Chapter 3

3. The second example is that of a small child with whom his father wants to play. Since the child is small, the father must lower his hands to lift the child up in order to play with him closely, face to face. Lifting the child up is an external activity, only a preliminary step to the inner closeness (the play) that follows. The source for this example is a statement of the Maggid of Mezeritch in Or Hatorah, 1 in which we find an added concept which is not brought down in the previous Rebbe’s discourse. [There, the text relates that] the son plays with his father’s beard, alluding to the concept that drawing down the encompassing light (which precedes the inner transmission of influence) transcends [all the limitations of] the order of spiritual worlds. The beard refers to the “thirteen strands of the beard,” the thirteen attributes of mercy which transcend [the limitations of] the order of spiritual worlds. Nevertheless, they do have some connection to the order of spiritual worlds, as it is written 2 “Remember Your mercies and kindnesses, for they have existed for all time.” [The Hebrew word מעולם translated as “for all time” can also mean “from the world.” Even G-d’s infinite mercies are related to the world.] Hence, the Hebrew word for attributes Middos is used to describe them, a term related to the word “Middah” meaning measure. 3 Likewise, the hairs [of the beard also signify a degree of limitation] for [the revelation that comes through] the hairs is only a ray. Nevertheless, [despite this high level], through the inner transmission of influence which follows (even though it is lower than the encompassing light), the Essence, which is above the encompassing light, is drawn down. (This is similar to the concept explained in the first chapter, that the union of Z”A and Malchus which is an inner bond possesses an advantage over the union of Chochmah and Binah, a concept explained by the Tzemach Tzedek in many places. 4)