English translation — מאמר כי תשא תשל"א

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbos of Parshas Mishpatim,

Parshas Shekalim,

Rosh Chodesh Adar 5731

"When you lift up the head of the children of Israel according to their counts, and they shall give, each man, an atonement for his soul..."

And it is brought in the Gemara,

Moshe said before the Holy One, Blessed be He,

"Master of the Universe, with what will You raise the horn of Israel?" He said to him, "With 'Ki Sisa.'"

And Rashi explained,

"If you wish to lift their head in elevation, take from them an atonement for charity."

And at first glance,

the connection of "Ki Sisa" to the raising of the horn of Israel is,

that "Ki Sisa" is

(also)

an expression of elevation and raising.

And it needs to be understood,

that according to this,

when Moshe asked the Holy One, Blessed be He, "With what will You raise the horn of Israel?" it would seemingly have been appropriate to answer him "with the giving of an atonement for charity,"

and what is the meaning of the answer "With 'Ki Sisa'"

[that the raising of the horn of Israel is accomplished through "Ki Sisa"],

for the lifting of the head of the children of Israel and the raising of their horn are one and the same.

Also, it needs to be understood,

that in the verse it is stated "and they shall give, each man, an atonement for his soul,"

that the lifting

(elevation and raising)

of the head of Israel is through the giving of an atonement,

and in Rashi's explanation above, "If you wish to lift their head in elevation, take from them an atonement for charity."

Also, it needs to be understood,

that the language of the verse is "When you lift up the head of the children of Israel,"

and the language in Moshe's question is "With what will You raise the horn of Israel."

B)

And the explanation is,

that it is explained in the discourses

(beginning with "Ki Sisa es Rosh Bnei Yisrael"),

that "head" is the natural love that is above intellect,

and it is written,

"For my iniquities have passed over my head,"

that the iniquities conceal the aspect of the "head" of the soul

(the natural love that is above intellect)

so that it does not shine in a revealed manner within the internal faculties.

And this is "When you lift up the head,"

for although in the aspect of the "head" there is no possibility of blemish,

nevertheless,

this very fact that the "head" of the soul cannot shine in a revealed manner in the internal faculties indicates that a descent and degradation has occurred to it

through the iniquities

(except that the descent and degradation is not with regard to itself, but only with regard to its revelation),

and therefore it is necessary to lift the head,

to elevate it from its lowliness.

And to note,

in Likkutei Torah, the discourse "Shuvah Yisrael... Ki Khasalta BaAvonecha,"

it is explained as a parable of a person whose foot stumbles, causing his head to fall downward.

Based on this, one could say that the meaning of "Ki Tisa et Rosh Bnei Yisrael" is to lift the head from its fall downward.

And one can give a reason why in the above discourses it is not explained this way,

because this portion was said after Yom Kippur,

after the Holy One, blessed be He, was appeased to Yisrael with joy and a full heart, and said to Moshe, "I have forgiven as you have said."

And the impression of the sin that remains after Yom Kippur is

(primarily)

only regarding the fact that the will that is above intellect did not shine in revelation within the inner faculties,

therefore it says "Ki Tisa et Rosh Bnei Yisrael."

3)

And it is written,

"He has cut down in fierce anger all the horn of Yisrael,"

that through sins there is a descent even in the aspect of the horn that is above the head.

Therefore Moshe said, "With what shall the horn of Yisrael be exalted?"

that it is necessary to elevate and exalt the horn that is above the head.

And it is explained in Likkutei Torah,

that "horn" is the aspect of Kesser.

And explanation is needed,

for the fact that the horn is above the head is

(not only above the brain within the head, but)

also above the skull,

and according to what is known that "Gulgulta"

(the skull that covers the brain)

is the aspect of Kesser,

what is the superiority of the horn over the head?

And one can say,

that "Gulgulta" is an encompassing that is related to the inner,

analogous to the skull in a person that encompasses the brain but is related to it,

and "horn" is an encompassing that is above any relation to the inner.

And as explained in many places

in the interpretation of the verse,

"And He will exalt the horn of His people,"

that it refers to the Atzmus of Ein Sof, which is above the encompassing.

And likewise it is in the soul,

that the horn of the soul is the essence of the soul.

And it is necessary to understand what Moshe said, "With what shall the horn of Yisrael be exalted?"

For at first glance,

how can there be a descent in the essence of the soul?

And one can give the explanation of this,

that the intention of the soul's descent below is in order to act upon the body,

therefore,

when it does not fulfill the intention, a descent occurs in all its levels,

even in its essence

(that descended below).

And based on this,

the descent caused by sin in the level of the head of the soul,

is because relative to this level there is significance to the revealed faculties

(since it is an encompassing that is related to the inner),

and therefore matters of the revealed faculties cause a change in it

(except that the change is only regarding its revelation,

as above in section 2),

and the descent caused by sin in the essence of the soul is not that matters of the revealed faculties cause a change in it,

but rather because the intention for which it descended below was not fulfilled.

And one can say,

that this is what is written, "He has cut down... the horn of Yisrael,"

for just as with a horn in its simple sense,

the change that occurs in the horn by being cut off from the head

(that it does not have the strength it had initially)

is not that the head causes a change in the horn, but rather because it was cut off from the head,

so too is it regarding the horn of the soul,

that the change that occurs in it through sin is from the aspect that it does not act upon the revealed faculties

(and does not fulfill the intention of its descent below).

4)

And based on this, it can be said that in G-d's statement to Moshe, "When you lift up the head of the children of Israel,"

there are two matters.

[One is] that he should lift and raise the head of the children of Israel,

as is explicit in the verse.

And another matter

(which is not explicit in the Written Torah but is revealed in the Oral Torah),

that through "when you lift up the head of the children of Israel" there will also be a raising of the horn of Israel

[and as the language of the Gemara: "He said to him,

'When you lift up,'

that through 'when you lift up' there will be another matter].

And based on this, we can explain what Rashi said: "If you come to lift up their head in elevation, take from them an atonement for charity,"

and not "they shall give an atonement for charity,"

as the language of the verse, "And they shall give, each man, an atonement for his soul,"

because the lifting and elevation of the head of the children of Israel is through the giving of an atonement — "and they shall give, each man, an atonement for his soul."

And in order that the lifting of the head should bring about the raising of the horn of Israel, it is when the lifting and elevation of the head is through Moshe taking from them an atonement — "If you come to lift up their head in elevation, take from them an atonement for charity."

5)

And this will be understood by prefacing what is said

(in our parshah16)

"If you lend money to My people,"

and it is brought in the Midrash17

"Said the Holy One, blessed be He, 'If you lend money to My people'"

(with a chirik under the ayin, meaning "My people"),

and it is explained in the discourses18,

that this [teaches] that the virtue of gemilus chassadim (acts of lovingkindness) is so great that through this "you are My people,"

"My people in My partition"19,

as it is written20

"For I desire kindness, and not sacrifice,"

for although also the sacrifices

(sacrifice)

are His will, blessed be He,

[as is also understood from the fact that there are numerous commandments to offer sacrifices],

nevertheless,

since the matter of sacrifices is an elevation from below to above,

and the ultimate intention is that there should be a drawing down of the revelation of G-dliness below,

for the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms21,

therefore,

the desire in sacrifices is

(not in the sacrifices in and of themselves,

but rather)

for the sake of the drawing down that will come afterwards through the libations

[as it is brought in the Gemara22

"Anyone who recites the Shema without tefillin is as if he offered a burnt-offering without a meal-offering and a peace-offering without libations"23,

for from this it is implied that when one offered a peace-offering without libations, his sacrifice is nothing24,

and it is explained in Likkutei Torah25

that this is because the elevation of the sacrifices is for the sake of the drawing down that follows through the libations],

and therefore,

the desire in sacrifices is

(like26)

the externality of the will

[comparable to27

a person who wants to travel to some place to buy merchandise,

that his desire in the journey is only for the profit he will have through it],

and the innerness of the will is in the drawing down below.

And this is [the meaning of] "For I desire kindness, and not sacrifice,"

that the desire,

the innerness of the will,

is that there should be kindness,

a drawing down below.

And to add,

from the simple language of the verse "For I desire kindness, and not sacrifice," it implies that it speaks even of a sacrifice with libations,

and nevertheless it says "I desire kindness, and not sacrifice,"

because since the libations are secondary to the sacrifice,

even the drawing down through the libations is not like the drawing down through kindness.

And as is also proven from the saying of our Rabbis, of blessed memory28

(brought in the discourses29)

on the verse30

"If the iniquity of the house of Eli will be atoned with sacrifice and meal-offering,"

"With sacrifice and meal-offering it is not atoned, but it is atoned with Torah and gemilus chassadim,"

for even the atonement of the meal-offering

(and likewise libations)

is not like the atonement through Torah and gemilus chassadim,

because the entire matter of sacrifices is elevation,

except that within the sacrifices themselves — meal-offering and libations are a drawing down below,

but the drawing down through them is not like the drawing down through Torah and gemilus chassadim.

And furthermore,

even the drawing down of Torah,

which is called "Torah of kindness"31

because its matter is a drawing down below,

is not like the drawing down through kindness.

And as the conclusion of the aforementioned saying of our Rabbis28

"Rabbah, who engaged in Torah, lived forty years; Abaye, who engaged in Torah and gemilus chassadim, lived sixty years."

And to note,

that this matter — that the drawing down through gemilus chassadim is a drawing down below more

(than the drawing down through meal-offering and libations, and also)

than the drawing down through Torah —

is in general [true] of all the mitzvos32,

for gemilus chassadim is the entirety of all the mitzvos33.

But nevertheless,

the primary virtue of the drawing down below the most is in gemilus chassadim in its simple sense.

And as is also understood from the continuation of the matters in the aforementioned discourses,

that the matter of "For I desire kindness, and not sacrifice" is an explanation of the virtue of "If you lend money,"

gemilus chassadim in its simple sense.

And so it is understood from what is explained in the aforementioned discourses34

the reason for this — that gemilus chassadim is among the things whose fruits a person eats in this world35,

because the drawing down through gemilus chassadim is drawn down to the very lowest,

also in this world.

6)

Now, it is brought in the Yalkut

on the verse "For I desire kindness and not sacrifice,"

Once, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was walking in Yerushalayim,

and Rabbi Yehoshua was walking after him.

He saw the Beis HaMikdash, that it was destroyed.

He said,

"Woe to us over the House that is destroyed, the place where our iniquities were atoned!"

He [Rabbi Yehoshua] said to him,

"My son, do not be distressed,

for we have another atonement that is like it.

And which is it?

It is gemilus chassadim [acts of lovingkindness]."

Therefore it says, "For I desire kindness and not sacrifice."

And it says,

"I said: The world is built with kindness."

And it is precise in the discourses,

[that] gemilus chassadim also existed during the time when the Beis HaMikdash was standing,

and from the wording "we have another atonement" it implies that this atonement was innovated during the time of exile.

And it is explained there,

based on what is brought in the Gemara:

Rabbi Yochanan said,

"Six things a person eats their fruits in this world, and the principal remains for him in the World to Come"

(and iyun tephilah [meditative prayer] is among the six things).

And the Gemara asks,

"But we learned in a Mishnah

'These are the things that a person does and eats their fruits in this world, etc.' and it lists only three things,"

and it answers,

"These [three] are also included in those [six]."

And Rashi explained,

that iyun tephilah is included in gemilus chassadim, as it is written,

"He who is kind to his own soul is a man of kindness"

[And "nefesh" [soul] refers to prayer, as it is written regarding Chanah,

"And I poured out my soul before Hashem"].

And it is explained in the discourses,

that what Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai said, "we have another atonement... gemilus chassadim,"

his intention is iyun tephilah, which is included in gemilus chassadim

[for the essence of prayer

(the three prayers each day and the text of the prayer)

was instituted during the time of exile].

And although prayers are in place of sacrifices, and sacrifices are an elevation from below to Above,

it is explained in the discourses,

that "prayers were instituted corresponding to the daily and additional offerings,"

and the daily and additional offerings,

communal sacrifices,

are a level of drawing down.

As it is brought in the Midrash,

that the reason Yisrael is called by the name "My friend"

is because they would offer two daily offerings upon the altar,

and through this they are "My friend,"

"My sustainer" —

Yisrael sustain their Father in Heaven,

in that they draw down Ein Sof into the Sefiros.

And what is written "For I desire kindness and not sacrifice" refers to individual sacrifices,

which are a level of elevation,

but communal sacrifices,

the daily and additional offerings,

are a level of drawing down.

And as the Shach wrote in his commentary on the Torah

on the verse,

"Besides the burnt offering of the morning,"

that "besides" is an acronym for

"One who lends"

"to a poor person"

"at the time of"

"his distress,"

and the explanation of "Besides the burnt offering of the morning" is,

that one who lends to a poor person at the time of his distress is like the burnt offering of the morning,

the continual offering,

which is a drawing down from Above to below.

And from this, that prayers were instituted corresponding to the daily offerings,

it is understood

that prayers are a drawing down from Above to below.

7)

Now, from the fact that gemilus chassadim

(in its simple sense)

also existed during the time of the Beis HaMikdash,

whereas the gemilus chassadim of prayer

("He who is kind to his own soul is a man of kindness")

was instituted specifically after the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash,

in order that there should also now be the atonement similar to the atonement that was through the Beis HaMikdash,

"the place where our iniquities were atoned,"

it is understood

that there is an advantage in the atonement effected through the gemilus chassadim of prayer over the atonement through gemilus chassadim in its simple sense.

And the concept is,

that prayer

(in general)

is an elevation from below to Above,

as is also understood from what is written, "And I poured out my soul before Hashem"

[for from this verse they bring a proof that prayer is a drawing down],

for the pouring out of the soul is an elevation,

except that the request of this elevation is that there should be a drawing down below.

[And to add,

it is explained in the discourses,

that regarding "He who is kind to his own soul is a man of kindness,"

there are two explanations.

"Gomel" from the term of weaning/separating

(like "And the child grew and was weaned"),

and "gomel" from the term of bestowing influence

(like gemilus chassadim).

"Gomel nafsho" from the term of bestowing influence is in the service of prayer from the side of the Nefesh HaElokis,

where the elevation

(pouring out of the soul)

is for the sake of the drawing down.

And "gomel nafsho" from the term of weaning/separating is in the offering up of the Nefesh HaBahamis in prayer,

to separate and depart from worldly matters and to be in a state of nullification,

[which is] elevation.

And in the service from the side of the Nefesh HaBahamis,

the elevation is not for the sake of a drawing down, but rather this itself is its request.

And it can be said,

that this [fact] that the prayer of the Nefesh HaElokis is called by the name "gomel nafsho,"

where "gomel" is also a term of weaning/separating,

indicates,

that also in the prayer of the Nefesh HaElokis there is an elevation analogous to the elevation of the Nefesh HaBahamis,

[in that] its request is [also] elevation].

Now, it is known that in forgiveness and atonement there are two concepts.

Through the drawing down from the Essence of Ein Sof, the Master of Will Who is not compelled in the will,

the sins and blemishes are nullified.

And there is another concept in forgiveness and atonement,

that through the drawing down from the Essence of Ein Sof, the Master of Will,

a new will is drawn down

(which is above the will that was removed through the sin),

and through this, He becomes appeased before Him, blessed be He, as before the sin.

And the difference between these two concepts is,

that this [aspect] that through the drawing down from the Essence of Ein Sof the blemishes are nullified is because He is not compelled in the will,

[He is] separate from the will,

and this [aspect] that a new will is drawn from Him is

(not because He is separate from the will,

but rather, on the contrary)

because He is the Master of Will.

For in the level of will,

there is limitation in the manner of its drawing down,

and when one does the opposite of the will, it departs.

But the Master of Will,

is not limited in the manner of the drawing down,

and therefore, even after they have done the opposite of the will, through which the will departed,

it is possible for a new will to be drawn from Him.

And it can be said,

that this which is brought above

(section 5)

that the primary atonement is acts of kindness because the innermost will of Above is in drawing down below,

"I desire kindness,"

is primarily regarding that there should be satisfaction before Him, blessed be He,

and also regarding the correction of defects.

But regarding the nullification of defects

[for this matter is because the Essence of Ein Sof, the Possessor of will, is separate from the will],

there is an advantage in the drawing down that is connected to elevation.

For through elevation

(going out of one's existence,

nullification)

one reaches this matter in the Possessor of will that is separate from the will.

And through the drawing down that follows the elevation, this matter

(that Ein Sof is separate from the will)

is drawn down below,

and through this the defects are nullified.

8)

And this is "When you lift up the head of the children of Israel etc." And it is brought in the Gemara: Moshe said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the Universe, with what will You raise the horn of Israel?" He said to him, "With 'Ki Tisa' (when you lift up)."

It can be said that the two matters in "Ki Tisa" — the lifting and raising of the head of the children of Israel and the raising of the horn of Israel —

are analogous to the two matters of kindness,

simple kindness and the kindness of prayer.

And the explanation is,

that the weakness

(descent and degradation)

caused by the sin in the head of the soul,

that it is unable to illuminate the inner powers,

is analogous to the withdrawal of light that occurs due to the defect,

that the light departs to its source and does not illuminate the vessels.

And the matter of the lifting and raising of the head

[that the power of revelation of the aspect of the head in the soul is in full force as it was originally,

to illuminate the inner powers]

which is effected by giving a ransom for charity, is analogous to the atonement

(filling the defects and restoring the will)

effected by simple acts of kindness.

And Moshe's question was, "With what will You raise the horn of Israel?"

For since the descent in the level of the horn is

(not that the sin caused a descent in it,

but rather)

that the intention for which it descended below was not fulfilled,

Moshe wondered how this could be rectified.

And it can be said,

that this that Moshe said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "With what will You raise the horn of Israel?"

is because in order to rectify this, that the intention was not fulfilled, it is through the drawing down from the Essence of Ein Sof, the Possessor of will, who is separate from the will,

and therefore Moshe said this before the Holy One, blessed be He, who is holy and separate,

and moreover,

"before the Holy One, blessed be He,"

in order to draw down from there.

He said to him, "With 'Ki Tisa' (when you lift up),"

in that Moshe will lift their head in elevation,

for even the drawing down of the aspect of "before the Holy One, blessed be He" must be through the aspect of wisdom

(the matter of Moshe),

and analogous to the known principle that even the revelation of the Surrounding is through the Filling.

And even though the action of Moshe

(from his own side)

is "when you lift up the head,"

nevertheless, through this is also drawn the power of the aspect of "before the Holy One, blessed be He,"

through which the raising of the horn of Israel is effected.

And in order that this matter be drawn down to Israel, it is through that their lifting and raising of the head is by Moshe taking from them a ransom,

as Rashi's wording: "Take from them a ransom for charity,"

the matter of the elevation that is in charity.

And analogous to what is explained above

(section 7),

that through simple kindness there is a drawing down of the will from the Possessor of will,

and in order to reach this matter in the Possessor of will that is separate from the will, it is through the kindness of prayer,

a drawing down that is connected to elevation,

similarly is it regarding the matter of the ransom of his soul,

that through giving the ransom for charity

(drawing down)

there is a drawing down of the will,

and through this the lifting and raising of the head is effected.

And through that Moshe takes from them a ransom for charity

(the matter of the elevation that is in charity)

there is a drawing down of the Essence of Ein Sof that is separate from the will,

and through this the horn of Israel is raised,

in the manner of "his horn

shall be raised in honor."