English translation — י"ט כסלו

1.

19 Kislev always occurs in proximity to Parshas Vayishlach

(in the days of the week that are blessed from Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach¹,

or on Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach itself).

And based on this it is understood that in P^,

Vayishlach one can find hints,

and moreover,

a connection,

to the holiday of redemption of 19 Kislev².

In his letter³

to R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev,

which the Alter Rebbe wrote while leaving prison where he announces about his release,

the Alter Rebbe writes,

among other things "for Hashem has distinguished and done greatly in the land and has distinguished and magnified His great and holy Name which was magnified and sanctified in public and especially in the eyes of all the ministers and all the peoples in all the provinces of the king⁴

which also in their eyes the matter will be wondrous, wonder upon wonder, and they answered and said about this that if from⁵

Hashem this was, it is wondrous⁶

in our eyes".

And similarly he writes in his letter to R. Baruch of Mezhibuzh⁷.

That is: the content of the matter of the redemption the Alter Rebbe connects with the effect that this had on "all the ministers and all the nations".

Which, of course,

that when non-Jews see a wondrous matter from the Supreme One connected with a Jew,

and they recognize that "from Hashem was this",

this awakens and assists them,

that their conduct should be properly in accordance with the command of G-d,

whose point is the fulfillment of their seven commandments.

This matter — the influence of Jews on Bnei Noach regarding the fulfillment of their commandments — is the content and point<sup>8</sup>

of the episode of Shechem in our parshah: that which Shimon and Levi killed the people of Shechem was a punishment for that which they did not fulfill the 7 commandments of Bnei Noach

because one of the 7 commandments of Bnei Noach is "dinim — "they are obligated to appoint judges etc. to judge regarding these six commandments",

"and because of this all the people of

Shechem murder because Shechem kidnapped and they saw and knew and did not judge him

(as the Rambam says⁹)

; or

(as the Ramban says¹⁰)

for their own sins,

which they committed even before the incident of Dinah].

B.

One must however understand:

Every matter that is found in the world is indeed with particular providence from the One Above,

and all the more so a matter that is connected with a Jew and related to Torah and mitzvos,

and even more so and certainly with a Nasi in Israel,

and in connection with the revelation of the teachings of Chassidus in general.

Therefore it is understood¹¹

that it is not possible to say that the imprisonment and redemption came because the kingdom <b>below </b>had in this an opinion and dominion

(even when this came about through the informants¹²

of Jews with free choice)

Rather¹³

the imprisonment was,

as is known,

connected with the then accusation against the revelation of the secrets of Torah through the Alter Rebbe¹⁴

: since the Torah itself calls it "the hidden¹⁵

of Torah",

consequently it must be hidden,

and not come down in revelation like the revealed⁵

of Torah; and the redemption came through that the accusation was nullified,

and

Therefore, down here they freed the old Rebbe and he was able to reveal the inner dimension of the Torah,

the teachings of Chassidus.

D.

E.

That the redemption of Yud-Tes Kislev was a spiritual redemption for the entirety of the revelation of the teachings of Chassidus,

the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov.

And as is known¹⁶

that the concept of "your springs will spread forth outward" — the dissemination of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov,

began primarily after the redemption of Yud-Tes Kislev¹⁷.

And according to this it is not understood: how is it that in his letter regarding the news of the redemption the Alter Rebbe should bring out that the liberation accomplished the matter of "He made wondrous etc. in the eyes of all the ministers and all the peoples which are in all the provinces of the king, which also in their eyes the matter will be wondrous, wonder upon wonder, and they will answer and say, 'For if from the L-rd this was, it is wondrous in our eyes'"?

— What a place does this matter occupy

(with all the wondrous elevation within it)

relative to the essence of redemption

(revelation)

of the entirety of the innerness of the Torah,

and consequently for the innerness of the souls of Israel

(for the revelation of the hidden aspect of the Torah effects

(also)

the revelation of the hidden aspect of the soul,

that the study of Torah and fulfillment of commandments of a Jew should be <b>permeated</b> with faith in G-d and love of G-d and fear of Him)

3.

The Alter Rebbe continues in this letter¹⁸

"And this shall be a wonder because Hashem

is with us and there is none else."

And accordingly it turns out, superficially,

that that which also all the ministers and all the nations saw the wonder "and they answered and said..

for if not from Hashem was this etc." — this brought out the righteousness of the Alter Rebbe

(and the Torah of Chassidus)

before the opponents etc.

One can, however, not say that this is the <b>entire</b> reason¹⁹

why the Alter Rebbe wrote "it was wondrous in the eyes of all the ministers etc.,"

Because:

a)

To this, the lengthiness in the wonder of the redemption is not relevant, that if "in the eyes of all the ministers and all the peoples ..

it will be wondrous",

Rather, the very matter that also the ministers etc. recognized the righteousness of the Alter Rebbe,

and consequently they released him to freedom.

b)

This letter the Alter Rebbe wrote,

as mentioned,

to R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev

(and R. B. of Mezhibuzh)

who certainly knew and understood the greatness and wonder of the matter of the redemption as a redemption of the Torah of Chassidus; and consequently — what a place in the eyes of the great ones of Israel does the influence of the redemption upon the ministers have in comparison to that which is revealed

(before the eyes of the opponents)

"for Hashem is with us",

in comparison to the <b>essence</b> of the redemption — the revelation of the Torah of Chassidus?

And knowing the great precision in the "golden language" of the Alter Rebbe in general,

and especially in a situation and state of "immediately",

right after the redemption,

and in a letter

What he wrote to the great ones of Israel,

great ones also in the inner dimension of the Torah,

it is understood that in this is expressed a fundamental content in the redemption of Yud-Tes Kislev.

4.

And one must say the explanation of this — with an introduction:

It is known what the Baal Shem Tov writes in a letter²⁰

that he

(being in the palace of Mashiach)

asked Mashiach "Imathi Ka'ashe Mar",

and Mashiach answered him "Leksheyafotzu Mayanotecha Chutza".

And since the main matter of the spreading of the wellsprings of the Baal Shem Tov outward,

began from the redemption of Yud-Tes Kislev,

as mentioned above,

it follows,

that the redemption of the Alter Rebbe on Yud-Tes Kislev is a preparation and introduction to the general and complete redemption with the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu²¹.

— The truth is,

that every redemption of a Jew,

even of a most simple person who is not a person of spiritual level,

has a connection to the general redemption of the entire Jewish people,

"since the name redemption applies to it"²².

And it is also understood simply the reason of the matter: the content of the redemption at the coming of Moshiach is specifically in connection to all three — "Yisrael, Oraysa,²³

and Kudsha Brich Hu"

(which are "entirely one"²⁴),

because,

as is known,

also "the Shechinah is in exile"²⁵

— and corresponding to this occurs also

In the private redemption of a private person,

that together with the redemption of that Jew it is also a private redemption regarding the Torah and mitzvos that he

(is —)

must fulfill,

and consequently the aspect of the Shechinah that is in exile with His people.

And all the more so that this is so regarding the redemption of a &lt;b&gt;Nasi in Israel,&lt;/b&gt;

where it is evident &lt;b&gt;openly &lt;/b&gt;how the redemption has a connection to the entirety of Israel and to a general matter in Torah etc.

In our matter, it further adds,

that the content of <b>the </b>Geulah,

a Geulah of the innermost aspects and secrets of the Torah,

is one matter with the content of the future Geulah,

for then the completeness of the revelation of the innermost aspects of the Torah will be opened,

as Rashi explains on the verse²⁶

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth",

that this means "the secret of the reasons and the hidden mysteries" of the Torah,

which will be revealed through Moshiach our righteous one.

And from this,

that what the Alter Rebbe writes in his aforementioned letter regarding the Geulah of Yud-Tes Kislev,

about the "wonder and wonder" or "in the eyes of all the ministers and all the nations",

this is an essential matter in the connection of <b>the </b>Geulah with the future Geulah.

ה.

And it can be said the explanation in this: It is indeed "as the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt I will show him wonders"²⁷

— the redemption and the wonders that will be in the future,

are analogous to the redemption and wonders in the "days of your exodus from the land of Egypt"

(only in the future will they be in a higher manner — "wonders" also in relation to the miracles of the Exodus

from Egypt²⁸).

From this it is understood,

that the content of the innovation of the future can be learned from the redemption in the Exodus from Egypt.

At the Exodus and Redemption from Egypt a novelty was revealed not only in relation to Jews

— so that Jews should be worthy to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai,

they had to go through and be refined in the "iron furnace"²⁹

of the exile of Egypt and the completion and conclusion of the refinement and clarification was at the Exodus from Egypt —

Only also for the &lt;b&gt;Egyptians themselves&lt;/b&gt;

(and the nations of the world in general),

and as explained in the verse&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;

"And the Egyptians shall know that I am Havayah"&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;

: Pharaoh and the Egyptians themselves have no connection to the knowledge of &lt;b&gt;Havayah,&lt;/b&gt;

as Pharaoh said&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;

"I do not know &lt;b&gt;Havayah": &lt;/b&gt;themselves they are related only to the name Elokim&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;b&gt;"Elokim &lt;/b&gt;will answer the peace of Pharaoh"),

which the name Elokim is in gematria nature&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;,

That is,

that from the aspect of the name Elokim the conduct is according to nature in which one does not see revealed the Divine light; but the conduct that is above nature,

miraculous conduct,

derives from the name Havayah —

And to this Pharaoh and Egypt have

(nations of the world)

no connection and have in this no comprehension and recognition³⁶.

And this was revealed in the Exodus from Egypt,

that "and they shall know <b>Egypt </b>that I am <b>Havayah</b>,"

that they received a knowledge in the miraculous conduct above nature,

which is connected with the name Havayah.

6.

In an example of this — only in a much higher manner,

will be the wonder in the future: in addition to the redemption of Israel, Torah, and the Holy One, blessed be He,

this will also effect in the world among all the nations of the world,

and as is explained in several verses and prophecies of the redemption,

until,

as the Rambam³⁷

also brings down in his book Laws of Laws³⁸,

that then "He will perfect the world..

as it is said³⁸

for then I will turn to the peoples a clear language to call <b>all of them in the name of Havayah</b> and to serve Him with one accord."

And the destiny regarding the nations of the world is not merely an additional thing that one will merit at the coming of Mashiach our righteousness,

rather this is connected with the very essence of the matter of the redemption⁴⁰

: because then, as it were, the Divine Presence will "go out" from exile,

then thereby will be revealed the truth of Havayah,

that "all existences from heaven and earth and what is between them were not created except from <b>the truth of</b> His existence"⁴¹,

which "the truth of His existence" is

The name Havayah⁴²

which is higher than

(nature of)

the world⁴³.

And therefore it is emphasized regarding the future "And the glory of Havayah shall be revealed and <b>all flesh</b> shall see together that <b>the mouth of Havayah</b> has spoken"⁴⁴

— that the revelation of the name Havayah

("And the glory of Havayah shall be revealed")

will cause a tangible seeing in physical flesh that the true reality of it

(of the flesh)

is "the mouth of Havayah":

Since the concealment and hiding of G-dliness will be nullified.

(The redemption of the Shechinah from its exile)

And it will be revealed that the true existence of the world is G-dliness

(the word of Havayah),

it will be in the manner of "And all flesh shall see",

that the flesh will see the glory of Havayah according to the then-current properties and nature of the flesh itself,

in the manner that it is the nature and property of the eyes of flesh to see physical things⁴⁵.

And in this consists one of the tasks of the future redemption over the redemption of "the days of your going out from the land of Egypt": In the redemption of Egypt, the knowledge of Egypt "

(And Egypt shall know)

that I am Havayah" came through the <b>plagues</b>

(and the like)

Through the plagues of Egypt⁴⁶

; but not so in the future to come,

will be <b>"And all flesh shall see together </b>that the mouth of Hashem has spoken",

not through plagues,

breaking,

but in a way of <b>rectification,</b>

and in the language of the aforementioned Rambam <b>"And He will rectify </b>the entire world etc. <b>to call all of them in the name of Hashem </b>and to serve Him with one accord".

And the reason for the difference in this:

The Exodus from Egypt was not a complete redemption

(air of the Shechinah from exile),

and therefore it effected upon Egypt

(which had only a breaking and not a rectification and refinement)

only a matter of knowledge "that I am Havayah";

But regarding the future complete redemption,

which will be in a manner that "the physicality of the body and the world will be refined"⁴⁷,

then also the physical flesh from its <b>nature </b>will see "the glory of Havayah".

7.

Based on this, it is understood also regarding Yud-Tes Kislev, that the Alter Rebbe emphasizes in his letter the effect upon the ministers and nations,

"And they will answer and say about this: For from Hashem was this; it is wondrous in our eyes":

That which the redemption of Yud-Tes Kislev is a preparation and introduction,

and consequently a foretaste,

of the future redemption as mentioned above,

is expressed additionally — in the essence of the redemption of the Alter Rebbe and the teachings of Chassidus,

but also

(and primarily)

in that which "Hashem distinguished and did greatly in the land, and distinguished and magnified His great and holy Name, which was magnified and sanctified publicly and particularly in the eyes of all the ministers and all the nations",

until that "they answered and said about this

For if &lt;b&gt;from G‑d &lt;/b&gt;this was",

then the &lt;b&gt;wonders of G‑d &lt;/b&gt;were revealed to them.

8.

It is indeed "these days are remembered and done".

And especially regarding the 19th of Kislev which,

in the language of the old Rebbe&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;

"This day shall be established &lt;b&gt;as a permanent festival &lt;/b&gt;in Israel, on which My great name will be magnified and sanctified"&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt;,

it is understood that in every single year one must take a giving of strength and instruction in the aforementioned service which the old Rebbe brings out in his letter.

That is,

in addition to that which the day gives an addition of vitality and strengthening in the service of spreading the wellsprings outward,

in every place that the hand of each and every one reaches,

one must see that it should be "Magnified and sanctified &lt;b&gt;in public &lt;/b&gt;be His great name" also among the nations of the world,

that ministers and nations should see "and they shall answer and say ..

from the Lord this was done".

Which includes — in addition to the fulfillment of the clear ruling of the Rambam&lt;sup&gt;51&lt;/sup&gt;,

that "Moses our Teacher commanded from the mouth of the Almighty to compel all the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments that the children of Noah were commanded",

until that they should accept them and do them "because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them in the Torah and made known to us through Moses our Teacher that the children of Noah were previously commanded in them"&lt;sup&gt;52&lt;/sup&gt;,

Only the effort to publicize among the nations the belief in the unity of Hashem,

as this comes from the revelation of the name Havayah

(as the Alter Rebbe explains at length in his holy book Tanya in Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah).

That this is a part of the redemption of Yud-Tes Kislev,

and a preparation for the general and complete redemption,

that the unity of Hashem,

as this is in truth among Jews,

that there is no existence besides the Above,

And in the language of the Rambam⁵³

"He alone is truth and there is no other truth like His truth, and this is what the Torah says⁵⁴

There is none else besides Him,

meaning there is no true existing entity besides Him like Him" —

Let this also shine and become publicized among the nations of the world⁵⁵.

9.

And although according to several opinions⁵⁶

are the children of Noah

(see there)

commanded only about idolatry,

and not about association — is nevertheless the explanation in this only that they are not commanded about this,

it is however obvious that when among them is also heard the matter of the negation of association,

until

have

(something)

a recognition of the unity of God that "there is none besides Him",

then this adds both in their caution and meticulousness in the observance of the seven Noahide commandments with all their branches,

and also in their helping Jews in all their matters in Judaism and in all their needs in general.

And these two functions are an introduction,

which also brings near and hastens the time of the future,

when both matters will be in perfection — "and the glory of God shall be revealed and all flesh shall see together that the mouth of God has spoken",

as above,

and "and strangers shall stand and pasture your flocks"⁵⁷.

And this is the function of the redemption of Yud-Tes Kislev as a preparation for the future redemption.

Through that which "He made wondrous and magnified His great and holy name etc., particularly in the eyes of all the ministers and all the peoples ..

which also in their eyes the matter will be wondrous, exceedingly wondrous",

they saw that in addition to nature with all the laws of nature having no control in their own power,

they have no existence and true place at all regarding anything connected to matters of the Above; which is the revelation of the unity of Havayah as it is

(not from the aspect of the name Elokim

(in gematria "haTeva" and consequently —)

which enclothes itself in nature,

but)

from the aspect of the name Havayah which is above nature⁵⁸,

And therefore "they answered and said..

from Hashem was this, it is wondrous in our eyes".

Chashdam)