English translation — שמות א

A.

In connection with the birthday of Moses our teacher, the Sages say,

that the nullification of Haman's decree was connected with the special merit of that day,

And this is the language of the Gemara¹

: a Tanna [taught]: when the lot fell in the month of Adar, he rejoiced

(Haman)

great joy, saying, "The lot fell for me in the month in which Moses died."

And he did not know that on the seventh of Adar he died and on the seventh of Adar he was born.

Rashi explains on this: the birth is worthy²

to atone for the death.

Simply, Rashi explains: It is indeed true that the seventh of Adar has the advantage of the day on which Moses was born — but one also has the matter of the day .

on which Moses died",

is in what way is the birth of Moses superior to the day of his passing that therefore the undesirable matter of the day should be nullified

(but the day of passing)?

Rashi explains — .

The birth is worthwhile <b>that it overcomes the death*: </b>the birth atones,.

wipe-off ,

(atonement ..

expression of wiping and removing"<sup>3</sup>)

the undesirable matter of the day as the day of Moses' death.

One must however understand: at first glance it is the opposite — death

(comes after birth and)

nullifies the effect of birth,

not the reverse?

B.

In addition to the aforementioned question from the perspective of logic — it is not understood: it is indeed a full verse, the Scripture spoke<sup>4</sup>

good ..

(and)

the day of death from the day of his birth; and as the midrash<sup>5</sup>

explains,

because "on the day one is born, no one knows what his deeds are"<sup>6</sup>,

but on the day of death

(of a righteous person)

one knows that "he left the world in peace"<sup>7</sup>

(with Torah and good deeds).

the greatness of the elevation of the day of the passing of tzaddikim,

that then the completeness of ,

all his deeds and his Torah and his service which he served all the days of his life",

and therefore it is a time of will which is <b>,</b>

accomplishes salvations in the midst of the land"].

becomes a great wonder: how does one say in general that the day of birth has an advantage over the day of death

(and all the more so in a manner that atones for him)

— when ,

good ..

the day of death from the day of his birth"! And in particular as the Midrash<sup>9</sup>

further emphasizes,

that on the day of birth there need not be any joy

(because one does not know ,

in what period and deeds he will stand whether righteous or whether etc.'"),

but ,

and died — they should rejoice that he passed away with a good name etc.".

“died with a good name” is,

“his end proves about his beginning” that also the day of his birth is a lofty time with a special merit

(But the time when the soul of the righteous descended into the world)

— this is however still only a result of that which was revealed <b>later on the day of death </b>

(when “died with a good name”)<sup>10</sup>

; can it not be that the day of birth should have a <b>greater </b>elevation than the day of death!]

Also one must understand: according to the aforementioned midrash

(and the explanation of the old Rebbe)

in the greatness of the merit and elevation of “the day of death” — there is a wonder: when the Gemara needs to find a reason why the casting of the lot on the seventh of Adar is a matter of merit

(which nullifies the decree of Haman)

— should the Gemara have said mina u'bei,

that the day “on which <b>Moses </b>died”

(the choicest of mankind<sup>11</sup>)

is the greatest merit that can effect “salvations in the midst of the land” — nullification of the decree of Haman<sup>12</sup>

— of course,

It is no question why Haman "rejoiced with great joy" because of that which "the lot fell for me in the month in which Moses died,"

because he did not know about the elevation of the day of passing; the question, however, is: why does the Gemara not say it in the <b>conclusion,</b>

in the "and he did not know etc."?

3.

And one may say the explanation of this:

Although the principle of "good ..

the day of death from the day of his birth" applies to every person

(even by righteous ones),

because "a person does not know what his deeds are" — but however <b>Moses</b> in this is an exception,

because by <b>the birth</b> of Moses the verse says¹³

<b>"And she saw</b> him that he was good",

and as our Sages of blessed memory¹⁴

explain this,

that "at the time that Moses was born the entire house was filled with light"

(so immediately at being born there shone in Moses the light of the Shechinah¹⁵

in a manner that this illuminated the entire <b>house).</b>

That is: Although at the time of every Jew

(whoever it may be)

is born,

there is opened through his <b>very birth</b> a new "drawing down" of Divinity into the world,

there comes down

(only)

a soul that is "a part of God from above literally¹⁶

; and all the more so if the child has the soul of a righteous one

"I created righteous ones",

that the Most High creates souls

special ones who have the special powers to be able to reach the level of tzaddik¹⁸]

But regarding Jews in general it is not applicable to say,

that already at the time of their birth there is a matter of <b>light </b>

(and revelation),

because the soul is hidden in the body,

and the revelation of the light of the soul depends on the refinement and purification of the body through the service — the more one refines the body,

the more the soul is revealed and its Godliness shines through it in the world.

And therefore one says "Tov..

yom hamaves miyom hivaldo" — because the spiritual powers that a Jew receives,

are on the day of his birth only in potential

(and "a person does not know what his deeds will be")

; when do they come to revelation

(and completeness)

— only on the day of death.

But by Moshe, immediately at his birth "the entire house was filled with light" — by him the "light" was already then a light that illuminated in actuality and in revelation,

and to such an extent,

that the light shone

(not only by himself,

but)

also in the house,

even in a manner of "was filled

(the entire

house with light".

— It is not a question from this, that the Midrash itself

(there on the spot²⁰)

expounds the verse "Good ..

the day of death from the day of his birth" also regarding Moshe,

i.

e.

that also by Moshe there is an advantage in the day of death over the day of his birth — because it depends regarding which matter one speaks:

When one speaks about "his deeds and his Torah and his service" of Moshe Rabbeinu,

then certainly in this there is an advantage on the day of death over the day of his birth,

because on the day of his birth <b>— before </b>he exists <b>the service of </b>Moshe — <b>these </b>all matters are only in potential,

and the <b>completeness </b>of "his deeds and his Torah and his service" was actualized only at the completion of his days

(and his service),

at the time of his passing.

And consequently — "Good ..

the day of death from the day of his birth"²¹.

But the &lt;b&gt;light &lt;/b&gt;etc.

shone at the birth of Moses is connected with the essence of the soul of Moses,

a power of the soul of Moses — it is a matter that is not dependent in her service in the body

(and therefore it shone &lt;b&gt;actually &lt;/b&gt;immediately at his birth,

before he was yet related to service)

&lt;b&gt;And the &lt;/b&gt;matter is not only a higher elevation than the aforementioned elevation of "the day of death,"

but more — "the birth is worthy &lt;b&gt;to atone &lt;/b&gt;for the death"

(as will be explained at length).

4.

one will understand it according to the explanation of the Bachya²²

in the statement of our Sages, may their memory be blessed,²³

"the entire house was filled with light" — that "Moshe Rabbeinu from the beginning of his birth was fit to illuminate the entire world through <b>the Torah"</b>

(as it says²⁴

"and Torah is light",

and as our Sages, may their memory be blessed,²⁵

"there is no light except Torah",

"light is this Torah").

Therefore it is understandable,

that the quality <b>of the soul of</b> Moshe

("from the beginning of his birth")

was adapted and

Connected to the subject of Torah.

And this itself is the reason why "he gave his soul for it" until that the Torah "is called by his name"²⁶

— because the connection and unification of Moses with Torah is not an added thing to his essential existence

(That is,

a matter that he <b>acquired afterwards</b> through his service)

— rather his soul,

from the aspect of its essential substance,

is "fit to illuminate the entire world through the Torah",

so that the essence of Moses is one thing with Torah.

The explanation in this:

Chazal say&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;

"There is no truth but Torah."

The essence of Torah is — truth.

The true meaning of "truth" is not

(only)

the negation of the opposite of truth

(falsehood),

rather "truth" means&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;

— a matter in which there is no change at all,

it is eternal and as the verse says&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;

"The lip of truth shall be established forever"

that springs which dry up once in seven years&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;

are called "waters

(rivers)

&lt;b&gt;that deceive" &lt;/b&gt;

(and they are invalid for the sanctification of the water of purification)

— in the manner of falsehood has no legs&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;].

And this is the essence of Torah of truth — "And He gave us a Torah of truth"&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;

— that Torah is eternal,

there is no possibility in it of any matter of change,

and in the language of the Rambam&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;

that Torah is "standing forever and for all eternity, it has neither change nor diminution nor addition" — Torah is not subject to the changes of time or the changes that occur in human beings

(receivers and learners of the Torah),

rather in all circumstances it remains the same Torah,

without changes&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;.

"Whatever a distinguished student will innovate in the future was all said to Moshe at Sinai" — because there is no possibility of any addition

(true&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;)

in the Torah; and therefore,

if this is &lt;b&gt;Torah,&lt;/b&gt;

this itself is a proof that it was already given to Moshe at Sinai].

5.

And with further explanation:

That which Torah does not change due to the changes of time etc.,

is it not because Torah has not descended into time and place

— On the contrary: Torah is "not in heaven"³⁹,

but it was given and

finds itself below in the earth specifically,

is a world that finds itself under the changes of time,

"To Egypt you descended ..

the evil inclination is among you"⁴⁰

But the explanation in this is,

that as Torah finds itself below in the earth

(and even as it is learned through an impure person⁴¹),

is <b>in it </b>there is no change.

The proof that it is a matter of "truth" is from this, that it remains in the same essence and with the same force everywhere and in all conditions,

so that even when Torah comes down into time and place,

which in themselves are subject to change

(the opposite of truth),

there too it remains eternal,

without changes⁴².

And as it is written "and the truth of the Lord is forever"⁴³

— that the "truth of the Lord" shines <b>in the world,</b>

and therefore,

from the aspect of "truth of the Lord" even a thing of the physical world,

a world of falsehood,

can be transformed into truth of holiness.

And it can be said that this is the explanation in the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory,⁴⁴

that at the time of the Giving of the Torah, there was opened "

(engraved on the tablets⁴⁵...)

<b>freedom from the angel of death" — </b>for through the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people below, there was given into them the concept of eternity,

that even while being souls <b>in bodies,</b>

which the physical body

(in itself)

is a transient

and perishable,

they have in themselves eternal life

(freedom from the angel of death⁴⁶).

Only through the sin of the calf was this nullified⁴⁷,

because in order for the Torah to impart eternity <b>in the person,</b>

the Torah must be engraved in his physical body; but the sin of the calf brought in a "contamination"⁴⁸

into the bodies that prevents the Torah,

so that the Torah cannot be engraved in their bodies.

And through our deeds and our service one breaks through this barrier,

until one nullifies the contamination,

until the end of time when "the spirit of impurity I will remove <b>from the earth"</b>⁴⁹

<b> — </b>then there will be "freedom from the angel of death",

eternal life in actuality,

soul in body.

6.

And this is also the explanation in that which "Moshe Rabbeinu from the beginning of his birth was fit to illuminate ..

through the Torah" — because his essence and attribute of Moshe is the attribute of <b>truth</b>

("truth is Moshe"⁵⁰),

which is why through him was given the Torah of truth — "Moshe

(truth)

and his Torah is truth"⁵¹.

The explanation in this is,

that Moshe not only did not say something that is beyond the truth, heaven forbid — also others,

And especially the righteous,

whose essence is a different holy attribute

(kindness etc.),

are <b>entirely </b>not related to any matter of falsehood, heaven forbid⁵²

— rather this means that in Moses shone the <b>"truth of G-d" </b>which is eternal,

that changes.

Therefore we find that the works of Moses' hands are eternal — as our sages, of blessed memory, said⁵³

that the Tabernacle which Moses made

(was not destroyed,

but)

merely <b>hidden </b>away,

and stands forever and ever⁵⁴

— because since by Moses the "truth of G-d" shone

(which shines)

<b>forever",</b>

therefore also his <b>physical </b>deeds contain within themselves eternality.

7.

All the more so that this is so regarding Moshe himself,

And in the words of our Sages, may their memory be for blessing⁵⁵

— <b>"Moshe did not die..</b>

Just as there he stands and serves, so too here he stands and serves."

The novelty in this is:

Regarding righteous people in general it stands⁵⁶,

that

Even in their death they are called living: and furthermore: the Alter Rebbe explains at length&lt;sup&gt;57&lt;/sup&gt;

that a tzaddik who passes away is found in this world even more than in his lifetime — because "the life of the tzaddik is not a life of flesh but a spiritual life",

and the "spiritual life" of the tzaddik does not depart from this world even after his passing

(because "a holy thing is not uprooted entirely from its place"),

and on the contrary,

then it is

(in a certain sense)

even more greatly,

since then upon his spirituality there are not the limitations from his body etc.

Nevertheless,

we do not find that this matter

(and expression)

of "did not die" should stand by other tzaddikim&lt;sup&gt;58&lt;/sup&gt;,

but only by Moses

(and likewise by Jacob,

as below section 8).

And it can be said the explanation in this:

By other tzaddikim the matter of "found in all worlds" — also in this world — is in a manner that their spirituality is found in this world such that their students can receive a spiritual influence from the soul of their teacher; but the life of the tzaddik themselves are not connected and clothed in the <b>physicality</b> of the world.

It comes out,

that in their lives

(spiritual)

there was still made a certain change — namely,

that at their passing they are no longer clothed in the physicality of the world.

And therefore it is not fitting to

They say that "lo meis" — that there was no matter of cessation and change and "he fell from his level"⁵⁹.

But regarding Moshe they say <b>"lo meis":</b> since the attribute of Moshe is the attribute of <b>truth,</b>

his life also, as it was connected with the physicality of the world,

can there not be in this any death and cessation: it remains an eternal matter also in the <b>physicality</b> of this world⁶⁰.

And Chazal say⁶¹

“The extension of Moses in every generation” — that the soul of Moses is invested in the “wise men of the generation, the eyes of the congregation” in every generation⁶²,

and especially in the Nasi of the generation,

that “there is no generation that does not have someone like Moses”⁶³

(with <b>must</b> be a “Moses” in every generation in which the soul of Moses is invested).

the life of Moses is <b>not</b> the physical life of his body,

but the spiritual life of his soul: and his spiritual life remains eternal in this <b>physical</b> world through that which

They are absorbed in the body of the leader of the generation who is in every generation].

8.

And it can be said that this is also one of the explanations in the statement of our Sages of blessed memory&lt;sup&gt;64&lt;/sup&gt;

Regarding Jacob: Jacob our father did not die ..

Is it for naught that the eulogizers eulogized and the embalmers embalmed and the buriers buried..

(Only)

Just as his offspring are alive, so too he is alive.

Is not understandable: where is the answer to the question "And did they eulogize in vain etc. and embalm etc. and bury etc."?

Commentators⁶⁵

explain,

that with this answer "Just as his offspring live, so too he lives" his intention is to clarify that with "Our father Jacob did not die" is not meant his physical life⁶⁶

— in that there was indeed death — rather "surely they speak of the soul."

It remains however not understood: according to this,

what is the novelty by Yaakov,

that specifically by him it is said that "he did not die"?

— by every tzaddik the life of the soul of him is an eternal matter&lt;sup&gt;67&lt;/sup&gt;

And the explanation in this: the activity of "Yaakov Avinu did not die" regarding

Other righteous people is certainly regarding his physical life: because the attribute of Yaakov is⁶⁸

the attribute of truth⁶⁹

— give truth to Yaakov⁷⁰

— is therefore compelled to say,

that the life of Yaakov are eternal everywhere,

also in this world <b>physical.</b>

And therefore the Gemara asks "And is it in vain etc." — how can one say "did not die" physically,

when they embalmed the embalmers the body of Yaakov?

Answers the Gemara — "Just as <b>his seed</b> is alive, so <b>he</b> is alive": because "his seed is alive"

(which this is a matter eternal in which there cannot be any interruption G-d forbid — in the children of Yaakov there cannot be

no destruction G‑d forbid⁷¹)

is "also <b>he </b>is alive",

because the "life" of "his seed" is not something other than <b>the life of Yaakov</b>⁷²

(and soul)

of Yaakov are drawn down

(and clothed)

into "his seed").

And this itself is the reason that "his seed is alive"

(in an eternal manner)

— because this is <b>"he </b>is alive",

it is the life of Yaakov,

the attribute of truth,

in which there can be no interruption.

It follows,

that the life of Yaakov is an eternal matter also in <b>this physical world.</b>

9.

According to all the above, one will understand Rashi's words regarding Moshe, "The birth was worthy to atone for the death"⁷³

The <b>truth,</b>

the eternity of Moshe is not a matter that <b>he</b> <b>accomplished</b> through his service — the eternity of Moshe originated from the fact that in his soul shone the <b>"truth of Hashem,"</b>

"And Hashem Elokim is truth"⁷⁴.

And this is the matter,

that immediately at his birth — before he was yet involved in service — was "the entire house filled with light": the "eternity" of "the truth of G‑d",

which shone in the soul of Moses,

illuminated in actuality immediately at his birth.

in which there can be no change,

therefore no concealment etc. is possible upon this light — it remains with its force in all times and places,

and consequently it shines in actuality and openly immediately at the birth of Moses⁷⁵].

And this is the explanation of "the birth is worthy to atone for the death": because on the day of Moses' birth⁷⁶

the eternity and truth of Moses' soul shone in revelation,

therefore specifically <b>the</b> birth

(that "she saw him that he was good")

"atones" and wipes away from him the matter of death,

so that also <b>physically</b> "Moses did not die."

And for this reason the Gemara emphasizes specifically the matter of birth

(and not the elevation of the day of Moses' passing)

— because specifically this nullifies <b>absolutely</b> Haman's decree: not looking at the greatness of the elevation of the day of passing,

is because regarding <b>physical</b> life⁷⁷

it is a matter of removal etc.,

there remains in it an undesirable "point"⁷⁸

; but the elevation of

the birth should atone for the death" completely nullifies the matter of death and removal,

as above⁷⁹.

And therefore,

it is not only that it accomplished the <b>nullification</b> of the decree of Haman

(kapara meaning wiping away)

— but even more: it became "tekaper" according to the higher explanation⁸⁰

in kapara — "to be a satisfaction to his Maker",

a matter of endearment even more than it was before,

Thus through this was added a &lt;b&gt;Yom Tov &lt;/b&gt;among Jews,

and in this itself — as the advantage of light from darkness — a Yom Tov and joy that is greater than all Yomim Tovim — the joy is a manner of ,

ad delo yada&lt;sup&gt;81&lt;/sup&gt;

above measure and limitation.

And a joy &lt;b&gt;eternal,&lt;/b&gt;

as Chazal said" ,

All the festivals will be nullified in the future, and the days of Purim will never be nullified."

(From sichos of Purim 5719.

<b>Night of 7 Adar and Shabbos Parshas Tetzaveh 5745)</b>