English translation — בראשית ב

A.

The Gemara says in tractate Shabbos¹

: whoever

(is born)

on the fifth day of the week will be a man who performs acts of kindness, because on it fish and birds were created²

(who do not toil for food but are sustained by the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He.

Rashi).

One must understand: The Gemara says in Yevamos³

"Three signs are in this nation: the merciful ones etc. <b>and performers of</b> <b>acts of kindness</b>" — that is, that the trait of performing acts of kindness is "in the nature <b>of all</b> <b>Israel</b> in their lineage"⁴

— so what is the innovation in the "

(will be a man)

performer of acts of kindness" of one born "on the fifth day of the week",

in relation to the trait of performing acts of kindness "that is in the nature <b>of all Israel</b> in their lineage"⁵?

2.

And one could say,

That the explanation in this is hinted in Rashi's language "they are sustained <b>by His kindness</b> <b>of</b> <b>the Holy One, blessed be He</b>":

The advantage of the fifth day

(of the work of creation)

is,

that then "His kindness of <b>the Holy One, blessed be He</b>" shone, which is a kindness <b>without</b> <b>limit</b><b>⁶</b>

so are His attributes infinite⁷).

Therefore one finds the matter of multiplicity most

(specifically)

in the creations of the fifth day — fish⁸

— as it is said⁹

(blessing of fish)

also pertains to the <b>man</b>,

as the Gemara says¹⁰

: A virgin is married on the fourth day and is wedded on the fifth, because concerning it was said¹¹

<b> blessing for fish </b>—<b> </b>that even though on the sixth "concerning it was said¹²

blessing <b>for man"</b><b>¹³</b>

nevertheless there is an advantage

(also)

in the "blessing for fish"

(on the fifth day)

over "blessing for man"¹⁵,

that specifically by fish there is the matter of <b>multiplicity</b>

("and let them swarm abundantly in the midst of the earth"),

"<b>And let them swarm</b> <b>abundantly</b> in the midst of the earth"

which is¹⁶

the purpose of marriage,

"<b>Be fruitful</b> <b>and multiply"</b><b>¹⁷</b>

And this is the difference between that which all Yisrael are gomlei chasadim by their nature and the nature of gemilus chasad of one born on the fifth day:

The nature of chesed that exists by all Yisrael in their innate nature is with a measure and limitation,

And simply — one is ready to do chesed with others,

But not in a manner that one should be ready to bend over for all &lt;b&gt;one's own&lt;/b&gt; needs

(or to go through because of this other difficulties)

But not so the one who was born on Thursday

(when the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He, shines)

— with him the nature of kindness is <b>above</b> <b>limitation</b>¹⁸,

That is,

i.e.,

his kindness is not only as much as is lacking from his <b>attribute</b> of kindness

(which is

(as its name indicates)

in measure and limitation,

even though even when it is "as much as is proper¹⁹

for him to do"),

but rather <b>self-sacrifice</b> for kindness,

without any measurement and limitation.

3.

The vessel for "the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He" that is <b>unlimited</b> — is the concept of <b>self-nullification</b>²⁰

As long as the person feels his own existence,

there cannot be by him the matter of kindness

(for another person)

without measure and limitation; specifically when he nullifies his existence,

he does not feel

(so much)

his "I" and his own desires etc.,

there can be by him "with all your might",

above measure and limitation.

And also this matter is found

(alluded to)

by fish

(for by them there is the blessing of multitude without limitation)

— the fish are entirely covered in water so that their existence is not seen,

only the existence of the water that covers them.

— the Gemara says²¹,

that because "water covers them"

(upon the fish)

therefore "the evil eye has no dominion over them"

(and for this reason the blessing of G‑d rests upon them most abundantly²²)

; and it can be said,

that in the inwardness "water covers them"

(not only <b>negates</b> the dominion of the "evil eye"

(the opposite of blessing),

but)

also effects a <b>positive</b> matter,

through this the fish are fit and vessels for the blessing of G‑d.

And the explanation: water is the source of life for fish²³,

so much so that this is their true existence

(which is why Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel holds that "anything that is a creation of the water" does not interpose before water²⁴),

that is,

that fish have within themselves a quality of "self-nullification" to the source of their life²⁵

(and therefore there exists by them the matter of multiplication²⁶

beyond the ordinary).

And so it is in the service of man: in order to awaken in oneself the true,

highest level of acts of kindness,

kindness without limitation

(which is connected with "the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He")

— it requires the service to effect in oneself self-nullification to the Above.

And this is the content of Rashi's intention in his commentary on the verse²⁷

"And in Him you shall cleave" — "cleave to His ways, bestow kindnesses ..

as the Holy One, blessed be He, did": when a Jew serves the Above in a manner of "and in Him you shall <b>cleave</b>",

he effects in himself to stand in a true cleaving with the Above

(in a way that he does not feel his own existence,

but only the Above,

to Whom he is cleaved)

— then "there occurs" in him acts of kindness in a manner of "as the Holy One, blessed be He, did" — a kindness without measure and limitation²⁸.

4.

All of the above has a special relevance to our generation:

The special matter

(the above)

of "fish" is connected with Yosef HaTzaddik,

since the blessing "and let them multiply like fish in the midst of the land" was said in connection with the children of Yosef,

and as the Gemara²⁹

says that therefore "the evil eye has no power" over "the seed of

(and as the words of Rabbi Yochanan²⁹

: I am from the seed of Yosef, over whom the evil eye has no power).

And this is the relevance to our generation — that His Holiness, our Master, our Teacher, and our Rebbe,

the president of our generation,

is his name

(the first)

Yosef"

<b>Yosef</b>:

The conduct of His Holiness, our Master, our Teacher, and our Rebbe was in a manner of "and they will swarm abundantly in the midst of the land" — he disseminated the wellsprings of the teachings of Chassidus with a great expansion,

without any measure and limitation,

in a manner that it should reach <b>in every</b> <b>place</b> <b>and every place</b><b>³⁰</b>

also "in the <b>midst</b> of the land" — in the "innerness" of land and worldliness³¹,

until the lowest that there is no lower beneath it

(and in the well-known expression³²

: "May his wellsprings spread forth outward" — into the "outside" that there is no outside beyond it)

And together with this he was not concerned about "ayin hara"³³,

what will people say

("why do you show yourselves"³⁴).

And this is also the practical directive - that one must occupy oneself with <b>dissemination</b> of the wellsprings outward,

with the greatest expansion,

that the wellsprings of the Baal Shem Tov should reach every place and place.

And while one stands in a movement of self-nullification

("and to Him you shall cleave" which is accomplished through "cleave to Torah scholars"³⁵)

— there is nothing to be concerned about for "ayin hara",

and certainly not for other difficulties etc.,

And through that which one fulfills with alacrity the mission of "your wellsprings will spread forth outward",

there will be fulfilled even more quickly — with alacrity — the promise of the King Messiah to the Baal Shem Tov³⁶

that when your wellsprings will spread forth outward, the Master comes, the King Messiah,

speedily in our days, literally.

(From the talk of 20 Menachem Av 5744)