Part XI

The above concepts can be related to [the concepts explained] in the maamar, [VeKibeil HaYehudim]1 in the interpretation of the verse, “And you shall command the children of Israel and they shall bring you pure olive oil.” After Moshe Rabbeinu con­nects the Jewish people [with the Or Ein Sof], the Jews will bring Moshe olive oil, i.e., they will add to the revelation of light on Moshe’s level.

To explain this concept in terms of our [individual] divine service: Moshe’s [endeavor to] connect the Jewish people [with the Or Ein Sof] involves sustaining and nurturing faith, [i.e., bringing out a higher dimension of faith], that our faith should not only come from the revealed powers of the soul ([the ulti­mate of this being,] the perception of G-dliness by the soul in the spiritual realms), but that our faith be an expression of the essence of the soul.

{Based on the above, it is possible to explain that the expres­sion “And you shall command [tetzaveh — which as explained above means “connect”] the children of Israel” means that Moshe will establish bonds of connection among the Jewish people themselves. For from the standpoint of the essence of the soul, the entire Jewish people are a single entity.2}

Through the divine service of the Jewish people (after the revelation of the essence of the soul has been drawn down to them through Moshe’s [efforts]) and [their striving] that even their revealed powers (i.e., the framework of their functional powers) should reflect the essence of the soul, this causes an in­crease an advantage in [the influence from] the essence of the soul drawn down to them and revealed within through Moshe. ([This increase in Moshe’s influence is allude to by the phrase] “And they shall bring to you.”) For in this manner, the true source [of the essence of the soul] as it is rooted in G-d’s essence is revealed.

{[Divine service of this nature] will also increase the unity of the Jewish people. The unity within the Jewish people that stems from the revelation of the essence of the soul is like an additional matter, something apart from their [ordinary] selves. Therefore, this unity comes about through considering one’s soul of primary importance and one’s body as subordinate.3 [In contrast,] the revelation of the essence of the soul as it is rooted in [G-d’s] essence affects the revealed powers as they exist within their own framework and is one with G-d’s essence. This brings about one­ness among the Jewish people in all matters, even those matters involving material concerns.}

Based on the above, it is possible to understand the statement of the maamar [VeKibeil HaYehudim],4 that through the Jews’ (divine service), they increase Moshe’s level, causing it to serve as “a constant light.” On the surface, the lamp of the soul (“the lamp of G-d is the soul of man”5)6 shines constantly (in a consistent, unchanging manner) because of the revelation of the essence of the soul that is drawn down by Moshe (“And you shall connect”). For in regard to the essence of the soul, there is no concept of change.

The maamar, [VeKibeil HaYehudim,] however, states that [the potential for] “a constant light” comes about because of the [divine service of] the Jewish people who enhance the level of Moshe, “And they shall bring to you.” [On this basis,] it is possible to explain that with regard to the revelation of the essence of the soul from above that [comes through Moshe’s influence,] “And you shall command,” there is a difference between day and night. For the fundamental revelation of this quality comes when there is concealment and veils (“evening”), for this arouses and reveals the power of mesirus nefesh.

[In such an instance, it is possible that,] as explained above (sec. 10), when those who displayed mesirus nefesh in the face of [oppressive] decrees (“evening”) come to lands where it is possible for them to observe the Torah and its mitzvos amidst prosperity, the [uplifting] effects of their previous service of mesirus nefesh will not seen. In contrast, the true concept of a “constant light” (i.e., that there is no possibility for change) comes about through the divine service of the Jewish people that reflects how their revealed powers have become one with the essence of the soul, “And they shall bring to you.”

Based on the above, it can be explained why the phrase “crushed for the light” comes after the phrase “And they shall bring to you.” For in the phrase “crushed for the light” is also included the concept that the Jews are broken and “crushed” from the very fact they are in exile. This in turn evokes an approach to divine service in which the Jews’ revealed powers reflect the essence of the soul. [In this manner,] “the light” of the soul which is revealed is the essence of the soul as it is rooted in G-d’s essence. Therefore “crushed for the light” comes after “And they shall bring to you.”