Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 39 - Part 5

00:01 The Alter Rebbe explains. After explaining the difference between natural love and fear and intellectual love and fear—that natural love and fear belong to the world of Yetzirah, while intellectual love and fear belong to the world of Beriah—the Alter Rebbe begins to explain what the world of Atzilus is. He explains that Atzilus is the world of intellect and faith. As we explained, intellect cannot bring a person to Atzilus; that belongs to the world of Beriah. In Atzilus, by contrast, it is a matter of bittul, unity, and complete inclusion in the Ein Sof. The difference between Atzilus and Beriah is that although we speak of Chabad in both, in Beriah what is primarily felt is the Chabad—the intellectual understanding. So the service of a soul of Beriah is primarily through understanding. In Atzilus, by contrast, what shines within Chabad is the Ein Sof: the unity of the intellectual faculties with the Ein Sof. What is felt there most strongly is not the understanding but the Ein Sof. This follows the general distinction between Chochmah and Binah, as we explained in the previous class. In Chochmah, which is koach mah, one feels that He alone exists and there is nothing besides Him, and that brings about bittul. In Binah, by contrast, the main thing is understanding. This is, in general, the difference between Atzilus and Beriah. So in the world of Beriah, which is the world of Binah, understanding is central. That is why we speak there of intellectual love and fear—love and fear that come through understanding. The righteous who serve Hashem in this way, souls that serve Hashem with love and fear based on understanding, are in the Gan Eden of Beriah. In the world of Atzilus, by contrast, the Ein Sof shines within the sefiros. So the primary form of service associated with Atzilus is that of a merkavah, a chariot. This is what the Alter Rebbe explains at the top of page 53: Since the Ein Sof shines within the sefiros of Atzilus, the service there is not through understanding, for “no thought can grasp Him at all.” Rather, it is the service of the righteous who served Hashem beyond

02:08 beyond love and fear, even intellectual love and fear. So how did they serve Hashem? They served Him as a merkavah. Now, last week we asked why the Alter Rebbe’s wording is “and their service was truly in the manner of a merkavah.” The Alter Rebbe says, “and their service was truly in the manner of a merkavah.” It uses the past tense. The Rebbe actually writes that perhaps this needs to be corrected; it should say “is.” Yes. But the Rebbe corrects it, so there is nothing to add. So it should read that their service is truly in the manner of a merkavah. What, then, is the service of those who are truly a merkavah, with bittul appropriate to the world of Atzilus? They are completely nullified through their observance of Torah and mitzvos. Here the Alter Rebbe quotes our Sages: “The Patriarchs—they themselves are the merkavah,” because this was their service all their lives. That is as far as we got in the previous class. Before we continue, just one more point here, and then we will come to the explanation of service as a merkavah. The Alter Rebbe already said earlier, in chapter 35, that even a completely righteous person who serves Hashem with love and fear filled with delight is still “someone who loves.” In other words, whatever kind of love and fear you have, you are still considered “someone who loves.” The Alter Rebbe explains this as an introduction to Torah and mitzvos. Why does even a completely righteous person need Torah and mitzvos? Isn’t love and... love and... love and fear filled with delight and the like enough? A tzaddik’s love and fear are at the very highest level of bittul. Nevertheless, because love and fear arise from his own being, from his soul, there remains a certain sense of self. And one cannot become a vessel for G-dliness while retaining that sense of self. G-dliness means bittul: “There is nothing besides Him.” So through love, whatever kind of love it may be—even love and fear at the very highest level—

04:25 one cannot grasp Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The only way to truly connect with G-dliness is specifically through Torah and mitzvos. Torah and mitzvos do not originate within the person; they come from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That was the explanation in chapter 35: specifically good deeds are the oil for the wick that draws the Shechinah into a Jew’s soul. This explains what the Alter Rebbe says here about the righteous who serve Hashem as a merkavah. So the Alter Rebbe adds the words “through observing Torah and mitzvos,” because they are essential to the whole point here. He does not simply say that these righteous people serve Hashem as a merkavah, seeking to become completely nullified in the Ein Sof, blessed be He. He writes that they seek to become nullified in the Ein Sof through observing Torah and mitzvos. Without Torah and mitzvos, it would still, in the end, be as we said in Tanya, chapter 35: “someone who loves.” What difference does it make how deeply he unites with G-dliness? Any feeling that comes from the soul is still not the ultimate bittul. That is why the Alter Rebbe says here that their service is as a merkavah. How does that express itself? They seek to become completely nullified to G-dliness through Torah and mitzvos. For only when it is through Torah and mitzvos is it true bittul. The Alter Rebbe gives an example, which we will come to: “The Patriarchs—they themselves are the merkavah.” What is he trying to explain by bringing in the Patriarchs? The Alter Rebbe adds an explanation: “The Patriarchs—they themselves are the merkavah,” because this was their service all their lives. What does he mean by that? You are explaining our Sages’ wording: “The Patriarchs—they themselves are the merkavah.” What exactly is the wording? “The Patriarchs”? “They themselves

06:14 are the merkavah.” As we have just said, any righteous people who serve Hashem with complete self-nullification are in the category of a merkavah. But our Sages emphasize in their wording, “The Patriarchs—they themselves are the merkavah.” What is special about saying “the Patriarchs—they themselves are the merkavah”? In particular, the word “they” is repeated. As is known, a repetition emphasizes that this, specifically, is the essence of a merkavah, while other instances are not its essence. So you are explaining why it was specifically of the Patriarchs that they said, “They themselves are the merkavah.” In other words, the essence of being a merkavah is found specifically in the Patriarchs. He explains that it was their service all their lives: for them, it was their entire being. “All their lives.” The Alter Rebbe does not mean merely a matter of time—that for a certain period their entire service happened to be as a merkavah. Rather, saying “all their lives” expresses that being a merkavah was their true being. In other words, it does not refer only to time; it refers to their inner being. Let me put it this way: Some people are a merkavah, but at other times they are not. Not everyone is a merkavah all the time. There are times when a person has the complete bittul of a merkavah, and times when he does not. That shows that being a merkavah is not his essential being. But of the Patriarchs we say, “all their lives.” The Alter Rebbe mentions “The Patriarchs—they themselves are the merkavah” several times in Tanya—earlier in chapter 23, and also in chapter 46. He mentions it in several places. In one place the Alter Rebbe writes, “all their limbs.” “All their limbs.” What is the Alter Rebbe’s wording? Chapter 34. Did I say 34? I also said chapter 34. The Alter...

08:18 The Rebbe says, “Throughout all their days, without exception.” In chapter 34, the Alter Rebbe discusses the idea that “the Patriarchs are the chariot.” He says that throughout all their days, they never ceased, even for a single hour, to bind their minds and souls to the Master of the Universe. In other words, how was the idea that “the Patriarchs are the chariot” expressed? In terms of time. Throughout all their days, they never broke their connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu for even a moment. As the Rebbe also cites from one of the Alter Rebbe’s maamarim, this was true even while they slept. In other words, even in their sleep they were a chariot. That places greater emphasis on the aspect of time. Similarly, here too, in the Alter Rebbe’s wording, he says “throughout all their days,” connecting it with time. Elsewhere in Tanya, the Alter Rebbe says—I think it’s chapter 46—“the Patriarchs are the chariot.” So he says... No. Where is it? Chapter 23. In chapter 23, the Alter Rebbe’s wording is: “The Patriarchs are the chariot, for all their limbs were holy and set apart from matters of this world, and became a chariot solely for the supernal will throughout all their days.” You see, there the Alter Rebbe also emphasizes the limbs. He also adds “throughout all their days,” but his main point of emphasis there is the limbs as well. So there are two details in what we mean when we say “the Patriarchs are the chariot.” When we stress that, for the Patriarchs, being a chariot was their very essence, this is expressed in the aspect of time. Every single moment—it was not limited. There are people for whom being a chariot is limited: at certain times, yes; at others, no. For the Patriarchs, it was all the time. In other words,

10:20 it was uninterrupted in time, and it also encompassed their entire being, all their limbs. There was no part of their bodies, no movement of their souls, that was not aligned with the supernal will. They had no movement of the soul that did not belong to the supernal will. And that is precisely what expresses the completeness of being a chariot. If being a chariot is not your very essence, it cannot permeate all these details. It was precisely because being a chariot was their essence that it was expressed both at all times and in all their limbs: not one part of them was not a chariot for G-dliness. The Alter Rebbe’s wording here makes this point too. When he comes to the subject of the chariot, he says, “they and all that is theirs.” Speaking of the tzaddikim’s self-nullification as a chariot, the Alter Rebbe says that they are nullified to G-dliness, “an actual chariot for the Ein Sof, to be utterly nullified and absorbed in the light of the Ein Sof—they and all that is theirs—through the fulfillment of the mitzvos.” What does “they and all that is theirs” mean? On the simple level, it means everything they own—their possessions. With a tzaddik, it is not only the tzaddik himself and his body that are a chariot for G-dliness. His entire world, everything he owns, everything connected to him, is also a chariot. His utensils, his possessions, his home—every detail connected to the tzaddik is a chariot for G-dliness. It is similar to what we say about a mezuzah: placing a mezuzah on the doorway makes the entire house belong to G-dliness. This applies to every Jew. When a Jew puts up a mezuzah, the intent of the mitzvah is that the house and everything in it should belong to G-dliness. But of course,

12:21 for an ordinary Jew, that is what he wants, what he aspires to, what he believes in; it is not something that shines openly and inwardly. For a tzaddik, that is his actual reality. A tzaddik sees everything in his house and everything connected to him as a chariot for G-dliness. There is nothing in his life, not a single detail, that is not a chariot for G-dliness. There is a story about this involving a mezuzah. There really is a story. When the Rebbe Rashab moved to Rostov from Lubavitch, they acquired a house there—I think they bought it, or perhaps rented it. I don’t know the exact details—and the Rebbe Rashab did not rush to put up the mezuzos. Several days passed before he put them up. Rabbi Landau was there, and Rabbi Landau was anxious about it. There is a halachah in Shulchan Aruch, though I don’t know its precise details, about the difference between renting and buying, and whether you have to put up a mezuzah immediately or after thirty days. I don’t remember the details of the halachah, but there was some reason why, according to halachah, it seemed clear that the mezuzos should be put up right away. Nevertheless, the Rebbe Rashab did not rush. Several days went by. Rabbi Landau, who was a rav, kept urging him and asking the Rebbe Rashab what would be done about the mezuzos. The Rebbe Rashab did not seem particularly concerned. There were a few interesting exchanges between them about it. Each time, the Rebbe Rashab put it off, until several days had passed and Rabbi Landau could no longer hold back. He said, “According to halachah, the mezuzos need to be put up already.” The Rebbe Rashab told him, “Why are you worried? In this house, there won’t be a single handbreadth...” I don’t remember

14:04 the exact wording, but it was roughly that there would not be a single handbreadth in the house without a mezuzah. How did the Rebbe Rashab put it? That there would not be a single handbreadth without a mezuzah. In other words, the mezuzah would not be only on the doorway; every part of the house would be permeated with the idea of the mezuzah. “Don’t worry.” That was his answer. Anyway, that is how it is with a Rebbe. With true tzaddikim, who are the leaders of the Jewish people, being a chariot does not mean only that they themselves are a chariot. Every detail connected to them has the character of a chariot for G-dliness. Anything that comes into contact with them, anything within their four cubits, is a chariot for G-dliness. If not, it has no place with them; it is not a reality at all. This also appears in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s sichos. The Rebbe cites the Rebbe Rashab as saying, “With us, no needle—not even a single needle—gets lost.” In other words, there is no such thing as even a small object, a needle, just being there for no reason. It is there because it is needed. Everything has a Divine purpose and serves a particular end. That is what it means to be a chariot for G-dliness: not only the tzaddik himself, but everything that is his, all his possessions, his entire world, is also a chariot for G-dliness. This is also why chassidim attached such importance to the Rebbe’s utensils and belongings. There is such a thing: for example, you see a groom under the chuppah wearing something that belonged to the Rebbe—a garment, a yarmulke, or a kittel. Similarly, among chassidim there was great interest in having some object or other that belonged to the Rebbe, because it was one of his belongings. We saw this too with the Rebbe, regarding the Rebbe’s seforim and belongings. Similarly,

15:54 in Sefer Hamaamarim 5680, in the first maamar the Frierdiker Rebbe said after the passing of the Rebbe Rashab—the well-known maamar beginning “Reishis Goyim Amalek,” which the Rebbe cites in Likkutei Sichos, volume 32—he includes a story right in the middle of the maamar. He is discussing how the holiness of a tzaddik permeates all his belongings, and in that context he writes that after the passing of the Rebbe Maharash, the Rebbe Rashab entered the yechidus room and stood opposite the table and chair, at the place where the Rebbe Maharash had sat. There he read the pan and prayed, and so on. He explains that the places where a tzaddik sat, and the tzaddik’s belongings and table—because the tzaddik used them, and the tzaddik is a chariot for G-dliness—the place too becomes a chariot for G-dliness. They carry the tzaddik’s holiness, which permeates everything there. So we see this idea with a tzaddik. That is what the Alter Rebbe is saying here. In short, “they and all that is theirs” means that not only is the tzaddik a chariot; every detail connected to him is also a chariot for G-dliness, something that belongs to G-dliness. This is also the source of the whole idea of the Rebbe’s four cubits. For chassidim, there were the Rebbe’s four cubits: 770, the Rebbe’s home, the Rebbe’s chair, the Rebbe’s table. Chassidim were careful not to touch the Rebbe’s table or the Rebbe’s chair. See how the Rebbe describes it in the sichos

17:42 The elder chassidim, after eighty years of avodah, could approach and give a kiss. But it was something approached with awe; it was not something people normally did. Why? Because we are talking about someone who is a vehicle for G-dliness. This is no small matter. And so that is the plain meaning of “they and all that belongs to them.” That is the explanation based on the simple wording the Rebbe uses: “they and all that belongs to them.” But there is also a Chassidic explanation of this. Chassidim say that “they and all that belongs to them” refers to the chassidim. The Rebbe’s wording is that they are “literally a vehicle for Hashem, blessed be He, utterly nullified to Him—they and all that belongs to them.” The meaning is that the Rebbe also elevates all that belongs to him, including the chassidim. Even though, on our own, we are shmutz and have no connection to Atzilus—not even to Beriah or Yetzirah. We are the lowest kind of shmutz, beneath Asiyah. But by being connected to the Rebbe, the Rebbe takes us along with him. The Rebbe gives us the possibility that, at least in certain respects, a chossid can sometimes have this quality too: the self-nullification of a vehicle. The Rebbe brings this about in chassidim as well, and in a number of matters, this self-nullification is complete nullification of self. More generally, the maamarim on Va’eira explain at length what is written concerning Avraham Avinu: “I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak and to Yaakov as Kel Shaddai, but by My name Havayah I did not make Myself known to them.” Then, with Moshe, there was also a revelation of the name Havayah. Chassidus explains all this at length. In short, with Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, although

19:29 the Rebbe says here that “they themselves are the vehicle,” there are still many levels within that. Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov were vehicles for the middos: Avraham for the attribute of kindness, Yitzchak for the attribute of severity, and Yaakov for the attribute of harmony. So on the one hand, they were a vehicle. On the other hand, their being a vehicle took a particular form—the attributes of love, awe, and harmony, of compassion. With Moshe Rabbeinu, by contrast, it was a matter of self-nullification. What stands out about Moshe Rabbeinu is not love or any particular attribute, but self-nullification. This is the meaning of “by My name Havayah I did not make Myself known to them”: although they attained the state of being a vehicle, it was not yet the self-nullification of a vehicle in its truest sense. It was still the self-nullification of a vehicle that retained awe and some sense of self, because it was connected with the middos. Middos are a particular kind of identity. True self-nullification, by contrast, is specifically the quality of Moshe Rabbeinu. He brings about the true meaning of being a vehicle: the ultimate self-nullification, precisely nullification, not an expression of middos, which still involve some particular sense of self. This, in general, is what was new about Matan Torah—the difference between before Matan Torah and after Matan Torah. Before Matan Torah, there was still a connection with some sense of self. After Matan Torah, there is utter self-nullification. That is what the Rebbe explains. Those of you who learned the maamar Ba’alei Sechok saw that there, too, the Rebbe explains at length the difference between before Matan Torah and after Matan Torah. Being a vehicle existed even before Matan Torah. What was new at Matan Torah was the ultimate self-nullification, which the Rebbe explains in the sicha is an even higher level of self-nullification than being a vehicle.

21:02 The Rebbe also explains this in that chapter of the maamar Ba’alei Sechok. Let’s try to understand it here. Let’s look a little inside the text. The Alter Rebbe says: “And even one whose soul-root is too small to contain this perfect service.” Such a person’s soul-root is too small; he cannot be a vessel for this kind of avodah, to perform this “perfect service,” to be nullified and subsumed in the fear of Hashem... Because this is the ultimate self-nullification, it is called perfect service. In other words, this is the perfection of avodah: to reach the state of being a vehicle, of complete nullification to G-dliness. But a person who finds it difficult to attain this avodah, to have this avodah revealed, can do so only “at certain intervals and times that are an eis ratzon Above.” That means only from time to time, and only at special times that are an eis ratzon Above, “such as during the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, which is in Atzilus.” So the Rebbe gives an example of such times. There are other examples; the Rebbe mentions certain times only as an example—times that are an eis ratzon. The meaning of eis ratzon is that Atzilus shines forth then, making it a time when one can rise to the level of Atzilus. He gives you an example: Shemoneh Esrei, every single day. Where do we find Atzilus each day? During Shemoneh Esrei, which is in Atzilus. As is well known—everyone studies Chassidus—prayer is described as a ladder, “a ladder set upon the earth, with its top reaching heaven.” The ladder has four stages: Asiyah, Yetzirah, Beriah and Atzilus. In the order of prayer, Asiyah is associated with Hodu; Yetzirah with Pesukei Dezimra; Beriah with the blessings of Shema and the recitation of Shema; and Atzilus with Shemoneh Esrei. It follows that when one prays Shemoneh Esrei, one is in Atzilus. That is what the Rebbe is saying. It is not that this person is a vehicle in the way they were vehicles throughout their lives.

23:00 It is only at certain times, such as during Shemoneh Esrei. Then it is a time of Atzilus, and so it is possible to rise to Atzilus. And within Shemoneh Esrei itself there are different levels, particularly during its bows. Especially in the parts of Shemoneh Esrei where one bows—the two bows at the beginning of Shemoneh Esrei and the two at the end—the quality of Atzilus shines forth even more openly. Why? Because every bow is on the level of Atzilus. Bowing is connected with Atzilus. As the Tzemach Tzedek writes regarding Kabbalas Shabbos: we say, “A psalm of David: Give to Hashem, sons of the mighty; give to Hashem glory and strength,” and then, “Give to Hashem the glory of His name; bow before Hashem in the splendor of holiness.” He explains, as is explained elsewhere, that these correspond to the four worlds. “Give to Hashem, sons of the mighty” refers to the world of Asiyah. “Sons of the mighty” is something connected with this world. “Give to Hashem glory and strength” refers to the world of Yetzirah. “Give to Hashem the glory of His name” refers to the world of Beriah. Those are the three times it says “give.” In other words, one is at a distance and needs to “give,” needs to draw closer. Also, the numerical value of “give” is thirteen, the same as “one”—the oneness revealed in each of the three worlds together. After that we say, “Bow before Hashem in the splendor of holiness.” “Bow before Hashem in the splendor of holiness”—this is bowing, which refers to the world of Atzilus, where there is complete nullification of self: bowing. And the initials of “Bow before Hashem in the splendor of holiness” spell Kabbalah. This is written in the teachings of the Arizal. It is connected with Kabbalah because Kabbalah, too, is in Atzilus. There are the four levels of Torah—peshat, remez, derush and sod—or the Written Torah, Mishnah, Talmud and Kabbalah. So Kabbalah is in Atzilus. That is why the initials of “Bow before Hashem in the splendor of holiness” spell Kabbalah, because this is, this is, this is

25:00 The level of the world of Atzilus. So that is what the Alter Rebbe is saying here: in Shemoneh Esrei, and particularly in the bowing during Shemoneh Esrei, each bow is connected with bittul b’metzius—complete self-nullification—which is the quality of Atzilus. So even tzaddikim who belong to the world of Beriah can rise, for a time, for a moment, to the level of Atzilus, because it is a matter of bittul b’metzius. Bending the knees and bowing means literally lowering one’s entire stature, nullifying oneself completely. That is the bittul of Atzilus. Still, the primary, permanent place of their souls is the world of Beriah. In other words, if a person is not constantly in a state of bittul b’metzius, but only at special times, where is his soul’s permanent place? In the world of Beriah, the place of love and understanding. Only from time to time, for brief moments, at certain times, does he rise to Atzilus. But where does he essentially belong? He belongs to the world of Beriah. Let’s finish with a short story. They tell of Chunya Morozov. He was a secretary to the Frierdiker Rebbe and to the Rebbe Rashab. I think this story happened with the Frierdiker Rebbe. Once, early in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s nesius, Chunya still felt a bit of breitkeit, a bit of self-importance, as they say. It was the beginning of the nesius. So they tell that one time some letters arrived in the mail, and he went to look through them. The Frierdiker Rebbe came in and saw him, and asked him where the letters were from. So Chunya Morozov said, half jokingly, “The letters are from Atzilus.” Oh, so these are letters from Atzilus? The Frierdiker Rebbe said to him, “Letters from Atzilus don’t arrive through you.” Anyway, that’s the story.