English translation — מאמר בסוכות תשבו תש"מ

With the help of Heaven.

On the eve of the thirteenth of Tishrei,

the yahrtzeit of the Rebbe Maharash,

the year 5740.

"You shall dwell in sukkos for seven days; every native-born Jew shall dwell in sukkos."

(And the reason for this is)

"So that your generations may know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in sukkos when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, etc."

And from the language of the verse

("so that your generations may know, etc.")

we learn

that this knowledge is

(not only a matter of the intention of the mitzvah,

but rather)

a part of the fulfillment of the mitzvah

(as is also evident from the language of the Alter Rebbe in his Shulchan Aruch).

And the precise points of our Nesi'im regarding this are known:

Why is this knowledge so crucial

that it is a part of the mitzvah?

And also, what is the meaning of "You shall dwell in sukkos"?

For a sukkah is a level of encompassing light (makif), and the matter of settlement

(for "teishvu" also includes the interpretation of settlement)

specifically relates to a level of internal light (pnimi),

and from the fact that it says "You shall dwell in sukkos," it proves that even after the dwelling, it remains a level of encompassing light,

and the matter of settlement must be within the encompassing light.

Also, one must understand what is written: "Every native-born Jew shall dwell in sukkos,"

for the command "You shall dwell in sukkos" is for all of Israel; what does "every native-born Jew shall dwell in sukkos" add?

And in the command "You shall dwell in sukkos," it says "seven days," whereas in the command "every native-born, etc.," it says "shall dwell in sukkos" without specification.

And behold, from this verse

("every native-born Jew shall dwell in sukkos")

we learn

that all of Israel are fit to dwell in one sukkah.

And it must be said:

Behold, the matter of the unity of all of Israel

(the matter of "You are standing today, all of you")

exists also throughout the entire year,

to the extent that the mitzvah of loving a fellow Jew

[the reason for which is that they are all compatible and have one Father for all of them

(the matter of unity)

as explained in Tanya]

is the entire Torah, and the rest is its explanation,

meaning that every mitzvah is like an explanation and detail of the matter of the unity of all of Israel,

so why is this specifically emphasized in the mitzvah of sukkah?

And also, one must understand what is written

(before this)

"And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a beautiful tree, branches of date palms, a branch of a thick-leaved tree, and willows of the brook,"

and it is known

that this mitzvah has a connection to the matter of the sukkah,

which is why the preferred mitzvah is that the taking of the Four Species should be in the sukkah.

For this is also the connection of the taking of the Four Species to the level of Daas (knowledge),

(similar to "so that they may know" regarding the sukkah),

as it is stated in the writings of the Arizal

that the intent of the waving of the lulav is to draw down Daas to the Nukva of Zeir Anpin, which stands at the chest of Zeir Anpin

(which is why the lulav and its species must touch the chest).

B)

And this will be understood by prefacing the matter of drawing down the encompassing light with settlement

("You shall dwell in sukkos")

in the service of G-d as it is throughout the life of a person in general,

and likewise in every single day.

For although this matter in its essence is during the festival of Sukkos,

"You shall dwell in sukkos,"

nevertheless, the Torah was stated in generalities and specifics,

and there is a semblance of this matter also throughout the entire year.

And the explanation is:

Behold, the two matters of encompassing light (makif) and internal light (pnimi) in the service of G-d in general are faith and comprehension.

And first, the matter of the encompassing light of the sukkah must be explained,

and afterwards, "You shall dwell in sukkos" must be explained,

for the beginning of service is in the level of faith.

For every single Jew,

as soon as he comes into the world,

has within him a level of faith,

as our Sages said,

"Israel are believers, children of believers."

For this is a true description, according to the Torah of truth, of every single Jew.

And after he reaches the age of education, etc., and comes to possess Daas (intellect),

behold, what was initially for him in the level of faith and encompassing light

is drawn into a level of internalization and settlement,

to the extent that this becomes his entire existence.

Nevertheless, even then he has a level of faith,

for after and through the drawing down of the encompassing light

(what was previously in the level of encompassing light)

into internalization,

a higher level of encompassing light is drawn down,

and this encompassing light is in the level of faith.

And likewise, throughout all the days of his life,

the more he elevates himself in his service and in his comprehension,

what was initially for him in the level of faith

is drawn into understanding and comprehension,

and his faith is in a more elevated level

[and similar to the general collective of the children of Israel,

that initially they were included among the nations of the world,

whose faith is only in the level of the power of the actor within the acted-upon,

and afterwards they were elevated, etc., so that their faith was in the level of the One who transcends the world,

as explained in the Siddur, Shaar HaChag HaMatzos, at its beginning].

To the extent that our Sages said,

"Believe in every matter of Moshe Rabbeinu,"

even though Moshe was the ultimate perfection of wisdom,

behold, even after the perfection of comprehension, there are matters that are in the level of faith, beyond comprehension.

And on the contrary,

the more one comprehends, the comprehension itself necessitates that there are matters that are beyond intellect,

to the extent of the statement,

"The ultimate knowledge is that we do not know You."

3)

And in a similar manner is the service of man each and every day,

“Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until the evening,”

that the service at the beginning of the day is in the aspect of faith,

“I gratefully thank You… great is Your faithfulness,”

and also at the beginning of prayer they say, “Give thanks to God,”

mere thanksgiving.

And afterwards is the service of contemplation and comprehension in Pesukei d’Zimra,

and particularly in the blessings of Shema and Shema.

And after this is the self-nullification of the Shemoneh Esrei,

which is utter self-nullification,

like the self-nullification of faith

(except that this faith is the faith that comes after comprehension).

And with the power of all this, “Man goes forth… to his labor until the evening,”

that he performs his service throughout the entire day until evening, according to the simple interpretation of “until the evening,”

and also the interpretation of “until the evening” from the term “evening” meaning sweetness and pleasantness,

for through engaging

(throughout the entire day)

in the matters of this physical world, than which there is no lower,

which in themselves are in the aspect of evening and darkness,

and transforming them into holiness,

behold, through this is brought about true sweetness and pleasantness,

for when one transforms a bitter thing into something sweet, it is a greater sweetness than when it is sweet from its beginning.

And through this, “Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until the evening”

(also according to its simple meaning),

that his activity and service throughout the entire day until evening is in perfection,

for he has heavenly assistance,

and assistance in perfection,

in all the details of his service.

4)

And this is “In sukkot you shall dwell,”

that first there must be the matter of the sukkah,

the aspect of a surrounding light (makif).

And this very thing

(the making of the surrounding light of the sukkah),

even before the fulfillment of the commandment “In sukkot you shall dwell”

(and particularly before it is drawn into settlement),

is a matter of supreme loftiness

[as is also evident from what is said,

“The festival of sukkot you shall make for yourself,”

that there is a commandment also in the making of the sukkah].

And particularly according to what is explained in the discourses of the Baal HaHilula,

that the sechach (roof covering) of the sukkah

[which is the essence of the sukkah,

and the sukkah is named after the sechach]

is made from the cloud of the incense of Yom Kippur,

and it is known

also that sechach in gematria is one hundred, corresponding to the one hundred sounds of the shofar that it is the custom

of Israel

(for the custom of Israel is Torah)

to blow on Rosh Hashanah.

And also the details of the sounds are hinted at in the letters of sechach,

the letter samech (60) for the sounds of tekiah,

the letter chaf (20) for the sounds of shevarim and the letter chaf (20) for teruah.

And this means that the drawing down on Rosh Hashanah

(what is drawn down through the one hundred sounds)

is in a manner of “in the throne”

(in concealment),

and afterwards it comes to revelation

(for the day of our festival)

on the festival of Sukkot

in the sechach of the sukkah.

For all this is the advantage of the surrounding light of the sukkah as it is in itself.

And afterwards there must be “In sukkot you shall dwell,”

to draw down the surrounding light of the sukkah into settlement and inwardness,

and this drawing down must be for seven days, which include all the days of the encompassing,

and through this it is drawn afterwards on Shemini Atzeret

(that the surrounding light enters into inwardness and “atzaret” [gathers],

and is drawn down)

a higher surrounding light,

the aspect of the eighth day which guards the encompassing,

that nevertheless it is said,

“On the eighth day, an atzeret shall be for you,”

“They shall be yours alone, and no stranger with you.”

5)

And this is also the connection of taking the Four Species to the sukkah,

and as mentioned above, that the commandment of taking the Four Species in the sukkah is the optimal way to fulfill the commandment,

for the drawing down of the surrounding light of the sukkah into the aspect of inwardness and settlement is accomplished primarily through taking the Four Species.

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

and in the discourses of the Baal HaHilula,

that these Four Species allude to the matter of unity.

For regarding the lulav it is written, “branches of date palms,”

and our sages, of blessed memory, expounded

that it must be “bound,”

that all the leaves

(even though in essence they are separate from each other)

must be attached and held together as if they are one,

and also each leaf is doubled from two,

meaning that the two leaves within it join and unite into one leaf.

And so it is with the hadassim, which are called “a branch of a leafy tree,”

specifically “leafy,”

three in one cluster.

And so it is with the willows of the brook, which grow in brotherhood.

And all the more so with the etrog, which remains on its tree from year to year,

that not only does it endure all the changes of the air of the four seasons of the year

(summer and winter, cold and heat),

but it also grows from all these four airs.

And furthermore, its growth to perfection

(of the etrog)

is over the course of three years,

meaning that the aforementioned matter

(that it endures all the changes of the airs and also grows from them)

is renewed in it three times,

for three times establishes a chazakah (presumption).

Based on this, it will be understood that the drawing down of the surrounding light

(of the sukkah)

into inwardness is accomplished primarily through taking the Four Species,

for the matter of unity in the Four Species indicates the aspect of Daat

(therefore, through them the aspect of Daat is drawn down,

as mentioned above from the writings of the AriZal).

And it is analogous to what is in man,

that one who has mature intellect (mochin d’gadlut) and broad knowledge (daat) can also endure opposites.

And particularly, the unity in the Four Species,

and especially in the etrog,

is not only that it endures opposites,

but that the opposites become one reality,

which indicates an abundance of Daat.

Therefore, the drawing down of the surrounding light of the sukkah into inwardness is accomplished primarily through taking the Four Species,

for Daat is a matter of inwardness,

as explained in the Tanya at the end and conclusion of chapter three

regarding the advantage of Daat over Chochmah and Binah, that Daat is a term of connection, etc.

6)

And this is also the connection of the matter of the unity of all Israel to the matter of the Sukkah

(All of Israel are fit to sit in one Sukkah),

for the encompassing light of the Sukkah surrounds and encompasses all of Israel as one,

in the manner of the Clouds of Glory

(For I caused the children of Israel to dwell in booths, etc.48)

which encompassed all of Israel entirely as one person.

And this is also [the meaning of] "In Sukkot you shall dwell,"

"You shall dwell" as in "you shall reside"49,

for just as the Sukkah encompasses all of Israel as one,

from your heads, your tribes, to the hewer of your wood and the drawer of your water,

so too is it with each and every individual of Israel in particular,

that all of his matters need to be within the encompassing light of the Sukkah.

And it emphasizes "In Sukkot you shall dwell," which includes

(not only the interpretation of "you shall dwell" as "you shall reside," but)

also the interpretation of settlement,

that one must draw down the aspect of the encompassing light of the Sukkah into the aspect of settlement.

And it adds "so that your generations may know, etc.,"

that one must draw this down also into comprehension,

and specifically into the comprehension within the intellect of the mind, wherein is the primary settlement and internality.

And it emphasizes "so that your generations may know, etc.,"

that even the later generations

(after the generation that left Egypt)

will fulfill the mitzvah of Sukkah not only in actual deed,

but that the fulfillment of this mitzvah should permeate them internally,

until it is also felt in the intellect of the mind.

And it adds "for seven days,"

that this drawing down must be in all seven days of the encompassing,

meaning in all the aspects of the chain of descent until the aspect of Malchus,

and as explained above that through taking the Four Species, intellect is drawn

(also)

into the feminine principle,

and so too is it with a person, that the aspect of the encompassing light of the Sukkah must permeate all of his powers, down to his power of action

(for the fulfillment of the mitzvah of Sukkah must be, and its essence is, in actual deed),

and from this one comes afterward to "on the eighth day, an assembly," the aspect of the eighth, which is above the encompassing of the chain of descent,

and this aspect is also drawn down through the intellect,

for the intellect replaces the place of Kesser,

the aspect of "Atah"50

is one and not in number,

as explained in the continuation and in the following51.

7)

And the verse continues, "All the native-born in Israel shall dwell in Sukkot,"

for in this it explains the reason and the power for the service of "In Sukkot you shall dwell," etc.52.

And the explanation is,

"Ezrach" (native-born) is a future tense term, referring to the aspect of the essence of the soul that will shine and illuminate in the future53.

The aspect of "Eitan" in the soul, as it is written54

"A maskil of Eitan the Ezrachite,"

"Eitan" is from the term strength and from the term ancient,

and it is the strength of the soul that comes from the aspect of the Name of 72, which is not new

(ancient),

for since the Name of 72 is above Tohu, in which there was the shattering,

therefore from it is drawn the strength in each and every individual of Israel for the aforementioned service55.

And although the revelation of this aspect will be primarily in the future,

nevertheless

(and since this aspect is above time,

therefore)

it effects its activity even now,

and especially on Sukkot.

And this is [the meaning of] "In Sukkot you shall dwell, etc., all the native-born in Israel shall dwell in Sukkot,"

that through the aspect of "the native-born in Israel" that will be in the future,

there is power even now for there to be "In Sukkot you shall dwell"56,

and also "And you shall take for yourselves, etc., the fruit of a beautiful tree, branches of date palms, and the bough of a leafy tree, and willows of the brook,"

including also the interpretation57

"The fruit of a beautiful tree" is the Holy One, blessed be He, etc., "branches of date palms" is the Holy One, blessed be He, etc., and "the bough of a leafy tree" is the Holy One, blessed be He, etc., and "willows of the brook" is the Holy One, blessed be He,

all the levels, so to speak, in G-dliness,

and in the manner of "And you shall take for yourselves," that they take the Holy One, blessed be He, in an internal manner,

since Israel

(through the Torah)

and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one58.

So may it be for us in the preparation for the mitzvah of Sukkah and in the fulfillment of the mitzvah of Sukkah and the mitzvah of the Four Species in this year,

and very soon, in this very year, may we merit the actual revelation of "all the native-born in Israel shall dwell in Sukkot,"

with the coming of Moshiach our righteousness,

may he come and redeem us and lead us upright59

to our land,

speedily, in our very own days.