English translation — תזריע ב

A.

On the verse "If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male" our Sages, of blessed memory, said¹

"If a woman emits seed first she gives birth to a male; if a man emits seed first she gives birth to a female,

And the Baal HaTanya² brings

the explanation of "the philosophers" on this: "Because the woman emits seed first, therefore the drop of the male comes last and the superior prevails; but if the man emits seed first, etc."

However, the Baal HaTanya writes regarding this explanation that "in truth it is a great difficulty in the explanation of the phrase 'the woman emits seed first,' which implies that specifically from her comes the seeding of the male, and not through the male emitting seed at the end, etc.

And furthermore, our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the end of chapter 3 of Niddah regarding Dinah it is written³

his daughter,

the daughter of Jacob, and regarding the tribes it is written³

the sons of Leah, because the woman emits seed first, etc. Thus it implies that specifically from the woman's seed the male is born

(and so it is in Midrash Rabbah Tazria at the end of chapter 14: the male comes from the woman, etc., see there)

Therefore he explains "according to its simple meaning: that 'when a woman conceives' she herself actually gives birth through this to a male, and not according to the explanation of the philosophers, because the man's seed comes at the end, etc."

See there.

And behold, since the explanation of the philosophers is brought by the great ones of Israel<sup>4</sup>

(which are brought many times in Chassidus)

which spread in most of the dispersions of Israel<sup>5</sup>,

and especially that the Alter Rebbe here himself brings their explanation

(even though he explains later in a different way),

it must be said that

(also according to the view of the Alter Rebbe)

there is a place for this explanation in the words of our Sages: "A woman who emits seed first, etc."

(for if not, he would not have brought their explanation at all)

— but the primary explanation of "a woman who emits seed first gives birth to a male" is "according to its simple meaning."

2.

And this will be understood by prefacing: This matter of "a woman who emits seed first gives birth to a male" etc. is derived

(like all matters of this world)

from its counterpart in spirituality: "man and woman" are,

so to speak,

the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Israel,

and when the woman emits seed first,

i.e., that first there preceded an arousal from below upward and afterward an arousal from above is drawn down,

then "she gives birth to a male,"

i.e., great love in the aspect of "Whom have I in heaven? And with You I have not desired"<sup>6</sup>

(but when a man emits seed first,

i.e., when the arousal in the soul of Israel is drawn from the aspect of an arousal from above without a preceding arousal from below,

then "she gives birth to a female,"

which is "smallness of love — lesser love,"

of "women<sup>7</sup>

their mind is light"<sup>8</sup>)<sup>9</sup>

And the reason for this is,

because the arousal from below that is drawn from the command and will without preceding arousal from below is "only from the aspect of the externality of the light and vitality that the Ein Sof, blessed be He, radiates"¹⁰,

but not so when the arousal from below preceded first "then the arousal from below is drawn from a high aspect and level,

from the inwardness of the light and vitality that the Ein Sof, blessed be He, radiates into the Congregation of Israel,

and through this she gives birth to a male, upon whom a spirit from on high shall blow, it being love in the aspect of great love, etc."¹⁰.

And seemingly: Since the birth of the love that is in the aspect of "male" comes into actuality from the arousal <b>from above</b>,

and the precedence of the arousal from below is only in order that this arousal from below be drawn from the aspect of the inwardness of the light,

then it follows seemingly that the birth of the male comes <b>not</b> from the seed of the woman

(the Congregation of Israel),

but rather from the seed of the man

(the arousal <b>from above</b> that is from the Holy One, blessed be He),

according to the opinion of the philosophers,

and how does this accord with the explanation of the Alter Rebbe that the birth of the male is from the seed of the woman herself?

And behold, simply there is to divide that according to the philosophers, the birth of the male is not related to the woman,

but to the man, for "the upper one is male",

but not so according to the explanation in the service of G-d,

behold the birth of the male, which is the aspect of great love that comes from above,

comes from the side of an arousal from below, which is what arouses that there be drawn from the aspect of the inwardness of the light,

and through this is born the aspect of great love as above.

However, this is not sufficient,

for after all, the birth of the "male" is not from the side of the woman

(arousal from below)

herself, but from the man

(arousal from above),

for the arousal from below is only a cause alone that there be the arousal from above from the aspect of the inwardness of the light.

But the birth is from the arousal from above,

and like the language of the Likkutei Torah there "and through this she gives birth to a male that a spirit from on high blows upon him etc." as above.

And behold, the Alter Rebbe precisely phrases many times

in the explanation

(the simple one of)

the words of our sages of blessed memory that "specifically from the seed of the woman is born the male" and the language of the midrash "the male from the woman",

and as he concludes that according to his explanation "the language of the verse is satisfied simply, that a woman when she conceives gives birth, she through this actually gives birth to a male".

3.

And behold, the example of the explanation in Likkutei Torah

explains seemingly also in the holy Ohr HaChayim¹³

on the verse, and this is its language: "The Congregation of Israel...

is called a woman...

When a woman conceives, meaning the insemination of commandments and good deeds...

and bears a male...

it is a level superior to the level of the female...

And the verse informed that if the Congregation of Israel conceives, surely she will give birth to superior levels, and this is the statement of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, of the extreme wonder of the wonders that the Lord will wondrously do at the coming of the Redeemer...

And he intends to distinguish between the future redemption and the past redemption of Egypt, when Israel were naked and bare...

And that redemption...

did not endure, for the Temple was destroyed and they were exiled...

And this goodness is not in the category of male, but the future redemption, because in any case it will be through the merit of Israel...

the redemption will be in the category of male¹⁴

And it will stand forever."

And behold, the future redemption will be <b>from the Holy One, blessed be He</b>,

and only that it will come <b>through the cause of </b>and "<b>through the </b>merit of Israel" - like the explanation in Likkutei Torah.

However, in truth, these two explanations in the Ohr HaChayim and in Likkutei Torah are different explanations.

For behold, it is stated in Likkutei Torah¹⁵,

that the category of the arousal from above that comes through an arousal from below,

although it is superior to the category of the arousal from above that comes from itself

(that the arousal from above that comes from itself is from the category of the externality of the light, and that which comes through an arousal from below is from the category of the inwardness of the light,

as above),

nevertheless, there is also an advantage in the arousal from above that comes from itself over the arousal from above that comes through an arousal from below,

that that which comes from above from itself is drawn from a more elevated category,

from such a category that an arousal from below does not reach there,

in contrast to the arousal from above that is drawn through the precedence of the arousal from below,

it is only from such a category that the arousal from below reaches there

for in this category itself it is from the category of inwardness as above,

and therefore specifically from this side she gives birth to a <b>male </b>as above,

in contrast to the first arousal from above, even though it is from a more elevated category,

it is from the category of externality].

And in the continuation of the matter there it is explained that there is a third level in it'aruta de-le'tata, "and it is also the it'aruta de-le'tata that is above it'aruta de-le'tata, meaning that it'aruta de-le'tata does not reach there at all ..

But nevertheless, it does not dwell and become revealed except when there is completeness in the action of the lower beings, that there has already been bestowed upon them it'aruta de-le'tata according to the simple meaning, it'aruta de-le'tata; then there also dwells and becomes revealed the it'aruta de-le'tata that is above and beyond the value of it'aruta de-le'tata entirely".

And he concludes there¹⁶

that these three levels are "related" to the three times of Pesach, Sefirat ha-Omer, and Shavuot, that "Pesach was the aspect of skipping and revelation of it'aruta de-le'tata from itself ..

Sefirat ha-Omer is the drawing down of it'aruta de-le'tata through it'aruta de-le'tata of refining the animal soul ..

And afterwards, on the fiftieth day, is the revelation of the fiftieth gate that is above it'aruta de-le'tata,

And this is "on the third day, when it was morning ..

that this is the matter of 'on the third day He will raise us up'".

It is understood that the explanation in Or HaChaim and the explanation in Likkutei Torah are different explanations.

According to what is explained in Likkutei Torah — "a woman who gives birth to a male" is the aspect of arousal from below that comes through arousal from above that is drawn down in the sefirot, while according to the explanation of Or HaChaim that "a woman who gives birth to a male" refers to the future redemption — the aspect of "male",

belongs to the arousal from below of the third¹⁷

the aspect of "on the third day"

and primarily in the future].

4.

What arises from all the above,

that in the words of our Rabbis of blessed memory "a woman who emits seed first gives birth to a male" we find two explanations, and in both of them,

explanations that are seemingly contradictory:

(a)

In that “the woman emits seed first”

(then she gives birth to a male)

: whether the birth comes from the woman’s seed,

or that the woman’s seed

(israt’l’t)

is only a <b>cause</b> that the israt’l’a will be from a more elevated aspect.

(b)

In the aspect of “male” born through that “the woman emits seed first”: whether it refers to an aspect that pertains to created beings,

the revelation drawn down in the 49 days of the Omer, which are the 49 gates of Binah; or whether it refers to an aspect above relation to worlds,

the revelation of the fiftieth gate that will be revealed in the future and primarily in the time to come.

And it can be said that these two matters are related to each other: to the explanation that the arousal from below is only a cause — the elevation of the aspect of the "male" is only that which is from the aspect of pnimiyus,

but it has value and connection to creations; however, when Knesses Yisrael elevates to a more elevated level,

until the birth is from the seed of the woman — then a more elevated aspect is "born" from this,

the pnimiyus of the aspect that is above connection to creations,

and as follows.

5.

And all this will be understood by prefacing the superiority in the matter of the service

("the woman seeds first"),

one of the explanations of this is¹⁹

because specifically through the service is completed the intention of "the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms"²⁰.

And the explanation of the matter: the intention of "a dwelling in the lower realms" is

that "the lower realms" from the aspect of &lt;b&gt;their essence are &lt;/b&gt;a dwelling for Him, blessed be He,

and therefore it is necessary that the "dwelling" be made through the service of Neshama Shelanu (our soul) which is clothed in bodies,

for specifically then are &lt;b&gt;the "lower realms" &lt;/b&gt;made a dwelling for Him, blessed be He.

But if the "dwelling" were made from the aspect of the revelation &lt;b&gt;from above &lt;/b&gt;then,

the lower realms themselves,

from the aspect of their essence,

&lt;b&gt;are not &lt;/b&gt;made a dwelling for Him, blessed be He.

And since "the dwelling in the lower realms" must be made specifically through service,

it is necessary to say,

that even the most sublime revelations,

even the aspect of the light that is above connection to creations,

which the power of arousal from below cannot reach there,

are drawn down through service.

For it is known

that the explanation of a dwelling for Him, blessed be He, is a dwelling for His Essence.

And if it is said that what is drawn down through service is only the aspect that arousal from below reaches there,

and the drawing down of the level above that is only in the manner of a gift — it would follow,

that the entire matter of service is only a preparation and cause for the "dwelling",

and the dwelling itself is made through the revelation from above.

And since the dwelling must be made through service — it is necessary,

that the service also &lt;b&gt;draws down &lt;/b&gt;the matters that arousal from below has no power to reach there,

until the drawing down of the Essence.

And so it is also proven from what is explained in Tanya&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

that the revelations of the future depend "on our deeds and our service etc. because the cause of the reward of the mitzvah is the mitzvah itself, for in its performance one draws forth etc."

And since the revelations of the future are the aspect of "on the third day He will raise us up,"

it is understood,

that also the drawing forth and revelation of this aspect &lt;b&gt;is done &lt;/b&gt;through service.

And superficially it is not understood: How does this fit with what was brought above from Likkutei Torah that through service is drawn only from the aspect that the arousal from below reaches there,

while the higher aspect was drawn in a manner of a gift from above?

6.

And the explanation of this:

This lower world is "full of husks and sitra achra which are truly opposite to G‑d"²⁷.

From this it is understood,

that the making of a dwelling place in the lower ones is

i.e., that it is said that through the work of Torah and mitzvos we reveal the good that is in this world and through this it becomes a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He — for this is not sufficient at all,

since this world is full

(i.e., it is a

"vessel" for)

husks as above,

but rather]

in a manner of renewal in this world²⁸.

And since the power of renewal is in His essence, may He be blessed*²⁸,

in the manner and as He alone, in His power and ability, renews something from nothing²⁹

- it is understood,

that this that Israel makes a dwelling place in the lower realms

(in a manner of renewal),

is because Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one.

And therefore they have the power of the Essence³⁰

is

(mainly)

not to renew something from nothing,

but to make from the "something" "nothing".]

And based on this it is understood that the work of Neshama Sheb'Guf (the soul within the body) effects the drawing down of the Essence - even though the work of created beings reaches only until the level of the root of created beings - because since in Israel there is the power of the Essence,

which is expressed in this that in their power to transform this world, which is "full of klipot and sitra achra", into holiness,

"renewal",

therefore through this work the power of the Essence within them is revealed,

and from the aspect of the revelation of this power, there is effected through them the drawing down of the Essence ³¹.

In a different style: This matter that the arousal from below reaches only until the aspect that is related to created beings,

it is from the side of the matter of created beings,

arousal from below

that the aspect of the third arousal from above is in the manner of a gift - because "arousal from below" as it is in the aspect of "lower"

reaches only until the root of created beings,

and the aspects that are above this,

their drawing down is only in the manner of a gift],

But from the side of the power of the essence that is in Israel,

which is revealed through their service in clarification and refinement of this material world — also the drawing down of the level that is above relation to worlds,

and up to the drawing down of the essence,

it is from the side of their service itself.

For since through their service in clarification of the world the power of the essence that is in them is revealed,

behold through this itself the world becomes a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He,

for Him &lt;b&gt;to His essence&lt;/b&gt;.

7.

And behold, even though the making of the dwelling place is from the side of the power of the essence that is in Israel,

nevertheless, since the intention of a dwelling place in the lower realms is that the lower ones will become a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, from the side of their own being,

therefore it is necessary that the making of the dwelling place be in such a manner that it is felt that it is made

but rather]

from the side of the power of the souls themselves,

service with one's own power.

And therefore: the beginning of the drawing down that comes through the service is from the aspect of the root of the created beings,

a place where <b>awakening from below</b> reaches there.

But after the precedence of the awakening from below and the awakening from above that comes through it,

that is: after all that pertains to the service of the created beings is completed

(both the service and the drawing down that comes through it),

then the "innerness" of this service is revealed,

that is: the power of the Essence that exists in the service of Israel

(from the aspect that Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one)³²,

and consequently there is then drawn down also the aspect of the light that awakening from below does not reach there³³,

until the drawing down of the Essence.

8.

According to the above, the two explanations of the aspect of the "male" that is born through that "a woman emits seed first" will be understood

(whether the male is an aspect that pertains to the created beings,

the second awakening from above — as explained in Likkutei Torah; or it refers to the aspect that is above worlds,

which will primarily be revealed in the future — as explained in Ohr HaChayim)

: and their relevance to the matter — how is the birth that is effected through that "a woman emits seed first"

(whether it comes from the woman's seed itself: or this is only a cause)

When the seed of the woman is only a cause, and as the philosophers explain,

And in spirituality it is: that the service of the Congregation of Israel and the drawing down from above are like two things

And only that the service of the Congregation of Israel is a cause that the arousal from below to above will be

(With intensity

that is)

From the aspect of the inwardness of the light,

So,

the aspect that is born from this is an aspect such that in the value of the creations,

for after the service of the Congregation of Israel is a matter of "an arousal from below"

(namely: "below" which is separate from "above"),

behold it is impossible for creations to reach except only until their impression and source — the aspect of an arousal that comes from above that is drawn forth in the Sefirot:

But after the completion of the service,

when it is revealed in the Congregation of Israel that Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one,

so that then also the drawing forth that is above relates to Israel themselves,

from which it cascades also below to physical man and woman — as explained by the Alter Rebbe,

Then,

the drawing down from above is the aspect of the lower-level *hishtalshelut* that is above connection to creations,

the revelation of the Gate of Nun,

the aspect of "on the third day He will raise us up."

9.

According to the above, will also be explained the connection of the portion of Tazria to the matter of "Sefirat HaOmer"³⁵

(which in most years we read it at this time)

And the explanation in this: In the Sefas Emes it is said&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;

"You shall count fifty days",

and it is explained in Likkutei Torah&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;

that although "we count only forty-nine days, which are the effluences of the forty-nine gates of Binah ...

and the fiftieth day we do not count in weeks, and this is because to there the work of the lower ones does not reach at all, and we have no power to draw it down through counting, but rather it is drawn down by itself and automatically without our counting ...

nevertheless, it is not drawn down except by first preceding the counting of the Omer forty-nine days ...

and therefore it is said 'You shall count fifty days' etc., 'the Scripture credits us as if we drew down the fiftieth day'.

And this is the connection of "When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male" to the days of the counting — because in "gives birth to a male" there are these two matters: at first — the aspect of the male born from "when a woman conceives" is the aspect of the forty-nine gates of Binah; and afterwards — the birth of the male, which is a higher aspect,

the fiftieth gate.

And also this birth comes from "when a woman conceives",

and as explained above from Likkutei Torah "that the Scripture credits us as if we drew down the fiftieth day",

because Yisrael and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;.

(From the talk of Shabbos Parshas Tazria,

5725)