English translation — שיחת יום ג' פ' ויגש, ה' טבת* ה'תשמ"ז. - בביהכנ"ס, אחר תפלת מנחה -

It is known the Torah and teaching of the Alter Rebbe

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

the Nasi of our generation¹),

that one must live with the time,

and as the Mitteler Rebbe

[being the guide of the new,

young chassidim of the Alter Rebbe²]

explained³

(after asking the Alter Rebbe),

that this means —

to live with the weekly parshah,

and within the weekly parshah itself —

each day with the portion of the parshah corresponding to that day.

In the first verse of today's portion of Chumash —

third to fourth in Parshas Vayigash —

it is written⁴,

that Yosef says to his brothers:

"And now, it was not you who sent me here, but G-d..."

(as it says in the preceding verse⁵:

"And G-d sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the land and to keep you alive for a great deliverance." And before that⁶:

"For G-d sent me before you to preserve life").

That is, that Yosef informs his brothers,

that his being in Egypt is not because of them,

but rather "G-d sent me",

in order that there should be "to preserve for you a remnant in the land and to keep you alive for a great deliverance",

and in general —

through revealing G-dliness even in the land of Egypt

(as will be explained).

This mission was indeed clothed and came to Yosef through (the Name)

"Elokim",

the aspect of "Magen"⁷

(garment),

the attribute of judgment⁸ and tzimtzum⁹ —

through the sale of Yosef,

and his descent to Egypt, from the term meitzarim and boundaries¹⁰ etc.,

but together with this it is stated clearly that this is "He sent me",

a mission from the Supreme One to reveal G-dliness there,

exactly as it would have been if revealed through the Name Havayah,

the attribute of mercy¹¹.

And on the contrary:

Why did the Supreme One do this specifically in a garment of the Name Elokim,

and not do this in a revealed manner through the Name Havayah? Because a descent is for the sake of an ascent:

At the time of the mission, it is carried out through a lower descent

(the Name Elokim),

a state of concealment and hiding —

this is in order that from this there should emerge an additional ascent,

until an ascent incomparably higher than a mission that is carried out in a revealed manner

(through the Name Havayah).

And as explained in many places,

that concealment and hiding

(of the Name Elokim)

derives from a higher level in G-dliness than the levels in G-dliness that shine in a revealed manner.

From this there is the

(Torah, from the term)

eternal teaching¹²,

with which one must live today in connection with the current occurrence

[and all the more so and a fortiori:

if Yosef conducted himself thus before the giving of the Torah,

how much more so in our times,

after the giving of the Torah,

when it is (even more) revealed how a Jew is one entity with the Torah¹³,

until (through this) Yisrael, the Torah, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one¹⁴]:

Until now one was in an undesirable situation and state

(in "Mitzrayim" from the term meitzarim and boundaries),

even when one has already emerged from it today —

one must explain to others

(and all the more so to oneself),

that this is not a coincidence, heaven forbid¹⁵,

and not in order that one should, heaven forbid, remain with the pain and anguish,

and even not a thing that comes through human agency,

but rather "G-d sent me":

This is a mission from the Supreme One in order to fulfill a specific purpose.

This mission indeed came through the Name Elokim,

a shield and garment that conceals and hides,

to the extent that it is called by the name of the shield —

"Elokim" from the term "judgment" and "judges"¹⁶

(as it was in the case at hand) —

nevertheless, one knows with certainty,

that this is "He sent me",

a mission from the Supreme One. And on the contrary:

A mission through which there must come a greater light¹⁷

(which one would not have attained were it not for the descent) —

through the fact that "a person's agent¹⁸

(of the Supreme One¹⁹)

is like himself", one reveals G-dliness with full force even in a place that in and of itself is tzimtzum and judgment.

And from this is the lesson for every Jew in actual deed,

deed is the main thing²⁰:

Everyone, in every place, must increase in his actions in the world out of a clear recognition that in whatever situation and state he may find himself, he is an agent of G-d!

From the well-known teaching of the Baal Shem Tov

(transmitted by the Nasi of our generation²¹)

on the verse²² "Hashem establishes the steps of a man" —

"When a Jew goes to a place,

it is not about his going, but that he is led there by the intention,

when he arrives at a place, the intention is —

'to cause His name to dwell there' —

to publicize G‑dliness in the world."

And corresponding to this is the Torah of the Alter Rebbe²³ on the verse²⁴ "Hashem establishes the steps of a man" —

"When a Jew comes to a place,

it is for a purpose,

to perform a mitzvah, etc.,

a Jew is an agent of the Supernal,

an agent wherever he is,

he is the power of the one who sent him."

This is a mission that is indeed clothed in a garment that conceals and hides

(the name Elokim) —

but together with this, "Torah Or"²⁵ gives forth a clear and luminous instruction,

that it is "G‑d has sent me",

a mission from the Supreme One Himself,

and on the contrary —

from a place of judgment and contraction,

and specifically there he should —

as "a person's agent is like himself" —

accomplish "to cause His name to dwell there",

even "there"

(which indicates a most lowly place²⁶)

he should accomplish that "His name" of the Holy One, blessed be He

(even the name Elokim)

should dwell in a manner of "to cause to dwell",

from the term Mishkan (Tabernacle)

(and the Temple is called Mishkan²⁷),

where there is "and I will dwell in their midst"²⁸ openly.

So what

(which manner of "to cause His name to dwell there")

especially constitutes the mission of our generation in general,

and in particular —

in connection with today?

It will be understood from the mission of Joseph in the land of Egypt in general

("G‑d has sent me") —

as explained in Chassidus

(and especially in these parshiyos²⁹)

in the elucidation of the difference between the service of the Patriarchs

(and the Tribes)

and the service of Joseph:

The Patriarchs were shepherds,

in seclusion by themselves,

separated from the world,

so that worldly matters would not disturb them from their attachment to G‑dliness

("the Patriarchs are the Chariot"³⁰).

The innovation of the service of Joseph was,

that on one hand he was clothed in worldly matters,

for being in Egypt

(constrictions and boundaries of holiness,

until —

from which were derived³¹ the constrictions and boundaries of the world)

he had "a great and immense distraction"³²,

and all the more so when he became "ruler³² over Egypt"³³,

and was occupied with the administration of the monarchy,

mundane matters,

and even —

with the nations of the world,

"he opened³² [the storehouses] for all the people of the land" that his dealings were with the entire world, etc.;

And so it was with him earlier when he was in Potiphar's house,

where he was occupied with his work,

in the house of Potiphar and over all that he had³⁵,

and certainly he performed the work faithfully,

he applied himself to it,

and afterwards also "and he came into the house to do his work"³⁶ —

And together with this and at the same time that he was occupied in worldly work —

the distractions did not confuse him at all and did not affect his attachment to Hashem,

and even during his engagement with them he was a "veritable Chariot to G‑dliness"³⁷,

in complete unity and complete self-nullification to the Supreme One.

When Joseph was still under the direction of his father Jacob —

he too was a shepherd,

"shepherding his brothers with the flock"³⁸,

like the Patriarchs

(seclusion);

this, however, was only as preparation for his service later in Egypt. Afterwards, however, the main service of Joseph was in Egypt,

and there too he stood in complete unity with the Supreme One.

Until "these³⁸ are the generations of Jacob, Joseph":

Specifically through

(and in)

Joseph was revealed the ultimate perfection of Jacob³⁹,

the third and tripartite of the three Patriarchs⁴⁰,

"the chosen

(perfection)

of the Patriarchs"⁴¹.

And in this consisted Yosef's mission in Egypt

(because of which "G-d sent me") —

in order to draw down G-dliness into "Egypt",

the straits and boundaries of the world,

until —

also for the nations of the world

(not like the service of the Patriarchs,

which was primarily in the realm of holiness,

in seclusion from the world),

so that even in this lowest world, where G-dliness is in concealment and hiding,

(not only should it not hinder G-dliness,

but there should)

G-dliness shine. Until in a manner that Yosef was there "a veritable chariot for G-dliness",

in complete unity and complete nullification to the Above,

and in this state and situation he influenced all of Egypt,

"and without you no man shall lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt",

"and he made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt"

(as it states in continuation of "It was not you who sent me here, but G-d");

And through this it should become "for sustenance" for the tribes,

("And G-d sent me before you

to place for you a remnant in the land and to keep you alive for a great deliverance".

And it can be said that therefore it says "And G-d sent me",

because Yosef's mission was clothed in "Egypt",

straits and boundaries,

whose root is from the Name Elokim

(judgment and contraction):

But the intention in this is a descent for the sake of ascent:

Through the fact that Yosef drew down G-dliness,

"to cause His name to dwell there",

even in "Egypt",

there was an advantage of light from darkness. And through this he also achieved the ultimate perfection in the service of Yaakov

(and all the three Patriarchs).

And afterwards Yosef told his brothers

(in today's Torah portion,

as above)

"And now, it was not you who sent me here, but G-d",

"Hasten and go up to my father and say to him: So says your son Yosef, G-d has made me lord of all Egypt, etc.".

Until the tribes came to Yaakov and "they spoke to him all the words of Yosef which he had spoken to them, and he saw the wagons which Yosef had sent to carry him",

and this caused —

"and the spirit of their father Yaakov revived".

For when Yaakov heard "all the words of Yosef" and "he saw the wagons which Yosef had sent",

he understood that Yosef had carried out his mission in Egypt,

that despite the fact that this is Egypt

(straits and boundaries),

it did not cause any change in Yosef,

and being there he was "a chariot for G-dliness". And moreover —

he also refined and drew down a revelation of G-dliness in Egypt,

so that it should be "to keep you alive for a great deliverance",

and Yaakov and his family could descend there with honor etc.;

And since through this the perfection of Yaakov himself was also revealed

("These are the generations of Yaakov, Yosef",

as above),

therefore it caused "and the spirit of their father Yaakov revived".

And the explanation of this:

On "all the words of Yosef" Rashi explains⁴²:

"He gave them a sign: what subject he was studying when he parted from him, the chapter of the heifer whose neck is broken,

this is what is said: 'and he saw the wagons which Yosef had sent' and it does not say 'which Pharaoh had sent'".

From this it is understood,

that through this sign Yaakov understood that despite the twenty-two years that Yosef was away from him and went down to the land of Egypt and there performed his work in matters of the mundane and matters of the world, even with the nations of the world —

it did not make any change in him,

and the proof is that he remembers "what subject he was studying when he parted from him".

And it can be said even more than this —

according to the explanation of the precise point

(in the inner aspect of the matters)

that the sign

("what subject he was studying when he parted from him")

was "the chapter of the heifer whose neck is broken":

The content of the commandment of the heifer whose neck is broken is:

"If a corpse is found in the land etc., fallen in the field, it is not known who struck him,

then your elders and judges shall go out and measure to the cities surrounding the corpse,

and it shall be that the city closest to the corpse, the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd etc. and bring it down etc. and break its neck there in the wadi etc."⁴³.

The concept in spiritual service:

"Corpse" refers to an entity that has become severed, Heaven forbid, from its source of life —

"Hashem, G-d of life"⁴⁴

(the opposite of "and you who cling to Hashem your G-d are all alive today"⁴⁴),

through the fact that he conducts himself contrary to the will of Hashem. And this comes about because the "corpse" is "in the field" —

which refers to the aspect of Esav, "a man of the field"⁴⁵,

who schemes to make of one who finds himself

(for various and sundry reasons)

in the "field",

and make of him a "corpse", Heaven forbid,

severed from "Hashem, G-d of life".

And regarding this, the advice is,

that "your elders and your judges" should go out into the "field" and there perform various tactics in order to reveal and publicize the aspect of Esau "a man of the field" who wants to separate someone from attachment to "Hashem, the living God";

And regarding a Jew —

to reveal and publicize that he is a Jew who neither wants nor is able to be torn away from G-dliness

(as the Alter Rebbe says⁴⁶),

through the fact that he is connected with the "Torah of life"⁴⁷ and commandments, about which it is said "and you shall live by them"⁴⁸,

and according to the ruling of the Rambam⁴⁹,

that every Jew "desires to be of Israel and desires to perform all the commandments and distance himself from transgressions"

[and therefore when he says "I desire",

even though this comes from the aspect of "we compel him",

it is his true will ("your will"),

his inner will,

as it is revealed in the will expressed in speech ("I desire"),

in this physical world].

And based on this, one will understand the content of the sign that Joseph sent to Jacob: "What was he [Joseph] occupied with when he parted from him?" "The portion of the beheaded heifer":

One of the reasons for bringing a beheaded heifer and the details of its matter is⁵⁰,

because through this it becomes publicized that there was a "slain person" in the field,

and they begin to inquire,

this will give the possibility to discover who was guilty. "And it is impossible⁵¹ that through the investigation and the going out of the elders and the standers and the nearest city and the heifer, the talk of people will not increase,

and perhaps through the publication of the matter the murderer will be known, etc."

From this it is also understood,

that through the fact that one studies Torah in the portion of the beheaded heifer —

as Joseph and Jacob were occupied

(at the time of their parting from each other) —

it publicized and revealed the cause of the "slain person" in the field

(the opposite of attachment to Hashem, your living God),

until this

(the study of Torah regarding this matter)

accomplished the clarification of the matter in the world.

And simply:

Through the fact that one studies about what the beheaded heifer can bring about —

it accomplishes not only that "all Israel will hear and fear and will not continue to do"⁵²,

but it prevents that one should not, from the outset, come to a situation where one could stumble in it.

And based on this it is understood,

that through the fact that Joseph sent Jacob the sign "What was he occupied with when he parted from him in the portion of the beheaded heifer",

he hinted to him that while being in Egypt,

a place of the lowest level that can separate one from attachment to Hashem, the living God

(similar to a "field" which brings about a reality of a "slain person"),

he did not forget and utilized "the portion of the beheaded heifer" which they had studied, so as not to be affected by the aspect of "field" in Egypt which can separate one from attachment to the living God,

or at least lower him from his level⁵³,

rather he remained there "a veritable chariot to G-dliness",

and moreover —

there came to him an ascent, the advantage of light from darkness, through the fact that he performed his service in the place of darkness. And he also occupied himself in Egypt with the service of the "beheaded heifer",

the clarification of the lowest,

and also to influence the nations of the world

(as above),

as is also emphasized in "the wagons which Joseph sent"

("and it is not said 'which Pharaoh sent'"),

even though Joseph was under the rule of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

And therefore,

at the time that Jacob saw "the wagons which Joseph sent",

the sign that Joseph conveyed "What was he occupied with when he parted from him in the portion of the beheaded heifer" —

it brought about "and the spirit of their father Jacob revived",

and precisely —

"and revived",

the opposite of the reality of a "slain person" G-d forbid

(as was the case with Jacob before this),

hearing that by Joseph there was no descent,

but on the contrary —

an ascent, a higher elevation.

According to this explanation of the content and purpose of Joseph's mission in Egypt

(in the current Torah portion,

with which one must live today) —

one will also understand the content and purpose of the mission

("and God sent me")

in our generation in general,

and in particular —

the additional "mission":

The "Yosef" of our generation⁵⁴,

the Nasi of our generation,

was sent from Above

("and G-d sent me")

into "Egypt"

(exile)

of our generation,

in order to accomplish there the refinement of the world⁵⁵,

to make for Him, blessed be He, a dwelling place in the lower realms,

in the lowest level, "below which there is no lower"⁵⁶,

through the dissemination of Torah and Judaism in general,

and specifically the spreading forth of the wellsprings outward,

so that the "lower realms" become a "dwelling place" for the Supreme One,

Essence and Being,

and in ultimate perfection,

as is known that in a dwelling place, the person who dwells therein is found with all his essence⁵⁷.

And the intent of the mission is —

a descent for the sake of an ascent,

in order that through this there should come the advantage of light from darkness,

until there shall be "and the spirit of Yaakov their father revived".

And this is accomplished through that which the "Yosef" of our generation

(the Nasi of our generation)

gives to every Jew of our generation a mission

(as Yosef gave to his brothers)

of the service of the "eglah arufah" —

"the wagons which Yosef sent" —

to go out into the "field",

into the "lower realms",

and to disseminate Judaism and the wellsprings outward,

so that the entire reality is negated, that there should be able to be a Jew who is found even in the "field",

that things that tear him away should be able to attach themselves to him,

or weaken his connection with "Hashem, the living G-d".

And through this is fulfilled "and the spirit of Yaakov their father revived":

The Gemara⁵⁸ asks

(regarding "Yaakov our father did not die")

"But did the mourners mourn and the embalmers embalm in vain etc.?"

and answers:

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

This means in the present service:

"And the spirit of Yaakov their father revived" depends on "his offspring" —

that each one of us,

within the entirety of the Jewish people,

should be "alive"

(in attachment to "Hashem, the living G-d",

connected with the Torah of life and the commandments, of which it is said "and live by them" —

then "so too is he alive"⁵⁹,

"and the spirit of Yaakov their father revived".

And in this very matter, there came an additional descent and mission

("and G-d sent me")

beyond the undesirable situation and state from which we have now emerged:

Since in this "mission"

(from "Elokim",

judgment and law)

there came an additional descent, concealment, and hiding —

it is understood that the intent of the mission is a descent for the sake of an ascent,

in order that through this there should come an ascent incomparably greater, through the advantage of light from darkness⁶⁰,

and in this, "and the spirit of Yaakov their father revived".

And an ascent in this matter, upon which there was concealment and hiding —

the writings and books and words of the living G-d connected with the spreading forth of the wellsprings outward.

That is, that from this concealment and hiding itself, and from the accusations etc., one can learn wherein lies the "and G-d sent me" in such a situation and state —

"from my enemies You made me wise"⁶¹.

This is as was the case in the story of the redemption of the Alter Rebbe

(19 Kislev) —

that from the accusations that were brought against him,

which brought about the imprisonment,

he learned where,

and in what, the increase needed to be⁶²:

First and foremost —

he learned and interpreted the lesson in the service of Hashem and his service from the accusations that were brought against him.

And in general:

Since the accusation was regarding the matter of the spreading forth of the wellsprings outward⁶³ by the Alter Rebbe in a manner of "yafkrenun"⁶⁴ —

thereafter came the instruction

(which the Alter Rebbe wanted and needed to hear)

⁶⁵ from the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid

(regarding that which the Alter Rebbe asked whether he should cease disseminating the wellsprings outward),

that on the contrary:

Now he must specifically increase in this,

even more than it was until then!

And so too in our matter:

In our matter, there were accusations,

that one is not active

(active)⁶⁶,

and that one does not use the writings and books and words of the living G-d in the activities of the spreading forth of the wellsprings outward,

consequently, there is a question whether these things belong to that place etc.

The question arises:

Everything is with Divine Providence. How is it that one should have complaints specifically about a matter

(the dissemination of the wellsprings outward)

in which great and wondrous things have been accomplished,

and especially in the years since the Nasi of our generation came to this country —

the dissemination of the wellsprings outward,

to the point that it permeated also the dissemination of Judaism outward,

so that even in the alef-beit of Judaism it is evident that this has been permeated and unified with the inner dimension of the Torah,

the wellsprings of the Torah,

until with the "source of living waters" —

G‑dliness itself.

Until the Nasi of our generation himself testified⁶⁷

(regarding the great and wondrous things that have already been accomplished) —

that now it only needs to be "stand ready, all of you,"

because everything has already been completed,

and only "polishing the buttons"⁶⁸ remains.

Now, how is it that there should be "and G‑d sent me" in such an alarming situation,

with doubts in which one found oneself,

and complaints that one is not active in the dissemination of the wellsprings outward, etc.?!

The only explanation for this is —

that the intention in the mission is to bring about a greater elevation in the work of disseminating the wellsprings outward, many times over,

until beyond all proportion.

Therefore, this was brought down and clothed in complaints that one is not active,

and one does not use the writings, etc. —

in order that this should bring about that one do in this matter beyond all proportion more than before.

That is to say:

Even though everything has already been accomplished and one indeed holds only at "polishing the buttons"

(one already has the buttons,

one only needs to polish them) —

nevertheless, in this very thing there comes an additional service. And the explanation:

Polishing the buttons is seemingly the most external thing. A button in its simple sense —

is a part of the garment that has no

(apparent)

benefit and brings no benefit to the person clothed in the garment;

But without the button, the two sides of the garment are separated,

the right side and the left side stand apart

(even though both clothe and protect the person),

and the button unites them both.

And as is the custom of Israel —

right over left. The right does not nullify the left,

because one also needs the left side to clothe and protect the person;

but the left side receives assistance from the right side,

including also in this —

that the right side

(which lies over the left)

helps bring out the left side in its own aspect

(the left);

And on the other hand —

every recipient is also an influencer,⁶⁹

the left side helps the right side,

as the advantage of light, etc.

And this service itself

(of fastening the buttons right over left)

has already been accomplished as well. Only the service of polishing the buttons remains:

making the aforementioned service of right and left even more beautiful and more perfect.

And through the descent and additional mission that has now come —

the intention in this is,

that this should bring about an addition and elevation in the service of "polishing the buttons"

[also the matter of the overcoming of the right over the left,

including the left ("G‑d sent me") of the descent and mission].

And accordingly, one can connect the current occurrence also with the day of the week,

the third day,⁷⁰

and with the fact that we have just come from the days of Chanukah:

The accomplishment of the third day is —

that "it was good" was doubled in it:

After on the second day division, etc. was created,⁷¹

and therefore "it was good" is not stated then —

the third day rectified this,

and "it was good" was doubled in it.⁷²

And the "it was good" being doubled consists of good for heaven and good for the creations.⁷³ And as has been discussed many times,

that the explanation of this is not that one part of the day is "good for heaven" and another part is "good for the creations,"

but rather every moment of the day,

and every action, speech, and thought of the day is —

"good for heaven and good for the creations."

And one can say one of the explanations of this

(in connection with our subject)⁷⁴:

"Good for heaven" —

the dissemination of the wellsprings outward

(the inner dimension of the Torah, "heaven" of the Torah);

and "good for the creations" —

the dissemination of Torah and Judaism in general

(the revealed dimension of the Torah —

"creations" of the Torah),

the dissemination of Torah, service, and acts of kindness

(as will be explained).

And correspondingly, the content of Chanukah is also

[which this day is blessed from the second Shabbat of Chanukah,

from which all the days are blessed,⁷⁵

all the more so the third day,

after the praise⁷⁶]:

After the descent of "the Greeks entered the Sanctuary and defiled all the oils in the Sanctuary etc."⁷⁷ —

there was the miracle "and they found only one cruse of oil etc."⁷⁷,

from which emerged the advantage of light from darkness⁷⁸.

And therefore they instituted the miracle with lights⁷⁸,

"at the entrance of his house on the outside"⁷⁷,

"until the foot ceases from the market etc. until the foot of the Tarmodite ceases"⁷⁷,

and in a manner of increasing from day to day⁷⁷.

And in avodah it refers to the matter of the dissemination of the wellsprings of the inner dimension of Torah

(oil⁷⁹ of Torah)

outward,

at the entrance of his house on the outside,

and in a manner of "dissemination"⁸⁰,

like oil that permeates every thing⁸¹,

until it completely nullifies the existence of "Tarmodite"

(Tarmod is the letters of moredet⁸²),

rebels against the kingdom of heaven

(as discussed in the farbrengen before⁸³);

And all this in a manner of increasing and light from day to day.

From this is understood the lesson and instruction for everyone in actual practice:

Certainly the ascent after the descent in the final "he sent me" must evoke a great joy,

because of that which "the spirit of their father Jacob revived",

and joy breaks a barrier⁸⁴,

every measure and limitation;

But afterwards the joy must immediately enter into actual deed —

beginning from this day,

Tuesday, in which "it was good" was doubled,

blessed from the second Shabbat of Chanukah,

and his portion of Chumash with which one must live is about the mission of Yosef,

as above at length:

To each one must come a strengthening in his recognition that in every place he is the emissary of the Nasi of our generation and

(through him)

the emissary of the Holy One, blessed be He⁸⁵,

to make a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms.

And primarily, to each one must come an increase beyond measure in his activities as the emissary of the Nasi of our generation

(Yosef in our generation),

as the emissary of the Holy One, blessed be He —

in making a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms,

through the dissemination of Torah and Judaism. And especially being occupied with the dissemination of the wellsprings outward,

beginning "at the entrance of his house",

with himself and his household,

and afterwards "on the outside" —

in "the outside",

in "the field",

where there are still Jews,

he goes there to effect that among them there should be no matter that could distance or weaken their connection with the Most High.

And first and foremost one does this

(as discussed many times recently)

through the matter of establishing a "Chabad House" —

and now there must come in this an increase beyond measure

(due to the additional descent which is for the sake of ascent):

First and foremost —

"at the entrance of his house":

One makes one's own house

(and one's own four cubits) —

a "Chabad House"⁸⁶,

a house in which Torah is magnified⁸⁷,

and a house in which prayer is magnified⁸⁷,

and a house in which acts of kindness and charity are magnified —

the totality of the matter of the mitzvot⁸⁸,

That as much as one has done in this until now,

there must come in this from now on an increase and greatness

(a house in which they magnify etc.),

even relative to the greatness until now.

And afterwards —

"on the outside":

establishing a "Chabad House" in every place in the outside,

"in the field",

where there are Jews,

and it should illuminate all the Jews around,

Until also the nations of the world —

that they also hear that "the wagons which Yosef sent"

(and not Pharaoh),

they proclaim that "without you no man shall lift up his hand or his foot",

in all these matters connected with Judaism. And connected with carrying out the mission

(of "the wagons which Yosef sent") —

through that which one influences the nations of the world regarding the seven mitzvot of the children of Noach,

as per the ruling of the Rambam⁸⁹ —

"Moshe Rabbeinu commanded from the mouth of the Almighty to compel all the inhabitants of the world to accept the mitzvot commanded to the children of Noach."

And doing all this —

in a manner of increasing and light.

And all this one must begin to do in actual deed on this day —

Tuesday, in which "it was good" was doubled —

when one has emerged from the undesirable situation that existed until now.

And simply:

Increase in the three matters⁹⁰ of Torah study,

the service of prayer, and acts of kindness and charity.

[And note the connection with the entirety of our parshah —

"And Yehudah approached him (to Yosef)",

the connection of Talmud and action⁹¹. And as is especially emphasized in the footsteps of Moshiach —

as preparation for the redemption when there will be the complete connection of Yehudah and Yosef,

"great study"⁹² (or:

"great learning"⁹³),

and "great action"].

And especially —

regarding charity⁹⁴:

We should also grab into today's day —

increase in matters of charity in its simple sense. And simply:

give money into charity boxes,

or to poor people.

And along with this —

help out a Jew in every possible way.

And also endeavor to publicize and disseminate all these matters discussed above to every Jew and to all Jews,

so that every Jew throughout the entire world should begin,

immediately on this day,

to increase in his actions as an agent of the Holy One, blessed be He, in making a dwelling place in the lower realms,

through spreading Torah and Judaism and spreading the wellsprings outward.

And may it be His will that all these things should hasten even more,

so that from "and the spirit of Yaakov their father revived"

(through "his seed who are alive"),

we should come to the matter of "revived" in its simple sense —

awake and sing, you who dwell in dust⁹⁵,

and Yaakov our father among them,

and Yosef of our generation

(the Nasi of our generation)

among them.

And all together go with joy and gladness of heart to our holy land,

and "Hashem your God will enlarge your territory"⁹⁶,

including the Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite⁹⁷.

In the true and complete redemption through Mashiach our righteousness,

"with our young and with our old etc. with our sons and with our daughters"⁹⁸,

"a great company shall return here"⁹⁹,

Together with all the "greatness" that the Almighty gives to every Jew and to all Jews in all their matters,

beginning simply —

with children, life, and ample sustenance, and with all of them ample;

and also greatness in the service of Hashem —

"great is study",

and "great is deed"

(Yehudah and Yosef).

Which is further hastened by the fact that every Jew acts in a manner of "great" both in "study",

the study of Torah,

and in "deed",

the performance of mitzvos,

and also "all your deeds shall be for the sake of Heaven"¹⁰⁰,

and "in all your ways know Him"¹⁰¹.

Beginning,

as mentioned,

on this day,

in which it is doubled that it is good.

And through this we will complete the intention in the final descent —

that it was only temporary —

in order to utilize it to increase in the service,

and in completeness and properly,

and completeness —

not only in the sense of completion,

but also in the sense of perfection,

until —

the ultimate perfection,

as it derives from Essence and Being —

through making for Him, blessed be He, a dwelling place in the lower realms,

where He is found in His entire Essence,

Beginning already in the final moments of exile

("lower realms"),

and one continues in this,

and the main thing —

increases in this,

in a manner of increasing and going and increasing,

until in the manner of "mehadrin from mehadrin"¹⁰².

And all these powers have already been given for this —

it only needs to be "stand ready, all of you",

then one will already do and accomplish it,

and with joy and gladness of heart,

and with ultimate perfection,

and speedily in our very days.

And may it be His will that all these matters come down into actuality,

And in exchange for all the troubling matters —

may it be "according to the pain is the reward"¹⁰³,

and not only "reward"

(wages),

but also in a manner of "find",

which is incomparable to "reward",

Until "I have found David My servant"¹⁰⁴ —

the coming of Mashiach our righteousness in its simple sense,

below ten handbreadths,

and in our very own immediate time.