English translation — מאמר וכל אדם תשכ"ג

B'S"D.

Shabbos Parshas Haazinu,

Shabbos Teshuvah 5723

"And no man shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he comes to atone in the Holy [of Holies]..."

And it is stated in the Yerushalmi,

"Even those upon whom it is written,

'And the likeness of their faces was the face of a man.'"

And the Tzemach Tzedek explains in his maamar beginning with the words "Zeh,"

that the revelation drawn down when the Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies is a revelation that is above the chain of descent.

And as it is brought in the Midrash

on the verse,

"With this shall Aharon come,"

"In what merit did Aharon enter the Holy of Holies? ... The merit of circumcision entered with him,

and circumcision was given on the eighth [day],

for 'eight' is above the chain of descent."

And as it is brought in the Midrash

on the verse,

"The secret of Havayah is for those who fear Him" — "What is the secret of Havayah? This is circumcision."

For the revelations of the chain of descent are from the aspect of the revealed aspect of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and the revelation drawn down through circumcision is from the aspect of the hidden aspect of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and therefore it is called "the secret of Havayah,"

for "secret" is that which is hidden and concealed.

And at the time that the Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies, the revelation of "the secret of Havayah" was drawn down.

Therefore, even those upon whom it is written "and the likeness of their faces was the face of a man" were not there,

for in relation to this revelation there is no place for created beings,

not even for the angels whose likeness of their faces is the face of a man.

And it must be understood,

that from the fact that in order for the Kohen Gadol to be able to enter the Holy of Holies it is through the merit of circumcision, which was given on the eighth [day],

it is proven,

that the revelation of that which is above the chain of descent that was in the Holy of Holies is due to the virtue of the Holy of Holies itself

(and not that through the entry of the Kohen Gadol into the Holy of Holies the revelation is drawn down),

and nevertheless,

this [rule] that "no man shall be... even those upon whom it is written 'and the likeness of their faces was the face of a man'" is specifically when the Kohen Gadol comes to the Holy of Holies to atone in the Holy [of Holies].

From this it is understood,

that the revelation drawn down through the service of the Kohen Gadol in the Holy of Holies is more elevated than the revelation that was in the Holy of Holies in and of itself.

2)

And this will be understood based on what is explained in the maamar

of Teshuvah

(and Atonement)

that they are in the category of the eighth, which is above the order of Hishtalshelus.

For great is teshuvah, which brings healing to the world,

and healing was established in the eighth,

for this that healing was established in the eighth is similar to

circumcision, which was given on the eighth.

And this is that seven days before Yom Kippur they separate the Kohen Gadol from his house,

and all seven days they accustom him to the services,

for the seven days are the category of Hishtalshelus,

and Yom Kippur,

the eighth day

(after the seven days)

is above Hishtalshelus.

And this is also the matter of the eight sprinklings on Yom Kippur: one above and seven below,

that the one that is above the seven is the category of "One I have asked,"

"One is My dove."

And from this it is understood

that in the eighth, which is above Hishtalshelus, there are several levels.

The eighth of circumcision, and similarly

the Holy of Holies, whose entry into the Holy of Holies is through the merit of circumcision.

The eighth of teshuvah, which is higher than the eighth of circumcision,

(for circumcision is a mitzvah,

and teshuvah, which atones for matters that damaged Torah and mitzvos, is above Torah and mitzvos

(as will be explained in section 8)).

The eighth of Yom Kippur,

for the teshuvah of Yom Kippur is loftier than the teshuvah of the entire year

(even from the teshuvah of the Ten Days of Repentance),

therefore Yom Kippur is a time of teshuvah for all,

and on Yom Kippur itself—the eight sprinklings in the Holy of Holies, one above and seven below,

that the one is before the seven.

And it can be said,

that the eighth after the seven is a revelation above Hishtalshelus that is drawn down after and through the matters of Hishtalshelus,

and from the fact that the drawing down of this revelation is through the matters of Hishtalshelus, it is proven that this revelation is related to Hishtalshelus,

and the "one before the seven" is a revelation above Hishtalshelus that is above any connection to Hishtalshelus,

[except that afterward the revelation is drawn down into Hishtalshelus,

the seven after the one,

as will be explained in section 7].

And based on this, the reason will be understood for this that "and no man shall be" etc. is specifically when he comes to atone in the Holy,

for regarding the revelation that was in the Holy of Holies in its own right

[which is similar to the eighth of circumcision,

the eighth after the seven],

above Hishtalshelus that is related to Hishtalshelus,

there is a place for existence.

And through the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur in the Holy of Holies, the revelation of that which is above Hishtalshelus and beyond any connection to Hishtalshelus is drawn down,

and regarding this revelation, "no man shall be,"

even those whose likeness of their faces is the face of man.

3)

And this will be understood by first explaining what is said,

"For this mitzvah which I command you,"

and it is explained in Likkutei Torah

that all mitzvos are called "mitzvos of Havayah,"

and "this mitzvah," which is the mitzvah of teshuvah,

"I command you,"

"Anochi" — "I am that I am"

(which is above Havayah).

And the explanation is,

that the matter of mitzvos is to draw down the revelation of the name Havayah into the world.

For the creation of the world is from the name Elokim,

Elokim in gematria is HaTeva (nature),

and through mitzvos, the revelation of the name Havayah, which is above nature, is drawn into the world.

And the primary revelation of Havayah through the fulfillment of mitzvos is in the person who fulfills the mitzvos

(and through this the revelation is also drawn into the world).

And this is that the first utterance of the Giving of the Torah is "Anochi"

"Havayah your God,"

that the matter of the mitzvos given at the Giving of the Torah is that Havayah should be your God.

And behold, this is that through the mitzvos it is possible to draw into the world the revelation of the name Havayah,

even though the coming into being of the world is through the name Elokim which conceals and hides the name Havayah,

it is,

because the intention of the concealment of the name Elokim

(from the outset)

is so that through the Torah and mitzvos the revelation of Havayah will be drawn.

And as it is written,

"God made man upright,"

that the intention in the coming into being from the name Elokim

(God made)

is that man, through the fulfillment of the mitzvos, will draw to be upright, "they will see His face,"

that below there will be the revelation as above.

And when they sought many accounts

(the opposite of the intention of creation),

behold, in order that the revelation of the name Havayah be drawn in man and through him in the world,

the drawing must be from the Anochi that is above Havayah,

for this drawing is through teshuvah which is above the mitzvos.

And as it is written,

"Return, O Israel, unto Havayah your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity,"

that in order for there to be "Havayah your God" after you have stumbled in your iniquity, the fulfillment of mitzvos from now on is not sufficient, and "Return, O Israel" is needed.

D)

And the explanation of the matter in more detail will be understood by prefacing what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said:

They asked Wisdom, "With what is the sinful soul atoned?"

And it said, "The soul

that sins, it shall die."

They asked Prophecy, and it said, "Sinners

evil shall pursue."

They asked the Torah, and it said, "Let him bring a guilt-offering and it will atone for him."

They asked the Holy One, blessed be He, and He said, "Let him do teshuvah and it will atone for him."

This is that which is written,

"Good and upright is Havayah, therefore He instructs sinners in the way."

And it can be said,

that this that Wisdom said that through death there will be atonement for the sinful soul is because even Wisdom is above the light that is enclothed in the world.

For from the perspective of the light that is enclothed in the world,

since sin is the opposite of the intention of the creation of the world,

it is impossible for there to be atonement for this,

and this that from the perspective of Wisdom there is atonement for the sinful soul is because Wisdom is above the world.

[For although the intention of Wisdom here is lower Wisdom,

the Wisdom that is in Malchus,

nevertheless, even the Wisdom that is in Malchus is above Malchus itself.]

But from the perspective of Wisdom,

the atonement is through death,

the separation of the soul from the body.

[And it can be said,

that it is measure for measure.

For the matter of the mitzvos is to draw Havayah into Elokim,

for Elokim is the root of the vessels which are analogous to the body, and the light of Havayah that is drawn into them is analogous to the life of the soul that animates the body.

And since through sins he caused that the revelation of Havayah not be drawn into Elokim,

therefore his punishment

(through which is his atonement)

is the separation of the soul from the body,

measure for measure].

And from the perspective of Prophecy, which is in Netzach and Hod

(above lower Wisdom),

the sinful soul is atoned also through sufferings.

And the innovation in the answer of the Torah, and all the more so in the answer of the Holy One, blessed be He,

is that the atonement is through a sacrifice and teshuvah,

and there is no need for sufferings.

And the distinction between the answer of the Torah and the answer of the Holy One, blessed be He,

even though also the answer of the Torah, "Let him bring a guilt-offering and it will atone for him," is the matter of teshuvah

(for only then does the sacrifice atone),

the Tzemach Tzedek explains in the aforementioned maamar,

that from the perspective of the Torah,

the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He,

through teshuvah the intentional sins become

(only)

like unintentional sins

(and through the sacrifice this unintentional sin is atoned),

and from the perspective of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is above Torah,

through teshuvah the intentional sins are atoned,

and furthermore,

they are transformed into merits.

And according to what was brought above

(section 3)

that teshuvah is in the Ein Sof light that is above the chain of descent,

it can be said,

that the reason for this, that also from the perspective of the Torah teshuvah is effective

(that intentional sins become like unintentional sins),

even though Torah is in Chochmah

(the chain of descent),

is,

because in Chochmah dwells Ein Sof that is above Chochmah,

and likewise regarding the Torah as it is drawn into the emotions of Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferes,

that the Torah is in Tiferes,

the central line,

and Tiferes ascends to the Kesser.

But the light that is above the chain of descent that is in the Torah,

since it is drawn into the chain of descent

(in Chochmah and in Tiferes)

it is in measure and limitation.

Therefore the power in teshuvah from the perspective of the Ein Sof that is in the Torah is only that they become like unintentional sins.

And the answer of the Holy One, blessed be He, is the drawing of the Ein Sof light that is above the chain of descent as it is in His essence

(which is above being drawn into the chain of descent),

for this drawing is above measure and limitation.

Therefore, through the teshuvah that is from the perspective of the answer of the Holy One, blessed be He, the intentional sins are atoned

(and not only do they become like unintentional sins),

and furthermore, they are transformed into merits.

5)

And it can be said,

that this—that even the response of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is above the Torah, is revealed through the Torah—is

because that the Torah is in the central line is because its root is in the Essence of Ein Sof, which is above the lines,

except that afterward it was drawn down in the central line.

Therefore,

in addition to having within it the light that is above the chain of descent, as it is drawn down in the central line

(which is why, also from the aspect of the response of the Torah, repentance is effective so that intentional sins become like unintentional ones),

through it is also revealed the Essence of Ein Sof, which is above the lines,

the response of the Holy One, blessed be He: "He shall repent and it shall be forgiven him."

That is,

that this which the Torah said, "He shall bring a guilt-offering and it shall be forgiven him"

(that through repentance intentional sins become only like unintentional ones)

is in the level of the Torah as it is drawn down in the central line,

and this—that also the response of the Holy One, blessed be He, "He shall repent and it shall be forgiven him"—is a part of the Torah

(the Oral [Law])

is from the aspect of the root of the Torah in the Essence of Ein Sof, which is above the lines45.

And based on this, we can explain what our Sages, of blessed memory, said46:

"Let the good one, this is Moshe, come... and receive the good, this is the Torah... from the Good One, this is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written47,

'Hashem is good to all,'

for the good ones, these are Israel, as it is written48,

'Do good, Hashem, to the good ones.'"

And it needs to be understood,

for it is stated in the Gemara in Sanhedrin49:

"It is written47,

'Hashem is good to all,' and it is written50,

'Hashem is good to those who wait for Him'—a parable: to a person who has an orchard; when he waters, he waters all of it; when he weeds, he weeds only the best among them."

And since the giving of the Torah is

(only)

to the good ones, these are Israel,

it would seemingly have been necessary to bring the verse "Hashem is good to those who wait for Him."

[And according to the known explanation51,

that "Hashem is good to all" is an external influence, and "Hashem is good to those who wait for Him" is an internal influence,

further explanation is needed regarding why, in the matter of the giving of the Torah, which is an internal influence, the verse "Hashem is good to all" is brought, and not "Hashem is good to those who wait for Him."]

And the explanation of this can be said52,

that this which is written regarding repentance, "Good and upright is Hashem,"

the intention is to the aspect of "Hashem is good to all"53,

for repentance atones even for intentional sins.

And therefore it says, "Let him receive the good, this is the Torah... from the Good One, this is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, 'Hashem is good to all,'"

because the good of the Torah, from the aspect of its root, is the aspect of "Good and upright is Hashem"54,

"Hashem is good to all."

6)

And behold, although that repentance atones is because the response through repentance is from above the chain of descent,

the atonement through repentance is

(not in a manner of waiver,

that one waives the sins,

but rather)

an internal action in the penitent person,

that his flaws are corrected.

And this is "Good and upright is Hashem; therefore He instructs sinners in the way,"

for "good" is that He influences to all.

And as explained elsewhere55

the difference between "good" and "kindness,"

that "kindness" relates to the recipient, and therefore the influence of kindness is specifically to one who is worthy

[except that from the aspect of the attribute of kindness, it does not scrutinize,

and when the recipient has some merit, he is already worthy that they should influence him],

and "good" is from the aspect of the influencer, and therefore the influence is to all

(even to those who are not worthy).

And "upright" is that below is like above56.

And this is that the drawing down through repentance is from the aspect of "good and upright,"

for that repentance atones for intentional sins is not because the person is worthy of this, but rather because of the good of the Holy One, blessed be He,

the drawing down of Ein Sof which is above the chain of descent.

And that through this drawing down his flaws are corrected,

and the correction is in the inwardness,

is because the drawing down of the good is in a manner of kindness,

that the penitent person is like a vessel for the drawing down.

7)

Now, this—that through teshuvah intentional sins are atoned for, and even turned into merits—applies throughout the entire year.

And certainly during the Ten Days of Teshuvah,

for then the teshuvah is of a higher level57.

And the superiority of the teshuvah of Yom Kippur is that the atonement of Yom Kippur is from the essence of the day itself58,

for this atonement is loftier than the atonement achieved through teshuvah.

And this—that Yom Kippur atones only for those who repent—is because

the drawing down of the matter of the essence of the day to the person is through teshuvah.

And the explanation is59,

that this—that through teshuvah the matters that were done contrary to the will are atoned for—is because through teshuvah, there is drawn down from the Essence of Ein Sof, the Master of the Will, who is not compelled by the will.

For this—that the Master of the Will is not compelled by the will—is the matter of the wondrous concealment (hafla'ah) of Ein Sof, and not the actual Essence of Ein Sof60.

And since the matter of the wondrous concealment of the Master of the Will is that He is wondrously concealed from the will,

behold, this proves that the will has a connection to Him

[as is also evident from the fact that He is called "Master of the Will"],

therefore, there must be forgiveness and atonement for that which was done contrary to the will.

However, regarding the Essence of Ein Sof, which is above even the Master of the Will,

there is no concept of blemish ab initio.

And this is the concept of "the essence of the day atones,"

for the atonement from the essence of the day is

(not in a manner of action,

but rather)

that on this day, the connection of the essence of the soul with the Essence

(which is above the Master of the Will) is revealed,

for relative to this level, there is no blemish ab initio.

And the reason that the drawing down of the matter of the essence of the day is through teshuvah

is,

because the rectification of blemishes through the revelation of the essence of the soul

(for from the perspective of the essence of the soul, blemish does not apply ab initio),

does not relate

(so much)

to the matters of the revealed faculties themselves61,

and in order that the atonement through the revelation of the essence of the soul be internal,

it is through teshuvah.

[And one may add,

that the drawing down of the atonement of the essence of the day into the revealed faculties through teshuvah,

since the matter of teshuvah is that a person goes out of his limitations,

therefore, the drawing down through teshuvah is into the faculties as they are in a movement of elevation.

And in order that the atonement of the essence of the day be drawn down also into the revealed faculties as they are in their specific form,

it is through the mitzvah of teshuvah,

for on Yom Kippur, everyone is obligated to do teshuvah62.

And to note,

that these three matters of Yom Kippur are analogous to the three matters of the shofar blast.

The mitzvah of the shofar blast,

the matter of teshuvah hinted at in the shofar blast,

and the inner self-nullification that comes from the essence of the soul63].

And it may be said,

that this is the concept of the eight sprinklings that were in the Holy of Holies,

one upward and seven downward,

the one upward is the revelation of the Yechidah64,

which is united with the Essence,

and the seven downward

(after the one)

is that the revelation of the Yechidah

(above the chain of descent in man)

be drawn down into the revealed faculties,

the chain of descent in man65.

8)

Based on this, we can explain the distinction between the three matters of the "eighth"—

the eighth of circumcision, the eighth of teshuvah, and the eighth of Yom Kippur.

Circumcision is a mitzvah,

and since the original intent of creation is that Israel fulfill all the mitzvos and draw down the revelations that are drawn down through them,

therefore, the revelations drawn down through the mitzvos

(including also the mitzvah of circumcision)

are not truly a new light66,

since the original intent of creation is that Israel draw down these revelations.

And even though the revelation drawn down through all the mitzvos is the revelation of Havayah, and the revelation drawn down through circumcision is above Havayah,

as explained in Torah Ohr67

"Mi ya'aleh lanu hashamaymah"68

its initials are Milah and its final letters are Havayah69,

which indicates that circumcision is above Havayah,

nevertheless,

since the creation of the worlds was originally so that through the mitzvah of circumcision they would draw down this light,

it is a light that has a connection to the worlds.

[And it may be said,

that in general,

this light is also included in Havayah.

For in Havayah, the language of "He who brings into being"70,

there are two levels.

The source from which the coming-into-being of the world is made,

and the will to bring the world into being71.

And since the will to bring into being is that the revelation through circumcision should also be drawn down,

behold, this revelation is included in Havayah.

And that the revelation through circumcision is above Havayah means that this revelation is above the source of coming-into-being].

And the eighth of teshuvah is a revelation of a new light.

For through sinning and blemishing and perverting the path

(contrary to the intent of the creation of man, which was in the manner of "God made man upright")

and afterwards rectifying this through teshuvah,

through this a new light is drawn down that was not

(so to speak)

even in the intent of creation.

However, this light is from the Master of the Will,

who has a connection to the will and intent of creation.

And the eighth of Yom Kippur,

where the essence of the day atones,

is the revelation of the Essence of Ein Sof, which is above even the Master of the Will.

However, the revelation of this matter is primarily at the time of the entry of the Kohen Gadol into the Holy of Holies.

Therefore,

also the eighth of Yom Kippur is the eighth after the seven days that precede Yom Kippur,

for in general,

also the eighth of Yom Kippur is above the chain of descent that relates to the chain of descent

(the Master of the Will),

unlike the order of the eight sprinklings in the Holy of Holies,

where the one is before the seven.

9)

And this is “And no man shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he comes to atone in the Holy,”

that this “no man shall be,” etc., even those whose faces are the faces of a man, is specifically when the Kohen Gadol comes into the Holy of Holies to atone in the Holy,

because the revelation that is above the chain of descent that was in the Holy of Holies in its own right,

has a connection to the chain of descent,

and relative to this revelation there is a place for angels.

But when he comes

(of the Kohen Gadol into the Holy of Holies)

to atone in the Holy,

that is, that through the service of the Kohen Gadol in the Holy of Holies, atonement was drawn down for all of Israel, this is because through his service the connection of the essence of the soul with Atzmus is revealed,

for in the Atzmus of Ein Sof there is absolutely no place for angels,

Israel and the King alone,

therefore then “no man shall be,” even those whose faces are the faces of a man.

And to add,

that in the Neilah prayer this revelation shines even more than in the Musaf of Yom Kippur, in which the order of the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur is recited.

For the five prayers of Yom Kippur correspond to the five levels of the soul,

Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chayah, and Yechidah.

For the first three prayers are in Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah,

and the Musaf prayer of Yom Kippur is in Chayah,

and the revelation of Yechidah is

(primarily)

in the Neilah prayer.

And therefore it is called Neilah,

because then all the gates are locked, and even the highest creations

(and even emanations, etc.)

cannot enter,

Israel and the King alone.

And this is also what is said in the Zohar

on the verse,

“And no man stood with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers,”

“At the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, unites with Israel,” etc. “Therefore on the day

of the eighth day, it shall be an assembly for you,”

for it can be said that the matter of “the Holy One, blessed be He, unites with Israel” is the revelation of the Yechidah and the essential connection of Atzmus with the essence of the soul.

[And it can be said that the connection of this matter to Yosef,

for the name Yosef is from “May Hashem add to me another son,”

that even “another” becomes a son,

because through the revelation of the essential connection of Atzmus in Israel

(“when Yosef made himself known to his brothers”)

it is revealed that even “another” is a son.]

And this revelation is on Shemini Atzeret,

and as is known, on Shemini Atzeret all the matters of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are present,

except that on Shemini Atzeret they are in a line of joy,

and therefore “on the eighth day it shall be an assembly for you,”

“they shall be

for you alone, and no stranger with you.”