Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 36 - Part 3

00:02 Speaker 1 The Rebbe brings the teaching of our Sages that Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired to have a dwelling in the lower realms. First, the Rebbe explains what “lower realms” means. It cannot mean “lower” in an absolute sense in relation to Hashem, because Hashem is present everywhere equally. Rather, “lower” is relative to the recipient. Hashem does not reveal Himself in this world as He is; He is concealed within garments. Each world is another garment, another level of concealment, with less revelation of G-dliness. That is how we have higher worlds and lower worlds. Where there is more revelation of G-dliness, there are fewer garments, less concealment of Hashem. Where there are more garments, the worlds are lower. This is the descent of the worlds through the chain of creation: in each world, the Divine light descends further, and the world becomes lower, until we reach this lower world, which, as the Rebbe says, has no world lower than it. Here, the world does not reveal G-dliness at all. It conceals G-dliness completely, and so it is the lowest of all. The Rebbe adds another point. It is not only that this world, by its very nature as a created world, does not reveal G-dliness. That is its concealment, its garment—the very lowest level. There is something more: it is also a place of kelipos. It is not merely low and unable to reveal G-dliness; it actually opposes G-dliness. That is what kelipos are: opposition to G-dliness. The Rebbe now continues: “And so, when we say that Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired

02:34 Speaker 1 a dwelling in the lower realms,” what does the Midrash mean by “a dwelling in the lower realms”? It means that Hashem desired a dwelling specifically at the very bottom, where there is nothing lower. Hashem wanted to reveal Himself, to have a dwelling here in this world, the lowest of all—specifically in this place of kelipos and sitra achra. The Rebbe now explains: “The purpose of the descent of the worlds through the chain of creation, from level to level…” What is the purpose of that entire chain? We heard earlier that the worlds descend in order, from one level to the next. What is the purpose of the worlds and their descent from level to level? “It is not for the sake of the higher worlds.” We cannot say that the purpose of the chain of creation is the higher worlds themselves. Why not? One might have thought that since the higher worlds have more revelation of G-dliness, since Hashem’s light shines there more openly, perhaps they are the purpose. In this lower world, by contrast, there is less revelation of G-dliness. So perhaps the intention is fulfilled in a loftier place, one closer to G-dliness. Where there is more and more revelation, more closeness and connection to the higher levels, one might say that is where the purpose is fulfilled. Someone at the very bottom of the levels is, after all, far from Hashem. That would have been a reasonable thought, but the Rebbe rules it out. We cannot say that the higher worlds were created for their own sake. Why? Because “for them, it is a descent from the light of His blessed countenance.” Even the higher worlds are a descent from the light of His blessed countenance. In other words, the defining feature of each world is that it is a descent from the world above it.

04:39 Speaker 1 That is what defines the higher worlds. What is a world, even a higher world? As we said earlier, it is a garment that conceals the countenance of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. So what defines each world? What do we sense in the reality of any world—the World of Yetzirah, the World of Beriah, the World of Atzilus, and so on? In each world, we sense that it is a garment over something higher. There is a loftier level, with greater revelation, from which it descends. It is a descent from the light of His blessed countenance. The world is defined as a descent from a loftier state. Since at every level of the higher worlds we sense that it is a descent from the light of His blessed countenance, that there is a higher level above it, we cannot say that the purpose lies in any one of those worlds. The ultimate purpose is this world. What does “the ultimate purpose” mean? What must it be? The point is that this world is not defined as a descent. What does that mean? We need to explain this. How can that be? If the higher worlds are a descent, isn’t this world an even greater descent? If the higher worlds are a descent from the light of His blessed countenance because the Divine light does not shine there as it does above, then surely this physical world is all the more so a descent from the light of His blessed countenance. How can the Rebbe say that the higher worlds are a descent, while this physical world is not? The explanation is very simple. There is, in fact, a very great difference between the higher worlds and this physical world. The higher worlds form a chain of descent. The higher worlds

06:31 Speaker 1 are part of a chain of descent. There is a higher level, and from it a lower level unfolds. What does that mean? A chain of descent means that at every level, at every link in the chain, we sense that there is something higher and something lower. That is what a chain means: there is always something higher, from which something lower unfolds. Otherwise, it would not be called a chain of descent. That is its defining feature. Take a simple example from life: ideas, intellectual arguments. One idea leads to another, moving from one aspect of a subject to another. One line of reasoning calls for the next. There are deeper ideas, and still deeper ones. The nature of intellectual reasoning is that with each idea, we sense that this is not the final idea. There is always a deeper one. You reach something deeper, and then there is something deeper still. There is the well-known story about Reb Mendel HaDovka[?]; everyone knows the story. During the recitation of “Atah Horeisa,” Reb Mendel HaDovka[?] did not want to begin “Atah Horeisa.” All the chassidim were waiting, and he had not come out for hakafos. They did not know what was happening. A long time passed before the Rebbe went in to him and said, “The chassidim are waiting. Why haven’t you come out for hakafos?” He replied that he had discovered a hundred explanations of “Atah Horeisa”—a hundred interpretations. Until he could grasp and absorb all one hundred interpretations of “Atah Horeisa,” he could not move on from them. What did the Rebbe tell him? “The moment you absorb those hundred interpretations, another hundred will be revealed to you.” It is like sight: standing here, you can see, say, ten kilometers. A person looks out from here and sees a certain distance; if he moves farther ahead

08:20 Speaker 1 Then he’ll see another ten kilometers. It won’t end; he’ll always see more and more. The same is true in the realm of intellect: behind every idea lies a more inward, deeper idea. It goes on endlessly. That is the nature of hishtalshelus: at every level, one senses that this is not the ultimate point. It is a continuation, a particular expression of a deeper idea, a particular garment. There is always greater depth. Likewise, in the order of hishtalshelus, each level is a descent, and each world is lower than what came before it, which had a higher degree of revelation. So it is a descent from Hashem. But what is distinctive about the physical? What is distinctive about this physical world is that it does not come about through hishtalshelus. It did not come through a chain of stages, a descent of light. Rather, something new came into being: yesh me’ayin, something from nothing. That is not hishtalshelus; yesh me’ayin is not cause and effect. It means that something new came into being that did not exist before. That is what distinguishes this physical world from the entire order of hishtalshelus: here, something new came into being. And that was precisely the Rebbe’s question earlier: “until this physical world was created.” We said this last week, but the Rebbe does not say, “until this physical world descended through hishtalshelus.” He says, “until this physical world was created.” This is not hishtalshelus; it is creation. And “created” does not mean that something loftier became something lower. That is not what creation means. It does not mean that something existed in a subtle form and became something coarse. Creation means that there was nothing, and then there was something.

09:59 Speaker 1 There was no existence, and then there was an existence. So here the concept of descent does not apply. Here, something new came into being that did not exist before. And that is why the Rebbe said that one cannot say the ultimate purpose is in the higher worlds, since for them, this is a descent from the light of Hashem’s countenance. How can you say that the ultimate purpose lies at the end? This world has already grown distant from G-dliness; it has descended, it has moved away from Hakadosh Boruch Hu, so it seems far from the purpose. The purpose has to be something connected to Him. To understand this better, we need an introduction. Many maamarim explain that when we say, “Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired to have a dwelling in the lower realms,” a dwelling means a dwelling for Himself. Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not want a dwelling for some contraction, for something limited. “A dwelling in the lower realms” means a dwelling for Himself. This is explained throughout the maamarim. Why is it specifically called a dwelling? Why not a garment? Another word could have been used. Why not a level? “Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired a dwelling in the lower realms.” It is explained that a dwelling is a place where the person himself is present. That is the difference between a dwelling and any other place: in his dwelling, a person is there as he is, in his entirety. When a person is somewhere else—for example, when a king goes out to the people, to the army, to prisoners, or wherever he goes—the king is no longer there as he is. He presents himself in a particular way. That is no longer the king as he is in his essential self; it is an image, the way he wants to appear to others. So when he comes to the army,

11:52 Speaker 1 the king comes with an entourage, perhaps in military dress. When the king addresses the people, he comes in royal attire. He presents himself in a particular way so the people can receive him. That is not him as he is. In his palace, by contrast, he is there as himself. So when the Alter Rebbe says that the purpose is a dwelling, it means a dwelling for Him Himself. That cannot be a place where He is not present as Himself, where there is a descent from Hashem. A descent from what came before is already a degree of distance from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. So how could the purpose be in that descent? This physical world, by contrast, is not a descent. Here there is no further descent. Hakadosh Boruch Hu has not moved farther away. What descent are we talking about? This is a new existence. What brings that existence about? Here, then, there is no descent from Hashem. What is there? The lowest realm, beneath which there is nothing lower. And of this we say that Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired to dwell in this lowest world, which is not a descent but a new existence. There, He Himself can be revealed as He is, without contraction, without concealment or hiding. This is what the Rebbe brings in the maamar Basi Legani. There the Rebbe spells out all the details that are not written here. To understand this chapter better, we need a few more introductions to what the Alter Rebbe says here. The Rebbe adds this in the maamar Basi Legani, where he explains the whole subject in connection with what the Alter Rebbe says in Igeres Hakodesh about creation yesh me’ayin. That is in the chapter itself. And so,

13:28 Speaker 1 on the contrary, in a world that is a descent from Hashem, He is not there as Himself. Those are revelations, a descent, light—not Him Himself. This physical world, by contrast, is not a descent. It is something new, yesh me’ayin. Who can bring about such a new thing? Only the Essence. So it is precisely in this physical world that He Himself is present. And it comes from the very Essence of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. [unclear] Precisely in this lowest world, which is neither a revelation nor a descent, the Essence is present. That is where the matter of [unclear] lies.

13:58 Speaker 2 Unless it is not yesh me’ayin.

14:01 Speaker 1 But in the world of Beriah, it is not yesh me’ayin—not in the sense we mean here, at any rate. When we reach that point, the world of Beriah, there is still some revelation of G-dliness. It is a spiritual world. The world of Beriah is still, in a sense, a descent from Hashem. True, there is the question: isn’t Beriah also yesh me’ayin? But the yesh me’ayin we are speaking about here, the kind connected with His Essence, applies specifically to the physical. This is what the Rebbe also brings in the maamar Basi Legani 5711: physical existence comes from the Essence. This particular feature of physical existence—that it exists from the Essence—belongs to the Essence alone. He alone is omnipotent, and this is undeniably yesh me’ayin. This particular feature is found only in the physical, unlike in the world of Beriah, or even in the worlds of Yetzirah and Asiyah. True, there is a certain aspect of yesh me’ayin there too: they are created. But that is not an existence from the Essence. They are spiritual creations, which sense that they are effects of something higher. That kind of yesh me’ayin does not require the Essence; it can come about through revelation, at least. So, returning to our subject, this is what the Alter Rebbe is saying here. The ultimate purpose cannot be said to lie in a descent. You cannot call a descent from Hashem the ultimate purpose. What, then, is the ultimate purpose? It is specifically this world, the lowest realm, beneath which there is nothing lower. It is not a descent; it is something new, a new existence. This is what arose in Hashem’s will. This is what Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired. It arose in His will. What arose in His will? He has a will for every world. Hashem [unclear] Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired; it arose in His will.

15:44 Speaker 1 That He should have nachas ruach: when a person here in this lowest world, below which there is none lower—a world with no revelation of G-dliness—practices iskafya, Hakadosh Boruch Hu has nachas ruach from it. There are two aspects here, iskafya and ishapcha: a Jew practices iskafya and transforms things through ishapcha. These are two things that can be done only in this physical world. They do not apply in the higher worlds. In the higher worlds there can be love and awe, bittul, spiritual delight, the radiance of the Shechinah, and sublime levels of purity. These are very lofty things. But iskafya and ishapcha do not belong in a world of G-dliness. They belong specifically in this physical world. And it was Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s desire that precisely here, through iskafya and ishapcha—through work connected with the lowest realm—He should have nachas ruach. As the Rebbe explains in the maamarim, there are several elements to the idea of a dwelling in the lower realms. When we say, “Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired to have a dwelling in the lower realms,” making that dwelling involves three points. First, it must be in a lower place. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted the dwelling to be in a place called “lower”—this physical world. Second, it must be made by those in the lower realm. In other words, the dwelling could be in this physical world but be made by Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself: He created the lower realm and then makes His dwelling there too. No. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted the dwelling in the lower realms to be made by those in the lower realm—souls in bodies, Jews who are here in this

17:27 Speaker 1 physical world, among the lower beings, and who make the dwelling through their own work. That is the second point. And the third point: what kind of work by those in the lower realm? Work that belongs only to them. Work without revelations or lofty spiritual levels—the work of iskafya and ishapcha. Studying Torah and serving Hashem through prayer are very, very lofty things. But that work is not specifically connected with the lower realms; it can be done in the higher worlds too. What work specifically makes the dwelling in the lower realms? Work connected with the lowest realm: iskafya and ishapcha. With iskafya, a Jew has a particular desire and restrains himself. Or, beyond that, he transforms the desire—evil into good, darkness into light. This seems like lowly work. There is no revelation in it for the person; he is simply battling darkness. Instead of fighting darkness, he could be reaching great levels of love and awe. But no—he fights the darkness, fights the evil. He deals with practical action, with matters that have no revelations in them. And precisely that is the dwelling. This is what the lowest realm is, and this will bring Hakadosh Boruch Hu nachas ruach: that His light should be revealed in a place of darkness, of sitra achra, which does not exist in the higher worlds. This is truly the advantage of light that comes from darkness, right before our eyes. This was Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s desire: when a Jew practices iskafya and ishapcha in this physical world, Hashem’s light shines in the place of darkness more than it shines in all the higher worlds. “The advantage of light that comes from darkness”—literally, right before our eyes. You see, here there will be an advantage of light:

19:09 Speaker 1 a new kind of light. “The advantage of light” means a higher light, far beyond what shines in the higher worlds. There, in the higher worlds, it shines through garments and veils that conceal Hakadosh Boruch Hu. In the higher worlds it shines through garments and veils. Here, by contrast, Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself will shine without any veil, as the Alter Rebbe will explain shortly, later in the chapter. When the Alter Rebbe says that iskafya and ishapcha cause the infinite light of Hakadosh Boruch Hu to shine with “the advantage of light that comes from darkness,” it does not mean merely that this is a higher light. One might read it this way: in the higher worlds a Jew reaches a revelation of G-dliness, [unclear]. Through iskafya of the sitra achra, there is “the advantage of light that comes from darkness.” Since it comes from darkness, it is a higher light. So one might think this is a comparison of levels: a certain kind of light shines in the higher worlds, in the World to Come, while iskafya of the sitra achra reveals a still higher light. But it does not mean merely a higher light. That would still be another revelation, more light—a descent from above to below. The meaning of “the advantage of light” is a new kind of light. As brought in the Midrash later, “the advantage of light that comes from darkness” does not mean just another revelation of G-dliness. When light comes from darkness, it is a different kind of light. It is something new, a new light. The light revealed in the higher worlds is a descent; it is in the category of descent, as we said earlier. By contrast,

21:11 Speaker 1 here there is something created ex nihilo, and there is iskafya. Through this, a new kind of light is brought about—just as the very existence of this physical world is something new. We said that physical existence in this world is not a descent from above to below; it is a new creation. We explained this earlier. The higher worlds are a descent from above to below, but physical existence, created ex nihilo, is not a descent. It is something new. Creation ex nihilo is a novelty, not a descent. It produces something that exists. The same applies to the revelation of G-dliness, which is the ultimate purpose of a dwelling in the lower realms. It does not mean that yet more light will be revealed; it means that a new kind of light will be revealed. The light that comes through transforming darkness into light is a light connected with Hashem’s Essence, because only through the Essence can darkness be transformed into light. Accordingly, the revelation of G-dliness in the future—the dwelling in the lower realms, the advantage of light—means a revelation of the Essence, not merely a revelation of light, but a new light, a new revelation. It is something new. There is a wording in the prayers that we do not say—which is interesting. We do not say it in our prayers, but the Alter Rebbe quotes it in Likkutei Torah. There are several passages in the prayers that, although they are not in our version, are explained in Chassidus. One of them—I do not know if you are familiar with this wording—is a line said in the prayers in other versions: “Shine a new light upon Tziyon, and may we all soon merit its light.” Does anyone here know Nusach Ashkenaz or Nusach Sefard? Hm? A new light. [unclear]. “Shine a new light upon Tziyon, and may we all soon merit its light.” They say it before “Yotzer Hame’oros,” right?

23:29 Speaker 1 They say it before “Yotzer Hame’oros,” before the passage at the end. It is not in our version, but it is discussed in Chassidus. It refers to the revelations of the future. So what does “Shine a new light upon Tziyon” mean in Chassidus? Moshiach will come, there will be a new light, a revelation of G-dliness. But according to what Chassidus explains, “a new light”—as we are explaining here—does not mean another level of G-dliness, something that had not been revealed before and is simply higher. All the blessings before Shema also speak of a descent from above to below. Rather, this is a new light. In Chassidus, “new” means new in its very essence. It is not just new to us; it is a different kind of light from all the revelations. All the revelations of the ten sefiros are revelations of light, a descent. But the kind of light that emerges from darkness is a new kind of light. It is connected with the Essence, because to turn darkness into light, one must reach a level beyond the very categories of light and darkness—the Essence. So “the advantage of light” means a new light, a new kind of light.

24:56 Speaker 3 Why is it called “light” and not “Essence”?

25:02 Speaker 1 A very good question. Why is it light and not the essence? A very good question. The Rebbe explains this, though I don’t understand it. I’ll just repeat it because you asked. I wanted to avoid it, but since you asked, we have to explain. The Rebbe explains it like this. The Rebbe says: Why is it called “the advantage of light over darkness”? It is a matter of advantage within the category of light. You see, there is a question here. There is a principle that a descent is for the sake of an ascent. So whenever something undergoes a descent, it must be so that afterward it reaches a higher level than before. You can’t say that a descent is for the sake of something lower. A descent has to be for the sake of something higher. Now, in terms of light and the revelation of light, there will be more light, more revelation, in the time to come. But each successive world is a descent, with less revelation, until gradually there is no revelation at all. So in terms of light, why is there this descent? It produces no greater revelation. You can say that in the time to come the essence will be revealed—that the descent led to the essence. Fine, but that is something else. That is the essence; it does not belong to the realm of light. In the realm of light, there has been a descent without an ascent, without any gain in terms of light. The essence is revealed, but the essence is something else. That is why we have to say that in the time to come there will not only be a revelation of the essence. This is why the Rebbe emphasizes light here: the revelation of light, too, will be on a higher level. Not only from the standpoint of the essence, but within the category of light itself, the revelation in the time to come will be higher. These are things the Rebbe says. I

27:08 Speaker 1 don’t know exactly how to put it or explain it, and there is much more to discuss here. But at least for today, that is enough. The point is to understand what is meant by the purpose of it all: we would not have gone through all this otherwise, so why did it happen?