English translation — מאמר באתי לגני תשל"ו

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbat Parshat Bo,

8 Shevat,

5736*

(A discourse)

"I have come to My garden, My sister, My bride."

And the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Admor of the hillula, brings

[in the maamar

that was given by him for the day of his histalkus, Shabbat Parshat Bo, 10 Shevat,

5710]

the teaching of the Midrash:

"To My garden, to My orchard, to the place that was My primary dwelling initially,"

that the primary dwelling of the Shechinah was in the lower realms,

but through undesirable matters during the course of seven generations, they removed the Shechinah from below upward until the seventh heaven,

and afterward the righteous arose and drew down the Shechinah from above downward,

and the beginning of the drawing down was from Avraham,

"Avraham was one,"

who brought it down from the seventh heaven to the sixth, etc., until Moshe, who is the seventh, and all sevenths are beloved,

brought it down below to earth.

And this is why the making of the Mishkan was through Moshe

(specifically),

for the concept of the Mishkan is as it is stated,

"And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell in their midst,"

that through "And they shall make Me a Sanctuary," there is brought about "And I will dwell" below, within the children of Israel and within the world,

for from the indwelling of the Shechinah that was in the Holy Temple, the revelation was drawn through the windows that are "transparent yet sealed"

throughout the entire world.

And all this was accomplished through the service of Israel, and as our Sages, of blessed memory, precisely stated,

"It does not say 'within it,' but rather 'within them'—within each and every one of Israel,"

that through the service of Israel

(and "Your people are all righteous")

there is brought about "And I will dwell" in the Mishkan, and through this, in the entire world.

And this is [the meaning of] "The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever,"

that "the righteous shall inherit the land," which is the Land of Life

(the Garden of Eden),

because they cause to dwell and draw down

the aspect of "Shochein" (the Indwelling One),

the aspect of "Ad" (eternity),

the aspect of the "Sovev" (the Encompassing),

so that it will be revealed below through the service of Torah and mitzvos.

And as it is stated,

"I made the earth and created man upon it,"

that this

[is what is meant by] "I made the earth"—it is for the sake of man, and the creation of man is for the sake of "Bereisi" (I created him), which in gematria equals 613,

meaning that through the fulfillment of the 613 mitzvos, the intention of creation is completed—that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms.

And this is why one of the services that was in the Temple was the matter of the service of the offerings,

for the service of the offerings is a spiritual service within the soul of man,

and as the Alter Rebbe precisely explains

regarding the verse,

"When a man from among you brings an offering," etc., that the offering must be from you, literally,

from the animal soul within man,

and it says about this, "from the cattle and from the flock,"

these are the specific levels that exist in the animal soul

(and as explained in many places

regarding the matter of ox, sheep, and goat).

And this service was in the Temple,

for all ascents are through the Temple.

For just as all the draw-downs are through the Temple,

and as above, that the drawing down of the Shechinah into the world was through the "transparent yet sealed" windows of the Temple,

so too, the ascents from below upward are through the Temple,

therefore, when one prays, he should direct his intention toward the Holy Temple.

And based on this, he explains there why the Mishkan was made of acacia wood,

for the primary service of man is the matter of subjugation and transformation of darkness into light,

and therefore the Mishkan was made of acacia wood,

which is an expression of foolishness,

the transformation of the foolishness of the side of impurity that is below the intellectual realm,

[for] a person does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of foolishness enters into him,

into the foolishness of holiness that is above the intellectual realm.

2)

And the Rebbe, my father-in-law, continues in the maamar in chapter 6,

that through this one can also understand why the acacia wood from which they built the Mishkan is called "kerashim" (planks), as it says,

"And you shall make the planks for the Mishkan of acacia wood, standing upright."

For the name "kerashim"

[which is the name by which it is called in the Holy Tongue]

indicates the content of their essence.

And it is that which connects and the falsehood of the world is clarified and transformed into a plank of the Mishkan,

a connection of holiness

(as will be explained later in the maamar of the Hilula, chapter 10).

And it is in the manner explained above regarding the matter of acacia wood,

that this is the transformation from the foolishness of idolatry

(the falsehood of the world)

to the foolishness of holiness

(the planks of the Mishkan).

Now, this matter that is in the word "keresh" (plank)

(which before it is transformed into holiness indicates falsehood)

is hinted at not only in the word as a whole, but also in its letters,

and it is explained in the maamar in chapter 6

prefaced by what is said in the introduction to the Zohar,

that the letters kuf and reish are letters that appear on the side of impurity,

and in order to endure, they take the letter shin within them

(for the letter shin is a letter of truth).

And the connection of the letters kuf and reish to the side of impurity is explained in the maamar there,

that kuf and reish correspond to dalet and hei.

For dalet and reish resemble each other in their form and also in their meaning,

for dalet is an expression of poverty and indigence, and likewise reish is an expression of poverty and destitution,

but nevertheless they are differentiated and distant from each other to the utmost,

from one extreme to the other.

For dalet is a letter of holiness and reish is a letter of idolatry,

therefore when one exchanges these letters with each other, it destroys worlds, Heaven forbid.

And he brings two examples of this.

One example from the dalet of "Echad" (One),

the line of "do good,"

that if one were to exchange it, Heaven forbid, with the letter reish, it would destroy worlds,

and a second example from the reish of "Do not bow down to another god,"

the line of "turn away from evil,"

that if one were to exchange, Heaven forbid, the reish with a dalet, it would destroy worlds.

Now, the difference between the letter dalet and the letter reish in their form

[for the form of the letters indicates the manner of their drawing down]

is explained in the maamar there,

that the letter dalet has a yud behind it,

for the letter yud

[being the smallest of all letters,

to the point that it is merely a point]

indicates self-nullification.

And this is the point of explanation in the distinction between the letter dalet and reish

(even though both indicate poverty),

that the letter reish,

since it does not have a yud indicating self-nullification,

is the matter of selfhood,

and therefore it is among the letters that appear on the side of impurity

(and the matter of the poverty of the side of impurity is that they have no connection to G-dliness),

but not so the letter dalet,

since it has a yud indicating self-nullification,

the matter of its poverty is the matter of self-nullification.

3)

Now, the matter of self-nullification

(explained in the maamar, chapter 6)

comes as a continuation of the matter of "I have come to My garden, My sister, My bride"

(the content of the entire maamar).

That is,

the drawing down of the Shechinah below,

that there be a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms,

is specifically through the service of self-nullification.

And since the making of the dwelling place is through the Torah,

for this is that the entire creation is for the sake of the Torah, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said,

"For the sake of the Torah which is called 'reishis' (beginning),"

it is therefore understood

that the preparation for the giving of the Torah is the matter of self-nullification.

And as the Alter Rebbe explains

on the verse,

"In the third month... on this day they came to the Sinai desert,"

and our Rabbis, of blessed memory, expounded

that it refers to Rosh Chodesh (the new moon),

which is not understood,

what is the connection of their coming to the Sinai desert

(the preparation for the giving of the Torah)

to Rosh Chodesh,

and also why Rosh Chodesh is called in this verse by the expression "on this day,"

and the Alter Rebbe explains based on what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said,

"Israel counts by the moon,"

that the moon has nothing of its own,

the matter of self-nullification.

And this is the connection of Rosh Chodesh to the giving of the Torah,

that just as the moon at the time of its birth

(the matter of Rosh Chodesh)

is merely a point

(for a point is the matter of self-nullification),

and moreover,

that a moment before its birth it is in concealment and hiddenness entirely, not in a state of existence at all

(not even the existence of a point),

so too, the preparation for the giving of the Torah is the matter of self-nullification.

And this is also why the Torah was given specifically through Moshe,

because Moshe was in the ultimate state of self-nullification, as it says,

"And the man Moshe was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth,"

"humble" is the matter of "poor"

and it is the matter of the self-nullification of the letter dalet, from the expression of poverty and indigence,

and due to his self-nullification, the Torah was given through him.

And this is also why all the prophets prophesied through the term "koh" (thus) and Moshe prophesied through the term "zeh" (this),

"zeh" is the level of Chochmah (wisdom),

and the drawing down of Chochmah is through self-nullification,

therefore Moshe prophesied through "zeh."

And this is also why Rosh Chodesh is called in this verse by the expression "on this day,"

"day" is light and revelation, and this is the level of Chochmah as above,

and "this day" is the revelation of the level of Chochmah.

And through the matter of Rosh Chodesh, which indicates self-nullification as above,

there is brought about "on this day,"

the revelation of the level of Chochmah.

Now, the matter of bittul

(which is the preparation for the Giving of the Torah,

as mentioned above)

must be present in all three lines: Torah, service, and acts of kindness.

For Torah is a drawing down from above,

and the drawing down from above is specifically for one who is nullified,

as it is written,

"I dwell on high and holy, and with the crushed and lowly of spirit."

Therefore, the study of Torah must not be in a manner of a "yesh" (a self-aware entity) who studies; rather, as it is written,

"May my tongue answer Your word,"

like one who responds after the reader,

And similarly in the line of charity,

the matter of charity is

"to revive the spirit of the lowly."

And just as it is regarding charity in particular,

so too is it regarding all the mitzvos, which are called by the name "tzedakah" (charity),

that the fulfillment of mitzvos must specifically be with bittul,

that he fulfills the mitzvah of God

[and analogous to the bittul in the study of Torah,

where he feels that the Torah is "Your word"].

And similarly in the line of service, whose matter is

a level of bittul

(from below to above),

for this is that the service of prayer must specifically be with bittul, as it is written,

"A prayer of Dovid: Incline Your ear... and answer me, for I am poor and needy,"

and as our sages, of blessed memory, said,

"One does not stand to pray except from a state of heaviness of head," and Rashi explains: submission and lowliness.

And this is also what is explained by the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, in the maamar

(chapter 6)

regarding the matter of bittul in all three lines,

that regarding the study of Torah he brings what our sages, of blessed memory, said,

"You will not find [Torah] in the haughty of spirit," etc.,

because the study of Torah must be with ultimate bittul,

like a student who receives from his teacher,

that at the time of the influence he must be nullified to the ultimate degree

("his lips drip myrrh"),

And similarly regarding prayer, he brings in the maamar the verse "A prayer of Dovid: Incline Your ear, God, and answer me, for I am poor and needy,"

that the request "Incline Your ear... and answer me" is because "I am poor and needy,"

And also the bittul that must be in the line of gemilus chasadim (acts of kindness) and all the mitzvos is hinted at there in the parable of the force of motion,

that in order to lift a heavy burden one must contract himself,

and in this is hinted the matter of bittul in the fulfillment of mitzvos.

For the mitzvos are clothed in physical things,

and the matter of clothing in physicality

(for a Jew)

is a difficult thing.

And this is what is hinted in the parable of the force of motion,

that just as in order to lift a heavy burden one must contract himself,

so too is it in the fulfillment of mitzvos

(which is analogous to a heavy burden)

that it must be with bittul.

d)

Now, regarding the matter of the bittul of the letter yud

(which is at the back of the dalet)

it is explained in the maamar,

and this is its language: The letter yud indicates bittul and self-diminution,

and this is Malchus of Atzilus, which has nothing of its own.

And it can be said that the intention in this is that it adds the matter of "having nothing of its own,"

for the matter of self-diminution,

even though it is a level of bittul,

nevertheless, some existence still remains

(and only that the existence is in a manner of diminution),

therefore it adds the matter of "having nothing of its own,"

which is

(as the language of the maamar there)

"in the ultimate bittul and lowliness."

And this will be understood based on what is explained by the Mitteler Rebbe in Biurei HaZohar

regarding the matter of "And also, indeed, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother,"

that the level of bittul of an empty vessel comes specifically from the level of Chochmah

("my father")

specifically.

For from the contemplation of Binah

("my mother")

is produced an arousal in the manner of enthusiasm and commotion,

and the matter of the bittul of an empty vessel comes from the level of Chochmah

("my father")

specifically,

for the arousal of Chochmah is the matter of lowliness, to set oneself aside and nullify oneself completely.

And now it is understood,

that even the arousal in the manner of enthusiasm and commotion that comes from the contemplation of Binah,

since it too is "the daughter of my mother," a level of holiness,

it is in the category of bittul,

for "the entire matter of holiness is that it be in a state of ultimate bittul,"

and the difference between "the daughter of my mother" and "the daughter of my father" is only that the arousal born from Binah is not in a state of ultimate bittul.

For since Binah is understanding and comprehension,

a level of existence,

therefore the arousal born from it is in the manner of commotion.

In contrast, from the level of Chochmah one comes to ultimate bittul,

and this is that the bittul that comes through the contemplation of Binah

(which is a level of commotion and arousal)

is only in the category of externality,

in contrast to the bittul of Chochmah

(which is in silence)

which is a level of essential bittul, where he is nullified in his very essence.

And this is what is precisely stated in the maamar regarding the matter of "having nothing of its own,"

the level of ultimate bittul,

for since in bittul there are several levels as above,

therefore it specifies that the bittul

(of the letter dalet)

explained here is bittul in the ultimate sense

(which is a bittul even more elevated than the bittul of Chochmah,

as will be explained later).

For specifically through such bittul does one become a vessel to receive an influence that is utterly incomparable to him,

as is explained in the parable of the teacher and student,

that through the student being in a state of complete nullification of existence,

in ultimate bittul and lowliness,

then specifically is he a vessel to receive the true influence of the teacher.

e)

And the matter is as explained by the Tzemach Tzedek in Ohr HaTorah,

that the bittul of the student to receive the teacher's influence is analogous to the bittul of the teacher in order to influence the student,

for when the teacher imparts intellect to a student who is on his level,

although even then he must somewhat contract his intellect, nevertheless he does not need to set himself aside.

In contrast, when he wishes to impart intellect to a student who is not on his level at all, then he must set his very essence aside and contract his entire essence, etc.

And similarly regarding the bittul of the student,

that in order to receive an influence on his level

(even though even then he must be in a state of bittul,

nevertheless)

he does not need to be in ultimate bittul,

in contrast, in order to receive an influence that is not on his level at all,

just as the teacher who influences must set his essence aside as above,

so too is it regarding the student who receives

(as water reflects a face back to a face)

that he must be in a state of ultimate bittul.

And based on this he explains

(there)

what our sages, of blessed memory, said,

"Rabbi Zeira fasted one hundred fasts so that the Babylonian Talmud would be forgotten from him," in order that he could receive the Jerusalem Talmud,

"that the intention,

that if he were not an empty vessel and had in his possession his prior attainments, he would not be able to receive the supernal influence of Eretz Yisrael."

And it can be said that the intention in this,

for on the surface it is not understood why Rabbi Zeira needed to fast one hundred fasts, etc.,

for seemingly,

even before this he had the requisite bittul

[for from the very fact that he learned and attained the Babylonian Talmud, it is proven that he was in a state of bittul,

for the attainment of Torah is specifically through bittul, to the extent that any student whose lips do not drip myrrh, etc.],

and if so, why did he need to fast one hundred fasts, etc.,

and on this the Tzemach Tzedek explains,

that the intention in this is that he needed to be an empty vessel also from his prior attainments.

For since in order to receive a more elevated light one must be in a greater bittul,

therefore,

in order to be able to receive the supernal influence of Eretz Yisrael

[which is incomparably more elevated],

the bittul that he had previously was insufficient,

and he needed to fast one hundred fasts,

for fasts are a bittul of a person's existence,

and this bittul was still insufficient, and he also needed that "the Babylonian Talmud be forgotten from him"

(meaning that he needed not only a bittul of his existence in general, but also a bittul of his prior attainment),

and this is the true matter of an empty vessel,

which is empty also from the prior attainments.

And this is also the matter of "my sister, the daughter of my father,"

for the aforementioned level of an empty vessel is drawn specifically from the side of Chochmah and not from the level of Binah,

as explained in Ohr HaTorah there.

Now, this is also the case regarding influence from above,

that in order to receive the influence of a level that is above the chain of descent, it is specifically through bittul (self-nullification).

And as explained by the Rebbe Maharash58

on the verse59

"Who is a G-d like You, bearing iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His heritage," and our sages said,60

"For one who makes himself like remnants,"

for at first glance it is not understood,

for is not forgiveness drawn from a very high place, which is above the place of exacting judgment, and why specifically for one who makes himself like remnants?

And he explains this with an introduction61

regarding what the early Kabbalists before the Ari z"l called the attribute of Chessed by the name "Gedulah," and the Ari z"l called the attribute of Chessed by the name "Chessed."

And the reason for this is,

because the early Kabbalists spoke about the matter of the Sefiros of Tohu,

and the Chessed of Tohu is in the aspect of Gedulah, unlike the Ari z"l who speaks about the aspect of Chessed of Atzilus, and therefore he calls it simply Chessed.

And this Chessed

(Chessed of Atzilus)

is also called by the name "Chessed Zuta" (the Small Chessed).

And the reason that this Chessed is called by the name Chessed Zuta,

is not that the Chessed itself is small, for the influence of this Chessed is also in abundant measure,

as it is brought in the book Orchos Tzadikim62

regarding Avraham Avinu

(who was a chariot for the Chessed of Atzilus63)

that he was generous with his money, his body, and his soul.

And what it is called by the name Chessed Zuta is not because the Chessed itself is small, but rather because the Chessed comes about through the cause of smallness (katnus),

meaning that the influence of the Chessed of Atzilus is due to bittul.

And so too Avraham

(who was a chariot for the Chessed of Atzilus as mentioned above),

for because he was lowly in his own eyes, as it says64

"And I am dust and ashes,"

therefore he would bestow all good and kindness upon others.

And this is also the matter of "I am unworthy of all the kindnesses"65

that Yaakov said,

as explained in Igeres HaKodesh.66

Now, although the Chessed of Atzilus is called simply Chessed or Chessed Zuta, and the title Gedulah applies to the Chessed that is above the chain of descent,

nevertheless, it is explained in many places in the interpretation of the verse67

"Yours, Hashem, is the greatness (Gedulah) and the might (Gevurah) etc." that it refers to the Sefiros of Atzilus.

And he explains this,

that because Chessed Zuta comes about through the aspect of smallness (katnus),

that one makes himself small and lowly until he is considered as nothing,

therefore, for this very reason, it is a vessel to receive the influence of the aspect of Chessed that is above the chain of descent, which is called Gedulah,

and on the contrary,

the revelation of the aspect of Gedulah is specifically within the aspect of Chessed Zuta.

And this is "Who is a G-d like You... for the remnant of His heritage," for one who makes himself like remnants,

that the drawing down of the aspect of the revelation of the Ein Sof light that is above the chain of descent is specifically to one who makes himself like remnants,

the aspect of bittul to the ultimate degree.

6)

Now, although it was explained above in section 4

(in the explanation of this maamar)

that the matter of bittul

(meaning essential bittul)

is specifically from the aspect of Chochmah,

nevertheless, through the revelation of the illumination of Chochmah within Binah,

the bittul of Chochmah is drawn also into Binah.

However, the aspect of Chochmah that is revealed in Binah is only the aspect of the externality of Chochmah that is related to Binah, unlike the aspect of the internality of Chochmah, which is above the aspect of the source for Binah.

And as explained by the Rebbe

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory, in the Hemshech of 5666,68

that in the letter Yud

(which alludes to Chochmah)

there are two matters.

The first is the letter Yud with its filling of Vav-Dalet, which is the aspect of the externality of Chochmah that is related to Binah,

and the second is the letter Yud itself without the filling, which is the aspect of the essence of Chochmah that is not in the aspect of a source for Binah.

And one can explain this based on what is stated in the Siddur69

and in the discourse on the Miluyim (fillings),70

that the matter of the filling is for the sake of another.

For when one needs to say the letter Yud in speech to another, then the letters Vav-Dalet are necessarily added,

unlike as it is in thought, where it is only a single letter

(the Yud itself).

Based on this, it is understood,

that the letter Yud with its filling of Vav-Dalet is the aspect of the externality of Chochmah that is related to Binah

(for Binah is like "another" relative to Chochmah),

unlike the letter Yud itself without the filling, which is the aspect of the essence of Chochmah.

And these two aspects within Chochmah are also distinct in the aspect of the bittul within them,

as is understood from what is explained in the Hemshech of 5666 there,

that the aspect of the externality of Chochmah is analogous to the aspect of light

(the aspect of water)

that spreads and becomes invested in vessels,

and the aspect of the internality of Chochmah is analogous to the aspect of light that is above the matter of investment in vessels.

Now, even the bittul of the aspect of the internality of Chochmah is not in the aspect of the utter absence of existence.

For even Chochmah is in the aspect of a "color" (gaven), only that its color is an essential color.

And as explained in that Hemshech, that the bittul of Chochmah is the bittul of "Ein Od Milevado" (there is nothing besides Him),

the meaning of "Ein Od Milevado" is that there is no existence apart from the Essence (Atzmus), but together with the Essence there is existence,

and this bittul is the bittul of light

(as it is in the aspect of revelation)

which has no existence of its own apart from the luminary (HaMaor),

but together with the luminary it is in the aspect of existence.

For this bittul is specifically in the aspect of light that spreads,

unlike the bittul of the light that is included within the luminary, which is the bittul of "Effes" (naught/cessation)

(which is above the bittul of "Ayin")

and it is that even with Him, blessed be He, there is no existence at all.

For this bittul is in the aspect of the light when it is included in the luminary, and all the more so in the aspect of "Yashet Choshech Sistro" (He made darkness His hiding place),71

which is the aspect of darkness and concealment that is above the aspect of light

(even above the aspect of included light).

And this is the difference between the bittul of the aspect of Chochmah and the bittul of the aspect of Kesser,

that the bittul of Chochmah is the bittul of the aspect of "Ayin" (nothingness),

unlike the bittul of Kesser, which is the bittul of the aspect of "Effes" (naught/cessation),

for this is what Kesser is, from the term "Kesser Li Z'eir" (a little while I will be silent),72

which is the matter of silence,

for the bittul of silence is above even the bittul of the internality of Chochmah.

And this is what they said,73

"Silence is a fence for wisdom,"

for these three words allude to the three aforementioned aspects.

"Fence" (Sig) alludes to the bittul of the externality of Kesser,

for this is that "Sig" in gematria equals "Chochmah,"

meaning it is above the bittul of the aspect of Chochmah itself, and only the gematria

(and the concealment of Chochmah)

alone.

"Wisdom" (Chochmah) is the bittul of the aspect of Chochmah itself.

And "Silence" (Shtikah) is the bittul of Kesser,

and as mentioned above, that Kesser is from the term "Kesser Li Z'eir," which is the matter of silence.

7)

And one can connect this with the statement of the Tikkunim,74

"Every Rav is from Bavel, every Rabbi is from Eretz Yisrael,"

and it is explained in Shaar Maamarei Rashbi,75

that when He, blessed be He, goes forth to the outside,

to the diaspora

(Bavel),

He does not go forth from the aspect of the Names (Havayos), but rather comes in the aspect of the three fillings of Ayin-Bet, Samech-Gimel, Mem-Heh.

And this is what is said,76

"Behold, Hashem rides upon an Ayin-Bet Kal (a swift cloud),"

the explanation,

for He does not go forth to the diaspora except in the aspect of Ayin-Bet Kal

[which is the filling of the Name of Mem-Heh (45) with Alephs, as is known],

and behold, Ayin-Bet Kal in gematria is Resh-Bet (202),

and therefore every Rav is from Bavel.

But in Eretz Yisrael,

then he is called Rabbi,

because there the ten letters of the Name Havayah are combined with their filling, which is Ayin-Bet Kal,

and it all equals in gematria Reish-Beis-Yud (Rabbi)

(end of quote).

And the Baal Shem Tov adds77

in his interpretation of the statement "Every Rav is from Bavel and every Rabbi is from Eretz Yisrael,"

that "Rav" (Resh-Beis) refers to the aspect of Chochmah and Binah,

"Reish" is the beginning of wisdom (Chochmah), "Beis" is the aspect of Binah,

and the letter Yud that is added in "Rabbi" is the flow from the Ein Sof.

And one can say that the aspect of the Yud that is added in "Rabbi" according to the Baal Shem Tov's explanation is above the aspect of the Yud mentioned above according to the explanation in Shaar Maamarei Rashbi.

For according to the explanation in Shaar Maamarei Rashbi, the Yud is the ten letters

[which is the Yud with its filling,

only that it is elevated more than the aspect of the filling that is in gematria Ayin-Bet Kal],

unlike according to the Baal Shem Tov's explanation, it is the Yud itself, which is above the aspect of filling.

And the explanation of the connection of the aspect of Yud to Eretz Yisrael

(that specifically in Eretz Yisrael it is "Rebbi" with a Yud),

will be understood with an introduction from the teaching of the Maggid78

on the verse79

"A land which the L-rd your G-d cares for; the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are always upon it,"

for in the Zohar80

it asks: it is written81

"The eye of the L-rd is toward those who fear Him" in the singular, and it is written82

"The eyes of the L-rd are toward the righteous" in the plural.

And according to its simple meaning, it can be said that the wise are called83

"the eyes of the congregation."

And it is written84

"Wisdom cries out in the street" — two wisdoms: the supernal wisdom and the lower wisdom85.

And there is an internal fear and an external fear. External fear is the fear that comes from greatness86,

meaning that one does not recognize His inwardness, but only sees His greatness, and because of this he is afraid

[similar to what is explained in Tanya87,

that even when one has never seen the king and does not know him at all, but only sees that many great ministers bow down to a certain person,

awe and dread will fall upon him],

and internal fear is when one recognizes His inwardness and importance, and because of this he fears and is ashamed before Him.

And this fear is called the fear of shame86.

And these two aspects within fear correspond to the supernal Chochmah and the lower Chochmah.

For in the lower Chochmah,

which is the aspect of Malchus,

there the fear is from greatness,

and in the supernal Chochmah

(that is, the aspect of Chochmah)

the fear is from inwardness.

And in order to have the fear of shame, one must recognize and comprehend His G-dliness,

and this is impossible except through a tzimtzum (contraction) in which He, as it were, contracts Himself so that He can be comprehended,

and this tzimtzum comes about when a person makes himself small, for "as water reflects a face back to a face."

And this is what is said regarding the Land of Israel: "the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are upon it,"

"eyes" in the plural,

meaning that in the Land of Israel there are two eyes,

the external fear and the internal fear.

For although the land is the aspect of Malchus, the lower Chochmah,

nevertheless, due to the advantage of the returning light, there is also in it the revelation of the supernal fear.

This is analogous to how in the air close to the land there is more heat than in the middle air,

because the sun that strikes the land, its illumination returns upward until a third of the space.

And this is "a land which the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are upon it,"

"land" is Eretz Yisrael,

and in it there are two eyes: the supernal Chochmah and the lower Chochmah.

"From the beginning of the year until the end of the year,"

"beginning" is the supernal Chochmah

[and "beginning" is written deficiently (without an Aleph),

because the supernal Chochmah that is revealed in the lower Chochmah

(the land)

does not have the Aleph which indicates the Most High].

(This concludes the content of the teaching of the Maggid).

And based on this, it will be understood what they said: "Every Rav is from Bavel and every Rebbi is from Eretz Yisrael"

[that in Eretz Yisrael it is "Rebbi" with the addition of a Yud, which indicates Chochmah],

for although Eretz Yisrael is the aspect of Malchus, the lower Chochmah and fear,

nevertheless,

since in the lower fear there is also a revelation of the supernal fear,

therefore in Eretz Yisrael it is "Rebbi" with a Yud.

And this is also what the Yud that is added to "Rebbi"

(from Eretz Yisrael)

is the aspect of the inwardness of Chochmah, as above,

because the aspect of the fear of shame that comes from recognizing the inwardness is the aspect of the inwardness of the supernal Chochmah,

and therefore the Yud in "Rebbi"

(from Eretz Yisrael)

is the aspect of the inwardness of Chochmah,

and even to the aspect of that which flows from Ein Sof,

as above from the Baal Shem Tov.

8)

And this is what is said by his holy honor, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, in the discourse regarding the Yud that is at the back of the Dalet,

that the letter Yud indicates bittul (self-nullification) and "az'ayrta d'garma" (diminution of self), and this is Malchus d'Atzilus, which has nothing of its own,

for the bittul of the aspect of Malchus is

[not only the bittul of "az'ayrta d'garma,"

but rather]

the aspect of bittul of "having nothing of its own,"

which is the ultimate bittul.

And as above, that specifically in Malchus,

the aspect of the lower Chochmah,

the most supreme aspect of bittul is revealed.

And he continues in the discourse,

that this bittul must be in all three lines: Torah, service, and acts of kindness,

for in the study of Torah, a simple bittul is insufficient

(the negation of coarseness of spirit)

rather, it must be "in the aspect of utter self-nullification,"

and likewise in the line of service

(prayer)

there must be the bittul of "I am poor and needy," which is the aspect of the bittul of the aspect of Malchus,

and likewise in the line of acts of kindness

(fulfillment of the commandments)

he explains with the analogy of lifting a heavy burden

(which is an analogy for the matter of fulfilling the commandments,

as above),

that in order to lift an extremely heavy burden

(it is not enough to contract oneself a little,

but rather)

one must contract oneself greatly.

And through this bittul

(in all three lines mentioned above)

he becomes an empty vessel that can contain,

receiving all the revelations and powers that are given from above to perform his service in Torah study, fulfillment of commandments, and the service of prayer,

and even to the point that he makes the connection and falsehood of the world be transformed into the boards of the Mishkan,

transforming the foolishness of idolatry into the foolishness of holiness.

For all this is through the bittul of an empty vessel,

for then he is a vessel to receive the powers given from above so that he can overcome the war against the evil inclination,

and as explained in the discourse88

that for the sake of winning the war, they expend the hidden treasures from generation to generation

(what he himself stored up and also what his ancestors stored up)

and they are delivered through the officers of the army,

for the soldiers specifically

(the soldiers)

bring about the actual victory,

"the hosts of the L-rd,"

in all three interpretations of this,

as explained in the discourse89.

And the title "hosts of the L-rd" for Israel began from the time of the Exodus from Egypt,

as it is written90

"On that very day,

all the hosts of the L-rd went out of the land of Egypt,"

and from this it is also understood regarding the future redemption,

that it will be similar to the redemption of the Exodus from Egypt, as it is written91

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

that through this there will be the revelation of the future redemption, when there will be wonders even relative to the matters that were in the Exodus from Egypt92,

and afterwards there will be "Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust"93

and He is among them.