English translation — מאמר שובה ישראל תשמ"א

B"S.

Shabbos Parshas Haazinu,

Shabbos Shuvah 5741*

"Return, O Yisrael, unto Hashem your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity."

And the Alter Rebbe explained,

that what is written "Return... unto Hashem your G-d"

(even though ostensibly it should have said "to Hashem your G-d")

means,

that the measure of teshuvah is until Hashem becomes your G-d.

And it needs to be understood,

that one who is relevant for

(and is required of him)

such an exalted teshuvah,

is surely a person of an exalted level even before performing this teshuvah,

as is also understood from what is written "Shuvah Yisrael,"

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

meaning he is a prince

and rules over the concealment of the name Elokim and over the powers that spread forth from it

("men"),

and how can the matter of iniquity, which would require teshuvah, apply to him?

And although it is known that teshuvah is not only for transgressions

but rather to return one's soul to its source and root

["and the spirit returns to G-d who gave it"],

for this teshuvah applies even to completely righteous individuals,

nevertheless, the verse explicitly states "Shuvah Yisrael... for you have stumbled in your iniquity,"

and how can the matter of iniquities apply to one who is on this level?

Also, it needs to be understood what the verse continues,

"Take words with you and return to Hashem,"

for after already saying "Shuvah Yisrael," what is added by

("Take words with you")

"and return to Hashem"?

Also, it needs to be understood what it says afterwards,

"Say to Him, 'Forgive all iniquity,'"

for even the saying and request "forgive iniquity" is connected to the matter of teshuvah,

and from this it implies that after the teshuvah of "Shuvah Yisrael" and of "return to Hashem,"

there needs to be yet another teshuvah.

Also, it must be said that in the first teshuvah and in the third teshuvah the matter of iniquity is mentioned

("for you have stumbled in your iniquity,"

"forgive iniquity"),

but not in the second teshuvah.

2)

And the point of the explanation regarding this is according to what is explained in Likkutei Torah,

that in teshuvah there are three levels.

Teshuvah of "turn away from evil,"

teshuvah of "and do good,"

and teshuvah of "seek peace," which refers to the Torah, for all who engage in Torah make peace in the heavenly retinue and in the earthly retinue,

and the entire Torah was given to make peace in the world.

And the three teshuvahs in these verses

["Shuvah Yisrael...,"

"and return to Hashem,"

"say to Him, 'Forgive all iniquity'"]

are the three teshuvahs of "turn away from evil," "and do good," and "seek peace."

And this is also why these verses are the beginning of the haftarah of Shabbos Teshuvah,

for on Shabbos Teshuvah all three levels must be present.

And as my father-in-law, the Rebbe, related,

that by the Tzemach Tzedek on Shabbos Teshuvah there were three candles of teshuvah,

and the Tzemach Tzedek said, "There are three teshuvahs,"

and my father-in-law, the Rebbe, explained that they are the three teshuvahs explained in Likkutei Torah.

And this is why in the first teshuvah it is written "Return... for you have stumbled in your iniquity,"

but not in the second teshuvah

("and return to Hashem")

is the matter of iniquity not mentioned,

for the first teshuvah is the teshuvah of "turn away from evil"

("you have stumbled in your iniquity"),

but the second is the teshuvah of "and do good."

And this is also why in the first teshuvah the name Elokim is also mentioned

("unto Hashem your G-d")

and in the second teshuvah only the name Hashem is mentioned

("and return to Hashem")

and in the third teshuvah it is written "say to Him,"

for the teshuvah of "turn away from evil" is that Hashem should be our G-d,

and the teshuvah of "and do good" is to connect and cleave to the name Hashem as He is above the name Elokim,

and the teshuvah of "seek peace" is to cleave and be included in the Atzmus of Ein Sof, which is above the name Hashem.

3)

Now, the distinction between the repentance of "turn from evil" and the repentance of "do good" and "seek peace" is,

that the repentance of "turn from evil" is that there should not be sins that separate between you and your God,

and the repentance of "do good" and "seek peace" is that the service should be to draw down a more elevated light.

For the drawing down that is drawn from above of its own accord,

from the aspect that He, blessed be He, is the Essence of Good and it is the nature of the Good to do good,

is with measure and limitation,

and through service the drawing down is without limit.

And as is known

regarding the matter of "These are the generations of Peretz"

"generations" is written fully (with a Vav),

which is above even "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created"

"generations" is written fully (with a Vav),

"the world was created in its fullness",

for "generations" written fully that is said regarding the creation of heaven and earth

(creation from the side of Above)

the Creator desired that it be with measure and limitation,

but not so the "generations of Peretz" written fully, which will be

(at the coming of Moshiach)

through our deeds and our service

it is that which Moshiach

(from the children of Peretz,

and is called "the one who breaks through")

will break through all boundaries.

And within this itself

(the drawing down through service),

the drawing down through engagement in Torah

("seek peace")

is more elevated than the drawing down through the fulfillment of mitzvos

("do good").

For in addition to that through mitzvos the drawing down is in the aspect of makif (encompassing) and through Torah the drawing down is in pnimiyus (inwardness),

also the drawing down itself is more elevated.

For through the fulfillment of mitzvos the light of Sovev (the Encompassing) is drawn,

and through engagement in Torah the Essence of Ein Sof is drawn, which is above even Sovev.

4)

And based on the above, that "Return, O Israel, for you have stumbled in your iniquity" is the repentance of "turn from evil,"

it is understood

that this, that even one who is at the level of "Israel" has relevance to the matter of "you have stumbled in your iniquity,"

the intention in this is not

(only)

that there is in him some deficiency

[which is also in the righteous],

but rather that even sins that separate are relevant to him

(except that they are in the finest of the fine),

and therefore the repentance of "turn from evil" must be present in him.

And this matter

[that even in the righteous

(Israel)

there is also the repentance of "turn from evil"]

is also understood from the fact that repentance is a mitzvah

[and in the language of the Alter Rebbe in Igeres HaTeshuvah

"the mitzvah of repentance"],

from which it is understood,

that the mitzvah of repentance is

(like all mitzvos)

for every single Jew,

even for completely righteous individuals.

And since the mitzvah of repentance is

(as the Alter Rebbe wrote in Igeres HaTeshuvah there)

abandoning the sin

("turn from evil"),

it is understood,

that in addition to that even in completely righteous individuals there must be the repentance of "and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it"

[and as explained in Likkutei Torah

(our parshah)

that the root of the soul is the aspect of Elokim

("Who gave it"),

which is the aspect of Tzur

that is above Havayah,

a concealment that is not in existence,

and the drawing down of the soul from this aspect is in the manner of

("Who")

gave it,

for all

who give, give with a generous eye,

and the matter of the repentance of "and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it" is the return and elevation of the soul to its root and source,

for even as the soul is invested in the body

(for the mitzvah of repentance is,

like all mitzvos,

specifically for souls in bodies)

it should be in a state of complete nullification as it was in its root,

in the aspect of "Elokim Who gave it"],

there must also be in them repentance in its simple sense.

And one must understand,

but in Atzilus

(even in particular Atzilus)

it is written "evil shall not sojourn with You,"

and since the repentance of the righteous is

(as above from Likkutei Torah)

"to God Who gave it,"

above the aspect of "You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me"

(Biya"h)

and above even the aspect of "You placed within me"

(Atzilus),

how is it possible that the matter of the repentance of "turn from evil" should exist in them?

5)

And superficially, it could be explained based on what is said in Likkutei Torah,

that one who, due to the superiority of his soul, belongs to the service of the aspect of Ruach

("do good")

and all the more so one who belongs to the service of the aspect of Neshamah

("seek peace"),

when he is lacking in this service, it is a blemish.

And furthermore,

because he is on an elevated level,

his blemish

(even though it is in fineness)

is greater than the actual sin of a simple person.

And as the Maggid said, the thoughts of completely righteous individuals blemish more than the severe sins of an ignoramus.

And like "a stain on a garment of a Torah scholar."

And based on this, it could seemingly be said,

that the mitzvah of repentance

(which is abandoning the sin)

in completely righteous individuals is repentance for that which there was in them a deficiency in the service of "do good" or at least in the service of "seek peace,"

that even this repentance is abandoning the sin,

since the blemish caused by this is even greater than the sin

(in its simple sense)

of a simple person.

However,

from this very thing that they say there are three matters

("turn from evil,"

"do good" and "seek peace"),

it is proven,

that the service of "do good" and "seek peace" is an addition and ascent in holiness itself,

and even when there is a deficiency in this service,

it is not a matter of evil

(not even in fineness).

And based on this, one must understand what is the matter of the mitzvah of repentance

(abandoning the sin)

in the righteous,

about which it says "Return, O Israel, etc., for you have stumbled in your iniquity,"

that even one who is at the level of "Israel" must have in him also the repentance of "turn from evil."

6)

And this will be understood based on the statement of our sages, of blessed memory:

"One who points with a finger before the king, etc."

For before the king, one must be in a state of utter self-nullification, and when one points with a finger before the king, he appears as an existence before the king.

From this it is understood

that even when one serves Havayah, but his service is in the manner of existence,

it is comparable to one who points with a finger before the king, heaven forbid.

And based on this, it will be understood that even in completely righteous individuals there must be

(also)

the matter of repentance of "turn from evil,"

for since even when he is a completely righteous person, serving G-d with fear and love in delights, he is not utterly nullified in existence; rather, he is a separate entity, one who fears Him and loves Him

(there is one who loves and there is one who fears),

as explained in Tanya,

behold, the acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of heaven is not in perfect completeness,

and relative to his level, it is like a casting off of the yoke.

Therefore, even in a completely righteous person, there must be the repentance of "turn from evil."

And this is "Return, O Israel, unto Havayah your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity,"

that the repentance for the stumbling in the sin that is at the level of Israel

(there is one who loves)

is that Havayah will be your G-d.

For in order to negate the matter of yeshut (selfhood),

(there is one who loves)

it is specifically through the revelation of Havayah.

For regarding the name Elokim,

since coming into being from the name Elokim is in a manner of enclothement

("In the beginning, Elokim created"),

the creations that come into being from it occupy space,

and their nullification is only the nullification of the yesh (the existent entity),

but not so regarding the name Havayah,

for coming into being from it is in a manner of "incidentally"

("They shall praise the name of Havayah, for He commanded and they were created"),

the creations do not occupy space,

[they are] nullified in existence.

And this is that the repentance for "you have stumbled in your iniquity" that is at the level of Israel,

there is one who loves,

is that "Havayah will be your G-d,"

for by means of the revelation of Havayah shining within him,

and to the extent that this

(Havayah)

becomes "your G-d," your power and your life-force,

he comes to nullification in existence.

7)

And behold, it is explained in Likkutei Torah

that the explanation of "Return, O Israel, unto Havayah your G-d" is that the repentance must be until Havayah is only the aspect of Elokim and a contraction relative to the Essence of the Ein Sof, which is above Havayah.

And it is similar to the explanation of "Havayah is the Elokim"

that is said at the Neilah service of Yom Kippur,

that Zeir Anpin

(Havayah)

when it ascends to Atik, is considered like Elokim.

And this will be understood based on what is known,

that even regarding the name Havayah,

since it is a source for coming into being,

for Havayah is a term meaning "He brings into being"

(except that the coming into being is in a manner of "incidentally"),

necessarily there is some occupation of space for the creations,

and the true nullification is specifically regarding the Essence of the Ein Sof, which is above Havayah, which is not in the category of a source for worlds.

And this is that the repentance for "you have stumbled in your iniquity"

(there is one who loves)

is "unto Havayah your G-d"

(according to the explanation in Likkutei Torah)

that Havayah is Elokim and a contraction relative to the Essence of the Ein Sof,

for through the revelation of the Essence of the Ein Sof

[Atik,

which is separate, removed, and distinct from the existence of the worlds],

they arrive at the ultimate nullification.

And one may add,

that the matter of selfhood

(of "there is one who loves")

in its simple sense is already rectified through the service of teshuvah of the month of Elul,

"And she wept for her father and her mother for a month of days"64

which refers to the month of Elul

(as is brought in the writings of the Arizal65),

the month of mercy,

when the king is in the field66,

and particularly in the days after the 18th of Elul, which brings life into all the matters of the month of Elul67,

and especially in the days of Selichos when we say "To You,

Hashem, is righteousness, and to us is shame of face,"

the self-nullification of the awe of shame, which is the awe of exaltation in the most supreme degree69,

and especially on Erev Rosh Hashanah, whose matter is

(as its name, Erev Rosh Hashanah, indicates)

preparation for Rosh Hashanah,

and especially on Rosh Hashanah itself, when the service is the acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of heaven,

"Make Me king over you"70.

And the teshuvah of Shabbos Shuvah is regarding selfhood as it is in its ultimate subtlety.

Therefore, it is explained in Likkutei Torah that the explanation of "Shuvah Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha"

[which we say on Shabbos Shuvah]

is that Hashem should be only Elokim and a contraction relative to the Essence of Ein Sof,

for in order to negate selfhood in its ultimate subtlety, it is specifically through the revelation of the Essence of Ein Sof, which is above Hashem.

8)

And after71 saying "Shuvah Yisrael etc., for you have stumbled in your iniquity,"

which is the teshuvah of "Sur MeRa" (turn from evil)

[as it is in the level of Yisrael],

it adds "Take words with you and return to Hashem,

say to Him, 'All sin forgive,'"

these two teshuvos are the teshuvah of "Aseh Tov" (do good) and the teshuvah of "Bakesh Shalom" (seek peace).

And this will be understood by prefacing what is explained in Likkutei Torah72

that the three teshuvos of Sur MeRa, Aseh Tov, and Bakesh Shalom correspond to the three levels of Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah.

The teshuvah of Sur MeRa

(which is regarding sin and iniquity)

is in the level of Nefesh.

For the matter of sin and iniquity applies only in the level of Nefesh, as it is written73

"The soul that sins"74.

And also the teshuvah

(of Sur MeRa)

is in the level of Nefesh,

for the teshuvah of Sur MeRa is that one accepts upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven and the yoke of mitzvos

[not to rebel against His kingship, G-d forbid, nor to transgress the king's commands75],

and the matter of accepting the yoke is in the level of Nefesh.

The teshuvah of Aseh Tov,

which is regarding the absence of arousal of love and awe

[for the drawing down that comes through the performance of mitzvos

(Aseh Tov)

is through love and awe, which are the wings by which one ascends above76,

and also the perfection of the performance of mitzvos themselves is specifically through love77],

is in the level of Ruach,

for the emotions of the heart

(love and awe)

are the level of Ruach.

And the teshuvah of Bakesh Shalom,

which is regarding the absence of engagement in Torah with understanding and comprehension,

and more specifically—the teshuvah regarding the absence of comprehension of G-dliness,

and primarily regarding the fact that the G-dly matter is not felt in his mind

(for even when he contemplates a G-dly matter, the matter is not felt in his mind),

is in the level of Neshamah,

"The Neshamah of Shaddai gives them understanding"78,

and this is why regarding the teshuvah of Aseh Tov it is written "Take words with you," and regarding the teshuvah of Bakesh Shalom it is written "Say to Him,"

for speech

(words)

pertains to the emotions

(for speech is the breath that issues from the heart79),

and therefore it is the level of Ruach,

"a speaking spirit"80,

and "saying" which is in the heart81,

thought,

is82

the level of Neshamah.

And this is also the meaning of "Say to Him, 'Kol'" (all),

"Kol" being an expression of inclusion,

for

(Bakesh)

Shalom is the matter of inclusion.

9)

And what is said in this teshuvah

(of the level of Neshamah)

"Tisa Avon" (forgive sin),

will be understood based on what is said in the Zohar83

(which is said in the Vidui confession)

"Their holy Nefesh, their holy Ruach, their holy Neshamah, Holy of Holies,"

that the reason the Neshamah is called "Holy of Holies" is because it includes within itself also the holiness of Nefesh and Ruach.

And since the Nefesh and Ruach as they are included in the Neshamah are on a more elevated level

[similar to the Chayah and Yechidah in man, which are above the Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah,

and likewise regarding the worlds of BYA within Atzilus,

and similarly regarding the Sefiros of Atzilus as they are hidden in that which is above Atzilus],

therefore, through the teshuvah of the Neshamah, an elevation is effected also in the Nefesh and Ruach,

and not only as they are included in the Neshamah, but also as they are in their own place.

And therefore, regarding the teshuvah of the level of Neshamah it says "Tisa Avon" (forgive sin),

for through this teshuvah,

an elevation is effected also in the teshuvah of Sur MeRa.

And from this it is understood,

that in order for the service of "turn from evil"

(the aspect of Nefesh)

and "do good"

(the aspect of Ruach)

to be as required,

it is through engaging in Torah study

(the aspect of Neshamah),

and particularly through engaging in the inner dimensions of Torah,

in the secrets of Torah and the secrets of secrets,

for the aspect of the inner dimension of Torah, called the hidden aspect of Torah, is that which connects and unites the aspect of the hidden of Israel with the aspect of the hidden of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And although the drawing down of the Atzmus [Essence] that is in the Torah is in all parts of Torah,

even in the revealed part of Torah,

and even in the reading of the letters of the Torah

(even when one does not know what is being said),

as explained in the Hemshech of Ta"aR"B [5662],

nevertheless, it is explained there that the revelation of Atzmus is specifically in the inner dimensions of Torah

[for the innerness of Abba is the innerness of Atik,

and therefore the revelation of the innerness of Atik is specifically in the innerness of Abba].

And particularly in the inner dimensions of Torah as they were revealed in the Torah of Chassidus by the Baal Shem Tov,

and all the more so as they were revealed by the Alter Rebbe in the Chassidus of Chabad,

in a manner of "they shall be sustained."

And through engaging in Torah,

and particularly in the inner dimensions of Torah,

there is also an elevation in the service of "turn from evil" and "do good."

10)

And behold, just as the teshuvah of "Return, O Israel, for you have stumbled in your iniquity" is not about sins in their simple sense, G-d forbid,

since all of Israel are presumed to be virtuous,

and especially after the teshuvah of the month of Elul and the days of Selichos,

and especially after Rosh HaShanah when all of Israel are vindicated in judgment,

to the extent that even on the eve of Rosh HaShanah they already know with certainty that they will be vindicated in judgment,

for "Your people are all righteous,"

and especially after the shofar blowing, when the matter of wealth occurs

[as is known, that which our sages, of blessed memory, said,

"she becomes wealthy at its conclusion" is immediately after the shofar blowing],

and the teshuvah of Shabbos Shuvah

(after Rosh HaShanah)

is only regarding the selfhood of "there is one who loves"

(and within this itself—in the ultimate subtlety),

as above

(section 7),

so too is it regarding the teshuvah of "do good" and "seek peace,"

that although these matters were also done previously,

the teshuvah of Shabbos Shuvah is that the fulfillment of the commandments be with even greater beauty,

and so too regarding engaging in Torah, and particularly in the inner dimensions of Torah as revealed in the Torah of Chassidus, and especially in the Chassidus of Chabad,

including also the matter of "may your wellsprings spread forth outward,"

until "the earth will be filled with knowledge of the L-rd as the waters cover the sea,"

that it be a year of Torah, a year of teshuvah, and a year of prayer,

and likewise all the blessings of all the letters,

a year of light, a year of blessing, a year of redemption, etc.,

and particularly—the primary blessing,

the complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach, speedily and truly.