English translation — מאמר וחזקת והיית לאיש תשכ"ח

With the help of Heaven.

Monday, Parshat Pinchas,

19th of Tamuz, 5728

"And you shall be strong and become a man"¹,

It is known²

that the maamar said by the Rebbe

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory on the seventh day³

of the Bar Mitzvah celebration of his only son, the Rebbe Rayatz,

19th of Tamuz⁴

5653

[This maamar is the conclusion and seal of the series *Tefillin DeMarei Alma*⁵

which he began to say on the 12th of Tamuz,

the day of the Bar Mitzvah]

began with this verse.

– The connection of this verse

("And you shall be strong and become a man")

to Bar Mitzvah on a simple level is,

according to what is known⁶

that a thirteen-year-old

(specifically)

is obligated in mitzvos because only then is he called a man.

And it needs to be understood,

since a thirteen-year-old becomes a man

(by nature),

what is the emphasis in saying

(at the Bar Mitzvah celebration)

"And you shall be strong and become a man."

And also it needs to be understood,

behold, the advantage of a thirteen-year-old is that then he becomes a *baal daas*⁷,

for *daas* is in the intellect,

and particularly according to what is explained in the maamar beginning "It is said in Midrash Tehillim" 5653

[which is one of the maamarim that the Rebbe Rayatz repeated at his Bar Mitzvah celebration]⁸

that the advantage of a thirteen-year-old is that then he has the essence of the intellect⁹,

and what is the precision in a thirteen-year-old regarding the title "man" which indicates¹⁰

about the emotions.

2)

Now, in the part of the series that was said then¹¹

the superiority of Yosef over Yaakov is explained,

for the drawing down through Yaakov is in Atzilus, while through Yosef the revelation is drawn down

(also)

into Biyah.

[And it can be said,

that this, that in the maamar "And you shall be strong and become a man" it speaks in praise of Yosef,

the first name of the Bar Mitzvah boy,

is also in order to arouse him regarding the unique service of Yosef, to draw down revelation even to the lowest levels].

And in order to explain the greatness of the elevation of Yosef,

it first explains the superiority of Yaakov,

so that through this the greatness of the elevation of Yosef, who is even more elevated, will be understood.

And it explains this by prefacing what is said¹²

"You are Hashem alone; You made the heavens, etc., and You give life to them all,"

which are three levels¹³.

"You are Hashem alone" refers to the Ein Sof before the tzimtzum

[and it details three matters within this,

"You," "He," and "Hashem."

"You" is the essence of the luminary,

and it says about this "You" in the second person,

because the essence is everywhere in revelation¹⁴,

for the name "Heaven" is common in the mouth of everyone.

"He" and "Hashem" are two levels within the light,

the essence of the light

("He"),

and the diffusion of the light

("Hashem"),

as explained in the maamar.

And it says about this "alone,"

that there is nothing here other than the essence,

for the entirety of the light before the tzimtzum,

even the light that pertains to the worlds

("Hashem"),

is included in His essence and is not in the category of existence¹⁵].

"You made the heavens, etc." is the light as it became a source for the creation of the worlds.

Therefore it is written "You made,"

"made" (את) is missing a *hei*,

because the light,

even the light that pertains to the worlds

("Hashem"),

as it is before the tzimtzum,

is not in a category to be a source for the worlds,

and in order for it to be a source for the worlds it is through the tzimtzum,

that all the light was concealed and only a thin and constricted line was drawn down.

And this is "You made the heavens, etc." "made" (את) missing a *hei*,

that this, that the light became a source for the worlds

("You made the heavens, etc.")

is through it being lacking and diminished

("made" (את) missing a *hei*).

"And You give life to them all" is the line through which life is drawn to the worlds,

after they are created.

That is to say,

that in the line there are two aspects,

it is a thin and constricted line,

and from this aspect it brings the worlds into existence

(the existence of the worlds),

and its drawing down is from the light before the tzimtzum,

and from this aspect it draws down life into the worlds

(revelation of G-dliness)¹⁶.

And this is that "You" here

("And You give life to them all")

is spelled with a full *hei* like the first "You"

("You are Hashem alone"),

because this aspect, that the line gives life to them all,

is from this, that the revelation of the light before the tzimtzum is drawn into it.

And it can be said,

that this is what the maamar brings

(in continuation of this, that "and You give life to them all" refers to the drawing down of the line)

the language of the Tikkunei Zohar17

"and that wellspring is like a soul to the body, which is life to the body,"

in order to emphasize,

that the intention of "and You give life to them all" here is not regarding the matter of creation

(do not read it as "gives life" but rather as "brings into being"18),

but rather regarding the matter of vitality,

just as the soul gives life to the body19.

And this is that the line is the central bolt,

which connects and joins the aspect of "You are Hashem alone" with the aspect of "You made the heavens, etc.,"

so that even in the worlds that were brought into being through the tzimtzum

("et" [spelled] without a hei),

there will be drawn into them the revelation of the Ein Sof, blessed be He, that preceded the tzimtzum

("You are Hashem alone").

3)

And behold, that through the line the revelation of the Ein Sof that preceded the tzimtzum is drawn into the worlds,

indicates that it has an advantage even over the light that preceded the tzimtzum.

For the light that preceded the tzimtzum was concealed by the tzimtzum,

and the concealment caused by the tzimtzum applies also to the light of the boundless

(which is above the light relevant to the worlds),

except that the concealment of this light is that it is concealed and included in its source and does not shine in revelation in the worlds20.

[For this that is explained in many places21,

that regarding the light of the boundless the tzimtzum does not conceal,

is in relation to the light

(that in His knowledge, blessed be He, it shines in revelation even in the place of the void),

but in relation to the worlds

(that were brought into being from the tzimtzum),

the tzimtzum caused that the light

(of the boundless)

not be felt in the worlds22].

And that through the line the revelation is drawn into the worlds

(that even in the worlds the revelation will be felt)

indicates that it has an advantage over the light that preceded the tzimtzum,

even over the light of the boundless.

And as is explained in the maamar23,

that this that the line pierces the darkness of the tzimtzum,

and all piercing is from the side of superiority24,

is because the root of its drawing down is above even the light that preceded the tzimtzum.

And the explanation of this can be said,

that this that the light that preceded the tzimtzum cannot come into revelation in the worlds that were brought into being from the tzimtzum,

is because the light

(which is revelation)

and the tzimtzum

(which is concealment)

are opposites.

And that through the line the revelation of the Ein Sof that preceded the tzimtzum is drawn,

is because the root of the line is from the hidden attribute25,

which includes and unites opposites,

revelation and concealment.

And based on this, it can be explained that the three matters in the verse

("You are Hashem alone,

You made the heavens,

and You give life to them all")

that begin with the word "You,"

for "You" indicates the Awtsmoos

(as above, section 2),

are three modes in the revelation of the Awtsmoos.

"You are Hashem alone"

is the revelation of the infinite and boundless of the Awtsmoos,

that He is present in every place and that there is no existence apart from Him — "You are Hashem alone"26.

"You made the heavens, etc.,"

is the revelation of the power of limitation within the Awtsmoos

(the ability not to shine27),

and on a higher level — the matter of His existence from His own essence,

as is known that the creation of something from nothing

("You made the heavens, etc.")

is only through the power of the Awtsmoos, whose existence is from His own essence28.

"And You give life to them all" is the revelation of the simplicity of the Awtsmoos, which is not defined by the definitions of revelation and concealment, and therefore unites both as one.

And this is the meaning of what is said, "And You give life to them all,"

"And You" with the addition of a vav,

which indicates the revelation of the Essence of Ein Sof that is in the central line

(Tiferet)

that connects the two opposites of Chesed and Gevurah.

And as is known

regarding the matter of "the great, the mighty, and the awesome"

which are in the three lines of ChaGaT,

that what is said "and the awesome" with the addition of a vav is because in Tiferet there is the revelation of the Essence of Ein Sof, which is above the division of the lines

(Elyon, the Supreme God),

and through this it connects the two opposites of Chesed and Gevurah.

And this is also from the explanations regarding this, that Yaakov

(Tiferet)

is the letters of "yivaka" (will burst forth),

"Then your light will burst forth like the dawn,"

for this that the light

(the light of the line)

bursts through the darkness of the tzimtzum

(and is drawn also into the worlds that came into being from the tzimtzum)

is because the source of its drawing is from Tiferet

(the hidden one),

the attribute of Yaakov.

d)

And it is known that the drawing of the line concludes in Atzilus,

and as explained in the maamar,

that this that Yaakov

(the letters of yivaka,

the bursting of the line)

is "the middle bar that extends from one end to the other,"

from the end of the heavens above to the end of the heavens below.

For the end of the heavens below is the end of Atzilus.

And in order for there to be revelation also in BY"A,

it is through Yosef,

as it is stated,

"And Yosef was the ruler over the land,"

that through Yosef the revelation is drawn into the land,

BY"A.

And this is "These are the generations of Yaakov, Yosef,"

that Yosef draws the revelations of Yaakov so that they shine in BY"A.

And analogous to the difference between the Patriarchs and the Giving of the Torah

(for Yosef is related to the Giving of the Torah,

because the Giving of the Torah was through Moshe, and "Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him"),

the drawing through the fulfillment of the mitzvos of the Patriarchs was in Atzilus,

and at the Giving of the Torah a new thing was introduced, that the revelation would be drawn also in BY"A.

And from this that the maamar says that Yosef draws the revelations of Yaakov so that they shine in BY"A,

it implies

that this that Yosef draws the revelation into BY"A is because Yosef is the offspring of Yaakov,

meaning that through him the inner aspect of Yaakov, the letters yivaka, is revealed.

For from the aspect of the bursting

(for the true essence of the bursting is that it has no measurements or limitations)

it is possible for the drawing to be also in BY"A,

except that this aspect of Yaakov

(yivaka)

is revealed through Yosef.

And this will be understood according to the known principle

that the reason why the extension of the line terminates in Atzilus is that the intent in extending the line is that the light should be in a state of enclothing,

and the enclothing of the light can only be in those things

(vessels and worlds)

that are Divinity.

And in order for the extension and revelation of the line to be in Biyah, it is through the extension of the encompassing light,

which in general is the light that precedes the tzimtzum,

and within that light that precedes the tzimtzum itself — the light of the boundless

(which is above the light that illuminates the worlds).

And one can explain this,

for the light of the boundless,

since for it the tzimtzum does not conceal,

shines in revelation

(even after the tzimtzum)

in every place,

even in Biyah,

except that this is only in His knowledge, blessed be He, and is not felt in the worlds

(as above in section 3),

and by the light from before the tzimtzum shining into the line,

the line itself becomes such

that it extends and is revealed even in Biyah.

And based on this, one can explain the difference between the breakthrough of Yaakov — the letters yivka

(as it is from his own side)

and the breakthrough of Yaakov — the letters yivka as it is revealed through Yosef,

that the breakthrough of Yaakov

(from his own side)

is a bursting through

and nullification of the boundaries of revelation and tzimtzum

[through the revelation of simplicity

(the hidden Tiferet)

which is not defined by these boundaries],

and through this the revelation is drawn

(also)

into the worlds that came into being from the tzimtzum.

But still, the boundaries within the matter of revelation itself remain,

the distinction between the revelation in the aspect of the encompassing and the revelation in the aspect of enclothing,

that the revelation in the aspect of the encompassing is in every place, while the revelation in the aspect of enclothing has measure and limitation,

in that it can only be in things that are vessels for revelation.

And the breakthrough of Yaakov — the letters yivka as it is revealed through Yosef — is a bursting through and nullification also of the boundaries within the revelation itself,

so that even the revelation in the aspect of enclothing can be in every place.

5)

And based on this, one can also explain what is stated in the maamar

that the reason why the revelation in Biyah is specifically through Yosef is that Yosef is the aspect of Yesod

(the completion of the flow)

and the primary delight and joy is at the completion of the flow,

as explained there at length.

Therefore, specifically through Yosef is the revelation drawn into Biyah.

And one must understand what is the connection of the matter of revelation in Biyah to the delight and joy at the completion of the flow,

and why is it not sufficient

(for this revelation)

the delight and joy at the beginning and middle of the flow.

And one can explain this,

that the superiority of the delight and joy at the completion of the flow

[and the intention here in "completion of the flow" is that the flow has been received well by the recipient]

is that the delight reaches the very essence that is above the source of the flow,

as is known

regarding the matter of "the end of action is in the initial thought,"

that the end of action is the reception of the flow,

and this reaches the initial thought,

that is, in the beginning that is before

(and above)

the beginning of thought,

the source of the flow.

Therefore, specifically through the delight and joy at the completion of the flow, there occurs a bursting through and nullification of the boundaries of revelation

(flow),

and through this,

even the revelation in the aspect of enclothing

(the revelation of the line)

is revealed also in Biyah.

6)

And he continues in the maamar,

that this is what is said in the Shelah,

that Yaakov is the head tefillin and Yosef is the hand tefillin,

for through the head tefillin the connection is made

(tefillin from the term connection)

of Ein Sof the Emanator with the emanated beings,

which draws additional light into Abba and Imma and Zeir Anpin of Atzilus,

and through the hand tefillin, which is in Malchus

[as it is said,

"And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand,"

the weak hand,

the weak hand is Malchus]

the connection of Ein Sof is made

(also)

with the created beings.

[For this is why the head tefillin is called Pe'er,

like an ornament with which a person adorns himself,

and the hand tefillin

is only a garment,

for Biyah are garments and the Sefiros of Atzilus are called Tikkunin,

for Tikkunin is like ornaments].

And this is that Yaakov is the head tefillin and Yosef the hand tefillin,

for Yaakov is the central bolt that connects and joins Ein Sof with the emanated beings,

and Yosef connects

[Yosef is a fruitful son,

Pores is the letters of Tofer,

sews and connects]

Ein Sof with the created beings.

And it needs to be understood,

since in order for there to be an influence into Biyah there must first be the influence in Atzilus,

why do we precede the laying of the hand tefillin to the head tefillin?

And the explanation can be given based on what is known,

that the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, which are done through Israel fulfilling the mitzvos, are more elevated than the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, as they are in themselves.

And one may add,

that in the mitzvah of tefillin,

this matter is even more so.

For since in the tefillin of the Master

of the world, what is written in them? "And who

is like Your people Israel, one nation in the land,"

for the Holy One, blessed be He, praises Himself with the praise of Israel,

— therefore, the service of Israel,

the laying of the tefillin of Israel, touches upon this even more.

And therefore we precede the laying of the hand tefillin to the head tefillin,

for the superiority of service is primarily in the service of the lower unity

(Biyah),

and therefore the service of the lower unity reaches higher than the service of the upper unity

(Atzilus),

and the addition that is made in the tefillin of the Master of the world

[the drawing of Ein Sof in Atzilus

(head tefillin)

and in Biyah

(hand tefillin)]

through the laying of the tefillin of Israel,

is primarily through the laying of the hand tefillin.

And behold, that through the fulfillment of the mitzvos of Israel an elevation is added in the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He, is

because Israel arose in thought,

the Essential Thought that is above all revelations

(even above the revelation of the "Delighter in Kindness"

which is the root and cause of all revelations),

and therefore through the service

(fulfillment of the mitzvos)

of Israel, an elevation is added in the mitzvos of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And based on this, one may give another reason for this, that the addition in the tefillin of the Master of the world is primarily through the laying of the hand tefillin,

for the drawing into Biyah

(hand tefillin)

reaches the very Essence that is above the root of influence and revelation

(as above in section 5),

which in general terms is the aspect of the aforementioned Essential Thought.

7)

And this is [the meaning of] "And you shall be strong and become a man,"

that this [fact] that a thirteen-year-old becomes a man by nature,

is a matter that comes from Above,

from the aspect that the Holy One, blessed be He, implanted nature in creation.

And since the primary virtue of any matter is when it comes through the service of man

(as explained above at length),

therefore it must be "And you shall be strong and become a man,"

that he should be a man

(also)

through his own service.

And based on this, we can also explain the precision of "And you shall be strong and become a man,"

for "man" indicates the emotions,

even though the virtue of a thirteen-year-old is in the intellects,

that he has the essence of the intellects which is above the matter of emotions,

for the virtue of man's service that reaches the essential thought is primarily in the service of drawing the essence of the intellects

(which is above the matter of emotions)

into the emotions,

in the manner explained above regarding the matter of Yosef, who draws the revelation of Atzilus

(which is above the root of created beings)

into BiYA.

And we can connect all this with the service of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe,

Yosef of our generation,

that the maamar beginning "And you shall be strong and become a man" was said at the conclusion and seal of his Bar Mitzvah celebration,

[and] that his primary service was "Spread your wellsprings outward,"

that even in the most external "outside," below which there is no outside,

there should be drawn

(in addition to the waters that are drawn from the wellsprings,

also)

the wellsprings themselves.

And this

(the spreading of the wellsprings outward)

is the preparation and vessel for the imminent arrival, literally, of Master, the King Moshiach.