence from the king to the people is in a manner of exaltation and separation.

And this is the difference between the influence of a teacher and the influence of a king,

that the matter of a teacher's influence is that the teacher draws close to the student

(contracting his intellect according to the vessel of the student)

in a way that the student will comprehend the intellect,

but not so the influence of a king, which is separate from the people,

above their intellect.

And the root of these two matters

(the influence of a teacher and of a king)

is

also in the Torah,

for there are in it

(analogous to)

these two matters.

For there are matters in the Torah that are clothed in intellect,

but the essence of the Torah is above intellect.

And in the future to come,

both matters will be revealed.

For this is why Mashiach is called by the name "teacher" and by the name "king,"

meaning,

that in addition to Mashiach teaching Torah to all of Israel

and influencing upon them good taste and knowledge in the secrets,

in the inner dimension of the Torah,

due to which influence Mashiach is called by the name "teacher,"

he himself will attain infinitely more than what he will influence in comprehension,

and the influence of these matters will be in the aspect of makif (encompassing light),

analogous to the influence of a king.

And one may add, seemingly,

that based on what is known

that the Torah study of Mashiach

(what he will teach all the people)

will be in a manner of vision that is above comprehension,

it is understood from this,

that the matters he will influence in the manner of a king are matters that cannot come into revelation even in a vision above intellect,

and nevertheless,

because Mashiach will be

(also)

a king,

he will reveal to Israel even these matters,

except that the revelation of these matters will be in the way of makif (encompassing light).

2)

And it continues in the maamar,

that all this

(namely, both the influence of a rav and the influence of a king)

comes specifically through the prior service of the time of exile.

And to understand the connection of the service of the time of exile to the revelation of the Future to Come,

it introduces in the maamar,

that because of the greatness and multitude of concealments and veils in the time of exile,

the primary service in the time of exile is in the manner of victory,

to be strong in the actual fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos in actual deed,

without taking into account any hindrance or obstacle.

For in general, this is the matter of the service of mesirus nefesh that is above intellect and reason,

for the matter of mesirus nefesh is that one does not enter into any consideration or deliberation,

but rather,

that it is absolutely impossible

to be in any other way.

And the explanation is,

that in the time of the Temple, all of Israel were on a lofty level,

for in addition to being people of great comprehension,

behold, during their pilgrimage they also had sight of G-dliness

(which is above comprehension)

as it is stated,

"Three times a year shall appear" etc., and just as one comes to appear, so does one come to see,

but in the time of exile it is written,

"I am asleep," and our sages said,

"in exile,"

for just as in literal sleep all the inner faculties are concealed,

beginning with the faculty of intellect,

for during sleep the faculty of intellect departs and only the faculty of imagination remains,

and the primary concealment

(that comes from sleep)

is in the faculty of sight

(to the extent that this is also evident in the limbs of the body,

for during sleep the eyes are closed),

so too is it with the sleep of exile,

for the primary concealment of exile is that in the time of exile there is no sight of G-dliness,

"Our signs we have not seen,"

and also the comprehension of G-dliness

(which exists even in the time of exile)

is not at all comparable to the comprehension of the time of the Temple,

to the extent that the comprehension of the time of exile

(relative to the comprehension of the time of the Temple)

is analogous to the faculty of imagination in sleep.

And because of this,

also the love and fear

(that are in the time of exile)

are not as they should be.

For in addition to the fact that in the time of exile it is impossible to have the nullification of prostration

(inner nullification)

which comes specifically from the sight of G-dliness,

and as it is stated,

"And we are unable to ascend and appear and prostrate ourselves before You,"

for since we are unable to ascend and appear, consequently we are unable

(also)

to prostrate ourselves, to be in a state of inner nullification,

behold also the external nullification

(the nullification of bowing),

which comes from the comprehension of G-dliness

(which exists,

in general,

also in the time of exile),

is not as it should be,

since even the comprehension of G-dliness in the time of exile is not true comprehension,

and the primary service in the time of exile is in the manner of victory,

as above.

And within the time of exile itself,

behold, from generation to generation the minds and hearts diminish,

as our sages said,

"The heart of the early ones... and we are like the eye of a fine needle,"

and especially in the generation of the heels of Moshiach, when concealments and veils have multiplied

(in addition to the fact that minds have diminished).

Therefore, in this time, the matter of victory and mesirus nefesh that is above intellect and reason is even more relevant.

And even the people of intellect that exist now must set aside their intellect and not go after reason and knowledge

(for from the side of intellect it is possible to deviate, Heaven forbid, from the path of truth,

and especially now that concealments and veils have multiplied,

as above),

but only to stand firm not to deviate, Heaven forbid, from the Shulchan Aruch even as much as the tip of a yud,

service in the manner of victory and mesirus nefesh that is above intellect.

3)

And behold, the reason for this, that the concealment and veiling of exile

(including also the concealment and veiling of the generation of the heels of Moshiach)

is only upon the inner faculties of the soul and not upon the attribute of Netzach,

is explained in the maamar,

that this is because the root of Netzach

is in the essence of the soul,

for so too is it Above,

that the root of Netzach is in the innerness of Kesser,

and in the innerness of Kesser, the matter of change does not apply.

And as it is stated,

"And also the Netzach of Yisrael will not lie and will not relent, for He is not a man to relent,"

for the matter of relenting and change applies only in the aspect of "man,"

[the] chain of descent,

and since the root of Netzach is in the aspect of "not man,"

above the chain of descent,

therefore change does not apply to it,

and it is present in revelation even in the time of exile.

And moreover,

rather, in the time of exile,

and especially in the heels of Moshiach,

the power of victory and mesirus nefesh is in greater revelation than in the time of the Temple.

And it may be said,

that what is explained in the maamar

(and at length)

regarding the superiority of the root of Netzach is

(also)

in order to explain the reason for this, that the revelation of the future to come comes specifically through the prior service of the time of exile.

For since the service in the time of exile is in a manner of victory,

and the root of Netzach is from the innerness of Keter,

the aspect of “He sets darkness as His hiding place”39

which is above revelation,

therefore through the service of the time of exile, there will be revealed in the future also those matters that are above comprehension and vision40

(above even the comprehension and vision of the future),

and only that Mashiach will reveal them in a manner of kingship,

as mentioned above.

d)

And he continues in the maamar41,

that the explanation of this matter

(that the revelation of the future comes specifically through the service of the time of exile)

will be understood from the matter of the descent of the soul below,

that the descent is for the sake of an ascent.

For from this it is understood also regarding the descent of exile,

that it is for the sake of an ascent.

That specifically through the service in the time of exile there will be the revelation of the future, which is more elevated than the revelation that was in the time of the Temple.

And it may be said,

that this additional explanation

(that the intention of the descent of exile is from the outset for the sake of an ascent)

is in order to explain the reason for this, that even the revelation of Mashiach who will reveal as a teacher,

in comprehension and vision,

comes specifically through the service of the time of exile

(even though the matter of comprehension, and all the more so vision, was specifically in the time of the Temple,

as mentioned above).

And this will be understood from the matter of the descent in the totality of Hishtalshelus,

that the beginning of the descent is the first contraction,

and it is known42

that the effect of the contraction is both upon the Ein Sof blessed be He and upon the light that is in the aspect of limitation

(the light to illuminate the worlds).

That the effect of the contraction upon the light of the blessed Ein Sof is that it becomes concealed and included in its source,

and does not shine in revelation in the place of the void,

meaning that the effect of the contraction upon this light is not upon the light itself.

And the reason may be said,

that since this light is above the value of the worlds,

the contraction does not have the capacity to effect in it descent and limitation,

and all the effect of the contraction upon this light is that it not shine in the place of the void.

However, the effect of the contraction upon the light to illuminate the worlds is upon the light itself,

and in several matters,

first, that before the contraction this light was mixed and included in the light of the blessed Ein Sof, and through the contraction it became separate by itself43,

by which it descended from its level,

second, that by being drawn through the leap of the contraction, not in an orderly progression, it comes into an aspect of division into ten Sefiros

[and as explained at length44,

that the matter of the Sefiros that are in the light is not only from the aspect of the vessels, but rather,

that the matter of the Sefiros is also from the aspect of the light],

third, that through the contraction the light becomes clothed

(afterward)

in the vessels, by which it comes into materialization,

becoming like the vessels.

e)

And now, similarly is it also regarding the concealment of the descent of the soul below

(that all concealments, their root is from the concealment

(of contraction)

the first),

that it has two matters,

analogous to the two matters mentioned above in the first contraction45.

First,

that when the soul was above,

all its powers shone in revelation,

and in its descent below,

they are in concealment.

That this concealment is not that the body conceals,

but rather,

that these matters of the soul remain above and are not clothed in the body46,

analogous to that which the light of the blessed Ein Sof does not shine in the place of the void.

And second,

that even those matters that do become clothed in the body,

they are in materialization,

analogous to the concealment in the light of the line from the aspect of the vessels47.

And similarly is it also regarding the concealment of exile,

that it contains analogues of these two matters48.

First,

that in the time of exile the revelations of the Holy Temple do not exist,

and it is that since the Holy Temple was destroyed, we are unable to ascend and be seen,

that there is no vision of Elokus.

And second, that even the comprehension in the time of exile is not true comprehension,

and this is

(not only from the aspect that the revelations of the Holy Temple do not exist,

but also)

from the aspect of the concealment and hiding of exile,

which conceals and hides the comprehension of Elokus.

6)

Now, it is known

that the intent of the tzimtzum is so that the revelation of Ein Sof will also be in the worlds.

For before the tzimtzum,

when Ein Sof filled the place of the void,

it was impossible for the existence of the worlds to be,

and consequently there was no revelation in the worlds,

and through the tzimtzum it was innovated that the revelation of Ein Sof will also be in the worlds.

And this will be understood by first prefacing what is known

(regarding the concealment of the tzimtzum,

how the light without end was concealed and included in its source),

that before the tzimtzum,

when Ein Sof filled the place of the void

(meaning that the Ein Sof without end shone in it)

G-dliness was in a state of simplicity and existence was in a state of renewal,

and through the removal of the light,

existence became in a state of simplicity and G-dliness in a state of renewal.

And regarding the distinction between these two matters in the service of man,

there are several levels.

In general, it is the distinction between seeing G-dliness and comprehending G-dliness.

For when the knowledge of G-dliness is in a manner of seeing,

even in the vision of wisdom and all the more so in the vision of prophecy, which is actual seeing,

the knowledge is in a state of simplicity, requiring no proofs or evidence for it,

unlike when the knowledge of G-dliness is from the compulsion of the intellect,

it is in a manner of renewal.

But in detail,

the matter of G-dliness in simplicity will be in the future,

unlike now, where even the revelation of prophecy is in a manner of renewal.

For in physical matters, anyone can see and there is no wonder in it at all,

unlike the matter of prophecy, which is specifically for one who is worthy of it,

for prophecy only rests upon one who is great in wisdom, mighty in his character traits, etc.,

and so too with the vision of wisdom, which is only for unique individuals,

thus the revelation of prophecy now is in a manner of novelty and not in a manner of simplicity,

and this is what is said about him, that it is a novelty that he is a prophet.

And this is because the entirety of revelation now,

even the revelation of prophecy,

is from the light of the line that came after the tzimtzum.

Unlike in the future, when the revelation will be of the Ein Sof that preceded the tzimtzum,

prophecy will be like a completely natural thing,

therefore it will be in every person,

even in boys and girls,

as it is written,

"I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy."

7)

And similarly was the vision of G-dliness that was in the Holy Temple,

that the revelation of vision in the Holy Temple was in every person,

"Every male shall appear,"

is because in the Holy Temple the revelation of Ein Sof that preceded the tzimtzum shone,

but nevertheless,

even the revelation of the Holy Temple was not like a completely natural thing.

For since the revelation was only in the Holy Temple

[and not like seeing physical things, which requires no special place],

it is understood,

that this vision of G-dliness in the Holy Temple was due to some cause,

due to the revelation of Ein Sof that shone in the Holy Temple,

unlike in the future,

the vision of G-dliness will be like a completely natural thing,

as it is written,

"And all flesh will see," etc.,

for the properties of the eyes of flesh

will be in such a manner that they will see G-dliness.

8)

And it must be understood,

the revelation of Ein Sof without end and the existence of the worlds are two opposites,

therefore when Ein Sof filled the place of the void it was impossible for the worlds to come into being, and in order for there to be a place for the worlds, the removal of the light was necessary,

and since the coming into being of the existence of the worlds is specifically from the removal of the light

(the opposite of the matter of revelation),

how is it possible that the existence of the worlds

(and all the more so the existence of physical flesh)

will be in a manner that in its existence there will be a revelation of G-dliness?

And the explanation of this is,

that since the intent of the tzimtzum is for the sake of revelation

(that the revelation will also be in the existence of the worlds,

as above),

therefore the innerness of the tzimtzum

[and consequently also the worlds that came into being from the tzimtzum]

does not contradict revelation,

and on the contrary,

this is

(the matter of revelation)

the inner matter of the tzimtzum.

But in order to reveal the innerness of the tzimtzum,

this is accomplished through the service of Israel, and specifically in the time of exile

(as will be explained in section 9).

And based on this, one can understand what the maamar adds, that the descent is for the sake of an ascent,

with which it explains

(as above, section 4)

that this [revelation] that through the service of the time of exile there will be the revelation of the future era is not only the revelation of matters that are beyond comprehension and sight

(which Mashiach will reveal from the aspect that he is a king),

but also59

the matters of comprehension and sight60,

which Mashiach will reveal in the capacity of a teacher61,

[meaning] that even the revelation of these matters is through the service of the time of exile,

because that in the future era there will be "and all flesh shall see" etc. from the aspect of the nature and properties of flesh itself,

is specifically through revealing the inner intention of the descent,

that the descent is for the sake of an ascent.

9)

Now, this matter

(that the tzimtzum is for the sake of revelation)

is revealed

(primarily)

through the service of the time of exile.

For the descent of exile

is for the sake of an ascent

(analogous to how the tzimtzum is for the sake of revelation).

However, in this matter

(the descent of exile)

there is an addition,

that even during the time of exile itself, one sees in actuality how the concealment of exile arouses the power of mesirus nefesh.

And the matter is as explained in the maamar62,

that during the time of exile,

and especially in the generation of the heels of Mashiach,

the power of mesirus nefesh is more revealed than during the time of the Temple.

And it brings a parable for this from the power of will in the human soul,

that although it is a surrounding power,

and therefore it is found in all the limbs,

nevertheless,

the primary revelation of the will is in the heels63,

therefore it is easier for a person to put his heel into boiling water than to put boiling water on his head.

For so too is it in the supernal form of the Congregation of Israel,

that the power of mesirus nefesh

(an unlimited power,

above being clothed in vessels)

is more revealed in simple people

(the aspect of heels)

than in those with intellect.

And likewise is it in the supernal form of all the generations collectively,

that the primary revelation of the power of mesirus nefesh is in the generation of the heels of Mashiach.

For the reason that the concealment of exile arouses and reveals the power of mesirus nefesh

(even though concealment and revelation are opposites)

is because the root of the concealment of exile is the concealment of the first tzimtzum,

whose intention is for the sake of revelation.

And through the service of mesirus nefesh during the time of exile,

through this the inner aspect of the concealment is revealed in actuality

(the concealment of exile,

and up to its root, the concealment of the first tzimtzum),

whose matter is for the sake of revelation.

10)

And [section] 4)

And based on all the above, one can also understand that in the service of the time of exile,

and especially in the generation of the heels of Mashiach,

there are two matters,

the study of the inner dimension of the Torah specifically with understanding and comprehension,

and together with this the service of mesirus nefesh.

For in the inner dimension of the Torah that will be revealed in the future, there are two levels,

that which can be attained through comprehension,

and the essence of the inner dimension of the Torah that is beyond comprehension

(and beyond even sight).

And since all the revelations of the future depend on our deeds and service now64,

therefore both services are demanded from each and every one,

the occupation with the study of Chassidus

(similar to the Torah of Mashiach)

with understanding and comprehension65,

and together with this the service of mesirus nefesh,

the surrender of the will,

so that through these two services there will be the revelation of Mashiach in both modes of teacher and king,

very soon.