Igeres Hakodesh, Letter 11, "Lehaskilcha Binah" - Part 1

00:03 Igeres Hakodesh as a whole consists of letters the Alter Rebbe wrote to chassidim at different times on different subjects. Some were written to groups of chassidim, and some to all the chassidim. He wrote about general matters and about specific details. We know that most of the letters in Igeres Hakodesh—almost all of them—are calls to give tzedakah. The Alter Rebbe was involved in raising tzedakah for the Land of Israel. So the vast majority of his letters concern tzedakah for the Land of Israel, which occupied him day after day. As is well known, the Alter Rebbe’s arrest and Geulah on 19 Kislev were connected with this matter. But there are also letters here about other subjects he wrote to the chassidim about: the service of prayer, Torah study, the division of the Talmud among the chassidim, and a number of other calls to action and practices the Alter Rebbe instituted. This letter, Igeres Hakodesh, section 11, is a letter the Alter Rebbe wrote to the chassidim about trust and faith. How should a chossid, a Jew connected to the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, look at everything in the world? How can he be joyful in every kind of situation? Whatever situation a person finds himself in—even when he lacks a number of material necessities—he should still serve Hashem with joy. This idea is not an innovation of Chassidus; it is written in the Gemara. The Gemara in Tractate Berachos says: “A person must bless Hashem for the bad just as he blesses Him for the good.” A person must recite a blessing over bad things, just as he does over good things. The Gemara asks: What does it mean to bless? It is not the same blessing; it is a different one. For good things, we say Shehecheyanu or Hatov Vehametiv. For things that are not good, we say

02:24 Baruch Dayan Ha’emes. So what does that obligation itself mean—what does it mean to bless Hashem for the bad just as one blesses Him for the good? The Alter Rebbe explains that it means accepting it with jo—sorry, the Gemara does. The Gemara in Tractate Berachos says: to accept it with joy. “To bless” means to bless with joy, to accept it with joy. Just as a person is happy and joyfully accepts things that are openly and visibly good, so too he must joyfully accept things that appear not to be good, with the same joy as he has for visible, revealed good. That is written in the Gemara. The question is, how can one do such a thing? How can you ask that of a person? And the Gemara does not say this only to tzaddikim. It says it to every single person. That means that a Jew—any Jew who believes in Hakadosh Boruch Hu—must have the strength to joyfully accept everything Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives him. How can one do that? It seems impossible. When things are good, I see the good and I am happy. But when things look bad on the surface, how can I accept them with the same joy as something good? Chassidus explains this. There are several places in Tanya where the Alter Rebbe discusses it. If I’m not mistaken, there are four places in Tanya—I’ll try to name them now. I think there are four places where the Alter Rebbe addresses this question of accepting suffering with joy. One is in chapter 26 of Likkutei Amarim, where he discusses accepting things with joy and says that a person must not have any worries about matters of this world. There he is speaking about the service of the beinoni. Then, in chapters 11 and 12 of Igeres Hateshuvah, he speaks about accepting suffering with joy in the context of the service of teshuvah. And then

04:25 in Igeres Hakodesh, section 11, which is what we are going to study here, he discusses faith and trust, and how a Jew should accept everything with joy. And again, in Igeres Hakodesh, section 22, there is another letter from the Alter Rebbe explaining to the chassidim how to accept everything with joy. Now, these four places are not all saying the same thing. In each place, the Alter Rebbe offers another point, another explanation. There are differences between them, and the Rebbe has several sichos on this subject. We are going to study this letter now because it is the strongest one. You could say that the Alter Rebbe writes here in the strongest terms—without anesthesia, without softening it. He states most sharply what the outlook of a chossid connected to the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov should be, based on genuine faith in the oneness of Hashem that the Baal Shem Tov revealed. The Baal Shem Tov revealed the true oneness of Hashem: “There is nothing besides Him”; Hakadosh Boruch Hu is everything, and everything is Hakadosh Boruch Hu. All of existence is G-dliness, and there is nothing apart from Him. On the basis of this faith—the true faith in G-dliness that every Jew possesses—a Jew can accept everything with joy and be filled with joy whatever may come. That is the point the Alter Rebbe explains in this letter to the chassidim. There is an insight brought in Lessons in Tanya in connection with this letter. As is well known, the Rebbe edited Lessons in Tanya. It contains the Rebbe’s corrections and notes, so we can rely on what it says. Lessons in Tanya points out that the Alter Rebbe wrote this letter in the singular. You can see that the letter begins, “To give you understanding.” That is singular, not plural. The Alter Rebbe

06:32 deliberately wrote it in the singular to emphasize that it applies to each and every person. Someone studying this section might think it was written only for exceptional individuals. Perhaps it applies only to people on a very high level, for whom the world truly has no independent existence; they can accept everything with joy. But how can ordinary people do that? How can people like us accept everything with joy? The Alter Rebbe deliberately wrote the letter in the singular to emphasize that the service discussed here belongs to each and every person. Why? Because its entire foundation is faith. The joy the Alter Rebbe asks for is joy that—sorry, joy connected with faith. And every Jew has faith. Every Jew, whoever he may be: if he is a Jew, he has faith, the simple faith a Jew possesses by virtue of his soul. So everyone has it; it only needs to be revealed. Here the Alter Rebbe explains how to bring that faith into the way we look at life and accept everything with joy. That is an insight brought in Lessons in Tanya. More generally, this section was known among chassidim as a foundation throughout the generations. During difficult periods in the history of chassidim in Russia, through all kinds of circumstances and the hardest of times, this section gave chassidim the vitality and joy to hold on through every trial and every concealment. One of the best-known stories is the story of the Rebbe’s grandfather. There is a famous story about the Rebbe’s grandfather, Reb Meir Shlomo. When there was an epidemic, G-d forbid—some kind of similar situation in Russia in those days, about a hundred years ago—there was a situation in which Reb Meir Shlomo, the Rebbe’s grandfather,

08:29 He became ill, and many of those who fell ill, rachmana litzlan, did not survive. It was a real epidemic. Because Reb Meir Shlomo had become ill, they did not want him to infect anyone, rachmana litzlan, so they put him in an area, a camp where they placed all the sick people. Now, there was Reb Asher Nikolayever, one of the great chassidim, who printed the Tanya in 5669. His name appears on the first page of the Tanya. Reb Asher Nikolayever would come every day, stand outside by the gate, and read chapter 11 of Igeres Hakodesh with vitality, enthusiasm, and a loud voice so that Meir Shlomo could hear. He did this every day to instill in him strength, trust, and faith, even though he was in a very difficult condition, rachmana litzlan. Later, Reb Meir Shlomo said that it saved his life. Listening to the Tanya every day, hearing chapter 11 of Igeres Hakodesh, simply gave him strength. As we know, when a person is in such a condition, rachmana litzlan, the body has to overcome the illness, and for that a person needs very strong inner reserves and a will to live. Igeres Hakodesh gave him joy and trust, and that itself enabled him to overcome the illness and recover. He went on to live for many more years—at least another thirty or forty years. In any case, this story shows how powerfully this chapter affected chassidim.

10:13 We even have a grandson of Reb Asher Nikolayever here with us—yes, Shalom Grumbla[?]. In any case, back to our subject. That is one story, and there are quite a few others. I remember once, when I was a bochur around 770, a group of us bochurim were sitting together and talking a little about Chassidus while people were saying Tehillim. This was when I was in my second or third year of study, during a difficult period when the Rebbe was not in good health and the chassidim were concerned. There was a lot of talk then about chapter 11 of Igeres Hakodesh. We bochurim were sitting and discussing it. I remember a Jew sitting nearby, saying Tehillim—an older chossid. I do not remember his first name; his surname was Levin. I think it was Reb Zalman Levin of Kfar Chabad, a well-known chossid and a baal menagen. In any case, Reb Zalman Levin was sitting to the side saying Tehillim, while we bochurim talked among ourselves about Igeres Hakodesh, chapter 11—one person told one story, another told another. Suddenly Reb Zalman Levin said, “You are talking about chapter 11 of Igeres Hakodesh. For us, when we were in Russia”—he had been there during the difficult years, during the war, around 5750—I mean, before that—“for us chassidim in Russia, it was”—how did he put it?—“a daily injection that gave us the vitality to get through the day. It was like a shot of vitality every day. This was a chapter we lived with.” Those are just some stories. People also tell how Reb Mendel Futerfas lived with this chapter. There is another story about—anyway, we will not go into the stories. I want to read the chapter a little

12:11 and study it more closely. I am sure every bochur has already studied this chapter, especially at this time, but let us study it more closely. There are a number of explanations, including explanations by the Rebbe and several by Reb Levi Yitzchak, the Rebbe’s father. So we will study the chapter and try to examine it carefully. Afterward, everyone will be able to study it, reflect on it, delve into it, and live with these ideas. Let us begin by studying the text itself. “To impart understanding to you.” The Alter Rebbe is saying that he wants to give us an understanding, a way of seeing things, a perspective: “To impart understanding to you.” It is an interesting expression. What does “to impart understanding to you” mean? Why did the Alter Rebbe begin with such unusual wording? It is not the usual way to begin a letter. I mentioned earlier the question of why it is written in the singular, but more generally, why did the Alter Rebbe write “to impart understanding to you”? Here, too, there is a nuance that the Rebbe explains: in the words “to impart understanding to you,” “to impart” refers to chochmah—chochmah is called haskalah—and “understanding” refers to the faculty of binah. “To impart understanding to you” means that chochmah must illuminate binah. As we study the chapter further, we will understand that its whole point is connected with chochmah and binah. The Alter Rebbe’s entire explanation of how a Jew can be strong in faith and trust in Hakadosh Boruch Hu depends on chochmah illuminating binah within him. That is why the Alter Rebbe began with these very words, “To impart understanding to you.” We will come back to this when we understand more of the chapter. The Alter Rebbe says: “To impart understanding to you, for this is not the way for the light of Hashem to dwell.” This is not the way. What is not the way? “To desire a life

13:58 of the flesh, children, and sustenance.” For a person to have a deep desire for them. Cheifetz does not mean merely wanting something; it means the innermost will, a sense of pleasure. For a person to find desire and pleasure in a life of the flesh—that is not the way for the light of Hashem to dwell: to desire a life of the flesh, children, and sustenance. As we know, the Gemara speaks of three things that encompass a person’s essential physical needs. All of a person’s needs are included in these three: children, life, and sustenance. These are three broad categories encompassing all human needs: children; life, meaning health and life itself; and sustenance, meaning a livelihood. Naturally, these are what every person wants. A person wants a family, with Hashem’s help, when the time comes; a livelihood; and a good life. The Alter Rebbe says, “This is not the way for the light of Hashem to dwell”—to have a deep desire for a life of the flesh. We need to understand what he is saying here. I want to emphasize: the Alter Rebbe is not saying that we do not need these things, G-d forbid. Rather, they should not be the object of our deepest desire. Our pleasure, our innermost will, should not be invested in physical matters. About this our Sages said, concerning physical matters, “Nullify your will,” and so on. Pirkei Avos says, “Nullify your will before His will.” The Alter Rebbe asks: What does “nullify your will” mean? It means that a person’s desires in physical matters—in children, life, and sustenance—must be nullified. That is, his will should be utterly nullified, and he should have no desire at all for matters of this world.

15:56 The Alter Rebbe says: What does “nullify your will” mean? A person’s will must be utterly nullified. A person has a natural desire for children, life, and sustenance—for material things. That desire must be completely nullified, so that he has no desire at all for any worldly matters, all of which are included in children, life, and sustenance. Now, what does it say? “Against your will you live.” All matters of physical life are against your will. What is the Alter Rebbe explaining here? He is offering a somewhat novel interpretation of “nullify your will.” When we learn the Mishnah, “Nullify your will before His will,” we could understand it simply. What would “nullify your will” mean in that straightforward sense—not according to the Alter Rebbe here? A person has desires. I have desires: I want a livelihood, I want health, I want children, I want a family. He desires children, life, and sustenance, but he overcomes that desire through iskafya, self-restraint. Fine: “Nullify your will.” I set my desires aside before His will. It is not about what I want, but what Hashem wants. That is a struggle. The Alter Rebbe says no. The Alter Rebbe introduces something new—that is why he adds the words “that is.” He is giving a deeper interpretation. According to Chassidus, what does “nullify your will” mean? That your will itself should be utterly nullified. Not merely the nullification of something that remains in existence, but complete nullification. We know that Chassidus speaks of two kinds of bittul: bittul hayesh and bittul bimetzius. What is the difference? Bittul hayesh means iskafya. It means that, fundamentally, I am a person with cravings; fundamentally, I want all kinds of material things,

17:53 but I give up my desires through iskafya and do what Hashem wants. That is an external form of bittul—bittul hayesh. But there is another meaning of “nullify your will.” What Chassidus demands—and we will learn later in the chapter how to reach it—is bittul bimetzius. That is why the Alter Rebbe says that our will should be utterly nullified: to completely nullify my desire for material things, so that I have no desire for them at all. That is an entirely new point. With iskafya, I have a desire. I want something pleasurable; I want material things. But I overcome it and say: I will not do what I want; I will do what Hashem wants. That is iskafya. Here, though, we are saying no: our will itself should be completely nullified. This is something new in what the Alter Rebbe is asking of chassidim—a particular kind of avodah. And in this connection he cites the teaching, “Against your will you live.” That is what it says in Pirkei Avos. In other words, what does “Against your will you live” mean? When it comes to material matters, they are present in my life “against my will,” because I do not desire them. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants a person to be here below. He wants him to live, and consequently there must be material things—children, life, and sustenance—because that is the Divine will. But as for me, I have no desire of my own for them; that desire is completely nullified. We will explain this shortly. But first, there is a question. The Rebbe asks a simple question: How does the Alter Rebbe begin this chapter? He begins, “To give you understanding that this is not the way”

19:34 “for the light of Hashem to dwell.” What is the Alter Rebbe ruling out? What did the chossid think? The Alter Rebbe opens immediately with something of a challenge: “This is not the way.” What, then, was the way the chossid had in mind? Did he think the way was to desire children, life, and sustenance, and the Alter Rebbe was telling him, “No, you should know that this is not the way”? What was the chassidim’s initial assumption that prompted the Alter Rebbe to tell them, “You should know, this is not the way”? What is this about? Based on what we have just explained, the Rebbe gives a wonderful interpretation. Before the Alter Rebbe wrote to them, chassidim thought that avodah meant specifically iskafya. After all, when we learn Tanya, Likkutei Amarim, it often speaks, on the contrary, of the particular virtue of iskafya. Its virtue lies precisely in the fact that I have desires and cravings, I have a yetzer hara—and yet I overcome my desires and do not do what I want, but what Hashem wants. It is a path of self-denial, a path of iskafya. In particular, the Alter Rebbe says in Likkutei Amarim, “When the sitra achra is subdued, the glory of Hakadosh Boruch Hu rises throughout all the worlds.” When a person goes against his own desire and practices iskafya, he draws down the Infinite into the world. So chassidim thought: What is the real achievement in avodah? What is the path? I have desires. I do want children, life, and sustenance, but I overcome that through iskafya, set aside my will, and do what Hashem wants. Then the Alter Rebbe comes and says: No, you should know that “this is not the way for the light of Hashem to dwell.” That is not the way. What does it mean, “not the way”? Is iskafya suddenly not good? What happened? All of Chassidus speaks about the virtue of iskafya. So what does “this is not the way” mean?

21:37 The Rebbe gives a profound explanation. The Alter Rebbe is not saying it is not a path at all. He says, “This is not the way for the light of Hashem to dwell.” That is an entirely different matter. The Alter Rebbe wants to teach chassidim how a chossid can become a dwelling place—a vessel—for G-dliness in an inward way. Iskafya is certainly very lofty. In avodah, it is an exceptionally lofty thing. “When the sitra achra is subdued, the glory of Hakadosh Boruch Hu rises throughout all the worlds.” Iskafya has tremendous virtue, but it does not make a person a dwelling place. The person himself is not a vessel. On the contrary, in himself he is full of desires and cravings; he simply goes against his will. So it is true that iskafya draws down the Infinite, a very lofty revelation. But the Alter Rebbe is saying: I want to bring about something deeper in chassidim. I want them to become a dwelling place. A dwelling place means that the Divine light resides there permanently, inwardly—that you become vessels for G-dliness. To become a vessel for G-dliness in an inward way, iskafya is not enough. One’s desire must be truly and utterly nullified, so that one has no desire of one’s own at all. That, specifically, is a permanent dwelling place where Hakadosh Boruch Hu resides inwardly. So the avodah at the heart of chapter 11 is this: the Alter Rebbe wants to teach chassidim how to work on ourselves so that the Divine light, the light of Hashem, will dwell and be revealed within a person, within the soul, permanently—as in a dwelling place—and so that the person becomes a vessel. This comes through our will being truly and utterly nullified: completely relinquishing our own will. But then the question is: How do we reach that? How does it

23:41 Sounds like a very, very high level. How do we bring this about? And, as we said earlier, how can this be asked of ordinary chassidim? It is a very high level of avodah. So that is what we’re going to learn here. I’ll state the central point the Alter Rebbe comes to explain in this chapter, and with Hashem’s help we’ll learn the details as we go on. The central point is faith in the oneness of Hashem. Every Jew has faith. Faith is part of our lives; it is in our soul. A Jew has simple faith, as the Alter Rebbe says at the beginning of Tanya, in chapters 18 and 19 of Likkutei Amarim. Every Jew has simple faith in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But the Baal Shem Tov revealed the inner dimension of that faith. A Jew can be without Chassidus and believe in Hakadosh Boruch Hu, but for him, Hakadosh Boruch Hu is in the seventh heaven—something very, very high above: “Holy, holy, holy.” The Baal Shem Tov revealed true faith: faith in the oneness of Hashem, faith that “there is nothing besides Him.” So once we connect with the true faith a Jew has, with true faith in the oneness of Hashem—that there is nothing besides Him—a person can bring himself to the point where matters of this world have no significance for him at all. This world will not be a reality for him at all, and he will have no desire for it whatsoever. And what will be the test of whether this world has no significance for him? As the Alter Rebbe will explain later: first, he is not distressed. It doesn’t hurt him; he isn’t distressed if he lacks something in this world. And not only is he not distressed—on the contrary, he can be joyful. That goes even deeper. We’ll see later in the chapter that the Alter Rebbe speaks about the avodah of accepting it with joy: a person can serve

25:37 Hashem with joy even when he lacks something in this world. Serving Hashem with joy becomes possible when true faith in the oneness of Hashem permeates our minds and hearts. Then a person can attain great joy, and as a result, matters of the physical world become utterly insignificant to him, and he becomes a dwelling place for the light of Hashem. That is the central point of this chapter as an intellectual understanding. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu help us put this into practice right away and become vessels for it. And the main thing is what the Alter Rebbe says at the end of the chapter: faith itself brings the good into visible, revealed good. The point is not merely to have faith and leave it at that. The Alter Rebbe teaches something new, as we’ll see at the end of the chapter: through the very fact that a Jew believes in the true oneness of Hashem, and believes that everything is good and that nothing from Hakadosh Boruch Hu is not good, he brings about the revelation of the hidden good, so that it becomes visible, revealed good as well. May we merit to see this immediately with our own eyes, and may Moshiach be revealed immediately, right now.