Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 40 - Part 7

00:00 Middle of the page. Uh, the line beginning “And even.” Four lines from the bottom. What is the Alter Rebbe discussing here with “And even”? This follows what the Alter Rebbe said about the great advantage of Torah and mitzvos performed out of love and awe, which is called Torah for its own sake. Through this, the Torah and mitzvos are elevated: they rise to the ten sefiros of the world of Atzilus, where the Ein Sof is revealed, as he explained in the Tanya itself. He now adds further things accomplished when Torah and mitzvos ascend to the world of Atzilus. They are lifted out of their physical setting in Asiyah, Yetzirah, and Beriah and raised to a higher world. There, too, a unification takes place. One of the purposes of Torah and mitzvos is to bring about a unification—“for the sake of unification.” And that unification is revealed specifically in the world of Atzilus: the unification of the middos, and also the sweetening of the gevurot through chasadim. All this is accomplished when Torah and mitzvos ascend to a higher world. Why? How does he explain it? Because unifying the middos requires ratzon, will. When there is an auspicious time, that will causes the middos to become integrated with one another, especially since the Ein Sof is revealed there. Yes, so through reaching the Ein Sof, the middos become unified and integrated with one another. The Alter Rebbe says this happens even in the worlds of Yetzirah and Beriah. Yes, but the principal unification we are discussing is specifically in the world of Atzilus. Why? Because Beriah and Yetzirah, after all, even though they too have ten sefiros, and because they are spiritual worlds, a light of G-dliness shines there as well, are ultimately created worlds. So the unification cannot take place there in its fullest perfection. When does the principal

02:32 unification and integration take place? Specifically in the world of Atzilus, where the middos are the very essence of the middos of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, united with Him in Atzilus, and where the very essence of the supernal will is present as well. There are two advantages. The middos themselves are there without being clothed in Beriah. So there is a greater unification there on the part of the world, on the part of the middos themselves, and also because the very essence of the supernal will shines there. That is why the principal unification takes place there. In Yetzirah and Beriah, by contrast, there is only a reflection of this. That is what we learned in the previous line. Let’s continue: “And even.” Four lines from the bottom. “And even though the soul of the person engaged in this Torah and mitzvah is not from Atzilus.” But the Alter Rebbe asks: The person who brought all this about, the person engaged in Torah and mitzvos—his soul does not belong to Atzilus. How can you say that when a person fulfills Torah and mitzvos, he brings about a supernal unification? That a supernal unification takes place even in Atzilus? After all, throughout the last few chapters the Alter Rebbe has discussed souls that belong to the world of Beriah and souls that belong to the world of Yetzirah—and those are most souls. There are also souls that belong to Atzilus, the souls of the great tzaddikim who enter into the light of His glory. But that does not apply to us. As the Alter Rebbe said, “We have no dealings with hidden matters.” So we do not belong to the avodah of Atzilus. How, then, can you say that when a Jew fulfills Torah and mitzvos in the world of Asiyah, he brings about a supernal unification in Atzilus? His soul is a soul of Yetzirah, or at most of Beriah. This is what the Alter Rebbe explains: “And even though the soul of the person engaged in this Torah and mitzvah is not from Atzilus.” So how can he bring about a supernal unification in Atzilus? “Nevertheless, the supernal will is clothed in this mitzvah.” The will of

04:28 Hakadosh Boruch Hu that is present in the mitzvah he fulfills, “and it itself is the word of halachah and Torah in which he is engaged; it is G-dliness and the light of the Ein Sof, the Emanator, blessed be He.” In other words, there are two things here. The supernal will is clothed in this mitzvah. There is the supernal will clothed in the mitzvah. Then he adds, “And it itself is the word of halachah and Torah in which he is engaged.” What does that mean? It means there are two things here: mitzvos and Torah. When he speaks of a mitzvah, the Alter Rebbe says that the supernal will is clothed in this mitzvah. The supernal will is clothed in the mitzvah. And when he speaks of Torah, he says, “It itself is the word of halachah.” It itself is the word of halachah and Torah in which he is engaged. What does that mean? There are two things here. We have already explained in previous chapters the difference between mitzvos and Torah: mitzvos are “the limbs of the King.” In chapter 23, and also a little in chapter 37, the Alter Rebbe explained that mitzvos are limbs. A limb is not the soul; it is a limb. But it is subordinate to the soul. In other words, the soul is clothed in the limbs. The limbs themselves are not the soul. They have a relationship to the soul, but the soul is clothed in the limbs and becomes united with them. Likewise, mitzvos are called “the limbs of the King.” The mitzvah itself is a physical thing in this world, a physical action. But the will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is clothed in the mitzvah. So when speaking of a mitzvah, he says, “The supernal will is clothed in this mitzvah.” Torah, by contrast, is itself that will. So when the Alter Rebbe speaks of Torah, we do not say “limbs.” Of Torah we say, “The Torah and Hakadosh Boruch Hu are entirely one.” For the Torah—the word of halachah—is itself the will of

06:34 Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It is not the will clothed in something else. Rather, as he says, it is His will and wisdom. Engaging in Torah brings about a unification with the Ein Sof, blessed be He, because Torah is His will and wisdom. So the Torah a person studies is itself this unification. It is connected with the Ein Sof because it is His will and wisdom, and His will, wisdom, and middos are united with the light of the Ein Sof, blessed be He. All the middos come from this, from the will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is the source of the entire world of Atzilus. So when I study Torah, the level of my soul is not what matters—whether my soul is in the world of Beriah or the world of Yetzirah. What matters is the Torah and mitzvos: they are the supernal will and wisdom of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, which are truly united there with the Ein Sof, blessed be He. And that will is itself the source of all of Atzilus. For where does all of Atzilus come from? From the will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. His will and His middos are united with the light of the Ein Sof. So through the revelation of His will in these Torah and mitzvos—when a Jew studies Torah, what difference does the level of his soul make? The Torah he studies is the wisdom of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Thus, through the revelation of His will in these Torah and mitzvos, the middos that come from that will become integrated with one another, and the gevurot are sweetened through chasadim. That is what the Rebbe explains here. In other words, our question is this: How can a soul from the world of Yetzirah or the world of Asiyah—a simple soul in this physical world, whose place is in the world of Beriah or Yetzirah, and whose connection is therefore to those worlds, not to Atzilus—

08:30 Essentially, how can it bring about a higher union in Atzilus? That is the question: how can it bring about the union of the middos, the union and interinclusion of the sefiros, and all the things that take place in the world of Atzilus? So what does the Rebbe explain here? Torah and mitzvos are, in essence, of the world of Atzilus. Torah and mitzvos are the Divine will, and the Divine will is of the world of Atzilus; it is chessed, it is of the world of Atzilus. They are the will and the wisdom of Hashem’s will. In fact, the source of Torah and mitzvos is higher than the entire realm of Atzilus. When a Jew studies Torah, he connects himself with the wisdom of Hashem’s will. With a mitzvah, that will is enclothed in an action, in something practical. But what is enclothed there? Hashem’s will. Torah itself is Hashem’s will—that is what Torah is. What does Hashem want? That is the whole subject of Torah. A person studies what Hashem wants. So when you study Torah, you are speaking about Hashem’s will, and consequently you reveal and draw down Hashem’s will. How did the middos come into being? First, the middos in Atzilus. Atzilus in its own right, with all the advantages it has, is still, ultimately, a world of middos—sefiros, sefiros. In themselves, they have an element of limitation. Only when... yes. When you study Torah, you draw down the will, which is the source of the middos. As we explained in the previous class, how is the union between the middos brought about? When the will is felt. As long as chessed feels itself to be chessed, and gevurah feels itself to be gevurah, they are opposites. But once the will is felt within them—the will that calls for both chessed and gevurah—they become interincluded. So when a person studies Torah and fulfills mitzvos, he reveals

10:11 the Divine will, which is itself the source of the middos, of the sefiros of Atzilus. Through this, the middos become interincluded and connect with one another, and the gevurot are sweetened by the chassadim. That is the point the Rebbe explains here at length: the power a Jew has when he studies Torah specifically with love and fear. If he studies Torah without love and fear, then because the Torah remains in the physical world, the element of raising the Torah upward is missing. The Torah remains down here, so the revelation of Ein Sof is missing. And since there is no revelation of Ein Sof, the union is apparently missing too. For union and interinclusion to take place, there must be a revelation of Ein Sof. And when is Ein Sof revealed? Specifically through love and fear, as we said in the text. Consequently, when Ein Sof is revealed, the middos can also unite and become interincluded with one another. In fact, in chapter 23 of Tanya, the Rebbe adds another point that he does not emphasize here. Here the Rebbe says that the supernal will is the source of Torah and mitzvos, and that this same supernal will is also the source of the middos of Atzilus, which are united with the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He. It is the will expressed in Torah and mitzvos, and it is also the source of the middos. Therefore, when that will is revealed, the middos unite as well. Another point: the will to create a world is external, while the will for Torah and mitzvos is internal—the inner will within the will itself. So the will for Torah and mitzvos is the inner dimension. That is what Hashem truly wants. The world is only a means for the sake of Torah and for the sake of the Jewish people. In other words, the will to create a world is only external. Hashem’s inner will is specifically for Torah and mitzvos. What does that mean? What do we see with the inner and

12:12 outer dimensions? When the inner dimension is revealed, it gives life to the outer dimension too. In simple terms, let’s take a physical example from the world—an inner will and an outer will. For example, a person works. This is an analogy the Rebbe gives: a person works very hard so that he can support his family. So let’s put it this way: the outer dimension of his will is the work. He does not really want to work. He would rather daydream or, say, study. But what can he do? He has to earn a living. So the outer dimension of his will is the work, and the inner dimension of his will is supporting his family. But sometimes, what happens? He does not see the results. Yes, like the well-known story the Rebbe told, which he... he verified with the person involved. The man said he did not want to work when he could not see the results. A man came to a landowner, and the landowner told him, “Stand inside the house and move a knife like this all day, and I’ll pay you. It will be easier for you—no heat, no cold, and you’ll be indoors. I’ll pay you good money.” He said, “I don’t want to.” Why? Because he would not see any results. In other words, when the inner dimension of the will is felt within its outer dimension, even the outer dimension is carried out with an entirely different vitality. When a person sees the inner dimension of his will in its outer dimension—when it is clear to him that the whole outer dimension is for the sake of the inner one—the outer dimension comes alive in a different way too. But when the outer dimension of the will is disconnected from the inner one, and you do not see the inner will in it, it has no life. Consequently, when the inner will shines forth, the outer will is elevated too. The same applies to Atzilus and Torah and mitzvos. When a Jew fulfills Torah and mitzvos, since Torah and mitzvos

14:06 are the inner dimension of the will, the source of its life, this brings about a higher revelation in the outer dimension too. It brings about a revelation, and causes even the outer dimension—the outer will associated with the world—to be elevated. So, similarly in our case, Atzilus has its source in the Divine will, but relative to Torah and mitzvos, even Atzilus is an outer dimension. Therefore, when a person fulfills Torah and mitzvos, he reveals the inner dimension of the will and connects to it. That inner will is then revealed, and this affects Atzilus too: the inner will is revealed in Atzilus as well, bringing about an ascent in Atzilus. The union and interinclusion take place on a much higher level. Good, so that is the point discussed here at length. Let’s continue in the text: “And with this we will understand.” “And with this we will also understand well why fear and love are called ‘wings,’ by way of analogy.” Here, similarly, the Rebbe is bringing the discussion to a close, as we said. The end of chapter 40 concludes the entire discussion of the intent behind the mitzvos, which the Rebbe began back in chapter 35, explaining the whole subject at length: in what respect action is primary, and in what respect intent is primary. He explained it at length, and here the Rebbe summed up what we have discussed so far. Now he concludes with a few details relevant to the subject. Let’s see what else the Rebbe adds here. Good, “And with this”—what does “with this” mean? Based on everything we have explained until now: the intent behind the mitzvos, love and fear, raises Torah and mitzvos to a place where Ein Sof can be revealed. Not only is there no concealment; more than that, there is no tzimtzum either. As we explained, the Divine light can be revealed there.

16:23 And the mitzvah. “With this”—based on this principle—“we can also readily understand why fear and love are called ‘wings’ by way of analogy.” Why are fear and love called wings? “As it is written, ‘And with two he would fly.’” We find that the Zohar compares fear and love to wings. We saw this earlier, in this chapter or perhaps the previous one as well: “Torah without fear and love does not fly upward.” It uses the word “fly.” We also find the actual term “wings” in connection with love and fear. Where? “As it is written, ‘And with two he would fly.’” Rabbi Shimon Kosov[?] elaborates on this in Shaar Hayichudim, chapter 11. What does it mean that angels have wings? Some people draw angels literally with wings. But what does it really mean? “With two he would fly.” That is what the verse says: he saw an angel with six wings, and what did he do with two of them? He flew. What does that mean? What is the meaning of “with two he would fly”? Kabbalah explains that the wings are the two middos, fear and love. As we say about a person—and I’ll get to this in a moment—there are two arms, the right and the left, chessed and gevurah. A bird, too, has two wings, and the right and left wings correspond to chessed and gevurah, which are love and fear. So when we say of an angel, “With two he would fly,” it means that the angel flies through love and fear. What does flying mean in the plain sense? To fly means to rise. He is below, and he goes up. How does a bird rise from below to above? With its wings. It moves one wing, then the other, and through the balance between the two wings it keeps rising. The wings help

18:47 it lift its body upward. The Tanya will now explain how this analogy applies to the love and fear we have been discussing. The Tanya says that a bird’s wings are its arms, and so on. What we call wings on a bird are what we call arms on a person. Just as we say that the right arm is chessed and the left arm is gevurah, so too, a bird’s two wings correspond to chessed and gevurah. Love and fear are the angels’ wings—their love and fear. And in the Tikkunim it is explained that those who engage in Torah and mitzvos with fear and love are called children. Tikkunei Zohar says that when a person studies Torah and performs mitzvos with fear and love, they are called children. If not—when Torah is studied without love and fear—they are called “chicks that cannot fly.” What is this referring to? It relates to the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird. Tikkunei Zohar discusses at length the entire mitzvah of sending away the mother bird according to the inner dimension of Torah, according to Kabbalah. “If you come upon a bird’s nest,” and there are the children and the chicks, “and the mother is sitting on”—how does it say it there? On the chicks. There are children, and there are chicks. Right? So it explains there at length that the mother refers to the sefirah of binah. The mother of the children refers to the sefirah of binah. Sometimes they are called children, and sometimes they are called chicks. What is the difference between children and chicks? They are called children when the birds can already fly. Chicks are those that still cannot fly. I don’t know, though—does it say “children”? How does the verse read? Rabbi Makil[?] wrote. Hm? Does it say “children,” or does it say “on the eggs,” “on

20:59 the children”? There are several... Hm? Here it is, good. At first it says “chicks.” Afterward it says “children.” Fine. Chicks and eggs. “And the mother is sitting on the chicks or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother together with the children.” It starts by saying “chicks” and then says “children.” So he says they are “children” when they have wings—that is, when they can already fly on their own. When they do not yet have wings, they are called “chicks.” What does that mean in spiritual terms? It means, accordingly, that those who study Torah and perform mitzvos with love and fear are called children. They have love and fear. But when there is no love and fear, they are called chicks. They cannot fly because they lack what is needed. So from this we see that wings represent love and fear. The truth is that when studying Tanya in Igeres Hateshuvah—and we studied this matter of chicks this week too—the Alter Rebbe presents it from another perspective. In Igeres Hateshuvah, the Alter Rebbe also cites the passage about the chicks, but there he approaches it quite differently. On the contrary, there it is the central point. There the Alter Rebbe says that teshuvah ila’ah means engaging in Torah with fear and love of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He explains that teshuvah ila’ah is associated with binah, and he quotes the verse, “And the mother is sitting on the chicks.” So there he specifically cites the chicks. There is a sicha of the Rebbe on this passage in Igeres Hateshuvah. The Rebbe gives a very interesting explanation of why Igeres Hateshuvah emphasizes specifically “the mother on the chicks.” The Rebbe explains that chicks are still attached to their mother. On the contrary, there is an advantage here: the chicks are not yet independent beings.

23:31 The children already fly on their own. The chicks, by contrast, are still beneath their mother and are not yet independent beings. They are still sheltered under their mother’s wings. She takes care of them. What does this mean in our avodah? It refers to intellectual love and fear. There is love and fear that have already taken on a distinct existence: after a person finishes contemplating, the love and fear emerge from the contemplation and become feelings in his heart. The love and fear are more tangibly felt. So the love—not necessarily natural love and fear, but intellectual love and fear that have already become feelings in the heart—these are called children. Chicks, by contrast, represent love and fear that are still contained within the intellect. That is why they are called chicks: they have not yet become something independent. And on the contrary, since teshuvah ila’ah is about true attachment to G-dliness—that is the whole point of teshuvah ila’ah—the chicks represent a greater attachment. When love and fear take shape in the heart, they become more concrete, more of a distinct existence. But when love and fear are still connected to the intellect, to binah, they are on a higher level: the bittul that comes from intellect is felt and shines more strongly in that love and fear. Therefore, when it comes to the avodah of teshuvah ila’ah, the chicks are precisely what matters. Here, however, the Alter Rebbe is speaking about something entirely different. Here the Alter Rebbe is explaining how love and fear make the difference in elevating Torah and mitzvos to the higher worlds. That is why the Alter Rebbe brings the chicks here in the sense of chicks that cannot yet fly: they lack what is needed to fly upward. But when a person studies Torah and performs mitzvos with love and fear, they fly upward. Now, one brief point: seemingly, the Alter Rebbe is coming to add here

25:22 With this whole idea. He already said all of this earlier too. Why bring an analogy from birds? Listen, the explanation was already given earlier. He said that when you do it with love and fear, it rises to a higher spiritual world, and there the Infinite is revealed, because in a spiritual world there can be a revelation of G-dliness. So when he introduced the wings, the explanation had already been given. What does the Alter Rebbe add to the explanation by comparing it to wings? And the Alter Rebbe even says, “And this will make it even clearer,” as though this adds to our understanding of the deeper point here. So, briefly, the point is that the analogy of a bird shows that wings are part of the bird. After all, how do you define a bird? A bird has wings. In other words, wings are not something added to it. Now, although the Alter Rebbe will say later, when we get there, that relative to the body, the wings are secondary, a bird is, by its very nature, a winged creature. Every bird, every... In other words, its wings are part of what it is. They come with it. What I mean is this: Based on what we’ve learned so far, one might think that love and fear cause Torah and mitzvos to rise, but that this is not essential; it’s something incidental. There is the actual fulfillment of the mitzvos, and if you want to cause the Torah and mitzvos to rise so that they have the full advantage of revelation, then you also have love and fear. The analogy of wings makes it clearer that this is part of the avodah: bringing the mitzvos to a point where light and revelation shine within them is not incidental. It is part of what mitzvos are about, just as wings are, after all, part of a bird

27:16 too. That’s the point here when it comes to love and fear. They are a very essential part of the intention behind a mitzvah. The love and fear within a mitzvah are also part of its intention. Although, seemingly, they are only about revelation, having the light revealed is itself an integral part of the whole matter.