Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 37 - Part 9

00:01 The Alter Rebbe explains here—in the whole section we have discussed so far, really beginning with chapters 35, 36, and 37—the point of what the Zohar says about “good deeds.” The Alter Rebbe wants to explain the significance of doing: the main emphasis is on action. He cites the Zohar, which says that good deeds are what cause the light of the Shechinah to shine in the body and the animal soul. In the analogy of the wick and the oil, the oil represents good deeds. The Alter Rebbe wants to understand: Why specifically good deeds? Why the emphasis on action? That is what the lengthy explanation up to this point has been about. Action is what primarily accomplishes this. Doing a mitzvah is Hashem’s will. But why action in particular, when there is also Torah study and there are other things? Because action involves the faculty of doing. It involves the animal soul, and through it a person refines and purifies his animal soul, which comes from kelipah. This accomplishes the central purpose of making a dwelling for Hashem in the lower realms. A dwelling in the lower realms involves two things. First, removing all vitality from kelipah, bringing about “I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth.” Second, drawing the Infinite down here below. This is accomplished primarily by refining the body, the animal soul, and one’s portion of the world. So because that is the purpose, we accomplish it now through the actual performance of mitzvos. That is the significance of good deeds. When Moshiach comes, it will not be something new. Rather, Moshiach’s coming will reveal everything we have done until now: all the good deeds a Jew has performed, his fulfillment of mitzvos, through

02:07 which he refined his body, his animal soul, and his portion of the world, making them a dwelling for Hashem through those mitzvos. The revelation of everything we do will come with Moshiach. Then we will see with our physical eyes how “I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth” is fulfilled; the world will be a dwelling for Hashem’s Essence, “the glory of Hashem will be revealed,” and “they will see eye to eye.” That has been the point until now. The Alter Rebbe concluded what we studied at the end of the previous class by explaining that the entire purpose of the soul’s descent—Hashem taking the Divine soul from a lofty height and bringing it down into a deep pit, into this physical world and a body, which for the soul is an immense descent, a kind of exile—is not for the soul itself. The soul is already complete; it needs no correction at all. The sole purpose of its descent is to refine the body, the animal soul, and its portion of the world, thereby making a dwelling in the lower realms. That is the whole purpose. In the previous class we discussed at length how there are also forms of ascent, but the soul’s main purpose is not its own ascent. It is the refinement of the physical body, because that is what making a dwelling in the lower realms is all about. That is what we have discussed so far. Now the Alter Rebbe adds another point. In this connection, and on this basis, he explains the great significance of tzedakah. We are discussing good deeds: good deeds refine the body and the animal soul. The Alter Rebbe will now explain that, among them, the mitzvah of tzedakah accomplishes this in the highest and most complete way. Let us read inside now, on page 48b, in the middle of the line: “With this we can understand why our Sages greatly, greatly

03:51 extolled the virtue of tzedakah.” On this basis, says the Alter Rebbe, we can explain why our Sages praise and magnify the virtue of tzedakah so much. The Alter Rebbe emphasizes “greatly, greatly.” It is like the verse in last week’s parsha, Parshas Vayeitzei, concerning Yaakov Avinu: “And the man prospered greatly, greatly.” Chassidus explains that this too is connected with the work of refinement. In the Torah, we find the expression “greatly, greatly”—the word “greatly” twice—specifically in connection with refining physical things. We find it with Yaakov Avinu in Lavan’s house, when he worked with the flocks: “And the man prospered greatly, greatly.” Similarly, we find it in Parshas Shelach, in the account of the spies, when Kalev said, “The land is very, very good.” The expression “greatly, greatly” does not just mean without limit. Within what is limitless, there is a doubled “greatly, greatly.” It is used specifically for mitzvos involving physical action, and for the mitzvah of tzedakah in particular. In other words, there is an ordinary “greatly,” which can also be found with mitzvos involving spiritual matters. We find the idea of “greatly,” for example, in what we say in Shema: “You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” A single “greatly,” without limit, exists in spiritual matters too—in prayer, in love, and in things connected with the soul’s spiritual life. But when it comes specifically to physical action in making a dwelling in the lower realms, the expression is “greatly, greatly.” It is higher still: beyond limit within the limitless itself. It is “greatly” upon “greatly.” So the Alter Rebbe explains here that our Sages greatly, greatly extolled the virtue of tzedakah, and said that it is equal to all the mitzvos. Our Sages say that the distinctive virtue of

05:43 tzedakah is that it is equal to all the mitzvos. That is stated in the Gemara in Bava Basra, in its discussion of tzedakah. And the Alter Rebbe also says: “Throughout the Jerusalem Talmud, it is called simply ‘the mitzvah.’” We see that when the Jerusalem Talmud speaks of “a mitzvah” without specifying which one, it means the mitzvah of tzedakah. There are several places in the Jerusalem Talmud, for example. In one of them, it says that one of the Amoraim, Yonasan, performed a mitzvah at night. It says that he performed a mitzvah at night, and an angel came and spoke to him about a danger associated with doing so at night. There is a whole account there in the Jerusalem Talmud about performing a mitzvah at night. Which mitzvah was it? The mitzvah of tzedakah. Yes, there is an issue with giving tzedakah at night. The Rebbe spoke about this several times. The Rebbe was not particular about it; as is well known, the Rebbe always distributed tzedakah at night. The Rebbe would tell the story of how, when he was in Paris, he once gave tzedakah at night, and a Jew came up to him. The Rebbe said he was a Chassidic Jew, but not a Chabad chossid; he was from Satmar. If he had been a Chabad chossid, he would have shown a little more respect. But this was another Jew, an elderly man who approached the Rebbe and shouted at him, “How can you give tzedakah at night? It is forbidden to give tzedakah at night!” The Rebbe actually felt a little bad, thinking that perhaps he had done something wrong. Afterward, he told the Frierdiker Rebbe about it. The Frierdiker Rebbe laughed and said, “Presumably, that Jew

07:32 “He doesn’t give during the day either.” That’s a story the Rebbe would often tell—about people looking for every possible reason not to give. So he simply doesn’t give during the day either, and at night he has another reason not to, on the face of it. But in practice, the Rebbe would often speak about this. He would say: All right, giving tzedakah to a poor person at night—is that, chas v’shalom, a problem? Perhaps one needs to be careful about putting money in a pushka. In any case, the Rebbe himself did not appear to be particular about this. But he would say: Once you’re asking the question, if a poor person comes to you, you certainly have to give him. What kind of question is that? Are you going to tell him to wait until tomorrow? Should he starve? So of course, if someone asks for money, you must give it to him without making calculations. The question is about putting money into a tzedakah box, a pushka, at night. Is doing that, chas v’shalom, a problem? It is also worth noting here that in the Yerushalmi, where this subject is brought up, the word used is simply “mitzvah,” and it is clear there that the reference is to tzedakah. As he says, this usage appears throughout the Talmud Yerushalmi. In other words, it is common in the Talmud Yerushalmi to call tzedakah simply “mitzvah.” From this we understand what the Alter Rebbe is saying: that was the customary way of speaking in Eretz Yisroel. They were accustomed to calling tzedakah not “tzedakah,” but simply “mitzvah.” Why call it that? There are many mitzvos. Why was tzedakah in particular called simply “mitzvah”? The Alter Rebbe explains: because it is the principal mitzvah among the practical mitzvos. In light of what we have explained here about the purpose of all the practical mitzvos, we can understand why tzedakah is called simply “mitzvah”: it is the principal one among them. “And it surpasses them all.” Not only is it the principal one among

09:10 the practical mitzvos, but, the Alter Rebbe says, even more than that: “And it surpasses them all.” Here the Alter Rebbe adds another point. First he cited the wording of the Talmud Bavli, which says that it is “equal to all the mitzvos.” “Equal” means that it is on the same level as all the mitzvos—as though it encompasses all of them. Now the Alter Rebbe adds something stronger: the reason the Yerushalmi calls it simply “mitzvah” is not only that it is equal to all the mitzvos. It has an additional advantage: “And it surpasses them all.” It has a special quality beyond all the other mitzvos. What is so special about the mitzvah of tzedakah that it is equal to all the mitzvos—and surpasses them all? The Alter Rebbe explains: “For all of them serve only to raise the vital soul to Hashem, since it is the one that performs them.” But first of all, what is the connection? Before explaining why it surpasses them all, let’s explain the basic connection: why do we say this mitzvah is equal to all the mitzvos, that it is like all the mitzvos? So first he explains this point. What is the purpose of all the mitzvos? As we said in the preceding chapters we have been discussing, the purpose of all the mitzvos is to raise the vital soul to Hashem—to bring about an elevation in the animal soul and raise it to G-dliness—“since it is the one that performs them.” The vital soul is the one that performs the mitzvos “and is clothed in them”; the vital soul becomes clothed in the performance of the mitzvos, “to be included in the light of the blessed Ein Sof that is clothed in them.” The purpose of all the mitzvos is to take the vital soul, raise it, and include it in the light of the Ein Sof clothed in them. “And there is no mitzvah in which the vital soul is clothed as fully as in the mitzvah of tzedakah.” This is the advantage of tzedakah, that it is equal to all the mitzvos. Because with the mitzvah of tzedakah,

11:10 the vital, animal soul is clothed in the mitzvah—and that, after all, is the whole point of the mitzvos—to an incomparably greater extent than with any other mitzvah. There is no other mitzvah in which the vital soul is clothed so comprehensively as it is in the mitzvah of tzedakah. Why? The Alter Rebbe explains: “With all the other mitzvos, only one faculty of the vital soul is clothed in them, and only at the time of performing the mitzvah.” When a person performs an ordinary mitzvah, any other mitzvah, what happens? One faculty of the vital soul is clothed in it at the time of its performance. There are two details here. First, only one faculty of the animal soul is involved in the mitzvah. Simply put, when I put on tefillin, I’m working with my hand. So the action a person performs with the animal soul is an action done with the hands; the hands are chiefly involved. And when a person goes and does anything, each action has the particular limb through which he performs the mitzvah. That means only one faculty of the vital soul is connected with this particular mitzvah. That’s one point: only one faculty. Second, the Alter Rebbe says, it happens only “at the time of performing the mitzvah.” What does that mean? Only while I am putting on tefillin am I using those faculties. A moment before I put on tefillin, and a moment afterward, it’s over. It happens only while I’m putting on tefillin. I perform an action with my hands, drawing on faculties of the vital soul for the mitzvah. So there are two limitations here: first, it involves only one faculty of the vital soul; and second, it happens only during the performance of the mitzvah, and no longer. But with tzedakah, when a person gives from the labor

12:59 of his hands—the Alter Rebbe says, “But with tzedakah,” a person gives of himself. He gives others something he toiled for, the labor of his hands. “For the entire strength of the vital soul is clothed in the work he does.” If we think about it, when a person works to earn money, he invests all his strength in it. A person works and toils, investing all his strength in earning a living, in the work he does. He puts all his enthusiasm into it, all his energy. “And when he gives it to tzedakah, his entire vital soul rises to Hashem.” So when a person gives tzedakah, he devotes his entire vital soul to Hashem. Here, too, we have both advantages. One is that it involves not just one faculty, but all the soul’s faculties. Yes. This is something to grasp: the action here does not involve just one faculty, but all the faculties a person put into earning his livelihood. He invested all his strength in it. So the mitzvah affects the entire strength of the vital soul. And it is not limited to the action he performs at the moment of giving. It includes all the work he did over time—work he did before, not just now. The effort he put into earning that money took place at other times. So it is not only the action of giving right now that is elevated, not only the faculties I use to put the money into the poor person’s hand, but also the faculties I invested in the effort of earning a living. Those too are included in the elevation; they rise together when I perform the mitzvah. That, then, is the advantage of tzedakah. That is why we say tzedakah is equal to all the mitzvos. So what is the explanation of

14:42 its being equal to all the mitzvos? The purpose of mitzvos is what? To elevate the animal soul and refine the body and animal soul, making them a vessel for G-dliness. With every other mitzvah, this happens only in one particular respect. With tzedakah, by contrast, it includes the entire vital soul, along with all the work the person did over time. All of it is elevated through the mitzvah of tzedakah, and that is why it encompasses all the mitzvos. Yes. Now the Alter Rebbe makes another point, and this brings us to yeshiva students. We’re talking about yeshiva students. They give tzedakah from their father’s money. Ah! Yes, it isn’t money they worked to earn. Usually, for most students, the money they give to tzedakah is not money they toiled for. Even those students who work on the side, doing a few jobs to earn money, generally guard that money very carefully so they can use it for more important things. They get their tzedakah money somewhere else. So seemingly, they don’t have this whole advantage of tzedakah. If the point of tzedakah is that a person gives away the fruits of the work in which he invested all the faculties of his animal soul, where does that apply to someone who doesn’t work? So the Alter Rebbe explains this too: “And even one who does not live on the fruits of his own labor—nevertheless, with this money he could have purchased the necessities of life for his vital soul.” A person could have used that money for another purpose, to buy something his animal soul would enjoy. Yes. So, let’s say his father gave him ten pesos in the morning and told him, “This is for you; do…”

16:15 “Do with it what you want.” So he could take those ten pesos, go into a kiosk, for example, and buy himself a treat, something to enjoy—a drink, perhaps something stronger. Right? But he took that money and decided, “No, I’m taking this money and giving it to tzedakah,” or at least part of it. Right? So here, too, that same point is present in potential. True, there is no actual labor involved, but there is an effort: he gives up something his soul could have enjoyed, something physical that could have given his vital soul pleasure. He took it and gave it up. In a sense, he made a sacrifice of that pleasure and put it into tzedakah; he gave it to Hashem. In doing so, he brought about the elevation of all his soul’s faculties and raised them to G-dliness. So there is something special about the service of tzedakah. What, then, is the Alter Rebbe adding here? We’ll come to the subject of tzedakah. When we study the passage in the Gemara at face value, it says here that tzedakah is equivalent to all the mitzvos. The commentators all ask: What is it about tzedakah? Why is it so lofty that it is said to be equivalent to all the mitzvos? There are several explanations. On the level of the straightforward meaning, for example, the Maharsha explains why tzedakah is equivalent to all the mitzvos. The Gemara there says that anyone who turns a blind eye to tzedakah is as though he worships idols. Why? What is the connection to idol worship?

18:03 Why is failing to give tzedakah like idol worship? Because he doesn’t want to give tzedakah: he attaches such importance to his money. In other words, it is as though he doesn’t believe that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will give it back to him. He doesn’t believe that this money comes from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He feels he has to keep his money for himself. There is a lack of faith. That is why not giving tzedakah is like idol worship. Conversely, when he does give tzedakah, it is equivalent to all the mitzvos, because idol worship is equivalent to violating all the mitzvos. That is how the Maharsha explains it. Right? But according to the Alter Rebbe’s explanation, a wonderful insight emerges: the connection lies in the very content of the mitzvos. According to the Maharsha, the connection is somewhat indirect. According to the Alter Rebbe, however, it touches on the essence of all the mitzvos. That is why tzedakah is so great that it is equivalent to all the mitzvos. It isn’t merely a matter of the mitzvos’ power; it is essential to the whole point. As the Alter Rebbe explained earlier, what is the essence of all the mitzvos? To make a dwelling place in the lower realms and to raise the animal soul to G-dliness. That is the purpose of the soul’s entire descent below. Where is this accomplished most powerfully, even most completely? Through giving tzedakah. Along the same lines, this is also why the Jerusalem Talmud calls it simply “the mitzvah.” Elsewhere, there is another explanation. Elsewhere, too, it explains why tzedakah is called simply “the mitzvah,” but for a different reason: because tzedakah expresses the content of all the mitzvos. What is tzedakah? It is a person showing kindness to those in need, being gracious to the poor and lowly. Right? He gives; he bestows kindness

19:44 and tzedakah on someone who lacks what he needs, on a poor and destitute person, and gives him what he needs. And in essence, every mitzvah is the same. The word mitzvah also comes from tzavsa, meaning joining and connection. The whole point of a mitzvah is also a drawing down, an act of kindness from Hakadosh Boruch Hu, who gave us actions through which we can receive. With regard to a mitzvah, a person, too, is in a state of poverty: he is poor, he has nothing, and by doing a mitzvah he receives something from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That is why all the mitzvos are called tzedakah. The mitzvah of tzedakah has this point in common with all the mitzvos. The difference is that this explanation works in the opposite direction: it explains why all the mitzvos are called tzedakah. Here we need to explain why tzedakah is called by the name given to all the mitzvos. These are two opposite things. We see that all the mitzvos are called tzedakah. For example, as it says in Parshas Va’eschanan, “And it will be tzedakah for us if we are careful to do all this mitzvah.” That verse applies the name tzedakah to them; it implies that all the mitzvos are called tzedakah. The explanation is that every mitzvah is also a form of tzedakah: a bestowal from above to below, an act of giving, like tzedakah. Here the explanation goes the other way. It addresses the Jerusalem Talmud’s statement that tzedakah in particular is called simply “the mitzvah.” So the Alter Rebbe explains here that the mitzvah of tzedakah is called simply “the mitzvah” because tzedakah encompasses what a mitzvah is about: elevating the animal soul to G-dliness.

21:21 Now the Alter Rebbe continues: “And therefore our Sages said that it brings the Geulah closer.” According to this, says the Alter Rebbe, we can also understand what our Sages say there in Tractate Avodah Zarah. The Gemara goes on to say, “Great is tzedakah, for it brings the Geulah closer.” Here, too, we need to understand the connection between tzedakah and the Geulah. Why is tzedakah specifically what brings the Geulah closer? On a straightforward level, it is explained that tzedakah brings the Geulah closer because of measure for measure: when a person gives tzedakah, he performs an act of kindness toward a poor person. So Hakadosh Boruch Hu will also show us kindness; even if we do not deserve it, He will show us kindness and rescue us from exile. It is measure for measure. That is how it is explained. But here the Alter Rebbe follows the same approach we discussed earlier. The connection between tzedakah and the Geulah is not just a matter of measure for measure; it concerns the very essence of the Geulah. Tzedakah brings the Geulah closer not merely as a cause, through measure for measure, but because, at their core, they are about the same thing. With a single act of tzedakah, a person elevates much of his vital soul—more of its faculties and dimensions than he could elevate through several other practical mitzvos. That is because with tzedakah a person invests the powers of his animal soul to a remarkable degree, in a way no other mitzvah can accomplish. It is specifically in the mitzvah of tzedakah that a person invests his animal powers in the loftiest way. And that is also what the Geulah is all about: elevating the animal soul and bringing about a dwelling place in the lower realms.

23:04 That is why tzedakah in particular brings the Geulah closer, because the central point of the Geulah is the elevation of the animal soul. Where does the elevation of the animal soul take place to the greatest degree? Specifically through tzedakah. Here the Alter Rebbe is mainly explaining how tzedakah is equivalent to all the mitzvos. His entire explanation here clarifies that point, but it does not make quite as clear why tzedakah surpasses all of them. It is equivalent to all the mitzvos because it encompasses them all: each mitzvah involves only one particular aspect, whereas tzedakah encompasses all these powers. But where do we see here that tzedakah surpasses them all, that it is loftier even than all the mitzvos? That is not stated quite as explicitly. It is present more by implication. The Alter Rebbe explains it afterward in Igeres Hakodesh, section 4, which is connected with 19 Kislev. In Igeres Hakodesh, section 4, there is a letter from the Alter Rebbe that begins, “The Jewish people are redeemed only through tzedakah, as it says, ‘And those who return to her, through tzedakah.’” This is a different teaching of our Sages, but it, too, says that tzedakah is what brings the Geulah. There the Alter Rebbe also explains the whole subject. And there he adds a point that is not written here. In several details, his wording there resembles what he says here, but there he adds a deeper point that he does not emphasize here. What does the Alter Rebbe emphasize there? He emphasizes that when a person gives tzedakah from the labor of his hands, aside from the fact that this involves the point

24:37 When a person invests all the powers of his animal soul, that is a broader matter, encompassing all the physical energy he puts into his work. There is another point as well: in business, a person also invests the innermost part of his soul. Not just the powers of the animal soul; he also puts in powers from deep within himself. We see this in business and earning a living: a person takes action, puts his energy into it, invests everything he has—and sometimes even goes beyond his own limits. In other words, it is not only “the labor of your hands.” We can see that sometimes, in business, a person invests all his interest in it, all his vitality. He puts in not only the external powers of the soul, those of reason and understanding, but also what is beyond reason and understanding—the innermost part of his soul. There is an external dimension of the heart and an inner dimension of the heart. And we see that sometimes a person takes the inner dimension of his heart and puts it into his business. If he then takes the money he earned from that business and gives it to tzedakah, he is not merely taking the powers of his animal soul and bringing them into holiness. He is also taking the innermost part of his soul, the inner dimension of his heart, and drawing it out of kelipah, where he had invested it in matters of business. He had put those innermost powers into matters of the opposing side, of kelipas nogah—all the matters of business and earning a living. And then he takes those powers and that money

26:14 and gives them to tzedakah. So here he is not only redeeming the external powers of his animal soul; something involving the innermost part of his soul is taking place as well—his deeper powers, powers beyond measure and limitation. That is why this, specifically, brings the Geulah. For the Geulah means that the inner dimension of the heart, the innermost part of the soul, will be revealed. The Geulah is bound up with the revelation of the soul’s innermost dimension, its yechidah. And the revelation of the soul’s yechidah is connected with its redemption. How does a person redeem his yechidah? By taking money into which he invested the innermost part of his soul and giving it to someone in need. In this respect, tzedakah is not merely “equivalent to all the mitzvos.” It “surpasses them all.” Taking something in which one has invested even the innermost part of one’s soul and giving it to tzedakah—that is something unique to giving tzedakah, something not found in other mitzvos. So this explains the whole point the Alter Rebbe is making here about the great virtue of practical mitzvos, and of tzedakah in particular: through tzedakah especially, the goal of making a dwelling place for Hashem in the lower realms is accomplished in the loftiest way.