Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 45 - Part 4

00:02 Speaker 1 We’re moving here to page 61b, in the middle of the page, [unclear] after the period: “And this is what the verse says.” Up to this point, the Alter Rebbe has explained what the avodah of arousing great compassion is, and what sort of self-examination and contemplation a person needs in order to awaken that compassion within himself. Through this, he arouses great compassion for the soul and for the G-dliness within it. Now the Alter Rebbe will explain in detail what this brings about. When a person feels great compassion for the souls and the G-dliness within them, where does that lead him in his service of Hashem? The Alter Rebbe says: “And this is what the verse says: ‘Yaakov kissed Rachel, raised his voice, and wept.’” We said at the beginning of the chapter that compassion is Yaakov’s attribute. The attribute of compassion—he said it is the central bar that runs from end to end. Hm? No, he didn’t say that. He said that the attribute of compassion is Yaakov’s attribute. Yes. So now he explains where we see this avodah of compassion in detail in the life of Yaakov Avinu. With Avraham, the attribute of chessed is evident throughout the account the Torah gives us of him. All the time. “And there he called in the name of Hashem, G-d of the world,” and wherever he went, there was his hospitality tent. We see Avraham’s chessed openly. With Yitzchak, too, we see the attribute of gevurah and awe. The verse explicitly says “the fear of Yitzchak”—awe. It says so in Chumash, and we see it in other ways as well, as Chassidus explains. As for Yaakov, there were also expressions of gevurah with him. But where, in the account of Yaakov, do we find compassion?

02:10 Speaker 1 We find it in the story of Yaakov and Rachel. It says that when Yaakov arrived in Charan, he saw shepherds standing there with their flocks. Yaakov spoke with the shepherds and asked them, “Do you know Lavan?” They said, “We do.” Then it says, “And here comes Rachel with the flock.” Yes, Yaakov approached her, and the verse says what the Alter Rebbe quotes here: “Yaakov kissed Rachel, raised his voice, and wept.” Now, we know that stories in the Torah are not just stories. And the Torah doesn’t tell us every story. It doesn’t tell us everything that happened to the Avos. The Torah doesn’t say what Avraham Avinu did every day, every week, every month. It records only things that matter: the deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children. What concerns the Avos also concerns their children, and that is what the Torah tells us. So here is a story that, seemingly, has no connection to avodah at all. When you learn this verse according to its plain meaning, it seems hard to understand what the Torah is telling us. Yaakov Avinu met Rachel, and what did he do? It says, “Yaakov kissed Rachel,” and he began to cry. What exactly happened there? What was it? Why does the Torah tell us this? According to what the Alter Rebbe is about to explain, this story contains Yaakov’s entire avodah—the whole point of the attribute of compassion. Yaakov’s avodah, through which he brings the avodah of compassion into the souls of the Jewish people, is described in this verse. Before we learn further and get into the details, there’s a simple question to ask. Tanya is not a book of commentaries on Tanach. Tanya is not a commentary on Tanach. Tanya

04:07 Speaker 1 does not come to explain the Torah’s stories. In Torah Or, the Alter Rebbe’s maamarim, there are explanations according to Chassidus that teach us the avodah found in various stories in the Torah. And in these parshiyos, Parshas Vayeitzei and Parshas Vayishlach, we find explanations of all the details about Yaakov, Rachel, and Leah—their marriages and all sorts of details in the story of Yaakov, Leah, and Rachel—and what they mean in avodah. That fits in a book like Torah Or. But in Tanya, is the Alter Rebbe coming to explain stories about Yaakov Avinu? Of course, this relates to the attribute of compassion that we’re discussing. But how does explaining the verse help us understand the avodah Tanya is teaching? We’ll see. As the Alter Rebbe goes on to explain the details of the verse, we’ll see that he isn’t just showing us where this attribute appears in the story of Yaakov, or simply interpreting the verse. Understanding the verse also helps us understand what avodah must follow from arousing compassion. In the details of the verse, as he will now explain them, we see all the details of how to arouse great compassion, and how that awakening must then find expression in the service of Hashem—in avodah, Torah and mitzvos, and thought, speech, and action. That, it seems, is the point of bringing the whole verse with all its details. Now let’s look at the verse. Why aren’t you listening? Hm? You’re not even trying to listen. Maybe—maybe you’ll hear something. We’re talking about things anyone can understand, I think. Hm? It’s as though you’ve decided not to listen before even trying. You’re making motions to show you’re here. Anyway, I’m explaining this verse. Just... There’s a vort attributed to the Ruzhiner.

06:12 Speaker 1 It’s a rather sharp vort, but let’s say it anyway. The Ruzhiner said a vort on this verse. The Rebbe once told part of it; there’s another part to it. As is known, the Ruzhiner’s way was to conduct himself in a manner whose inner purpose was hidden, somewhat like the Rebbe Maharash. From the outside, his conduct was hard to understand. He lived with an air of authority and expansiveness, with all sorts of royal practices. Outwardly, it looked as though he wore gold clothing. Everything about the way he lived appeared utterly expansive. Some people didn’t understand his conduct. The Rebbe once told a story about this; it appears in a letter. His shoes looked golden from the outside. When people looked down at them, they saw gold shoes, but underneath they had no soles. What’s the word? They had no... How do you say it?

07:12 Speaker 2 Sole.

07:12 Speaker 1 Sole, sole. His shoes had no bottom part. So every time he walked, he suffered. How did anyone notice? Once he walked in the snow, and his skin stuck to the snow and began to bleed. That’s when they noticed there was nothing underneath his shoes. The Rebbe once told this to a group of people. So, once, when people were talking about the Ruzhiner, someone remarked that there was no need for him to conduct himself that way. From the outside, his conduct looked one way, and people couldn’t understand its depth. The Ruzhiner responded by bringing the story of Yaakov Avinu. It says that Yaakov came to Rachel, and “Yaakov kissed Rachel, raised his voice, and wept.” How do people interpret the verse? He said this: People look at it and explain it—I haven’t seen it myself, but they say it is actually written explicitly in some books. Someone once told me he heard it in a maggid’s sermon: What does the verse “Yaakov kissed Rachel, raised his voice, and wept” mean? They explain that the Torah is showing us Yankel’s greatness: Yankel did something immodest. You’re not married yet; she isn’t your wife. He sees Rachel and suddenly kisses her. That’s not appropriate; it’s the opposite of modesty. So, they say, “he raised his voice and wept”—he immediately had thoughts of teshuvah after doing it. That was Yaakov Avinu’s greatness. That’s how the misnagdim explain it, rachmana litzlan: that the Torah wanted to tell us of Yaakov Avinu’s greatness, that immediately after he stumbled, he began to cry. He had

09:01 Speaker 1 a thought of teshuvah. So he said that it’s true—but what is the truth? The truth is that Yaakov Avinu wept because he knew people would come along and interpret the verse in such a crude way. That is whom he wept over. He knew a generation would come in which there would be people foolish enough to study the Torah in such a material way, and they would think Yaakov kissed his wife, and they would think... So Yaakov Avinu wept over them, over that interpretation. But what is the real meaning? The Rebbe of Belz gives us the inner, substantive explanation of what happened here, in all its depth. At its heart, something entirely different was happening. Now we will see how the Alter Rebbe takes the verse and explains it as the story actually happened, alongside its plain meaning. Of course, a verse never loses its plain meaning. Yankel and Rachel met, and all these things happened on the plain level of the verse too. The Rebbe spoke many times about how, G-d forbid, interpreting something through Chassidus does not mean negating its plain meaning. Of course, in physical terms, Yankel and Rachel met here below. But at the time, for him, there was nothing physical or material about it—nothing to do with desire and so on. So of course, when the physical act took place, it carried an inner intention. The Alter Rebbe comes to explain how Yankel’s love is expressed in this verse. So the Alter Rebbe explains it like this. Let’s read it inside: “And this is what is written: ‘Yaakov kissed Rachel, and he raised his voice and wept,’ for Rachel is Knesses Yisroel.” Who is Rachel? The Alter Rebbe says Rachel is Knesses Yisroel, the source of all souls. Rachel refers to Knesses Yisroel, the source of all souls. What does that mean? As we know, Chassidus discusses Leah and Rachel: of Leah it says, “the elder one was Leah,” and of Rachel it says,

10:49 Speaker 1 “the younger one was Rachel.” Chassidus explains: What does “elder” and “younger” mean? The elder one is the larger hei, and the younger one is the smaller hei. There are two letters hei in the name Havayah. Yaakov Avinu corresponds to the yud and the vav. That is why Yaakov is yud-akev: the yud is the letter yud, and the akev, the heel, refers to the body, which is like a vav. So Yaakov contains a yud and a vav. In fact, there are several verses in Tanach where Yaakov is spelled in full, with a vav; “And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov” spells Yaakov with a vav. So Yaakov contains the letters yud and vav. In any case, Yaakov corresponds to yud and vav, while Leah and Rachel are the two letters hei. Leah is the higher hei, the larger hei, which is Binah. That is why Leah had six sons: Binah gives rise to the six middos, just as Leah bore six sons, corresponding to the six middos; and Dinah corresponds to Malchus. On the other hand, Rachel is the smaller hei, so Rachel corresponds to the sefirah of Malchus. What is the significance of the sefirah of Malchus? The sefirah of Malchus is Knesses Yisroel. Malchus is called Knesses Yisroel. What is Malchus? Malchus is the source of souls. All Jews are children of kings. The sefirah of Malchus is the source of all souls. That is why Chassidus mentions that Rachel was the mother of Yosef and Binyamin, and Yosef and Binyamin encompass all Jewish souls. All Jewish souls are referred to by the names Yosef and Binyamin. There are several verses in which the Jewish people are called Yosef. “You who lead Yosef like a flock”—we see that the Jewish people are called Yosef. And similarly we find the name Binyamin, as it says, “Is Ephraim My dear son?” Ephraim is from the tribe of Binyamin. So then what do we... No, Ephraim is descended from Yosef. Where do we find the idea

12:40 Speaker 1 of Binyamin? I don’t remember. In any case, Chassidus explains that Yosef and Binyamin represent two general categories of souls connected with Yosef and Binyamin. [unclear] Chassidus discusses at length how Yosef and Binyamin are connected with Jewish souls. In any case, Rachel is Malchus, the source of souls. The students here have just been learning about Yosef and Binyamin in Samech Alef, yes, the second shoresh; there, too, the Rebbe Rashab explains it at length. In any case, what is the point for our discussion? The point is that Rachel is Malchus, which is Knesses Yisroel, and therefore she is the source of souls. So when Yaakov Avinu saw Rachel—and this is what the verse says, “And behold, Rachel was coming with the flock.” Who is the flock? The flock is Knesses Yisroel. He saw Rachel; and what did he see in Rachel? He saw the sefirah of Malchus. He saw Knesses Yisroel, the source of souls. Then great compassion for the souls was awakened in Yankel, as we learned earlier: the tremendous pity for the soul in its descent. Souls descend below, and that calls forth great compassion. That is what the Alter Rebbe says here. Yaakov is among the higher middos, the attribute of compassion in Atzilus. What is Yankel’s attribute? Yankel is the attribute of compassion. In a general sense, Yankel encompasses all of Atzilus. But more specifically, as we said earlier, Yankel is the attribute of compassion. The attribute of compassion is the attribute of Tiferes, within Atzilus itself; it is the middle attribute. Tiferes is on the middle line, and it is called Tiferes because it includes both Chessed and Gevurah. So Yaakov is the attribute of compassion, the attribute of Tiferes, one of the higher middos—the attribute of compassion in Atzilus. He awakens great compassion for them. So when Yaakov Avinu saw Malchus, saw Knesses Yisroel, saw

14:33 Speaker 1 Rachel, he saw the souls suffering in exile, suffering through the soul’s descent below. That awakened weeping in Yankel. Through this, he awakened great compassion for the souls, so that they could leave their exile, their state of descent. He awakens great compassion for them. What did Yaakov Avinu do? What does the verse say? The Alter Rebbe will explain “and he kissed” afterward. First he explains the continuation. What did Yaakov Avinu do? He wept. What does “and he raised his voice” mean? At first glance, those words are unnecessary. It could simply have said, “and he wept.” What is “and he raised his voice”? On the plain level, it means he did not merely cry; he wept with the most intense weeping. What does the Alter Rebbe explain? He raised his voice upward, to the source of the supernal mercies, called “the Father of Mercies and their source.” Yaakov Avinu was not content with Yankel’s higher middos, with the ordinary attribute of compassion. He wanted to awaken a level of supernal mercy that is the source of mercy, the Father of Mercies and their source—great mercy above the order of hishtalshelus. What does that mean? It means this: Chassidus mentions—and we learned this in Igeres Hateshuvah when we studied it before Tisha B’Av; I’ll explain it again—that there are two levels of mercy. There is mercy of Atzilus, and there is mercy of Ein Sof. In the language of prayer, these are called Av Harachaman and Av Harachamim. Sometimes in prayer we say Av Harachaman, and sometimes we say Av Harachamim. For example, during the Ten Days of Teshuvah we say Av Harachaman, and... Av Harachaman. And at Minchah on Shabbos, and at Neilah, we say Av Harachamim. What is the difference between rachaman and rachamim? The books explain that it is the difference between mercy of Atzilus and mercy of Ein Sof. Rachaman means one who has mercy. It is compassion for someone. In other words, this is mercy already within the bounds of hishtalshelus and tzimtzum, which is

16:42 Speaker 1 Mercy in Atzilus. Atzilus is a world of G-dliness, but it is a world with lights and vessels. There is already a certain limitation there, so the mercy there also has measure and limitation. It is mercy according to the order of creation, mercy within bounds. By contrast, there is mercy that is above measure and limitation—mercy from the Infinite, where there are no boundaries, where mercy is unlimited. What does that mean in simple terms? Like this: A person has mercy on someone else. Someone in a higher position has mercy on someone in a lower position. He sees that the other person has problems and is suffering, and he feels compassion and wants to help him. That is mercy based on a reason. But there is another kind of mercy: when someone is so utterly beyond comparison, so incomparably distant from everyone else, he has mercy on everyone. It makes no difference who you are or what state you are in; he has mercy on everyone. Because from that perspective, even if you are on a very high level, the entire world is still beyond comparison. As we learned earlier in Tanya, relative to the Life of life, the Infinite, blessed be He, even a soul in Atzilus needs mercy. It too needs mercy, because ultimately it is within measure and limitation. This is the abundant mercy that our forefather Yaakov wants to arouse—not just mercy, but specifically abundant mercy. And why does abundant mercy come into the discussion here in Tanya? This is another point: precisely when mercy is abundant and boundless, it can also extend very far down. Yes, that is the whole point. When mercy is limited—when it requires a reason—there is also a limit to how far it reaches. There are people

18:21 Speaker 1 on whom he will not have mercy. He will not have mercy on everyone, only on those who, by the standards of mercy, are deserving of it. But sometimes he might conclude that a person has fallen so low that, as the Gemara says, “One who lacks understanding—it is forbidden to have mercy on him.” There can be a state in which, because of a lack of understanding, mercy does not apply to him; it does not fit. No, no, that is in terms of limitation. We need to understand that teaching of our Sages, but in any case, we need not go into it here. As an aside, yes. But in any case, the point is that there is a measure and a limit to how far mercy extends. Precisely when the mercy is abundant mercy, it has no limit and extends all the way down—even into exile, even into the depths of lowliness. Even when someone is in the state we spoke about earlier, having fallen completely among the kelipos, abundant mercy has no limitations. That is why, in the wording of a pidyon, we always write “to arouse abundant mercy.” In the past, the wording would also say “to arouse abundant mercy from the source of mercy.” That used to be the wording. The Rebbe spoke about this in the early years. The wording used to say “to arouse abundant mercy from the source of mercy and the source of mercies”—all that language. The Rebbe removed that wording. The Rebbe said that when we write a pidyon, we do not need to give the Rebbe directions, an address, telling him where to draw the mercy from. The Rebbe was speaking, of course, about a pidyon addressed to any Rebbe. When we write a pidyon, we do not need to tell the Rebbe where to draw the mercy from. The Rebbe said that sometimes even the source of mercy is not enough. The Rebbe may need to reach still higher to arouse mercy. So do not write to him where to get it; he will manage on his own. He will find where to draw the mercy from. But in any case, the wording of the pidyon is

19:56 Speaker 1 the point: “to arouse abundant mercy.” Not just mercy, but specifically abundant mercy. That is the precision of the wording here. And we come to our forefather Yaakov—not merely as a historical figure. First, Yaakov himself is mercy of Atzilus; his level is mercy of Atzilus. But “he raised his voice”: our forefather Yaakov rose to the level of “he raised his voice,” a level above Atzilus—supernal mercy, abundant mercy, the Father of mercy and its source. From there he drew down abundant mercy upon the souls. “And he wept”—what did he do? He wept to arouse and draw down abundant mercy from there upon all the souls. So through his weeping, our forefather Yaakov aroused and drew down abundant mercy from that level, from mercy above Atzilus, upon all the souls and upon the source of Knesses Yisroel, the source of the souls. For even that source, although it is still in Atzilus, needs mercy. As we said earlier about abundant mercy, even when the souls are at their source in Atzilus, they still need mercy. That too is not where a soul ought to be—in the Infinite, beyond all bounds. “To raise them from their exile.” The Rebbe notes that there is a version from the Tzemach Tzedek that reads, “to raise them from their descent.” In any case, “to raise them from their exile,” to raise them from their descent, and to unite them in the supernal union with the light of the Infinite, blessed be He, in the manner of kisses. To take them and lift them up, raise them to the very highest level: the union of kisses. To arouse within the souls a union with G-dliness in the manner of kisses. In a moment I will explain what a union in the manner of kisses means. What is interesting about everything being explained here is that it all fits even with the revealed teachings of Torah. There are Midrashim about this story of Yaakov and Rachel, and we see that the Midrash follows a similar approach. The Midrash tells and explains the whole story of Yaakov and Rachel’s meeting and his weeping. The Midrash says

21:51 Speaker 1 that it concerned the Geulah of Knesses Yisroel, but the Midrash speaks more about redemption in the literal sense. The Midrash says—I think Rashi may even bring this. I am not sure. Hm? Does anyone remember Parshas Vayeitzei? Rashi may mention it somewhere. I do not remember for certain, but it is a well-known Midrash: when our forefather Yaakov saw Rachel, what did he see in her? He saw with ruach hakodesh. Rashi brings this, though not here. Perhaps. Perhaps he brings it in another parsha. Our forefather Yaakov saw with ruach hakodesh that when the Jewish people would go into exile, first under Nebuchadnezzar, they would pass by Rachel’s grave. They would weep there and pray at Rachel’s grave, and then Hakadosh Boruch Hu—yes—“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel weeps for her children, for they are no more,” over the concealment and obscurity of exile. And our forefather Yaakov saw this, the redemption of the Jewish people. That is what Yaakov’s weeping was about. Rachel weeps for her children, and it was specifically to Rachel that Hakadosh Boruch Hu said, “Restrain your voice from weeping.” The Geulah would come specifically in Rachel’s merit. So the Midrash, too, explains the story of “Yaakov kissed Rachel” as apparently being about Knesses Yisroel. The difference is that the Midrash speaks about exile in the literal sense—the exile that took place, the Babylonian exile, the Greek exile, the weeping over exile in the literal sense. Tanya speaks about the soul’s descent below, about the inner exile that is the soul’s descent. Our forefather Yaakov saw in Rachel the concept of Knesses Yisroel, the souls of the Jewish people, and this aroused abundant mercy in him. Now, following this, the Rebbe will explain how this elevation is expressed—how, how, how do we bring about the elevation of Knesses Yisroel? How do we do this? This is

23:46 Speaker 1 We’ll leave that for the next class. I’ll just add one more point here from the Rebbe’s father. He asks: Where is it hinted? The verse says, “He raised his voice,” right? But where does the verse hint that Yaakov reached the source of the supernal mercies? Yaakov himself represents the attribute of mercy. How did he reach the source of mercy, above his own level? On a basic level, it’s because of the central beam, Tiferes. Since Tiferes reaches up to Keser, it seems to me that Yaakov could reach all the way to Keser and draw from there. But he says the idea is also hinted at in the verse. We see that before Yaakov met Rachel, he asked about Lavan. “Do you know Lavan?” They said, “We do.” “And here comes Rachel his daughter with the sheep.” What is Lavan doing there? Why did he ask them about Lavan? So this explains something further. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak explains it beautifully. He explains that Lavan represents abundant mercy. After all, it’s known in Chassidus that Lavan, on the higher plane, is the supernal whiteness. Yes, white is associated with silver. So the level of Lavan is really the level of abundant mercy above Atzilus. To arouse abundant mercy, Yaakov Avinu had to connect with Lavan—with the higher aspect somehow present within Lavan’s exile. Yes, and that’s the meaning of his asking, “Do you know Lavan?” They said, “We do.” By speaking about Lavan, he connected with that level of abundant mercy. Then, when “Rachel came with the sheep” and Yaakov arrived, he was able to arouse abundant mercy through Lavan. In his explanations, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak says—and he can’t do without gematria and acronyms—“the Father of mercies and their source.” That is the Alter Rebbe’s wording: “the Father of mercies and their source.” Rabbi Levi Yitzchak says that the initials of “Av harachamim umekoram” spell Aram. Ah? So that’s

25:53 Speaker 1 Lavan the Aramean. Lavan the Aramean thus alludes to the level of “the Father of mercies and their source.” That’s Tanya. Ah, there are a few more points he explains on this basis, and, with Hashem’s help, we’ll explain them in the next class.