Shabbos Parshas Va'eschanan 5786 - Veyadata Hayom Vegomer - Between Emunah and Yedi'ah

00:00 It is known that in 5537, about four years after the passing of the Maggid of Mezritch, there was a great aliyah: many chassidim traveled to Eretz Yisroel. Rabbi Mendel of Vitebsk, Rabbi Mendel of Horodok, was joined by Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk and other leading disciples of the Maggid, and they decided to travel to Eretz Yisroel. The Alter Rebbe traveled with them part of the way, almost as far as the sea. It is known that Rabbi Mendel of Vitebsk told him he needed to remain in Russia: if he, too, went, who would be left? The continuation of Chassidus in Russia depended on the Alter Rebbe. With self-sacrifice, he decided to turn back. And indeed, he remained in Russia and went on to establish Chabad Chassidus. After the others left, they stayed in touch throughout that period. The Alter Rebbe regularly sent substantial sums of money to “our Rebbes in the Holy Land,” as he called them. And the Alter Rebbe truly regarded himself as a disciple, a fellow disciple, of Rabbi Mendel of Vitebsk. He wrote in much the same way to our Rebbes in the Holy Land and to Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk. They would exchange letters: two letters on serving Hashem and two letters concerning

01:32 tzedakah. Quite a few years later, about ten years afterward, Rabbi Mendel of Vitebsk passed away, in 5548. Meanwhile, following the lashon hara spoken by two emissaries, along with various other matters, a dispute developed over what he had or had not said about the Alter Rebbe’s approach to Chabad Chassidus. Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk did not agree with the Alter Rebbe’s approach. As is well known, the Alter Rebbe’s approach and path are the path of Chabad Chassidus, true to its name: chochmah, binah, daas—wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Serving Hashem must come through contemplation and study, intellectual grasp and understanding, inner contemplation, and chochmah, binah, and daas. Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk held that the path of Chassidus was the path of faith, not of understanding and intellectual grasp. They exchanged views on the matter. In particular, because of the lashon hara spoken by the emissaries who traveled between them to collect the money, [unclear] various things caused even greater confusion. One of the stories told is that the Alter Rebbe said at the time to one of the emissaries who had spoken about the matter, as he was about to go to Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk: We

03:06 both stood before the Maggid of Mezritch, and we both heard a teaching from the Maggid—the same teaching. But each of us understood it in his own way. He understood it his way, and I understood it mine. After we left the Maggid, each of us thought about it again and studied it again; he took it in his direction, and I took it in mine. And I understood that this was what the Maggid wanted. When Moshiach comes, I will stand face to face and explain how I understood it, and then it will become clear that this was indeed what he was alluding to. And something similar appeared later in a letter from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, who was very close to the Alter Rebbe, as is known, [unclear]. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev wrote at the time, when the chassidim wanted to make peace and so on. There is the well-known letter of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev in which he writes that he knows the Alter Rebbe was very precious, very dear, [unclear]. [unclear] of Berditchev said that the Alter Rebbe [unclear], and so on. But that concerns [unclear], the Alter Rebbe’s path in Chabad Chassidus. Mainly, it was

04:35 [unclear] that the discussion centered on. Yes, the Alter Rebbe’s explanations in Chassidus are the foundation of the entire path of Chabad Chassidus. One of the fundamental, central maamarim explaining this is the maamar “And you shall know today and take to heart that Hashem is G-d in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is nothing else.” The Alter Rebbe delivered this maamar on Shabbos Parshas Vaeschanan, Shabbos Nachamu, [unclear]. The maamar also appears in Likkutei Torah, Parshas Vaeschanan. It is a very rich, foundational maamar that explains the principles and approach of Chabad Chassidus. The Alter Rebbe focuses on the verse “And you shall know today” and asks a question. There are two verses. One says, “You were shown, so that you would know that Hashem is G-d; there is nothing besides Him.” This verse speaks about Matan Torah. What happened at Matan Torah was “You were shown, so that you would know”: the Jewish people were shown, and they saw, “so that you would know that Hashem is G-d.” Then there is the verse, “And you shall know today and take to heart that Hashem is G-d in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is nothing else.” He asks: What does this verse add to the other one? The first verse speaks about Matan Torah and says, “You were shown, so that you would know.” There was a revelation then—“you were shown.” What more needs to be shown, when the Jewish people already saw “so that you would know that Hashem is G-d”? Then the second verse says, as Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Jewish people, “And you shall know today”—today, now, forty years later, when the Jewish people

06:18 are about to enter Eretz Yisroel. As they are about to enter, he tells them: Know this—“And you shall know today and take to heart that Hashem is G-d in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is nothing else.” What does this verse add to the earlier one? That is one question. The Alter Rebbe asks a second question: What does “And you shall know today” mean? Why specifically the word “today”? What lies behind that emphasis? The verse could have said simply, “And you shall know.” What is the [unclear] in saying specifically “today,” that the “you shall know” must happen precisely now, today? Then he asks a third question. The verse says of the time to come, “The earth will be filled with knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea.” In other words, only in the time to come will “the earth be filled with knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea.” Yet here it says, “And you shall know today”—specifically today, when the plain meaning of “today” is the present time. How do we reconcile the difference? So there are three verses, three ideas, corresponding to three times. There is “You were shown, so that you would know,” a verse connected with Matan Torah. There is “And you shall know today and take to heart,” a verse that says specifically “today,” in the present time. Moshe Rabbeinu is speaking to Jews who are now about to enter Eretz Yisroel. And then there is “the earth will be filled with knowledge,” which will take place in the time to come. To understand this, the Alter Rebbe begins to explain the difference between

07:50 knowledge and faith. As we see, all the verses here discuss knowledge: “you shall know,” “so that you would know,” “the earth will be filled with knowledge”—the idea of knowledge. Other verses, though, speak specifically about faith. “They believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant” is said of the Splitting of the Sea. And “They will also believe in you forever” is said of Matan Torah. These are verses about faith. What is the difference between faith and knowledge? They are two separate things. Simply put, knowledge involves a sense of something, intellectual grasp, and understanding. Faith is the opposite: not grasp or understanding, but belief. One believes in something beyond understanding and intellectual grasp. So what, in simple terms, is the difference between the two? The Alter Rebbe explains that it is the difference between the light that fills all worlds and the light that encompasses all worlds—two distinct levels. There are aspects of G-dliness and divine greatness that a person can see, in a sense, with his physical eyes—or rather, not with his physical eyes, but with the eyes of his mind. This is what our Sages say in the Gemara: “Come and see: the way of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is not like the way of flesh and blood... Just as the soul fills the body, so Hakadosh Boruch Hu fills the world.” When you look at the world—that is, at the body: the body has 248 limbs and 365 sinews, with all their details and finer details and movements, with the faculties of sight, hearing, understanding, and so on. And there is the soul. Although you cannot see the soul, this is nevertheless a real kind of seeing, seeing with the eyes of the mind: you understand that the soul is primary, that it gives life to the body, and that the body is subordinate to the soul. And similarly,

09:39 Just as the soul fills the body. This is something one can see—at least in the sense that one can see it with the mind’s eye. Similarly, from “my flesh,” from the physical body, a person can understand that there is G-dliness in the world: Divine life-force is invested in every thing, giving it life, bringing it into being and sustaining it. Nothing came into being on its own. So there is G-dliness. One needs to know this. In the language of Chassidus, this is called the light of memalei kol almin, “filling all worlds,” which is invested in every thing, giving it life and bringing it into being. This is not merely a matter of faith. It is a matter of knowledge, a kind of actual seeing. That is why the Torah says “and you shall know,” in the sense of seeing. This is the inner meaning of daas: a person can see it that way. And in the body, one finds this “and you shall know” as a sense of feeling. In truth, a person lives in a world, and the Hebrew word for “world,” olam, is related to concealment. The world conceals the truth, which is revealed day and night. The way the world operates causes a person to forget it. So comes the instruction “and you shall know”: even though a person sees with physical eyes, he can see this truth with those eyes. But there must be “and you shall know”—the main thing is to feel it. One must contemplate it and live with it. That is the whole part that belongs to the heart. But all this is still not the matter of faith. The Tzemach Tzedek explains in Derech Mitzvosecha that this is not the mitzvah of faith; it comes before the mitzvah of faith. Why? Because it is something a person can see, understand and feel. That is not what the mitzvah was given for. It is not the essence of the mitzvah. What is the mitzvah? For this comes “I am Hashem your G-d,” the mitzvah of faith. In other words,

11:18 this is the concept of sovev kol almin, “encompassing all worlds.” This is what one needs to know: the G-dliness that brings worlds into being and gives them life is not the essence of G-dliness. That is not where the greatness of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is expressed. To create worlds, Hakadosh Boruch Hu must, so to speak, invest and contract Himself, descend and lower Himself; He must descend to the worlds. Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself, His greatness—“Hashem reigns, Hashem has reigned, Hashem will reign forever and ever”—true greatness is infinite and boundless, sovev kol almin, above worlds. In relation to the truth of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, to His true being, the whole matter of worlds is a descent and a lowering. Several verses are cited there, including: “For His name alone is exalted; His splendor is upon earth and heaven.” That is, His splendor is upon earth and heaven, but above them even His name is exalted—all the more so He Himself, His very essence. For us, this is the concept of sovev kol almin, true infinity, true boundlessness. This is the faith we inherited from the three Patriarchs, the faith Jews possess as simple faith. They are, after all, believers, children of believers. And this requires work: a Jew must contemplate “and you shall know today.” The verse says, “And you shall know today and take it to heart that Hashem is G-d.” A Jew must know that the main work and [unclear] is the mitzvah of faith. The understanding of faith is this: as is well known, the Rambam writes, “The foundation of foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know”—specifically, to know. The Rambam describes the mitzvah of faith as “to know.” And the Tzemach Tzedek explains at length in Derech Mitzvosecha, in Shaar Haemunah, the mitzvah of faith according to the Rambam. And the approach of [unclear] explains that this is beyond knowledge and beyond intellect: the infinite and the boundless. A Jew needs to contemplate this within himself in a straightforward way. And

13:06 [unclear] from “and you shall know,” and with this comes a feeling and [unclear], a sense of being moved by what is above. This brings true bittul, true [unclear]. This is the work. About this it says, “And you shall know today.” Why specifically “today”? The Alter Rebbe explains that “today” refers to this physical world, where the soul is in a body. It is specifically in this physical world that we have physical mitzvos, practical mitzvos, eating, [unclear]—things one can do specifically as a soul in a body. What is the advantage of this? After all, it is well known that “one hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come.” What, seemingly, is its advantage over the higher worlds? Chassidus explains, and the Alter Rebbe explains at length in Likkutei Torah, that the point of “today” is that in this physical world one can leap from one extreme to the other, from the lowest depths to the greatest heights. A Jew can change in one hour, in one moment—the “one hour” of “one hour is better”—and, in a leap from one extreme to the other, be utterly transformed. A moment earlier he was at the very bottom, and the moment he does teshuvah, in a single moment, he leaps to the greatest heights through genuine teshuvah. That leap is possible only here, in this physical world. In Gan Eden, in the World to Come, things do not happen by leaps. There is an order, a progression of levels, memalei kol almin. That is the entire order there. One cannot skip from one level to another. Everyone is in his own place—every level, every soul. As the familiar expression puts it, “One is burned by the canopy of one’s fellow.” He is at his own level and cannot leap further. Why? What is the difference? It is explained that the World to Come, Gan Eden, is on the level of memalei kol almin. And memalei kol almin is—

15:06 order and progression. It is specifically below, in the physical realm, in this physical world, here on earth, which was created something from nothing, that the level of boundlessness, of sovev kol almin, is found. For bringing something into being can come only from the power of sovev, only from the boundlessness of what is above. But the Infinite is found specifically here below, in this physical world. Here is the power of infinity, the power of Atzmus, to bring even this about. This is what the verse says: “Today, to do them”—here below, as a soul in a body. It is specifically here that sovev kol almin finds expression and is revealed. In practice, here below one can contemplate “and you shall know,” and one can sense sovev kol almin, infinity, true boundlessness. One can reach this primarily through Torah and physical mitzvos. For the essential aspect of the mitzvos is invested in physical things, because it is specifically through them that one can grasp sovev kol almin. This is the mitzvah of “and you shall know today”: specifically in this physical world, as a soul in a body, to attain knowledge and recognition of sovev kol almin: “And take it to heart that Hashem is G-d in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is nothing else.” All these are details of the true unity of Hashem as it relates to sovev kol almin. This is what the verse is saying: all this comes through work and effort today. It is not enough simply to know that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is Hashem. Now, through work—and for everyone this is straightforward in this matter, both one who serves and one who is simple—one must come to recognize the revelation of sovev kol almin. Yet the world’s concealment, particularly in exile, remains a concealment. Thorough work and effort are needed to know that Hashem is G-d. There is Hashem and there is G-d. And the Alter Rebbe explains how times change, how the path changes. There were—

16:53 times when G-dliness was more revealed, in the time of the Beis Hamikdash. And there are times of concealment in exile; within this, too, he brings several points. There were ups and downs, different periods even during the time of the Beis Hamikdash. There was the time of David and Shlomo, the time of Yoram and Navos; there was the First Beis Hamikdash and the Second Beis Hamikdash. There were ups and downs. He also cites periods marked by baseless hatred. Baseless hatred stems from false beliefs. There are the false beliefs of idol worship, and there are the false beliefs of baseless hatred: when a person believes lashon hara that someone told him, and it creates division between people’s hearts. In other words, he believes falsehoods. This is the opposite of true faith and true unity. About this we say: this is the work now. It is not enough simply to know that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is Hashem; times change. There were times when people saw Hashem openly, when it was openly visible. [unclear] that the true unity of Hashem, hidden in this physical world, was present in complete perfection, without any change. But now work is required, and this is the main thing Chabad Chassidus comes to provide and explain: what work is required. He also cites the well-known teaching, the words of the Gemara in Makkos: “The righteous person shall live by his faith”—the essential point of “the righteous person shall live by his faith.” “Chavakuk came and established them on one principle.” What does “the righteous person shall live by his faith” mean? One should not think that it is the tzaddik who gives life, reading it not as “shall live” but as “shall give life,” and that faith in the tzaddik alone is enough. No, a person’s own work is required. Work through one’s own efforts: “He shall live by his faith.” That you

18:36 One needs to contemplate, study, and think deeply about the truth of Hashem’s absolute oneness. This is from the perspective of that which encompasses all worlds. One needs to move from “you shall know” to recognition and feeling, and through this come to see the revelation that “there is none besides Him.” This is “the righteous person shall live by his faith.” In the maamar, he says that this is vitality and freshness, and he cites the wording of the blessing, “to sustain through them the soul of every living being.” It is vitality and freshness: a person is refreshed, comes alive, and experiences a wonderful delight. Speaking of the words in the weekly parsha, “a land flowing with milk and honey,” he says that the honey is the delight found in Hashem’s oneness. The Alter Rebbe enabled us to understand what our avodah needs to be. This is what Chabad Chassidus comes to explain: what true service of Hashem is. And this is the path of the Baal Shem Tov’s Chassidus, and of the Baal Shem Tov in particular: everyone needs to contemplate, recognize for themselves, and think deeply about Hashem’s absolute oneness. Through our avodah now, “you shall know today”—specifically in this physical world—that “Hashem is G-d in the heavens above and on the earth below,” and by putting this into practice, we leave exile and correct ourselves through teshuvah. The whole point is to go from exile to Geulah, but by the path of truth. And may we see it with our physical eyes: “The glory of Hashem will be revealed, and all flesh together will see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken.” This will be in the complete Geulah, the “Comfort, comfort My people.” Then, as it says in the haftarah of the weekly parsha, “The glory of Hashem will be revealed,” and we will see with our eyes—“all flesh will see”—that physical flesh can perceive the truth of “the mouth of Hashem has spoken.” This is

20:15 the real thing: that “Hashem is one and His name is one” will be openly revealed this very day.