English translation — מאמר בסוכות תשבו תשמ"א

With the help of Heaven.

On the eve of the 13th of Tishrei,

the yahrtzeit of the Rebbe Maharash, of blessed memory,

the year 5741*

"You shall dwell in sukkot for seven days... so that your generations may know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt."

Now, this verse is brought by our master, the Alter Rebbe, in the Shulchan Aruch at the beginning of the Laws of Sukkah,

and he emphasizes in his golden language

(that "in sukkot I caused [them] to dwell...")

they were the Clouds of His Glory that He surrounded them with for shade, etc.

And corresponding to this, He commanded us to make sukkot that are made for shade.

And the Rebbe Maharash, the master of the yahrtzeit, explains in the maamarim of the festival of Sukkot that were said one hundred years ago,

that the sechach (roof-covering) of the sukkah is made from the cloud of the incense of Yom Kippur,

for a cloud is like shade.

However, on Yom Kippur it is still in concealment

(in the Throne of Glory),

and it is revealed on the day of our festival,

on the festival of Sukkot.

Now, in a sukkah, its shade must be greater than its sunlight,

meaning that in the sukkah there is also its sunlight,

except that its shade must be greater than its sunlight.

And similarly, on Yom Kippur there is also the aspect of its sunlight,

but the primary service of Yom Kippur is the matter of shade.

For, behold, the two matters of sunlight and shade in the services in the Holy Temple,

and similarly in the prayers that were instituted in place of the sacrifices,

are the service of the sacrifices and the service of the incense.

For regarding sacrifices it is written,

"My food for My fire-offerings,"

and "My fire-offerings"

[refers to] the fire that comes from the common person and also the fire that descended from heaven,

this is the matter of heat,

sunlight.

And the service of the incense,

whose essence is the cloud,

is the matter of shade, as mentioned.

And this is why on Yom Kippur there is the matter of sunlight,

for even then there is the service of the sacrifices.

But the primary service of Yom Kippur is the service of the incense,

the aspect of shade,

and from this it is drawn down also into Sukkot,

on the day of our festival,

that its shade must be greater than its sunlight.

2)

And the explanation of the difference between sacrifices and incense,

will be understood from their names in the Holy Tongue

[according to the well-known teaching of the Baal Shem Tov].

Now, "korban" (sacrifice) is from the term "kiruv" (drawing near),

and as explained by His Holy Honored, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, in his discourses of his yahrtzeit,

that sacrifices are the matter of drawing near the powers and senses,

and the secret of the sacrifice ascends to the secret of the Ein Sof.

And "ketoret" (incense) is a term for binding

[for every "binding" in Scripture is translated as "ketar" in Aramaic],

meaning not only is he drawn near to G-dliness,

and drawn near to the ultimate nearness,

but he is also bound with G-dliness,

and bound to the ultimate degree.

And the difference between drawing near

(sacrifices)

and binding

(incense)

is,

that when he is drawn near to G-dliness, even when he is drawn near to the ultimate nearness,

he is still in a state of existence.

And this is why regarding sacrifices it is written "My food for My fire-offerings"

[and the service of sacrifices is the matter of sunlight,

as mentioned],

for the service of sacrifices is, in general, service according to reason and understanding,

and even that which is drawn down from above through this service,

"a pleasing satisfaction before Me that I spoke and My will was done,"

is related to reason and understanding,

and love that is based on reason and understanding is in the category of feeling,

and therefore the aspect of heat applies to it,

and the intensity of the flame

of love.

In contrast, the service of incense is, in general, the service with the desire of the heart that is above reason and understanding,

for in this aspect, the matter of feeling does not apply.

And this is why "ketoret" is a term for binding,

which is the attachment and cleaving to the Ein Sof, blessed be He, without any feeling,

where he has no existence of his own, and his entire existence is only that he is bound with Him,

until they become completely one.

And in the well-known phrase,

"With a single bond I am bound to Him, in the Holy One, blessed be He, I am bound,"

[for although he also draws down into the aspect of "I am bound,"

nevertheless, since "I am bound"

(that term)

is after "I am bound," there is no feeling in this],

for the matter of "I am bound" is that he becomes truly one with the Ohr Ein Sof (the Infinite Light).

And this is also that the sacrifices were offered on the outer altar,

and the incense was on the inner altar.

For it is known that these two altars in the soul of man are the externality of the heart and the internality of the heart,

as explained in Likkutei Torah

and at length in the discourses of the Tzemach Tzedek.

Therefore the service of sacrifices is on the outer altar,

because the service that is in the aspect of enthusiasm is in the externality of the heart.

And also because in the externality of the heart the matter of refinements applies,

meaning there is still an existence that needs to be refined and elevated to holiness.

But the internality of the heart is above the matter of refinements,

and the service of the internality of the heart is the love and connection that stems from the essence of the soul, which is above reason and intellect.

3)

And behold, the distinction between the service of sacrifices and the service of incense is also regarding the things that are refined through them.

For sacrifices are specifically from permitted things,

like all matters of Torah and mitzvos that are not fit for heavenly work except pure things and permitted in your mouth.

But the spices of the incense included impure things,

like the mor (myrrh) which is the blood of a known animal.

And also

in the incense there must specifically be eleven spices

(to the point that if one of all its spices is missing, one is liable for death,

the opposite of the matter of incense),

for the number eleven is in the side of impurity.

For it is known that in holiness the number is ten, as the saying

"ten and not nine, ten and not eleven,"

and the number eleven is in the side of impurity,

the eleven crowns of impurity.

And the explanation is,

for it is written,

"And You give life to them all,"

do not read "give life" but "bring into existence,"

that all created beings in the world, their life and also their very existence, is from Ein Sof,

and from their own perspective they have no existence at all.

And as the Baal HaHilula explains in the discourse "Mi Chamocha BaEilim Hashem, Mi Kamocha Ne'edar BaKodesh"

(which he would say once in two or three years to purify the air of the world),

that although the world is an existence and not an illusion,

nevertheless, "there is nothing besides Him,"

because the primary and true existence of every thing is the Divine power that brings it into existence.

From this it is understood,

that even the side of impurity and the husks of impurity must be said to receive vitality from Ein Sof,

for otherwise they would have no existence at all.

But the vitality that gives them life is in the aspect of an encompassing light over them from above.

[For although there is a spark of holiness also within their internality,

nevertheless, this spark is in a state of exile within them

(to the point that even the spark itself becomes like evil, as explained by the Rebbe

(the Rebbe Rashab)

of blessed memory in the discourse "Padeh BeShalom Nafshi"),

and that they live and exist is from the vitality of holiness that is in the aspect of encompassing over them from above.]

And this is that in holiness the number is ten and in the side of impurity the number is eleven.

For every thing in the world is composed of ten matters, as stated in the Pardes,

and therefore in holiness the number is ten,

because the vitality unites with the thing it gives life to and is not counted separately.

But with the husks and the side of impurity, since the vitality is in the aspect of encompassing over them from above, therefore the vitality is counted separately.

And this is that in the incense there must specifically be eleven spices,

because through the service of incense,

even the side of impurity, which is in the number eleven, is transformed into holiness.

And it can be said,

that this distinction between the service of sacrifices and the service of incense regarding the things refined through them stems from the distinction between them in the person who serves,

that the service of sacrifices is in the externality of the heart and the service of incense is in the internality of the heart.

And the explanation is,

that when the service is within measure and limitation and the person serving is still in a state of existence,

there must be caution that there be no self-interest in his service,

and certainly no self-interest from matters related to his own existence.

But when the service is above measure and limitation, then through this service,

even evil is transformed to good,

like in repentance where intentional sins become not only like unintentional sins but like merits,

[to the point that they become not only like merits

(with the "kaf" of comparison)

but actual merits],

as explained at length in Torah Or.

And this is also the connection and relevance of the service of incense to Yom Kippur,

because the repentance of Yom Kippur is the essence of the matter of repentance

(supernal repentance),

and the entire service of the Ten Days of Repentance

[and certainly of Yom Kippur]

is in the aspect of Yechidah,

as is known from the teaching of the Alter Rebbe

in his explanation of the statement of our sages of blessed memory,

"Here, with the singular one," that the service of the Ten Days of Repentance is in the aspect of Yechidah,

and since corresponding to the aspect of Yechidah there is no opposite side,

"not even a trace of a trace do they have,"

therefore through the service and repentance of Yom Kippur, even intentional sins are transformed into merits.

4)

And this is “In sukkot you shall dwell… so that your generations may know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in sukkot…”

that this knowledge is

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

but also)

a part of the fulfillment of the mitzvah itself,

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

For the sechach of the sukkah is made

(as above)

from the cloud of the incense of Yom Kippur,

[and the connection of the sukkah to the cloud of incense is both from the aspect that the sukkah is made for shade, and a cloud is like shade

(as above),

and also from the aspect that “I caused the children of Israel to dwell in sukkot” refers to the clouds of glory],

for the matter of the cloud of incense of Yom Kippur is the aspect of the encompassing light that is above reason and intellect,

and on the festival of Sukkot, this encompassing light must be drawn into inwardness,

“in sukkot you shall dwell,”

and the drawing into inwardness is specifically through daat,

as is explained at length in the continuation of the discourse “And So” of the Baal HaHilula.

And in particular through taking the four species,

which indicate the matter of unity,

through which daat is drawn

(also in the aspect of Nukva)

downward further,

into the inwardness of each and every Jew.

5)

And an explanation of the matter in greater depth will be understood based on what the Baal HaHilula explains in the continuation of the aforementioned discourses,

regarding the matter of the descent of the soul into the body,

and likewise regarding the matter of the descent of the mitzvot and their clothing in physical things,

[as in the mitzvah of sacrifices, where one must specifically offer a physical animal,

and likewise the incense is specifically from eleven physical spices,

and likewise the sechach of the sukkah

(which is analogous to the matter of the incense)

is from a physical thing, from the waste of the threshing floor and the winepress,

and so it is with the rest of the mitzvot],

which is a descent for the sake of ascent.

For the root of the soul is from the aspect of Tikkun,

and the root of the body and the Nefesh HaBahamis,

and likewise the root of the physical things in which the mitzvot are clothed,

is in the aspect of Tohu that preceded Tikkun.

And through the soul descending below and clothing itself in the body and Nefesh HaBahamis and engaging in Torah and mitzvot that are clothed in physical things,

through this it refines the sparks of Tohu that fell below into the body, Nefesh HaBahamis, and physical things

(in which the mitzvot are clothed)

and elevates them to their root,

and through this the lights of Tohu, which are superior to the lights of Tikkun, are drawn to them,

as is known that the lights of Tikkun are limited lights, and in Tohu there were abundant lights.

And in particular according to what is explained there,

that the abundance of the light of Tohu is not only an abundance in quantity

(meaning it is of the same type as the lights of Tikkun, only in very great abundance),

but rather,

the lights of Tohu are of an entirely different type.

And all the more so from what our sages said

about the light created on the first day, that a person could see with it from one end of the world to the other,

that the explanation of the phrase “from one end of the world to the other”

(although it seemingly should have said “from the beginning of the world to its end”)

is that all the worlds in general are divided into two aspects,

the hidden world and the revealed world,

and the intent of “from one end of the world to the other” is from the end of the world of the revealed world from above downward to its end of the hidden world from below upward,

from which it is understood that the abundance of this light

(the light created on the first day)

relative to the light of the other days is not only an abundance in quantity, but an abundance that is incomparable.

And all this is within the world of Tikkun itself

[for even the light created on the first day is from the aspect of Tikkun],

that all the lights of Tikkun are limited lights.

And from this it is understood all the more so regarding the abundance of light that was in the aspect of Tohu,

that in addition to the abundance in quantity,

there was

(and this is its main superiority)

a light that is entirely different in value from the light of Tikkun.

And through the soul,

whose root is from the aspect of Tikkun,

refining and rectifying the sparks that fell below into physical things,

through this the abundant lights of Tohu are drawn into the abundant vessels of Tikkun.

And this is that the descent of the soul into the body is a descent for the sake of ascent,

for the root of the soul is

(as above)

in the aspect of Tikkun

[except that within Tikkun itself it is in the highest aspect,

for “Israel arose in thought”],

and through it descending from a high roof

to a deep pit and refining the sparks that fell below, below

(to a deep pit),

for this very fact that they fell to the very lowest level is because their root is on the very highest level,

through this an additional elevation is made in it, higher than it was before its descent.

And it is known from the teaching of the AriZal on the verse “For not by bread alone does man live, but by every utterance of the mouth of God does man live,”

that this that bread gives life to man

(even though bread is vegetative and man is a speaker)

is not from the bread alone,

but rather,

from the utterance of the mouth of God that is in the bread,

namely from the utterance

“Let the earth sprout vegetation.”

And this that man needs specifically the utterance of the mouth of God that is in the bread

(even though the word of God from the utterance

“Let us make man” is also clothed in man)

is because the utterance of the mouth of God that is in the bread is from the aspect of Tohu,

and therefore specifically through it does man, who is from the aspect of Tikkun, live.

And just as it is with bread,

so it is with all matters of man

[for bread includes all matters of eating and drinking

and also all of man's needs],

including also man's service in Torah and mitzvot,

that through man refining physical things

[by doing them for the sake of Heaven,

and certainly through fulfilling mitzvot with the physical things themselves],

behold, by the utterance of the mouth of God that is in the physical things does man live,

meaning that an additional elevation is added to the soul of man, higher than it was before its descent.

And since the light of Tohu is entirely different in value

(as above),

therefore the elevation that is added to the soul is also an incomparable elevation.

6)

And based on this, one can understand more deeply the greatness of the elevation of the service of the incense over the service of the sacrifices,

for through the service of the incense, even the sparks that fell into the three completely impure klipot are refined,

and even intentional sins become as merits,

and since whatever fell to the very lowest place indicates that its source is on the very highest level,

it is therefore understood77

that these sparks

(that fell into the three completely impure klipot and particularly into intentional sins)

are from a level higher even than the sparks and physical things

(that are permitted)

that are refined through the service of the sacrifices.

That is, within tohu itself, they are on a more elevated level.

For this is what our sages, of blessed memory, said:78

"In the place where penitents stand, even the completely righteous cannot stand,"

because penitents refine from the three completely impure klipot, while the completely righteous refine only from nogah.79

And this is also that the revelations of the Future to Come depend

(primarily)

upon our deeds and service during the time of exile80

specifically

[and within the time of exile itself, in the period of the heels of Mashiach],

for the main aspect of the eleven klipot of impurity is during the time of exile

[and particularly in the heels of Mashiach],

and therefore through our deeds and service during the time of exile, we draw down an unlimited light,

"These are the generations of Peretz"81

"generations" is written in full,82

which is more elevated even than the "generations" written in full that was at the time of creation83

("These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created"84),

for the world was created in its fullness.85

And this is also the superiority of the incense of Yom Kippur over the incense of the entire year,

for the incense of Yom Kippur is the matter of teshuvah, where intentional sins become as merits86

[for the service of Yom Kippur is in the aspect of Yechidah of the soul,

and this means that within the Ten Days of Repentance themselves

(here, for an individual)

the main revelation

(and service)

of the aspect of Yechidah is on Yom Kippur, once a year,87

and that intentional sins become actual merits is through the service of the aspect of Yechidah],

and this matter

[that intentional sins are transformed into merits]

reaches the inner aspect of Atik.86

And this matter also pertains to Yom Kippur,

as is known88

that on Yom Kippur there is the ascent of Malchus to the aspect of Atik.

And this also serves as a preparation and preface for the revelation of the Future to Come

[which will also be specifically through the service of teshuvah,

as the statement89

"Mashiach comes to bring the righteous back in teshuvah"],

for then there will be the revelation of the inner aspect of Atik.90

7)

And behold, all the above elevations that are accomplished in the soul specifically through service in this world,

and within this world itself during the time of exile,

were also in it before its descent.

As is understood from the teaching of the Maggid of Mezeritch91

in explaining the statement of our sages, of blessed memory:66

"Israel arose in thought,"

which is like the parable of a son whose form is engraved in the father's thought,

and since for the Holy One, blessed be He, past and future are one, therefore even before Israel was created, their form was engraved in thought.

From this it is understood,

that also the elevation that is accomplished in the soul through its descent from a high roof to a deep pit and its service there in the aspect of the depth and innerness of the heart,

and within this itself, on the most elevated level

(the essence of the point of the heart)92,

through which it is elevated higher than it was in its source in the aspect of "the G-d who gave it,"93

this form as well

(of the son,

as he is in ultimate perfection)

was engraved in His thought, blessed be He.

However, this is in potential,

and in order for this elevation to be in actuality,94

this is accomplished through its descent below and its actual service in the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments,

and particularly through the service of the incense of Yom Kippur, which is the service of teshuvah,

and through sitting in the sukkah and taking the four species, through which the drawing down and revelation of the encompassing light of the cloud of incense of Yom Kippur is accomplished.

And likewise in the days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos,

"this one is occupied with his sukkah and this one with his lulav."95

For this is the reason that the first day of Sukkos is the beginning of the reckoning of sins,96

because during these four days all of Israel are occupied

(only)

with commandments,

and consequently it is not possible that they do anything undesirable.

And it is understood,

that when these four days are as they should be, then even after the reckoning begins,

it is in an entirely different manner,

in the manner of the known matter regarding what even the completely righteous say "on a sin,"97

"sin" being a term of deficiency,98

in the most subtle of subtleties.

And what is said "the beginning of the reckoning of sins," the intention is not for sins in their simple sense

(including also one who has the ability to protest and does not protest99)

but rather for sins in the sense of distortion and crookedness,

and even this does not apply,

and distortion and crookedness is in the ultimate subtlety,

and as explained above100

in the explanation of the verse101

"for you have stumbled in your iniquity."

And through this,

the incense of Yom Kippur as well,

whose matter is teshuvah where intentional sins are transformed into merits,

is also for sins

(and intentional sins)

that are in the ultimate subtlety.

And after Yom Kippur, they draw down the aspect of the encompassing light of the cloud of incense into the matters of sukkah and lulav, as they are still things of permission and Israel prepares and readies them for a mitzvah,

and particularly after they fulfill with them the mitzvah of sitting in the sukkah and taking the four species on the festival of Sukkos, the time of our rejoicing,

and joy is drawn down for the entire year,102

a constant joy,103

that they serve G-d constantly with joy and a good heart,104

and this becomes a close preparation for "everlasting joy upon their heads"105

that will be in the true and complete redemption through our righteous Mashiach,

may he come and redeem us and lead us upright to our land,

speedily in our days, literally.