In the previous sections, the maamar describes the spiritual darkness with which the Greeks sought to envelop the Jewish people. In this and the following sections, the maamar describes the spiritual potential the Jews possess that enables them to combat and overcome that darkness.
There are three levels within the Jews’ spiritual potential:
a) kochos p’nimiim, “internal powers,” the soul’s conscious powers of intellect and emotion;
and kochos makkifim, “encompassing powers,” spiritual potentials that transcend the soul’s conscious control, encompass it, and lift it up to a rung that transcends intellect. In this category itself, there are two levels:
b) makkif hakarov, “an encompassing light that is close,” a level which though transcendent is still within reach of the intellect and affected by it;
c) makkif harachok, “an encompassing light that is distant,” a level which is entirely transcendent, bound up with essential G‑dliness and thus, beyond the reach of intellect.
In chassidic thought,1 these three levels are explained with an analogy to three essential human needs: food, clothing, and a home. Food is ingested into our system. When digested, it provides us with energy and is assimilated into our bodies. Similarly, the soul’s internal powers are controlled by our conscious minds and spur us to spiritual activity.
Clothing is not ingested. On the contrary, it is worn above the body. On the other hand, it is measured to fit the body so that it is not too large or too small. Thus, it refers to the soul’s encompassing powers that are within reach of the intellect and affected by it. A person’s garments enhance his personality, projecting an image that magnifies his conscious powers. And yet, that image reflects those conscious powers and reveals much about his identity.
A home, however, is totally beyond the measure of a person. Indeed, several people can live under one roof, all sharing the very same home. Thus, it serves as an analogy for those kochos makkifim that entirely transcend an individual’s identity. On the other hand, it is precisely in a person’s home that his essence is revealed; that is where his true identity is expressed.
To relate the above to the spiritual nature of the conflict leading to the Chanukah miracle: The Greeks were able to affect – and convey impurity to – the Jews’ conscious powers of intellect and emotion and even to the lower dimension of their supra-rational powers. This was their intent in imparting impurity to the oil in the Sanctuary. The Jews were able to emerge victorious in the conflict by drawing on the potential of the third rung, the essential G‑dly potential lying at the core of the Jewish soul, symbolized by the cruse of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol.
In order to emerge victorious in this conflict,וְהִנֵּה בִּכְדֵי לְנַצֵּחַ מִלְחָמָה זוֹ,
Divine service that is motivated by logic and reason is not sufficient. On the contrary, in this realm, the Greeks were powerful and could compete with the Jews.אֵין מַסְפִּיקָה הָעֲבוֹדָה שֶׁעַל פִּי טַעַם וָדַעַת,
Even Divine service that transcends logic and reason but which is connected to logic and reason did not suffice.וַאֲפִלּוּ לֹא הָעֲבוֹדָה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִטַּעַם וָדַעַת הַקְּשׁוּרָה עִם טַעַם וָדַעַת
(This refers to Divine service that emanates from the level of the encompassing light of chayah, a transcendent potential within the soul, but one which is identified as makkif hakarov.)(הָעֲבוֹדָה שֶׁמִּצַּד בְּחִינַת מַקִּיף דְּחַיָּה, מַקִּיף הַקָּרוֹב),
See Kuntreis HaAvodah2 which explains that the will that emanates from the encompassing light of chayah is an essential desire that transcends logic and reason. Nevertheless, it is aroused through meditation, i.e., it is still connected to the intellect. Hence, using the power of the light of chayah was not sufficient to overcome the Greeks,
since, i.e., as indicated by the fact that, the Greeks imparted impurity to all the oil in the Sanctuary,מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁטִּמְּאוּ גַּם אֶת כָּל הַשְּׁמָנִים שֶׁבַּהֵיכָל,
they affected even those dimensions of holiness that transcend logic and reason, but which are connected to logic and reason.הַיְינוּ גַּם הָעִנְיָנִים דִּקְדֻשָּׁה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִטַּעַם וָדַעַת אֶלָּא הַקְּשׁוּרִים עִם טַעַם וָדַעַת.
Victory in the war comes solely through the Divine service of mesirus nefesh.וְנִצְחוֹן הַמִּלְחָמָה הוּא עַל יְדֵי הָעֲבוֹדָה דִּמְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ דַּוְקָא,
Mesirus nefesh involves standing firmly against all opposing forces and impediments, to borrow a classic Chassidic expression, azoy un nisht anderish; “this is the way it is, there is no other option.”דְּעִנְיַן הַמְּסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ הִיא הָעֲמִידָה בְּתֹקֶף נֶגֶד כָּל הַמּוֹנְעִים וּמְעַכְּבִים,
This reflects essential power that transcends intellect entirely,תֹּקֶף עַצְמִי שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מֵהַשֵּׂכֶל לְגַמְרֵי,
as in the instance of mesirus nefesh for the sanctification of G‑d’s name that is not motivated by any form of intellectual reasoning,וּכְמוֹ הַמְּסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם שֶׁאֵינָהּ מִצַּד אֵיזוֹ סְבָרָא שִׂכְלִית,
but rather is an innate, essential response. A person does not make a conscious decision to sacrifice his life for a reason.כִּי אִם,
It is just impossible for him to respond in any other way.3 As the Alter Rebbe would say,4 “No Jew is willing – and no Jew is able – to be severed from G‑dliness.”שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר כְּלָל לִהְיוֹת בְּאֹפֶן אַחֵר.
This results from the bond that the essence of the soul, the level of yechidah, shares with G‑d’s Essence.וְזֶה בָּא מִצַּד הַהִתְקַשְּׁרוּת דְּעֶצֶם הַנְּשָׁמָה, בְּחִינַת יְחִידָה,
The characteristic of an essential bond, i.e., a bond that is not a result of two entities coming together because of an external factor, but rather reflects the fact that in essence they are one,דְּעִנְיַן הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת עַצְמִית
is that it is impossible that it be otherwise, Heaven forbid.5הוּא שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר כְּלָל לִהְיוֹת בְּאֹפֶן אַחֵר חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.
Since, from the standpoint of yechidah, it is impossible that there be any blemish, Heaven forbid,וּמִכֵּיוָן שֶׁבִּבְחִינַת הַיְּחִידָה אֵין שַׁיָּךְ שׁוּם פְּגָם וְטֻמְאָה חַס וְשָׁלוֹם
Jews possess the dimension of yechidah because their souls are fundamentally G‑dly, “an actual part of G‑d from Above.”6 No other created being or Divine emanation possesses such a dimension. Just as G‑d Himself cannot be affected by any other entity, so too, this dimension of G‑dliness that exists with a Jew can never be blemished. It is intact within every Jew, regardless of his present conscious spiritual level and his degree of Torah observance. It always remains untainted,
(like the cruse of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol(בְּדֻגְמַת הַפַּךְ אֶחָד שֶׁל שֶׁמֶן שֶׁהָיָה חָתוּם בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל
Which the external forces, the forces of kelipah, personified by the Greeks, could not affect.)7שֶׁאֵין הַחִיצוֹנִים יְכוֹלִים לִגַּע שָׁם),
The uniqueness of the Kohen Gadol is expressed in his entry into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. There, he is alone, at one, with the Divine Presence. Concerning that entry, the Torah states,8 “No man shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters.” Our Sages comment9 that this includes even those angels whose face is like the face of man, i.e., the angels on the highest levels of created existence. For when the essential bond between the Jews and G‑d is revealed, nothing else – not even the most supernal levels – can intrude.10
Thus, through Divine service sparked by mesirus nefesh that stems from the yechidah, it is possible to be victorious in the war.הִנֵּה עַל יְדֵי הָעֲבוֹדָה דִּמְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ שֶׁמִּצַּד הַיְּחִידָה, עַל יְדֵי זֶה דַּוְקָא מְנַצְּחִים אֶת הַמִּלְחָמָה.
This concept was realized in the war against the Greeks as reflected by the historical narrative.וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה בְּמִלְחֶמֶת הַיְּוָנִים כִּפְשׁוּטָהּ,
Through the mesirus nefesh of Mattisyahu and his sons,דְּעַל יְדֵי הַמְּסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ שֶׁל מַתִּתְיָהוּ וּבָנָיו,
although they were “weak” and “few,”11דְּאַף שֶׁהָיוּ חַלָּשִׁים וּמְעַטִּים,
nevertheless, they arose with mesirus nefesh to fight against the “mighty” and the “many.”מִכָּל מָקוֹם עָמְדוּ בִּמְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ לְהִלָּחֵם נֶגֶד גִּבּוֹרִים וְרַבִּים,
In this manner, they aroused and affected the members of their generation, motivating them as well to sacrifice their lives for the sanctification of G‑d’s name, not to violate the Jewish faith in any way.וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה עוֹרְרוּ וּפָעֲלוּ גַּם בְּאַנְשֵׁי דוֹרָם לִמְסֹר נַפְשָׁם עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲבֹר עַל הַדָּת בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן,
Through such service, they emerged victorious in the war against the Greeks.12הִנֵּה עַל יְדֵי זֶה נִצְּחוּ אֶת הַמִּלְחָמָה.

Summary

To emerge victorious in the conflict against the Greeks, it was not sufficient for the Jews to carry out Divine service motivated by logic and reason. Indeed, even Divine service that transcends logic and reason but which is connected to logic and reason would not have sufficed. Victory in such a conflict can come about solely through the Divine service of mesirus nefesh, self-sacrifice, that emanates from the essential bond with G‑d every Jew possesses. This essential potential is alluded to by the cruse of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol.
There is no parallel to this essential potential in the forces of unholiness. When it is revealed, all negative forces can be vanquished.