Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 40 - Part 6

00:00 Speaker 1 So, here we’re returning to the middle of the page. The Rebbe has already explained why it matters so much that Torah and mitzvos be done specifically with an intention for their own sake, with love and awe. At first glance, why aren’t Torah study and the performance of mitzvos themselves enough? After all, “the Torah and Hakadosh Boruch Hu are entirely one.” So why isn’t simply studying Torah and performing mitzvos enough for the Divine light to be drawn into them? Why must there specifically be an intention for its own sake, with love and awe? The Alter Rebbe explains the point we learned here: indeed, when a person studies Torah and performs mitzvos in this physical world, there is no concealment, because the garment of kelipas nogah is nullified. Not only is it nullified; on the contrary, it is transformed into holiness when you use the strength of your body and animal soul to say the words of Torah and perform the mitzvah. But that concerns concealment. Tzimtzum, on the other hand, means a reduction of the light. Since this takes place in the physical world, the world of Asiyah, where the light is reduced to the utmost—to the point that there is a physical reality, and physicality is a place where light and revelation cannot shine—the Torah and mitzvos as they exist in this physical world have no light or revelation within them. True, there is no concealment here, but as far as tzimtzum is concerned, the supernal light is reduced to the utmost. That is when they are done without intention. By contrast, when a person has intention, he does not merely say the

01:57 Speaker 1 letters and words. Rather, the words of Torah and prayer—and likewise the mitzvah—also carry a feeling of intention, of love and awe. Love and awe are the driving force. They are what set him in motion and give him vitality and strength. They are the source and root of the words he speaks, of the prayer and Torah he recites. So the intention raises the letters to the place of the intention. If the intention is connected with the love and awe of Yetzirah, it raises them to the world of Yetzirah. If it is connected with the love and awe of Beriah, it raises them to the world of Beriah—as intellectual love and awe do, to the world of Beriah itself. To what within that world? To the ten sefiros, which are the G-dliness of the world of Beriah and the G-dliness of the world of Yetzirah. And there, because Beriah and Yetzirah are spiritual worlds, not physical worlds, the infinite light can be revealed. This is what the Alter Rebbe says: there, the infinite light of the supernal will shines and is revealed—the infinity of the supernal will found in Torah and mitzvos. So although the supernal will itself is present at every level of Torah, even in the Torah you study in the world of Asiyah, its revelation is drawn down specifically through love and awe. In other words—let’s put it this way. We didn’t manage to finish this point, to complete the explanation, in the previous class. So what is the point here? What do “light” and “revelation” mean? They mean that the light is felt by the recipient as well. That is, it is present within him and felt inwardly. Sometimes G-dliness is actually present in something, but it is not felt there. It’s like what we say about this

03:48 Speaker 1 physical world: everything is actually present here, since the world’s creation is specifically through the power of sovev, the encompassing light. As Chassidus says repeatedly, “The creation of an independent existence is through the power of sovev.” Yet you look at the world and you don’t see sovev. You see an independent existence. Why? Because the power of sovev does not unite with the world. In other words, if you look from the perspective of what is above, from the perspective of sovev, it is certainly everywhere, including in the physical world. But if you look from the perspective of the recipient, according to the nature of the created being, it has not been drawn into his own terms. What does “his own terms” mean? Inwardly. Take a teacher and student. When the teacher reaches the student and explains the lesson, this isn’t only from the teacher’s side; it is also within the student’s capacity. The student understands the teacher’s lesson in his own terms. He feels it, receives it, understands it and becomes one with it. It isn’t only that the teacher is there on the teacher’s own terms; it is there on the student’s terms too. That is what “light” means: something is revealed. It unites with the thing in which it is present. And that is what the Alter Rebbe is saying here. In this physical world there is no light. That is, you study Torah without intention. You simply study Torah or perform a mitzvah. You say the words of the prayers or make an effort to study Torah, but love and awe are missing. So all you have here is something physical. From the perspective of the Infinite, He is certainly present in Torah and mitzvos. His will and Hakadosh Boruch Hu are entirely one. But that is from the perspective of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The fact that His will and Hakadosh Boruch Hu are entirely one is from His perspective; it is not felt within the Torah and mitzvos themselves. That

05:32 Speaker 1 is, it does not unite inwardly with the Torah and mitzvos. So you look at the Torah and mitzvos and see something physical; you do not see G-dliness in them. But when there is love and awe, they bring spirituality into the Torah and mitzvos. They raise the Torah and mitzvos to a more spiritual world, where the supernal light can unite with them on a higher level. When you draw them away from the material and physical, you raise them to a higher world. There the supernal light can unite with Torah and mitzvos. That is why the Infinite shines in the Torah and mitzvos a person studies there. This is the difference when a mitzvah remains physical: the Infinite does not shine in the Torah and mitzvos. From the perspective of the Infinite, He is present there, but He does not shine. He is not present inwardly, within the recipient’s own terms, and does not unite with him. By contrast, when you have love and awe, they raise the Torah and mitzvos to a more spiritual world, and in that spiritual world revelation is possible. In terms of the essence, there is no difference between spiritual and physical. As far as the essence of Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s will is concerned, it is always the same. Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not shine more in the spiritual than in the physical, G-d forbid. As it says, Hakadosh Boruch Hu is equally in heaven and on earth. How is it written there? Hakadosh Boruch Hu is in heaven and on earth. To Him, the physical is no different. But that is from the perspective of what is above. We are speaking about inward revelation within the recipient as well. That is the advantage of love and awe: they bring about an inner refinement. They raise the Torah and mitzvos to a more spiritual world, where the connection can be revealed within the Torah and mitzvos themselves. That is the point the Alter Rebbe is explaining here. Moshiach will come.

07:07 Speaker 1 Then the world will be transformed. What is the physical world? It is concealment and hiding. Right now, in the physical world, revelation cannot be experienced inwardly and openly. When Moshiach comes, there will be the “end of days,” when “the glory of Hashem will be revealed, and all flesh together will see.” Then there will be this unique quality: G-dliness in the physical world. The physical will be transformed into a dwelling place in the lower realms. Then the infinite light can be revealed, openly, even down here. That is what a dwelling place in the lower realms means: on the one hand, there will be the light of Ein Sof, and it will be here below, in the lower realms. The world will be a vessel for it. But in the meantime, until the days of Moshiach, until the purpose of a dwelling place in the lower realms is fulfilled, where can the infinite light be revealed? Only above. What does “above” mean? Above in the soul? It means only when there is love and awe, when there is also spiritual intent. That is why spiritual intent is so important. On the one hand, we explained in all the preceding chapters—chapters 36, 37, 35, 37—that the Alter Rebbe explains it in terms of the purpose of a dwelling place in the lower realms. The main thing, the main thing, is the deed. Action is primary; that is where the purpose lies. Action belongs to the lower realms. Specifically in this physical world—in the physical itself—that is where the main thing is: the supernal will, physical Torah and mitzvos, with everything that entails. True. But on the other hand, for this to be inward and revealed, there has to be intent. That is the point the rabbi has explained until now. There wasn’t time to tell a story, either. There are students who insist on that when no story is told. In connection with what we discussed here, there is a well-known story about the Baal Shem Tov, relating to what we are saying: when there is spiritual intent, that intent also raises the deed into the world of

08:41 Speaker 1 intent. In other words, that is what the rabbi said here. So there is a well-known story that the Rebbe cites in one of the maamarim. It is told that when the Baal Shem Tov would daven, he wore a tallis, and the tzitzis of the Baal Shem Tov would sway during davening. Not because the Baal Shem Tov was swaying. The Baal Shem Tov would stand as still as a stone during davening, and yet his tzitzis would sway. Why? Because they received vitality; there was life in them. That was because the Baal Shem Tov davened with intent—with the intent of the Baal Shem Tov, of course. So that affected the tzitzis as well. It infused the tzitzis with life. It made the tzitzis move even physically. They had received vitality. You could simply see, physically, that the tzitzis were alive. There was life in them. What does that mean? The Maggid of Mezritch explained that this is the meaning of “which a person shall do and live by them.” “Live by them”—“them” refers to the mitzvah. In other words, he infuses life into the mitzvah, so that the mitzvah begins to live. With the Baal Shem Tov this was quite literal: because he had vitality, love and awe, he infused his vitality into the act as well, making it something alive. You could see that it was not an inanimate object; it was something alive. Now, we said earlier that in the physical world we cannot see this. In other words, we said that only when Moshiach comes will we be able to see the physical become a vessel for G-dliness openly. Today you perform a mitzvah and you do not see it: an inanimate object remains inanimate. The tefillin remain inanimate, the tzitzis remain inanimate, and physically you do not see life in them. But with great tzaddikim, including the Baal Shem Tov, even physically people saw that his tzitzis were alive, that they had vitality. That is how the story is told. And with that. First. Now here is the [unclear]; we are moving on.

10:37 Speaker 1 Here, in the note. There is a long note here. What is the purpose of the note? In the main text, the Alter Rebbe explained what is accomplished through intent in performing mitzvos: through that intent, we raise the mitzvah to a higher world, a more spiritual world. And when the mitzvah rises to a more spiritual world, the infinite light can be revealed in the mitzvah. There can be revelation, the revelation of the infinite light in the mitzvah. Now, in the note, he explains other things accomplished by raising the mitzvah to a higher world, and they have no direct connection to the main text of the Tanya. That is why it is a note. Yes. In other words, they do not pertain to the essential explanation in the main text of the Tanya. In the main text, the Alter Rebbe is explaining something here. The whole point of the Rebbe’s explanation of this passage in Tanya was to explain its relevance to the avodah of the beinoni. What matters most for a beinoni? On the one hand, it is emphasized that what matters most for a beinoni are the garments of thought, speech, and action. Yet they also say that there must be love and awe in the heart. Yes, so there was a question: on the one hand, they emphasize action—that doing is the main thing. On the other hand, they say it must also be in the heart. But if something is demanded of the heart, it follows that the beinoni cannot fulfill the purpose, because he cannot reach a state in which his heart is completely transformed. After all, he always has a yetzer hara. The Alter Rebbe asks this question. So here, after explaining it at length, the Alter Rebbe clarified that, on the one hand, the beinoni need not be distressed that he cannot overcome his yetzer hara completely, because the main thing is action, and that is the main avodah of the beinoni. At the same time, there must also be intent in the heart, and so on. As he explained, why must it also be in the heart? In order to raise the Torah and mitzvos to a higher world,

12:41 Speaker 1 where the light of Ein Sof will be revealed. That was the point of the main text of the Tanya that needed explaining—the point of everything he explained here in Tanya: what is asked of the beinoni? But since we are already discussing the effect of intent, the Alter Rebbe adds other things accomplished through intent in performing a mitzvah, and that is what he says now. The Alter Rebbe says: “And there.” What does “and there” mean? Do you have it in the text? “And there.” What does it refer to? “And there” means above, in the World of Beriah and the World of Yetzirah. There, through intent in performing a mitzvah, through love and awe, the mitzvah is raised to the sefiros—to the sefiros of Beriah or the sefiros of Yetzirah, depending on whether it is... “And there,” in the World of Beriah, in the World of Yetzirah, “the supernal union brought about by every mitzvah and by Torah study also shines and is revealed.” There is something else there as well: the union brought about through Torah and mitzvos is also revealed there. Every mitzvah brings about a union. Every word of Torah a Jew says brings about a union. So where is the union brought about through Torah and mitzvos revealed? It is revealed there, in the worlds of tzimtzum. Here below, in the World of Asiyah, the union is not revealed. But in the worlds of tzimtzum, the union brought about through Torah and mitzvos shines and is revealed. Which is—what does “union” mean?—“the union of His attributes.” A union means that there, the attributes of Hakadosh Boruch Hu connect and become united, becoming incorporated within one another. The attributes of Hakadosh Boruch Hu are incorporated, connected, and united with one another. “And the gevurot are sweetened by the chasadim.” The gevurot—there are several attributes altogether, but the principal attributes are two opposite sides, two lines: the line of chesed and the line of gevurah, right and left. Through Torah and mitzvos, we bring about union among the sefiros in general, and in particular the sweetening of the gevurot by the chasadim. That is the union of gevurot with chesed, in which the gevurot are sweetened by the chasadim. Through

14:55 Speaker 1 How does this happen? Through the supernal will, which shines and is revealed with a great and powerful revelation when a mitzvah is performed. The will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed powerfully and openly through a person’s efforts, when he performs a mitzvah or engages in Torah study. When a person fulfills a mitzvah down here—and he says “down here”—he thereby fulfills Hashem’s will. By fulfilling Hashem’s will, he arouses the supernal will above, because he has fulfilled Hashem’s will. So he has aroused a certain will above. He has caused the will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu to be revealed. “In which the supernal will, blessed be He, is vested.” For the supernal will is vested in Torah and mitzvos. So when I fulfill a mitzvah or engage in Torah study, I thereby arouse the supernal will. And when this is revealed, the middos become united with one another, and the gevurot are incorporated into the chasadim. What does that mean? In general, we know that whenever... What is the Alter Rebbe discussing here? The Alter Rebbe is discussing something we know: whenever we perform a mitzvah, there is the passage we say once in davening. In Chabad, we say it only once, but among Polish chassidim and Sefardim, they say it before each and every mitzvah: “For the sake of the unification of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and His Shechinah, to unite the name Yud-Hei with Vav-Hei in the name of all Israel.” There are various versions and wordings, but that is the basic content of the “Leshem Yichud.” We say it once a day before Baruch She’amar, while others say it before every mitzvah. In fact, Likkutei Torah and several places in Chassidus say that it should be said before every mitzvah. But in practice, the Rebbe did not include it in the siddur

16:47 Speaker 1 for this reason, as the Rebbe explains in Likkutei Sichos, in the sicha for Rosh Hashanah. The Rebbe explains that since saying it once a day is enough to have it in mind for the entire day, there is no need to say it each time. We say it once before Baruch She’amar, at the beginning of the day’s avodah, and thereby bring about the unification, which then extends to all our Torah study and mitzvos. But in essence, every single mitzvah brings about the unification of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and His Shechinah. So this is, broadly speaking, a matter of unification. In other words, when a Jew fulfills a mitzvah, he brings about a certain union, the unification of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and His Shechinah. That means that before the mitzvah, Hakadosh Boruch Hu and His Shechinah are not together. There is a certain separation, and the purpose of fulfilling Torah and mitzvos is to unite Hakadosh Boruch Hu and His Shechinah. Chassidus explains that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is one dimension of G-dliness, and His Shechinah is another. Broadly speaking, Hakadosh Boruch Hu is Sovev Kol Almin, and His Shechinah is Memale Kol Almin. More specifically, Hakadosh Boruch Hu is Ze’er Anpin, and His Shechinah is Malchus. So we have certain sefiros that are not united on their own, and when a Jew fulfills a mitzvah and studies Torah, this brings about the unification of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and His Shechinah. Now, in general, we speak about the unification of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and His Shechinah—that is, the unification of two broad dimensions, Ze’er Anpin and Malchus. Yes, we are talking about two broad dimensions within the sefiros. But in detail, it is not limited to these two. In detail, there are many kinds of unifications. There are ten sefiros.

18:28 Speaker 1 And all ten sefiros need to be united. There are many kinds of unifications: chesed with gevurah, gevurah with chesed, the light of chesed in the vessel of gevurah, and the light of gevurah in the vessel of chesed. As explained in Chassidus, there is the concept of exchanging the lights. There are many kinds of unifications that need to be brought about. Yes. In other words, on its own, chesed has the character of chesed, and gevurah has the character of gevurah. Every sefirah has its own quality. Chesed and gevurah are two different modes. The same applies to netzach and hod, chochmah and binah, and so on. Each sefirah is a distinct matter. Each sefirah has its own quality, its own definition, its own nature. As explained in Chassidus, one comes from the left line and the other from the right line. So on their own, each stands apart, and they cannot unite with one another. This is the whole idea of the sefiros of Tohu discussed in Chassidus. The maamarim on the weekly parsha discuss Midian and the sefiros of Tohu: each sefirah is a thing unto itself, so one cannot join with another. One cannot tolerate the other. How do we bring about their unification? To unite the sefiros, we must arouse a level above the sefiros, a level of Ein Sof. In the Alter Rebbe’s words here, the supernal will. When the will is aroused—will is Kesser, above the sefiros—then, when the will is revealed, they can come together. We can understand this by analogy from the human soul. In the human soul, we can see that chesed and gevurah are two different modes. There is someone who is a person of

21:10 Speaker 2 So when the will is aroused, the sefiros become united, and consequently the gevurot are sweetened through the chasadim. For example, everyone knows how particular the Rebbe was that the left side of a jacket should not overlap the right; it should be the other way around. Yes, whenever people passed by for dollars, if the Rebbe noticed that someone’s jacket was not arranged properly, the Rebbe would always point it out: the side of chesed, the right, should overlap the left. This is entirely external. Nevertheless, because of this principle of sweetening the gevurot through the chasadim, it must be expressed even in external matters. That is the whole reason we give precedence to the right over the left. So even the buttons on a jacket must be arranged so that the right side overlaps the left. There were also various things concerning the hands. A drawing: someone drew the Rebbe with his fingers interlaced like this, and the Rebbe said he had never done that. It is also explained that interlacing the hands is connected with gevurah, with placing the gevurot over the chasadim, and that one must not interlace them. Yes. In other words, there are things that are entirely external. So this is what the Alter Rebbe is saying here: broadly speaking, by fulfilling Torah and mitzvos, the person himself, in the world of Beriah, elevates this to a higher world. There, in that higher world, the supernal will is revealed, and the gevurot and chasadim become united. Let’s continue. “But this is so even in the world of Beriah and the world of Yetzirah. The principal unification, however, is above, in the world of Atzilus.” Where does the principal unification of the middos take place? In the world of Atzilus, “where the very essence and being of His blessed middos are united with their Emanator, Ein Sof, blessed be He.” There is where the essence of the middos is found—their very essence and being. That is the nature of Atzilus, and they are united.

26:01 Speaker 2 Their Emanator, and sovev, and there the very essence of the Supernal Will is present. So the Rebbe is saying two things here. The world of Atzilus has two advantages: there, the very essence of the Supernal Will is present, and the sefiros are united with their Emanator. In other words, the sefiros have a unity with their Emanator in their own right, and beyond that, the very essence of the Supernal Will shines there. There are two aspects to Atzilus. One is the unity inherent in the world of Atzilus itself; Atzilus is the world of unity. So the sefiros are integrated there by the very nature of Atzilus, because it is a world of integration. Beyond that, in connection with Torah and mitzvos, the very essence of the Supernal Will shines there. Because of the bittul of Atzilus, the Supernal Will shines there without tzimtzum. In the world of Beriah, it already comes through the parsa. That is the point: in Atzilus, the Supernal Will shines without tzimtzum. So what is the difference? If Atzilus is already united in its own right, why is the Supernal Will needed? Clearly, these are two kinds of unity. There is the unity inherent in Atzilus, and there is the unity that comes about in Atzilus through the revelation of the Supernal Will. The Rebbe does not go into an explanation here; he only mentions the point. Elsewhere in Chassidus, it is explained at length that there are two ways in which the sefiros can be integrated. In one, each tolerates the other; in the other, each receives from the other and unites with it. It is like what we say about Ahavas Yisroel. One person says, “I am chessed and you are gevurah.” Before they are integrated, I cannot tolerate you at all. They are opposites. Then comes integration: I can tolerate you when I calm down for the sake of a higher purpose.

27:48 Speaker 2 For example, when mochin shine within the middos: the middos, in themselves, are opposites, but when mochin shine within them, chessed and gevurah can come together. Chessed can tolerate gevurah. It can understand that gevurah is also necessary, so it can tolerate it and live alongside it. But that does not mean it joins with gevurah—that chessed itself will act with gevurah, or gevurah with chessed. It can tolerate the other and be alongside it, but it will not itself do the opposite. Not that kind of contradiction. When something higher shines, however—the light of Ein Sof, which is beyond mochin—it does not merely tolerate the other; there is complete unity. These, then, are the two details mentioned here. First, in Atzilus there is a unity of the middos by their very nature, by virtue of Atzilus. Then there is something higher: the very essence of the Supernal Will shines there, bringing about a far greater unity. And this light alone will shine and clarify all these matters according to what they do.