English translation — מאמר ואהי אצלו אמון תשכ"א

With the help of Heaven.

The second day of the festival of Shavuos,

the year 5721*

(Unedited discourse)

"And I was with Him as a nursling, and I was a delight day by day, playing before Him at all times... and My delights are with the children of man."1

Now, the phrase "And I was with Him" also applies to "delight,"

meaning, "And I was with Him as a delight."

And this is,

that although it is stated "and My delights are with the children of man,"

nevertheless, it is also a delight before Him,

as explained in the Kuntres Acharon2

regarding the matter of "Dovid, you call them songs"3

that he said "Your statutes were songs to me,"4

that all worlds depend on a minor detail of the Torah,

and he was punished for this,

because this is not the essential matter of the Torah upon which all the life of the worlds depends,

for the essential matter of the Torah is that it is the joy of the heart and the delight of the King, the Holy One, blessed be He, who delights in it,

and this is what the verse says: "And I was with Him as a delight,"

specifically "with Him,"

"playing before Him,"

specifically "before Him,"

in the innermost aspect of Ein Sof.

However, there are several levels in this,

"And I was with Him as a nursling,"

"delight,"

"playing before Him," etc.,

until "and My delights are with the children of man,"

as explained elsewhere.5

And this matter, that the Torah is "and My delights are with the children of man," is incomparably less than the aspect of the essential delight of the Torah,

for that is the essence of the Torah.

And it may be said, in a possible manner,

that this is also what the Baal Shem Tov said,6

that just as the entirety of the Torah is included in the Ten Commandments

(as explained in the Azharos of Rabbeinu Saadya Gaon7),

so too is the entirety of the Torah included in the word "Anochi,"8

for at first glance,

"Anochi" is "I am Who I am," which is not hinted at in any letter or any crownlet,

as stated in the Zohar,9

and the Torah was drawn down until "and My delights are with the children of man,"

so how is it that the entire Torah is included in "Anochi"?

And the explanation of this may be said,

that the entire Torah is the essential delight of the Holy One, blessed be He,

"And I was with Him as a delight,"

"Anochi."

And this is that "Anochi" is an acronym for "I, My soul, wrote and gave"10

that "I am Who I am" gave Himself into the entire Torah.11

And according to what is known12

that the preparation for the Giving of the Torah is the matter of the Exodus from Egypt and the Counting of the Omer,

it is therefore understood,

that the aspect of "And I was with Him as a delight" of the Torah,

exists also in the Exodus from Egypt and in the Counting of the Omer.

And this is why all three of these matters are called by the name "Shabbos,"13

as it is written14

"And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbos,"

it was not said "from the morrow of Pesach,"

but rather "from the morrow of the Shabbos,"

meaning that Pesach, which is the matter of the Exodus from Egypt, is called by the name "Shabbos."15

And likewise it is written16

"Seven complete Shabbasos shall there be,"

it was not said "seven weeks,"

as it is written17

"Seven weeks you shall count for yourself,"

but rather specifically "seven Shabbasos,"

because the Counting of the Omer is also an aspect of Shabbos.

And likewise it is written14

"until the morrow of the seventh Shabbos you shall count fifty days,"

it was not said "until the morrow of the seventh week,"

but rather "from the morrow of the seventh Shabbos,"

which refers to the festival of Shavuos,

the time of the Giving of the Torah,

which is called by the name "Shabbos,"

and all agree that the Torah was given on Shabbos.18

And this is because in all three of these matters, there is the drawing down of the aspect of "And I was with Him as a delight,"

and therefore they are all called by the name "Shabbos,"

as will be explained further.

2)

And the explanation of this matter is,

behold,

the totality of the revelation that occurred at the time of the Giving of the Torah,

is not from the aspect of light that is within the category of revelation,

but rather from the aspect of the Essence of the light which is entirely above the category of revelation,

concealment in its very essence,

and even to the level of Atzmus,

"Anochi Mi She'Anochi" (I am that I am),

which is not hinted at by any letter nor by any crownlet.

And this does not contradict what was stated previously, that the revelation of the Giving of the Torah came after the preparation of the Exodus from Egypt and the Counting of the Omer,

because,

in addition to the fact that even in the aspect that is above the order of Hishtalshelus (the chain of descent),

and even in the aspect of the Essence of the light that is above the category of revelation,

there is order and gradation,

and as explained elsewhere,

the example for this is the matter of miracles,

that even though they are above the order of Hishtalshelus,

nevertheless, there is order and gradation within them,

behold, there is yet another point,

in order that the aspect of the essential delights (Sha'ashu'im HaAtzmiyim) be drawn down below, even to the aspect of "and My delights are with the children of man,"

it was necessary for there to be order and gradation in this.

And this is what is written,

"The voice of my Beloved, behold He comes, skipping upon the mountains, leaping upon the hills."

"The voice of my Beloved" refers to the aspect of the voice that is not heard (Kla D'La Ishtama),

for behold, it is written,

"HaKal Kol" (the sound, a voice),

"Kal" is missing a Vav and "Kol" is full with a Vav,

these two aspects are the voice that is heard (Kla D'Ishtama) and the voice that is not heard (Kla D'La Ishtama).

The voice that is heard is the voice drawn from the intellect,

or from the emotions,

or from the intellect as it is revealed through the emotions.

And this voice is a voice that ceases (Kla D'Pasik),

for since its matter is the revelation of intellect and emotions, which are measured and limited,

therefore, when the matters that are drawn and revealed through it are concluded,

the voice also ceases automatically.

However, the voice that is not heard is a voice that is above intellect,

whose matter, in the service of man, is the cry of the heart that is above reason and knowledge,

and Above, it is the matter of drawing down the aspect of the Essence of the light, which in itself is above the category of revelation.

And this voice is a voice that does not cease (Kla D'La Pasik),

because limitation and cessation do not apply to it at all.

And this is what is written regarding the voice at the Giving of the Torah,

"A great voice, and it did not cease,"

for the revelation of the Giving of the Torah is the drawing down of the Essence which is above the category of revelation,

a voice that does not cease.

And furthermore,

since the voice itself is a voice that does not cease, to which cessation and change do not apply,

therefore, also the matters that were drawn down through it,

namely the Torah that was given with this voice,

change does not apply to it, Heaven forbid,

this being that the Torah will never be exchanged.

And behold,

even though this voice is a drawing down that is above the category of Hishtalshelus and above the category of revelation,

nevertheless, it is written "skipping... leaping,"

that skipping and leaping are with the legs,

because every drawing down is through the aspect of "leg,"

the lowest aspect.

And this means,

that this principle—that every drawing down is through the aspect of "leg"—

is not only regarding the drawings down within the order of Hishtalshelus,

where the inwardness of the upper becomes a surrounding light (Makif) for the lower,

and the Netzach-Hod-Yesod of the upper become intellect (Mochin) for the lower,

but rather it is also so regarding drawings down that are above Hishtalshelus.

And like the drawing down from the aspect of Atik,

which is only from the letter Tav,

and likewise the drawing down from the light that preceded the Tzimtzum,

which is only from the aspect of Malchus of Malchus,

and likewise regarding the coming of Moshiach it is written,

"And His feet shall stand."

And within this drawing down itself there are two aspects,

skipping and leaping,

as it states in the Mishnah,

"One skips with one foot and leaps with two feet."

And the difference between them is,

that when one skips with one foot,

behold, besides the fact that the body remains in its place and the entire drawing down is only in the aspect of the leg alone,

furthermore, even within the aspect of the leg itself, one foot is on the ground,

and what is drawn down is only one leg alone,

however, when one leaps with two feet,

behold, even though the drawing down is through the legs,

nevertheless,

behold, through his legs his entire body is moved,

meaning that he is drawn down in his entire essence.

3)

And the explanation of the difference between the two matters of skipping and leaping

(even though both are a drawing down from above Hishtalshelus)

will be understood based on what is known, that also in the surrounding light (Makif) that is above Hishtalshelus there are two aspects,

the near surrounding light (Makif HaKarov) and the distant surrounding light (Makif HaRachok).

The near surrounding light is that which has a connection to the inner (Pnimi),

for although it is a surrounding light,

nevertheless, it has a connection to the inner,

and moreover,

in its concealment, the surrounding light encompasses the inner,

and afterward, when the inner is drawn from it,

the surrounding light guards over it.

However, the distant surrounding light has no connection to the inner at all.

And the explanation of their matter in the soul of man,

behold, our sages of blessed memory said,

"Five names are called for her: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chayah, Yechidah."

Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah are inner (Pnimi'im),

and Chayah and Yechidah are surrounding lights (Makifim),

except that Yechidah is the distant surrounding light,

and Chayah is the near surrounding light,

and this means,

that the surrounding light of Chayah is felt in the inner faculties.

And as it is written regarding Daniel, "And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, and the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them,"

and the Gemara asks,

"Since they did not see, why were they terrified?"

and it answers,

"Even though they themselves did not see, their Mazal saw,"

and this means,

that regarding Daniel this was in the aspect of inwardness,

in the aspect of sight,

as it is written "and I saw,"

but the men who were with me did not see the vision,

but nevertheless, the surrounding light was felt in them,

which is why a great trembling fell upon them.

And therefore the surrounding light is called "Mazal,"

from the term "Nozel" (flowing),

because from it flows and drips to the inner faculties.

And behold,

the effect that came from the feeling of the surrounding light was the matter of trembling,

for trembling removes the blood,

which is the matter of contraction and concealment,

and this means,

that from the revelation of the surrounding light, contraction and concealment occur in all the faculties.

And the explanation of the matter is,

that even in inner faculties we see that when a higher faculty is revealed,

then the lower faculty is in concealment.

And as with the faculties of Chochmah and Binah,

Chochmah is the matter of seeing the essence,

and when there is seeing of the essence,

then the matter of understanding and comprehension does not apply at all,

and only when the aspect of sight is concealed and only an intellectual premise remains

[And this means,

that because it is in the aspect of Chochmah,

this is not in a manner of understanding,

but rather in a manner of a premise,

and nevertheless, this is an intellectual premise,

which already belongs to the intellect],

then intellectual understanding is possible.

And it is found,

that the revelation of the faculty of Binah is specifically after the concealment of Chochmah,

but during the revelation of Chochmah,

Binah is in concealment.

And so it is also regarding the matter of the intellect (Mochin) and emotions (Midos),

that the revelation of the emotions is specifically after the intellect is concealed in the constriction of the throat.

And if in inner faculties it is so,

that when a higher faculty is revealed,

then the lower faculty is in concealment,

then certainly it is so regarding the revelation of the surrounding light,

that then all the inner faculties are in contraction and concealment.

And as with the faculty of will (Ratzon),

that when the will is revealed,

then it is impossible for there to be a revelation of the inner faculties,

like the revelation of the intellect.

And moreover,

even when the will is related to the intellect,

meaning that one wills to become wise,

nevertheless,

when the will shines with intensity,

it is impossible for there to be a revelation of the intellect at that time.

And this is that the effect produced from the fact that "their Mazal saw" is the matter of "a great trembling fell upon them,"

because,

Mazal is the surrounding light of Chayah,

and through the revelation of the surrounding light, all the inner faculties are concealed,

and therefore a trembling fell upon them,

for the matter of trembling, which removes the blood, is the concealment of all the faculties,

since life-force is clothed in the blood,

behold, through the removal of the blood, all the life-force is concealed.

And in more detail,

behold, the concealment that occurs through the removal of the blood is in all three aspects of Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah that are clothed in the body.

And the explanation of the matter is,

that in the human body there are three general organs,

as the statement,

"Three rulers are they: the brain, the heart, and the liver,"

in which are clothed the three aspects of Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah,

Neshamah in the brain,

Ruach in the heart,

and Nefesh in the liver.

And behold,

the clothing of the Nefesh is in the blood of the liver,

and it is obvious that through the removal of the blood, all the faculties belonging to the aspect of Nefesh are concealed.

And also the Ruach in the heart,

behold, the spirit in the right cavity

is connected with the spirit in the left cavity which is full of blood.

And also the Neshamah in the brain,

behold, we see that at the time of a fast, when there is a diminution of blood,

then one cannot understand and comprehend properly.

And all this is regarding the aspect of the near surrounding light,

which is felt in the inner faculties,

however, the distant surrounding light,

the surrounding light of Yechidah,

is distant from the inner faculties and is not felt in them.

4)

Now, the aforementioned distinction between the two encompassing lights

(the near encompassing light and the distant encompassing light)

is with regard to the internal powers

(of the recipient).

And the distinction between the two encompassing lights from the perspective of the influencer is,

that the near encompassing light is the encompassing light of straight light,

and the distant encompassing light is the encompassing light of returning light.

And the explanation of this is,

that the straight encompassing light, its matter is revelation,

which is drawn in a straight manner to be revealed.

That is to say,

that even though it is of the category of encompassing,

nevertheless, its matter is revelation.

And just as the matter of the internal power is that it be revealed internally,

so too, the matter of the encompassing light is that it be revealed in the category of encompassing,

but its matter is revelation.

Not so the encompassing light of returning light,

its matter is not at all a matter of revelation,

but rather, on the contrary,

it returns and ascends into its own essence, etc.

And the matter of these two levels above, regarding the Sefiros,

Chochmah is the beginning of the internal powers,

and Keser is the category of encompassing,

except that within Keser itself there are Atik and Arich,

which are the two aforementioned categories of encompassing.

Arich is the category of the near encompassing light,

the encompassing light of straight light,

and this is what is called by the name Arich,

meaning that it relates to the category of Zeir Anpin,

except that Zeir Anpin is in the category of smallness,

and Arich is in length,

not so the category of Atik, which is removed and separate.

And likewise, these two levels exist also in the light that is before the tzimtzum,

and it is the category of the essence of the light and the spreading of the light.

For the spreading of the light,

even though it is before the tzimtzum,

nevertheless,

this very thing that it is called by the name "spreading of the light,"

indicates that its matter is a matter of revelation,

and through the tzimtzum, revelations will come from it in the order of hishtalshelus.

Not so the light that He separated for itself,

and all the more so the essence of the light,

this is above the category of revelation entirely,

and it is the matter of the encompassing light of returning light,

which returns and becomes concealed in its own essence.

Now, the encompassing light of straight light,

even though it is in the category of revelation,

nevertheless, the manner of its revelation is not comparable to the manner of revelation of internal light.

For,

the revelation of internal light is in diminution and in enclothing and in concealment,

that is to say,

that which is drawn and revealed from internal light to the power lower than it,

is only the last level of the supernal power, as mentioned above,

which is a matter of diminution,

and also the manner of its revelation is that it becomes enclothed in the power lower than it and becomes concealed within it.

Not so the revelation of encompassing light, which is drawn in an abundance of light,

and does not come in enclothing and concealment.

And this will be understood

from what we find that sometimes it is stated

that Abba and Imma nurse from the mazal,

that Abba nurses from the mazal of Notzer,

and Imma nurses from the mazal of Nakeh,

and sometimes it is stated

that Abba and Imma clothe the arms of Arich.

And at first glance,

the nursing of Abba and Imma from the mazal is a lower level than that they clothe the arms of Arich,

for nursing from the mazal, which are the category of hairs, is only a drawing of an illumination,

and through the intervening skull,

not so that Abba and Imma clothe the arms of Arich,

for the matter of enclothing is that they clothe the essential substance itself, etc.

Nevertheless,

on the other hand,

the matter of enclothing is in a manner that the light becomes enclothed and concealed,

not so the matter of nursing from the mazal,

even though this is only a nursing of illumination,

nevertheless, it is an abundance of light,

and it does not become enclothed and concealed at all.

Therefore, in order for there to be a union of Abba and Imma,

it is specifically through their nursing from the mazal.

For the drawing that is drawn to Abba and Imma from the arms of Arich

(by Abba and Imma clothing them),

is in a manner that through this the division of Chochmah and Binah is effected,

that from the aspect of Chessed of Arich, Chochmah is drawn,

and from the aspect of Gevurah of Arich, Binah is drawn,

and they are in division from each other,

not so the drawing that is drawn to Abba and Imma by their nursing from the mazal,

is in a manner that they are in unity and in inclusion.

That is to say, not only is no division effected in them by the drawing from the mazal,

but rather, from the aspect of their nursing from the mazal of Arich, unity and inclusion are effected even in the division that was in them previously.

And to the extent that from the aspect of their nursing from the mazal of Arich,

the matter of procreation is effected, to procreate in his likeness.

And the reason for this is,

because the arms of Arich,

even though they are in Arich, which is above hishtalshelus,

nevertheless, within Arich itself it is the category of the order of hishtalshelus,

i.e., internal light,

and therefore the manner of their revelation is in enclothing and concealment.

Not so when the drawing is from Arich itself

(for within Arich itself it is encompassing light that is above hishtalshelus),

behold, even though the drawing is in a manner of nursing,

only an illumination

(mazal and hairs),

nevertheless,

it is not in a manner of enclothing and concealment.

But nevertheless, even Arich itself,

it is the near encompassing light,

the straight encompassing light,

and therefore its revelation is in a manner of nursing of only an illumination,

not so Atik, which is the distant encompassing light,

the encompassing light of returning light, which is not in the category of revelation at all,

and when it is drawn, then it is drawn in its entire essence.

And this is the distinction between "leaping" and "skipping,"

that the drawing of "leaping" is only one foot

(and it is not drawn as it is in its essence)

— an example of this is

Abba and Imma nursing from the mazal,

and the drawing of "skipping" with both his feet,

by which his entire body is transferred, is the drawing from the distant encompassing light,

that when it is drawn, then it is drawn in its entire essence.

And this is that "leaping over the mountains" refers to the Exodus from Egypt

(as our sages, of blessed memory, said

on the verse "leaping over the mountains" — He leaped over the end [of time]),

and "skipping over the hills" refers to the Giving of the Torah,

for the revelation of the Exodus from Egypt is the revelation of the category of the straight encompassing light,

and the revelation of the Giving of the Torah is the revelation of the returning encompassing light,

and up to the revelation of "I am that I am,"

Essence.

5)

And the explanation of the matter:

Behold, it was explained above that the three concepts of Yetzias Mitzrayim, Sefiras HaOmer, and Matan Torah

are called by the name Shabbos.

And regarding the matter of Shabbos, there are two aspects:

cessation and rest that come after work and exertion,

and essential rest.

The matter of rest that comes after work and exertion is as it is written: "Six days shall you work... and the seventh day..."40,

"Six years shall you sow... and in the seventh year..."41.

For, superficially, it is not understood what is the matter of the commandment regarding work during the six days and the six years.

And the inner explanation of this is known,

that it refers to the work of birurim (refinements).

For the matter of birurim is a most elevated matter,

for which the entire descent of the soul from a high roof to a deep pit42 was worthwhile,

and for which the entire giving of the Torah was worthwhile.

However,

at the time of birur, there must be a descent below into the thirty-nine melachos (labors) of weekday work,

and afterward there must be an ascent above,

which is the matter of the cessation and rest of Shabbos that follows the work,

from which aspect there is a revelation of delight.

And this is analogous to a person below,

that at the time of doing work, his power of action descends and becomes invested in the work,

and afterward, when he rests from doing the work,

then his power of action ascends and is included in his soul,

and from this he is filled with delight.

And similarly, it will be understood Above,

that although not with toil nor with exertion did the Holy One, blessed be He, create His world43,

nevertheless, it is written44,

"By the word of Havayah the heavens were made,"

and the speech of the Holy One, blessed be He, is considered an action45,

therefore there must be the matter of cessation and rest,

which is the matter of ascent above,

and from this comes the drawing down of delight.

And in truth, the matter of cessation and ascent must be not only in the power of action alone,

but also in the more elevated powers.

And this is analogous to a person when he does some work,

behold, at the time of the action there is a descent not only in his power of action alone,

but also in the other powers,

for the doing of the work is because he is in a movement of drawing close to the entirety of the matter,

which is the matter of the midos (emotive attributes),

and also the power of intellect must be invested at the time of action in order that the action be in a suitable manner.

And although the intellect involved in this is only intellect related to the action,

nevertheless,

at the time of action, behold, all his intellect is preoccupied with this.

And also, he necessarily has a will in the work,

and also delight,

from which aspect he does the work.

Thus it is found,

that at the time of doing the work, behold, all the powers of his soul are in descent,

and afterward, at the time of cessation and rest,

all his powers ascend.

And from this analogy it will be understood Above,

that the matter of the cessation of Shabbos is not only in the power of the active force within the passive effect, which is from the Name Elokim,

but also in the Name Havayah,

as it is written40,

"Shabbos to Havayah."

That is,

that although actual bringing into existence is from the Name Elokim,

nevertheless,

the true bringing into existence is from the Name Havayah,

as it is written: "By the word of Havayah the heavens were made"44,

"For He commanded and they were created"46,

and Havayah is a term meaning "He brings into existence"47.

Therefore, there must be the matter of cessation also in the Name Havayah,

in all four letters of the Name Havayah,

for the bringing into existence is from all four letters,

that is,

not only from the aspect of the final Hei, the Sefirah of Malchus,

as it is written48,

"BeHibaram" (when they were created),

"with the Hei"

(the final Hei of the Name Havayah)

"He created them"49,

but also from the aspect of the Vav, which is the matter of the midos,

and as it is written50,

"Six days did Havayah make...,"

it does not say "in six,"

but rather "six" etc.51.

And likewise, there is the matter of bringing into existence from the aspect of the mochin (intellect), Chochmah

(Yud)

and Binah

(Hei),

as it is stated in the Zohar52

on the verse "And Elokim said," "the father said to the mother,"

and our sages, of blessed memory, said53,

"All of them"54

"with wisdom You made, with understanding,"

and even to the point that the primary bringing into existence is from the Yud,

which indicates the perpetuity of the action,

as it is written55,

"Thus did Iyov all the days,"

and it is the matter of "He Who renews, every day, constantly, the work of creation"56.

Therefore, the cessation is in all four letters of the Name Havayah.

And the matter of the cessation in all four letters of the Name Havayah is not only in their investment in Biyah (Beri'ah, Yetzirah, Asiyah),

but also in the aspect of Atzilus,

for it is written: "All of them with wisdom You made,"

meaning that even Atzilus is like Asiyah (action).

And according to what is stated in Etz Chaim57,

that the Chochmah of Adam Kadmon is invested in the Chochmah of Atzilus, etc.,

the cessation is also in the aspect of the Chochmah of Adam Kadmon.

And in truth,

behold, in the more elevated aspects,

the delight from the cessation is very great.

That is,

that although in the elevated aspects the descent below is not as great as the descent in the power of action,

nevertheless,

in a more elevated power, even a small descent is a very great descent,

much greater than the descent of the active force into the passive effect,

and therefore the delight from the cessation is a very great delight.

However, all this is the matter of the cessation and rest that comes after exertion.

And the aspect of essential rest is like the statement58

regarding Shlomo: "He will be a man of rest,"

meaning not that he will have wars and afterward have rest from the wars,

but rather that he will have a state of essential rest.

And the delight that exists in the matter of essential rest is a more elevated delight than the delight in rest after exertion,

and it is the aspect of non-sensed delight.

And behold,

our sages, of blessed memory, said59

that in every Shabbos there are two Shabbosos,

erev Shabbos (Shabbos eve) and yoma d'Shabbosa (the day of Shabbos),

erev Shabbos is the matter of ascent from below to above,

and yoma d'Shabbosa is the matter of drawing down from above to below.

And in particular, in each of them there are both matters,

and in each of them—rest after exertion and essential rest,

for it is known60

the difference between the prayers of Shabbos and the meals of Shabbos,

that the prayers are the matter of ascent from below to above and also—simple delight,

and the meals are the matter of drawing down from above to below and also sensed delight,

and behold, both in erev Shabbos and in yoma d'Shabbosa,

there exist both matters, meal and prayer.

And the primary matter of the revelation of essential rest will be in the future, in the day that is entirely Shabbos and rest61.

And a glimmer of this shines especially now in the third meal of Shabbos,

the ratzon (will) of all ratzonin (wills)62,

the aspect of non-sensed delight,

and therefore it is written63,

"Today not."

And this is what we say in Minchah of Shabbos: "For from You is their rest,"

"a complete rest that You desire,"

and the explanation of "from You is a complete rest" is the matter of essential rest.

And behold,

the root of these two aspects in rest

is in the aspect of the encompassing light of Yosher (straight) and the encompassing light of Chozer (returning).

For the encompassing light of Yosher, which is a light in the category of revelation,

the matter of tzimtzum (contraction) and concealment applies to it,

which is analogous to toil and exertion,

and therefore, from this light comes the rest after exertion.

And the encompassing light of Chozer, which is above the category of revelation,

the matter of tzimtzum and concealment does not apply to it at all,

and therefore,

from this light comes the drawing down of essential rest,

non-sensed delight.

6)

And based on this, the difference between Yetzias Mitzrayim and Matan Torah will be understood,

that Yetzias Mitzrayim is the aspect of "dilug" (skipping),

and Matan Torah is the aspect of "kifutz" (leaping).

For behold,

in Yetzias Mitzrayim,

although there were then revelations that are above the order of hishtalshelus (chain of descent),

and as it is written64,

"And I will pass through the land of Egypt, I and not an angel, and not a seraph, and not a messenger, and not another"65,

nevertheless,

all these revelations were

(primarily)

in order to repulse and nullify the evil,

and as it is stated66,

"And they knew"

(a term of breaking)

"Egypt,"

and the complete repulsion and nullification of evil was at the time of Makas Bechoros (the Plague of the Firstborn),

when it was necessary that "And I will pass... I and not..." etc.

And the revelation that was for Bnei Yisrael was because there needed to be protection for Yisrael from the plagues of Egypt,

"And I will place a redemption..."67,

and especially in Makas Bechoros,

that although it would be a plague for Egypt, it would be a healing for Yisrael68.

And the matter in this,

for superficially it is not understood why such an elevated revelation was necessary,

for behold, even within the order of hishtalshelus, they said: "The Holy One, blessed be He, extended His little finger among them and burned them"69,

for when there was a revelation of light more than their allotted measure,

although it was the revelation of "His little finger"

(Malchus),

nevertheless, they were nullified,

so why was the revelation of "And I will pass" necessary,

which in the matter of the Sefiros is the drawing down of Kesser,

up to the aspect of the most supernal Kesser,

and why was the revelation of the order of hishtalshelus not sufficient?

But the matter is,

that the entire order of hishtalshelus is in measure and limitation,

and the root of measure is from the aspect of the line of measure that measures the measure of the Sefiros and the measure of the worlds.

And the reason is,

because in the line itself there is higher and lower,

for since its beginning is attached and its end is not attached70,

therefore there is in it higher and lower,

and from this aspect, higher and lower are also made in the Sefiros and worlds70,

so that the worlds that are closer to its beginning are in the aspect of higher.

And the entirety of the bringing into existence

(also the bringing into existence of the worlds and Sefiros that are in the aspect of higher)

from the line is because its beginning is attached and its end is not attached,

that is,

that the attachment in its beginning does not shine in its end,

through which there is place for hishtalshelus,

in contrast, if the attachment in its beginning were to shine also in its end,

it would be impossible for there to be bringing into existence from it.

And this will be understood from what was explained above

(section 3)

regarding the matter of Chochmah and Binah,

that from the aspect of Chochmah itself, which is the vision of the essence, it is impossible for there to be the bringing into existence of Binah,

and only when the aspect of vision is in concealment and only the aspect of a premise remains,

then an intellectual premise is made,

and from it an intellectual understanding is made,

the aspect of Binah,

but when the aspect of the vision of the essence, which is the beginning of Chochmah, shines,

it would be impossible for there to be the bringing into existence of Binah.

And similarly regarding the line,

it must be in a manner that in its end it is not attached,

that is,

that the attachment in its beginning should not be felt in its end.

And from this it is understood that from the aspect of the line it is impossible to change the existence of the worlds,

for since the line itself is in measure and limitation,

its beginning is attached and its end is not attached,

behold, from this aspect the higher and lower of the worlds are necessarily so.

And furthermore,

even the aspect of the light that precedes the tzimtzum, in which is the attachment of the line,

behold, even from this light there already exists the measure that only the beginning of the line will be attached to it,

and therefore, even from this light there is a root and source for the worlds.

Therefore, at Makas Bechoros, when there was then a need for the complete repulsion and nullification of the kelipos,

there needed to be the revelation of the Ein Sof light that is above the root and source of the line.

However,

after all this,

behold, the revelation that was in Yetzias Mitzrayim was in order to repulse the kelipos,

and behold, this is the matter of rest after work and exertion,

for in its root it is in the aspect of the encompassing light of Yosher, as above.

In contrast, the revelation of Matan Torah is from the aspect of the encompassing light of Chozer,

the essential light that is above the category of revelation.

And although the matter of the Torah is to distinguish between the impure and the pure71,

the intention in this is not the repulsion of evil,

but rather the refinement of the sparks and their elevation to holiness.

And furthermore,

this is not the inner intention of Torah,

but rather it is an addition of light in the innerness of Yisrael

(and through them in the order of hishtalshelus).

7)

Now, the preparation for the Giving of the Torah is the matter of the Counting of the Omer.

For,

the Counting of the Omer is the matter of the refinements,

and about this it is said, "And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbos,"

for "the morrow of the Shabbos" is above the level of Shabbos,

and this means,

that Shabbos

(mentioned here)

is the level of rest that follows exertion,

and "the morrow of the Shabbos" is the level of essential rest,

which is the level of the essence of pleasure.

And from this level is drawn the empowerment for the work of refinement.

And this is analogous to what was explained above regarding the matter of performing work,

that the performance of work is due to the pleasure one has in the thing,

because of which he descends with his power of action and his other faculties to do the work.

And similarly, it will be understood above,

that the power for the descent in the work of refinement is from the aspect of "the morrow of the Shabbos,"

the essence of pleasure.

And this is [the meaning of] "And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbos,"

that from the aspect of "the morrow of the Shabbos" the empowerment for the work of refinement of the Counting of the Omer is drawn,

for the explanation of "and you shall count" is as explained by the Alter Rebbe,

from the term "luminosity and clarity,"

that one must refine all the midos and make them such that they are luminous and clear.

And through this, afterwards, on the Festival of Shavuos, the aspect of the returning encompassing light is drawn,

about which it is said, "Until the morrow of the seventh Shabbos you shall count fifty days,"

which is the revelation of the aspect of the non-sensed pleasure.

For the main revelation of this will be in the future, on the day that is entirely Shabbos and rest,

and a semblance of this also shines during the third meal of Shabbos, as mentioned above.

And also on the day of Shabbos itself and on Shabbos eve, a semblance of this level shines,

therefore we then recite "A Psalm, a Song for the Shabbos Day,"

the day that is entirely Shabbos and rest.

And it can be said,

that this [idea] that the Exodus from Egypt was a preparation for the Giving of the Torah—

[and] a preparation must be of the same kind as that which is being prepared for—

is because in the Exodus from Egypt there was also

(in concealment)

the aspect of essential rest,

the essence of light.

And this is what is stated,

"When you bring the people out of Egypt, you shall serve G-d on this mountain,"

for even in the Exodus from Egypt there was the matter that shone at the Giving of the Torah,

except that in the Exodus from Egypt it was in concealment,

and at the Giving of the Torah it was drawn forth in revelation.

And this is [the meaning of] "And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbos,"

that this [fact] that the Exodus from Egypt is also called "the morrow of the Shabbos"

is because in the Exodus from Egypt there was also the essence of light,

the aspect of essential rest,

except that what was drawn forth then in revelation was for the sake of the Plague of the Firstborn,

rest after the war,

but in concealment there was also in this the aspect of essential rest.

And to add,

since from the matter of "the morrow of the Shabbos" that was in the Exodus from Egypt the empowerment for the Counting of the Omer is drawn—

"And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbos"—

therefore,

there is an analogue of this matter also in the Counting of the Omer.

For,

regarding the Counting of the Omer it is said, "Seven complete weeks shall there be,"

that each count must be complete,

therefore if one omitted to count once, then [the count] is lacking for all the days of the counting,

because each one must be in completeness,

and moreover,

each one must be in perfection

[for the true meaning of completeness is

(not only that there is no lack in it,

but rather)

also the matter of perfection,

according to the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov

on the verse,

"The Torah of the L-rd is complete"—"and it is perfect,"

as explained above.

And based on this, it can be said,

that this [requirement] that each count must be complete

is

(not only that there should be no lack,

but rather)

that there should also be perfection in it],

and the matter of completeness and perfection is essential rest.

And through this, it is drawn forth afterwards to be "the morrow of the seventh Shabbos,"

the revelation of the essential pleasure,

at the time of the Giving of the Torah.

8)

And this is [the meaning of] "And I was by Him as a nursling, and I was His delight,"

that at the Giving of the Torah there was the drawing forth of the essential delights,

for this is "I am the L-rd your G-d,"

"I am that I am,"

which is not hinted at by any letter or any crownlet,

meaning,

that at the Giving of the Torah there was the drawing forth of the Awtsmoos.

But initially, there needed to be the Exodus from Egypt and the Counting of the Omer,

and after this preparation came the revelation of the Giving of the Torah,

the non-sensed pleasure,

the aspect of essential rest.

And likewise, it will also be in the future redemption,

for Mashiach is a man of peace,

the aspect of essential rest.

However, within the time of the future itself, there will be several levels,

as per the statement of our sages,

"A feast

(a meal)

the Holy One, blessed be He, will make for His righteous servants,"

which is analogous to rest after war,

sensed pleasure,

and afterwards there will be the day that is entirely Shabbos and rest,

non-sensed pleasure.

And then the intention of creation and the ultimate purpose of the Giving of the Torah will be completed,

[fulfilling] "And the glory of the L-rd shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see,"

[so that] "the L-rd will be One and His Name will be One,"

as He is written, so He is called.