The need for three verses | Chapter 4, Part 6

00:01 We’re returning to the middle of chapter 4 of Igeres Hateshuvah, at the bottom of page 94, on the bottom line beginning “And therefore,” after the period: “And therefore the angels are called by the name Elokim.” The Alter Rebbe is in the middle of explaining the unique quality of the soul, the quality of a Jewish soul. “For Hashem’s people are a part of Him”—Jewish souls are a part of the name Havayah. This idea, that the soul is a part of the name Havayah, is relevant to understanding what a sin does, what damage it causes, and also to understanding the power of teshuvah. All of this is an introduction and a foundation for everything the Alter Rebbe is coming to explain: what happens when a Jew sins, G-d forbid, and how sin causes damage and a severing of the connection. The more we understand what a Jew is, and the power a Jew has by virtue of the soul, the more we’ll understand how serious sin and transgression are. We’ll see that itself later, with the different types of sins: sins involving a positive commandment, a prohibition, kareis, the death penalties imposed by a beis din, and so on. On the other hand, by understanding the depth of a Jew’s unique quality, the quality of the soul, we’ll be able to understand the power a Jew has to reconnect with Hakadosh Boruch Hu—the power of teshuvah. Teshuvah means “returning the hei”: the lower hei and the upper hei. Through teshuvah, a Jew reconnects with his soul, and through that, reconnects with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. So here the Alter Rebbe is in the middle of explaining to us the greatness and depth of a Jew. The Alter Rebbe’s point was that the soul comes from the name Havayah. All created beings come from the name Elokim; the soul comes from the name Havayah. The Alter Rebbe explains that this is the difference between the inner dimension and the outer dimension. Havayah is the inner dimension; Elokim is the outer dimension. The name Elokim relates to creation. Elokim is the power of Hakadosh Boruch Hu that is invested in the world. That is the idea of the outer dimension: the attribute of judgment, the attribute of contraction, numerically equivalent to “nature.” It is the Divine power that is invested

02:16 in bringing created beings into existence and giving them life. The name Havayah is above any relation to worlds and created beings. Past, present, and future as one—it is Hakadosh Boruch Hu as He transcends the world. In general, this is the difference between the inner and outer dimensions. It’s like the difference between speech and blowing: blowing comes from deep within the heart, from the innermost breath, from the inner dimension of the vessel, whereas speech comes only from the outer dimension. Now, the Alter Rebbe says that all created beings, even the angels, were created only through speech—the outer dimension, the name Elokim. By contrast, the Alter Rebbe says, the soul’s original source is the name Havayah. The soul is rooted in the name Havayah; that is its source. Look: “He blew into his nostrils a soul of life,” and “one who blows, blows from within himself”; “For Hashem’s people are a part of Him.” The soul comes from the name Havayah. After that, the Alter Rebbe says that for the soul to be able to enter a body and physical existence down here in this world, it must also pass through speech. That is “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”: it becomes invested in speech so that it can enter this physical world. But in essence, its root is the name Havayah. Look, the Alter Rebbe says that this is the main difference between the soul and the angels. There is an immense difference above, an immense difference above: the soul comes from the name Havayah and became invested in the name Elokim only in order to descend below. All other created beings, by contrast, come only from the name Elokim. And here the Alter Rebbe concludes. There are many questions here that need explaining, but first let’s read what it says. The Alter Rebbe explains, “And therefore”—this is where we’re up to—“the angels are called by the name Elokim in Scripture.” Because the angels’ root is in the name Elokim, the angels are called Elokim. Where do we see angels called by the name Elokim? As it says, as we read, “For Hashem your G-d is the G-d of gods,” and so on; “Give thanks to the G-d of gods,” and so on; “The sons of Elokim came to present themselves,” and so on. The Rebbe says it should read “vegomer”

04:31 rather than “vechulei.” But there are many places in Igeres Hateshuvah where it says “vechulei.” It needs to be corrected, though, because whenever a verse is quoted, we say “vegomer.” That’s why the list of corrections, and your newer editions of Tanya, say “vegomer,” right? It’s already been corrected in the newer ones. Bring it here for a moment. Yes, now it’s been corrected in the newer editions. Look, in older editions of Tanya it says “vechulei,” at any rate. Why does the Alter Rebbe bring three verses? What’s the point? Why does he need to bring three verses? That’s the obvious question. Reb Levi asks this question; we’ll talk about it shortly. It’s one of his notes on Igeres Hateshuvah. We’ve already discussed in previous classes that Reb Levi wrote notes on Igeres Hateshuvah, and the Rebbe explained them over the years. Afterward, the Rebbe edited all those sichos for volume 39 of Likkutei Sichos. They contain wonderful sichos explaining Igeres Hateshuvah. We’ll get to Reb Levi’s explanation shortly. Why is Elokim mentioned three times? And why does the Alter Rebbe need to bring three verses? But before we get to Reb Levi’s explanation, there are more basic questions here, simple questions. One of the simple questions is: What is the Alter Rebbe trying to tell us here by saying that the angels are called by the name Elokim? What is he trying to say with that? What is he trying to elaborate on? That all created beings come from the name Elokim? That’s written in Chumash: “In the beginning Elokim created.” And that isn’t specifically about angels; it’s about all created beings. All created beings come from the name Elokim. What is he trying to say—that angels, too, come from the name Elokim? Fine, then say that angels come from the name Elokim. Why does he explain that angels are called Elokim? What do I gain from knowing that angels are called by the name Elokim? And not only that: he brings three verses in which they’re called Elokim. In fact, not only does that not help us, it

06:42 actually makes things harder. If you think about it, it contradicts everything the Alter Rebbe is trying to say. Angels are called by the name Elokim. But the Jewish people aren’t called by the name Havayah, and they aren’t called by the name Elokim. The Jewish people are called Yisroel, called Yaakov, called human beings. If so, it turns out that the angels have an advantage the Jewish people don’t have. Of Jewish souls it says, “For Hashem’s people are a part of Him,” but down here they aren’t—no, no, no one calls them that. We don’t find in Tanach, and certainly we don’t have verses in which the Jewish people are called Havayah, or given a Divine name. Angels are called by the name Elokim. So what about the angels? What is the Alter Rebbe trying to accomplish with this? These are simple questions that make the whole discussion of angels seem unnecessary. What is the Alter Rebbe trying to say here? And there’s another general question here. We mentioned it in the previous class, but enough time has passed that we can mention it again. A general question about this whole discussion: the Alter Rebbe wants to tell us that—seemingly, everyone who studies Chassidus knows that all created beings actually come from the name Havayah. Right? “Let them praise the name of Hashem, for He commanded and they were created.” “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day that Hashem Elokim made earth and heaven.” So all created beings also come from the name Havayah. But what happens? It becomes invested in the name Elokim. Tanya says, “For Havayah Elokim is a sun and a shield”: the flow of Divine vitality comes from the name Havayah and becomes invested down here in the name Elokim. If so, the same is true of the soul. What is the Alter Rebbe saying now? The Alter Rebbe just said that there is an immense difference above: above, the soul comes from the name Havayah. But in order to descend below, the Alter Rebbe says explicitly that it must pass through the letters

08:41 Speech, like all created beings. So where is the difference? If so, the soul is exactly like all created beings: they, too, come from the name Havayah through its enclothement in the name Elokim. The soul, too, comes from the name Havayah and is enclothed in the name Elokim. Have we found a difference here? On the contrary, as we said, even down here angels are called Elokim. In other words, at every level they are called Elokim, while souls are not called Havayah; they are not called... So what is the Alter Rebbe trying to tell us here? The key to the explanation—the new point the Alter Rebbe wants to teach us, which is really the point he is building toward throughout Igeres Hateshuvah—is the unique quality of Jewish souls. Even after they descend below, the souls above are, indeed, a revelation of Havayah, as in “For His people are a part of Havayah,” in an inward way. To descend into this world and become enclothed in a body and an animal soul, the soul had to become enclothed in the name Elokim. But in its essential being, even here below, even while it is in the body, it remains what it is. The animal soul and the body conceal it. In terms of what is revealed, the body conceals the soul to such an extent that a person has free choice and can therefore commit a sin. We are talking here about Igeres Hateshuvah. In Igeres Hateshuvah, the Alter Rebbe wants to explain two sides. On the one hand, there is a Jew’s capacity to commit a sin. How can a Jew commit a sin? If you are a part of Havayah, how can you sin? Because the soul has become enclothed in a body, and the body conceals the soul. That creates such concealment that free choice becomes possible, and sin and wrongdoing become possible. That is one side. On the other hand, the Alter Rebbe says that the soul has a unique quality: even after it has descended here below, and even while it is in a body and an animal

10:43 soul, in its essential being it is a part of the name Havayah, blessed be He. That is its inner essence, and it will never change. That is what we mean when we say, “For His people are a part of Havayah”: even when they are “His people,” even when they are separate and are in a body and an animal soul. The fact that these conceal the soul, it would seem, concerns only concealment and revelation. Only concealment and revelation. In that respect, angels have an advantage that souls do not have. Look: angels reveal the name Elokim. Souls do not openly radiate G-dliness—not Havayah and not Elokim—and therefore they are called neither Havayah nor Elokim. That is in terms of concealment and revelation. But in the true nature of things, in essence, the soul comes from the name Havayah, and even below it has a connection to the name Havayah. Even when it descends here into a physical body, it still has that connection. This is expressed in teshuvah: even after a Jew has separated himself from Hakadosh Boruch Hu, after he has sinned, he has the ability to return and reconnect with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That is the main point the Alter Rebbe is explaining to us in this chapter. The soul below had to become enclothed in garments, but even below, in its essence, it remains “For His people are a part of Havayah.” Neither angels nor any other created beings have this. Where do we see it? The Alter Rebbe says that the angels, who seemingly reveal Hakadosh Boruch Hu—they reveal Hakadosh Boruch Hu and are utterly devoted to Him—are therefore called by one of His names. But which name? Elokim. They are not called by the name Havayah. Jewish souls are called “For His people are a part of Havayah.” As the Alter Rebbe says, [unclear]. And what is the answer to the questions? It is like this: indeed, all created beings originate in the name Havayah. Havayah is what brings

12:52 them into being. All created beings need the name Havayah. But the name Havayah becomes enclothed in the name Elokim, and in order for all created beings to come into being, Havayah becomes enclothed in Elokim in such a way that Elokim becomes primary for them. Havayah remains concealed; it does not become united with them. True, for the heavens to exist, the name Havayah is also necessary, but Havayah is not revealed within the created being. The proof is the angels: they are utterly devoted to Hakadosh Boruch Hu and are called by His name—but which name? Elokim, not Havayah. That is why the Alter Rebbe brings up this whole subject here. That is why the angels are called Elokim. He wants to explain that this is the difference between souls and angels. True, all created beings need the name Havayah, because without it they could have no life-force. But Havayah remains above. It does not become enclothed in them, and the life-force they actually receive is from the name Elokim. That is why the Torah specifically says, “In the beginning Elokim created,” and not Havayah: the name Elokim. Elokim completely conceals the name Havayah in bringing all the other created beings into being. So much so that even the angels, who are utterly devoted—at what level is their devotion? To the name Elokim, not Havayah. Therefore they are called Elokim and not Havayah. With souls, on the one hand, this connection is not revealed. Therefore they are called neither Havayah nor Elokim, because it is not revealed. Why is it not revealed? So that there can be free choice. But at the same time, a Jew’s essential connection, even below, is specifically with the name Havayah, not with the name Elokim. As the Alter Rebbe says, even after a Jew’s soul becomes enclothed in the name Elokim, its essence does not change. Its very essence is “literally a part of G-d above.” Even down here it is connected to the name Havayah, and because of that connection it can do teshuvah and repair

14:53 all the damage, and reunite with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, because its essential source is the name Havayah. That, then, is the point the Alter Rebbe is explaining to us in this chapter: the power of a Jew, the Jew’s unique quality, even in comparison with angels. Angels do not have it. Even through their devotion, angels reach only the name Elokim, not the name Havayah. For this, the Alter Rebbe brings three verses. What do these three verses tell us? In them, the Alter Rebbe speaks about three levels of angels. The Alter Rebbe says in Tanya that there are three kinds of angels: angels of Beriah, angels of Yetzirah, and angels of Asiyah. The angels of Beriah are called seraphim; the angels of Yetzirah are called chayos hakodesh; and the angels of Asiyah are called ofanim. And the Rebbe says—the Rebbe’s father points out—that the three verses the Alter Rebbe brings here correspond to the three levels of angels. The Rebbe explains where this can be seen in the verses. Are these just any three verses? The number three does fit the three levels, yes. But it is also there in the words of the verses the Alter Rebbe brings. Let’s look at the verses themselves. What is the first verse the Alter Rebbe brings? “Havayah your G-d is the G-d of gods.” First of all, the word Elokim appears three times: “your G-d,” “the G-d of,” “gods”—three times. But it also says “Havayah your G-d.” Whose G-d is “your G-d”? The souls’. “Havayah your G-d,” the G-d of Jewish souls, is “the G-d of gods,” referring to the angels. Which world is associated with souls? The world of Beriah. As is well known, the world of Beriah is the world of Gan Eden, the world of souls. In Chassidus, when we speak of the three worlds, the world of Beriah is called the world of souls, and the world of Yetzirah is called the world of angels. There are angels in the world of Beriah as well—the seraphim. But

16:54 The main purpose of creation is the world of souls. That is what the verse says: “Havayah your G-d” refers to the souls in the world of Beriah, while “the G-d of the elokim” refers to the angels of Beriah. So, for the souls, it is “Havayah your G-d.” Even in the world of Beriah, souls are connected to the name Havayah. But He is “the G-d of the elokim” with respect to the angels. That is the first verse, referring to the angels of Beriah. The second verse says, “Give thanks to the G-d of the elokim.” Souls are no longer mentioned, only angels, but the angels are called elokim. That is the world of Yetzirah. Then, in the third verse, it says “the sons of the elokim.” It does not even call them elokim anymore—“the sons of the elokim.” In other words, these are angels on the lowest level. They cannot even be called elokim; they are called only “the sons of the elokim.” These are the ofanim in the world of Asiyah, and “the sons of the elokim came to present themselves.” So the Alter Rebbe cites three verses here. What is he telling us? All three also speak about angels, and he wants to show us both extremes. On the one hand, even the lowest angels are called elokim. That means they have bittul, which is the distinctive quality of angels. On the other hand, even the highest angels, those in the world of Beriah, are called only elokim, not Havayah. In other words, angels on every level, from the highest to the lowest, have bittul, and that is their distinctive quality, but their bittul is only to the name Elokim. They have no connection to the name Havayah. They know of the name Havayah, but they have no connection to it, so they cannot be called Havayah. On every level, they are called only elokim. Souls, by contrast, on every level—even after a soul descends into the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and descends to the very lowest point, even among the sinners of Israel—what is it in essence?

19:01 It is inwardness, it is a part of Havayah, and it remains inwardness. It is always connected to the name Havayah, and that is why it has the ability to do teshuvah. This is relevant throughout the explanation in Igeres Hateshuvah: understanding the power a Jew has in the service of teshuvah. Every Jew, even the lowest of the low—what is he in essence? He is connected to the name Havayah, and so he can do teshuvah. But what is the reason for this? Why are all angels associated with the name Elokim—all created beings, all the more so—while souls are associated with the name Havayah? Even down here, they remain connected to the name Havayah. The root of this is what the Alter Rebbe says at the beginning of the page: this is inwardness, and that is externality. All created beings are externality; souls are inwardness. What is the difference between inwardness and externality? Inwardness remains inwardness no matter how far it descends. Inwardness. What does inwardness mean? Inwardness means being united. Inwardness is who I myself am. That is called inwardness. Inwardness is the essence; it is where I am with myself. Externality is where I stand in relation to someone else. So all created beings—even above, there is a distinction. Above, all created beings come from the fear—sorry, from the externality of G-dliness, from the level of externality. Externality means that even at their source, their nature is externality. Therefore, when they descend below, only that externality remains: they are created beings. Inwardness does not belong to them at all, and so they have no connection to the name Havayah. Souls, by contrast, come from the inwardness of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Inwardness means His own inwardness; it is He with Himself. There is no other being there. So inwardness always remains He with Himself. However far it descends, however much it is contracted and enclothed, it always remains inwardness. That itself is why a soul, even when it is down here, is inwardness: it is essentially connected to the name Havayah. True, it is enclothed in the created world so that it can have free choice and exist as a distinct entity, but in essence, its connection to Havayah always remains,

21:01 and that is the greatness of a Jew. That is why a Jew can reach the service of teshuvah—lower teshuvah, higher teshuvah, and ultimately “spirit draws forth spirit”—all the foundations the Alter Rebbe will explain in the coming chapters. He will explain how, through his service, a Jew can attain the deepest bond, attachment and connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. So here we can see how to learn Tanya. One might think the Alter Rebbe is suddenly introducing all kinds of concepts in Chassidus. What do they have to do with serving Hashem? They give you the whole explanation of a Jew’s power to do teshuvah. I also mentioned in the previous class that the Rebbe says this in an unedited sicha. What I have just discussed is from the edited sicha. In the unedited sicha, the Rebbe adds another point: Why does the Alter Rebbe explain the distinctive quality of angels—that the angels are openly called elokim, the advantage of what is revealed in angels? Because, ultimately, the distinctive quality of angels also has a place in serving Hashem. It affects the whole manner of the service. For a Jew’s service to rise upward, the service of the angels is also needed. As is known from what Chassidus says, the angels are the ones who raise our prayers; they help and assist a Jew in his ascent. So they are needed too. And this is the advantage angels have over the soul: because their bittul is revealed, they have the ability and power to help a Jew ascend. “For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways,” and so on. So that is as far as we have gotten. Here the Alter Rebbe begins to say—we will finish this passage—“For they draw their life-force from the externality alone, since they are created beings and external even to the name Havayah, blessed be He. But the souls of Israel are from the inward aspect of the life-force; they are a part of the name Havayah, blessed be He, for the name Havayah indicates the inwardness”

22:58 “of the life-force, which is far, far above the level of letters.” The name Havayah refers to the inwardness of the life-force, and the inwardness of the life-force is far, far above the level of letters. Why the repetition, “far, far above”? He says “far, far above the level of letters” because there are the letters of speech, then the letters of thought, and the soul is far, far above them. In other words, the soul is essentially rooted in thought, at the very highest level of thought. So it is far, far above the level of letters. Angels come from speech; souls come from thought—and from the highest level within thought itself, which is far, far above the level of letters. That is the distinctive quality of the soul. And here the Alter Rebbe now begins to explain what the four letters of the name Havayah are in the human soul. That is the entire second half of chapter 4, where the Alter Rebbe will explain, in a wonderfully profound way, how the four letters are present in the human soul, how this is expressed in each part of the soul. Then we will be able to understand exactly what a Jew’s service needs to be, what happens when that connection is damaged, and how, through teshuvah, a Jew returns and reconnects himself with Hakadosh Boruch Hu.