English translation — מאמר הפך ים ליבשה תשכ"ז

With the help of Heaven.

The last day of Pesach,

at the meal,

5727*

(An unedited transcription)

"He turned the sea into dry land; they will cross the river on foot; there we will rejoice in Him,"

and the explanation of this is,

"He turned the sea into dry land" is past tense, speaking of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds,

"they will cross the river on foot,"

is future tense, referring to the future to come,

that then it will be, "And He will wave His hand"

over the river with His mighty wind,

after "the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,"

"and there we will rejoice" in the future "in Him,"

in His very Essence (Atzmus).

And from the fact that it connects "He turned the sea" and "they will cross the river,"

even though there is a very long time between them,

it is understood

that "He turned the sea into dry land" is the granting of the power for what will later be "they will cross the river on foot,"

and as it is written,

"As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders,"

that this is not merely a parallel,

but rather one depends on the other,

that the exodus from Egypt brings about the future redemption,

and therefore many details of the future redemption are learned from the redemption from Egypt.

And now, there is another explanation of this,

that the entire verse speaks of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, for all three matters occurred at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds.

Based on this, it is simply understood that there is a connection between them,

and what is written "they will cross the river on foot" and "there we will rejoice" — in the future tense — indicates perpetuity,

for at every pilgrimage ascent there was a crossing of the river,

and also simply, the well-known river and the generic river

(in the Tanakh)

is the Euphrates River,

behold, the power for this and its beginning was at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds.

And likewise, "there we will rejoice in Him,"

for this is what happened at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds: there was the Song of the Sea, and each one pointed with his finger and said, "This is my God and I will glorify Him,"

"we will rejoice in Him," in His very Essence (Atzmus),

behold, likewise it is with every joy of a mitzvah

and the joy of the Festivals and the pilgrimage ascent, for then "every male will see" etc., specifically regarding coming to see the face of the Lord.

Now, regarding the splitting of the Red Sea, it is written,

“To Him Who cut the Red Sea into pieces, for His kindness endures forever; and He brought Israel through it, for His kindness endures forever.”

From the fact that it says “for His kindness endures forever” twice, it is proven that each of these two matters is a kindness in itself.

And as it is stated in the Haggadah: “How many degrees of goodness has the Omnipresent bestowed upon us… He split the sea for us”

(and another degree)

“and He brought us through it on dry land.”

And at first glance, this is not understood,

for the entire matter of the splitting of the Red Sea was only so that there would be “and He brought Israel through it.”

B)

And this will be understood by prefacing

the explanation of the Mitteler Rebbe in his well-known discourse beginning “Bokea Yam…” to understand the matter of the splitting of the Red Sea,

that the concept of sea and dry land exists in all levels and gradations from the very highest to the very lowest.

And he explains this by way of a parable

(which must be similar and close to the analogue)

from the matter of sea and dry land as they are below in physicality.

For,

our sages, of blessed memory, said,

“Everything that exists on dry land exists in the sea,”

and nevertheless there is a difference between the creatures on dry land and the creatures in the sea,

for the creatures in the sea are covered by the waters of the sea so that their existence is not noticeable to the eye,

and also they themselves feel that the sea is their place of life,

and when they ascend to dry land they immediately die.

This is not so regarding creatures on dry land,

for even though everything came from the dust,

the manner of growth of vegetation is

(not in a way that it is covered within the dust,

but rather)

outside the dust,

specifically on the surface of the ground,

and all the more so the animal species, which is not even connected to the dust

(like vegetation),

and likewise man,

who is the perfection of creation,

even though he was created “dust from the ground,”

and all the details of his needs, like eating and drinking and the like, are from the dust,

nevertheless he is a thing separate from the dust and above it,

specifically on the surface of the ground.

And the reason for the difference between the creatures in the sea and the creatures on dry land depends on the manner of the drawing down from their source.

That is,

the creatures in the sea receive their life-force from their source in a manner of closeness,

meaning,

the source is revealed to them,

and because of this they feel their source of life and are nullified to it, being covered in the water.

This is not so regarding creatures on dry land, who receive their life-force from their source in a manner of distance,

meaning,

the source is in concealment and hidden from them,

and therefore,

not only are they not covered in the dust,

but furthermore,

it seems to them that they are an existence in their own right.

And the analogue of this regarding the distinction between sea and dry land above,

for,

“sea” refers to the hidden worlds that are not revealed,

the concealed world,

where the creatures within them are nullified to their source of life, which is felt by them in revelation,

like the supernal angels,

whose life-force is their self-nullification to G-dliness,

as it is written,

“The fear of the Lord is life,”

and their self-nullification is in a manner that they are not an existence unto themselves at all,

but rather their entire existence is the existence of G-dliness,

therefore we find regarding the supernal angels that they say, “By Myself I have sworn…”

“that I will not…”

and the like,

for at first glance this is not understood,

an angel is a created being,

and how can it say about itself an expression that indicates G-dliness?

Rather,

since it is not an existence unto itself at all,

and its entire existence is the existence of G-dliness,

it can say about itself an expression that indicates G-dliness.

And so it is with souls before their descent below,

who stand in constant self-nullification to G-dliness,

as it is written,

“As the Lord lives, before Whom I stand,”

and “standing” refers only to prayer,

for they constantly stand in self-nullification to G-dliness,

and are not an existence in their own right,

similar to the fish in the sea who are utterly nullified to the sea.

And “dry land” refers to the revealed worlds,

where the creatures within them appear as an existence in their own right,

even to the point of an existence of a separate entity,

from which can evolve an existence that conceals, hides, and opposes G-dliness,

even to the point that it can say “I and nothing else.”

And the reason for the difference between the creatures of the concealed world and the creatures of the revealed world

depends on the manner of the drawing down from their source,

the Sefirah of Malchus,

which is the source of the coming into being of all worlds and creatures,

as it is written,

“Your kingdom is a kingdom of all worlds.”

For,

the Sefirah of Malchus is sometimes called by the name “sea,”

and sometimes it is called by the name “dry land.”

When the Sefirah of Malchus ascends above to receive from the aspects of Chochmah and Binah, which are called by the name “sea,”

for the yud of “yam” (sea) refers to Chochmah,

and “yam” in gematria is fifty, alluding to the fifty gates of Binah,

then it too is called by the name “sea,”

as it is written,

“And the sea was above them,”

and from it are brought into being the hidden worlds, whose creatures are called “fish of the sea.”

And when Malchus descends below, etc.,

when it then receives from the levels below Chochmah and Binah,

Chesed and Gevurah, etc.,

then it is called by the name “dry land” and “earth,”

as it is written,

“And the earth is My footstool,”

and from it are brought into being the revealed worlds, whose creatures appear as a tangible and separate entity in their own right.

3)

Now, based on the explanation of the difference between creatures of the sea and creatures of the dry land,

that creatures of the dry land appear as an existence and a separate entity in themselves,

whereas the creatures of the sea do not appear as an existence in themselves,

but rather are utterly nullified to their source of vitality,

the discourse resolves

the apparent contradiction found in Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah.

For behold,

in chapter 3

it is explained how every created being and existence is truly considered as nothing and absolute naught relative to the power of the actor and the breath of His mouth within the acted-upon, which constantly brings it into being and brings it forth from absolute nothing to something, etc.,

and were permission given to the eye to see and apprehend the vitality and spirituality within every created being, etc., the corporeality, materiality, and tangibility of the created being would not be visible to our eyes at all, for it would be utterly nullified in existence relative to the vitality and spirituality within it, since without the spirituality it would be absolute nothing and naught, exactly as before the six days of creation, etc.

Whereas in chapter 4,

regarding the arrangement of the praises of the Holy One, blessed be He—the Great, the Mighty, etc.—

it is explained

that "the Great" is the attribute of Chesed and the diffusion of vitality throughout all the worlds and creations without end or limit, etc., for "Great is the Lord and to His greatness there is no investigation," and therefore He also imparts vitality and bringing-into-being from nothing to something to endless worlds and creations,

and the attribute of His might, the Holy One, blessed be He, is the attribute of tzimtzum, etc., that the vitality is hidden within the body of the created being, and it is as if the body of the created being is a thing in itself, etc.

And superficially they contradict each other,

for in chapter 3 it implies that the revelation of the vitality

(were permission given to the eye to see)

causes the nullification of the existence of creation,

whereas in chapter 4 it implies the opposite,

superficially,

that the revelation of the vitality

(the attribute of Chesed and the diffusion of vitality)

is the sustenance of the existence of all created beings from nothing to something,

for the efflux of vitality and bringing-into-being from nothing to something to endless worlds and creations comes only from the attribute of Chesed,

whereas the concealment and hiding is from the attribute of Gevurah,

and its effect is only that the created being is felt as a thing in itself,

and if so,

even when the tzimtzum and concealment from the attribute of Gevurah are removed,

so that there will be a revelation of the vitality,

there will be a true existence and reality for all created beings from nothing to something,

and not as implied in chapter 3, that with the revelation of the vitality the existence of the created beings will be nullified.

However, the explanation of the matter will be understood based on what was explained above regarding the difference between creatures of the dry land and creatures of the sea,

that creatures of the dry land appear as an existence in themselves,

but not so creatures of the sea, whose existence is nullified and covered by the waters of the sea,

and this is also the explanation of what is stated in chapter 3, that were permission given to the eye to see, etc., the corporeality of the created being would be utterly nullified in existence, etc.,

that the intention is not that when the tzimtzum is removed there will be an absence of the existence of the created beings,

or a loss of existence,

absolute nothing and naught exactly as before the six days of creation,

but rather,

that the existence of the created beings will be in ultimate nullification relative to their source,

like the light of the sun when it is within the body of the sun's sphere, which is nullified in existence and considered as absolute nothing and naught

(as explained there in the continuation of the discussion),

and this means,

that with the removal of the tzimtzum, all created beings will be nullified in existence relative to their source, analogous to creatures of the sea, whose existence is not apparent because it is nullified and covered by the waters of the sea,

as water covers the sea.

4)

Now, although the souls of Israel before their descent below are in the category of creatures of the sea,

in the hidden world,

nevertheless,

in their descent below to the revealed world to be clothed in bodies,

they become included among the creatures of the dry land, which appear as an existence and a thing in themselves,

to the extent that there is a need for the Torah's command, "And you shall choose life,"

from which it is understood that they have free choice to do the opposite of good, G-d forbid,

and concerning this the Torah commanded that they choose true life, etc.

And the ultimate purpose of the descent of the souls below,

is that even when they are below in the revealed world, being like creatures of the dry land that appear as an existence and a thing in themselves,

there should be within them nullification to G-dliness in the manner and likeness of the nullification of the creatures of the sea in the hidden world.

And this matter is accomplished through meditation on the first verse of the Shema,

"Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is One,"

specifically "One,"

and not "Alone,"

as explained above,

that "One" means that there is an existence of worlds, except that they are nullified to His oneness, may He be blessed,

and as is hinted in the word "Echad" (One),

that the seven firmaments and the earth

(eight)

and the four directions of the world

(four)

are nullified to the Master of the world

(one).

And this is why the intention in the first verse of the Shema is indispensable

(that if one did not intend, he has not fulfilled his obligation),

because the intention and meditation on the matter of "One" is the ultimate purpose of the soul's descent into the body,

to effect that even below there should be nullification to G-dliness.

And the matter is,

for it is written,

"G-d of knowledge is the Lord,"

"knowledge" [implies] two,

upper knowledge and lower knowledge.

Upper knowledge is that above is "yesh" (existence) and below is "ayin" (nothing),

and this means,

that even though the existence of the lower is a true existence,

for it is written,

"In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth,"

and "G-d created" implies the seal of truth,

and moreover, the entirety of the fulfillment of the Torah and mitzvos is specifically below,

from which it is proven that this is a true existence,

nevertheless it is called "nothing,"

because the existence of the lower is considered as nothing relative to the Divine light which is the source of life, which is therefore called "existence."

And this is the knowledge of the hidden world,

where its creatures feel their source of vitality,

and therefore the nullification to their source of vitality is felt by them,

that their existence is nothing relative to their source of vitality, which is the existence.

And lower knowledge is that below is "yesh" (existence) and above is "ayin" (nothing),

this being the knowledge of the revealed world,

where its creatures do not feel that their source of vitality is the Divine light that brings them into being and gives them life,

and therefore it is called by them "nothing,"

because it does not shine within them in revelation but in concealment and hiding,

and because of this they feel themselves as an existence and a separate entity.

And the service is that even below, in the revealed world, there should be the matter of nullification as it is from the aspect of upper knowledge,

and this is the matter of the supernal unity in the first verse of the Shema.

And this is also what is said,

"Blessed is Hashem, the G-d of Yisrael, from the world and until the world,"

that the service of Neshama Yisrael in their descent below to engage in the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos, which are clothed in worldly matters,

is

to draw down

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

Divinity

(Hashem)

from the concealed world

("from the world")

to the revealed world

("until the world"),

so that even in the revealed world there will be nullification to Divinity, in the manner and likeness of the nullification in the concealed world,

for this is the ultimate intention of the creation of the world,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place for Himself in the lower realms.

5)

However, it still needs to be understood,

for seemingly,

when the contemplation of the matter of the unity of G-d,

"Hear O Yisrael, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One,"

is true contemplation,

it should cause a matter of soul-fainting,

as it is said

regarding the sons of Aharon, when they drew near before Hashem and died,

for their souls expired from the greatness of the closeness, etc.

And similarly, regarding the drawing down from the world and until the world,

from the concealed world to the revealed world,

such a drawing down should cause the nullification of the existence of the creatures in the revealed world,

like the creatures on dry land who cannot enter the sea,

because they drown in it and are nullified from their existence.

But the matter is,

that there is a granting of power from a higher, more elevated place,

by virtue of which, even when one contemplates the matter of the unity of G-d with true contemplation, he will not come to soul-fainting, but rather will remain a soul in a body,

and also, when drawing down from the concealed world to the revealed world, the existence of the creatures on dry land will remain and they will not be nullified from their existence.

For, behold,

it is known

that the matter of the Holy One, blessed be He, desiring to have a dwelling place for Himself in the lower realms is in His Essence,

which is above the concealed worlds and the revealed worlds, which are sea and dry land,

above their source in the aspect of Malchus, even as it is in its ascent to the aspect of Chochmah and Binah,

which is the matter of sea

(as above in section 2),

and above both of these levels,

for even the supernal intellect, which is a "yesh" as it is the source of vitality for all the creatures below,

is only a mere illumination that is considered as nothing relative to His Essence,

and as it is written,

"For with You is the source of life,"

meaning,

that the source of life of all the worlds,

both the revealed worlds and the concealed worlds,

is only "with You,"

which is secondary and nullified to You,

having no comparison at all to His Essence.

And since His Essence desired to have a dwelling place specifically in the lower realms,

specifically in this physical world,

specifically through the service of Bnei Yisrael as souls in bodies,

and "He did not create it for chaos,"

(but rather)

"He formed it to be inhabited,"

this causes among Bnei Yisrael that contemplation of the matter of the unity of G-d will not be in a manner of soul-fainting

(as with the two sons of Aharon),

but rather in a manner that they will remain in their existence, specifically souls in bodies,

specifically a physical body,

whose root is from the true yesh

which is above even the aspect of "for with You is the source of life."

And this is also the granting of power that the drawing down from the concealed world to the revealed world will be in a manner that the existence of the creatures on dry land will not be nullified,

for this matter is in the power of the Essence,

for which the concealed world and the revealed world,

sea and dry land,

are truly equal,

and therefore it is in His power to cause that the drawing down from the concealed world into the revealed world be such that the creatures in it are like the creatures on dry land, who appear as a yesh and an independent existence,

and this matter is accomplished through the concealment and hiding that come from the attribute of Gevurah

(as above in section 3),

in which His perfection is revealed,

the perfection of all,

more than in the attribute of Gedulah,

because through it, a sense of yesh is created in the creatures,

by virtue of their root in the true yesh, etc.

And in more particularity,

this matter is accomplished through Torah and mitzvos.

And the explanation is,

for it is written,

"She was like merchant ships, from afar she brings her bread,"

which refers to the Congregation of Israel, who is compared to a merchant,

as explained in Torah Or

regarding the matter of "Canaan" in holiness, which means merchant,

like a merchant who scatters money in order to profit and earn more,

and its parallel is the entirety of the matter of the descent of the soul below to engage in the commerce of refining and purifying the matters of the world, to make for Him a dwelling place in the lower realms.

And the order of commerce is that they transport and bring merchandise from sea to dry land and from dry land to sea by means of ships,

and in the language of the Zohar,

"ships that ascend and descend in the sea,"

for specifically through them can the creatures on dry land cross and transport merchandise from sea to dry land and from dry land to sea without drowning in the sea,

and its meaning in the allegory,

that in order that the soul not drown in the contemplation of the supernal intellect, which is the intellect of the hidden world that is in the aspect of sea,

there is a need for ships,

which refer to Torah and mitzvos,

which become garments for the soul, by whose power it can reach the level of unity with Him in a manner that it will not be nullified from its existence.

For,

even though the soul has garments from its own side,

as it is said,

"But man walks in a likeness,"

nevertheless,

due to its descent below, the garments can be improper,

and therefore there is a need for the garments of Torah and mitzvos, through which the garments of the soul are rectified,

and then the soul has the power below to attain the level of unity with Him without its existence being nullified.

And likewise regarding the entirety of the drawing down from world to world,

from the hidden world to the revealed world,

in a manner that the creatures on dry land will not be nullified from their existence,

the power for this is through the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos, which are clothed in the matters of the world.

And the entirety of the matter in this,

that Torah and mitzvos are rooted and drawn from His very Essence,

which is above the category of worlds,

to the extent that the hidden world and the revealed world are equal before Him,

and therefore through them is drawn the power for the drawing down and revelation from the hidden world to the revealed world,

as above.

6)

And based on this, the superiority of the Splitting of the Red Sea, about which it is said "He turned the sea into dry land," will be explained.

For,

the meaning of "He turned the sea into dry land" is not only that something was drawn from the sea to the dry land,

but more than that,

the sea itself was turned into dry land,

that is,

not only was some drawing down and revelation drawn from the sea to the dry land,

from the hidden worlds to the revealed worlds

(which is the matter of "Blessed... from world to world"),

but more than that,

the concealment itself came into revelation,

that is,

that in the revealed worlds

(dry land)

the Divine light was revealed exactly as it is in the hidden worlds

(sea)

literally.

And the verse continues, "They will pass through the river on foot"

(according to the second interpretation, this also refers to the Splitting of the Red Sea,

as above in section 1),

that even though He turned the sea into dry land,

that in the revealed worlds the Divine light was revealed exactly as it is in the hidden worlds,

nevertheless,

the existence of the creatures in the revealed world was not changed to be like the creatures of the hidden world,

the fish of the sea,

but they remained in their existence as creatures on dry land at that time when they passed through the river and the revelation of the Divine light of the aspect of sea shone upon them,

as it is written,

"And the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea,"

in the aspect of "fish of the sea that walk on dry land."

And the verse there continues, "We will rejoice in Him"

(this also refers to the Splitting of the Red Sea, as above),

for this explains how the matter of "He turned the sea into dry land" can be in a manner

(that they will not be nullified from their existence, but rather)

that "they will pass through the river on foot,"

and this is because "there we will rejoice in Him,"

specifically "in Him,"

that is, in His Essence.

And the explanation of this,

that in order for the matter of "He turned the sea into dry land" to occur,

that the aspect of the concealment in the hidden worlds itself will come and be drawn into revelation in the revealed worlds

(not just the drawing down of an illumination from the hidden worlds to the revealed worlds),

this is only through the power of the Essence

("in Him," in His Essence)

which is above the categories of sea and dry land, etc.,

and since this matter is accomplished through the power of the Essence,

therefore, through the power of the Essence, the revelation of the aspect of sea in dry land,

"He turned the sea into dry land,"

will be in a manner that the creatures on dry land will not be nullified from their existence, but rather "they will pass through the river on foot."

And this is also the explanation of the two matters stated in the verse: "To Him who divided the Red Sea into parts, for His kindness endures forever, and made Israel pass through it, for His kindness endures forever."

For,

the first kindness is the matter of the Splitting of the Red Sea in itself,

that He turned the sea into dry land,

that is,

that in the revealed worlds the Divine light was revealed exactly as it is in the hidden worlds,

and this matter in itself is a kindness of Havayah,

and about this it is said, "To Him who divided the Red Sea into parts, for His kindness endures forever."

And afterwards the verse adds, "and made Israel pass through it, for His kindness endures forever,"

this is an additional kindness, that the Children of Israel were not nullified due to the intensity of the revelation of the light of the hidden worlds,

but rather they walked within the sea on dry land,

"they will pass through the river on foot."

And moreover, the second kindness, that He made Israel pass through it, is incomparably more elevated than the first kindness of the Splitting of the Red Sea in itself,

because,

the matter of the passing of the Children of Israel within the sea on dry land

(that they were not nullified by the intensity of the revelation of the sea)

is specifically through the power of the Essence,

which is above the categories of sea and dry land, etc.,

as above.

7)

And based on this, it will also be understood why the Splitting of the Sea was in the merit of Moshe,

as it is said,

"He who splits the sea before Moshe—this is my G-d," etc.

For,

the superiority of Moshe over the other prophets is that all the prophets prophesied through "koh" (thus), while Moshe prophesied through "zeh" (this).

And there is another distinction between the prophecy of Moshe and the prophecy of the other prophets:

that when all [other] prophets prophesy, their limbs tremble and the body's strength weakens, etc.,

so that they cannot stand on their feet,

for they would fall on their faces to receive prophecy, as it is written,

"And I fell on my face," etc.

And this means that the revelation of prophecy is specifically in a manner of the stripping away of physicality,

to the extent that there was even a removal of garments at the time of prophecy,

as it is written,

"And he also stripped off his garments and prophesied... and fell naked."

Not so Moshe Rabbeinu;

even at the time of the revelation of prophecy, he stood in his place, whole.

And the explanation of this is:

that the level of prophecy of the other prophets,

the aspect of "koh"

(with the "kaf" of comparison),

is only an illumination from the concealed worlds to the revealed worlds,

not so the level of prophecy of Moshe,

the aspect of "zeh,"

is a revelation of the Essence (Atzmus).

And behold,

the revelation of the supernal light of the concealed worlds that comes through prophecy

causes the nullification of existence, like created beings returning [to their source],

and this is the matter of the stripping away of physicality at the time of prophecy.

And only Moshe Rabbeinu,

since his level of prophecy is in the aspect of the revelation of the Essence (Atzmus),

behold, by the power of the Essence (Atzmus), he was not nullified from his existence; rather, he stood in his place, whole.

And this is also the superiority of the revelation of the Splitting of the Sea,

for then there was a revelation of G-dliness for all Israel in the manner of the prophecy of Moshe.

For,

our Sages said,

"A maidservant saw at the sea what Yechezkel ben Buzi did not see in his prophecy."

And superficially, it needs to be understood:

after all, there were many miracles, signs, and wonders,

and in what way is the Splitting of the Sea specifically so elevated and sublime as to compare it to the prophecy of Yechezkel and to say that its greatness surpasses the greatness of Yechezkel's prophecy?

But the explanation is:

that the general matter of miracles is the revelation of a light that transcends the world,

from the aspect of the concealed worlds,

which therefore causes a change in the nature of the world,

in the manner and likeness of the stripping away of physicality at the time of prophecy due to the revelation of the light of the concealed worlds.

Not so the Splitting of the Sea,

which turned the sea into dry land—

that is,

not only a revelation of light from the aspect of the concealed worlds,

but moreover,

that the concealment itself came into revelation,

and this matter is specifically through the revelation of the Essence (Atzmus).

For by the power of the Essence (Atzmus), this revelation can be drawn down to souls in bodies as they stand in their place

(without the need for the stripping away of physicality),

that is,

that for all of Israel,

even a maidservant,

there was a revelation of G-dliness in the manner of the revelation of prophecy to Moshe Rabbeinu, who stood in his place, whole,

so that they pointed with a finger

and said, "This is my G-d,"

specifically "this,"

like Moshe, who prophesied through "zeh."

8)

And behold, even though the revelation of the Splitting of the Sea was only for the moment,

it is also a preparation for the revelations that will be in the future Redemption,

and also a giving of power for the intervening time,

which is why it is said regarding "the river they will cross on foot, there we will rejoice in Him"

(which refers to the Splitting of the Sea)

in the future tense,

to indicate its continuity

(as above, section 1).

And the explanation of this is:

that "in the river they will cross on foot, there we will rejoice in Him"

also alludes to the three pilgrimage Festivals of joy, during which they would cross the river

(the Euphrates River)

and ascend for the pilgrimage to see the revelation of "the face of the L-rd,"

"to see... the face of the L-rd,"

and from this is drawn even now

(at a time when the Holy Temple does not stand)

the revelation of joy on the three Festivals,

and its extension throughout the entire year in the joy of a mitzvah.

And the mitzvot are the vessels through which and by means of which the drawing down and revelation from "sea"

(concealed worlds)

to "dry land"

(revealed worlds)

is accomplished, in a manner that the creations on dry land are not nullified from their existence

(as above, section 6),

similar to and in the likeness of the revelation of the Splitting of the Sea.

And the perfection of all these matters will be in the future Redemption,

when the matter of "the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah" will be drawn down

in revelation below,

and through this there will be a revelation of G-dliness in this physical world,

as it is said,

"And the glory of the L-rd will be revealed, and all flesh together will see," etc.,

and nevertheless, the creations will not be nullified from their existence due to the intensity of the revelation.

For,

the opinion of the Rambam

is that the primary reward of the World to Come is in a manner that has no eating or drinking, etc.,

souls without bodies,

but the teachings of Chassidus

rule in accordance with the opinion of the Ramban,

that the primary reward of the World to Come is the World of Resurrection,

specifically souls in bodies,

and nevertheless,

they will not be nullified from their existence due to the intensity of the revelation,

as at the Splitting of the Sea, where "they will cross the river on foot."

And moreover,

regarding the future, it is written, "and He will guide them in sandals,"

for,

a sandal is a garment that covers the foot,

and its meaning above is

that there are angels called "the sandal of the Shechinah,"

through whom the Divine light comes in concealment and hiding so that it can be received below.

And since in the future, our Sages said,

"In the future, the righteous

(and 'Your people are all righteous')

will be called by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,"

they too will need sandals to conceal the intensity of their level so that all the other creations below them can receive from them.

And this is also the connection and relationship between the two interpretations of the verse "He turned the sea into dry land; they will cross the river on foot," etc.:

The first interpretation, that only "He turned the sea into dry land" refers to the Splitting of the Sea,

and "in the river they will cross on foot, there we will rejoice in Him"

is in the future tense,

referring to the future to come,

and the second interpretation, that also "in the river they will cross on foot," etc., refers to the Splitting of the Sea,

because,

just as

and through the fact that all this was at the Splitting of the Sea

(according to the second interpretation),

"as in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders" in the future Redemption,

which will be

(as the haftarah of the day states):

"And the L-rd will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and He will wave His hand over the river... and He will guide them in sandals, and there will be a highway... as it was for Israel on the day of their ascent from the land of Egypt,"

and there we will rejoice in Him,

in His very Being and Essence (Atzmus),

with the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu, speedily in our days, Amen.