In the previous sections of the maamar, the Rebbe highlighted the G‑dly power of the Jewish soul and explained that the “abundant waters,” the struggles and challenges of earning a livelihood, cannot extinguish a Jew’s natural love for G‑d. In this section of the maamar, the Rebbe explains that these challenges are not merely a burden that we must bear, but a springboard for our spiritual growth and ascent.
Not only do the “abundant waters” described above not have the capacity to extinguish the love of the soul,וְהִנֵּה לֹא זוֹ בִּלְבַד שֶׁאֵין בִּיכֹלֶת הַמַּיִם רַבִּים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל לְכַבּוֹת חַס וְשָׁלוֹם אֶת הָאַהֲבָה שֶׁל הַנְּשָׁמָה
beyond that, they enable the soul to attain a superior level of love.אֶלָּא יְתֵרָה מִזּוֹ, שֶׁעַל יָדָם נַעֲשֶׂה יִתְרוֹן בְּהָאַהֲבָה.
Through the descent of the soul below to this physical world, and its investment in these “abundant waters,” it reaches a higher level than the rung it occupied before its descent downward, to this plane.1וְהוּא שֶׁעַל יְדֵי יְרִידַת הַנְּשָׁמָה לְמַטָּה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהִתְלַבְּשׁוּתָהּ בְּמַיִם רַבִּים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל, הִיא מַגִּיעָה לְמַדְרֵגָה נַעֲלֵית יוֹתֵר מִמַּדְרֵגָתָהּ קֹדֶם יְרִידָתָהּ לְמַטָּה.
[This is the ultimate intent of the existence of these abundant waters.[וְזֶהוּ תַּכְלִית הַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁל מַיִם רַבִּים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל.
For this reason, they ultimately do not have the power to extinguish the love for G‑d that exists within a person’s soul.וְלָכֵן סוֹף סוֹף אֵין בִּיכָלְתָּם לְכַבּוֹת אֶת הָאַהֲבָה
Previously, the Rebbe explained that the “abundant waters” cannot extinguish a Jew’s love for G‑d because of the essential power of the Jewish soul. In this section, he is introducing a new concept: the “abundant waters” cannot extinguish this love
because the ultimate profound intent of these “abundant waters” is to bring about an increase in a Jew’s love for G‑d.]2לְפִי שֶׁתַּכְלִית עֹמֶק כַּוָּנָתָם שֶׁל הַמַּיִם רַבִּים גּוּפָא הוּא אַדְּרַבָּא בִּכְדֵי לִפְעֹל יִתְרוֹן בְּהָאַהֲבָה].
I.e., the reason these “abundant waters” do not have the potential to extinguish a Jew’s love for G‑d is not only because of the elevated source of the soul’s love (as explained in sec. 3), but because this would run contrary to the ultimate profound intent of the creation of “the abundant waters” themselves.
By and large, we take the world’s existence for granted and think: “How can we respond to the situation that confronts us?” The explanations here invite us to look at the larger picture. The world is after all brought into being by G‑d from absolute nothingness. Now, looking from G‑d’s perspective, why would He create a world that presents a person with so many challenges? What was His “ultimate profound intent”? The maamar explains that the challenges were brought into being to provide the soul with an opportunity to reach a deeper and more comprehensive bond with G‑d.
Since this is the purpose of these “abundant waters,” they cannot lead to a purpose that is absolutely negative – the extinguishing of the soul’s love for G‑d. On the contrary, since they were brought into being by G‑d, ultimately, they must lead to a positive intent.
In terms of our Divine service, the ascent that the soul achieves through its descent below to this physical plane, and its enclothement in these “abundant waters,” is that it attains the dynamic of teshuvah.3וּבַעֲבוֹדָה הָעִלּוּי שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה בְּהַנְּשָׁמָה עַל יְדֵי יְרִידָתָהּ לְמַטָּה וְהִתְלַבְּשׁוּתָהּ בְּמַיִם רַבִּים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל הוּא שֶׁבָּאָה לְעִנְיַן הַתְּשׁוּבָה.
As explained below, teshuvah has to be understood in a larger context. It does not only refer to “repentance for sin,” the common translation, but the soul’s inner desire to return to its source. The purpose of the soul’s confrontation with these “abundant waters” is to enable it to become part of the dynamic of teshuvah.
As is well known,4 before the souls descend into the body,וְכַיָּדוּעַ, שֶׁהַנְּשָׁמוֹת קֹדֶם יְרִידָתָן לַגּוּף
our souls are timeless spiritual entities that exist in the mystical realms above, both before and after their existence on this material plane. Before the souls descend to this plane, the souls
are on the level of the perfectly righteous.הֵם בִּבְחִינַת צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים,
As we say in the morning blessings, “The soul that You have placed within me is pure,” a pristine spark of G‑dliness.
The higher quality attained through their descent into the body is that they become baalei teshuvah.וְהַיִּתְרוֹן שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה בָּהֶם עַל יְדֵי יְרִידָתָן בַּגּוּף הוּא שֶׁנַּעֲשִׂים בִּבְחִינַת בַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה
For that higher quality, it is worth it for the soul to undergo all the struggles and challenges of this world, since
“the completely righteous do not stand in the place of baalei teshuvah.”5אֲשֶׁר בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁבַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה עוֹמְדִין צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים אֵינָם עוֹמְדִין,
Furthermore, they cannot stand there; doing so is not (even) within their potential.6וִיתֵרָה מִזּוֹ, שֶׁאֵין יְכוֹלִין לַעֲמֹד בּוֹ, שֶׁאֵין זֶה (אֲפִלּוּ) בַּיְכֹלֶת שֶׁלָּהֶם.
[When] Rambam7 [quotes this teaching of our Sages, he states: “The completely righteous] cannot stand [in the place of baalei teshuvah],” indicating that this is entirely above their potential.
This is the reason for the soul’s descent to this earthly plane.וְזֶהוּ הַטַּעַם שֶׁיָּרְדָה הַנְּשָׁמָה לְמַטָּה,
I.e., in His goodness, G‑d would not cause the soul to descend to this plane unless the descent would also enable it to achieve a benefit. The benefit it receives is the ascent to the level of baalei teshuvah.
For the concept of teshuvah, [even when we are not speaking about repentance for sin, but the return of the soul to its root and source,]8כִּי עִנְיַן הַתְּשׁוּבָה [הֲגַם שֶׁאֵינָהּ עַל עֲבֵרוֹת דַּוְקָא, כִּי אִם הֲשָׁבַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ לִמְקוֹרָהּ וְשָׁרְשָׁהּ]
Although popularly, teshuvah is translated as “repentance,” the simple meaning of the term is “return.” Chassidic thought teaches that within each of us resides a Divine soul, a spark of G‑d.9 This infinite G‑dly potential represents the core of our being, our genuine “I.”
From this perspective, sin and evil – and even the conception of any existence separate from G‑d – are superficial elements that can never affect our fundamental nature. Teshuvah means rediscovering our true selves, establishing contact with this G‑dly inner potential and making it the dominant influence in our lives.
is relevant only when the soul is not in its true place (in its source and root).שַׁיָּךְ דַּוְקָא כַּאֲשֶׁר אֵינוֹ נִמְצָא בִּמְקוֹמוֹ הָאֲמִתִּי (מְקוֹרוֹ וְשָׁרְשׁוֹ),
As the soul descends into this world and enclothes itself in the body and the animal soul, i.e., our ordinary consciousness, it undergoes a shift of awareness. Rather than seeing everything as an expression of G‑dliness, it views the world as a setting of its own, independent of G‑d, as it were, and appreciates its own individual identity. Teshuvah means returning to the soul’s fundamental awareness, that everything – including itself – is nothing but an expression of G‑dliness. This does not mean that a person ignores the existence of the world or his own identity, but that he appreciates the different elements of the world and his personality as manifold expressions of Him.
And then,שֶׁאָז
i.e., because of the descent into the world and the distance between man and G‑d – not distance in a physical sense, but the sense of separation and independent existence – that descent brings about,
it is relevant to speak of the soul returning to its root and source, a spiritual change reflected by the verse, “The spirit will return to G‑d Who endowed it.”10שַׁיָּךְ שֶׁיָּשׁוּב לְשָׁרְשׁוֹ וּמְקוֹרוֹ, בְּחִינַת וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל הָאֱלֹקִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ.
The intent of the verse is not that the person will die and his soul will return to its source Above, but that even as a person lives, he will live with the awareness possessed by the soul in its source.
Since the positive quality possessed by a baal teshuvah surpasses the positive quality possessed by the righteousוּמִכֵּיוָן שֶׁמַּעֲלַת הַבַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה הִיא נַעֲלֵית יוֹתֵר מִמַּעֲלַת הַצַּדִּיקִים
[to the extent that the difference between them is radical, with no basis for comparison,[וְעַד שֶׁהַחִלּוּק שֶׁבֵּינֵיהֶם הוּא שֶׁלֹּא בְּעֵרֶךְ,
therefore, in the place where baalei teshuvah stand, the perfectly righteous cannot stand, as explained above.]שֶׁלָּכֵן מָקוֹם שֶׁבַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה עוֹמְדִין אֵין צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים יְכוֹלִין לַעֲמֹד בּוֹ, כַּנַּ"ל],
As a consequence, through teshuvah, which was made possible for the soul through its descent to this physical plane –לָכֵן, עַל יְדֵי עִנְיַן הַתְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁמִּתְחַדֵּשׁ בְּהַנְּשָׁמָה בִּירִידָתָהּ לְמַטָּה
For in the spiritual worlds Above, it is not possible to think of the soul’s return to G‑d because it never felt separate. It is only through its descent to this physical plane, where it feels distant and apart from G‑d, that teshuvah is possible.
it can ascend higher than it existed within its source, i.e., “G‑d Who endowed it.”הֲרֵי הִיא מִתְעַלֵּית יוֹתֵר גַּם מִכְּפִי שֶׁהָיְתָה בְּשָׁרְשָׁהּ, בִּבְחִינַת הָאֱלֹקִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ.
Thus, the descent of the soul to this world is “a descent for the purpose of an ascent,”11 i.e., to attain an even higher and more comprehensive bond with G‑d.
[In Chassidus,12 it is explained that] “teshuvah [enables the soul to attain]… the level [of bittul] it experienced before its descent, and indeed, an even higher level.” The reference to the verse, “The spirit will return to G‑d Who endowed it,” will be explained below.
The concept of an ascent higher than the source of the soul in “G‑d Who endowed it” is difficult to comprehend. After all, how can the soul ascend above its source in G‑d? This concept is explained below.

Summary

Not only do the “abundant waters” described above not have the capacity to extinguish the love of the soul, they enable the soul to attain a superior level of love. The descent of the soul to this physical world, where it becomes involved with these “abundant waters,” enables the soul to reach a higher spiritual rung than it occupied before its descent.
This is the ultimate intent of the existence of these “abundant waters” and the ultimate reason they do not have the power to extinguish the love for G‑d that exists within a person’s soul.
The ascent of the soul is made possible through the dynamic of teshuvah. Before the souls’ descent, they are on the level of the perfectly righteous. The higher quality attained through their descent into the body is that they become baalei teshuvah, about which it is said, “the completely righteous cannot stand in the place of baalei teshuvah.”
Teshuvah has a far more encompassing scope than repentance for sin and, in an ultimate sense, refers to the return of the soul to its root and source, as implied by the verse, “The spirit will return to G‑d Who endowed it.” Indeed, through teshuvah, the soul ascends higher than its source.