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Dei Chochmah LNafshechah Parshas Bo

3

Shalosh Seudos1ofParshas Bo 5767

" ' - , - : - - , - ,

, ".

And Hashem said unto Moshe: Go in unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his

heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these My signs in the midst

of them.2

Watering the Trees of thePardes

The Rishonim discuss that although Moshe and Aharon told Pharaoh that a

plague of locusts would descend on Egypt, they did not warn him about it as they had

for the other plagues. All they said was: " - -

" If you refuse to send my people, behold I will bring locusts tomorrow

within your borders.3

It is well known that the strength of Egypt was in their firstborn sons, as we find

in the verse: " " To Him that struck Egypt in their

firstborn, for His kindness endures forever.4

The moment any Jew stands at the

gateway to a fresh start in avodahto truly pray and learn with his entire beingthe

yetzer hara immediately arrives on the scene and works to weaken his resolve so that he

despairs of ever completing his divine service. We know very well that the ultimate

redemption depends on the Torah, which has four major layers which are well known:

pshat, the simple level; remez, the level of allusion; drush, the level of homiletic

1The lesson was delivered at the third meal of Shabbos.

2Shemos 10:1

3Ibid., 10:4

4Tehillim 136:10

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interpretation; and sod, the esoteric meaning. [These four are often expressed by the

acronym , or Pardes.]

The Emek Hamelech writes that there is a less known fifth level: the razin

drazin, the most secret and innermost level. This hidden level of deep secrets has only

begun to be revealed. The redemption is mostly dependent on the revelation of this area

of Torah.5

The main objective of theyetzer hara is to weaken Torah study, especially at

the crucial level ofrazin drazin.

This is the deeper meaning of the third story of Rebbe Nachman where the sagecommands his children that even though they can also do other work, their main work

should be to water the trees. This means that although one must learn all four

elements ofPardeswhich are the source of everythinghis main object should be to

water the trees with the water of the supernal life-giving stream of razin drazin.

Through this holy influx, everyone will be inspired to genuinely return to Hashem.

The Power of the Firstborn

When theyetzer hara tries to weaken ones resolve to attain the light of Torah,

one must remind himself how many times Hashem has strengthened him and aided him

to attain what he had thought was spiritually impossible in the past. This recall of past

spiritual support is an aspect of the holy bechor, the firstborn. He must remember the

many times that Hashem has helped him out of difficult straits in the past. He should

also understand that he was not worthy even to learn the little Torah that he knows. It

was only Hashems boundless kindness that enabled him until now, so why shouldnt he

turn to Him now as well?

If we would only recall all the kindnesses bestowed upon us by Hashem when

we asked His help in the past, we would surely remember our Creator. The Ramban

explains that this concept is expressed in the Name with which Hashem revealed

Himself to the Jewish people through Moshe on the eve of their redemption. " -

- " And should they say to me, what is His Name? Moshe Rabbeinu was told

5Emek Hamelech 5:72

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to provide them with the Name Eheyeh Asher Eheyeh, I will be as I will be. The

Ramban teaches that this Name was meant to convey a lesson: They have no need to

know My Name since I will be with them throughout all their difficulties This is the

greatest proof that there is a G-d: that He is close to us whenever we call.6

Although Pharaoh, the bechordklippah, or the aspect of firstborn in the realm

of impurity, works to obscure ones vision of past kindnesses, one must fight against

him. We see with our own eyes that Hashem has been with us until now and we must

believe that He will help us attain the highest and most hidden levels of Torah. Just asHe has helped us in the past, He will not abandon us in the future. As the verse states: I

am Hashem, I have not changed.7

One must be ever vigilant to combat this force of the firstborn of unholiness

associated with Pharaoh, because one who is even slightly in its grasp will be unable to

draw close to Hashem. He will be filled with self-doubt and fear that Hashem will not

listen to his prayers. We must smite the firstborn of unholiness through deep

contemplation of all the kindnesses that Hashem has done for us. In this manner, the

holy aspect of firstborn, the every firstborn that is sanctified to Me, becomesdominant, since one finally understands that every spiritual step forward was hardly the

natural result of ones efforts. He will enter into the light ofEheyeh Asher Eheyeh and

understand that Hashem was with him whenever he called, and will surely listen to

every future petition and help abundantly.

The Plague of Locusts

With this introduction we can grasp why Hashem did not warn about arbeh in

the same way that He warned of the coming of the other plagues. Arbeh was one of the

final three plagues that correspond to the upper three sefiros of the mentalities

regarding which the verse states, " ' - " And Hashem will

6See the Rambans commentary to Shemos 3:13.

7Malachi 3:6

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plague Egypt, plaguing and healing.8

The same plagues that harmed Egypt cured us by

enabling us to cleave to the light of Hashem.

When a person wishes to draw near to Hashem in Torah and dveikus in an

aspect ofmochin dgadlus, with fully developed and expanded holy awareness, he feels

as though heaven itself is showing him that he will never achieve anything. Its as if he

is being told, like Moshe, " - " Go unto Pharaohbut with no clear

instructions what to do when he gets there. The Zohar teaches that Moshe was

frightened of the great snake of unholiness, and our inner snake likewise works to bringus to feelings of despair and weakness by bringing up our hidden fears and telling us we

will never get there.

But the difference between the state of unholiness represented by chometz and

the condition of holiness referred to as matzah is represented by only a little open space,

as mentioned in the holy Zohar. [In Hebrew, the words and are spelled the

same with one exception: matzah has a hei while chometz has a cheis. The difference

between the letter and the letter is that in a cheis the space on the left top is closed,

while in a hei the space is open.]The holy Arizal explains that this space is an aspect of the verse, " -

" If a corpse [chalal literally means a space] should be found slain in the

land...9

In terms of avodah this indicates that one who wishes to spiritually imbibe

matzahwhich the holy Zoharcalls food of faithand come to dveikus with mochin

dgadlus must be an aspect of a corpse: he must work himself to the death, as it were.

This is the meaning of our sages words, Torah is only acquired by one who kills

himself over it. This means that one cannot grasp [the depth of] Torah if things go

smoothly for him. One who thinks that he will have great success in Torah and is notconfronted with many obstacles cannot truly attain his goals. On the contrary, one for

whom everything goes smoothly is actually cast away. No tzaddikever came to the light

of Torah through immediate success. They were all forced to sacrifice themselves like

8Yeshayah 19:22

9Devarim 21:1

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Rav Elazar ben Horkynos who worked himself so hard that he had a foul odor

emanating from his mouth, as we find in the Midrash. This foul odor represents

Pharaoh, which in Hebrew has the same letters as evil mouth. [ = ] This

aspect of being a corpse refers to a feeling of absolute powerlessness to attain Torah,

especially the most lofty and hidden Torah ofAtikah Sesimaah. One who feels this with

deep conviction must be willing to serve Hashem even without seeing success or

experiencing spiritual illuminations. He must come to a place where he no longer

cares if he merits mastery of Torah. Instead, he is willing to exist in the state ofcorpselike powerlessness of Pharaoh / peh rah. If he merits to serve Hashem despite

such feelings of helplessness he eventually will attain Torah. This is indicated in the

words of our sages on the verse: " " Those who blacken themselves

(through hard labor) for My sake will find Me.10 One who blackens himself like a

raven for the Torahs sake will merit to grasp it. But first one must be willing to lose

both worlds and face the wrath of Pharaoh.

Removing the Chometz

When one tries to attain closeness to Hashem, he immediately must contend

with chometz and seor (leaven), which represent various kinds of illicit thoughts that

try to catch him in their net. But one must fulfill the verse, " - , -

-- - " No chometz shall be seen, and no seorshall be seen, within all

your borders.11

Our sages teach, You may not see your own, but you may see the

chometz of others and of hekdesh, of property that has been consecrated away from

personal use.12

One must remove from his mind all illicit thoughts of the klippah. Even

if any extraneous thoughts do enter ones mind, he should fulfill the dictum of our sages,

you may see the chometz of another and ofhekdesh. This indicates that one should

fight with the forces of negativityand overcome these thoughts in Hashems honor.

10Mishlei 8:17

11Shemos 13:7

12Pesachim 5b

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As the Baal HaTanya taught: One who has not yet achieved the level oftzaddik

and must struggle with the klippos certainly has pain from falling into thoughts that are

not Hashems will. But the very fact that he continues to struggle even after falling

generates a great feeling of pleasure for Hashem, as it were. Even a tzaddik who is

already an aspect ofmatzah since he is free from such thoughts, generates less pleasure

for Hashem in a certain aspect than a simple person faithfully working to expel foreign

thoughts from his mind.

Every person can rid himself of such thoughts by contemplating HashemsDivine Names. This brings great purity and is very efficacious in the war to overcome

forbidden thoughts. This practice brings a person to the level of the true tzaddikim who

are spared such evil thoughts for the most part.

The Baal Shem Tov revealed, however, that sometimes illicit thoughts enter a

tzaddiks mind to enable him to rectify other souls. The instant a tzaddikis confronted

with such a thought he immediately elevates it by completely rectifying it. Even a

simple person must act like a tzaddikin this matter and rectify any illicit thought he may

have, especially those that arise during prayer.This is the deeper meaning of the different mystical meditations for the three

prayers of each day. The Arizal explains that every prayer brings about new spiritual

clarifications and lifts up different holy sparks from their entrapment in the klippos.

[When a person realizes that illicit thoughts are merely a revelation of a stray spark that

must be lifted up to its source and actively reconnects to Hashem as a result of such

thoughts, he is performing the clarification of that prayer.] One elevates such thoughts

through deep contemplation of Divine Names.

In light of this, even one who has not yet completely purified his thoughts

should not feel pained or discouraged as a result of his struggles. Quite the contrary; he

is bringing pleasure to his Creator [by continuing to struggle]. The truth is that the main

spiritual element ofchometz is despair. Despair is active within those people who start

to believe that only the tzaddikim in earlier generations could merit the light of Torah,

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especially the Torah of Atikah Sesimaah. We must not give in to such insidious

thoughts. Instead, we must arouse within ourselves holy chutzpah. We must recall that

our sages taught that we are the most brazen of nations,13

and we should recall that

Hashem invested within each of us a very holy soul. On the contrary, the closer we get

to the times of Moshiach, the easier it is for us to reveal the hidden and lofty Torahof

Atikah Sesimaah which will bring the redemption.

Fighting the Force of Amalek

Even if one feels that he does not now how to proceed, this is precisely the way

to acquire Torah and come to an expanded level of holy awareness. One must first enter

the aspect of Pharaoh /peh ra and be willing to truly sacrifice everything to acquire the

Torah. As we find in words of the Pri Haaretz: Why should a person say that there is

another way to attain closeness to Hashem besides the path of mesiras nefesh, of self-

sacrifice? Hashem wants each of us to attain the soul-level ofyechidah, which can only

be realized by one who is filled with self-sacrifice for Hashem. It says clearly that we

are to love Hashem. One who truly loves with all his soul can think of nothing besides

the object of his affection. One must work to come to a level of complete unity with

Hashem and think of nothing else. He should be willing to forgo everything to merit true

dveikus in Hashem and the Torah. We must come to this level practically by making a

cheshbon hanefesh, by taking a moral inventory each day of how much of our physical

desires we are willing to give up to be whole with Hashem.

Although theyetzerhara comes and tries to entice a person to at least focus on

less essential elements instead of going to the heart of the matter and working on the

physicality that keeps him distant from the Creator, we must remain strong. It is this

strategy that is alluded to in the words of the verse, " - " And

[Amalek] struck at the hindmost of you, all that were enfeebled at your rear...14

The

Midrash explains that Amalek would cut off the milah of their victims and throw them

13Beitzah 25

14Devarim 25:18

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up toward the heavens. [The hint is in the word vayezanev, which alludes to the fact that

they tailed their victims.] This signifies that Amalek worked to wean away the weaker

Jewish souls from thinking about areas of holiness or restraint in fulfilling their physical

appetites. Amalek tries to block us most especially in the area of personal purity. Sadly,

the force of Amalek makes one feel an aspect of spiritual death, which makes him

afraid, just as Moshe feared the snake of unholines. But we must recall all the good

Hashem has done for us and believe that He will surely do us many more kindnesses

and help us through all spiritual challenges.

The Four Levels ofMochin and the Four Worlds

The Arizal explains that the plague of locusts corresponds to the 52-Name,

darkness to the 45-Name, the plague of the first born to the 63-Name, and the splitting

of the sea of reeds corresponds to the 72-Name. [These represent four ways to articulate

Hashems NameHaVaYaH. --- has a numerical value of 52. --- has

a numerical value of 45. --- has a numerical value of 63, and --- has a

numerical value of 72.] These four miracles represent a revelation of the four worlds and

the four aspects ofmochin. These are what is known as G-ds Throne of Glory and the

experience of the Divine presence to which each person must ascend.

The Zohar writes that Abba / Chochmah is the foundation of his daughter,

Malchus.15 This means that the letter yudof each level is revealed mostly through the

lowermost hei of each level. The Tal Oros explains that the highest level is always

revealed in the fourth level below it, which is an element ofMalchus.

Hashem in His mercy shined into the later generations three very high souls,

each of whom revealed a different dimension of Torah and each of whom represented a

different letter of the Divine Name. First was the Arizal. The Torah he revealed

represents the yud of the Divine Name HaVaYaH and symbolizes Chochmah. Then

came the Baal Shem Tov. The Torah of chassidus is symbolized by the first hei and

represents Binah. The final soul that has already been revealed is Rebbe Nachman of

15ZoharIII:258a

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Breslov. His Torah is symbolized by the vav of the NameHaVaYaH. The new Torah of

Atikah Sesimaah will be completely revealed by Moshiach himself, as the holy Zohar

writes. This lofty and hidden Torah is symbolized by the final hei of Hashems Name

and reveals a completely different dimension within the Arizals Torah of Chochmah.

Every day a new facet of Torah is revealed which is similar to the Torah that will be

revealed in the future. The Torah that will be revealed in the future will draw down a

very great expansion ofDaas which is expressed in the vision of, the wolf living with

the lamb.

16

This Daas will be a complete merging of the chassadim, symbolized byAtzilus,and the gevuros, which symbolize the three lower worlds ofBeriyah, Yetzirah,

andAsiyah.

This is discussed by the Baal HaTanya when he explains the meaning of the

Divine Name TzevakosHosts. Through this Name, the lower three worlds of

Beriyah, Yetzirah, andAsiyah are connected with the higher world ofAtzilus. One must

search very assiduously to access this Name. Even if one is very learned but is in an

aspect ofhester panim, he is living in the shadow of Hashems presence rather than in

its revealed light, he has not yet attained the path to connect Beriyah, Yetzirah, andAsiyah toAtzilus. This is the purpose of all of creation: to make a dwelling place in the

lower worlds for Hashem.

It is easy to understand, then, why the Name Tzevakos symbolizes an aspect

of birth, since it is through this joining of the upper and lower worlds that G-dliness is

revealed to everyone. Through the Torah of the unique tzaddikim of all the generations,

the light ofElokus is revealed and Hashem will return to Tzionin the full view of all the

nations. Even in this physical world, the greatness of Torah will be revealed. We will

finally see the greatness of Esther, and that her seven handmaidens [which represent the

seven wisdoms] are not the purpose of creation at all, since they merely serve her.

The Torah as a Gift

16SeeLikutei Moharan 13

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But everything depends on our avodah. We must focus on the essentials like the

ultimate redemption, as we pray about in the blessings " " and "

" . No Jew should ever forget the coming redemption. We should just have the

strength to resist the yetzerof Amalek that tells us that we are not worthy. Instead, we

should fling ourselves into the sea of self-sacrifice, especially since we are so close to

the big day of redemption. We must rely on Hahsems kindness and mercy just like our

teacher Moshe did.

Hashem should help us for His Names sake, to truly believe and rely on Himwith complete faith. We must recall that He split the sea with the 72-Name. The Hebrew

word for kindness, "" , also has a numerical value of 72. We can only enable

ourselves to leap into the sea of self-sacrifice by remembering Hashems past kindness

and knowing with certainty that He will help us further.

In truth, the entire Torah is above nature and must be given to us from on high.

As the Vilna Gaon learns from the words of our sages, One who says, I have toiled

and I have found, it to be believed. The reason why it says found and not attained is

because even after all our efforts, Torah must be given as a giftit always remains ametziyah.

Let Your Soul Know Wisdom

This is the meaning of: " " Let your soul

(nefesh) know (dei) wisdom (Chochmah) and it will be a crown (Kesser) for your

head.17

Daas depends on memory, as the Baal HaTanya writes. The main element of

memory must be rooted in the aspect ofChochmah,as the verse states, " "

The beginning of [or it can be read, is] wisdom.18 This beginning or first aspect of

Chochmah is the holy firstborn, the ability to remember the history of Hashems

kindness at all times. We must remember that every bit of Torah or genuine spiritual

elevation that Hashem has graced us with has been beyond natural. This is letting ones

17From the Shabbos zemerDror Yikrah, based onMishlei 24:14.

18Tehillim 111:10

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soul know wisdom, since one must shine in this aspect when ones nefesh is aroused.

The nefesh is the repository of ones yearning. When filled with a great desire to draw

nearer to the King, one must listen to the aspect of holy bechorwithin himself. This

voice tells him to keep striving and never to give up. He must be resolved to persevere

even if he feels great darkness or even a bitter taste of spiritual death in his mouth.

Although he must also work on other aspects of avodah he should never forget the

bechor dkedushah, he must remember where he really is and yearn to go ever higher.

He must be vigilant never to be like those who sin and then learn some gemara or doanother spiritual act and think this guilt offering has atoned. We must always search

for the absolute truth and regret what we do wrong. One who learns Torah must search

for the deep inner meaning of what he studies and draw nearer to holiness through the

Torah. If he is like Nachshon ben Aminadav who threw himself into the sea, his self-

sacrifice will make him worthy of revealing a crown to his head, the light of the

element ofyechidah within him.

Although one must always be involved in learning, he must also be occupied

with the 72-Name by remembering Hashems kindness and being absolutely willing tosacrifice himself at all times for closeness to Hashem. He will then, guard Your holy

mitzvos, observe Your holy Shabbos by entering into the deep pleasure of absolute

connection to the light of Shabbos. This imparts a deep satisfaction in the absolute

connection to Hashems ultimate reality.

The Hidden Festival of Tu BShevat

This self-sacrifice is associated with Tu BShevat, a very deep and hidden

festival. This holiday is only really revealed to those who never lose sight of the tree, in

the sense of always drawing down an awareness of Hashems transcendence into his

worldly existence. The numerical value of the word ilan / tree is the same as the

combination ofHaVaYaHand ADNI. [91 = 26 + 65] It was for this reason that Rav

Chaim Vital was so precious in the eyes of heaven, even though he lived in a generation

of many great scholars. Because he demonstrated an unprecedented willingness to

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abandon all other interests in the world and focus only on his objective of obtaining

closeness to Hashem and absorbing the light of His Torah, he was valued far above

others. This is why the festival is called, Rosh Hashanah of the Tree, rather than the

trees, because true love only focuses on a single object, in this case the supernal tree

that embodies the joining ofHaVaYaHand ADNIand it is only such a focused love

that can bear fruit.

May Hashem awaken our hearts to pursue Him and Him alone; may we

abandon our pursuits of worldly objectives and only long for the supernal tree, theyichudof the Holy One and His Shechinah. Then we will merit to taste of the rising

sap that is drawn into the tree from the flowing brook, the wellspring of living waters,

with the arrival of our righteous redeemer in mercy. Speedily and in our days, amen.

Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.

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Explorations in Tanya Chapter III

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Sefer Tanya

Chapter III

"Now, each of these three distinctions and grades[nefesh, ruach, neshamah]

consists of ten faculties corresponding to the tensefiros from which they descend.

And they are subdivided into two general categories. These two categories are:

three 'mothers'"

This phrasing is taken from the Sefer Yetzirah, where the deeper meaning of the

twenty-two letters of the alef-beis is explained. The three letters ''' are called the

three "mothers" which parallel the root-level aspects of Kesser, Chochmah and Binah

and from which were generated the other letters. These three letters serve as an acronym

for the three elements of air [ ], water [ ] and water [ ]. Air parallels Kesser[or

its internalized aspect ofDa'as]; water parallels Chochmah which flows from a higher

place to a lower one; and fire parallels Binah which rises from below to above. The

element of earth is distinct from them, since it is the vessel that receives the influence of

the other three elements. They are called "mothers" and not "fathers" because they are

the source and root of the other seven sefiros as a mother is the source of her offspring.

The Leshem explains that "father" would indicate the essence of the light of the Shem

HaVaYaH itself, but "mother" indicates the manner in which that light descends in a

downward evolution through other levels.Rav Saadia Gaon taught that the letters "

are a very holy Divine Name, and one can test [the degree to which he has achieved

proper meditation on this Name] by applying fire to himself. If he has [properly

meditated on the Name], he will not be burned. This is because the letters " are the

roots of all of creation.

"And seven 'doubles'"

After these three initial elements or letters, there are the seven "doubles" which

are the seven letters that assume two different formswith and without the dagesh, or

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emphasis point [ " " ]. The exact pronunciation of the reish with its dagesh has

been lost, however it remains a letter that has both "soft" and "hard" pronunciations.

These seven letters are the analogues of the seven lower middos of Chessed,

Gevurah, Tiferes and Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malchusfor our purposes more easily

compressed as CHaGaT-NHYM. These lower seven middos have both "kindness" and

"judgment" qualities to themthe letters without their dagesh represent the "soft"

quality ofrachamim, while the letters with their dagesh represent the "harder" quality of

din."Namely, Chochmah [Wisdom], Binah [Understanding], and Da'as

[Knowledge] are called 'mothers'; the seven 'doubles' are [the emotional attributes

known as] the 'seven days of creation/construction [binyan]: Chessed [Kindness],

Gevurah [Severity], Tiferes [Beauty], and so on [the other four being: Netzach /

Endurance,Hod /Splendor, Yesod /Foundation and Malchus /Kingship]. So too with

the human soul [and its ten faculties]; they are divided into two general

categories: 'intellect' and 'emotional attributes'"

Just as one must pray together with a minyan of men in order to be part of acomplete spiritual structure, so too does each person comprise ten different qualities

within his own soul. By recognizing and understanding all of his soul's qualities, he can

know how to bind them to their G-dly source.

"The [category of] intellect includes Chochmah, Binah and Da'as

[CHaBaD], while the emotional attributes [which have the same names as their

corresponding seven sefiros] are: love of G-d, dread and awe of Him, the impulse to

glorify Him, and so on. CHaBaD are called the 'mothers' and source of themiddos,

because the emotional attributes are the 'offspring' [they derive from] CHaBaD"

In the epistle of the Tzemach Tzedek, we find that each and every human

emotional attribute is rooted in some intellectual process. If a person is melancholic, it's

clear that it is a result of his having been thinking thoughts that generate sadness. The

emotion of melancholy in his heart is a product of the action of his mind. It is the very

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same thing with the flaw of wasting time; he must have entertained thoughts that

downplayed the seriousness of wasting time, and this served as the root of his attribute

of loafing. The implication of this is that it's also possible to positively repair faulty

middos through diligently learning works that discuss the middah of joy [which also

means alacrity, as we find in Sichos HaRan]. Even if does not take immediate effect

because the attributes are still rooted in prior mental activity, nevertheless if one applies

himself to this regularly, his new mental concepts will have their influence over his

emotional attributes.Rav Yisrael Salanter established an entire system ofmiddos repair based on this

idea, and its foundation is the dedicated study of sources about the middah that needs

correction. It is a method that takes time, though. Rav Avraham the brother of the Vilna

Gaon suggested that diligence in Torah study can be achieved by spending several

months learning works that extol the greatness of Torah study, learning them over and

over gain. Torah study is one of the things that require constant chizuk, and if one learns

words that encourage greater application in study for an extended period of time, they

are sure to influence him eventually so that he will really feel a passion to learn.The three "mothers" [which we explained above are the " as described in

the Sefer Yetzirah] constitute the "head," below which are the seven middos. While it is

true that there are differences in intellectual capacity from person to person, in general a

person's mind is for him a constant. For this reason, the three "mothers" do not accept a

dageshthey are constants. The emotional attributes as represented by the seven letters

of " " , however, exist in a state of fluxsometimes they are active, and at other

times not. If a person does not develop and refine his intellectual attributes, his middos

will remain at the natural level [disconnected from G-dliness, directed toward worldlyends]. If he focuses his mind on G-dliness, though, he will find that this mental activity

gives rise to new feelings of love and fear of G-d, and so on.

The attributes ofCHaGaTare associated more with one's heart, the generator of

feelings of love, fear, and the impulse to glorify G-d [through praisebut this is still the

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level of impulse, not the actual offering of praise]. The attributes ofNHYM are

associated more with the sphere of action.Netzach indicates overcoming [ = being

victorious] one's evil inclination; Hod indicates offering praise [ = praise and

thanksgiving] to Hashem; Yesodindicates being bound to that which is holy [ = the

capacity for intimate connection, and also personal purity]; and Malchus indicates the

acceptance of the yoke of Hashem's Kingship.

The remaining twelve letters of the alef-beis [a total of twenty-two, minus the

three "mothers" and the seven "doubles"] are known as the "twelve directional limits"[ " ]. They are the possible variants of the combination of two middos

together, and they are mainly formed through the action of Tiferes. [Note: One way to

visualize this is by considering that the lower middos are generally counted as the "six

extensions" of Chessed through Yesod. A six-sided, three-dimensional structure has

twelve component "struts"the lines that join angle to angle and side to side. Those are

its "twelve directional limits." In terms of the middos, they are formed by unique

combinations of the six basic attributes; six pairs are equal to twelve. Tiferes, which is

the balance point of these six middos, is the main mediator of these pairings.

1

This is avery complex concept and is beyond the scope of the present lesson.] They also parallel

the twelve tribes. TheLikutei Halachos explains that the twelve middlemost blessings of

the Shemonah Esrei parallel the twelve tribes.2

"The explanation of the matter is as follows: the intellectual faculty of

the rational soul that conceives of any matter is called Chochmah, which indicates

the 'potential of what, or what is.' When one brings forth the potential into actual,

by contemplating the matter with his mind so as to understand it full well and

delve into that which his faculty ofChochmah conceived of with his intellect, this iscalledBinah"

This means that any new concept that is learned or heard, prior to its being

contemplated, is a manifestation ofChochmah, or Abba. This is a light that nullifies a

1Eitz Chaim, Sha'ar5:7

2Likutei Halachos,Hilchos Matzranus

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person [meaning, it blinds him to his other concerns] so that he will think only of this

thing. Its manifestation in Torah study is that, up until the flash of Chochmah reaches a

person, he was happy to think of other matters, but the light of Torah caused him to

want to focus his attention exclusive on it. This quality parallels the primaryyudof the

Shem HaVaYaH, which is a single point lacking any outward expansion. Such

expansion would indicate further analysis or extrapolation, which is not the state of

Chochmah. The process of contemplation [delving, analyzing] which isBinah parallels

the first hei of the Shem HaVaYaH. This is the extrapolation and expansionthe "lengthand breadth spreading out" upon the original seminal point.

"They [Chochmah and Binah] are the very 'father' and 'mother' which

give birth to love of G-d, and awe and dread of Him"

This is why it is necessary to put on both Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin; they

embody the mochin ofAbba andImma, and when they are both activated Chochmah and

Binah give birth to love of Hashem and awe of Him. The "dread" of Him parallels

Gevurah. The seat ofyirah-aweis mainly in the mind, while the seat ofpachad-dread is

mainly in the heart. The Arizal taught that the quality of Chochmah is yirah ila'ah,which is "supernal awe," while that ofBinah is ahavah ila'ah or "supernal love." [These

are more mental than emotional states, more like an awareness of awe and love, but not

visceral like emotional fear and love.] Every day, as a Jew prays and studies Torah, he

must focus his mind so that his efforts will bring him to experience awe of G-d which

derives from the yudof the Shem HaVaYaH, and love of Him from the letter hei. It is

important to be aware that the awe that is within the mind is "cool" [not emotive, but

contemplative], and from there it extends also to the heart which is the place of heat

[fervor, passion, raw emotion]. Love, on the other hand, is mainly housed within the

heart, and afterward it rises up to the mind.

The physical parallel of this is found in the form of the human brain, which

comprises two hemispheres. It is a fact that the right brain mainly influences the action

of the left side of the body, while the left brain mainly influences the right side of the

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body. This is evidenced by the damage suffered by stroke victims, G-d forbid. The right

brain embodies the faculty ofChochmah, while the left brain embodies that ofBinah.

This crossover of effect is the physical manifestation of the spiritual condition of

supernal awe being seated in right-brained Chochmah, influencing the left side of

Gevurah [seat of emotional awe and fear of G-d]. This is also true of left-brained Binah

having its main influence on the right side ofChessed[seat of emotional love].

The Baal HaTanya now goes on to further explain the entire process of

contemplation as described above."For when the intellect in the rational soul deeply contemplates and

immerses itself exceedingly in the greatness of G-d, how He fills all worlds,

and how He encompasses all worlds"

The Arizal teaches that the Creator constricted His infinite light and created the

worlds within the vacated space formed by that retraction. He drew through it a single

ray of the Ohr Ein Soffrom beyond the limits of the vacated space, and it is through this

ray [which is a channel] that illumination extends into the space to reach all of the

worlds, each one in accordance with its level. This is also true within the human being;each person possesses a soul that provides him with vitality, and it is also true of every

single thing in the worldeach and every one is not merely physical but also contains

some element that provides it with vitality. This is even so of plants and inanimate

matter, as the Kabbalists explain. This aspect of Divine light that vitalizes everything

that exists within the vacated space is called the light that "fills all worlds." The Master

of the universe imbues everything with life-force. A person must contemplate with even

greater attention the spiritual vitality invested within himthat it is a manifestation of

Hashem's light. Contemplating this gives rise to a profound love of G-d; at first he only

feels a small degree of Divine vitality within him, but the closer he draws to Hashem,

the more powerfully does he feel it.

At the beginning of the Eitz Chaim, we learn the teaching of the Arizal

regarding the "surrounding light" as well. The vacated space was formed by the

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retraction and constriction of the Ohr Ein Sof, and that light that remained "outside" the

space is the light that "surrounds all worlds." The Baal HaTanya explains that when we

speak of Hashem constricting His light, it is only in terms of how it appears in a

revealed fashion, Nevertheless, in a hidden manner that original light said to "surround

all worlds" actually does pervade all of the created universe. When a person

contemplates this, he is filled with awe of Hashem, because it fills him with the

awareness that the Master of the universe exists absolutely everywhere. With this

awareness, he cannot ever feel far from G-d because he knows that in the place where heis, right at that moment, all of the levels are accessible. This is the aspect ofChochmah

[which is a flash of a concept, not the product of contemplation as described above], and

it is like water that quenches the fire ofBinah which is profound love and longing.

If a person seeks it, he can come to discover this within himself, just as the Baal

Shem Tov taught in the name of the Ramban. He explained that when a Jew prays, he

must imagine that there is a great light surrounding him [not that there is actual light in

the spiritual realm, or that Hashem is actually mere light, G-d forbid] until his limbs

start to quake in awe. Afterward, he must combine this feeling with love and longing forG-d, so that this light will be more revealed.

"How in His presence all creation is considered as naught"

This indicates that he has progressed to the level ofDa'as, which is manifest in

having a state of awareness constant and fixed in one's mind. The Rambam expressed

this state as follows: "That he should love G-d with such a very powerful love until his

soul is bound to the love of G-d and he is therefore constantly possessed by the thought

of it, like a person who is lovesick, whose mind is never freewhether he is at rest, or

rising and active."3

The great tzaddikim reached this lofty level both at rest and when

active, at all times; they were bound to Hashem and therefore felt no need for a special

avodah of contemplating that Hashem surrounds and fills all worlds, because they

already had reached this level ofDa'as and simply felt that there was no reality

3Mishneh Torah,Hilchos Teshuvah chap. 10

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whatsoever in the world other than G-d. When one reaches this point, he has come to the

level of, "a land that consumes its inhabitants," as described by Rebbe Nachman of

Breslov.4

"Themiddah of awe of His exaltedness will be born and aroused in ones

mind and thought, to fear and be humble before His blessed greatness, which is

without end or limit, and a dread of G-d in his heart"

Through exercising the faculty ofChochmah, which is the focus of the mind on

the fact that everything is G-dliness, the attribute of Gevurah and awe and dread arearoused within him, since they cross over and are rooted in the "right brain" of

Chochmah.

"Next, his heart will glow with an intense love of G-d like fiery flames,

with a passion, desire and longing, and a soul thirsting for the greatness of the

blessedEin Sof"

This is accomplished through activating the faculty ofBinah, by contemplating

Hashem's existence. Left-brained Binah gives rise to the fiery love associated with

Chessed, in the same crossover process described above. TheZoharstates: "Binah is theheart, and it is withBinah that the heart understands."

5

"This is [what is meant by the term] ['a consuming passion of the

soul'], as it is written: 'My soul longs [for You]; indeed, it faints,' (Tehillim 84) and,

'My soul thirsts for G-d,' [Ibid., 42] and again, 'My soul thirsts for You' [Ibid.,

63] This loving thirst is derived from the element of fire in the Divine soul.

Students of natural science affirm, and so we find inEitz Chaim , that the element of

fire is in the heart, while the source of[the element of] water and moisture is in the

brain. As explained inEitz Chaim, Sha'ar 50, [the source of the element of water] is

the level ofChochmah which is called 'the water of the Divine soul.' The rest of

the remaining emotional attributes are all offshoots and derivatives of fear and

love, as is explained elsewhere"

4SeeLikutei Moharan I:129

5The Introduction ofP'sach Eliyahu

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In brief, we learn from the segment above that a great general principle in

Divine service is the contemplation of and the mental delving into the greatness of G-

dthis should be the main source of one's spiritual vitality. At first, before one enters

into G-d's service, his main vitality derives from the pleasures of this worldeating and

drinking, or from honor and wealth. When one begins to advance spiritually, he starts to

receive vitality from holy wisdom; he loves to learn new concepts, and so on. But this is

not the ultimate goal. Later, when one goes further along the path of Torah study and

prayer he begins to receive vitality from the Torah and fulfilling mitzvos, and when headvances further he begins to feel that that the real inner essence of Torah and mitzvos is

actually the contemplation of G-dliness that one attains with them. Practically speaking,

this means focusing one's thoughts and delving into the idea that Hashem is the source

of life-force of absolutely everything; He is the one that gives life to all creations, from

the uppermost level until the lowermost level. And He pervades absolutely everything

and everywhere, through and through"in all, from all, all"there is nothing but Him.

And He is that which surrounds all worlds; His infinite light cannot be grasped or

apprehended at all. These two actions of the mind give rise to love and fear of G-d, anddveikus with Him.

The Baal HaTanya explains that the contemplative action of the heart [Binah] is

rooted in fire, like the Ofanim and Chayos that "rise up with a great noise," from awe of

the King. This is unlike the light ofChochmah, which is compared to oil and its avodah

is in silence.

"Da'as, whose etymology may be found in the verse, 'And Adam knew

,) Chavah,' implies attachment and union, binding ones mind with a very firm)

strong bond and firmly fixing ones thought on the greatness of the blessed EinSof, without diverting his mind from it"

This serves to explain the matter knows as "lower Da'as." At first the Baal

HaTanya taught that Chochmah is the grasp of the essence of the matter andBinah is the

delving into it and expansion upon it. Da'as, then, is the feeling of the essence of the

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matter; that is, a fully sensed and integrated knowledge. This means that one

understands the concept so well and is so bound to it and so moved by it that he actually

feels it just like one can feel a physical thing and sense it fully. The manifestation of this

is when a person knows something so well that he can compare one thing to another

[meaning, can even innovate new concepts upon the basis of that which has already

fully absorbed]. This is what the sages called, "At first it is called 'Hashem's Torah,' but

afterward it is called, 'his Torah.'6 This implies the acquisition of the concept so

thoroughly that it is transformed literally into a part of him, just as "knowledge" in theBiblical sense means the absolute bond of intimacy and the depth of sensation. The

mental process ofDa'as"upperDa'as" results in the "trickling down" of the palpable

knowledge of the idea until it impacts the heart, and one is inspired to carry out that

which he learned. This is how the abstract concept becomes a fully integrated and

palpable part of himself.

"For even one who is wise [by utilizing his faculty ofChochmah] and

understanding [by exercising his faculty ofBinah] in the greatness of the blessedEin

Sof, nevertheless, unless he applies hisDa'as and fixes his thought firmly anddiligently [on his understanding of G-ds greatness] he will not produce in his soul

true fear and love, but only vain fancies"

Any thing which lasts only a moment is known as a "fancy," because it has no

permanence. Even so, one may not drive out of himself any passing feeling of love and

fear of Hashem even if they are not "true" just yet, because one can only get to the level

of "fixing his thoughts firmly and diligently" by making efforts even if at first he fails at

them and does not attain completion. Eventually, he will be able to rise out of the level

of mere "fancies" [fantasy or imagining] and gain a genuine vision of love and fear of

G-d. This process is also at work when absorbing a new concept that one learns from a

book. At first, he visualizes an image of the concept, which is a product of the

imagination; if he wants to really grasp the concept fully and deeply, however, he will

6Tehillim 1:2;Avodah Zarah 19a

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have to engage his faculty ofDa'as so that his mind will be powerfully bound to the

matter.

A person can have a great deal of knowledge in his head, but it will not help

him practically to achieve dveikus unless he manages to fix and focus his mind on the

contemplation of G-dliness regularly. One cannot compare a friend that one sees only

once a year to a friend that he sees every day, several times a day. This is true ofdveikus

as well; one must have the quality ofDa'as, which is the ability to fix one's mind

diligently on G-d.The Ben Ish Chai explains the verse, " " "And it will be, if you

hearken," that Da'as is also known as , because it is the lowermost rung of the

mochin or mental faculties. Yet it is only by virtue of this "heel" ofDa'as that you will

"hearken," and actually fulfill that which you have learned. This is the main faculty of

mind that hears the voice of G-d [meaning, which inspires him to obey G-d's call].

"Thus,Da'as provides the substance and vitality of themiddos. It

comprises Chessedand Gevurah; that is to say, love with its offshoots, and fear with

its offshoots."As the verse states: "You have seen, in order to know, that Hashem is G-d; there

is nothing but Him." We see, then, that the ultimate purpose of avodah is the bond of

Da'as"to know."

All the while that a person lacks a palpable sense of spiritual just as he has a

palpable sense of the physical, he will necessarily find that he does not derive spiritual

vitality from holiness. But the more he begins to study the inner dimension of Torah and

apply himself to it diligently, the more he will find that he begins to grasp and sense the

more rarified and refined things. Of course we aren't speaking here of actual physicalsensation, but of the degree to which a person feels closer to G-d by immersing himself

in spiritual pursuits. To sum up, in Chapter Three, the Baal HaTanya provided an

explanation of the aspects of CHaBaD as they manifest within the soul, the fact that

they are "mothers," and the emotional attributes which are the lower seven middos. All

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of this is within the realm ofAtzilus; in Chapter Four, he will explain the workings of

the worlds ofBeriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah within the soul as well.

Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.

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