"For the Matter Is Very Close to You..." - Serving Hashem Is Close to Everyone

00:00 One of the stories told as Rosh Hashanah approaches concerns the Tanya: the Tzemach Tzedek was born on the eve of Rosh Hashanah 5550, that is, on 29 Elul 5549. On the Rosh Hashanah following the Tzemach Tzedek’s birth, the Alter Rebbe began to recite the Tanya. In other words, besides writing the Tanya, the Alter Rebbe also recited it. He began when the Tzemach Tzedek was born, and continued for several years, until he had recited all of Likkutei Amarim. The details are recorded briefly in Hayom Yom. The Rebbe spoke about this many times at farbrengens on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Tzemach Tzedek’s birthday. We can see a connection between the Tzemach Tzedek’s birthday and the content of the first chapters. As the Frierdiker Rebbe related, the Alter Rebbe recited the first three chapters over the course of the Rosh Hashanah on which the Tzemach Tzedek was born. Those first three chapters serve as the introduction and explanation of the Tanya, and at the end of chapter 3 it speaks of “administering an oath to him: Be righteous and do not be wicked.” This refers to the soul’s descent: when the soul descends below, “an oath is administered to him: Be righteous and do not be wicked.” Then he spoke about the end of chapter 3, concerning daas. The Tzemach Tzedek—no, the Alter Rebbe—

01:45 explains daas: daas, as in “And Adam knew Eve,” means a bond and connection. Both of these themes relate to the Tzemach Tzedek. “Administering an oath to him” also relates to the soul’s descent, when a person is born; that is when they say, “An oath is administered to him: Be righteous and do not be wicked.” And regarding the word mashbi’im, “administering an oath,” the Tzemach Tzedek, whose birthday it is, explains that it is related to shevuah, an oath; to she’ivah, drawing; and to sheva, the number seven. These are three concepts. An oath is a means by which the soul—when an oath is administered to a person, it gives him additional strength. When a person swears an oath, he draws strength from the innermost part of his soul, from his [unclear]. He connects to a very deep power within his soul, to a deep power in G-dliness. This gives him the strength to overcome any trials that may stand in his way. It is also related to drawing, in the sense that the soul is equipped with strength, which is infused into it so that it can carry out its work. And it is related to seven—the seven middos, the seven, whose connection he sometimes discusses [unclear]; the soul receives its strength, connected with the number seven, Be’er Sheva. All this is explained at length in the maamarim of the Tzemach Tzedek, including his discussion of “administering an oath to him” in the Tanya. And it is connected with the fact that the Tzemach Tzedek’s soul entered the world on that day.

03:15 And how does daas, which is discussed at the end of chapter 3, relate to the Tzemach Tzedek? There is the well-known teaching often cited regarding our Rebbeim: the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritch, the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, and the Tzemach Tzedek. Chassidim say, as quoted in the Rebbe’s sichos in the name of the Frierdiker Rebbe, who said it in the name of the early chassidim, that the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch correspond to keser—the two levels within keser, its inner and outer dimensions, Atik and Arich. And the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, and the Tzemach Tzedek correspond to the three intellectual faculties, Chabad: chochmah, binah, and daas. The Tzemach Tzedek corresponds specifically to daas. So this fits with what we said earlier: this is the Tzemach Tzedek’s particular theme. These are details I am drawing from what I have just discussed. In the parsha before Rosh Hashanah, we find the entire foundation of the Tanya. As is well known, on the title page of the Tanya, written by the Alter Rebbe, every word and every letter is precise. There the Alter Rebbe writes that the Tanya is founded on the verse, “For this matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” This verse is

04:39 a verse in Parshas Nitzavim, where Moshe Rabbeinu says these words to the Jewish people. And the Alter Rebbe explains that the entire purpose of the Tanya is “to explain clearly how it is very close, by a long and short path, with the help of Hashem, may He be blessed.” In other words, in the Tanya he will explain this verse: how the matter is very close to every Jew. So let us explore this a little and talk about the verse. But we need to understand: What is the Alter Rebbe’s innovation? How does the Alter Rebbe explain the verse? What is the point of the Tanya? What did the Alter Rebbe reveal in this verse? This is also connected to the time of Rosh Hashanah. There are maamarim of the Alter Rebbe on the verse “For this matter is very close to you,” in which he explains that this verse, which Moshe says to the Jewish people before Rosh Hashanah—and the Alter Rebbe explains that all of Parshas Nitzavim, with everything in its verses, deals with matters connected to the avodah of Rosh Hashanah. Similarly, in our case, this verse is especially connected to the avodah of Rosh Hashanah. What is the meaning of this verse, and how is it connected to the avodah of Rosh Hashanah and to this time, the days of teshuvah? To answer that, we need to begin with the foundation the Alter Rebbe sets out in the Tanya. On the words “For this matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it,” the Alter Rebbe says: “To explain

06:10 “To explain clearly how it is very close, by a long and short path.” What is the question? The Alter Rebbe himself explains in the chapters that follow what the verse seems to be telling us, and the question everyone asks: How is it “very close”? “How is it very close”? After all, when you look at it plainly, serving Hashem through Torah and mitzvos is hard work, a long task, a tremendous undertaking. Moshe Rabbeinu comes and says: No, you must know that “this matter is very close to you.” How is it very close? It seems contrary to reality, as the Alter Rebbe says there. And how can this be brought about among Jews? The Alter Rebbe says further, in chapter 17, that the main question is specifically about “in your heart.” How can the Torah say “in your heart”—not just “in your mouth” and “to do it,” observing the mitzvos through speech and action, but also “in your heart”? That means emotion, a person having heartfelt feeling. And the question is: How can you tell Jews that heartfelt feeling is something very close? Arousing love and fear of Hashem is a very great and lengthy undertaking. The Alter Rebbe therefore says that he is going to explain this “by a long and short path.” There are several explanations of “a long and short path.” We will not go into that now, but into the innovation relevant to us: something the Rebbe discussed at a farbrengen connected with 19 Kislev, the Rosh Hashanah

07:38 of Chassidus, on 19 Kislev 5719. The Rebbe gave a very beautiful, fundamental explanation that helps us understand the Alter Rebbe’s innovation in the Tanya and what is meant by “a long and short path.” For this, he cites a Midrash, Midrash Eichah, which tells of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya traveling along a road. He wanted to enter Jerusalem but did not know how to get there. He came to a crossroads with two roads and did not know which one led to Jerusalem. The Midrash says he asked a child who was sitting there, by the roads leading to Jerusalem. This is the well-known Midrash that begins with “the wisdom of the children of Jerusalem.” He asked the child, “Tell me, which road will take me to Jerusalem?” The child told him that there were two roads, and both led to Jerusalem, but one was short and long, while the other was long and short. The Midrash explains that since the child mentioned “short and long” first, he chose that road: presumably it was short to begin with, and he would surely arrive. And so it was. It was a short road, but when he reached the outskirts of Jerusalem, there were gardens, orchards, and all sorts of things in the way, and he could not get in. He had to return to the crossroads and said, “I could not get in; why did you tell me that? The road is short, but it is long—I could not enter the city!” The other road was indeed longer, but it was short: it was the open, easy way into the city of Jerusalem. That is the Midrash. And what is the analogy? The two roads in the analogy represent two principles in serving Hashem. We have a path called

09:20 A short way. A short way means a way you travel quickly: you fulfill the mitzvos, and everything is done on [unclear], but not in an inward way. It is the quick way, but it does not bring you to your destination. After all, the avodah has to reach all the soul’s garments—thought and action, in every detail. The second way is a long way, which takes a long time to travel, but it is also long and short. It is the open way, the sure way: traveling it takes time, but it is short in the end, and you certainly enter the holy city. The Rebbe says that, in general, these are two ways of serving Hashem. There is the way of faith, a general approach to serving Hashem. A person awakens his faith, and [unclear] tells the well-known story about “a tzaddik shall live by his faith”—that through faith in a tzaddik, and by following the tzaddik’s way, one reaches the destination. But that is only a short way. A person awakens his faith and connects with the tzaddik. Then faith in tzaddikim joins the faith in Hashem that every person has by nature, and through this he senses G-dliness. It is a short way, but it is a long way, because the person has not worked on his inner faculties. His intellect and emotions have not become united with his service of Hashem. So in the end it is a long way: he does not arrive inwardly, with all the powers of his soul; he does not enter the holy city, Jerusalem, the city of wholeness. That is why the Alter Rebbe wrote Tanya. Tanya is the book in which the Alter Rebbe addresses all these matters by the long way. And the Rebbe says that the whole order of avodah through contemplation begins with the verse, “Know this day and take it to your heart,” and that through contemplation one comes to love and fear of Hashem. That is

11:42 the general theme of the whole Tanya. And the order of things in Tanya is that the starting point is faith. The Rebbe simply reveals to a Jew that he has faith within him; it is not that you have to [unclear] all these things from above. First, a Jew needs to know: “For this thing is very near to you.” You have it within you. Every person has a soul, and the soul is literally a part of G-d above. Because of this, everyone has a hidden love and a real capacity for self-sacrifice. Jews are believers, children of believers. [unclear]. And the Rebbe [unclear] that because of the soul, one can [unclear]. He wants to connect. [unclear]. He wants to be one with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and this finds expression in the soul. That is precisely why it applies to everyone, even the simplest of the simple. And when someone faces a test of faith, tremendous self-sacrifice comes to light. In other words, the capacity to sacrifice oneself rather than be separated from G-dliness is in everyone’s soul. That is what “near to you” means. But it has to be a long way. It means working on yourself inwardly, being fully in it, living it. You have to live with your faith, and that includes every detail. That is what Tanya discusses. But we need to explain how this is expressed in the ways of avodah: bringing faith into every part of the soul, all the way to actual thought, speech, and action. And here [unclear]. That is what I mean by a long way that is short. These are not two separate ways; they are one way. [unclear]. From this perspective, the Rebbe introduces, explains, and clarifies in Tanya: you do not need to [unclear] things; you only need to reveal what is already “near to you.” It is

13:43 within you. Everything is there deep in the soul—all of it. You have all the qualities of the soul, and the soul has within it the powers of [unclear]. That is what the Baal Shem Tov said. But at the same time, this is a long way that is short. It is the long way: the point of faith has to spread through every part of the soul—through chochmah, binah, daas, love of Hashem, and fear of Hashem. And it has to reach the soul’s garments: thought, speech, and action. That is the innovation of Tanya. And here we see something interesting: the verse places “in your mouth” before “in your heart.” Seemingly, that is out of order. [unclear]. So the question is: what is the order? Why does “in your mouth” come first? After all, the order is thought, speech, and action—or action, speech, and thought. Here it appears in this order: “in your mouth”—speech; “in your heart”—thought and the feelings of the heart; and then “to do it”—action. Why this order? The Rebbe explains that “in your mouth” refers to Torah study. And on this the Rebbe says: a long way that is short. To follow this way, to take the faith deep within the soul, the soul itself, [unclear], the love of Hashem, [unclear]—you have a soul that contains everything needed to draw close to G-dliness. That is “near to you,” but you have to reveal it. How do you reveal it? The first thing is “in your mouth,” “in your mouth.” You simply have to learn: learn Tanya, learn the concepts in Torah. And that is what

15:52 brings it to light. [unclear] the way to reach “in your heart” afterward, to awaken and reveal the heart’s feelings of love and fear of Hashem. And the purpose of it all is “to do it”—to bring it into actual practice, to act. When we come to the Torah reading [unclear], there is something interesting: we pause after “For this thing is very near to you,” and there are two [unclear] explanations. What is “this thing” in “For this thing is very near to you”? According to Rashi, and as Tanya seems to indicate at face value, it means Torah and mitzvos. Rashi says here: the Torah was given to you, both in writing and orally. It means Torah and mitzvos; that is the subject of the verses that follow: “For this mitzvah.” What is “this mitzvah”? According to Rashi, it means all of one’s service of Hashem, Torah and mitzvos. Why is it in the singular? Because the verse wants to speak in terms of “for it is near to you” [unclear]. It specifically uses the singular to say that it is one thing, a single matter of Torah and mitzvos. “This mitzvah”—the mitzvah of Torah and mitzvos—“is not beyond you, nor is it far away,” but rather, “For this thing is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” It refers to all of Torah and mitzvos. That is the approach of Rashi and other commentators, and it is also what Tanya seems to mean at face value. The Ramban, by contrast, says that since it says “this mitzvah” in the singular, it refers to a particular mitzvah. Which mitzvah? The mitzvah discussed in the continuation of the parsha. After all, the continuation of the parsha speaks about teshuvah, the mitzvah of teshuvah. Earlier it says, “And you shall return to Hashem your G-d.” According to the Ramban’s well-known approach, this is the mitzvah of teshuvah, the Torah commandment to “return to Hashem your G-d.” And earlier it says [unclear].

17:57 The sequence is about the mitzvah of teshuvah. “If your dispersed ones are at the ends of the heavens, from there Hashem will gather you”—all of this concerns the avodah of teshuvah. And about this the Torah says, “For this mitzvah”—that very mitzvah, the mitzvah of teshuvah—“is not beyond you, nor is it far away,” but rather, “For this thing is very near to you.” “This thing” refers to the avodah of teshuvah: it is “very near to you.” [unclear] the power of teshuvah. “In your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” That is how the Ramban understands it. Now, the Rebbe explains that according to this, there is a connection to the Alter Rebbe. The Alter Rebbe wrote Tanya, which consists of three parts: Likkutei Amarim, Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, and Igeres Hateshuvah. This had already been printed earlier, [unclear], and afterward the Alter Rebbe added Igeres Hateshuvah. At first it was a separate booklet; later they were joined together and printed as one book. Accordingly, Igeres Hateshuvah is part of the theme of Likkutei Amarim, of “For this thing is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” It follows that Tanya brings together [unclear] the two approaches, Rashi’s and the Ramban’s, and both are the words of the living G-d. Likkutei Amarim and Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah set out the regular order of avodah, the service of Torah and mitzvos, along the lines of Rashi’s approach. About that we say, “For this thing is very near to you”—Torah and mitzvos are the way in which it is “very near, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it,” so that every Jew can serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The Alter Rebbe also wrote Igeres Hateshuvah to explain teshuvah and how it, too, is “very near.” In Igeres Hateshuvah, the Alter Rebbe explains the way of teshuvah and how close it is. It belongs to every Jew; it is very near when it comes to teshuvah. And so the Alter Rebbe also writes

20:08 So this is the mitzvah of teshuvah according to the Torah. In other words, this is the Ramban’s view: teshuvah is a mitzvah from the Torah. And about this, too, it says, “For this thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” The Alter Rebbe explains right at the beginning of Igeres Hateshuvah that the mitzvah of teshuvah according to the Torah is simply abandoning the sin. This is the Alter Rebbe’s remarkable innovation, as explained in several sichos. The Alter Rebbe’s remarkable innovation in Tanya concerning teshuvah is that, at first glance, it looks different: when you study the works on teshuvah, you get the impression that teshuvah is a great undertaking, involving many elements, many different approaches, and many things to do. In Rabbeinu Yonah’s Shaarei Teshuvah, you even find twenty things that must be part of the work of teshuvah. When a person sees twenty things, he gets overwhelmed. The Alter Rebbe comes and says: No, teshuvah is one thing and one thing alone—abandoning the sin. “Not to return to his folly again.” In other words, he must make a decision. What decision? That he accepts upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, “to serve Hashem and keep all His mitzvos.” Because the core of sins—all sins—is one thing and one thing alone: casting off the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, rebelling against His sovereignty. So the core of teshuvah is also one thing and one thing alone: returning to Hashem. I return; I once again accept upon myself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. And that single point encompasses every aspect of accepting the Torah and mitzvos anew. That is the essence of teshuvah, the core of teshuvah. And here in Tanya, the Alter Rebbe also [unclear] that in quite a number of works by great Torah sages, it seems that this is the matter of

21:40 teshuvah. And here the Alter Rebbe sets the matter straight. Here we see the Alter Rebbe’s remarkable innovation: he revealed how “it is close to you” in the work of teshuvah. These are the two approaches, Rashi’s and the Ramban’s, and of both it is said, “For this thing is very close to you.” But the Rebbe once said something striking in a sicha. According to what we have discussed, these are two separate approaches, two separate matters, and both are the words of the living G-d. They are two separate matters: there is “this thing is very close to you” in the general work of Torah and mitzvos, and there is “this thing is very close to you” in the work of teshuvah. But the Rebbe once said that, since these ideas appear in a continuous sequence of verses, they cannot be two separate matters. They are specifically one and the same point. You can see this in the sequence of verses as well. In the Torah, Moshe Rabbeinu is speaking to the Jewish people—this was shortly before his passing, in his final days. Moshe Rabbeinu stands with the Jewish people and speaks to them about their service. He tells them a number of things; the entire passage here speaks about the work of teshuvah. First he says, “When the blessing and the curse come upon you,” and then, “You shall return to Hashem your G-d,” “with all your heart and all your soul.” That is the sequence of verses there. The verses also speak about the Geulah that follows. As the Rambam himself writes in his work: “The Torah has already promised that, at the end of their exile, the Jewish people will ultimately do teshuvah, and they will immediately be redeemed.” He cites the verses from this parsha, the verses of

23:20 Geulah, the verses of teshuvah. In other words, the Rambam says that this passage, Parshas Nitzavim, is the source in the Torah for the teaching that Geulah comes through teshuvah. Following this, the Torah says, “For this mitzvah.” So although Rashi explains that this refers to the Torah and mitzvos as a whole, when you look at the sequence of verses, it seems to be speaking about the work of teshuvah. And on this the Rebbe says something remarkable: the point here—and this is not merely an interpretation of the verses based on Rashi, but the meaning of the verses, what the Torah is saying here—is that it is speaking about Torah and mitzvos, studying Torah and fulfilling mitzvos. But it is speaking about studying Torah and fulfilling mitzvos when the Jewish people are in exile. That is the sequence of ideas in these verses. “Even if your dispersed ones are at the ends of the heavens”—the Jewish people are in a state of being dispersed. This also makes the plain meaning of the text, the entire sequence of verses here that the commentators grapple with, understandable. It is hard to understand what Moshe Rabbeinu means to say here: “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us?’” and “Nor is it across the sea,” and so on. With this he wants to tell us, “For this thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” What is the new insight? Surely that is obvious. Who thinks the Torah is in heaven? Who thinks the Torah is across the sea? There are many explanations of this. But the simplest explanation—and it makes sense—is that Rashi explains the sequence of verses here in light of the fact that they are speaking about the time of exile.

24:51 After all, the verses first say, “Even if your dispersed ones are at the ends of the heavens.” The Jewish people are lost and cast far away into the darkness of this long and terrible exile, in distant lands among distant peoples, in places whose remoteness is not only physical but spiritual. A Jew might, G-d forbid, fall into despair and think that he is far away. Where can he study Torah and fulfill mitzvos? Perhaps he has to go to places where there are Jews. Perhaps he has to travel to Eretz Yisroel, travel to a place of Torah, go there. That is where the real Torah and mitzvos are. But since I have been cast into some place in exile, I cannot truly do that here; I cannot do it properly. To this Moshe Rabbeinu comes and says: Know that even in this situation, in this long, difficult, deep exile, when you are at the ends of the heavens—“your dispersed ones at the ends of the heavens”—know that “it is not in heaven” and “it is not across the sea.” There is no need to flee from there and look for some other place where you can find Torah and mitzvos. In the place where you are, within your own four cubits, “this thing is very close to you.” This is what it means to fulfill Torah and mitzvos with the spirit of teshuvah. A Jew’s service of Hashem during exile, even his ordinary Torah study and fulfillment of mitzvos, is thoroughly—

26:21 permeated, suffused with the spirit of teshuvah. What is the spirit of teshuvah? When a person is in the lowest depths, at the greatest possible distance, he knows that “it is close to you.” That is the entire essence of teshuvah: a Jew knows that “even at the time of sin, [the soul] remained faithful to Him,” as the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya; that there is no real distance, that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is always with him, and that because of the essential bond through which a Jew is always connected to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, he can do teshuvah. It follows that all Torah study and fulfillment of mitzvos in this time, in the time of exile that the parsha is speaking about, when the Jewish people are in exile—about this the Torah says, “For this thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” So both points are contained in the same idea: it is speaking about studying Torah and fulfilling mitzvos, “in your mouth and in your heart, to do it”—thought, speech, and action; love and awe of Hashem. But at the same time, this itself is permeated with a spirit of mesirus nefesh, a spirit of teshuvah, a spirit of “with all your might.” And when we are in exile, that spirit finds expression in every aspect of every Jew’s service of Hashem. This is how the idea relates to the time we are in now, as we read this parsha. As is known, the Baal Shem Tov said—and the Alter Rebbe brings this in his maamarim of Chassidus, in which he

27:44 speaks at length about all the themes of “You are standing today”—that according to the plain meaning of the text, “today” is the day on which Moshe Rabbeinu speaks to the Jewish people, the day of his passing. But Chassidus teaches that “today” refers to Rosh Hashanah, and this is, generally speaking, the parsha before Rosh Hashanah. When we speak about what Rosh Hashanah is about, “today” the Jewish people stand on Rosh Hashanah, standing firm, enduring, and meriting a favorable judgment. “To enter into the covenant”—this is the covenant that the Jewish people make anew on Rosh Hashanah. And about this it says, “For this thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” The Alter Rebbe explains that the verse refers to Rosh Hashanah: on Rosh Hashanah, “this thing is very close to you,” because that is when a Jew’s connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu is renewed. A new revelation, a new flow of Divine influence, a new renewal for the entire year. The Alter Rebbe explains that “to do it” means to bring about and renew. On Rosh Hashanah the Jewish people bring about something new; they bring about the “you shall make.” And the Alter Rebbe says something still deeper, an allusion in that wording. In the Torah, when Rosh Hashanah is discussed in the passage about the offerings, as we also say in the Musaf prayer of Rosh Hashanah, it says, “And you shall make a burnt offering.” Elsewhere, concerning offerings, it says, “And you shall offer”; here it says, “And you shall make.” The Alter Rebbe says: That is because this is Rosh Hashanah. The theme of Rosh Hashanah is “you shall make.” A Jew builds; he acts and brings about renewal: “You shall make”—“make,” “you shall make them”—“I consider it as though you had made Me.” A Jew acts, brings about a change, renews and draws down a new flow of Divine influence, through “the verses of Kingship, so that you make Me King over you.”

29:19 A Jew changes the entire order of creation. He draws down a new revelation of G-dliness, a new will, a new delight, new vitality, a new renewal in every matter. And about this the Torah says: Know that today, on Rosh Hashanah, you must take upon yourself anew a fresh kabbolas ol, a new bond with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And so, “For this matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it”—to forge a new connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, to bring down new G-dly vitality, a new flow of blessing for the entire year. And we can understand why the Alter Rebbe opened Tanya with the theme of Rosh Hashanah. For the entire book of Tanya is built, in general, on “For this matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” This verse expresses the whole essence of a Jew’s service on Rosh Hashanah, in the service of teshuvah. Rosh Hashanah is the day a Jew returns to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, the time when a Jew returns to Hakadosh Boruch Hu with renewal, with new vitality. “This day is the beginning of Your works”—they come [unclear] to begin a new renewal. “Blow the shofar in the new month”—for the Baal Shem Tov explains “chodesh” as meaning renewal. There should be renewal in every aspect of serving Hashem, renewal in the vitality of the worlds. And so we are certain and assured that the new day will indeed be a new day, with

30:44 new light. And the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya that every year, through the shofar, a new light is drawn down that has never existed before. Such a new light has never before existed in the world. And we will see this in the future Geulah, the true and complete Geulah through Moshiach Tzidkeinu. As it says in the weekly parsha: “And you will return to Hashem your G-d.” Then “Hashem your G-d will bring back your exiles, have mercy on you, and again gather you from all the peoples. Even if your dispersed ones are at the edge of the heavens, from there Hashem your G-d will gather you, and from there He will take you.” May we merit the true and complete Geulah in the time to come. May this be a year of light, a year of blessing, a year of Geulah, with every letter of the alef-beis.