English translation — שיחת ש"פ האזינו, שבת שובה (התוועדות א'), ה'תשמ"ח.

Every Shabbos has several levels and matters. And especially in the special Shabbosos of the year,

like the present Shabbos which occurs in a special month,

the month of Tishrei,

which is blessed by the Most High Himself,

and with this power Jews bless all the months of the year,

as is known the tradition that the Alter Rebbe heard from the Maggid of Mezritch in the name of the Baal Shem Tov,

with all the other superiorities in the month of Tishrei.

And all the more so the Shabbosos in the special month are especially distinguished even from the other days of the month.

And all the more so the present Shabbos which has in it several levels:

It is the Shabbos that comes after Rosh Hashanah,

when the "Vayechulu"² and elevation of all matters of Rosh Hashanah occurs. And especially in the determination of this year when the Shabbos comes directly immediately after Rosh Hashanah,

just as it was on Rosh Hashanah the first time,

which was on the sixth day

(the day of the creation of man),

and immediately thereafter one entered Shabbos

(as discussed in the previous gathering³).

And since this year is like that determination, it is stated in the books

(of reliable authorities)

that then a semblance of the matter as it was the first time is drawn down,

and as it is written "these days are remembered and done"⁵,

in addition to "remembered" it also comes down into "and done",

actual deed.

In addition to this, the Shabbos is also Shabbos Shuvah

(named after the haftarah "Shuvah Yisrael"),

or Shabbos Teshuvah

(the Shabbos of the Ten Days of Repentance).

According to the custom in recent times,

that in such a determination a second farbrengen is made on this Shabbos as a continuation of the farbrengen of the second day of Rosh Hashanah,

it is understood that regarding the matters of this Shabbos as a continuation of Rosh Hashanah it is more appropriate to speak in the second farbrengen;

however, in the present farbrengen it is more fitting to speak about the level of this Shabbos in and of itself, that it is Shabbos Shuvah,

or Shabbos Teshuvah.

[The continuation of the talk was reviewed by the Rebbe, shlita,

and printed above. At the conclusion of the talk he said:]

From this there is also the instruction regarding Shabbos Shuvah, the Shabbos of the Ten Days of Repentance

[for since the Ten Days of Repentance are consecutive days, there must be a Shabbos between them.

[And although in this year Yom Kippur is also Shabbos,

nevertheless its main essence is Yom Kippur,

and Shabbos is an additional matter]:

In the writings of the Arizal⁶ it is stated that the seven consecutive days of the Ten Days of Repentance

(between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)

correspond to the seven days of all the weeks of the past year,

and elsewhere it is explained that they are also a preparation and draw down vitality to the seven days of all the weeks of the coming year.

Accordingly, it turns out that Shabbos Shuvah corresponds to all the Shabbosos of the past year and the coming year.

Therefore one must utilize this Shabbos Shuvah for the matter of teshuvah in its simple sense,

both in thought and speech

("in your mouth and in your heart"⁸),

and also in deed

("to do it"⁸),

and the deed is the main thing, the deed that is in thought,

the deed that is in speech and the deed that is in deed.

And one should connect this with today's lesson of Tanya⁹,

where it discusses letters in deed, speech and thought,

and regarding deed and speech and that which is in thought, that letters are from the term "atah¹⁰ boker"¹¹,

they reveal the matter below.

And may it be His will that through the service on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

(called "Rosh Hashanah")

and the Ten Days of Repentance in general,

and especially Shabbos Shuvah, there should be an even greater drawing down of vitality for all the days of the year,

so that it will be a living year,

a good and sweet year in physicality and spirituality, and in spirituality and physicality together,

until in a manner of "the Life-giver of life will give you life"¹²,

including that every Jew becomes a source of vitality for all the Jews around him,

In addition to that which he himself is alive, "and you who cling to Hashem your God are all alive today"¹³,

and "today" generally refers to Rosh Hashanah¹⁴,

but in this verse it refers to every single day,

that on every single day "you who cling to Hashem your God",

in a manner that Havayah becomes "your God",

your strength and your vitality¹⁵,

according to the interpretation of the word "Elokim"¹⁶,

And as mentioned,

in addition to that which one stands himself in a manner of "and you who cling to Hashem your God are all alive today",

one becomes a "lamp to illuminate" and influences also upon other Jews.

And just as it was the first time,

that those to whom Moshe said "and you who cleave etc.,"

afterwards entered the Holy Land

(because all undesirable matters were nullified,

and specifically those who "cleave to Hashem your G-d" can enter the Land of Israel)

so too will it be now,

and moreover in a superior manner

(because in each and every year a new, higher light is drawn down that never was before¹⁷),

that after the double and redoubled darkness of exile,

all Jews will ascend to the Holy Land,

And especially in this year, the year of "Tismach,"

where joy breaks all barriers and all measures and limitations,

even those of

(not literally)

the blink of an eye,

And they go "with the clouds of heaven"¹⁸,

"with our young and with our old etc. with our sons and with our daughters"¹⁹ — the completeness of the people,

to the Holy Land,

"a land which etc. the eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year"²⁰ — the completeness of the land,

And their silver and their gold with them²¹, just like the spoils of the conquest of the Land of Israel the first time

(through those who "cleave to Hashem your G-d")

their silver and their gold in spirituality,

love and fear²²,

which is the root of all 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments

(as it states in Tanya²³)

— the completeness of the Torah and its commandments,

and all the more so their silver and their gold in physicality,

and simply that the Almighty blesses Jews with extraordinary wealth even during the time of exile.

And when one has all these three completions,

the completeness of the people,

the completeness of the Torah and the completeness of the land, all measures and limitations are nullified,

And they go to the third Beis HaMikdash on the holy mountain,

in Yerushalayim the holy city,

in the Holy Land,

immediately and at once, literally "they are redeemed,"

and out of joy and gladness of heart.

One must also derive a lesson from Shabbos Shuva, especially in this year, being a Shabbos Shuva in a year of Hakhel.

And although the obligation of the mitzvah of Hakhel from the Torah is on the second day²⁴

(or on the first day²⁵)

of the festival of Sukkos, nevertheless we find that it pervaded the entire year,

so that the entire year

(which comes "at the end of seven years"²⁶)

is called "the year of Hakhel."

One must derive from this a lesson,

and a lesson connected to Shabbos Shuva. And a lesson that is understandable for "the men, the women, and the children," because although there are also matters of the deepest secrets etc. in this,

nevertheless, since Hakhel is for all Jews,

"the men, the women, and the children,"

it must be understandable also for them,

including also for the children, for although they are brought in order "to give reward to those who bring them"²⁷,

nevertheless, ultimately the education they received from "those who bring them" is evident in the children when they grow up.

And when one explains it to them in letters according to their level, one can certainly make it understandable to them.

One of the matters in the year of Hakhel that is explicit in the verse is that it comes "at the end of seven years, at the time of the year of Shemittah,"

as a continuation and conclusion of the year of Shemittah.

From this it is understood that the service of Hakhel must come after the preparation of the service of the year of Shemittah.

What does the service of the year of Shemittah consist of? This is understood from the simple meaning of the concept of Shemittah:

After "six years you shall sow your field and six years you shall prune your vineyard," "in the seventh year there shall be a complete rest for the land, a Shabbos for Hashem; your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune etc."²⁸,

and it is explained in the reasons for the commandments that the reason and content of Shemittah is²⁹:

a) "When they rest in that year, they will be aroused to seek Hashem"³⁰,

that he should utilize the free time from physical work in the field to occupy himself more with spiritual work.

That is, Shemittah establishes in a person the feeling and awareness that the main thing is his spiritual service and not physical service.

And furthermore:

b) Shemittah comes to demonstrate that "nothing is specifically in his possession, rather everything is in the possession of the Master of all"³¹,

the Almighty.

That is, not only is the person more connected to spirituality,

but through this his physicality also becomes refined,

until he perceives that the physicality itself is "everything is in the possession of the Master of all."

Even though in the year of Shemittah one only rested from work of the land

(in "your field" and "your vineyard"),

not from the other labors

(the thirty-nine labors),

and we see that Jews are divided into different types,

Zevulun

(businesspeople)

and Yissachar

(Torah scholars),

and not all Jews engage in working the land, however, the Torah speaks about the majority, and the Scripture speaks about what is common,

and in the majority and what is common, the primary occupation consisted of working the land.

And furthermore, the main point:

Livelihood and human life simply are directly dependent on working the land, because "from the earth comes forth bread,"

and "bread sustains the heart of man,"

in this consists the primary sustenance of every person,

not only a righteous person,

but even "man" from the term weakness

(the lowest type among the descriptions of man).

From this it is understood,

that through the resting of the land in the year of Shemittah one demonstrates that a) the person is occupied more with spirituality,

and b) that "everything is in the authority of the Master of everything,"

even the other occupations of the person

(which are not connected with working the land).

And this is as it is stated regarding Shabbos

(for Shemittah is "Shabbos to Hashem,"

"just as it is said regarding Shabbos Bereishis")

that this is a testimony "to establish in our souls faith in the renewal of the world" in general,

even though Shabbos is only one day of the week, etc.

The explanation of this is understood from the comparison of the year of Shemittah

("Shabbos to Hashem")

to the day of Shabbos

("Shabbos Bereishis"):

It is not the simple meaning that through the absence of work in the year of Shemittah he lacks something in physicality,

but on the contrary, as it is stated "and I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it will produce the crop for three years." So that then one has not only the produce of the field

(essential needs),

but also the produce of the vineyard

(matters of pleasure).

That is, that the effect of the year of Shemittah is,

not the negation of physicality,

but on the contrary:

a Jew then has an abundance of physicality,

but he perceives that the true essence of his physicality is spirituality, the blessing of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And this is as it is on the day of Shabbos:

It is not the simple meaning that because of the prohibition of work on Shabbos there is a lack in physicality,

but on the contrary, "all your work is done,"

it is explicitly stated "all your work,"

so much so that on Shabbos it is a mitzvah to delight it with eating and drinking,

with fatty meat, aged wine, and good foods in general, an obligation that does not exist on weekdays

[and on the contrary, on weekdays it is a question according to Halachah,

and all the more so according to the measure of Chassidus,

regarding eating fatty meat].

So much so that even the generation of the wilderness did not eat meat of desire all the forty years in the wilderness,

only the meat of offerings],

and in order to have fatty meat one must cook it

(for without cooked meat, pleasure is lacking),

but on the other hand, one may not cook on Shabbos, Heaven forbid,

rather "all your work" is "done":

one then has an abundance in physicality, even in a manner of pleasure

(fatty meat, aged wine, etc.),

but one perceives that this is heavenly food.

And this is like the matter of "bread from heaven":

This was bread that sustained them,

but they felt that this was "bread from heaven,"

heavenly bread,

completely different from bread from the earth

(which they then bought from the merchants of the nations of the world)

"its taste was like a cake with honey," etc.

From this, the lesson of the year of Shemittah is an eternal lesson, not only for the year of Shemittah,

but for all times and all places, that a Jew must perceive how his physicality is truly spirituality,

which comes specifically through the blessing of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And this lesson applies even when one is in the Diaspora

(where one does not practice the mitzvah of Shemittah),

even in the time of exile, because one sees regarding the Jew

(in the Diaspora)

how he is permeated with the yearning for the time when he will already be able to be in Eretz Yisrael and there fulfill the mitzvah of Shemittah and see openly how "everything is in the authority of the Master of everything,"

consequently, he already now stands in a state and condition similar to this.

And all this is stated with even greater emphasis in Shabbos Shuvah, which comes "from the end of seven years":

First and foremost, since this is Shabbos, then the aforementioned service of Shabbos and Shabbos of years is even more revealed, that one perceives how the entire essence of physicality is spirituality.

And particularly on Shabbat Shuvah,

whose essence is a Shabbat especially connected with teshuvah,

that the true essence of teshuvah is that a Jew completely transforms himself from his previous state and condition,

until he becomes an entirely new reality

(therefore his sins and their punishments are nullified,

because he is a new reality,

not the same one who transgressed the sins).

Therefore Shabbat Shuvah gives additional strength for the service of Shemittah to transform oneself with a different perspective on the world,

that all physical reality is truly spiritual.

And after the introduction of the Shemittah year, one then comes to the year of Hakhel

("At the end of seven years, at the appointed time of the Shemittah year"):

The essence of Hakhel is explicit in the verse that all Jews should gather together,

"the men, the women, and the children" to hear the reading of the Torah by the king,

and this should instill in them the single point of "to fear the Lord your God all the days that you live upon the earth."

From this we have a practical directive regarding the instruction of his holiness, my master, father-in-law, the Rebbe, that every Jew must do all that is incumbent upon him in spreading Judaism in general, and spreading the wellsprings outward in particular, to every Jew without exception,

men, women, and children:

One should bring the wellsprings, the sources of the inner dimension of the Torah itself, into the outside,

until the outermost outside,

so that every point of the world and the outside should be touched by the wellsprings of the inner dimension of the Torah,

and not bring there only a little of the wellsprings,

in a manner of "his deficiency" or even "his wealth,"

but in a manner of "they shall overflow." And this dissemination should be to all Jews,

not only to men and women,

but also to children,

that one should give them the wellsprings in a manner of "they shall overflow," just as it is regarding their eating,

that one gives them more so that they can crumble it,

and afterwards crumbs remain,

as is also the case in halachah.

And may it be His will that from this discourse regarding all these matters, it should descend into actual deed,

and this becomes a deed as part of our deeds and our service during the six thousand years that the world exists,

which brings the redemption,

And already now, in the present time, we have all the aforementioned matters placed in a box

(as per the well-known parable of the Rebbe Maharash,

initially, it is passed over),

and one gives a Jew the box and the key with which he opens the box and takes everything that is found there inside;

one opens it and looks and sees that one is in the Holy of Holies,

in the third Holy Temple,

on the holy mountain,

in Jerusalem, the holy city,

in the holy land,

below ten handbreadths,

immediately and instantly.

Discourse (similar to a talk)

Beginning with the words "Shuvah Yisrael" etc.

It is also customary to study a topic in the weekly Torah portion together with the commentary of Rashi,

a topic in the notes of my father on the Zohar, and a topic in the daily lesson of Rambam,

according to the custom that has spread and continues to spread.

Regarding Rashi, a point was raised that is connected with Rosh Hashanah, Rashi on the verse "Remember the days of old,"

that the coming into being of time

(and space)

is connected with Rosh Hashanah.

In the verse it says: "Remember the days of old, understand the years of generation after generation; ask your father and he will tell you, your elders and they will say to you." And Rashi explains:

"Understand the years of generation after generation: the generation of Enosh, upon whom the waters of the ocean overflowed, and the generation of the flood, which He swept away. Another explanation...

to recognize for the future that He has the ability to do good to you and to bequeath to you the days of Mashiach and the World to Come." "Ask your father: these are the prophets, who are called fathers, etc."

"Your elders: these are the sages,"

"They will say to you: the earlier things."

One paused at this Rashi, and instead of raising the full-fledged difficulties in this Rashi,

a question was asked,

which is really not a question at all.

One asked:

Since Rashi here explains the duplication of "generation after generation," why did Rashi not explain it earlier on the verse "For there is a war of the Lord against Amalek from generation to generation"?

However, when one thinks deeply into this, one sees that this is not a question. Because regarding the war with Amalek, the meaning of "from generation to generation" is simply:

the generation of Moses and the generation of Joshua

(in the Targum, he explains a different explanation for this. But according to the simple meaning, the explanation is the generation of Moses and the generation of Joshua).

Or that this is a commandment for generations.

However, in our portion, the duplication of "generation after generation" is not understood.

What was foreseen are the many difficult questions in this Rashi:

Firstly:

What would be lacking in the plain meaning of the verse if Rashi had not explained here at all. Seemingly this is a simple verse:

"Remember the days of old,"

one should remember the past,

and how does one do this through "Ask your father and he will tell you,"

who tells about a generation before him,

and "your elders and they will say to you" about two generations before this. And based on this it is also simply understood the duplication "generation and generation" the generation before him

(the generation of his father)

and the generations before him

(the generation of his elder)!

Rashi comes and says a different explanation,

and not just a different explanation,

but an explanation that is entirely not in accordance with the plain meaning,

to the extent that every word in the verse he explains contrary to the plain meaning entirely

(seemingly):

1) "Generation and generation" simply means as above the two generations before him. Why does Rashi need to innovate that this means the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood who mentioned them?!

2) "Your father" simply means your father

(as we learned earlier "Honor your father"),

or his teacher

(who is called father).

And "your elders" simply means your grandfather. Rashi comes and removes this from the path of the plain meaning and explains that "your father" means "the prophets,"

and "your elders" means "the sages."

3) If Rashi already says an explanation that "and they will say to you" means "the first things" he could have said a more pleasant explanation,

that this means the days of the Messiah and the World to Come

(as Rashi says in his second explanation).

According to which the explanation that "your father" means "the prophets" and "your elders" means "the sages" would be more understandable because a father and elder in their simple sense cannot know what will be in the future

(in the days of the Messiah etc.),

unlike a prophet and sage. On the other hand:

According to this explanation "the first things" the question arises does one need to use prophets and sages for this?!

And as will be explained below.

In the notes of my father on the Zohar of our portion

(Wisdom of Truth, the inner dimension of the Torah),

he focuses on the statement of the Zohar on the verse "For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance" "that He did not give them to a prince nor to an angel nor to another appointed one etc.,"

that "prince is the seraphim in the world of Creation etc.,

angel is the living creatures in the world of Formation,

appointed one is the wheels in the world of Action,

and it is in the manner of angel seraph messenger mentioned in the Aggadah etc.,

and the word 'other' mentioned here is in the manner of 'I am He and not another' mentioned there etc.,

and nearby on 'strange god' it connected angel and appointed one and did not mention prince,

because 'strange god' is from the side of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which begins from the world of Formation and below unlike in the world of Creation it is not possible to say 'strange god,'

because no evil touches the Throne of Glory of the Holy One Blessed Be He which is the world of Creation,

the world of the Throne."

This also has a connection with Rosh Hashanah when the virtue of the Jewish people is emphasized,

"the portion of the Lord is His people,"

that for their sake the world was created,

therefore man was created alone,

and therefore their governance was not given to any angel,

even though an angel is a messenger of the Holy One Blessed Be He,

to the extent that during his mission he is called by the name "the Lord,"

as explained in the Iggeret HaKodesh.

One must understand the matter in this note in the service of God. And as will be explained below.

In today's lesson of Rambam we conclude the laws of impurity of foods,

which consists of many chapters.

And as will be explained below a matter in this lesson of Rambam in connection with "to correct the opinions and to straighten all the deeds."

In continuation of the service of correction of opinions,

in which one must act with vigor now is a suitable time,

that those who have arranged drinks for gatherings connected with correction of opinions,

the establishment of Chabad houses,

Torah classes and the like,

should now go up to say "L'Chaim,"

and invite those gathered here to the gatherings.

And those who can will participate physically,

and those who cannot physically will participate spiritually,

through thought,

for in the place where a person's thought is, there he is found,

according to the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov in the explanation of the verse "Seraphim stand above Him,"

that through the fact that their thought is "above Him,"

there becomes for them "they stand above Him."

But when it comes to the Jewish people,

who are "the portion of the Lord is His people,"

their thought is even higher than the place of the seraphim and the place of all the angels

(as above from the notes on the Zohar),

to the extent that it is in the Most High Himself, as it were, and in the place where a person's thought is, there he is found!

After the distribution of the drink and the announcements, His Holiness the Rebbe Shlita began to sing "And I will empty out for you a blessing."

The explanation in Rashi:

When the five-year-old studies the verses in our portion,

where Moses "admonishes" the children of Israel,

and he comes to the verse "Remember the days of old, understand the years of generation after generation,"

a question is aroused in him:

What is the novelty in that Jews need to remember the past in order to know that they should conduct themselves properly? Does one need to come to Moses our teacher for this?!

The child understands on his own,

that he needs to remember and learn from the past in order to be guarded in his conduct; why does one need to come to Moses our teacher for this?

And especially since one has already learned that "they tested Me these ten times" etc.

Therefore Rashi cannot explain the verse "Remember the days of old etc." according to its simple meaning,

because then the question arises:

What is being taught? As above.

Therefore he gives his explanation,

that "understand the years of generation after generation" means "the generation of Enosh, upon whom the waters of the ocean flooded, and the generation of the flood, which swept them away," because with this the novelty is understood:

Since the generation of Enosh was before the generation of the Dispersion,

when "from there the Lord scattered them upon the face of all the earth,"

it is understood that the people of the generation of Enosh were in close proximity to the Garden of Eden,

the place where Adam the first man was

(Enosh was the son of Seth, the son of Adam),

that is, in close proximity to the land of Israel

(because the five-year-old knows that the Garden of Eden is in close proximity to the land of Israel).

According to this, it turns out that there occurred a very great miracle, that "the waters of the ocean flooded upon them

(the generation of Enosh)

":

According to nature, it is possible that a sea or a river might sometimes overflow onto the dry land near the sea

(although generally the sea does not cross the boundary of the dry land);

but "the waters of the ocean"

(which refers to the largest sea in the world)

are entirely not in close proximity to the land of Israel; nevertheless,

because of the sin of the generation of Enosh, the Almighty took it and brought it near the land of Israel and "flooded upon them"!

Regarding this, there was also a novelty concerning "the generation of the flood, which swept them away":

The generation of the flood was also before the generation of the Dispersion. Consequently, they were also in close proximity to each other

(in close proximity to the land of Israel).

Nevertheless,

because of their sin, the Almighty brought a flood upon the entire earth!

And from the perspective of this novelty in the punishments, it is understandable why specifically Moses our teacher revealed this by saying "Remember the days of old, understand the years of generation after generation":

The very concept that one must remember the past and conduct oneself properly

is indeed not a novelty. Here the novelty of Moses our teacher is,

that one should remember the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood,

who, because of their undesirable conduct,

received such a severe punishment and great miracle,

that "the waters of the ocean flooded upon them"

(regarding the generation of Enosh),

and He brought a flood upon the entire earth. Consequently, through hearing about this,

it will further strengthen the resolve of the children of Israel to conduct themselves properly.

However, Rashi adds another explanation

("another matter")

because in the first explanation there is a lack of smoothness:

The five-year-old student of Scripture can ask:

How can one compare the sin of an individual to the sin of the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood,

which was of the entire generation:

Regarding Enosh it says "then they began to call upon the name of the Lord,"

and regarding the flood "the earth was filled with violence,"

for which they received such a punishment in a miraculous manner. So how can one bring a proof from this to a sin of an individual

(or a few individuals)?

Therefore Rashi says another explanation:

"Understand the years of generation after generation,

to know for the future that it is in His power to do good to you and to bequeath to you the days of the Messiah and the World to Come." And every Jew has a portion in the World to Come

("All of Israel have a portion in the World to Come"),

just as it was in the days of your going out from the land of Egypt, when every Jew had his vine and his fig tree. Therefore it has relevance to every individual.

And according to this, it is further understood why Rashi explains that "your father" means "prophets" and "your elders" means "sages," because in order to know about the days of the Messiah and the World to Come,

one must come to prophets,

and furthermore to sages

(from that which the verse also gives "your elders, these are the sages,"

it is understood that they add something beyond the prophets).

And this that Rashi explains "and they said to you the first ones,"

one can explain in two ways:

according to what has been discussed many times,

that Rashi is not compelled to explain in every place according to both explanations that he brings,

rather he can sometimes bring an explanation that fits only according to one explanation. And in our case:

"the first ones" is according to the first explanation in Rashi,

that "generation and generation" refers to the generation of Enosh and the generation of the Flood

(which were in the "first" generations),

but not so according to the second explanation

(that this refers to the future,

the days of the Messiah and the World to Come)

here Rashi does not need to explain at all.

The matter in the notes on the Zohar in the service of God:

When one comes from Rosh Hashanah,

when the concept of "the portion of God is His people" is renewed,

one tells a Jew that although in general there is a rule that "one does not rely on a miracle" and all matters conduct themselves according to nature, he must know that he is "the portion of God is His people,"

"that He did not give them to a prince nor to an angel nor to any other appointed authority, etc.,"

rather he and all his matters derive from the Essence and Being itself, as it were.

Afterwards the Zohar adds another innovation that "there is no strange god with him,"

"that He did not speak to Israel through an angel nor through any other appointed authority." And the matter can be said:

One might think that granted, regarding the Godly soul of a Jew, about this it is said "the portion of God is His people,"

"that He did not give them to a prince, etc.,"

but not so however regarding

(after the Godly soul enclothes itself in)

the animal soul of the Jew,

which derives from the kelipah of nogah, this was indeed given over to angels and the ways of nature, etc.

The Zohar innovates,

that even regarding the animal soul of a Jew "there is no strange god with him."

And based on this it is understood

(in the service of God)

why here the Zohar is precise and says about this only "that He did not speak to Israel through an angel nor through any other appointed authority,"

"it mentions angel and appointed authority and did not mention prince" because the animal soul

("strange god")

"is from the side of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which begins from Yetzirah and below, but not so in Beriah, one cannot say strange god,

for no evil touches the Throne of Glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is the world of Beriah,

the world of the Throne,"

the animal soul derives either from Yetzirah and Asiyah

(but not from Beriah),

or from above above,

the Supreme One Himself,

as explained in this Zohar.

In today's lesson of Rambam one does not need to seek a matter in correction of opinions,

because the Rambam himself writes the greatest matter of correction of opinions:

"Although it is permitted to eat impure foods, etc., the early pious ones would eat non-sacred food in purity and were careful regarding all impurities all their days,

and they are called Perushim (separatists),

and this matter is extra holiness and a way of piety that a person should separate and withdraw, etc.,

for separation leads to purity of the body, etc.,

and purity of the body leads to holiness of the soul from evil opinions,

and holiness of the soul causes one to resemble the Divine Presence,

as it is said 'and you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy, for I am holy, the Lord your God.'"

And one can connect this with the aforementioned explanation in the Zohar,

that a Jew is "the portion of God is His people,"

and when you grasp a part of the essence you grasp all of it, a Jew is one thing with the Essence and Being,

and "He did not give them to a prince nor to an angel nor to any other appointed authority, etc." And therefore,

the purity of the body and the holiness of his soul "causes one to resemble the Divine Presence,"

"and you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy, etc." their soul is holy,

their spirit is holy,

their life-force is holy,

their body is holy,

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

as it will be revealed in completeness at the time when it will be "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh together shall see, etc."

And it is known the story of the early pious ones,

that once after a Chassidic gathering, one of the participants in the farbrengen went into the street at night,

and since the farbrengen had a proper influence upon him,

he was joyful, etc.

On the way he meets a policeman,

and the policeman asks him:

"Kto idiot?" (Who goes there?)

Being under the influence of the farbrengen he answered:

"Ein od idiot" (There is none besides the Idiot),

or "Bitul idiot" (Nullification of the Idiot)

(as the versions of this are)!

What the explanation in this is,

that a Jew must know and feel that at the time he walks in the street,

it is not he who walks,

but rather this is Essence and Being that walks! And he has a body with 248 limbs and 365 sinews, etc., this is all nullified in existence to his soul and the part of G-d within him,

and from the side of the soul he becomes a complete "nullified idiot"

(not mere nullification,

but the nullification itself becomes a complete one).

Since the story occurred in our generation, it is understandable that from this there is a lesson also in our time. For seemingly one could think,

that now the entire matter is not relevant because we are located in the United States,

and one looks around,

one sees a great world,

and a kingdom of kindness,

which one must bless, etc.

One tells him,

that since the story occurred to him, from this there is a proof that this is not merely a conduct that is relevant in a small town overseas, but rather "It is not hidden from you, nor is it far away,

It is not in heaven, etc., nor is it across the sea, etc.,

for the matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it"

[which upon this foundation is the book of Tanya]

that at the time a Jew walks in the street in the United States,

he must know that Essence and Being walks,

And particularly after one has already studied Tanya,

and it has become a "wondrous union, etc.",

even more than "the matter is very close to you, etc."

And from the side of his nullification to Essence and Being he becomes an "idiot",

a complete one.

And this is,

as mentioned,

"the matter is close to you",

and "very close"!

[His Holiness, our Master, Teacher, and Rebbe, may he live for many good years, commanded to announce the order,

and also regarding the recitation of the after-blessing by those who ate or drank the measure. And afterwards he said:]

One must announce,

that those who ate or drank the measure must make an after-blessing,

and certainly they will make an after-blessing. Those who only said "L'chaim" not the measure only needed to make a before-blessing,

and do not need to make an after-blessing.

But stand Israel upon their presumption,

that certainly one drank "L'chaim" the measure,

or double of this or more than this,

and consequently one is obligated in an after-blessing. The question is only whether one also ate grain products, etc.,

they must say the text also regarding the eating of grain products,

or only regarding the drinking of a beverage.

And may it be His will that from this speaking about measures one should come to the time when it will be "entirely beverage",

as the saying of the old Rebbe,

above all measurement and limitation,

and particularly standing in the time of the ratzon of ratzon,

until there is a revelation of Essence and Being below,

and as it is written "And the glory of the L-rd shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see, etc.",

in the ratzon of all ratzon,

and speedily in our actual days.

Afterwards he gave the grain products to the honorable Rabbi M.Y., may he live,

(for the guests).