Igeres Hateshuvah Chapter 5 Part 4

00:01 We’re up to Igeres Hateshuvah, section 5, chapter 5—at the end of the chapter, page 95b, in the middle of the page. “And this is the meaning of kareis.” So the Alter Rebbe is speaking here about the soul and its unique quality: it is literally a part of G-d above. “One who blows, blows from within himself.” Even when the soul descends below and is enclothed in a body, it remains connected to Hakadosh Boruch Hu in the manner of “He blew.” After that, he spoke about the rope connecting the soul below with the soul above. That rope is Torah and mitzvos. Once something intervenes and obstructs the connection, the breath does not get through. That is the analogy of “He blew.” The same applies to the rope: when a person commits a sin, he weakens the rope, as he will now explain. We are in the middle of the discussion. The Alter Rebbe explains that, in truth, nothing can obstruct G-dliness, since Hakadosh Boruch Hu is everywhere and “there is no place devoid of Him.” Nevertheless, there is one thing that causes a separation: sin and transgression. Of this it is said, “Rather, your transgressions have separated between you and your G-d.” Sin and transgression cause a separation, an iron partition between you and your G-d. This is the only thing that causes concealment. Why? Because it goes against the Divine will. It is true that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is everywhere, but He is everywhere because He wills it: “Hashem has done whatever He desired.” He has a will. When a person sins, he causes that will to withdraw. He causes concealment of the will, and that creates a separation. From this can come a state of kareis, of death—all

02:30 the cases mentioned in the Torah of transgressions that, may Hashem protect us, carry the prohibition and penalty of kareis. There are transgressions punishable by death at the hands of Heaven. In chapter 4, the Alter Rebbe asked how these punishments work. Here you see that they are the consequence of the act, not simply a punishment. Since all a Jew’s vitality comes from the soul, and a Jew’s vitality specifically comes from an inner source—through “He blew”—once there is a separation, that vitality cannot reach him. It does not get through. So, may Hashem protect us, the opposite of life results. That is what the Alter Rebbe wants to explain here in general. Before we continue, there is a tremendous and very important explanation in Chassidus. It is brought in maamarim in connection with the verse the Alter Rebbe quotes from Yeshayahu: “Rather, your transgressions have separated between you and your G-d.” This is the source. It is the verse the Alter Rebbe cites to show that transgressions separate you from your G-d. What is significant about this verse? It says that transgressions are the only thing that, may Hashem protect us, causes a separation between a Jew and Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But Chassidus focuses on the precise wording: “Your transgressions have separated between you and your G-d.” The separation caused by sin is only “between you”—that is, on our side. “Between you and your G-d” refers to a Jew’s inner connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, reaching from below upward: the connection I feel within me, which I live and experience. It is there, “between you and your G-d,” that a dividing partition arises. But from Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s side, He is with a person even while that person commits a sin or transgression. Hakadosh Boruch Hu never truly disconnects from us, and that itself is why

04:51 a person can do teshuvah. If the separation were absolute, then, may Hashem protect us, teshuvah would not be possible at all. The separation is only “between you”—on your side, from our perspective, from the standpoint of the one receiving. But Hakadosh Boruch Hu is present right here, even now. The Rebbe explains this further in the maamar Basi Legani 5714, which is based on section 4 of Basi Legani. There the Frierdiker Rebbe discusses the same matters as Igeres Hateshuvah does here. The Rebbe explains the whole subject at length and cites an extensive discussion of it by the Rebbe Rashab. There are two points to “between you and your G-d.” First, the separation is only on our side, not on Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s side. He is present here too. This is also the meaning of the words, “Behold, He stands behind our wall.” In connection with sin and transgression, it says, “Behold, He stands behind our wall.” Chassidus asks: What does “behind our wall” mean? Hakadosh Boruch Hu is present, but in a manner of “behind”: He is, so to speak, behind the wall. It is “our wall”—we make the wall. The wall is on our side. But from Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s side, even an iron partition cannot separate the Jewish people from their Father in Heaven. In the truth of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, He is here with us even at the very moments when a Jew is most distant. The Rebbe explains that there are several levels: Memalei Kol Almin, Sovev Kol Almin, and Atzmus. Each level has a number of details concerning the nature of a Jew’s connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu even after he has committed

06:56 a sin or transgression; now is not the time to go into them. But this is the good news here: knowing that, despite sin and transgression, Hakadosh Boruch Hu is present gives us the strength to pull ourselves out of it, feel remorse, do teshuvah, and repair all the damage. I’ll continue. Another point the Rebbe makes about this verse concerns the Alter Rebbe’s words, “as it says in Yeshayahu.” Why does the Alter Rebbe say “as it says in Yeshayahu”? He does not usually name a source, and when he does, there must be a reason. The reason he cites Yeshayahu is that, if you look there, the verse begins: “Behold, My hand is not too short to save; rather, your transgressions have separated between you and your G-d.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu tells the prophet: My hand is not too short. I am with you, and I can save you at any time. What, then, stands in the way? “Your transgressions have separated.” The verse itself implies the point we were discussing. From Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s side, “My hand is not too short to save.” He is with us, so to speak, even now. But we create the partition “between you and your G-d.” That is why the Alter Rebbe says “as it says in Yeshayahu”: look at the surrounding verses, and you will understand this point and how it relates to the whole discussion in Igeres Hateshuvah. There is another reason he specifically mentions Yeshayahu. Concerning Yeshayahu son of Amotz, [unclear] discusses Yeshayahu at length. There is a difference between Moshe Rabbeinu and Yeshayahu: Moshe Rabbeinu’s soul is from Atzilus, while Yeshayahu’s is a soul of Binah, a soul of Beriah. So the Alter Rebbe wants to say that even from the standpoint of Beriah—not only Atzilus, but Beriah too, even with the soul’s enclothement in the levels

08:58 of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, then even there we say that the separation is only from our side. At the same time, Hakadosh Boruch Hu is with us and gives us the strength to do teshuvah. The Alter Rebbe continues: “And this is the meaning of kareis.” So now we understand what kareis means: the cord through which life flows from the name of Hashem, blessed be He, is cut off and severed. Kareis means that the connection between the soul above and the soul below is severed. The cord extending from the lower hei, as explained above, is cut. As we discussed, the Alter Rebbe wants to teach us that kareis is not simply a punishment; it is a direct consequence. When a person commits a sin of this magnitude, a sin punishable by kareis, he causes the cord to be severed. Once the cord is cut, the flow of life no longer continues, and kareis follows on its own. As it says in Parshas Emor: “That soul shall be cut off from before Me; I am Hashem.” Specifically “from before Me.” The emphasis on “from before Me” points to the cutting of the cord. A Jew is connected with the inward dimension. The inward dimension of a Jew is bound to the inward dimension of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But when a transgression punishable by kareis occurs, he is cut off “from before Me.” There is a severance from that inward connection, and that is the meaning of kareis. “And the other transgressions, which do not carry kareis, nevertheless blemish the soul, as explained above.” With a transgression punishable by kareis, the cord is, so to speak, completely severed. But there are transgressions that do not carry kareis. What happens with those? The Alter Rebbe says that they blemish the soul, as explained above. There is a blemish. Every transgression a person commits causes a blemish in the soul. So although it does not completely cut off my connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, nevertheless,

11:08 the cord is weakened; the connection is blemished. What does it mean for the soul to be blemished? The Alter Rebbe wants to explain what “blemish” means. He says: “Blemish” is like a nick in a knife. What is a blemish? It is like a nick in a knife. What is the Alter Rebbe explaining here? In his sichos on this chapter, the Rebbe asks what the Alter Rebbe means by saying that a blemish is like a nick in a knife. What does that add? Interestingly, the word “blemish” has two meanings. It can mean something soiled, something spoiled—not necessarily something missing. We find this usage in halachah, in the laws of purity and of meat and milk: “imparting a detrimental taste.” That means the food has been spoiled; it no longer tastes good. In other words, the blemish is a kind of contamination, something mixed in so that things are no longer clean, no longer pure. That is one meaning of “blemish.” Then there is a blemish like a nick in a knife. A nick means something is missing. A nicked knife has a place that is not smooth. There is a little indentation, a gap, something missing from the blade; it is no longer completely intact. That is what the Alter Rebbe wants to emphasize, because these are two different things. A sin or transgression can cause a kind of contamination. We discussed this earlier in Tanya as well. A person commits a transgression and becomes soiled. But dirt is something added on; it is not an actual deficiency. It is something on the outside. So it needs to be cleaned, and through teshuvah you clean it away, leaving it pure and clean. Here, though, the Alter Rebbe is saying something more serious. A transgression not only soils the soul; it also

13:21 creates a deficiency—a deficiency in the very connection itself. That is the Alter Rebbe’s whole point here: how serious sin and transgression are, that they create a deficiency in the cord of connection. That is why he says a blemish is like a nick in a knife: here there is an actual deficiency in a person’s connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Why does the Alter Rebbe choose the example of a knife specifically? There are other kinds of defects discussed in halachah. There is a defect in an altar, for example, or a damaged stone in the Beis Hamikdash. There are several examples. Why specifically a nick in a knife? The Rebbe draws attention to this precise wording. What is special about a nick in a knife? You might think the Alter Rebbe is simply giving a halachic example of a blemish. But there is tremendous depth here. The Rebbe gives several explanations; let’s take at least one. The Rebbe’s first explanation is this: Why does the Alter Rebbe mention a nick in a knife? There is a difference between a Jew and a non-Jew. When a Jew commits a transgression, it causes a blemish. When a non-Jew does the same thing, it does not cause that kind of blemish. For a Jew, the blemish weakens his connection with G-dliness, to the point that it can lead to kareis and death. That does not apply to a non-Jew. A non-Jew can eat neveilos and treifos and do things that are forbidden to a Jew without causing this blemish. How does the example show that? With a knife, a nick can be extraordinarily fine. Shochtim spend a lot of time learning about this. Those who study the laws of shechitah need extensive training. Feeling the blade is a skill in itself. One of the most important things a shochet learns is to train himself to notice

15:32 a nick. He has to feel it with his fingers and fingernails, and it may be something very, very fine. Even the slightest nick makes the knife unfit for shechitah. You cannot use it to shecht animals or birds, but the knife is otherwise perfectly good. There is nothing wrong with using it in the kitchen. Nobody checks it—have you ever seen someone at home examine a knife for a nick? There is no problem. You cannot use it for shechitah, but you can cut meat with it. Want to make a salad? Whatever you want to make, you use the knife. It is not fit for shechitah, but it is fit for anything else you want to use it for. That is what the Alter Rebbe is hinting to us. A transgression is like a nick in a knife. With a knife, that nick makes it forbidden for shechitah; the meat would be treif. But if you are simply cutting meat, there is no problem—go ahead and use it. Similarly, for a Jew, that act causes a blemish and does damage. If a Jew commits that sin, it wreaks havoc on his soul. But if a non-Jew does the same thing, it is like using the knife to cut meat: nothing of that sort has happened. That is the allusion in the example of a nick in a knife. That is one explanation the Rebbe gives. The Rebbe adds another point about the nick in a knife, another explanation. He asks: What is actually the halachic reason that a shechitah knife must have no nick? Why does it matter? What is the problem? Why must the knife be checked so carefully to make sure it is polished smooth? It takes work, every day,

17:22 to prepare the knife and keep checking that it has no nick at all. Why? The sefarim explain that the reason is to prevent suffering to an animal. On the one hand, the Torah says to perform shechitah. The Torah permits us to eat meat, and the animal must be shechted for us to eat it. But because the Torah is a Torah of kindness, it says that when shechitah is performed, it must be done in a way that causes the animal no suffering. Even the finest nick simply hurts. True, the animal is about to die; in another moment you will shecht it. But while you are doing so, the Torah wants it done without causing suffering to the animal—in the best, gentlest, easiest way, without even the slightest nick. So what is the allusion in the nick in a knife? The whole reason the knife must not be nicked is for the animal’s benefit. It is for the animal’s sake that the knife must be free of nicks. The Rebbe says in the sicha that this is what the Alter Rebbe is hinting at: the whole purpose of mitzvos and prohibitions is for a person’s benefit. As the Gemara says, the purpose of the mitzvos is “to refine people through them.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave us Torah and mitzvos, positive commandments and prohibitions. Sometimes a person feels as though Hakadosh Boruch Hu is making life difficult for us: you cannot eat this, you cannot do that, everything has limits—what is permitted and what is forbidden, what it says in Shulchan Aruch. Well, we need to know that it is for our benefit. Just as with shechitah, the whole point is for our benefit. Likewise, everything in serving Hashem is for the soul’s benefit. That is hinted at by the nick in a knife. I

19:19 Let me just finish this section: “This can be compared to a thick rope woven from 613 thin strands. So too, the rope of the flow mentioned above consists of the 613 mitzvos, and when a person transgresses one of them, that thin strand is severed, and so on.” So that is the idea of the rope containing the 613 mitzvos. Every Jew has 613 strands, 613 connections through which he is bound to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The moment you commit a transgression, you weaken the rope by cutting one of its thin strands. As the author of the Tanya explains, ultimately this weakens the rope as a whole. That is why the work of teshuvah is needed—to repair it, to tie it back together. As the Rebbe will explain later in the chapter, the rope can be tied again. That is the idea of teshuvah: it ties the connection again, and on the contrary, it becomes even stronger and more powerful.