נר חנוכה “The Chanukah lamp: the mitzvah is to place it... on the left so that the mezuzah will be on the right side [of the entrance] and the Chanukah lamp will be on the left.” Shabbos 22a.
וצ"ל [This quote requires explanation:] We need to understand why the Chanukah lamp is not placed on the right like the mezuzah.
The question is general in nature, not specific to the mezuzah alone. For, as stated in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch 2:4, the right side is given primacy in most matters associated with the Torah and its mitzvos and, as a result, even with regard to ordinary activities such as dressing and washing.
אך This issue can be resolved through the explanation [of a more inclusive subject: the nature of the Divine energy invested in the creation of the world. In that context, we find an apparent contradiction: One] verse states:1 “Everything G‑d desired, He made [in heaven and on earth],” [indicating that the Creation stems from G‑d’s will].
Will is an elevated power, a transcendent potential.
[Another] verse, [however,] states:2 “The heavens were made with G‑d’s speech” and [it is taught]:3 “The world was created with Ten Utterances,” [indicating that the world came into being] through [His] statements and speech, [a much lower level in the spiritual hierarchy,] and not through [His] will and desire alone.
והענין [The apparent contradiction can be resolved based on the following explanation:] All entities have chomer (matter)
Its physical substance.
and tzurah (form).
Which, as below, is a reflection of its spiritual nature.
Chomer represents the existence of the entity in general: what it is, be it heaven, earth, the sun, or the moon. Tzurah represents all the forms and all the images [of the created beings]: the appearance and the space that any entity comprises; its likeness and its figure; how it was made.
As the Alter Rebbe continues to explain, the concept of form also refers to the created being’s nature and purpose which derives from G‑d’s will. Even mortals have understood the relationship between form and function. Certainly, G‑d, of Whom it is said (Shabbos 77b): “G‑d did not create anything without a purpose,” tailored the outward appearance of an entity to fit its inner nature and purpose.
For example, the heavens and the earth are round; “there is a distance [of a 500-year journey] between the earth and heaven”;4 and the sun and the moon are spheres that shine. Similarly, every created being [has its defining characteristics].
And these inner characteristics are reflected in its external form.
[On this basis, we can resolve the contradiction between the verses mentioned above:]
והנה The chomer [of every being] was created through G‑d’s speech and the Ten Utterances. [For example,] through the utterance:5 “Let there be light,” light was brought into being from nothingness. Similarly, through the utterance:6 “Let there be a firmament,” the firmament was brought into being from nothingness. The manner [in which] the form of the firmament exists, i.e., its likeness and its image, by contrast, was brought into being by G‑d’s desire, which was not revealed in His speech or utterance.
The two, chomer and tzurah, exist within every created being, for every entity has its material being and its inner spiritual nature. An entity’s material being has its source in G‑d’s speech, while its inner spiritual nature (which is reflected in its form) stems from G‑d’s will.
והנה [Further explanation is, nevertheless, required. For the question can be asked: Why wasn’t the Creation brought about by G‑d’s will alone? Why was the medium of speech necessary?]
For it is not that G‑d could not make a physical world from His will alone without the medium of speech. He is G‑d, unlimited and unbounded. There is nothing beyond His capacity.
[In resolution, it can be explained that there is a reason] the chomer [of the created beings] was brought into being from [G‑d’s] utterance and speech instead of everything being brought into being from His desire and will alone: [Were the latter to have been the case,] existence [as we know it]
I.e., limited existence, characterized by self-concern and a sense of yesh, as the maamar proceeds to explain.
would not have been brought into being from nothingness. Instead, the existence of the entire world would have been utterly batel.
The intent is not that the world would not have existed, but that it would have existed in a manner in which its selfhood would not be felt. Even though a physical world could have been brought into being, it would have been utterly batel to G‑dliness.
In its present form, the nature of existence encourages feelings of self (yeshus,in chassidic terminology). Had the world been created from G‑d’s will and desire — without the medium of His speech — those feelings would not exist. Instead, everything would see itself as an expression of G‑dliness. In such a world, the concept of service of G‑d as we know it would not exist (see Rambam, Hilchos Teshuvah 5:4).
רק The fundamental revelation of the quality of yesh (individual identity) comes through G‑d’s speech, [as implied by the verse]:7 “He commanded and they came into being.”
For speech, in contrast to thought, is the medium through which one relates to people outside of one’s own self.
To explain: The term “commanded” reflects the command of a king.
As the Alter Rebbe proceeds to explain, speech is associated with the Sefirah of Malchus (kingship) of Atzilus. The fact that Creation is brought about through the medium of this Sefirah encourages the feelings of yeshus mentioned previously.
For “Your Kingship is kingship over all the worlds,” [i.e., it is G‑d’s quality of kingship that brings all the worlds into existence and gives them life]. For “There is no king without a nation.”8
In Chassidus (Torah Or, Bereishis, p.53d, et al.), it is explained that the term עם, “nation,” refers to individuals on a lower level than the king who are conscious of their own existence. When using the expression “There is no King without a nation” in relation to G‑d, the implication is that because G‑d is a King, a “nation,” i.e., worlds and created beings on a far lower level of existence, will come into being.
שבחי' The quality of kingship involves being exalted and withdrawn
As opposed to other relationships where there is communication and closeness, the relationship between subjects and their king is established through distance. A king commands and those commands are fulfilled whether the people understand or not; he does not reach out to them and ask them to agree to his wishes. Thus, even while the king’s fiats are being fulfilled, their relationship is one of distance. Moreover, we are commanded (Kesubos 17a, commenting on Devarim 17:15) that a king be feared, and fear is dependent on distance.
Ideally — and in the spiritual analogue this is definitely true — the distance is inherent in the nature of those involved, i.e., the king is exalted above his people’s level entirely. Chassidus (the series of maamarim entitled BeShaah Shehikdimu, 5672,Vol. I, p. 472, et al.) sees a hint of this in the description of Shaul (I Shmuel 9:2), Israel’s first king, as being “from his shoulders up, taller than all the people.” Accordingly, the way the gap between them can be bridged and a relationship established is by the king giving commands. In other words, kingship allows a relationship to be established when the inherent distance between two entities is so great that no relationship would otherwise be possible.
so that [the king’s inner dimensions] will not shine forth and be revealed — only his name, [the aspect of his being relevant to others, is revealed].
Since, as explained in the previous note, the king and his subjects are on different planes, the king cannot share his inner dimensions — his thoughts and his feelings — with them. What then does he share with them? A general, collective sense of identity. The people are identified as the king’s men. “His name is called upon them” (Torah Or, Shmos, p. 89b, et al.).
וזהו This is the intent of the verse: “They will praise the name of G‑d, because He commanded and they came into being.” It is like a mortal king whose kingship — i.e., merely his name — is proclaimed over his country, but his energies are not actually enclothed
The analogy of enclothement, hislabshus in the original, implies that just as a garment is fitted to the person who wears it, so too, when a person’s energies — or, in the analogue, the Divine light and life-energy — are conveyed to a recipient in a manner of hislabshus, the person — or the Divine light — adapts himself to the recipient’s level of understanding. A king does not operate in this manner. Instead, he remains distant and removed, as explained previously.
in the activities performed.
Although a king controls and directs the functioning of his country, he does not involve himself in those activities entirely. On the contrary, he remains removed and distant, as mentioned previously. Certainly, this applies with regard to the analogue in the spiritual realms. Although G‑d provides the life-energy for all the created beings, He is not “actively” involved in doing so, and granting them vitality does not bring about change within Him.
The concept of the enclothement of the active force (כח הפועל) in the activity (בנפעל) is relevant when speaking about the lower realms, e.g., the seventy archangels,
I.e., the mediums through which Divine life-energy is conveyed to the lower realms.
The Alter Rebbe is explaining that there are two patterns in which Divine life-energy is communicated: a) the energy communicated from Malchus which, as stated above, is distant and removed; and b) the energy that is conveyed from level to level within the Seder HaHishtalshelus (Order of the Spiritual Cosmos) which operates in a manner of hislabshus, enclothement.
the archangel of water, the archangel of.... These are “the waste products of the ofanim,”9
Implied is that what is rejected as waste by the higher level serves as a source of energy for the lower level.
for “there is [a watchman] on high and another higher than him.”10
The intent is that there is a hierarchy of angels, each one existing according to the nature of its spiritual world.
To explain: Our Sages state (Bereishis Rabbah 10:6): “There is no blade of grass on this plane that does not have a mazal above that strikes it and makes it grow.” In Chassidus (Likkutei Torah, Devarim, p.36d, et al.), the term mazal is identified with the spiritual source of the entity in the spiritual realms. Mazal (מזל) is associated with the term נוזל, “flowing,” as in the phrase (Shir HaShirim 4:15): “flowing from Lebanon,” i.e., the Divine life-energy flows down from level to level, manifesting itself in each realm in an appropriate manner. The progression from level to level is structured and gradual. For that reason, the Spiritual Cosmos is referred to by the term Seder HaHishtalshelus, literally,the Chainlike Order. Just as every link in a chain is connected to the one above it and the one below it, so too, the progression from higher levels of spirituality to lower ones follows a measured sequence in which the descents are not radical, but, instead, relative in scope.
[Each one] receives [influence] in a manner resembling a cause and effect progression.
The term ilah v’alul, translated as “cause and effect,” relates to the above concepts because an effect is always related to its cause in a measured manner.
[This describes the manner in which the Divine life-force is conveyed to all created beings below] the angels, who are abstract intellectual entities,
See the Tzemach Tzedek’s Sefer HaChakirah, p. 13a, Sefer HaMaamarim 5677, p. 98, where this term is also used.In philosophy and mysticism (Jewish and secular), we often find reference to abstract, intellectual forms, existence that is not compromised by material trappings. For in the absence of appropriate terms to describe spiritual existence, “abstract intellect” is used.
e.g., “the face of the lion,” “the face of the ox,” in G‑d’s chariot.11
These terms are used in Yechezkel’s description of his vision of the angels bearing the Divine throne. Each of the beings described, “the face of the lion,” “the face of the ox,” represents an angel on an exalted realm.
The life-energy [that is conveyed to] “the face of the lion” and “the face of the ox,”
I.e., not only the chomer, the existence of the angels, but also their vitality.
by contrast, [comes] into existence from nothingness.
The concept that the flow of energy is chainlike — following a cause and effect progression — and enclothed within the recipients applies to the transmission of vitality from level to level that begins below Malchus of Atzilus. With regard to the transmission of that vitality itself from Malchusto the levels below it, none of these terms are appropriate. Instead, the manner in which vitality is drawn down is described as “creation, something (יש) from nothingness (אין).”
There are two reasons why the source of the creative energy is referred to as nothingness (אין):
a) the source of the life-energy is above the comprehension of the created beings; we refer to it as “nothing,” because we do not know how to explain what it is; and
b) it is, as the Alter Rebbe proceeds to explain, in essence “nothing,” being merely a ray.
The source of their life-energy is nothingness, a mere ray, the level of a name.
From this level, yesh, independent existence, is revealed.See the maamar entitled U’Sefartem (Likkutei Torah, Vayikra, p. 35b, translated in Vol. II of this series), where the analogy of a name is used to explain how life-energy is drawn down from the Sefirah of Malchus. Unlike the manner in which the soul endows the body with vitality, in which instance the essence of the vitality of the soul is actually enclothed in the body, a name is merely a ray, communicating nothing of substance. For, as evident from the analogy of a mortal king, the Sefirah of Malchus is withdrawn and removed from the worlds that come into being from its influence.
אך The ultimate intent of the creation of existence (yesh) from nothingness (ayin) is for the yesh to be batel to the ayin and for G‑d’s glory to be revealed12 on this lowly plane as it is revealed in the spiritual realms.
The existence of yesh and the entire chainlike process of descent that makes that possible is willed and directed by G‑d for a specific intent: that man through his Divine service transform the yesh and reveal the spiritual vitality that gives it life (the ayin).
This will take place in the Ultimate Future, for [then]: “With their own eyes, they will see....”13 This is dependent on our Divine service throughout our lifetimes, [as it is written]:14 “Today, to perform them.”
וכל “Every Jew has a portion in the World to Come.”15
As explained in several sources, the term “World to Come” in this context refers to the Era of the Resurrection. Quoting that concept here implies that the revelation of the World to Come is dependent on the Divine service of the Jewish people. Moreover, this does not merely relate to our people as a whole, but to each individual in particular, for every person has a certain element of the world that he must elevate and refine and thus prepare for that Ultimate Future.
Each individual must draw the revelation of [G‑d’s glory] into his portion [of the world] to bring about the bittul of the yesh. This is brought about by meditating on the greatness of G‑d’s infinity.
The negation of yesh to ayin begins in one’s own mind. When a person understands how “there is nothing else but Him” (Devarim 4:35), he conducts himself in a manner that reflects this understanding.
שאתה [The nature of His infinity is intimated by the statement in our prayers:] “You existed before the world was created and You exist after the world was created” without any change at all, for “I, G‑d, have not changed.”16
The statement that G‑d has not changed is seemingly difficult to understand, for, on the surface, Creation brought about a change. Beforehand, He was the only existence. After Creation, by contrast, there exists an entire spectrum of spiritual worlds and this physical world where G‑dliness is not apparent. How then can it be said that He has not changed?
The Alter Rebbe proceeds to resolve that question, explaining that although we see that an entire realm of existence “outside” of Him has been created, that is only our perception. In truth, however, from His perspective, He exists in both the higher realms and the lower realms without change.
The [existence of the] world does not bring about concealment for Him. Indeed, “Darkness is as light”17 before Him. Concealment and hiddenness exist only for our mortal eyes, but before Him, all [existence] is of no importance.18
It is not only that He is much, much greater, loftier, and more powerful than all other forms of existence, but that in an ultimate sense, there is no other existence outside of Him.
The higher and the lower realms are equal before Him and He is found in the lower realms just as He is found above. Thus, the existence of the yesh is batel to Him.
At this point, one might ask: True, from His perspective, there is no change, but from the perspective of the created beings, there is a change. They feel their own existence. How then can it be said that there is no change? In resolution, the Alter Rebbe proceeds to explain that even the forces of concealment are G‑dly and exist only to further express His oneness.
וזהו This is [alluded to in the verse]:19 “[For I know] that G‑d is great, and our L‑rd [surpasses] all other gods.” The expression “all other gods” refers to the 120 forms of the name א-להים, Elokim,
I.e., the letters of the name א-להים, Elokim, can be arranged in 120 different forms. (5 letters can appear in 120 different sequences, following the equation 5*4*3*2*1=120.) As indicated by Tanya, Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, ch. 1, and other sources, the rearrangement of the order of the letters indicates stages in the contraction of the Divine energy that they convey. Thus the different forms of the name Elokim refer to progressively lower manifestations of G‑dliness.
Havayah (י-ה-ו-ה) and Elokim (א-להים) are both names for G‑d. The name Havayah is associated with the attribute of mercy and on a higher level, with His infinite light. The name Elokim is associated with the attribute of judgment and in a more general sense, the revelation of G‑dliness within the limits and structure of the spiritual cosmos (i.e., Seder HaHishtalshelus).
which conceal and veil the light of the name Havayah and its holiness so that G‑d’s infinite light will not be revealed as it is. [That concealment is necessary] so that the existence of the worlds does not become totally nullified, but instead, the world will appear as a separate and independent entity. Nevertheless, [even within this context,] the light of Havayah is “great,” surpassing all [forms of existence] and ruling over all of them, so that the yesh will become batel.
I.e., even in the context of the Creation brought into being by the name Elokim, there are revelations from the name Havayah that enable the created beings to recognize His greatness.
וזהו (This is [the meaning of the verse]: “For I know that G‑d is great.” “I” refers to “the congregation of Israel.”
The awareness of the greatness of the name Havayah is, however, the heritage of the Jewish people alone and, generally, is not shared by the gentile nations.
[They proclaim G‑d’s greatness. In contrast,] the gentile nations declare:20 “Havayah has abandoned the earth.” As Pharaoh said:21 “I do not know Havayah.”
Now Pharaoh was aware of G‑dliness, as Yosef told him (Bereishis 41:16): “G‑d (Elokim) will respond to the welfare of Pharaoh.” His awareness, however, was confined to the G‑dliness expressed by the name Elokim, the G‑dliness that controls the natural order. He did not have any appreciation of the name Havayah, G‑d in His transcendence.
Therefore, after Yisro converted,22
Implied is that it was only after he converted that he was able to come to this level of awareness.
he said:23 “Now I know that Havayah is greater [than all elohim].”)
והיינו [This relates to the concepts originally discussed in connection with the verse: “Everything G‑d desired, He made.”] “Everything G‑d desired,” [i.e., His essential will,] is drawn down. [As a result,] “He made,” [i.e., it becomes]manifest [even] “in heaven and on earth.” All [created beings] have a form and an image that derive from G‑d’s desire and will
As stated above, the entity’s tzurah determines its form and image and this derives from G‑d’s will that is above His speech.
that is not expressed through [His] speech and utterance, [the latter] being the factor that causes consciousness of self.
That entire psalm speaks of how, at the time of the exodus from Egypt, G‑d performed miracles that transcended nature, showing how the name Havayah can be manifest in this world.
וזהו On this basis, [we can understand our Sages’ statement:24 “Initially, it arose in His thought to create the world with the attribute of stern judgment.... Afterwards,] He blended it with the attribute of mercy.” Throughout the narrative of Creation, it is written: “And Elokim said.”
I.e., all the utterances of Creation emanate from this name of G‑d.
Afterwards, He blended in the attribute of mercy, as [the narrative of Creation] states:25 “On the day on which Havayah
The name of G‑d identified with the attribute of mercy.
Elokim made heaven and earth.”
וזהו [These concepts are also reflected in the verse:26 ] “Why will the nations say: ‘Where is (איה) their G‑d?’”
The connection of this verse to the theme of the maamar is also reflected in its being part of the Hallel prayers which are recited on Chanukah.
[Beyond its simple meaning, the verse can be interpreted to mean that the nations of the world see] G‑d in a state of איה, “withdrawal,”
איה, “Where is,” implies withdrawal; i.e., His presence is not manifest in a manner that is apparent, but instead is withdrawn to the extent that the question arises as to where He is.
for they maintain that “Havayah abandoned the earth.”27
The intent is not that there is no G‑dliness whatsoever expressed in the world, but that Havayah, the G‑dliness that transcends the natural order, is not expressed.
The world, [they maintain,] is conducted through the medium of [G‑d’s name] Elokim, which is [characterized by] contraction and withdrawal, allowing the world [to appear] as a yesh and a separate entity. In truth, however, “Everything Havayah desired, He made.”
This phrase — without the mention of the name Havayah — appears in Tehillim 115:3. Implied is that it is the Jews’ response to the gentiles’ question: “Where is their G‑d?” As explained above, “Everything Havayah desired, He made” implies that G‑d’s desire affects even the realm of deed, the created beings whose existence “He made,” and the bittul that results from His will and desire is manifest within them.
ועל This [— the manifestation of the name Havayah, G‑d’s infinite dimension, in our world —] is the theme of the entire preceding psalm: “The sea saw and fled.... Who transforms the rock [into a pool of water, the flintstone into a stream of water].”28 It relates the praise of the unique distinction of the name Havayah, how it dominates the name Elokim andchanges nature. The flintstone, which derives from the attribute of fire,
As evident from the sparks it produces.
becomes a source of water.
Thus breaking the limits of nature.
For the name Elokim — which is the quality of tzimtzum that conceals and veils, causing a feeling of yeshus based on the nature implanted into each entity according to its character and tendency — is batel to the name Havayah that dominates it. [Havayah]is identified with the revelation of G‑d’s infinite light which, as its name implies, is infinite. Therefore even “the sea saw and fled.”
Summary
The maamar begins with a question. Why is the Chanukah lamp not placed on the right side of an entrance like the mezuzah? The Alter Rebbe begins by focusing on the nature of the Divine energy invested in the creation of the world, citing a verse which states: “Everything G‑d desired, He made in heaven and on earth,” indicating that the Creation stems from G‑d’s will. The Torah’s narrative, however, states that all existence came in to being from G‑d’s speech. In resolution, it is explained that all entities have chomer (matter) and tzurah (form). The chomer comes into being from G‑d’s speech; the tzurah, from G‑d’s will.
