English translation — מאמר הנני ממטיר לכם תשל"ז

B"Sd.

Thursday, Parshat Beshalach,

the fifteenth of Shevat,

the year 5737*

A discourse

"Behold I will rain down for you bread from the heavens" etc.

(And it explains that this is)

"in order that I may test them, whether they will walk in My Torah or not."

And the precise points of our Nesi'im in this verse are known,

what is the connection between the matter of the manna

(bread from the heavens)

with the matter of the Torah.

And especially that it says "in order that I may test them whether they will be able to receive the Torah,"

meaning that through this test they would know if they will walk in My Torah or not,

for upon this test depends the matter of receiving the Torah.

And also, what is the meaning of the expression "walk in My Torah,"

it should have said, as in other places, an expression of study,

which is appropriate for the Torah, being a matter of intellect,

or "keep My Torah" and the like.

Another point to be clarified,

that since they say on the fifteenth of Iyar

"Behold I will rain down for you bread from the heavens,"

it is understood that this is a novel thing relative to the bread from the earth that they ate until the fifteenth of Iyar,

and seemingly it is not understood, for there is a great superiority in the bread from the earth that they ate then, which was from the matzah cakes that they ate in the land of Egypt, concerning which they were commanded "with matzot and bitter herbs they shall eat it,"

for the matter of matzah is connected with the redemption,

and as explained in the discourses of Pesach,

that the matter of matzah

(although it is a matter of smallness,

nevertheless)

is the smallness of Abba, and as the saying,

"a child does not know how to call 'Abba'... until he tastes the taste of grain,"

for through this there was the revelation that the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself upon them in His glory and His very Self and redeemed them,

from all of which the greatness of the superiority of bread from the earth is understood,

and nevertheless they say that

(this is not sufficient and)

there is a novel thing that is added specifically through the bread from the heavens.

Another point to be clarified,

that the novelty of the bread from the heavens was that it came without the work and toil of man, like bread from the earth,

but rather as it says "Behold I will rain down for you,"

meaning that it came from above,

and if so, it is not understood what is the expression "rain down,"

for the matter of rain is not like the matter of dew, that dew is not withheld,

but rather it is dependent upon the work of man,

and as explained in the discourses of Haazinu,

the difference between "may my teaching drop as the rain, my speech flow as the dew."

2)

Now, in Mishneh Torah,

it is written: "And He fed you the manna... in order to make known to you that man does not live by bread alone, but by every utterance of the mouth of G-d does man live."

That is to say, in addition to the aspect of the manna being "in order to test you, whether you will go in My Torah,"

there is another aspect in the manna,

which is "in order to make known to you that man does not live by bread alone, but by every utterance of the mouth of G-d does man live."

And the connection between these two aspects must be understood.

Furthermore, it requires explanation,

for seemingly there is a great and wondrous difficulty here:

Why is it necessary

(to come)

to have the manna in order to know that the entire existence is dependent upon the utterance of the mouth of G-d?

After all, it is seemingly a simple matter that "forever, O G-d, Your word stands firm in the heavens,"

meaning that the utterance of the mouth of G-d in every thing is what brings it into being, enlivens it, and sustains it,

and this matter is a simple faith for every single Jew, who are called "believers, children of believers," even while they were still in the land of Egypt,

all the more so after the Exodus from Egypt,

when the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself upon them in His glory and essence, etc.,

and especially after the Splitting of the Sea on the seventh day of Pesach, when they said, "This is my G-d and I will glorify Him,"

and if so, it is seemingly simple that "by every utterance of the mouth of G-d does man live,"

and what is the novel teaching of "Behold, I will rain down for you bread from heaven,"

and "He fed you the manna...", that specifically through this came the knowledge that "man does not live by bread alone, but by every utterance of the mouth of G-d does man live"?

3)

However, the general point of the explanation is this:

The novelty of "bread from heaven" came after there was the aspect of "bread from the earth" at its ultimate level,

and nevertheless, they say that there is a greater level in "bread from heaven"

(as will be explained later).

And similarly, regarding the novelty of "in order to make known to you that man does not live by bread alone,"

the intention is not to inform that the world is not, heaven forbid, in a state where there is no Master of this mansion and bread is an independent entity,

rather, this was known simply—that bread is brought into being from the utterance of G-d within it,

from the aspect of the Immanent Presence,

but this is still not the knowledge of the true essence of matters,

that "from the utterance of the mouth of G-d does man live."

4)

And all this will be understood by first explaining the distinction between bread from heaven and bread from the earth as it is in the spirituality of the matter.

This is analogous to the distinction in divine service between Torah and mitzvos.

For the service of Torah is in a manner of drawing down from above to below,

"Is not My word like fire,"

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

meaning that this is the word of G-d that is drawn down below

(bread from heaven).

Therefore, changes do not apply to it, for the Torah is eternal.

However, the performance of mitzvos,

although this too comes through the study of Torah, as per the statement,

"Great is study that brings to action,"

nevertheless, it is connected to human action, that one must make from physical parchment the matter of tefillin,

and from physical wool the matter of tzitzis, etc.

(this is the aspect of "from the earth").

And with additional explanation, this will be understood from the two aspects as they are in the Torah itself

(for all matters of the world originate as they are in the Torah),

which are the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.

For in the Written Torah, every letter and every crownlet is precisely counted and enumerated,

and one cannot speak of addition or diminution, heaven forbid,

(from heaven),

however, regarding the Oral Torah it is written,

"It is longer than the measure of the earth and broader than the sea,"

and even to the extent of "and unnumbered worlds,"

without limit,

and this comes

through the toil of man

(from the earth),

"If you toiled and did not find, do not believe,"

for since he toils as required

(according to the demand of the Torah),

it is a clear matter that through this he has according to the manner of his toil,

even to the manner of "finding" and "you will find."

And just as it is in the line of Torah,

so too is it in the other two lines of gemilus chasadim

(mitzvos)

and divine service.

For there is this distinction

(in the line of gemilus chasadim)

between his spiritual service

(mitzvos)

and his service with the world, in a manner that requires toil of the soul and toil of the flesh in order to transform the world so that it becomes a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms.

And similarly, there are these two aspects in divine service itself

(which is the intermediary between Torah and gemilus chasadim),

for there is the service of love with delights,

and likewise the service of the Shabbos day,

"and you shall call the Shabbos a delight,"

for the matter of delight

(of love with delights and of Shabbos)

is connected to the matter of rest,

meaning that there is then no aspect of toil,

as explained in Tanya

that the matter of love with delights is analogous to the reward, etc.,

however, the service,

from the term "processing of hides,"

and the service of the weekdays,

the general aspect of these services is through great toil and labor.

5)

And this is [the meaning of] "And He fed you the manna... to make known to you that not by bread alone does man live, but by all that comes from the mouth of Hashem does man live."

Through this, the innovation of bread from heaven over bread from the earth is understood, even as the bread from the earth is at its most elevated level

(and as mentioned above, even bread from the earth in spiritual terms is a lofty matter).

For the assumption that man lives by bread alone is analogous to what is said, that the entirety of creation is in a manner of "olam" (world), from the term "helem" (concealment) and hiding,

even though the world was created in its fullness.

This is because there only the aspect of "Memaleh Kol Almin" (Immanent) is revealed

(in the language of the Zohar and Kabbalah).

And about this it is said that the ultimate perfection of the Jewish people is to know that not by bread alone does man live, but by all that comes from the mouth of Hashem does man live,

for "motza" (comes from) is a term meaning source and root, as explained in many places,

for relative to the aspect of Memaleh Kol Almin, this is the aspect of Sovev Kol Almin (Transcendent),

and in a more general sense, it is the aspect that is above both Memaleh and Sovev,

above the entire order of Hishtalshelus (the chain of descent),

which is like the matter of dew, for dew is never withheld.

And so that this knowledge should be,

therefore "He fed you the manna,"

for this matter

(of bread from heaven,

the "motza" of the mouth of Hashem)

became blood and flesh like his flesh,

meaning that it permeated even the blood and flesh.

6)

And this is the innovation of bread from heaven,

for even though before this there was the aspect of bread from the earth,

and through it there were lofty and wondrous revelations,

and as mentioned above, "a child does not know how to call 'Abba' until he tastes the taste of grain,"

and even that the aspect of bread from the earth brought about

(the aspect of knowing how to call "Abba")

that they already said "This is my G-d and I will glorify Him,"

nevertheless, all this can be

(only)

in the aspect of Memaleh Kol Almin.

For even though at that moment there was the aspect of the revelation of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and He Himself redeemed them,

and likewise at the Splitting of the Sea there was a revelation loftier than the prophecy of the greatest of prophets,

nevertheless, this was only for a moment,

but afterward the service was

(ordered)

day by day and level after level,

which proves that this belongs to Memaleh Kol Almin,

which comes in order and Hishtalshelus.

Therefore, when they needed to receive the Torah, and in such a manner that through the Giving of the Torah something new was created

(meaning a level higher than the aspect of Torah that existed before,

for they fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given),

which is the aspect of the Torah specifically as it is in the manner of "walking" (halichah),

for the true meaning of "walking" is without limit,

even to the level of Ein Sof,

and even to such a level that even when one has already reached the limit of the Torah, that is a boundary relative to the aspect of Torah that must be reached through the fulfillment of the commandment

(which is also a giving of power)

of "ascending in holiness,"

as a preparation for this, it was necessary to have "Behold I will rain down for you bread from heaven,"

which is above Memaleh Kol Almin, etc.

Therefore, even though they were already at a lofty level as mentioned,

and were in a state called "your going after Me in the desert, in a land not sown,"

nevertheless, this is specifically called "your going after Me,"

which is not an aspect of pnimiyus (internality), as explained at length in the preceding maamarim,

and even the entire service during the time of exile,

and moreover the entire service in the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, all is in the externality of Atik,

and specifically in the future will the aspect of the pnimiyus (internality) of Atik be revealed.

And since this is the externality of Atik

(called "your going after Me,"

because)

it is not the true aspect of "face" (panim),

and the true aspect of "face" in the Torah is in a manner where there is no existence of "back" (achor) at all,

like the Tablets, which had no front and back

(but were entirely face),

as explained above

at length,

which is the aspect of the "song" in the Torah.

7)

And this is "Behold I will rain down... in order that I may test them, whether they will walk in My Torah."

For in order to come to the aspect of "walking" in the Torah,

the aspect of the manna must precede it,

and as the Mechilta states,

"The Torah was only given to the eaters of the manna,"

and the precise wording is "to the eaters of the manna"

(and as explained above in the interpretation of "And He fed you the manna"),

that the manna must be in a manner that it becomes blood and flesh like his flesh.

For the aspect of the manna is that it had no waste,

being entirely above the order of Hishtalshelus,

since it is above Memaleh Kol Almin and Sovev Kol Almin, and also above the third level

(that is above Memaleh and Sovev).

And through this aspect coming in a manner of eating and becoming blood and flesh like his flesh,

through this the aspect of "anesenu" (I will test them) is brought about,

for

[as explained in many discourses

and also in the lexicons,

"anesenu" is an aspect of raising and lifting, like "I will lift up a banner" (erom nisi),

for through eating the manna they are elevated above the entire order of Hishtalshelus, through which they come to the aspect of "walking" in the Torah.

And this is

what is written,

"an omer per skull" specifically,

for the aspect of the "skull" (gulgoleth) is above even the head,

and as it is written,

"Lift up the head of all the congregation of the children of Israel... by their skulls,"

meaning

that the lifting of the head

("Lift up the head")

is to their skulls, which are above the head,

and this was also the aspect of the manna, which was specifically an omer per skull,

for its purpose is to effect in Israel the knowledge that "not by bread alone

(Memaleh Kol Almin)

does man live, but by all that comes from the mouth of Hashem does man live,"

as explained above.

9)

And to understand the specific expression "I will rain down,"

"I will rain down for you bread from heaven,"

behold, this will be understood from what is explained in Likkutei Torah in the discourses of Parshat Eikev49,

that although in general the manna is the aspect of dew

(as above),

nevertheless it became materialized to the extent that they ground it in a mortar and cooked it in a pot50,

and even regarding the righteous, for whom the eating of the manna was without effort,

nevertheless they had to "gather it from upon the opening of the tent"51,

and afterward the eating itself had to be in its simple sense,

and it is even explained in the early authorities52

that there was also the matter of the blessing "Who brings forth bread from the heavens" or in another formulation, etc.52.

But nevertheless,

through their seeing and eating the manna, whose root is from the dew of the precious stones,

and it was drawn downward until it became materialized

[as explained in the discourses of the Alter Rebbe from the year 5568 (1808) and elsewhere53],

through this it would become known to them that "not on bread alone does man live"54,

meaning

(not that there is no need for the matter of eating bread,

but rather that there must be eating

(which is why the manna became materialized),

however)

the negation is that it is not on bread alone,

that is, the aspect of the Immanent Presence that is in this

(as explained above),

but rather "on every utterance of the mouth of Hashem does man live,"

through the utterance of the mouth of Hashem being clothed in the bread,

just as the manna became materialized, etc.

And as it is written of the Torah that "it is hidden from the eyes of all living"55,

"and I was a delight before Him"56,

and from there it traveled and descended in the secret of the chain of descent from level to level etc. until it became clothed etc. in ink upon the scroll57,

in the letters of the Torah58.

9)

And this is the general concept of "I will rain down for you bread from heaven,"

for although Israel were beforehand at the height of levels,

nevertheless,

when "I will rain down for you bread from heaven," their previous level does not reach the level that must be attained by them through this matter.

Regarding the study of Torah,

that it must be in a manner of walking,

"walk in My Torah"

(specifically "Mine," analogous to the distinction between "the commandments of Hashem" and "My commandments"59),

and particularly according to what is explained in Torah Or60

that in the "walking" of this verse

("walk in My Torah")

there are two aspects: from above downward and from below upward,

and regarding the service of "all your deeds shall be for the sake of Heaven" and "in all your ways know Him"61,

that all of a person's needs are called by the name "eating"62,

behold, through the manna it is effected that although one knows that regarding this bread there is a possibility to say that on it alone does man live,

for the intention is for this bread as it is in its ultimate perfection

(as explained above),

nevertheless, this is only bread from the earth,

and "not on bread alone does man live, for on every utterance of the mouth of Hashem does man live."

And in this itself, "in order to make known to you" specifically,

meaning that this is not only in a manner of faith,

but rather knowledge, and in the ultimate perfection of knowledge,

that one knows at the time of eating the bread that he then receives vitality from the utterance of the mouth of Hashem, through which man lives.

10)

And behold, the Torah is eternal18,

and seemingly there is room to inquire: what is the eternality of all the details and of the general concept of "I will rain down for you bread from heaven"?

There is further room to inquire:

For it is stated in Berachot63

"Moshe instituted for Israel the blessing of 'Who sustains' at the time that the manna descended for them"

(therefore we say "Who sustains" in the third person64)

"Yehoshua instituted for them the blessing of the land"

("on the land and on the sustenance,"

the land that produces sustenance65),

and we are obligated even now,

that the first blessing of Grace After Meals is the blessing of "Who sustains," which is for the manna.

And the concept is as explained above66

at length,

that even when the service is

(for whatever reason)

only in the aspect of the Lower Unity,

nevertheless, from time to time they need also an illumination from the aspect of the Upper Unity67,

to the extent that this will effect a revelation.

And similarly, when the service is only in the manner of subjugation,

nevertheless, there must be contemplation, at least in comprehension, also in the matter of transformation.

And similarly regarding the study of Torah,

that although the main study is seemingly in the revealed aspect of Torah,

where there is the matter of toil,

nevertheless, there must also be the matter of the inner dimension of Torah68,

as explained at length in the Kuntres Etz HaChayim69

and in several discourses.

And on the contrary,

the matter of the inner dimension of Torah is the matter of salt, through which all study is sustained.

As it is stated in Shabbat70

"A parable of a person who said to his agent, 'Bring me up a kor of wheat to the attic'"

[meaning the matter of wheat as it is in a lofty manner]

"... 'Did you mix in a kav of salt?' He said to him, 'No'...",

meaning that without the matter of salt71,

there is no sustenance even for a kor of wheat in the attic.

And similarly regarding the general service of the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah,

for our sages said that it must be "Just as there is in Your heart only One, so too there is in our heart only One"72,

meaning that they must remember that "there is in Your heart"

(of Yaakov,

Atzilut)

"only One,"

and this effects that "there is in our heart"

(the tribes,

Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah)

"only One, just as there is in Your heart..."

And this means that in addition to there being the aspect of "and,"

there is also for it the aspect of "One."

For although the aspect of "and" is the extension of the kingship of the Holy One, blessed be He, throughout all the worlds,

nevertheless, this does not reach the aspect of "One,"

for even though "and" in letter substitution is "One"73,

behold, this does not reach the letters as they are before the substitution,

as understood from what is explained in Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah74

regarding the matter of substitutions, etc.

10)

A)

And with this will be understood the eternality that is in the matter of the manna

(for the Torah is eternal),

namely, that in every place and in every time and in every situation and circumstance in which a Jew finds himself,

he must know that this [fact] that he has bread from the earth,

i.e., all the matters that he receives by means of making a vessel in a natural way,

in “all your work which you do,”

behold, “not by bread alone does man live, but by all that comes from the mouth of Hashem does man live.”

For in the matter that he receives in a natural way, there is present the “utterance of the mouth of Hashem,” which is the root and source of all matters as it is in Elokus,

until the source of all sources and the root of all roots,

which comes into the action of “all your work which you do” in this lowest world, in the time of exile and in doubled and redoubled darkness.

And likewise it is also in his divine service,

for even though his divine service is in the manner of “after Hashem you shall go,”

in a manner of iskafya and in a manner of itkafya,

nevertheless, he has the empowerment from the matter of the manna,

and to the extent that this comes in revelation.

And as understood from what is explained

regarding the matter that “in relation to Moshe it is a small thing,”

that therefore it is a small thing also for each and every one of Yisrael,

behold, likewise it is in our matter of “Behold I will rain down for you bread from the heavens,” which is in the merit of Moshe,

and Moshe instituted the blessing of “Hazaan” (the One Who sustains),

therefore this exists for each and every one of Yisrael in every place and in every time and in every situation and circumstance that he may be in.

And just as it is in divine service in general,

so too it is also in the study of Torah,

that in whatever level of Torah study it may be,

even when [it is] the child who begins to speak, whom they teach Torah,

behold, they say “Torah was commanded to us by Moshe,”

that in this study and speech he already has the matter of Moshe,

and as explained above, that the matter of the manna pertains to the recognition and knowledge that this is the matter of the Torah,

and it draws down this matter below until it becomes blood and flesh like his flesh in spirituality,

and until it becomes blood and flesh like his flesh also in physicality, literally.

10)

B)

And behold, the revelation of this matter is through the spreading of the wellsprings of the inner Torah outward,

which comes in revelation, at least in knowledge,

at least in the manner of an omer,

in measurement and limitation,

therefore the term “rain down” is written

(and not “dew” as in all [other] places).

And this causes that just as it was with the matter of the manna the first time,

that there was an omer per skull

(as explained above),

and afterwards they ate it and it became blood and flesh like his flesh, even in the heel of the feet,

behold, so too now the matter of the aforementioned “skull” is revealed.

And as explained above, that in every place and in every time and in every situation and circumstance that he may be in,

behold, beginning from the matter in divine service,

behold, even though in revelation he has the matter of “and until,”

nevertheless, he knows that “just as there is only One in your heart, so too there is only One in our heart,”

for in his innermost heart there is the matter of actual Oneness,

unlike in the externality, where he has the matter of the letter-substitutions of “Echad,”

and likewise it is also in Torah,

that from when the child begins to speak, etc., they teach him “Torah was commanded to us by Moshe,”

and all the more so when he has already grown in Torah study and he has the matter of the inner Torah,

behold, this reveals afterwards the inner dimension of the world.

And this becomes the proximate preparation and brings afterwards the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach,

for then the matters of the inner dimension of Atik will be in revelation,

and to the extent that then “your Teacher will no longer be concealed,”

and there will be the revelation face-to-face, as explained in Tanya, chapter 36.

And there already was a foretaste of this at the time of the Giving of the Torah,

for then there was the first time the matter of “in order to test him,”

an elevation in a manner that there would be a walk in Torah, “he will walk in My Torah,”

and just as there was a foretaste of this at the time of the Giving of the Torah, so will this be in actual revelation and very soon in the days of Moshiach

[even though the main receipt of reward is in the seventh millennium,

as explained in Tanya there in the gloss],

in the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach.