English translation — מאמר שובה ישראל תש"מ

With the help of Heaven.

Shabbat of Haazinu,

Shabbat Shuvah, 5740*

"Return O Israel until Hashem your G-d"¹,

And it is known regarding this the precise point of our Nesi'im: what is the meaning of saying "until Hashem your G-d," for seemingly it should have said "to Hashem your G-d"².

And also the fact that it uses the two names Havayah and Elokecha³.

And especially since it says here "Return O Israel,"

for the name Israel describes the highest level within Israel,

for the Children of Israel are generally divided into two levels: Yaakov and Israel,

and the name Israel is because "you have striven with G-d and with men and have prevailed"⁴,

from which it is understood that it speaks here about the matter of the completeness of teshuvah⁵.

And as is also understood from the fact that the haftarah of Shabbat Teshuvah is "Shuvah Yisrael,"

that the teshuvah of Shabbat Teshuvah is a lofty level of teshuvah ila'ah.

For behold, Shabbat, the letters of which spell "tashev" (you shall return), is the aspect of teshuvah ila'ah⁶,

And within teshuvah ila'ah itself

[which has several levels]

it is a lofty teshuvah, for one must be all his days

(even on weekdays)

in teshuvah ila'ah⁷,

from which it is understood,

that Shabbat is a lofty level within teshuvah ila'ah itself.

And especially on Shabbat Teshuvah, which rectifies and elevates all the Shabbats of the year

[as explained in the writings of the Arizal⁸

regarding the seven days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which contain all seven days of the week,

that on the first day of the week within these days, they rectify and elevate all the Sundays of the entire year,

and likewise on the second day, etc.,

and on Shabbat Teshuvah they rectify and elevate all the Shabbats of the entire year],

for the teshuvah of Shabbat Teshuvah is loftier even than the teshuvah of all the Shabbats of the year,

and this teshuvah is analogous to Yom Kippur⁹

about which it is written¹⁰

"For on this day He shall atone for you... before Hashem you shall be purified,"

"before Hashem" specifically, above the name Havayah¹¹,

and even more than this it says "He shall atone for you" simply, referring to the One who has no known name and is not grasped by any name, etc.¹²,

So why does it say here "until Hashem your G-d"?

2)

And the explanation of this is known¹³,

that what is written "Return O Israel until Hashem your G-d" is the matter of the unification of Havayah and Elokim, as it is written¹⁴

"And you shall know... that Havayah, He is Elokim,"

which is a most lofty knowledge,

as explained in the Zohar¹⁵.

And therefore it says "Return O Israel until Hashem your G-d," because the matter of teshuvah is connected to this knowledge, as it is written¹⁶

(regarding the matter of teshuvah that was on Mount Carmel)

"And they said, 'Hashem, He is Elokim; Hashem, He is Elokim.'"

And the repetition of "Hashem, He is Elokim; Hashem, He is Elokim" twice is because through the service of teshuvah,

which is above the service of tzaddikim,

the matter of "Hashem, He is Elokim" is drawn down twice.

And as it is brought in the Midrash¹⁷

"At Sinai it was said¹⁸

'I am Hashem your G-d'; at Carmel it was said doubly, 'Hashem, He is Elokim; Hashem, He is Elokim,'"

And it is explained in Likkutei Torah¹⁹

that at Sinai, Israel was on the level of tzaddikim,

and through the service of tzaddikim

(the performance of mitzvos)

the matter of "Hashem, He is Elokim" was drawn down once,

but at Mount Carmel, through teshuvah, they drew down "Hashem, He is Elokim" twice.

And this is similar to what at the Giving of the Torah is written "I am Hashem your G-d,"

"I am" once,

but regarding teshuvah it is written²⁰

"I, I am He... for My sake...,"

"I" twice,

because through the service of performing mitzvos, the aspect of "I" is drawn down once,

but the drawing down through the service of teshuvah is higher than the drawing down through the service of performing mitzvos²¹.

For this is also the meaning of "I, I am He... for My sake," and Targum renders it "for the sake of My name,"

up to the aspect of His great name²²,

and higher still, the aspect of "He and His name alone,"

before the tzimtzum.

3)

And the explanation is,

behold, "Hashem is Elokim" has two interpretations and concepts.

The first is that even the tzimtzum of Elokim is Hashem.

For, behold, Hashem is a term meaning "He who brings into being,"

for all coming into being is from the name Hashem,

except that in order for the coming into being to be actualized in the aspect of a separate entity and thing,

behold, this is through the name Elokim, which conceals and hides the name Hashem,

as it is written,

"For a sun and a shield is Hashem Elokim."

And this is "Hashem is Elokim,"

that although the coming into being in actuality and revelation is from the name Elokim, as it is written,

"In the beginning Elokim created the heavens and the earth,"

and thirty-two times Elokim is said in the account of creation,

as a result of which the world became a separate entity and thing,

behold, regarding this comes the commandment "And you shall know... that Hashem is Elokim,"

that even the name Elokim, which constricts and conceals, is Hashem,

for Hashem and Elokim are entirely one,

and therefore in truth

(as it is relative to the Holy One, blessed be He)

it does not conceal at all,

and through the service of Torah and mitzvos, they draw down the revelation of the name Hashem into the world.

For this is what is written, "which Elokim created to do,"

"to do" meaning to rectify,

that one must rectify the concealment of the name Elokim and draw down the revelation of the name Hashem into the world,

as it is written

(afterwards)

"on the day that Hashem Elokim made earth and heavens,"

where the name Hashem is also mentioned here.

For through the service of man,

"to work it and to guard it"

(Torah and mitzvos),

the revelation of the name Hashem is drawn into the world,

and it becomes "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth...,"

"generations" spelled fully,

and even to "These are the generations of Peretz,"

"generations" spelled fully,

which is a higher level even than "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth,"

for through the service of Torah and mitzvos, they break through all the concealments and veils of the name Elokim,

and make a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms.

And the second concept in "Hashem is Elokim" is,

that even the name Hashem

(as it is above its investment in the name Elokim)

is only an aspect of Elokim and tzimtzum relative to His Essence and Being, blessed be He, as it were,

and as it is written,

"I am Hashem, that is My name," that the aspect of Hashem is only a name,

a radiance and illumination alone,

which is a great and immense tzimtzum relative to the light of the Ein Sof Himself, blessed be He, as it were.

4)

And behold, these two concepts are drawn through the two services of the righteous and of baalei teshuvah.

For when a person is in a state of "Elokim made man upright,"

behold, through his service in Torah and mitzvos he draws the revelation of the name Hashem into the name Elokim

(the first concept in "Hashem is Elokim"),

as above

(section 3).

But when he sinned and blemished and perverted the path, it is impossible for him to draw from the aspect of Hashem

(since he blemished the name Hashem),

and he must draw from an aspect that is above the name Hashem.

And this drawing is through the service of teshuvah.

For all the matters above are drawn specifically through service.

And even the drawing of the Ein Sof that is above the chain of descent, which no arousal from below reaches there,

does not dwell and become revealed

(in an aspect of inwardness)

except when there is perfection in the actions of the lower beings,

for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not dwell except in a complete place.

And this drawing

(of the Ein Sof that is above the chain of descent)

is through the service that is above the chain of descent

(in man),

the service of teshuvah.

For when one does teshuvah, and particularly such that intentional sins become for him like merits,

which is teshuvah from love, from the depth of the heart, with great love, as explained in Tanya,

behold, through this he arouses from an aspect that is above the name Hashem,

relative to which even Hashem is considered like Elokim,

the second concept in "Hashem is Elokim."

[And this is the advantage of teshuvah in its simple sense over the teshuvah of Shabbos, the letters of "Shabbos" being "tashev" (you shall return),

for the teshuvah

(and the ascent)

of Shabbos, the letters of which are "tashev," is only the matter of "And Elokim completed,"

that the measure of tzimtzum and concealment of the name Elokim ceases and the revelation of the name Hashem is drawn,

but in order to arouse from an aspect that is above the name Hashem,

behold, this is done through teshuvah in its simple sense,

and particularly through such teshuvah that intentional sins become for him like merits,

for through the refinement and transformation of intentional sins, an advantage of light is made.

And all the more so from what is brought in the Zohar,

that the matter of the Giving of the Torah was done specifically through the admission of Yisro, "Now I know that Hashem is greater than all the gods,"

even though in the Giving of the Torah it is said "Anochi"

(only)

once,

all the more so the matter of "Anochi Anochi" twice,

that its drawing is specifically through the refinement and transformation of darkness.

And in the manner explained in Tanya,

that the ultimate perfection that will be in the days of Moshiach,

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

depends

(primarily)

on our deeds and service during the time of exile specifically].

And after the arousal from above Hashem

(through teshuvah)

one must draw down

from above to below into the aspect of Hashem, a term meaning "He who brings into being,"

and even to the aspect of Hashem as it is invested in the name Elokim,

the first concept in "Hashem is Elokim."

And this is why in teshuvah it is said twice "Hashem is Elokim,"

that at first it is the matter of ascent from below to above until, relative to it, Hashem is considered like Elokim

(the second interpretation of "Hashem is Elokim"),

and afterwards the drawing down from above to below in Hashem, a term meaning "He who brings into being,"

and as it is invested in the name Elokim

(the first interpretation of "Hashem is Elokim"),

from which comes the coming into being in actuality,

"In the beginning Elokim created the heavens and the earth,"

and not only the drawing into the Sefiros

(according to the explanation of the Zohar

that "In the beginning..." refers to the Sefiros),

but also into the heavens and the earth and all their hosts, in their simple sense.

5)

And this is also the two concepts

in the blowing of the shofar

(which alludes to the matter of teshuvah),

that the sound of the shofar is an inner voice

(the aspect of the inwardness of the heart)

and together with this one must blow specifically with a physical shofar,

for on Rosh Hashanah all things return to their primordial state,

and through the shofar they arouse a new drawing from the Awtsmoos.

For shofar is the aspect of Binah, which is above the chain of descent,

the aspect of will that is above even the aspect of Binah,

and higher still, a new drawing from the inwardness and Essence of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and from there it is drawn into the aspect of the inwardness of the will,

into the inwardness of Binah, etc., until the inwardness of the worlds,

and from this is afterwards drawn also into the externality of the worlds,

as explained in the Siddur,

in the discourse "To understand the matter of the blowing of the shofar according to the intention of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory."

And therefore the shofar has the two aforementioned concepts,

through the inner voice of the shofar,

the aspect of the inwardness of the heart,

they arouse the Essence,

and through the blowing with a physical shofar,

and specifically with a shofar of an animal,

and moreover that the horn of the shofar must be detached

(and not attached to the animal),

the aspect of the inanimate,

through this they draw down below into Asiyah, even to the aspect of the inanimate.

And as we say in the Rosh Hashanah prayer, "And every formed being shall know that You are its Former,"

that even in Asiyah

(as brought in the writings of the Ariza"l,

that "every formed being" refers to the world of Asiyah),

and even the inanimate in Asiyah,

shall know that You are its Former.

6)

And this is [the meaning of] "Return O Israel until Hashem your G-d,"

"until" is a term of eternity,

for the concept of eternity applies specifically within the category of time

(for that which is above the category of time is above even the state of past, present, and future being as one),

except that within the category of time it is in a manner of eternity.

Therefore, "until" is in the aspect of Malchus,

which is

in the aspect and category of time.

And "Israel" is the aspect of Zeir Anpin.

And the explanation of "Return O Israel until Hashem your G-d" is

that one must bring back Israel until Malchus is in the manner of "until," and the aspects of Israel and the aspect of "until"

(Zeir Anpin and Malchus,

aspects of the chain of descent)

[become] "to Hashem your G-d,"

meaning to the Atzmus of Ein Sof, relative to Whom "Hashem is considered as Elokim,"

and from there one must draw down into the aspect of "Hashem your G-d,"

"Hashem" being a term that brings into being, and in this itself, as it is clothed in the Name Elokim,

and becomes "your G-d," your strength and your vitality.

And this is also the meaning of what we say at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, seven times, "Hashem is the Elokim,"

for within the Ten Days of Repentance themselves

[when repentance is most beautiful and is accepted immediately]

the essence of repentance is on Yom Kippur,

as the Rambam states,

"Yom Kippur is the time of repentance for all... and it is the end of pardon and forgiveness for Israel...,"

and within Yom Kippur itself, the essence of repentance is at the Neilah prayer

(the closing of the day)

for then is the closing of the gates, and Israel and the King are alone together,

therefore we then say seven times "Hashem is the Elokim,"

which contains these two concepts.

The concept of ascent

(from below to above)

into the Atzmus of Ein Sof,

and it is known that the concept of "Hashem is the Elokim"

(which we say at the Neilah of Yom Kippur)

is that Zeir Anpin

(Hashem)

in its ascent to Atik is "considered as Elokim,"

and the concept of drawing down from above to below

(in "Hashem" a term that brings into being, and "until" as it is clothed in the Name Elokim),

for this is why we say this seven times, in order to draw down into the aspect of the seven lower Sefiros.

And it can be said that this is also the meaning of what we say then: "Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad" once, "Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuso LeOlam VaEd" three times, and "Hashem is the Elokim" seven times,

"Shema Yisrael..." once is the matter of ascent from below to above,

and "Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuso LeOlam VaEd"

three times, and "Hashem is the Elokim" seven times is the matter of drawing down from above to below in all ten Sefiros

(three intellective faculties and seven emotive attributes).

7)

And this can be connected to the verse, "And on your joyous days... and you shall sound the trumpets...,"

and the teaching of the Maggid of Mezeritch is known,

"Two trumpets, two half-forms,"

and it is explained in the maamar

that the concept of two half-forms is in the aspect of revelations

(form indicates revelation),

where it is applicable to say that the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Israel are two half-forms that complete each other.

However, regarding the Essence,

Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are truly one

(and it is not applicable to say they are two halves).

And likewise, this is also the case regarding the two half-forms in the soul,

the part of the soul that is the "upper head" of the soul and the part of the soul that is in the body

(the aspect of Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah)

the "foot" of the soul,

for this is specifically in the aspect of the revelations of the soul,

for even the "head" of the soul is up to the aspect of Chayah, which has a connection to the aspect of the "foot" of the soul

(the soul within the body),

therefore it is called "Mazal" because it drips and flows down the illumination of the soul that is clothed in the body.

However, regarding the aspect of Yechidah, and especially the essence of the soul,

even though it includes all the powers and, on a higher level, carries all the powers,

it is above the aspect of a source and connection to the aspect of revelations,

and it

(specifically)

is found in all the aspects of the soul,

even in its aspect of "heel,"

and also in the "heel" of the body,

and also in the four cubits

(that are outside the human body),

therefore a person's four cubits acquire for him,

as explained in many places,

and this is the superiority of the shofar over the trumpets,

as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said,

"The shofar lengthens and the trumpets shorten, for the mitzvah of the day is with the shofar,"

for the service of the shofar is with the essence of the soul, which is truly one with the Essence,

above

the concept of two half-forms.

8)

And this is also [the meaning of] "the shofar lengthens,"

for the concept of lengthening is both above and below,

because the service of the shofar reaches the Essence

(the essence of the soul and His Essence, blessed be He)

which is above all revelations

(lengthening above),

and which, as mentioned, is also found in the "heel"

(lengthening below),

and through this the intention of a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms is completed,

in both aspects,

"for Him" [meaning] for His Essence, and "in the lower realms."

However, the aspect of revelations is also necessary,

and just as in the dwelling of a mortal king, there must be

(in addition to the main point,

a dwelling for the essence of the king)

a beautiful dwelling and beautiful vessels,

therefore trumpets are also necessary,

and due to the endearment in this, both sounds are heard

(trumpets and shofar),

but the mitzvah of the day is with the shofar,

because the essence of the service on Rosh Hashanah is the service that stems from the essence of the soul, which is one with the Essence.

9)

And this is what [happens] during the Ten Days of Repentance

(the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)

the haftarah is "Shuva Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha,"

for these days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are analogous to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Therefore, just as Rosh Hashanah is the aspect of "head" from which life-force is drawn for all the days of the year, and also afterward the conduct throughout all the days of the year is according to the manner of conduct and decision of Rosh Hashanah

(as explained at length in Ateres Rosh B'Rosho),

and likewise Yom Kippur is also called by the name "Rosh Hashanah"75

and moreover, Yom Kippur is the aspect of soul and inwardness,76

similarly, regarding the seven days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, they are the aspect of "head" from which [influence] is drawn to all the days of the year.

And in the manner found in the writings of the AriZal

(as above in section 1),

it can be said likewise77

that from the first day of the week within these seven days, influence is drawn to every first day throughout the year,

and from the second day of these seven days to every second day, etc.,

and from Shabbos Teshuvah to all the Shabbosos of the year.

Therefore, analogous to the two matters of elevation and drawing down in the shofar of Rosh Hashanah and in the recitation of the seven verses of "Hashem Hu HaElokim" at the conclusion of Yom Kippur,

so too is it with the repentance during the days of repentance between them

[and particularly on Shabbos Teshuvah,

the head of all the Shabbosos of the year,

Shabbos being the letters of "teshuv" (you shall return)],

that it contains these two matters.

And therefore we then say "Shuva Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha,"

which includes both matters,

the elevation of the aspect of Yisrael

(Zeir Anpin)

and the aspect of "ad"

(Malchus)

to the aspect of "Hashem Elokecha," that is, to the Atzmus of Ein Sof, relative to Whom "Hashem" is considered like "Elokim,"

and afterward the drawing down from the Atzmus of Ein Sof to the aspect of "Hashem Elokecha," that is, to the aspect of Hashem as He becomes "your God," your strength and life-force.

And all this is accomplished through "Shuva" (return) without qualification,

the repentance that stems from the essence of the soul,

the turning back of the Yechidah

[and from this is drawn repentance in the aspect of Yisrael, the head of the soul, down to the foot of the soul],

and through this is accomplished the redemption from exile,

the individual redemption,78

and afterward also the general redemption with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, who comes to bring the righteous back in repentance,79

which also pertains to the aspect of Yechidah, as is known that Moshiach is the aspect of Yechidah,80

that it will be "He has redeemed my soul in peace... He has redeemed me and my children from among the nations,"81

in the true and complete redemption through Moshiach Tzidkeinu,

speedily, literally, and in our time.