English translation — שיחת ליל שמחת תורה, קודם הקפות ה'תשמ"ז

His Holy Presence the Rebbe, may he live for many good days, Amen, hinted that he would make Kiddush and take everyone out.

Afterwards he began to sing "VeSamachta BeChagecha".

It is now Simchat Torah — the second day of the Diaspora festival of Shemini Atzeret.

This is a novelty that comes specifically in the Diaspora

(in exile)

in relation to Eretz Yisrael — that in addition to Shemini Atzeret, there is a second day of the Diaspora festival,

Simchat Torah.

And although one must say that in Eretz Yisrael

(where there is no second day of the festival)

the concept of Simchat Torah is included in Shemini Atzeret¹,

because one cannot say that in our holy land,

"a land which Hashem your G-d cares for; the eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year"²,

there is a deficiency, Heaven forbid.

Nevertheless,

one must also say together with this that there is an elevation in the Diaspora,

by virtue of the fact that there, an additional day is actualized,

another twenty-four-hour period of the festival³ — which is why this day has a special name: "Simchat Torah"⁴,

and the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov is known,

brought down in Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah of the Alter Rebbe⁵,

that the name by which something is called in the Holy Tongue brings it into being,

sustains and gives life to the thing.

And the explanation of this

(in the elevation of the added twenty-four-hour period in the Diaspora of Simchat Torah)

is understood based on the teaching of the Maggid,

brought down in the Siddur with Chassidut of the Mitteler Rebbe⁶

(who arranged the Siddur,

taking from the discourses of the Alter Rebbe (as stated in the introduction),

together with additions from his own,

from the Mitteler Rebbe),

that time is a created thing,

just as space is a created thing.

As is understood from this, time and space are two separate things,

and one can conceive of an existence of space without changes

(time)⁷,

and an existence of time without area and line

(space)

⁸. Therefore, there must be a creation of time by itself and a creation of space by itself

(because one is not dependent on the other).

Based on this, it is understood that when there is an additional time

(a twenty-four-hour period)

of the festival

(Simchat Torah)

in the Diaspora — this is a new creation of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And the concept of Simchat Torah has a connection to all Jews — because Simchat Torah is the joy that Jews celebrate for "the completion of the Torah"⁹ and for the giving of the Torah

(the latter Tablets given on Yom Kippur¹⁰, ¹¹),

which the giving of the Torah was to all Jews equally.

This includes within itself the entire Torah,

the revealed part of the Torah and the inner dimension of the Torah. And after the Tzemach Tzedek paved the way for the connection of the revealed part of the Torah and the inner dimension of the Torah,

the connection of the revealed part of the Torah and Chassidut,

so that one sees openly how they are one Torah — from then on it became a paved path for all Jews,

that they have both aspects of the revealed part of the Torah and the inner dimension of the Torah and how they become openly one thing,

one Torah.

And this

(the entire Torah)

was given as an inheritance to all Jews equally,

as it is stated

(in this week's portion¹²)

"Torah tzivah lanu Moshe morashah kehilat Yaakov",

to each and every one,

both men and women,

not just "also" women,

but they are equal together with men — as per the ruling of the Alter Rebbe at the end of the first chapter

[for "their end is embedded in their beginning"¹³]

of the Laws of Torah Study,

regarding the obligation of Torah study for women.

And moreover:

As an introduction to the giving of the Torah

(the first Tablets)

it was first "Thus shall you say to the house of Yaakov"¹⁴ "these are the women...

in gentle language"¹⁵,

and only afterwards "and tell the children of Israel"¹⁴ "these are the men¹⁶"

(and with harsh speech,

"words as hard as sinews"¹⁵).

From this it is understood a fortiori regarding the superiority of women in the giving of the latter Tablets

(upon which Simchat Torah comes):

If regarding the first Tablets,

which were given from Above,

and are not so connected to the service of man,

nevertheless, as a kind of vessel for this, one needed the preparations for the giving of the Torah,

including the precedence of speaking to the women before the speaking to the men — nevertheless, there was the precedence of women;

all the more so regarding the latter Tablets,

which came through the service of man in the burning of the opposite of the Tablets

(the sin of the Golden Calf)

and repentance for the sin,

in which sin of the Golden Calf women did not participate¹⁷

(unlike the men)

— certainly there was a precedence for women before men,

Because even though the women had not sinned, they

(also)

certainly received the elevation of teshuvah,

but on the contrary, with them there was teshuvah ila'ah which is not over sin etc.¹⁸,

but rather an elevation in holiness itself, similar to "Mashiach came to bring the righteous to teshuvah"¹⁹,

which does not speak about teshuvah over sin

(because that speaks about the righteous and may it be for us),

but rather about teshuvah ila'ah,

ascents in holiness itself),

in contrast, with the men there was teshuvah tata'ah.

Consequently, it is understood that the women certainly had precedence in the giving of the latter tablets, all the more so from their precedence in the giving of the first tablets.

And similarly, as in the first tablets, to them there was an utterance "in a soft language" and to the men speech "in a harsh language" — so too was it with the latter tablets,

that the women have a connection to "soft language",

because they are in teshuvah ila'ah,

in contrast, the men have a connection to "harsh language",

corresponding to their service in teshuvah tata'ah

(over sin),

which requires harsh speech etc.

Based on this, it is understood that the women have precedence over men regarding Simchat Torah,

which comes from the giving of the latter tablets on Yom Kippur.

And as we see in the custom of Israel — all Jews,

men and women,

are equal on Simchat Torah,

that all celebrate Simchat Torah equally²⁰.

And as emphasized in what is stated in the Zohar²¹ that Simchat Torah is connected to "Keter Torah"²² — "and they crown the Torah scroll with its crown":

It is stated in the Gemara²³ that "the crown of the Torah" refers to the "halachot" of the Torah.

In the halachot of the Torah there is no difference between men and women. The differences between them are in the part of pilpul and give-and-take of the Torah;

but in the study of the halachot of the Torah, women are obligated in this exactly like men.

As per the ruling of the Alter Rebbe mentioned above:

"Also women are obligated to study the halachot that are necessary for them to know etc. and all positive time-bound commandments and all negative commandments of the Torah and of the words of the Scribes that they are warned about like men."

And even though regarding the halachot of positive time-bound commandments there is seemingly a difference between men and women — we see, however, in practice that women fulfill many positive time-bound commandments²⁴,

like the mitzvah of sukkah and the mitzvah of the four species²⁵,

to the extent that they recite a blessing over them²⁵,

and the matter of the blessing is a blessing and drawing down²⁶,

not only according to Chassidut,

but simply according to Nigleh — as it is also stated in today's haftarah

(on Shemini Atzeret)

²⁷ "And he stood

(King Solomon)

and blessed the entire congregation of Israel". Which simply means a blessing and drawing down to Jews in all their matters. As will be explained below].

Consequently, it is understood that women have a connection also to the halachot of those positive time-bound commandments which they fulfill,

to the extent that they recite a blessing and drawing down over the commandments. This further strengthens their connection to Simchat Torah — the crown of the Torah

(halachot),

since in the halachot of the Torah all Jews are equal,

men and women.

The connection of all Jews

(men and women)

to Simchat Torah from the aspect of the matter of blessing and drawing down upon the commandments of the Torah — has a special connection to

(Shemini Atzeret and)

Simchat Torah:

In the haftarah of Shemini Atzeret it is stated²⁷ "And he stood

(King Solomon)

and blessed the entire congregation of Israel". Which simply means a blessing and drawing down to Jews in all their matters

(as above).

Afterwards it is stated²⁸:

"On the eighth day

(which refers to Shemini Atzeret)

he sent the people away and they blessed the king" — the blessing of the Jews to the king. Its content is "blessing and drawing down in great revelation"²⁹,

the drawing down of His kingship, may He be blessed, into the world, which begins in actuality on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah³⁰.

And this is accomplished through every blessing "Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe"

(like the blessings that men and women recite over commandments,

as above)

— a blessing and drawing down of His kingship, may He be blessed, into the world³¹.

And this is similar to the matter of the first three

(blessings)

whose content is "praise of the Omnipresent"³² — similar to "and they blessed the king".

Afterwards come the thirteen middle blessings — blessings and drawings down to Jews

(praise of Israel)

— similar to "and he stood

(the king)

and blessed the entire congregation of Israel".

And this is also the continuation of the haftarah - "

(On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king)

and they went to their tents":

After Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, the service of drawing down His kingship in this world begins

("and they blessed the king"),

until the blessing and drawing down

(together with the king's blessing to the Jewish people,

"and he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel")

is drawn into "and they went to their tents",

"that they drew down the life of His kingship to make for Him a tent and a dwelling place in the lower realms, etc."³³

And simply - that after Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, every Jew goes to his place

("and they went to their tents")

to make there a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He.³⁴

Until this is drawn even into "their tents",

which is a matter of temporariness

(relative to a house),

which in the service of man refers to the service of "all your deeds shall be for the sake of Heaven"³⁵,

i.e., that even "all your deeds",

a matter of temporariness

(which is lower³⁶ than "in all your ways know Him"³⁷),

should be "for the sake of Heaven".³⁵

And in general - "their tents" refers to the service in the time of exile,

which is a temporary state for the Jewish people³⁸ - there the Jewish people carry out their service with blessing and drawing down of His kingship.

And the perfection of this will be in the true and complete redemption,

when the Jewish people will come to their permanent state

(not like a temporary tent),

and in this physical world there will be a permanent dwelling place for the Holy One, blessed be He.³⁹

Which is, in general, the matter of "from the outset, across" - the unique service of the Rebbe Maharash, according to his well-known saying and directive⁴⁰ - that in this physical world is drawn down

(blessing and drawing down)

in a manner of "from the outset, across".

And as mentioned,

the perfection of this will be in the future to come;

but since "those who taste it merit life"⁴¹ must be already in the sixth millennium

(the eve of "a day⁴² that is entirely Shabbat and rest")

- there must already be a foretaste of this in the time of exile, still in the sixth millennium.⁴¹ And as the Baal Shem Tov showed the way in this,

that being in the time of exile

(in the middle of the sixth millennium)

he had a Baal Shem Tov-like conduct in physical matters.

And afterward this was revealed also by the Rebbe Maharash - the conduct in the manner of "from the outset, across" in the physicality of the world.

And this of the Rebbe Maharash was then drawn down to his son who filled his place - the Rebbe

(the Rebbe Rashab) of blessed memory.

As explained in the Zohar at the end of Parshat Bechukotai⁴³ regarding "a son honors a father"⁴⁴,

that the obligation of honoring a father is not only during the father's lifetime

(as it is according to halachah),

"behold, during his life I am obligated to him,

after he dies, if you say, behold I am exempt from him,

it is not so", rather

(the Zohar innovates that)

this is also after the death of the father,

and on the contrary - "even though he died, he is obligated in his honor more."

And it is noteworthy regarding the connection of the place where this matter

(about "a son honors a father")

is stated in Torah - in the Zohar at the end of Parshat Bechukotai - with Simchat Torah:

In the Torah itself, it is stated in the third book of the Five Books of the Torah,

the book of Vayikra,

which is called "Ari in the Torah"⁴⁵. And there itself - at the end of the third book.

And at the end of Parshat Bechukotai specifically - as is known from the maamar of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe⁴⁶,

that all the mitzvot,

also mishpatim and eidot,

must be fulfilled like chukim,

because "a statute I have enacted, a decree I have decreed"⁴⁷,

all the more so the mitzvot which are called chukim,

"Bechukotai",

must certainly be fulfilled in this manner;

and in this itself, "if you walk in My statutes" is in a manner of walking,

and true walking is walking without measure.⁴⁸

And in this itself, it is stated

(not in the Written Torah, rather)

in the Oral Torah,

the "explanation" of the Written Torah.⁴⁹ And in the Oral Torah itself - in the Zohar,

which is so called based on the verse⁵⁰,

which is brought at the beginning of the Zohar⁵¹,

"and the wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament",

and even though this is stated only at the beginning of the Zohar,

the entire book is called by the name "Zohar",

and likewise "Tikkunei Zohar" and "Zohar Chadash"

(whose main name is the word "Zohar")

- because the content of the entire book of Zohar is "like the brightness of the firmament",

the "explanation"

(Oral Torah)

of the Zohar is in a manner that it shines and illuminates

(Zohar means light)⁵²,

until in a manner of "the brightness of the firmament",

the luminosity of the firmament. From this it is understood that it leaves no place for undesirable matters

(for in the firmament there are no opposing things),

and all the more so "the brightness of the firmament",

as is known that the nature of light is,

that it shines in every place,

even in the lowest of the low.⁵³

Until then, even those who hold according to the approach of tzimtzum kipshuto⁵⁴,

also accept that He illuminates in every place and location,

even in the place of the garbage

(where there is a "thing of filth" in their language⁵⁵,

and therefore the "king" Himself cannot be found there according to their view).

And even if there could be a simple person or perhaps not so simple who might think that one wants to pick a fight with someone — but during the time one speaks on Simchat Torah there is no such concern,

because speech on Simchat Torah does not harm⁵⁶.

As is known, on Simchat Torah the Rebbe, my teacher and father-in-law, the Rebbe, would speak publicly about such matters that during the entire year he would be careful not to speak about.

And this is not due to a matter of novelty,

but because from the very essence of the matter of Simchat Torah one can indeed speak about such matters

(which during the year one does not speak about),

for on Simchat Torah the innermost good of every thing is illuminated.

And this is like the well-known story of the middle Rebbe⁵⁷,

that once he did not hear the reading of Parshat Ki Tavo from the Alter Rebbe,

the anguish of hearing the curses in the admonition harmed him. When they asked him, "But every year the portion is read,"

he answered...

"When the father...

reads, one does not hear any opposite of blessings!..."

And the precise meaning and inner interpretation of that which "when the father reads" is — that this also applies to our Father in Heaven,

that when the Father — who is connected with our Father in Heaven — reads, one hears only the innermost good and the blessings within the admonition.

And the novelty in this is,

that even during the reading of the Torah in public,

when one must read the words of the portion explicitly without interpretation,

even in the Torah reading of the father, the opposite of blessings was not heard!

And from this, the precision is understood in that this was specifically in connection with the reading of the Torah,

and why they asked him, "But every year the portion is read" — for seemingly:

The middle Rebbe was already older than five years of age for the study of Scripture,

he certainly had studied the portion of the admonition

(in Parshat Ki Tavo)

many times — so what is the precision specifically regarding the Torah reading?

And the explanation of this is:

In the Torah reading, one must read the words as they stand explicitly without interpretation.

However, during the study of the portion,

it does not have to be specifically in such a manner. Therefore, the reading in that year harmed him.

However, when the father reads, one does not hear

(even not in the Torah reading)

the opposite of blessings.

And this was said specifically by the middle Rebbe,

whose aspect was⁵⁸ "Rechovot HaNahar" of Binah⁵⁹,

like the matter of "from the outset, crossing over" into Torah. And to him the Alter Rebbe transmitted the guidance of the young Chassidim

(still during the lifetime of the Alter Rebbe),

because it had to be that specifically the middle Rebbe should guide the young Chassidim in accordance with the will of his father and the will of our Father in Heaven.

In any case — from this the connection of the Zohar in general with Simchat Torah is understood,

for the matter of Simchat Torah is like the matter of the book of the Zohar — that then light illuminates in every place,

also in the lowest low,

so that one sees the inner good within every single thing.

Like the Torah reading by the Alter Rebbe.

Returning to our subject — the Zohar

(at the end of Parshat Bechukotai)

teaches a novelty,

that honoring a father

("A son honors a father")

is also after the death of the father.

From this it is understood regarding the Rebbe, may his soul rest in Eden, and his father,

the Rebbe Maharash,

that also after the passing of his father, the Rebbe, may his soul rest in Eden, fulfilled "a son honors a father".

As one sees it simply in his discourses,

especially the discourses of the early years,

and also afterwards — the precision and endearment of his father's language,

as has already been printed and everyone can see it for themselves.

Thus it is understandable from this,

that "a son honors a father" was also expressed in the matter of "from the outset, crossing over" of the Rebbe Maharash

(which is connected with the totality of the service of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah — the revelation of His kingship, may He be exalted, in the world,

as above)

— that this was also the case with the Rebbe, may his soul rest in Eden.

And by the Rebbe, may his soul rest in Eden, this came down into the founding of the yeshivah etc.,

which added even more to the matter of spreading the wellsprings outward etc. — the concept of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah

(the service of revealing His sovereignty, blessed be He, in the world,

as above),

as understood from the fact that Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah come after the seven days of Sukkos

[in addition to the fact that Shemini Atzeres is a "festival in its own right"⁶⁰],

and then the absorption of the matters of the seven days of Sukkos occurs⁶¹:

During the seven days of Sukkos there is the mitzvah of the water libation,

"And you shall draw water with joy from the wellsprings of salvation"⁶²,

which is the service of "May your wellsprings spread outward"

(as explained elsewhere),

and this matter emerges in a manner of absorption on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.

Afterwards, there was added to this by the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, leader of our generation — the spreading of the wellsprings outward in the broadest manner,

until the outermost outside,

even translated into other languages,

"in seventy languages"⁶³

(as discussed many times⁶⁴),

so that it should reach Jews who do not yet understand any other language,

Even also — that it should reach all the nations of the earth

(the nations of the world),

the seventy nations

(in seventy languages),

so that they should hear throughout the entire world the revelation of His sovereignty, blessed be He,

(the service of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah),

that "there is none else"

[ "so that all the nations of the earth shall know that Hashem is God, there is none else"⁶⁵ ]

and "there is none besides Him"⁶⁶.

As discussed many times⁶⁷,

that "there is none else"⁶⁷* and "there is none besides Him" are two distinct matters

(as understood from the simple explanation of the words):

"There is none else" means that there is no other thing besides Divinity. "There is none besides Him" means,

that "besides Him" is "there is none else",

but He who is "there is none else" desired that together with Him there should indeed be an existence of the world,

and this becomes one thing with Him.

The Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, gave everyone the mission to disseminate this matter — at least the words of rebuke connected with it — of "there is none else" and "there is none besides Him" to all the nations of the earth

(the nations of the world),

so that there should be "the earth shall be filled"⁶⁸,

and "the whole earth is full of His glory"⁶⁹,

there is no glory except Torah⁷⁰.

And this

(the influence upon the nations of the world)

is also a continuation of the service of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah

(the revelation of His sovereignty, blessed be He),

which is a continuation and absorption of "And you shall draw water with joy from the wellsprings of salvation",

the spreading of the wellsprings outward,

during the seven days of Sukkos — as discussed in the previous nights, that during the seven days of Sukkos the influence that Jews must have upon the nations of the world is also emphasized,

as is known that during the seven days of Sukkos they would sacrifice in the Holy Temple seventy bulls corresponding to the seventy nations,

which atoned and protected for them,

as our sages, of blessed memory, said⁷¹ "Woe to the nations of the world who are lost and do not know what they have lost,

when the Holy Temple stood, the altar atoned for them,

and now who will atone for them"

[and similar to our sages, of blessed memory, said⁷² that "If the nations of the world knew what the Temple was worth to them,

they would surround it with fortifications (siege camps of warriors⁷³) to guard it"].

And therefore we say in Hallel

(also on the festival of Sukkos)

"Praise Hashem, all nations; laud Him, all peoples, for His kindness has overwhelmed us"⁷⁴,

because "His kindness has overwhelmed us" causes an elevation in "nations" and "peoples",

so that it becomes "Praise Hashem, all nations; laud Him, all peoples"⁷⁵.

And from this it is understood,

that the service on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah

(which is a continuation and absorption of the days of Sukkos)

includes the influence upon the nations of the world

[as it says in the haftarah of Shemini Atzeres (as above) — "so that all the nations of the earth shall know that Hashem is God, there is none else"),

including also the matter of the water libation,

"And you shall draw water with joy from the wellsprings of salvation" — the light of the wellsprings of Chassidus,

as it reaches the nations of the world.

And the explanation of the matter:

The general matter of influencing the nations of the world so that they should hear "there is none else" and "there is none besides Him" is based upon the ruling of the Rambam⁷⁶:

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

to disseminate among the nations of the world the observance of the seven Noahide commandments,

whose content is "He created it to be inhabited"⁷⁷,

And that they should observe these seven commandments

(not merely "because of intellectual compulsion", but)

"because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them in the Torah and made known to us through Moses our Teacher"⁷⁸,

i.e., based upon the giving of the Torah,

whereby the effect of Torah in the world was renewed

(as will be explained).

And in this, there was added further through the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe – that the influence upon the nations of the world must be permeated with the foundations of the inner dimension of the Torah

(the spreading of the wellsprings outward),

"There is none else" and "There is none besides Him"

(as is emphasized on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah,

when there is the absorption of the influence upon the nations of the world during the days of Sukkot, permeated with "And you shall draw water with joy from the wellsprings of salvation",

as above),

that the entire Torah,

also the inner dimension of the Torah,

was given at the Giving of the Torah – the foundation of the observance of the Seven Noahide Laws.

The concept:

Before the Giving of the Torah, there was the concept of the Torah

(including the inner dimension of the Torah),

as our Sages, of blessed memory, said⁷⁹ "Two thousand years the Torah preceded the world." And also after the creation of the world

(before the Giving of the Torah)

there was the concept of the Torah

(including the inner dimension of the Torah).

Beginning immediately with Adam the First – as is simply understood, that being in the Garden of Eden he certainly studied Torah⁸⁰,

and all the more so the inner dimension of the Torah.

And as is understood from our Sages, of blessed memory,⁸¹ on the verse⁸² "And He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it." 'To work it' refers to positive commandments; 'to guard it' refers to negative commandments

(for wherever it says 'guard' etc., it is nothing other than a negative commandment⁸³),

thus Adam the First needed to study Torah in order to know how to fulfill the commandments.

And all the more so that he there

(in the Garden of Eden)

studied, first and foremost, the inner dimension of the Torah – as is understood from the explanation of the Maggid⁸⁴ and in many places⁸⁵ in the words of the Midrash⁸⁶ on the verse⁸⁷ "And whatever the man called each living soul, that was its name",

that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the ministering angels regarding Adam the First "His wisdom is greater than yours. Bring the animals before them... they said, 'What is its name?' and they did not know;

He passed them before Adam; he said, 'This is its name';

he said, 'This is an ox, this is a donkey,' etc."

It is explained that the wisdom of Adam the First to know the names of the created beings consists in this – that in the name of an object is hinted its root. And Adam the First

(of whom it is said "And He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life"⁸⁸)

comprehended the source and root of every creature,

and according to its root he gave a name.

Thus it is understood from this that Adam the First knew the inner dimension of the Torah,

for comprehension of the root and inner dimension of the created beings comes from the inner dimension of the Torah,

and "He looked into the Torah and created the world"⁸⁹,

Adam the First looked into "the Torah",

and from this he knew the names appropriate for all the created beings in accordance with their root in the inner dimension.

And as is understood,

that being in the Garden of Eden, the order was first and foremost the inner dimension of the Torah,

afterwards the revealed dimension of the Torah.

(Later the order of study became reversed – first the revealed dimension of the Torah, afterwards the inner dimension of the Torah.)

And likewise by the Patriarchs

(before the Giving of the Torah)

there was the study of Torah and the observance of the commandments,

as is explained in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory,⁹⁰

(and the discussion on this in the book "Derech Hashem"⁹¹ and in many places is known).

But nevertheless it is stated⁹² that "All the commandments that the Patriarchs performed before You were [like] fragrances,

but we [have] 'oil poured forth is Your name'"⁹³⁹⁴ – because until the Giving of the Torah, the Torah and commandments did not permeate this physical world,

for then the decree still existed that 'the upper ones shall not descend to the lower ones, and the lower ones shall not ascend to the upper ones'⁹⁵,

but at the Giving of the Torah the decree was nullified,

and the Torah and commandments

(including the inner dimension of the Torah)

permeated this physical world.

Therefore, at the Giving of the Torah there was also the command of "Moses our Teacher, from the mouth of the Almighty, to compel all the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments that were commanded to the children of Noah",

"because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them in the Torah and made them known to us through Moses our Teacher" – for at the Giving of the Torah the innovation was revealed that Torah and commandments must permeate the reality of the world,

and this includes,

of course,

also the seventy nations.

And afterwards, in this

(the action of the Torah in the physicality of the world that was innovated at the Giving of the Torah)

there was added further

(revelation)

through the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah:

Although the entire Torah

(the revealed dimension of the Torah and the inner dimension of the Torah⁹⁶)

was given at the Giving of the Torah,

nevertheless afterwards there was an order of revelation of the Torah to all of Israel,

that first the revealed dimension of the Torah was revealed,

and in the course of the generations the inner dimension of the Torah was revealed,

until "it is a mitzvah to reveal this wisdom"⁹⁷,

afterwards an obligation to reveal this wisdom,

afterwards "your wellsprings shall spread outward",

afterwards there was added to this the concept of "they shall be sustained"⁹⁸ through Chassidus Chabad, until

(through the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe)

the spreading of the wellsprings outward, beyond which there is no outward,

until "in seventy languages",

in the entire world,

also to the nations of the world,

as above.

And this is the matter that was added in the spreading of the wellsprings outward by the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe — the spreading of the wellsprings to the outermost outward,

until "in seventy languages" also for the seventy nations.

And this is carried out through his students

(of the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe)

who do His will,

and furthermore — a person's agent is like himself⁹⁹

(which is even more than those who do His will),

and an agent appoints an agent,

until even up to a hundred agents¹⁰⁰

(as the expression states¹⁰¹).

And "one hundred" does not exclude more than that,

rather "one hundred" is a general number that includes all numbers after it.

Analogous to what is explained in various sources¹⁰² regarding that which the Mishnah¹⁰³ enumerates all the levels in the number of years until "one who is one hundred years old is as if etc." and does not enumerate beyond that — that this does not, Heaven forbid, negate life after one hundred years,

rather one hundred years is the most supreme perfection that includes all levels after it¹⁰⁴,

but certainly one lives more than one hundred years,

as it is written¹⁰⁵ "and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years",

and furthermore — "the days of the tree shall be as the days of My people"¹⁰⁶,

and one sees that there are trees that are older than one hundred and twenty years,

and especially in this country,

where they boast that there are trees that are already three thousand years old and the like!

Parenthetical remark:

Since everything is by Divine Providence¹⁰⁷,

and by Divine Providence there exists in the world such a reality that there are trees that are 3000 years old,

and this has also become known to Jews,

a Jew must derive a lesson from this.

And one may say one of the lessons in this:

One seeks proofs in the world for "I, Hashem, have not changed"¹⁰⁸,

for the world is full of changes.

There is an additional proof and reinforcement for this from the trees that are very many years old

(3000 years and the like)

— that after many years the trees still stand with their full force in a manner of "I have not changed",

even though all around one sees great changes over the thousands of years!

Furthermore:

The entire essence of the vegetative

(trees)

is change. An inanimate object does not change. But a vegetative being's entire matter is that it constantly grows,

i.e., it is in a state of constant change.

(All the more so when speaking of the vegetative of the animal realm and the vegetative of the desert,

where the vegetative level is in a more elevated manner than the vegetative of the vegetative realm,

as explained in many places¹⁰⁹].

Nevertheless, one sees that together with the trees constantly growing and changing,

and from year to year another ring is added to the trees

(as is known in worldly wisdom)

— yet all these rings

(from the thousands of years before)

stand in a manner of "I have not changed"!

Since everything is by Divine Providence,

one must say that there is also a reason why this proof

(for "I, Hashem, have not changed")

was revealed specifically in this country

(the United States).

And the explanation of this:

It is known the statement of the Alter Rebbe

[in the discourse beginning "To understand the question of the astronomers"¹¹⁰,

for the wisdom of astronomy is one of the seven wisdoms which are "for the perfumers and for the cooks"¹¹¹ for the Torah],

as explained in a letter of the Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe¹¹²,

that the Giving of the Torah

(in revelation)

was in the upper hemisphere,

but not in the lower hemisphere

(including the United States).

In proper times,

or at least when Jews were in the upper hemisphere,

where the Giving of the Torah was

(in revelation),

they did not need so many proofs for the truth of the Torah and of "I, Hashem, have not changed" and the like;

But when there was a descent and Jews arrived in the lower hemisphere, where the Giving of the Torah was not

(in revelation),

and then there was a greater concealment of the truth of the Torah,

or of the matter of utilizing worldly wisdoms as an aid to the Torah

("perfumers and cooks")

— then they needed to arrive at an additional proof and reinforcement. Therefore, specifically in the lower hemisphere there are these trees that have already stood for thousands of years,

and they demonstrate the matter of "I, Hashem, have not changed",

as above.

Regarding this, there is also the explanation in the general order of the chain of descent of the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah,

that from generation to generation there was added in the revelation of this

("it is a mitzvah to reveal",

an obligation to reveal,

"your wellsprings shall spread forth outward",

"they shall be sustained from it",

until in seventy languages,

to the outermost outward),

as discussed above,

At first glance,

the inner dimension of the Torah

(the Zohar, etc.)

existed in the generations before this—nevertheless, we see that the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah came specifically during the time of exile,

and within the exile itself—in the later generations,

and in each and every generation there was an increase in this revelation

(as above).

The explanation for this is that specifically because of the increase in the concealment and hiding of the exile,

one must come to an increase in the revelation of G‑dliness and the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah,

in order to be able to counter the darkness of the exile¹¹³

(similar to the discussion above regarding the reason for the revelation of "I did not change" through the trees specifically in the lower hemisphere).

Similar to what the Gemara says¹¹⁴,

that "at the time when the nations entered the Sanctuary, they saw the cherubim embracing each other":

It is known that the cherubim

(which were in the form of a man and a woman)

indicate the greatness of the strength and affection of the Most High for the Jewish people, like the love of a man and a woman¹¹⁵

(and as their concept is explained above in Torah Ohr, "in the commentary of the Alter Rebbe himself"¹¹⁶).

Nevertheless,

the Gemara says that specifically at the time of the destruction,

"at the time when the nations entered the Sanctuary,"

a concealment and hiding unparalleled—specifically then "they saw the cherubim embracing each other,"

which indicates the greatness of the affection and love of the Most High for the Jewish people.

And from the cherubim above the ark-cover upon the Ark—whose concept is awe,

and just as Torah is drawn forth from within the Ark through the cherubim on the ark-cover—so too regarding the entirety of the revelation of Torah and the inner dimension of the Torah,

that specifically at a time when there is concealment and hiding of exile,

there also comes about an increase in the revelation of Torah and the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah.

"He looked into the Torah and created the world"—just as this was regarding the Torah

(the cherubim above the ark-cover upon the Ark),

that specifically at the time of the destruction "they saw the cherubim embracing each other"—so too is it drawn forth into the world,

as it states in the Midrash¹¹⁷ that immediately after the destruction of the Holy Temple, the Redeemer of Israel was born,

Mashiach our Righteous One.

This is the explanation of the increase in the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah from generation to generation,

until our generation—through my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, through his students and emissaries—the spreading of the wellsprings to the very outside,

even into seventy languages,

also to the nations of the world,

as above.

And as discussed above,

that this is the content of the service of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah,

when there is the continuation and absorption of the service of the seven days of Sukkot,

the offering of seventy bulls corresponding to the seventy nations,

which indicates the influence of the Jewish people upon the nations of the world¹¹⁸,

permeated with "And you shall draw water with joy from the wellsprings of salvation,"

the spreading of the wellsprings outward.

May it be His will that we utilize every moment of Simchat Torah,

for every moment is precious,

and moreover—every moment is eternal.

And from the joy of Simchat Torah, one should immediately dance to greet Mashiach our Righteous One,

for then there will come a new development in all these matters mentioned above,

the revelation of G‑dliness in the entire world, also among the nations of the world:

Although the source of the revelation of the Future to Come was at the Giving of the Torah

(as explained in Tanya¹¹⁹),

and the Giving of the Torah will not be repeated¹²⁰,

for then all matters were given—nevertheless, in the Future to Come the concept of "a new Torah will go forth from Me"¹²¹ will come,

and also the study of Torah from Mashiach our Righteous One¹²²,

the study of Torah in a manner of seeing¹²³,

just as all the matters of the Future to Come will be revealed in a manner of seeing,

"and the glory of Hashem will be revealed and all flesh together will see"¹²⁴,

until even all the peoples of the earth will see this—"and all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of Hashem is called upon you and they will fear you"¹²⁵—"these are the tefillin of the head"¹²⁶,

and as is known the precise point of the Alter Rebbe regarding this¹²⁷—not "tefillin on the head,"

but rather "tefillin of the head,"

that the concept of tefillin enters the inner dimension of the head

("of the head")

and becomes one entity,

until it becomes

(through the study of Torah)

a "wondrous unity, the likes of which no unity exists, nor anything comparable to it at all"¹²⁸;

And the perfection of this will be in the future redemption,

for then the "wondrous unity" of the Jewish people with the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, will be revealed—for the yechidah of the soul will be revealed,

the essence and inner dimension of the soul,

which is one entity—"yechidah to unify You"¹²⁹ with the Singular and Essence Above¹³⁰,

and the essence and inner dimension of the world will also be revealed—through Mashiach our Righteous One,

the aspect of the general yechidah¹³¹.

And "awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust"¹³²,

and among them all those mentioned above,

And we will all go together to our holy land,

and there specifically — to Jerusalem, the holy city,

"the city of the great King"¹³³,

and there specifically — "on the holy mount in Jerusalem"¹³⁴,

and to the third Holy Temple,

"the place which Hashem will choose"¹³⁵ — where there "shall every male appear before Hashem your God"¹³⁶,

and in the Holy Temple itself — the Holy of Holies.

And all this — immediately and truly at once,

and in the language of the Rambam in his book of laws¹³⁷ — "immediately they are redeemed",

and "immediately" according to the halachah here means immediately after five,

as he continues there¹³⁸ in the manner of "before they call, I will answer"¹³⁹,

that even before Jews cry out "until when" — Moshiach our righteousness comes,

still in the middle of the farbrengen!

And contrary to the opinion of those who think,

that one must wait until after the farbrengen and the like,

or those who think,

that first one must sleep,

then one must make preparations,

then one must put on a silk kapote,

and then Moshiach can come!

But in my humble opinion and in my view — it is better that Moshiach comes immediately. At the conclusion of Shabbos,

on Yom Tov,

in the middle of the farbrengen etc. etc.,

and in a manner of "absence of mind"

(that "Moshiach comes in a state of absence of mind etc."¹⁴⁰),

specifically "in a state of absence of mind",

unexpectedly,

but in His "absence of mind",

which becomes a vessel for the supernal Daat,

which brings Moshiach our righteousness into actuality,

and simply,

below ten handbreadths,

in a manner of "

(As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt I will show him)

wonders"¹⁴¹ even relative to the wonders of the Exodus from Egypt¹⁴²,

And the main thing is the deed¹⁴³ — in actual deed.

Earlier it was mentioned

(section 7)

that Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah come in continuation

(and then is the absorption)

of the seven days of Sukkot,

as emphasized in its name — "Shemini Atzeret",

the eighth day after the seven days of Sukkot.

But on the other hand, this is "Atzeret"

(Atzeret),

which is higher than seven.

And the explanation of the matter:

It is explained in the well-known responsum of the Rashba¹⁴⁴ the difference between seven and eight also includes the difference between festivals of seven days and festivals of eight days:

The perfection of every thing is expressed in seven. As it is in time — that the perfection of time consists of the seven days of the cycle. Therefore one then begins counting anew "today is day one".

However, the eighth is higher than the seven days of the cycle and it guards the cycle.

With this the difference between the seven days of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret is understood

(as explained in the aforementioned responsum of the Rashba)

¹⁴⁴*:

The service of the festival of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret is — the service of joy,

"the time of our rejoicing"

(regarding the obligation of joy, Shemini Atzeret is a continuation of Sukkot¹⁴⁵).

And in this itself, there are generally two matters:

The seven days of Sukkot are the perfection of the service on the festival of Sukkot — the service of joy,

therefore it is expressed in the seven days of the cycle — the perfection of the cycle.

As we also see in the mitzvah of the four species on the festival of Sukkot — as is known, the four species include within them seven plants¹⁴⁶:

two willows,

three myrtles,

lulav and etrog¹⁴⁷.

And with this it is understood regarding the service of the children of Israel on the festival of Sukkot — as is known, the four species correspond to the four categories into which all Jews are divided¹⁴⁸. And in particular, Jews are expressed in seven categories

(analogous to the seven plants that are included in the four species),

corresponding to the seven branches of the Menorah¹⁴⁹.

Then comes Shemini Atzeret,

which is higher than the seven days of the cycle

(of the days of Sukkot),

and guards the cycle

(therefore Shemini Atzeret is "a festival in its own right").

That is, on Shemini Atzeret a higher level in joy is attained,

which guards the cycle,

the joy of the seven days of Sukkot.

And this was in the Holy Temple,

"the place which Hashem will choose" — "the harp¹⁵⁰ of the Temple had seven strings",

"as it is said¹⁵¹ 'fullness of joys before Your face',

do not read it as 'fullness' but rather 'seven'" — the perfection in the matter of joy through the harp. Afterwards there will be a more elevated perfection in the days of Moshiach — a harp of eight strings¹⁵⁰

("for the conductor on the sheminit"¹⁵²),

which guards the cycle

(and while one is still at the harp of seven strings,

one knows that the perfection in this is the harp of eight strings in the days of Moshiach],

and this is a preparation for the harp of ten strings¹⁵⁰

("upon the ten-stringed instrument"¹⁵³)

in the World to Come.

Therefore it is understandable that in particular the joy of the seven days of Sukkot must be expressed in seven levels — "seven joys"

("seven joys,

do not read seven but seven).

And then on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah comes an eighth level

(and more elevated)

in joy,

which encompasses the entire cycle.

And in the Sefirot:

The "seven joys" of the seven days of Sukkot correspond to the seven attributes

(the root of the seven days of the cycle);

and the eighth level on Shemini Atzeret

(and Simchat Torah)

which encompasses the entire cycle corresponds to the Sefirah of Binah¹⁵⁴

(the eighth Sefirah),

the source of all joys,

"the mother¹⁵⁵ of the children is joyful"¹⁵⁶,

and as is known¹⁵⁷ that Binah includes all the first three,

the aspect of the Holy of Holies,

the aspect of "Asher"¹⁵⁸

[like "Ashrecha Yisrael" which is in today's Torah portion¹⁵⁹].

One will understand it according to what was discussed previously¹⁶⁰ regarding the different levels in the joy of the Simchat Beit HaShoevah during the festival of Sukkot. At that time it was discussed in general,

but upon careful examination one will find seven levels in joy corresponding to the seven days of Sukkot,

and then an eighth level on Shemini Atzeret.

The explanation of the seven levels of joy:

A) The joy of the created being from the very essence of the matter that he was brought into existence from the Most High Himself, of whom "His existence is from His essence and He is not caused by any preceding cause, Heaven forbid, etc."¹⁶¹,

for there is no greater joy than this.

B) To this is added another level in the joy of the created being — from the fact that he was created in the likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He

(so to speak)

— the created being is in the likeness of the true Being¹⁶².

And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said¹⁶³ that "all of the work of creation, etc., were created with their knowledge, were created with their desire,"

and Rashi explains:

"He asked them if they wished to be created and they said yes."

And the explanation of this — with an introduction of the question:

How can one ask the created beings "if they wish to be created" before they were created — the created being has not yet been created,

so to whom is the question asked?!

One cannot answer that the question was asked of the mazal or root of the created being and the like,

because even that mazal and root is a created being,

and there is no higher and higher until the Most High Himself,

they are all created beings — so how can one ask them "if they wish to be created" before they were actually created?!

Rather, the explanation of this is,

that the Most High

(did not ask the actual created beings "if they wish to be created",

rather He)

considered

(before the creation of the created beings)

the knowledge of the created being

("if they wish to be created" or not).

But this too requires explanation,

because the knowledge of the created being is not dependent on the created being,

but on the manner in which the Most High creates him:

He can create him in a manner that his knowledge will be in one way or in another way:

whether in a manner that the created being will have no knowledge at all;

or neither here nor there,

neither with their knowledge nor without their knowledge!

As discussed many times regarding the manner of creation by the Holy One, blessed be He¹⁶⁴ — that it is understood and simple that the Most High is absolutely not compelled to create the world in any particular manner or form,

because all things,

including the categories of intellect,

were themselves created by the Most High,

therefore there cannot be anything that compels Him or inclines Him to one manner.

That is, the Most High has true choice,

and true choice means completely free choice — that He can do as He sees fit without any inclination toward any side whatsoever.

And that the world was created in a specific manner is after it arose in His will and His choice, may He be blessed, to create the world in such a manner. But it could have been in an entirely different manner.

For example, regarding the Sefirot:

That there are ten Sefirot is because it so arose in His will, may He be blessed. But it could have been,

and there were and there are also now actually Sefirot without end¹⁶⁵.

Consequently, it is understood that the manner of the knowledge of the creations

("they were created with knowledge")

was itself created by the Supreme One. And He could have created them in such a way that their knowledge would be in a different manner, or in such a way that they would have no knowledge at all.

As is the case in Torah — that there is a reality of "he does not know what he says"¹⁶⁶,

he "says," but "he does not know what he says";

or the Supreme One could have created them in an entirely different manner,

neither with knowledge nor without knowledge,

to the extent that there are infinite manners in which the Supreme One could have created them

(like infinite Sefirot),

as in Torah there are six hundred thousand interpretations of every matter in the Torah¹⁶⁷.

Consequently, the question returns:

What is the meaning of the fact that the Supreme One estimated

(before the creation of the creations)

how their

(their knowledge)

would turn out — when this very thing depends on His will, blessed be He?!

The explanation of this is that this itself is the proof:

This very thing the Supreme One chose in His free choice,

that "they were created with knowledge,"

that the created being should have knowledge in its creation,

in the likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself

(so to speak)

who conducts Himself according to what comes out from Him.

To the extent that regarding human beings, it arose in His will and His choice, blessed be He, that they should be created "with their knowledge" — with free choice,

in the likeness of the free choice that the Supreme One has,

as it is written¹⁶⁸ "Behold, the man has become like one of Us,"

as explained in Likkutei Torah¹⁶⁹.

Based on this, it is understood that from this comes a second level in the joy of the creation — that in addition to the joy over the very coming into being from His Essence, blessed be He

(the fifth level mentioned above),

he also has joy over the fact that the Supreme One chose to create him in the manner of "they were created with knowledge,"

and with free choice in the likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And this is a second level in joy — because the coming into being of the creations could have been not in a manner that they are in the likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He,

for the Supreme One is not compelled to create the creations in such a way,

as mentioned above;

rather, the Supreme One chose to create the creations in this way — therefore it evokes a second,

higher,

level in joy.

In another style:

The first level in joy comes from the aspect of the very coming into being from His Essence, blessed be He,

which is above all attributes,

even above the attribute of choice. Regarding His Essence, blessed be He, it is not applicable to say even choice or non-choice. The second level of joy comes from the aspect — that even from the aspect of the level of attributes,

where it is applicable to say that the Supreme One has

(the attribute of)

free choice — He also chose that it should be "they were created with knowledge."

c) To this is added a third level in joy — from the fact that among the creations themselves

(which were created from His Essence, blessed be He (the fifth level),

and in the likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He (the second level))

— the Supreme One created a time suited for the matter of joy — the time of the Festival in general — "appointed times for joy"

(not like Shabbat, whose main aspect is delight¹⁷⁰.

Although there is "affliction with her"¹⁷¹ and "on the day of your joy — these are Shabbatot"¹⁷² — as known the discussion about this¹⁷³],

and especially the Festival of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah — "the time of our joy."

And although the time of the Festival is determined by them,

"Israel sanctified the times"¹⁷⁴

(through the determination and sanctification of the new months),

therefore the wording of the prayer and Kiddush on the Festival is "Who sanctifies Israel and the times,"

not like on the day of Shabbat, which is "sanctified and established"¹⁷⁵ from Above¹⁷⁶,

and therefore on Shabbat the wording is "Who sanctifies the Shabbat" — the explanation of this is,

not that Jews create the "time of our joy,"

rather it is understood and simple that the Supreme One creates the "time of our joy,"

He merely gave over to the Jews

(the court)

the commandment and the power to determine

(and sanctify)

the specific time for this,

on the fifteenth of the month or on the twenty-second of the month

(regarding Shemini Atzeret),

through their determining and sanctifying the new month;

But regarding Shabbos, the Almighty initially also fixed and sanctified — "it is sanctified and established" — the specific time,

on the seventh day. However, also regarding Yom Tov, where the Almighty gave over the power for fixing and sanctifying the time of Yom Tov,

this is only concerning the actual time on which day Yom Tov will be,

but the very coming into being of "the time of our joy" is by the Holy One, blessed be He.

And this adds an additional joy

(a third level in joy)

beyond the first two levels in joy,

from the aspect of the very coming into being and the coming into being in the manner of "they were created for their own sake."

These three levels mentioned in the joy of the created being — are from the aspect of the creation of the Holy One, blessed be He;

afterwards come another four levels of joy from the aspect of man's service:

d) In addition to the very joy of the created being from the aspect of his having come into being

(by His Essence, may He be blessed)

— this level, the fifth, which also includes his coming into being "for His glory" of the Holy One, blessed be He

(as our Sages, of blessed memory, said¹⁷⁷ "Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created only for His glory") —

there comes an additional joy for a Jew from the very matter that he came into being in the manner of "I was created to serve my Master"¹⁷⁸

(even before the actual service¹⁷⁹).

And furthermore — all of creation is "for the sake of Israel,"¹⁸⁰

"the world was created for my sake."¹⁸¹

e) In addition to the joy from the aspect of his "to serve my Master" — there comes an additional joy through the actual service of "to serve my Master" by means of Torah and mitzvos.

f) In addition to this

(beyond the joy of serving his Master through Torah and mitzvos)

there comes an additional level in joy in the service of Torah and mitzvos — from the aspect of the commandment in the Torah¹⁸² "you shall serve Hashem, your God, with joy and with goodness of heart."

That is, a joy not only from the aspect of his feeling in the service of serving his Master through Torah and mitzvos,

but also a joy from the aspect of the commandment of the Torah — to serve the Almighty out of joy.

g) In Torah and mitzvos themselves

(in which the Torah stated the commandment "you shall serve Hashem, your God, with joy etc.")

there comes an additional joy in the fulfillment of the mitzvos that have a quality

(from the aspect of the nature of creation)

of bringing forth joy — like the matter of wine,

"which gladdens God and men,"¹⁸³

and the matter of Yom Tov,

"the time of our joy." Until this is in the festival of Sukkos — about which three joys are written in the festival,¹⁸⁴

and this gives the power to draw down joy¹⁸⁵ also in the festival of Pesach where joy is not mentioned even once.

And these mitzvos whose nature is joy,

and in our matter — the festival of Sukkos where joy is mentioned three times — add even more joy in the joy that must generally be in the service of Hashem through Torah and mitzvos.

After the seven levels in joy

("seven joys")

in the seven days of Sukkos,

the seven days of the circuit

(seven sefiros)

— there comes an

(higher)

eighth level,

which guards the circuit,

on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah

(the second Yom Tov of Shemini Atzeres),

the sefirah of Binah,

the source of all joys

("the mother of children is joyful").

Corresponding to this, that on Shemini Atzeres

(and Simchas Torah)

is the absorption of all matters

(including the "seven joys")

of the seven days of Sukkos.

As we see in the custom of Israel,

that in "the time of our joy" itself, the perfection of joy is on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.

And in the language of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe,¹⁸⁶ "the mitzvah of the day is with joy." And it is known that the joy on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah is the source of all joys

(Binah),

from which joy is drawn forth for the entire year.¹⁸⁷

And simply — that on Sukkos the joy is still connected with measure and limitation

(of the seven days of the circuit),

but on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah the joy is beyond measure and limitation.¹⁸⁸

As this is also expressed in the participants of the joy:

Notwithstanding the greatness of the joy during the seven days of Sukkos,

including the Simchas Beis HaShoevah,

about which "one who has not seen the Simchas Beis HaShoevah has never seen joy in his life"¹⁸⁹ — there were distinctions among Jews in that joy:

Only "pious men and men of deed would dance before them with flaming torches in their hands,"¹⁹⁰

"but all the people, the men and the women, all the people came to see and to hear."¹⁹¹

But on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, the custom of Israel is that all Jews,

men, women, and children,

rejoice equally.

Indeed, the men dance and rejoice in the men's section and the women rejoice in the women's section

(similar to how it was at the Simchas Beis HaShoevah¹⁹²),

but they stand in complete unity,

"with one heart,"¹⁹³

and the hand of all is equal and the foot of all is equal in the joy of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.

And in the future, indeed there will be the fulfillment of the prophecy ¹⁹⁴ "There will yet sit old men and old women in the streets of Jerusalem,"

"the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" ¹⁹⁵ — because ¹⁹⁶ then there will be "and the spirit of impurity I will remove from the earth" ¹⁹⁷ and consequently there will be no concerns etc. ¹⁹⁸.

And the unity among all Jews

(on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah)

is also expressed in the manner of rejoicing on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah:

One does not sit to study Torah out of joy — for then the distinctions between Jews would be heard;

rather, one takes a wrapped Torah scroll bound with a belt etc. ¹⁹⁹ and dances with it with the feet. In this, all Jews are equal,

from the greatest of the great to the simplest of the simple.

In terms of avodah — this is the revelation of the yechidah of the soul ²⁰⁰,

which unites all Jews — "united are the tribes of Israel" ²⁰¹,

not merely "one",

but "united",

in the manner of yechidah ²⁰². And this is expressed specifically in joy with the feet,

the ultimate simplicity of the body,

like the simplicity of a simple person — for specifically this draws the simplicity of the Essence ²⁰³.

And one can connect this also with that during the seven days of Sukkot they sacrificed seventy bulls

(corresponding to the seventy nations),

but on Shemini Atzeret they sacrificed "one bull, one ram" ²⁰⁴,

"corresponding to the unique nation" ²⁰⁵. And now we fulfill this on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah through prayer regarding the sacrifice of one bull — "and we will render [the] bulls [of] our lips" ²⁰⁶.

The superiority of Shemini Atzeret

(the eighth which guards the encompassing)

over the seven days of Sukkot

(the days of encompassing)

— a joy in the manner of the unity of Israel

(without any distinctions between Jews)

— is also seen explicitly in the Torah portion of Shemini Atzeret in this year — from the seventh [day] until the end of Parshat Vezot Haberachah:

Each day of the seven days of Sukkot, primarily one of the Ushpizin comes ²⁰⁸,

on the first day — Avraham,

on the second day — Yitzchak,

on the third day — Yaakov,

etc.

In today's Torah portion

(of Shemini Atzeret)

all the Ushpizin are included together,

and through them — all Jews together,

the unity of Israel:

In this portion, the first three Ushpizin are mentioned — "I swore to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov" ²⁰⁸

[and in the manner of "I swore" — as discussed above ²⁰⁹],

and also Moshe. For the three Patriarchs include within themselves all Jews,

and certainly all the Ushpizin.

Another point in this:

Yaakov is mentioned in this portion not only with his name Yaakov,

but also with the superior name — "Yisrael",

as at the conclusion of the portion — "before the eyes of all Yisrael",

and by this name

(Yisrael)

all Jews are called

(as the simple interpretation of "before the eyes of all Yisrael",

that it refers to all Jews),

to the extent that the language of Chazal is ²¹⁰ "even if he sinned, he is Yisrael".

And this is also connected with the interpretation of "before the eyes of all Yisrael" that it refers to the Baal Shem Tov

(as discussed above ²¹¹)

whose name was Yisrael. He united all Jews,

from the greatest of the great to the simplest of the simple,

as discussed above.

It follows,

that in this Torah portion of Shemini Atzeret

(when it is the absorption of the seven days of Sukkot)

all the Ushpizin come together in a manner of the unity of Israel

(from all seven days of Sukkot),

and all Jews.

And one can connect this also with the Tanya lesson ²¹² of Shemini Atzeret

(in this year)

— where the matter of the unity of Israel is also emphasized,

which brings "Yehuda will be saved ²¹³ and Jerusalem will dwell securely" ²¹⁴.

The above discussion regarding the eighth level in joy is in general on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah,

which in Eretz Yisrael occur together;

but in the place of exile in the diaspora

[not only the time of exile,

which (the time of exile) is also in Eretz Yisrael,

and on the contrary — there one feels it even more deeply,

since that is the table of the Omnipresent and the palace of the Omnipresent and the house of the Omnipresent;

but also in the place of exile,

in the diaspora]

it is expressed specifically in two days — Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

(the second day of Yom Tov of the diaspora).

And there is in this what is not in that — there is a superiority in the joy of Shemini Atzeret and a superiority in the joy of Simchat Torah:

Shemini Atzeret is from the Torah,

and then there is the obligation from the Torah of "and you shall rejoice in your festival" ²¹⁵.

But Simchat Torah is Rabbinic

(the second day of Yom Tov of the diaspora),

and the joy then is from the custom of Israel ²¹⁶ "for the completion of the Torah" ²¹⁷.

What is certain is that there is the advantage in Shemini Atzeres,

because a Torah obligation is stronger than a Rabbinic obligation. But on the other hand, the words of the Scribes are more beloved than the words of Torah²¹⁸

(and all the more so regarding a custom of Israel²¹⁹),

and furthermore, the words of the Scribes add additional endearment to the words of Torah,

because the words of the Scribes

(the Oral Torah)

are the "explanation" of the Torah,

therefore it is understood that the additional endearment in the words of the Scribes

(the explanation)

adds endearment to the thing that it explains—the words of Torah.

And all the more so it is understood regarding Simchas Torah

(which is Rabbinic)

—that specifically because of the exile comes the elevation of Simchas Torah,

which is more beloved than Shemini Atzeres,

because then the joy is not only as part of the Torah commandment "And you shall rejoice in your festival,"

but from the side of man's service

(the words of the Scribes and the custom of Israel),

which is more beloved than the drawing down from above

(through the commandment in the Torah).

As we see in the custom of Israel—that then there is an even greater joy than on Shemini Atzeres²²⁰;

and this adds endearment to the joy of Shemini Atzeres.

And on this night

(the night that comes between Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah)

one connects and unites both days:

From the side of sanctity, the night follows the day²²¹—it turns out that this night is a continuation of Shemini Atzeres

(and especially since the main matter of Simchas Torah, the completion of the Torah,

is on Simchas Torah in the morning when one actually completes the Torah in the Torah reading).

On the other hand:

From the side of creation, the day follows the night

("And there was evening and there was morning")

²²¹—it turns out that this night is the beginning of Simchas Torah.

That is, on this night one has both the advantage of the Torah-mandated joy of Shemini Atzeres—as this is from the side of sanctity

(Torah);

and also the advantage of the joy of Simchas Torah through man's service—as this is from the side of creation

(the day follows the night).

Which is a semblance of the future state when the unification of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah will be revealed,

because then every matter of doubt, which equals Amalek in gematria²²², will be nullified,

and in the future the Land of Israel will spread to all lands²²³—in all lands there will be one day of festival,

Shemini Atzeres which includes within itself Simchas Torah.

And a semblance of this revelation one already has now,

but below it is in concealment,

locked in a chest

(as is known the parable about this²²⁴),

as opposed to above, where it is already revealed.

It turns out that on this night,

the intermediary that connects Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah,

one has both advantages—both from Shemini Atzeres and from Simchas Torah:

not only the advantage of the Torah-mandated joy of Shemini Atzeres,

but also as it comes from the side of the service of Israel on Simchas Torah.

That is, that in the overall elevation of the eighth level of joy

(of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah),

there comes specifically an additional elevation and endearment in Simchas Torah

(relative to the joy of Shemini Atzeres)

—the advantage of joy that comes through the service of Jews,

which is even higher than Torah in its own right.

Therefore this joy is expressed not in learning Torah,

but in dancing with a wrapped Torah scroll¹⁹⁹,

and dancing simply with the feet,

in which is emphasized the advantage of all Jews

(and all Jews equally,

as above),

as they are higher than Torah,

therefore they have the power to gladden the Torah on Simchas Torah²²⁵.

As our Sages said²²⁶ that seven things preceded the world,

and among them are Torah and Israel,

and the thought of Israel preceded everything²²⁷

(even Torah).

And as it is stated in Tanna D'vei Eliyahu²²⁸: "Two²²⁹ things preceded the world: Torah and Israel,

and I do not know which of them came first,

when He says 'Command the children of Israel' or 'Speak to the children of Israel,' I say Israel preceded."

For further explanation—with an introduction:

On the aforementioned Tanna D'vei Eliyahu, the question arises:

What is the meaning that first he says "I do not know which of them came first,"

and then he concludes that "I say Israel preceded"—whichever way you look at it:

If "I say Israel preceded,"

why does one bring that at first there was a doubt about it, "I do not know"?!

Also:

Since the author of Tanna D'vei Eliyahu²³⁰ is a reliable authority—what does "I do not know" mean?!

The explanation of this is:

"I do not know

(which of them came first)

" indicates that from the aspect of intellect

(which is in Torah)

one indeed cannot know "which of them came first"

(Torah or Israel).

Because the advantage of Jews

(that they preceded Torah)

derives from a level that is above intellect,

from the aspect of "removal of intellect"

("I do not know");

And on the contrary:

From this doubt "I do not know"

("removal of mind")

comes an advantage of light - because the "I do not know,"

which is above intellect - becomes a vessel for a level that is above intellect - "I say,"

the aspect of "I, I am He, and there is no god with Me, I wound and I heal"²³¹,

His very Essence

(which is higher than all definitions of intellect, etc.)

where "Israel preceded Me."

The explanation:

Although "removal of mind" is the opposite of the concept of Torah,

because from Torah one may not divert one's mind even for a moment - it is, however, explained in the discourses of our portion

(Parshat Berachah)

²³² that in Torah and mitzvot themselves there are two modes,

intellect and "removal of mind":

mitzvot that are dependent on a person's intellect and will;

and mitzvot "that are not dependent on his will at all, but specifically without his knowledge, like the mitzvah of forgetting and the like,"

and likewise the concept of honor and leadership - that one who pursues honor, honor flees from him, and specifically one who flees from honor, honor pursues him²³³.

That is, the fulfillment of the mitzvah of forgetting and the concept of honor come specifically through "removal of mind."

And the difference between these two modes in Torah and mitzvot is:

The mitzvot that are dependent on a person's intellect and will, their source above is from the aspect of the Supernal Will,

"and therefore below they are also dependent on his will, and by performing them he draws from the aspect of the Supernal Will";

but the mitzvot that are without intellect and will, their source is "from the aspect that is above will,"

"and therefore below it is also above a person's intellect and will,"

and through the fulfillment of these mitzvot "with removal of mind," one draws from the level above that is above will and intellect.

This is also the explanation of that which Mashiach comes with removal of mind

("three come with removal of mind: these are Mashiach, a found object, etc."):

The perfection of the concept of honor is the honor of kingship. And the perfection of kingship is the House of David²³⁴,

and in this itself - the perfection of the kingship of David is Mashiach our Righteous One

[to the extent that Mashiach will be "Caesar" and David "a deputy of Caesar"²³⁵].

And therefore Mashiach comes specifically with removal of mind - because the vessel for honor, leadership, and kingship

(of which "there is none above him except Hashem his God"²³⁶)

is specifically through "one who flees from honor,"

"removal of mind."

As we also find regarding the "first redeemer," Moshe Rabbeinu²³⁷ - that he fled from honor and leadership,

to the extent that he said "send, I pray, by the hand You will send"²³⁸,

"by another hand that You wish to send, whose end is not to bring them into the land and to be their redeemer in the future; You have many messengers"²³⁹,

until this brought about "and the anger of Hashem burned against Moshe"²⁴⁰

[with both explanations regarding this²⁴¹,

"Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korchah says... every burning anger that the Torah mentions leaves a trace, but this one left no trace, and we do not find that punishment came through that anger,

Rabbi Yosi said to him: Even in this one a trace is mentioned, etc."].

And specifically through the fact that Moshe fled from honor and leadership,

and cried out,

that since even after the Exodus from Egypt the Jews would need to go through three more exiles,

it would be better to send Mashiach our Righteous One from the outset - this "removal of mind" was a vessel for the kingship and leadership of Moshe Rabbeinu.

From this there is also a lesson for each individual,

that by virtue of the Moshe within him²⁴² he must cry out "send, I pray, by the hand You will send" - bring Mashiach our Righteous One already!].

Based on this, the aforementioned Tanna debei Eliyahu is also understood:

"I do not know" is the concept of "removal of mind,"

above intellect - which becomes a vessel for the drawing down of "I say,"

"I, I am He,"

Essence and Being,

which is above intellect, etc.,

from which specifically emerges that "Israel preceded Me."

And the superiority of the Jews,

that "Israel preceded" everything, even the Torah,

to the extent that in a manner that the "Israel preceded Me" derives from "I,"

which is above intellect - is revealed and emphasized on Simchat Torah,

as above,

the joy that comes from the custom of Israel and the service of Israel,

to the extent that the Jews then make the Torah rejoice,

and the power for this they have from that "Israel preceded" the Torah.

And therefore it is expressed in joy and dancing with the feet with a wrapped Torah scroll,

because then the superiority of the Jews is revealed, as they stand before the aspect of intellect in Torah

(the study of Torah with understanding and comprehension),

"I do not know,"

and specifically "I say, Israel preceded Me,"

Therefore, the main aspect of Simchat Torah is the joy that is drawn from and comes from the aspect of the heel of the foot,

which equalizes all Jews,

and on the contrary—specifically through the simplicity of a simple person

(the heel of the foot among the children of Israel itself)

one attains the simplicity of the Essence

(as above).

And likewise in place—that one draws the joy of Simchat Torah into the outside,

into the street literally

(as discussed on the previous nights),

including—by making a Kiddush there,

and a Yom Tov meal or something resembling a Yom Tov meal.

And likewise in time—the service in the end of days and the footsteps of Mashiach

(the heel of the foot);

And through this, the "distraction of the mind" becomes a vessel to transform the footsteps of Mashiach and bring Mashiach our righteousness,

in the true and complete redemption,

and with joy and a good heart.

Earlier it was mentioned that this night is the intermediary that connects between Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah,

because regarding holy matters the night follows the day,

and regarding the work of creation the day follows the night.

As this matter is both according to the law and the revealed aspect of Torah,

and also according to the inner dimension of Torah. And as discussed above

(section a)

that the revealed aspect of Torah and the inner dimension of Torah are one thing,

and now this must be so for every Jew—the connection of the revealed aspect of Torah and the inner dimension of Torah in a revealed way.

As it states in Kuntres Etz HaChayim²⁴³ that in order for the study of the revealed and the law to be complete,

there must be study of the inner dimension of Torah.

And likewise the Vilna Gaon writes in his glosses on Proverbs²⁴⁴—and for some reason this is not publicized—that without the inner dimension of Torah one cannot understand the revealed aspect of Torah and rule on a law properly.

Thus writes the Gaon.

And even more sharply than what is stated even in Kuntres Etz HaChayim

(but briefly—as is his way in his language everywhere).

From this it is understood that this is an instruction for all Jews. For rabbis—what need is there to state it,

because they must rule on questions,

therefore they must know the inner dimension of Torah. But even other Jews

(not rabbis)

must also know the inner dimension of Torah in order to understand the revealed aspect of Torah. And according to what is stated in the aforementioned books—this is not even a question,

as it states in Hilchot Talmud Torah of the Alter Rebbe,²⁴⁵

that "in this era, even the settled laws of the rulings of the Geonim and the poskim etc. are considered as Mishnah,"

and upon this applies the rule that "if one erred in a matter of Mishnah, he returns."²⁴⁶

Since this night is also a continuation of Shemini Atzeret from the aspect that the night follows the day

(in addition to the fact that it is a beginning of Simchat Torah from the aspect that the day follows the night),

and Shemini Atzeret this year falls on Shabbat—it is therefore customary every Shabbat to speak about a matter in the weekly Torah portion together with Rashi's commentary.

And the weekly portion of this Shabbat

(Shemini Atzeret)

is Parshat Vezot Haberachah. And although the entire portion is read on Simchat Torah

(which begins on this night)

—nevertheless

(in addition to the fact that the Chumash portion for Shemini Atzeret is in Parshat Vezot Haberachah—from the seventh aliyah until the end of the portion, it is)

known the instruction of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe,²⁴⁷

that one should review Parshat Vezot Haberachah on the eve of Simchat Torah

(on Shemini Atzeret),

not as others are accustomed

(and as is printed in Tikkun Hosha'ana)

to review the portion on the night of Hosha'ana Rabbah.²⁴⁸

And although last Shabbat

(Chol Hamoed Sukkot)

was also the portion of Vezot Haberachah—nevertheless, ostensibly there is no place to review the portion on the eve of that Shabbat,

because "a person should always complete his portions with the congregation, two times the text and one time the translation,"²⁴⁸*

and within this itself—one endeavors that the review should be as close as possible to the public Torah reading

(before the Shabbat when the portion is read in public).

And in connection with this, here is the place to mention—that if there are those who have not yet reviewed Parshat Vezot Haberachah today

(as per the instruction of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe),

due to distractions or due to the joy that breaks boundaries²⁴⁹—they can still utilize the last hours of Shemini Atzeret and do it,

and not postpone it for later,

as the law is that "a person should always complete his portions with the congregation,"

"but from then onward, once the congregation has begun another portion, the time for this one has passed."²⁵⁰

And even though it is said that "some say that after the fact one can complete it until the third day of the week"

(until it is said that "some say that after the fact one can also complete it until Simchat Torah, when the entire community completes the entire Torah"²⁵⁰)

— it is nevertheless difficult regarding the reading of Parshat Berachah, whether one can postpone it until the third day after Simchat Torah,

because after Simchat Torah a new matter begins, etc.

But with difficulty,

if for some reason one did not do it before Simchat Torah,

it is considered pressing and included, and one can do it afterward.

Regarding a Rashi in Parshat Berachah — we will stop at the last Rashi

(which is also the conclusion of the study session of Chumash of Shmini Atzeret,

on the seventh day).

We have already spoken about this once²⁵¹,

but as recorded in my memory, only the questions were asked,

and the matter was not answered or explained.

Rashi stops at the last words at the conclusion of the Torah

(the conclusion of Parshat Berachah)

"before the eyes of all Israel",

and explains:

"that his heart lifted him to break the tablets before their eyes, as it is said²⁵² 'and I broke them before your eyes,' and the mind of the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with his opinion, as it is said²⁵³ 'which you broke — may your strength be straight that you broke.'"

One must understand a most wondrous thing:

A) There is a principle that one concludes with a good thing²⁵⁴. How is it that Rashi concludes his commentary on the Five Books of the Torah [unlike his commentary on Nach,

and likewise his commentary on the Mishnah and Talmud,

which are in a different style than his commentary on the Five Books of the Torah] with a matter contrary to good — about the breaking of the tablets,

"that you broke"?!

Moreover:

Rashi could have easily changed the order and concluded with the words "may your strength be straight"

(a good thing),

instead of with "that you broke"

(a matter contrary to good)!

The question becomes even stronger:

The principle that one concludes with a good thing applies,

that where there is a conclusion with an undesirable matter,

one then concludes with one matter that is a good thing,

and this protects and reverses the entire matter. As we see at the conclusion of Masechet Niddah:

Even though the conclusion there discusses matters contrary to good,

one concludes with one statement in order to conclude with a good thing,

and this reverses the entire matter.

When it comes to the conclusion of the Five Books of the Torah — Rashi does exactly the opposite:

The conclusion of the Torah discusses good and lofty matters — "and all the strong hand and all the great awe which Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel";

Rashi comes and "reverses" the matter and concludes with an undesirable matter — "that you broke"?!

B) Even without the question of concluding with a good thing — the question arises on Rashi:

The content of the verses is about the virtues and praises of Moses our teacher,

and in the language of the verse — "and no prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom Hashem knew face to face,

for all the signs and wonders which Hashem sent him to do in the land of Egypt, etc.,

and all the strong hand and all the great awe which Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel." So how does this fit in

(among all these virtues and praises of Moses)

the matter of the breaking of the tablets,

"that his heart lifted him to break the tablets"?!

And as indeed seen in other commentators on Rashi²⁵⁵,

that they explain this verse regarding the giving of the Torah and the like

(which was "before the eyes of all Israel")

— great and wondrous matters in accordance with the content of the verses here;

but Rashi explains it specifically on the matter of the breaking of the tablets!

Moreover:

Rashi himself explains that "and all the strong hand" means "that he received

(Moses)

the Torah in tablets in his hands." This is simply a most great matter

(in accordance with the content of all the verses).

So how does it fit afterward,

in continuation of this,

to bring the matter of the breaking of the tablets by Moses — the ultimate opposite from one extreme to the other of "he received the Torah in tablets in his hands"?!

C) The precise language "that his heart lifted him to break the tablets before their eyes":

¹) How does the term "his heart" fit here at all — the matter of the breaking of the tablets was done by the hands of Moses

("and he cast the tablets from his hands and broke them"²⁵⁶),

not by the heart of Moses?!

²) All the more so, the term "that his heart lifted him to break the tablets" seemingly does not fit here — is this a matter of lifting the heart to break the tablets of the Holy One, blessed be He?!

Why is it necessary to come to lifting the heart to break the tablets?

D) What virtue was there in the breaking of the tablets that the Almighty agreed to it and said "may your strength be straight that you broke"?

The explanation of all this:

Rashi brings the breaking of the tablets among the other virtues and praises of Moshe Rabbeinu

(at the end of parshas Berachah)

— because this too is a praise and virtue of Moshe Rabbeinu.

[As understood from the very matter that the Torah relates about it,

all the more so from that which even "regarding the blemish of an impure [animal] the Torah did not speak" ²⁵⁷,

certainly regarding a blemish of Moshe Rabbeinu (to distinguish).]

Therefore, "the mind of the Holy One, blessed be He, concurred with his mind, as it is said, 'which you broke — may your strength be firm that you broke.'"

And on the contrary — the breaking of the tablets brought out the most sublime praise of Moshe Rabbeinu,

therefore it comes at the very end of the Torah

("before the eyes of all Israel")

and Rashi concludes his commentary with it — because

(not only is this not a conclusion in the opposite of good, but)

on the contrary — this is a conclusion with a good thing and the greatest praise of Moshe Rabbeinu. As follows.

And the explanation of this:

Regarding the reason why Moshe Rabbeinu broke the tablets — Rashi writes two reasons in two separate places:

In one place ²⁵⁸ he writes:

"He said: Just as the Paschal lamb, which is one of the commandments, the Torah said ²⁵⁹ 'no foreigner shall eat of it,'

the entire Torah is here and Israel are apostates, and I shall give it to them?"

In a second place ²⁶⁰ he writes:

"A parable: A king who went overseas and left his betrothed with the maidservants,

due to the corruption of the maidservants a bad name went out about her,

the groomsman stood up and tore her marriage contract,

he said: If the king says to kill her, I will say to him: She is not yet your wife, etc.,

so the king is the Holy One, blessed be He,

the maidservants are the mixed multitude,

and the groomsman is Moshe,

the betrothed of the Holy One, blessed be He, is Israel,"

and the tablets are a marriage contract between the Most High and the Jewish people,

and since a "bad name" went out about the Jewish people,

because of the sin of the mixed multitude,

Moshe "tore" the "marriage contract"

(the breaking of the tablets),

so that the Most High should not punish the Jewish people.

Both reasons bring out the praise of Moshe Rabbeinu through breaking the tablets. But each reason brings out a different praise of Moshe:

According to the first reason, the praise of Moshe in breaking the tablets consists in that he stood up for the honor of the Torah,

but regarding the Jewish people — it brings out the opposite of their praise,

that being "apostates" they are not worthy of the Torah

(all the more so from "no foreigner shall eat of it" regarding the Paschal lamb).

However, according to the second reason — the praise of Moshe consists in that he stood up for the good of Israel,

and thereby brought out the wondrous virtue of the Jewish people, that they are higher than the Torah,

that when it was a matter of the Jewish people being affected, Heaven forbid,

(because of the sin of the Golden Calf)

— Moshe broke the tablets

(the tearing of the marriage contract)